His hands boldly go under my ass and he gives me a squeeze as a growl breaks inside his chest and my breath hitches in mine. He drags me closer to him, spread out on his parted knees, and I feel the hard length of his cock pressing up against me. I feel my hips rocking of their own volition as his hands rake up my back to pull my shirt over my head.
He tosses it aside and glides his hands between my back and the strap of my bra.
His hand comes around to my front and he slowly unzips my shorts, making me moan again against his lips. His fingers tease me through my soaked panties and when he makes contact with how wet I am through the fabric, a chuckle breaks through his chest as he makes small, soft circles against my clit.
“You are so wet,” he gasps against my ear. I’m rendered speechless. I’ve never been so turned on in my life. I breath him in and his fingers spread my lips apart through my panties as one finger draws a circle against my clit. “Let me cook for you tonight. Let me kiss you everywhere. Let me do whatever I need to do to win you over.”
I don’t answer. I don’t have to. He keeps going anyway. He doesn’t know if all of this will unlock my heart but I don’t think he cares in this moment. All this talk of winning me over falls to the wayside as pure hot lust takes over. His fingers crawl up against my panties and then dip down again as he turns me around in his lap so my ass is pressing up against his cock. He’s big. When I feel it twitch against me I wriggle up against it without even thinking. Something else takes over. Something stronger than me. Something that makes me want to say yes.
His fingers glide down again but this time he puts his fingers inside my panties instead of touching me through them. Two of his fingers split my lips open and one finger traces a soft, tight circle against my clit as his lips make a trail of kisses behind my ear down to the nape of my neck. He pushes my hair away and I feel the ends brush against my breast. His free hand comes to the edge of my bra while the other keeps torturing my clit.
“It feels like you’re looking for something,” I say, my body getting hotter by the moment. He increases the pressure on my clit for a moment that’s gone before I can even register it. I gasp against the absence of a touch that could send me over the edge. “You’re going to make me come if you’re not careful.”
“Then I won’t be careful,” he growls possessively. The finger he’s using to trace slow, tight circles dips lower and enters me, making the palm of his hand grind against my clit. My back arches and I press my ass up against his lap, squirming and panting against his cock. “Do you want to ride my cock or my hand? Take your pick.”
“Do I have to pick one of those?” My body shifts as he puts his other hand between my legs to split my lips apart and grind on my clit with his other hand.
“Unless you want me to stop.”
“No, please don’t stop. It…it feels too good,” I gasp as he slides two pinched fingers on either side of my clit. Oh god. A finger dips lower again and he curls it up inside me, reaching a fleshy pad of bliss behind my belly button.
“Oh my god,” I groan. How does he know exactly what to say and know exactly how I want to be handled? His dominant touch feels too good to be real. My back arches against his cock harder this time and my mind races. Everything inside my body is hot and heavy, my limbs like lead and my pussy burning up and soaking. I’ve never had a man touch me like this. I’m very much still inexperienced. I haven’t had time to date, and the farthest I’ve ever gone was a hand job. His dick was cold and I didn’t like it. But the heat under my ass right now, the pulsing energy coming from Peter’s stiff cock, is white-hot.
“You want to come on my cock or on my fingers?” His arms make a cage around me and I can’t help but grind against him. Tempting. It’s so tempting to ask him to slide his cock into me. It’s right there. But that would be crazy, right? It’s the middle of the day and there are beams of fresh, beautiful light coming through the windows. My front door is unlocked, for god’s sake. I take a deep breath in and the beautiful day mixed with my own desire and Peter’s irresistible scent make me wish this moment could last forever.
“I don’t know,” I say, wriggling in his lap.
“Claire, if you keep moving like that you’re gonna make me come in my pants. We can’t have that. Cock or fingers. I’m going to make you come soon, so you better make a decision.” There’s a pause in his voice and I’m on edge as I wait for him to speak again. “Wait a second.”
His touch halts briefly and without realizing what’s happening he’s pushing me onto my back. I watch through my eyelashes as he sits at the other end of the couch, hooks his fingers around the waist of my shorts and tugs them down, leaving my panties behind.
He spreads my legs open and then glides his hands up the insides of my thighs. I swallow thickly as he gets to my wet pussy and he grabs my thong from the front and pulls it to the side.
“What are you doing?” I pant, one of my heels digging into his back. I lick my lips and watch as he places feather-light kisses up the inside of my thigh.
“You didn’t seem satisfied with either option I gave you, so I’m adding a third.” His lips come dangerously close to my clit before he passes it and kisses my belly. “If you don’t want to come on my tongue, tell me now.”
“I do want it,” I gasp as he pulls my lips open and forms a cage around my clit with his fingers. My eyes slam shut as his tongue makes contact with my isolated clit, and the entire world zooms in on just me and Peter. He sucks down on me fiercely and I feel my body wind up fast and hard. When I’m about to come, he backs away and pushes his tongue inside me, lapping at my slick channel. One finger finds my clit and he brushes it softly, never letting me get too close to the edge but making sure I’m right there.
When I expect him to stop again, he doesn’t stop. Instead, he’s easing into my pussy with one finger, curling it up and sucking on my clit hard enough to send my body off into a tailspin.
“Oh my god Peter please do not stop,” I mutter and pant, my fingers cruising through his thick hair and my legs shaking around his head. My legs are met with a grunt and I feel him push me open, his fingers still easing in and out of me, curling up every time he buries them inside. He adds another finger, making my core stretch out around him. Oh god. He pulls away from my clit and fucks me gently. I pry my eyes open to see him fucking me with his hand, his thick forearm flexing like a machine. “I’m going to come again.”
My eyelids slam shut again and I hear the clank of metal and then the sharp zip of his pants. I’m about to pull away from him and march away in protest when I feel his fingers pull away from me. I open my eyes again with hard reluctance to see him grinding his fist up and down his cock. My mouth waters. It’s beautiful. Can a dick be beautiful? It’s thick and the ridge at the top is pretty. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s just…pretty. I want to pet it and tease him and tell him he’s good and can make me and my pussy very happy.
“I am going to come on your pussy,” Peter declares, pulling his fingers away from me and sucking them. I want to tell him to put his dick inside me and come there instead but I can see there’s not enough time. The tip is bubbling over and I nod, biting down on my bottom lip as he puts the tip of his cock on my clit. I come again. My channel squeezes up and now the absence of his cock is a cruel phantom. But the tip of his dick coming on my clit is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. I file this away for later. This…this is something I can use. Then he does something else I can use. He takes the back of my neck with his hand and pulls my lips to his, bruising me with passion. It’s pent up. It’s more than a kiss. It is fire.
My breath hitches in my throat when Peter slides next to me on the couch and holds me. His arms wrap around me and cages me in, holding me close. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so good in my life. It’s a feeling I thought I’d never have the privilege of experiencing ever again. He pets my hair and I cuddle into him as my eyes flutter closed, the bright rays of sun painting my eyelids. When his hand come
s to my ass and gives me a squeeze paired with a kiss on the back of my shoulder, he chuckles.
“What’s so funny?” I ask. I hate being on the outside of an inside joke.
“I think you have a splinter in your butt,” he observes. I can feel him inspecting me. I’ve never felt anything so intimate. So…ours. So mine and someone else’s equally. A strange, foreign feeling settles against my chest. I’m falling for Peter. Whatever spell he’s cast on me is working. I want to fall fully and completely. I want it so badly. And I want to get there for him. For us. I never thought I’d be one of those people who thought of myself and my signifiant other as an “us.”
What is happening?
“You’re going to have to help me extract it later.” I cuddle back into him as he wraps his arms around me again and kisses the back of my head. I guess this means I’m letting him stay for dinner.
10
Peter
“Don’t you have any alcohol around here?” I open the cabinet under Claire’s sink. There’s a bottle of bubble bath that looks like it’s from 1990 and is faded with a picture of indiscriminate Saturday morning cartoon characters. There are also a few shower loofahs with the tags still on them. I pass a glance over to the shower. She keeps her house nice and clean and I know it’s for Brynn, but I don’t like how she doesn’t take time out for self-care. This woman has spent so much of her life taking care of other people that she doesn’t have enough energy left for herself. I’m just going to have to stick around to pick up the slack.
“Check the cabinet above the refrigerator!” she yells from Brynn’s room. “Why are you looking for alcohol in the bathroom?”
“Not to drink,” I holler back to her. “For your splinter.”
“Oh. There’s a first-aide kit in my room. Under the bed.”
I shut the cabinet and make my way to Claire’s room. She has a big, four-poster bed with neat off-white linens. This is the place that she keeps nice for herself. I breathe a sigh of relief, though I’d have a cleaning company in here first thing in the morning if she needed it. I’m just happy she has a nice place to get away to, even if it is only for seven or eight hours a night.
Kneeling on the floor, I check under the bed. There’s a shoe box and the first aid kit she told me I’d find in here. I am tempted to check out the shoe box because I know that’s where she keeps special things and I want to know everything about her. But I don’t. It wouldn’t be right. I grab the first aid kit and bring it back to the bathroom with me where Claire is waiting.
“This is a doozy,” she says, hoisted up on the sink.
“Get down from there,” I say, grabbing her hips to plant her on the floor. I spin her around and gently pull up the leg of her shorts. “This is one of the perks of having a partner. Professional splinter remover.”
“I thought professionals get paid,” she retorts.
“I’ll send you a bill. Now hold still.”
I swipe an alcohol pad over the splinter, position the ends of the tweezers at either side of the black speck and press down gently, snap the ends together to grab the splinter and pull. I don’t let myself look at the smooth, soft curve of her sexy little ass cheek. I have a job to do. The splinter slides out easily and when it’s out I rinse the tweezers in hot water and put them back in the medicine cabinet.
She turns and beams up at me. I don’t understand how I’ve fallen for her so quickly, but I want the whole world to know. I’ll selling my portion of the company to my brother and if he doesn’t want it I’ll bribe all the executives on our board and make them vote to go public so I can sell my portion of the company on the free market. I’m never touching a real estate deal again after I’ve devoted myself to Crabby’s. It deserves my undivided attention and that’s what it’s getting. I’m also selling my condo in the city. This is my house now. It’s perfect. And if Claire wants me to tear it down to put up a new one so she can have a fresh start with me, I’ll do it. Whatever she wants.
“I think cleanly getting rid of a splinter is up there with when the scissors start slicing right through the roll of wrapping paper on the list of most amazing feelings in the world.” She blushes. I should ask if what happened downstairs is up there on her list too.
“Let’s go make dinner.” I grab her hand and we go downstairs together after she grabs Brynn from her room. I’m told the little girl doesn’t like lobster and I asked Cassie if she and Mike would be willing to babysit Brynn tonight so I can spend more time getting to know Claire. I’ll have all the time in the world to spend with her once I really make her mine, but I’m impatient and I don’t want to wait. All the time in the world isn’t enough and I don’t intend on wasting a second. And then tomorrow I will spend the day with Claire and Brynn both. I just want a little more alone time with Claire. Cassie and Mike, I can tell, love having Brynn around.
The three of us go out onto the porch. The breeze from the ocean is salty and fresh and when Mike rolls up in his car he gets out and gives me a look. I understand. I’ll have to win him over, too, but I expect it to be more difficult. I hope proving myself to Claire will be enough to convince the people in her life that I’m serious but if I have to figure out another way to do it I will. Even if that means just sticking around and doing right by her. If that’s what it takes, I’m already on it.
There’s another matter, too. I know part of Claire’s hesitation to let me in, hell, the way she fought me tooth and nail until just a few hours ago, is to protect Brynn. So I need to make sure her niece doesn’t get confused. She needs to know I’m here for her, but I don’t want to replace Mike as her father figure. I just want her to have all the love she deserves and needs, and that means having as many people in her life as possible to love her like Claire does.
Mike puts Brynn in the back seat and buckles her in carefully. It’s a short drive over to his and Cassie’s house but I can tell from the look in the man’s eye that he will never be too careful. I look over at Claire and the tenderness in her eyes is apparent. It’s not just affection for Brynn. It’s affection for Mike. He’s family. And I’ll work and do everything I can to make sure she looks like that at me some day.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders as Mike pulls out of the driveway and drives away. Breathing in the salty ocean air, I feel so content and excited for this. I know she’s my home now. This is my home. I kiss her on her forehead where the line of her hair meets her skin. She tastes sweet and fresh. Distinctive. When the sound of Mike’s car fades in the distance I lean down to kiss Claire’s lips. She opens for me and complies, and I lift her to wrap her legs around me. I deepen the kiss and take her in my arms and carry her inside. This is where I belong.
11
Claire
“This is the money shot,” Peter says as he pulls the lobster from the steaming-hot pot on the stove. He nestles it next to the one he’s already removed and grabs a couple of small forks and shell-crackers from a drawer.
“Looks amazing,” I reply. My mouth is watering. I grab two plates from a cabinet and bring them to the table. Peter brings the lobsters to the table and we settle into a comfortable silence as we start cracking. This beats old fries.
“You mentioned yesterday that Brynn is technically the owner of Crabby’s,” Peter says. I send him a quiet nod and brace my elbow on the table as I crack into a claw. I hit pure profit and dip the meat into a little ramequin of butter Peter prepared. I want to tell him everything. I think I feel comfortable enough to tell him. I’ve never really had to tell anyone about it before. Everyone just kind of knows. Practically everyone I’d ever met came to the service.
“That’s right,” I reply. “It belonged to my parents, and they had her as their beneficiary when they passed away. I know they never imagined they’d be gone so soon. I’m Brynn’s legal guardian so I’m technically in charge of any decisions and I’m financially responsible until she turns eighteen, though as you’re aware I don’t think the restaurant is going to be able to survive for the next, let�
�s see…” I don’t have to do the math in my head. I know exactly, down to the day, how long it’s going to be until Brynn is eighteen years old and inherits the big mess I have on my hands, “eleven years.”
“And you’ve had offers before, I presume.” Peter gives me a sidelong glance as he cracks a claw. I nod at him. “Yeah, I know you have. Let me in on this. I promise we’ll keep it the way it is. I think an infusion of cash could really turn it around and I have some ideas. We can make it more of an attraction, but only on one day of the week. I think that might be a good compromise. Have it be classic Crabby’s every day except, say, Thursdays, and that’s when we could have a rotating roster of chefs come in and serve haute cuisine. It would be a cash cow and keep the place afloat the rest of the week.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but I don’t like compromising.”
“It would be a compromise so you could keep what you’ve built, not lose it.”
He’s trying to be pragmatic. Hell, he’s being pragmatic.
“I’ll think about it.” I take a sip of my beer. It’s cold, crisp and refreshing. Kind of like how I expected Peter to be. When he barged into my life yesterday he was certainly refreshing. A tall glass of strawberry lemonade at the height of summer. Crisp, with his dress pants in the heat and his sexy white button-down. But he wasn’t cold. He’s been nothing but warm to me. And I’ve taken a little bit of his warmth for me. It feels good to let someone in. It feels good to let someone take some of the emotional burden from me. That’s what he’s done. I don’t know if he knows. I want to tell him what he’s done for me and I want to thank him, but I don’t want to freak him out. It feels odd to think of it that way based on how he’s treated me so far, but hell, there’s still a little part of me that’s scared to let him all the way in. The door is unlocked. I feel like it might take time for it to open up wide.
I'll Catch You Page 5
