Healing Hearts: A friends with benefits, small town romance (Hope River Book 3)

by Margaret McHeyzer

  I’ve had a shower, and now I’m lying in bed, tossing and turning. Tabitha is consuming my thoughts, and I’m trying to push her out of my head. But every time I close my eyes, even for a moment, I get the vivid picture of her looking over her shoulder at me, biting her lip, her eyes seductive and lustful as I pound into her from behind. “Jesus,” I say as I open my eyes and turn on my side.

  I don’t want to think about her like that. I don’t want to think about her at all.

  My phone buzzes and flashes with a new message, and I reach for it. I know it’ll be from Tabitha. I click on the message. I have to go over to Mulberry Point tomorrow. Can you spare an hour and come with me?

  I know what this means. My dick stirs at just the thought of being inside her again. Part of me wants to reply yes with all capital letters, but another part wants to say, only if she has lunch with me. I need to go to Mulberry Point too, to get plumbing supplies for one of the houses. That’s neither a yes, nor a no.

  I’m leaving here at seven, be outside if you want to come.

  By seven I’m usually on site, but I can make an exception.

  And by come, I mean cum.

  My dick hardens.

  Another message comes through. Inside me.

  I slip my hand inside my shorts and grab my dick in my hand, and tug on it, trying to relieve the pressure building. I tug on my balls, then pull on my cock again.

  Yet another message. Or in my mouth.

  Jesus fucking Christ. My hand expertly works up and down my shaft, making it harder as I read and re-read her messages, each time imagining her craning her neck around, biting her lips, and seductively staring at me. My release builds quickly, and before long, my load is shooting out, covering the lower half of my stomach. “Fuck,” I breathe as my heart beat quickly begins to calm.

  Before standing, I send Tabitha a reply. I’ll be there. I’m such a sucker for her. I honestly think, I’d do nearly anything for Tabitha. “Fuuuuck,” I say dragging out the word. I sit up on the edge of the bed, and run my hand through my hair. Standing, I head into the bathroom and take another quick shower.

  When I get back to bed, I look at my phone, and I’m disappointed that I don’t have another message from Tabitha. It’s probably better this way, because she’s only a hundred feet from here, and if she sent me another message, I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t head over to May’s house, and go straight to Tabitha’s room. Although, I’m not sure what May would say about us having sex in her house. Especially considering Tabitha can be vocal most times.

  I turn over and close my eyes.

  Thankfully, I fall asleep fairly easily. Except, my cock, the bastard, is looking forward to getting inside Tabitha again.

  I wonder what she’s thinking about?

  I’m waiting for Tabitha by my truck. She comes out of the house with her bag slung around her shoulder while she’s tying her hair back in a ponytail. She likes me grabbing her hair and pulling it. She lets out a sexy moan and thrusts her hips into me whenever I do that. She’s wearing a flowery dress that comes to her knees, and her fucking hot black cowboy boots. There’s something about her in cowboy boots that makes me want to do dirty things to her.

  “Sorry, I slept in,” she says as she hurries over to me.

  “It’s okay.” I unlock my truck, and she hoists herself up into it. I cast a side glance at her, and see the exposed skin of her leg. She sees me looking, and hitches her dress up a little farther. Fucking hell, she’s playing with me. “You look nice,” I say.

  “Thank you. I’m hungry, and I need a coffee. Wanna grab some breakfast?”

  Oh my God, this is the first time she’s wanted to be with me in public. Usually, it’s just sex, then she leaves. “Sure do. Wanna go to Elle’s?”

  “Oh… oh… um, no. Not Elle’s,” she stutters. “It’s um, out of the way. Just go to Mulberry Point.” Is she embarrassed? By me?

  “We’re on the way, we can stop in at Elle’s,” I push.

  “No! Not there. Can we please go to Mulberry Point?” She lowers her dress so I can’t see her exposed leg anymore, and turns to look out the window.

  “Sure,” I reply as I drive toward Mulberry Point. I let the tension die down for a good ten minutes, unsure why she wouldn’t want to go to Elle’s. “What are you getting in Mulberry Point?”

  “I need some spices I can’t get in Hope River. There’s this little Asian and Indian store. It has the best spices, and ones I just can’t get anywhere else. So I need to go there.” She pauses, then asks, “What about you?”

  “I’ll have to re-plumb all five of the houses on Oak Tree Parade, but I need some extra pipes because I’ve run out of a few sizes. Usually, I have a whole truck load, and I rebuild my supply as I go along. But we’ve been flat out lately and I haven’t had time.”

  “Cool,” she says.

  I wait for Tabitha to ask me questions, but she doesn’t. The silence in the truck is turning awkward. “Where did you learn to cook?” I ask, finally breaking the painful stillness between us.

  Tabitha sighs. Jesus, she’s not even going to tell me that? “I um,” she pauses for another moment. “I learned from a lady who used to cook for my family. Dorothy.” She lets out a humorless chuckle. I quickly look at her, and she’s chewing on the inside of her cheek. Her hands are balled together on her lap, and her shoulders are high with tension. “The first thing I learned to make was fresh homemade pasta and marinara sauce,” she finally adds.

  “Yeah? Did you go to culinary school?” Please, give me something and don’t make this awkward.

  “My father wanted to send me to any culinary college I wanted to go to, but my mom thought cooking should be reserved for the help.” She laughs again, though I can tell there’s a lot of pain behind that sour laugh. “I was kinda torn about what to do. I wanted desperately to go to culinary school, but I was even more desperate for my moth…” she stops talking. I think she thinks she’s telling me too much. “I ended up going to culinary school and finishing, and I loved it. I’ve worked in all kinds of places,” she starts rattling, as if she doesn’t want to talk about the reason why she became a chef.

  “Yeah, have you travelled the world?”

  “I’ve been to a few places, but nowhere has ever really felt like home. Except for Hope River.”

  “I know what you mean. Hope and I have only ever moved once in our lives, and that was when I was about nineteen, it was a family move. And the weird thing is, I actually called Hope River ‘Hicksville’ before I came here.” I start laughing, and I notice Tabitha giggles too. “It’s so weird because everyone knows everyone else’s business. That’s the hardest part for me.”

  “It’s been like that since I was little and I’d come here to stay with Aunt May. Only difference is, there are a few more people now. But everyone still sticks their nose in your business.”

  “It’s not a bad thing,” I say. “Look how everyone came together to help with Elle’s café. And when Hope and I started on the B&B, the town came together to help clear the yards, and I had so many offers of help. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

  “Except, you can’t have a secret.”

  “Well…” I say with a head tilt. “Not many people know about us. I know Hope and River do.”

  “And Aunt May and Elle. Which means Jake will too.”

  “I can vouch for Hope, she doesn’t gossip.”

  Tabitha nods her head. “Let’s hope no one else finds out.” Oh man, that comment just cut me. I have so many questions for Tabitha. I want to know what’s so bad if people do find out about us. Then we could make it official, and not have to sneak around. Having sex in my truck, or at the B&B or even when she slips into the stable then slips straight out again when we’re done is getting old. “Turn left here,” she says once we hit the main street of Mulberry Point. I turn left, and wait for her to tell me where we’re going. “Next right, just past that red car there.” She points to a bunch of cars parked on the road
.

  “Here?” I indicate as I slow to make the turn.

  “Yeah. It’s toward the bottom of the street, on the right-hand side. See that van?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Park anywhere around there. The store is just a bit further, but there’s a fire hydrant in front, so you can’t park there.”

  “Okay.” As I reach the van, and it pulls out onto the street, creating a spot. I pull in behind it, and turn the truck off.

  Tabitha unbuckles her belt, and turns to look at me. “What are you doing?” she asks as I take my belt off too.

  “I’m coming with ya.”

  “No, there’s no need. I won’t be long.” She puts her hand on the door handle.

  “Well, maybe I want to come with you, because maybe I want to buy some spices too.”

  She tilts her chin down, and looks at me with those big green eyes and a smirk. “You want to buy spices?”

  “Uh-huh,” I confirm as I get out of my truck.

  She gets out, and joins me on the sidewalk. “Yeah? What do you want to buy?”

  “Um.” Shit, I didn’t think this one through. “Spices,” I say.

  “Yes, but which ones specifically?” she asks as we slowly walk toward this stupid spice store.

  “Ones that I can cook with,” I say even slower, hoping we reach the store and I can see some names of spices to tell her.

  “Like?”

  “Stuff.”

  “Specifics please.”

  Shit, what do I say? “Um, pepper,” I say the first thing I can think of.

  “Pepper? What type?”

  “The red type? And maybe salt with stuff.” I look up and down the street, searching for this damn spice store. Where is it?

  “Salt with stuff? Wow, sounds like you really know what you’re talking about.”

  “It does?” I ask, turning to look at Tabitha with so much pride.

  “No.” She shakes her head. “Not one little bit.” She stops walking. “It’s here.”

  She opens the door, and instantly I’m hit with aromas I just don’t usually smell. “Whoa,” I say at the sudden olfactory invasion. The store is small and tightly packed with four narrow aisles. There’s barely enough room down the passageways for my broad shoulders to fit without touching anything. Tabitha walks ahead of me, and I notice how she glides through effortlessly. I can’t help but look at all the bright and colorful things stacked on the shelves.

  “Charlie!” Tabitha calls from the back of the store. “Come here.”

  I walk down to her, where she’s standing in front of a huge section that has hundreds of sealed bags with all different powders. “Smell this.” She lifts a bag, and I lower my head to smell. I take a whiff. “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s singed my nose hairs. Wow, it’s strong, and kinda smells.” I shudder at the aroma. “What is it?”

  Tabitha laughs. “It’s called Asafoetida, it’s from the leek family.” I wrinkle my nose again. “Do you know what this is?” She holds up a packet of oval shaped dried leaves.

  I take it to sniff, and read the label. “Yeah, obviously, it’s Bay leaves. Duh.”

  She narrows her eyes, but keeps smiling. “Alright, smart-ass. Then what’s this one?” She picks another packet of deep red powder, swings it around so I can’t read the label, and holds it up for me to smell. I try to take the packet, but she shakes her head, and holds it closer. I bring my hand up, and hold her hand, while gently stroking my thumb over her skin. I smell the packet, and my eyes instantly water. I turn, hold my shirt over my face and sneeze. Tabitha laughs harder.

  “What was that?” I sneeze again.

  “Cayenne pepper. Lucky I didn’t give you the ghost pepper powder to smell. But I wouldn’t do that to you.” She leans in, her breasts skim my chest, and I instantly forget about the spicy smell of the pepper. “This is making me horny.”

  I swallow, loving how assertive she is when she wants me. “Hurry up and buy what you need,” I snap at her as I reach my hand down and squeeze her ass.

  She pulls me down by the neck of my shirt, and whispers, “I’m not wearing underwear either.”

  “Fuck,” I breathe. “Let me feel.”

  She looks around my shoulder to make sure the guy at the counter isn’t looking our way, and she steps forward, and bends from the waist so she can have a look at something on the bottom shelf. Her dress rides up in the back, but not enough for me to see. I step forward, and slip my hand under her dress, excited to find she indeed isn’t wearing underwear at all.

  God, I could fuck her right here. “Did you get what you need?” I ask as I push her to stay down, and slip my finger into her.

  “Not yet,” she nearly squeals.

  Someone else comes into the store, and I have to stop. But she’s wet, and it’s making me crazy. I pull my finger out, grab hold of her ponytail, and drag her upright. I make sure I’m right behind Tabitha, and I thrust my jeans-covered hard-on against her once, letting her know I’m going to fuck her. “Suck,” I say as I stick my finger in her mouth. She moans, opens her mouth, and assaults my finger. “Hurry, the fuck up,” I say before I lose my shit and screw her right here.

  “Maybe.” She lifts a shoulder and walks ahead of me, causing me to lose my mind. She dawdles along, picking things up, smelling them, swaying her hips seductively all while I can’t tear my eyes off of her. She turns to look at me, and licks her lips, before turning to resume her search of whatever she’s looking for. “Here, hold this.” She hands me something, then as she drops her hand, she grabs my cock, and squeezes.

  I intake a breath and shake my head. “You’re going to be in a lot of trouble if you do that again.”

  Tabitha smirks. Minx. She’s going to drive me absolutely crazy. “Hold this too, please.” She hands me another packet of something, lets her hand fall to my cock, and squeezes again.

  I turn around to make sure no one’s watching, and smack her ass so hard it makes her jump forward. “Eeek!” she cries, then looks over her shoulder with lustful eyes and a dirty grin. “I like that,” she says in a low, sultry tone.

  Jesus, this girl has a way of crawling under my skin and making my head crazy for her. “Hurry up,” I say again, firmer.

  She hops forward on one foot, and scoops up a bunch of spices. With a huge smile, she heads toward the front to pay.

  About fucking time.

  “Aunt May shouldn’t be back for at least another hour. So, we have to be quick, okay?” Tabitha is already taking her boots off, as I paw at her dress, trying to rip it off.

  “We have an hour.” I strip out of my clothes, and pick Tabitha up, slinging her over my shoulder as I head over to the bed. I place her on her feet, turn and sit on the edge, and grab her hips. “Sit on me,” I say as I bring her over. She straddles over me, lines herself up on my hard cock, and slowly starts to sink down on me. I hold her close to me, as she starts to ride, up and down, coating my hard cock with her wetness. “Fuck, you feel good.” I lean forward, and take her nipple in my mouth.

  “I want to try anal,” she says in a husky breath.

  My mind is going crazy. Hell yeah! I pull away from her tit and look up at her. Her eyes are closed, and she’s concentrating on rocking her hips back and forth. “Okay. Keep going though, this feels good.” I pull away slightly, and move my hand between us. I rub on her clit, my finger coated in her juices. stretching my hand around, I tease her asshole, slowly pushing my finger in, waiting for Tabitha to accept me. “Yeah,” I say as I watch the desire spread across her face. Her hips increase in speed, she’s rolling them as she grabs onto my shoulders, and tries with her rocking motion to lower herself further down on both my cock and my finger. I feel her tighten around me. Shit, she’s going to make me cum if she keeps doing that. “Slow down.”

  “I can’t, I love this.” Her tempo increases again, she reaches between us to rub her own clit. “Shit,” she says breathy. “I’m gonna cum.” With my finger in her asshole, my cock
in her insatiable pussy, I tighten my grip on her hip, and thrust up, meeting her rotation with my own forceful pushing. I lean in to kiss her, but she turns her head so I can’t get to her mouth. I hate it when she does that.

  Tabitha moans, as she slows her tempo. I slowly take my finger out of her ass, grab onto her hips, squeezing the flesh between my hands, and flip her over so she’s lying on the bed. I hook her legs over my shoulders, and thrust into her with so much fierceness she clings to me so we don’t break the connection. Tabitha moves her hands down, and grabs my balls, playing and teasing them enough to make me grunt as I offload my cum into her.

  “Fuck!” I strain as I pump a couple more times.

  My hairline is covered in sweat, and my heartrate is beating crazily. I slow my pumping until I’m done, collapsing on top of her, but holding myself up on my elbows so I’m not squashing her either.

  She looks up at the ceiling, and grinds her teeth. “Okay. Can you get off me please?”

  I pull out of her, and try to get my head in the right space. She walks into the bathroom, completely naked, and I watch her cute little butt cheeks wobble slightly. “I was thinking,” I call out while she’s cleaning up.

  “What?”

  “Let’s go on a date.”

  “Yeah, you’ve already asked me that, and…” There’s a pause. “No, thanks.” The toilet flushes, then Tabitha strides out, picks her dress up from the floor and puts it on.

  “Tabitha, I like you,” I say, taking the risk I’ve been working myself up for. “I want more.”

  She picks one boot up, lifts her leg, and steadies herself as she slides the boot on. “I thought we both knew this is a no-strings attached relationship.”

  “It’s not a relationship at all. It’s just sex. And I want those strings with you. I want to see if we can work.” I sit up on the edge of the bed watching her slide the other boot on.

  “I can’t do that, Charlie.”

  “You can’t do that now because of your work?” I ask, hopefully it’s just the pressure of being the chef and helping Hope run the B&B.