by Elena Aitken
“Sometimes, in the summer, you take your shirt off in the garage, and I just about die. You are so hot. I could look at you all night.”
“Yeah?” He got up, popping open the buttons and jerking the jeans off his hips.
Her eyes went wide. “Commando?” She fixed her gaze on his hard cock. “Oh, my God, Jinx. Look at you. I don’t even know where to begin.”
That greedy little smile. Fuck me. Skylar James was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen. Not just her physical beauty, but her mischievous smile, her compassion, her generosity. Everything about her turned him on. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”
Lifting the dress over her head, she tossed it onto the floor. Her breasts jiggled inside the cups of her bra, and his hands ached to feel their heavy weight. She reached behind her for the clasp, and blood surged into his cock making him harder than he’d ever been in his life.
His body a live wire of need, he couldn’t wait another second. Lunging for her, he grabbed her wrist and tumbled her onto the mattress. He smothered her cry of surprise with a kiss that sent a lightning strike through his body.
His senses heightened, he found himself awash in her floral scent, the silkiness of her hair, and smoothness of her skin. “I can’t believe I get to kiss you.”
She clutched him. “I’m scared.”
He brushed the hair off her forehead. “Of what? I won’t do anything you’re not ready for.”
“Of how much I feel…of you moving on…hurting Rocco.” She let out a breath. “Hurting me. I don’t think I could stand it if you left.”
“That’s not going to happen. I only moved around because I didn’t have a reason to stay. But you and Rocco…you give me roots. I want us.” He kissed her temple, ran his nose across her cheek, and kissed the corner of her mouth. “You gonna give me a chance?”
She grew restless beneath him. “Yes.” Fingers sliding into his hair, she drew him down for another kiss. “God, yes.”
He yanked her panties down, and she kicked them aside, leaving her naked. He took in her pale skin against the white sheets, the sexy curve of her waist and flare of her hips. “Tell me you’re mine.”
“I’m all yours.”
He pushed her breasts together, sucking a nipple into his mouth. One hand slid between her legs, seeking her slick heat. When he stroked her wet crease, she gasped, her hips arching off the mattress. He shifted his mouth to the other nipple, all while caressing her.
Her hips rocked insistently, and he pressed a trail of kisses down her stomach. Spreading her knees wider, he licked inside her.
“Oh, my God, Jinx.” She gripped his hair.
Finding her hard nub, he licked fast, then slow, learning her body, her responses, and he didn’t think he’d ever been happier. He reached for her breasts, flicked his thumbs over her nipples, and kissed her the same way he’d just loved her mouth.
“I can’t believe…I’m going to come already.” Lust saturated her tone, making it almost sound dreamy. “Jinx…oh, my God.” Her hips snapped up, and she pressed herself against his mouth, her hands holding his head in place. “Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t—” She cried out, hips swiveling. Her body seized, and then her ass dropped to the mattress. “Holy shit.”
With her flushed cheeks and sleepy eyes, she looked sated and happy. He smoothed the hair off her cheek, traced her lips with a finger. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
Cupping the back of his head, she drew him in for another kiss, and elation overwhelmed him. She reached for his cock, her warm grasp making his body clench with desire. “Hang on.” He leaned off the side of the bed, snagging his jeans and pulling out his wallet.
“Let me do it.” She sat up, those sexy breasts bouncing, and he loved her like this, so uninhibited, so free. She dangled the foil packet in front of him. “All right, you have two choices. This…” She tore it open with her teeth and pulled out the condom. “Or my mouth? Which do you want covering this bad boy?” She stroked him, letting her thumb glide around the head of his cock. “Choose wisely.”
Is this happening? Lust surged, and he rolled onto his back. “Suck me.”
Grasping his cock, she licked it from the root to the head, before taking him into the slick heat of her mouth. She watched him, eyes shining with desire and mischief. Her tongue flicked and swirled, and his hips shot off the mattress. “Fuck, Skylar.”
Those big brown eyes turned sultry as her hands tugged him in rhythm with the hungry pulls of her tongue. He’d never been more aroused in his life. His body vibrated with lust and love and want and need.
This is Skylar.
Fucking my cock with her mouth.
And loving it.
He got that stab of fear again.
She faltered, pulling him out, her lips shiny and swollen. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He reached for the back of her head. “Go on.”
“No. Not until you talk to me.” She sat up. “If we’re going to work, we have to be honest with each other. I need that. You have no idea how much.”
“Are we going to work? When we get home, are we going to be together—or is this a Vegas thing?”
She straddled his lap, scraping the hair back from his temples. “We’re together. I want this. I want us. I love how you are with Rocco. I love the way you look at me. I love the way you never gave up on me. Mostly, I just love the man you are. You’re so strong and steady and smart and creative and…God, you’re the best man I’ve ever known.”
He lurched forward. “I’m going to love you so hard, and I’m going to be the best fucking dad Rocco could ever want.”
“That’s the thing. I know that. I know it.” She rolled the condom on with shaky hands. As she sank down on him, she let out a hiss of breath. “Yes.” And then she was moving, a slow, steady rhythm, her head tilting back in pleasure.
Mesmerized by how beautiful she looked lost in pleasure, he wanted to watch her forever, but he couldn’t take it anymore. He needed friction. He needed to come. “I’m gonna fuck you right now, okay?”
“Yes. Please.”
No more talking, he grabbed her ass, lifted her, and slammed her down on him. Sensation exploded, driving him for more, faster. He fucked her so hard her tits bounced, and she reached for the headboard, slamming down on him, meeting his wild thrusts.
This woman…she was the one for him. No question. He’d give her all the time she needed, but one day, they’d get married. And, if she wanted it, they’d have a baby together.
And he’d have her forever.
He toppled her onto her back, lifted her leg over his hip, and drove into her. His balls tightened, and his spine tingled, and he knew he wasn’t going to last. Reaching between them, he found her clit and stroked her into a climax that had her back arching, her body writhing.
Skylar lost in desire was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. And then he slammed home, as he came so hard his vision splintered into dazzling white stars.
He collapsed beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. Tucking his face into her neck, he sighed.
He’d waited so long…had almost given up believing he could ever have this kind of happiness. And here he was.
I got the girl.
And I’m never letting go.
Epilogue
It never failed. Every night, as she turned onto her street, Skylar peered into the front bay window of her pretty little house with the flower beds and glider on the porch.
For so many years, she’d get glimpses of family life from other people’s windows. A mom rocking a baby, a cocktail party, a family sitting down for dinner. Her heart would squeeze because she never believed she’d get to have that life. Worse, that Rocco would grow up without a dad or siblings.
She glanced at the white plastic CVS bag on the passenger seat. Emotion flooded her so hard she had to blink back the sting of tears. I have it all.
I can’t believe it.
She never dr
eamed she could have so much joy.
Hitting the button to open the garage, she drove in, parking right alongside Jinx’s badass black SUV. She cut the engine, grabbed her purse and the pharmacy bag, and then headed into her home, expecting the usual ruckus of Jinx and Rocco building a pillow fort or chasing each other with Nerf guns.
Tonight, though, it was quiet. Other than the gentle hum of the refrigerator, she didn’t hear a single sound. Which was odd. And it fired up her nerves.
She glanced at the dinner dishes, disturbed to find Rocco’s uneaten.
What’s going on? Dropping her purse and the bag, she opened her mouth to shout for them, when she heard a deep voice murmuring. Hurrying down the hallway, she saw the spill of yellow light on the hardwood floor outside Rocco’s room.
“I’ll be honest with you,” Jinx said quietly, gently. “It hurts my heart to see you sad.”
“I’m not sad.” Rocco sounded grumpy, impatient.
“You should know, if something’s happening at school, and you don’t want to tell me about it because you’re worried I’ll get involved or embarrass you, you could tell me that. You can always come to me and your mom and say, Hey, man, I need to talk to you, but I want you to promise not to tell anyone. You can always say that to us.”
“School’s fine.”
“Well, okay. I hear your words, but they don’t match your expression, so that’s why I’m worried. You need some time alone, I’ll give it to you. I just want you to know that you can tell me anything.”
Skylar wanted to barge in and press Rocco for an answer, but she’d follow Jinx’s lead on this one. He was so much more patient. Her instinct was always to burn down the world for her son, where Jinx wanted to teach Rocco how to navigate it.
Jinx. God, he was a good man. The best. Sometimes she couldn’t believe he was hers.
And that she’d almost pushed him away.
Her heart clutched at the thought. If he hadn’t asked her to go to Vegas…
But he had. And she’d gone.
And now…nearly a year later, they were together. And it was so damn good.
“I’m going to wash the dishes,” Jinx said. “I’ll leave your plate for last, in case you get hungry.” His shadow fell onto the hallway, as he neared the door. “I love you, Rocco.”
She froze, holding her breath so they wouldn’t hear her eavesdropping.
But he didn’t leave the room.
Because her son said, “Jinx?”
“Yes?”
Rocco didn’t say anything, and the silence was excruciating. What was troubling her little boy? He’d been quieter than usual the past couple of days. But he wouldn’t say what was on his mind.
And Jinx…God, he just gave her little boy all the space in the world, while letting him know he was safe and loved.
I love him. With everything I am, I love Jinx Costello.
And I want his name. I want all three of us to have the same name.
“Jinx?” Rocco said again.
“Yes.” To hear that big, strong, tattooed man use such a gentle voice with her shy boy never failed to turn her into a puddle of love.
“Will you come here?”
“You bet.”
Skylar couldn’t take it anymore. She inched closer to the doorway and peered in.
Jinx crossed the room and sat on the edge of the mattress. His big hand cupped Rocco’s cheek, and her son gazed up at him with a tortured expression.
Had he done something wrong? God, he was only five years old. What trouble could he have gotten into? His preschool teacher hadn’t said anything.
Finally, her boy said, “Are you…going to live here forever?”
The breath whooshed out of Skylar’s lungs, and she squeezed her hands into fists. They’d talked about Jinx moving in, about him being part of their little family, but it hadn’t occurred to her that Rocco didn’t know it was permanent.
“I am. I’m going to be here forever. You know why? Because I love your mom, and I love you. Nothing makes me happier than being with you two.”
But she didn’t see relief on Rocco’s features. And Jinx obviously didn’t either because he withdrew his hand. “Do you not want me here forever? You can tell me the truth. I won’t be angry.”
“I want…” Her son swallowed, his little hands squeezing the blue and white striped comforter.
Jinx tipped his chin up. “You can tell me anything. Whatever you have to say, I’m going to be okay with it. I don’t have to live here. If you want me to move to an apartment, if you want it to just be you and your mom again, I can do that. I’d still like to be in your lives. I’d like to have dinner with you—”
“No, I don’t…that’s not what I mean.” Rocco’s cheeks burned red. “I want you…”
Dammit, Rocco’s voice turned to a whisper, and she missed the last several words.
“Yeah?” Jinx’s voice cracked.
Rocco nodded energetically.
“Rocco, man, I want that more than anything in the world.” Jinx scooped him into his arms, and they clung to each other.
With his cheek pressed to Jinx’s shoulder, he said, “Can I call you Daddy?”
“Yeah, son.” Jinx’s voice cracked. “Nothing would make me happier.”
He patted Jinx’s broad back. “Okay, Daddy.”
Hot tears spilled down her cheeks. She thought she’d been happy before. But this…
This was it.
Her world was complete.
She thought of the CVS bag and smiled. Maybe she’d hold off for a few weeks before she told them.
Give them a little time to bond as father and son…
Before adding another baby to the family.
Thank you for reading COME AWAY WITH ME! If you want a glimpse of Jinx’s first year in Calamity, when he was crushing on Skylar, and she pretended to want nothing to do with him, check out JUST THE WAY YOU ARE, the story of a princess gone wild—and the badass athlete who falls madly in love with her.
Up next is WHOLE LOTTA LOVE, where a quiet, introverted chef finally lives her life out loud with a hot, sexy quarterback.
Need more Calamity Falls, the western capital of whoop-ass, where the people are wild at heart?
KEEP ON LOVING YOU
WE BELONG TOGETHER
THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
IT WAS ALWAYS YOU
CAN’T HELP FALING IN LOVE
COME AWAY WITH ME
WHOLE LOTTA LOVE
Look for WHOLE LOTTA LOVE in February 2021! Sign up for my newsletter to get a FREE copy of PLANES, TRAINS, AND HEAD OVER HEELS. And come hang out with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Pinterest or in my private reader group.
Must Love Alligators
Erin Nicholas
A sexy, small town, nerd heroine, opposites attract romance.
Chase Dawson can't get Bailey Wilcox out of his head. In spite of the clumsiest almost-kiss of his life. A brainy, awkward conservationist is really not his type, but for some reason, this rich playboy can't wait to catch this one under the mistletoe.
Chase is back in Louisiana for this fun, sexy Christmas story from the bayou!
Copyright © 2019 by Erin Nicholas
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Chapter 1
“If you need any help studying for an anatomy exam, I’d be happy to help.”
Chase Dawson looked down at the gorgeous blonde in front of him. Fuck yeah. He’d love to go over her dips and curves. Carefully. With particular focus on how auditory stimulation—aka, dirty talk—affected her heart rate and skin temperature.
At least that should have been what he was thinking. Her beautiful anatomy was showcased in a tight tank top that left her st
omach bare and short shorts that put her long, smooth legs on display. She was not only beautiful, she was clearly into the idea of a weekend fling with the Yankee visiting from D.C.
But no. His focus was on wondering why Bailey Wilcox was still wearing the dark green polo shirt that had Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries embroidered on the left side. Her khaki pants that were at least a size too big on her. She also still wore the brown work boots she wore to tromp around studying fish and frogs and whatever else she did all day with her job.
She hadn’t even wanted to change her shoes before going out?
She didn’t seem to really be out though. She was sitting at the end of the bar, alone—except for the two guys who’d tried to talk to her before she’d waved off their offers to buy her a drink—cradling a mug of beer in one hand while she bent over a small stack of papers. She had a plastic basket of something on her left side and a yellow highlighter in her right hand. She alternated taking a bite, then a drink, then running the highlighter over something on the page she was reading. Bite, drink, highlight. Over and over. She didn’t look up. She didn’t even make eye contact with the bartender. She seemed totally lost in her own little world.
She clearly didn’t want company.
So why the fuck was he watching her, rather than focusing on the friendly, curvy blonde in front of him? Why did he know that Bailey was now on page six of whatever that was but he didn’t even remember the blonde’s name? Had she told him her name?
He made himself smile down at her. “Darlin’”—Yeah, he’d learned quickly that dropping those g’s and adding a little drawl, even to his definitely-not-Louisiana accent, had an effect on women—“I’d love nothin’ more than to fully study every one of your dermatomes, up close and personal.”
