Bayou Baby

by Lexi Blake

  When she acquiesced, he took her mouth by storm, and Sera offered no resistance. What she had not been ready for before, she was eager for now. All of the problems and questions fell before this new, undeniable desire. Never in her whole life had she felt this way about a man. Her heart thudded, her breasts rubbing against his chest, legs restlessly entwining with his.

  Harry’s breath was ragged, but his tongue was hot and soft as he licked a path across her lips. He kissed her everywhere—her lips, her eyes, cheeks, and chin. She reveled in the rasp of his whiskers against her soft skin. It was something she’d learned about him. Harry started the day with his face baby smooth, but by the middle of the afternoon a sexy scruff would make an appearance. He nipped at her earlobe, and she was surprised to find out exactly how amazing that felt.

  “Are you sure about this? I don’t have to have this tonight,” he whispered against her ear before running his tongue along the shell and making her shiver with desire. She’d never considered her ear to be an erogenous zone, but Harry was making her rethink that. Pretty much everywhere he touched seemed to flare to life, every inch of skin where they connected alive and aware of him.

  “I do,” she protested. She let her fingers find his hair, running through the soft gold and brown silk. “I do need this. It’s been so long since I felt like this. Maybe never, Harry.”

  Because she’d never been with a man like him. Because she’d viewed sex as something she needed to get through to get to the part where her boyfriend would hold her. She’d gotten pleasure from sex before, but somehow she knew it would be different with him. It would be more, and now that she’d made the decision, she didn’t want to wait, didn’t want to take her time. She wanted to jump right over the edge with him and enjoy every moment they might have together because she knew damn well it could all come to an end.

  One strong hand reached out to cup her cheek tenderly. “I want you, too. I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you. When you tossed that blond hair and warned me not to listen when your momma inevitably tried to set us up, all I could think was how did I get you to change your mind about me.”

  He was staring down at her like she was something precious he needed to protect. He made her feel that way. “It wasn’t that I thought you weren’t attractive. But you’re . . .”

  “Not a Beaumont,” he said, laying a kiss on her nose and proving he was pretty good at reading her mind. “Put that out of your head right now. I’m my own man and I want very, very much to be your man. My aunt does not make choices for me, and I don’t want you to take this choice out of my hands. I want you. Trust me to know what I’m doing, and I will give you the same courtesy.”

  All in all, it was a deal she would be a fool to turn down. “Yes.”

  The sexiest smile tugged his lips up. “I like the way you say ‘yes’ to me.” He turned serious. “But there’s no going back after this. We’re together. I’ll take care of you.”

  “And I’ll take care of you.” She liked the idea of Harry needing her.

  His kiss was light, and he stroked her body gently. The feel of his work-roughened hands on her skin was electric, and she found herself not only welcoming his touch but also seeking it. His tongue reached out to caress her lips. He whispered erotic words that sent a spark through her body. Gradually, relaxation gave way to excitement and the strongest ache in the center of her body. She began moving to the music he made with every touch.

  “As gorgeous as you look in this, it has to come off,” he whispered, tugging at the hem of her shirt.

  It all had to come off because she didn’t want anything between them. She wanted to be skin to skin with him, all her scars and imperfections exposed to his eyes. It was all right because Harry understood nothing perfect was real. She didn’t have to pretend with him.

  The way she’d loved taking care of his leg. There was nothing ugly about his scars. Each one proved he’d survived. She sat up and dragged the shirt off, leaving her in nothing but the cotton undies she’d dried with the hair dryer. “Have I told you how gorgeous you are, Harry?”

  His eyes were on her breasts. “I think that’s my line. I think you’re lovely, and it’s only partially about how good you look. I also adore how good you are with a jigsaw.”

  And she loved how easily he could make her laugh. Although she was getting good with saws of all kinds. She’d managed to keep all her fingers.

  “Just one more thing,” he said, his fingers going to the waistband of her undies. He eased them off and tossed them aside before taking her in his arms again. “That’s what I want. You feel so good. So right.”

  There was nowhere his hands didn’t stroke, nowhere his lips didn’t caress.

  When he bent down to take her nipple in his mouth, Sera nearly came off the bed. She had never been particularly sensitive there, but now she was on fire. Her fingers tangled in his hair, but he did nothing to hold her back. He sucked strongly on the nipple before turning his attention to the other.

  He kissed his way down her body, lavishing her with affection.

  “I’m ready now, Harry.” This was lust. This terrible, wonderful excitement had to be lust. She wasn’t thinking about how he would hold her afterward. She was thinking about how much she wanted him inside, to be surrounded by this magnificent man. “I want you so much.”

  His blue eyes darkened, and his muscled body was taut with restraint.

  He shook his head. She could see the strain he was under, but he still refused. “Not yet.”

  “Please.” She was begging and she didn’t even care. All that mattered was this crazy connection she felt to him.

  “Is this better, baby?” Harry spread her legs and slowly pushed a finger into her. When he had gently gone as far as he could, his thumb reached up to stroke her pleasure point. She gasped at the sensation. This was what she needed. He added a second finger and gently stretched her. In and out. In and out. Over and over and over again. All the while that lazy thumb made long, voluptuous circles that took her breath away and robbed her of her higher faculties. There was nothing but this man and this moment. Her hips came up, seeking more of him, more of this insane pleasure.

  “I bet this will be even better, baby.” He lowered his mouth, replacing his thumb with his tongue. “I knew you would taste sweet.”

  The firm, velvet stroke of his tongue caressing her sent her straight over an edge she had never imagined existed. It was the most magnificent wave, and it took over her body, leaving her crying out his name and shaking in its wake.

  Just as the final ripple washed over her, she heard Harry groan. His hands were shaking as he reached over to the nightstand and fished a condom out of his wallet. “I have never been so happy my friends have a sense of humor. I swear I don’t normally keep one of these in my wallet.”

  She didn’t care. She watched Harry, watched him stroke himself before rolling the condom on. She was deliciously languid as he arranged her legs around his waist and positioned himself. She felt no trepidation as he slowly, carefully thrust into her. She could see by the strain on his face what his tenderness was costing him.

  Sera wrapped her arms around him, welcoming him inside.

  The rest of the world fell away. This was the way it was supposed to be. Just the two of them, warm and safe and happy. “It feels good. So good.”

  “Thank god,” he rasped and then let himself go. He set a hard rhythm, and he grasped her hips to keep them close together. His head was thrown back, and the look on his face sent Sera reeling with joy. She was giving him that pleasure, the same glorious pleasure he had given to her. She pulled him close and kissed him with everything she had. She stroked him and urged him on with her hands and gave him back the erotic words that had aroused her to a fever pitch.

  She hadn’t expected the shuddering pleasure to start up again. She’d been more than content, but he seemed to find some magical pl
ace deep inside, and he knew exactly how to stroke her. It was happening again. She strained with him, bringing her hips up to meet his thrusts. For the second time that night, she went limp under his expert handling. Then Harry was groaning loudly, his big body shaking as he came inside her. He fell on her, gasping for air. She stroked his back and hair, loving the feel of his weight on top of her.

  When she could finally speak again, she said the only word she could find to describe what she had found with Harry.

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  Harry laughed and kissed her tenderly. “That goes double for me.”

  She settled in and knew there was no going back.

  chapter eight

  Celeste paced the floor as the rain kept coming down.

  “Mom, I’m sure he’s fine,” Angie said from her place on the sofa. “He went to New Orleans to get the wood he ordered. He must have taken longer than he thought and he got caught in the storm.”

  “According to Annemarie, he left early this morning.” She’d been surprised by the amount of anxiety she’d felt the minute she’d realized she couldn’t get in touch with Harry. “There’s no reason he couldn’t have gotten back before the storm hit. Have you called Armie?”

  “No,” Angie replied. “I assume the sheriff is busy this evening. I heard he’s already had to rescue a couple of people from the flash flood. And before you ask, none of those people was Harry.”

  The previous week had gone by in a whirl of activity. There had been plenty to do at the office, and she’d even had to make a trip into New Orleans to clean up some issues with human resources. Between dealing with that problem and handling the catering for the wedding, she’d almost been able to completely forget about the situation with Guidry Place.

  Ninety days wasn’t so long when she thought about it, and according to the rumors she’d heard, Irene had left explicit instructions on how the money she’d left Seraphina had to be spent. There was no way she would live there. The house was far too large for her, and even if Delphine and that wastrel of a brother of hers decided to move in, they likely couldn’t afford the taxes and the upkeep.

  It didn’t make any sense for her to keep it, and Seraphina was a girl who knew how to survive. It might cost her a bit more, but Celeste would be able to buy the place, then Sera would have the money to leave Papillon and go to a city. She would be made to understand that was the absolute only way this ended.

  Celeste had actually felt fairly calm until the moment she realized Harry hadn’t come home from his errand.

  It had been raining the night she found out about Wes. The officers who’d come to explain what had happened to her son had carried umbrellas, and the wind had been fierce.

  She shook off the horrific memory. “He’s not answering his cell phone. Shouldn’t he have called?”

  “I think Harry’s used to being on his own,” Angela said. “And he’s been complaining about his cell losing charge. It’s pretty old.”

  She would buy him a new one immediately.

  The door came open and Cal rushed inside, handing his umbrella to the maid and shrugging out of his rain jacket. “I talked to LaTonya Nichols at the Feed Store. Harry rented the largest of their trucks and it’s got a tracker on it. It’s parked outside town. From what we could tell, it’s in a motel parking lot.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. He’d gotten caught in the storm. He’d probably taken the chance to enjoy New Orleans for the afternoon, and he’d tried to come back too late to get past the storm waters. The road into town often flooded this time of year and Harry was a sensible man. “Do you know the name of that motel? Surely they still have phones in the rooms, right?”

  It had been decades since she’d stayed at anything but a luxury hotel.

  Cal sighed and moved toward her. “Mom, stop. He’s okay. I know you’re worried about him, but he’s a grown man.”

  “He should call his family,” she insisted.

  “I don’t know that he considers us family just yet,” Cal said quietly. “At least not the kind who he needs to call when he’s staying out all night. Give Harry some space. I know you want him to stay here, and giving a grown man a curfew probably won’t help your cause.”

  “I wasn’t saying that.”

  He stared at her.

  “I only gave you a curfew because it was starting to affect your performance.” At least she’d tried to. Naturally Cal had told her if she didn’t like how he performed, he could perform somewhere else. In another company. In another state, perhaps.

  It had been so much easier when they were younger.

  “All I’m saying is you should cut Harry some slack. He’s been on his own for a long time,” Cal explained. “He’s fine. You don’t have to worry about him. Now, I can’t get back to New Orleans this evening. That’s so sad. Well, I’ll have to take a three-day weekend, I suppose.”

  “Or you can work from here.” She loved her oldest, but he could be terribly lazy.

  Harry was safe. She let herself relax. Perhaps a night at that terrible motel with no one but his dog for companionship would teach Harry to plan more carefully.

  Cal groaned. “Maybe it’ll be clear by morning.”

  Because of course he wouldn’t want to work with her. She shook her head his way. “I’m going to check on supper. I’ll be right back.”

  She walked out. She might have one glass of wine tonight. Though she was happy she knew where her nephew was, she wouldn’t be satisfied until she’d seen him and ensured that he was truly all right.

  “You know why she’s worried,” she heard Cal say.

  “I do,” Angie replied quietly. “She can’t stand to not know where any of us are. I understand it but it can be suffocating. I’m going to lecture the hell out of Harry about keeping his damn cell phone charged.”

  “I don’t know that would have helped this particular time,” Cal said.

  She knew she shouldn’t eavesdrop, but she couldn’t stop herself. She went still, not wanting to tip her kids off. Honestly, if she didn’t eavesdrop, she would never know anything about their lives. She and her husband had done an excellent job of making them emotionally independent. With the exception of Wes.

  “What do you mean?” Angie asked.

  “Well, I happen to know that he’s not alone.”

  Harry was seeing someone? She was definitely interested in that. She hoped the young woman was in New Orleans because she couldn’t think of a local girl who would be right for him. And she’d tried.

  “Who’s he with?” Angie had that excited tone she got when she was talking about juicy gossip. No matter how many times she’d pointed out that gossip wasn’t ladylike, Angie couldn’t get past it. “Is it Deb? Or one of those waitresses? I heard they were all over him at Dixie’s the other day.”

  There was a pause before Cal answered her. “LaTonya said he went to New Orleans with Seraphina.”

  Angie sighed. “Damn it. I hoped she would stay away from him. Mom will lose it if she finds out they’ve been sneaking around.”

  “Finds out? Are you telling me this is more than him helping her out?” Cal asked. “The way LaTonya told it, there was a mix-up and they had to use the same truck.”

  “Well, he’s been spending most of his afternoons over there,” Angie explained. “He’s sly about it, but I run through there, too, and I’ve seen him working on the house. I was hoping he was just being a nice guy.”

  Cal snorted. “No guy is that nice around a woman with boobs like Sera. Trust me. If he’s over there, he’s looking to get in her panties. Hell, I would try to get into them if it wouldn’t freak Mom out. She’s hot.”

  Celeste moved back into the room, feeling ice come over her heart. “She’s also the reason your brother is dead.”

  Cal turned, his eyes wide. “Mother, I’m sorry you heard me say that. I didn’t
realize you were listening.”

  But Angie stood up. “She’s always listening, Cal. Always. And she’s being utterly ridiculous about Sera. I have to wonder, Mother, if you would have blamed one of the many boys in high school and college who broke my heart if I’d gotten into a car accident and died. Would it have been their fault?”

  She shook her head. “That’s a ridiculous comparison.”

  “Why?” Cal asked, his jaw going mulish. “Wes basically died in a car accident. Sure, it was a Humvee and he wasn’t joy riding, but Sera wasn’t behind the wheel.”

  “She was the reason he was there in the first place,” Celeste insisted.

  Angie’s hands were fists at her sides. “Really? Because honestly, I kind of think it was your fault he was there.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Her daughter didn’t back down. “It means you babied him. It means you gave him everything and he couldn’t handle it when he didn’t get what he wanted. Don’t get me wrong. I loved my brother, but he was an entitled brat.”

  How could she even say that? “Wes had problems fitting in. Problems you and your brother never had.”

  “That’s so untrue, but we didn’t run home to you every time we had a problem,” Angie replied. “Probably because you were far too busy doting on Wes.”

  She’d had to dote on Wes. Ralph had been so hard on the children, and even from a young age she’d been able to see how sensitive Wes was. Cal was stronger. Angie was honestly in many ways beneath Ralph’s notice since she was only a girl. Wes had been the one to take the brunt of Ralph’s mean nature. “Not only was your father hard on him, the other children at school were cruel to him, too.”

  Cal shook his head and a weary expression crossed his face, making him look far older than his years. “Dad was an asshole to all of us. You just didn’t see much past Wes. Dad was disappointed in me because I wasn’t smart enough to run the company, upset with Wes because he wasn’t manly enough. Upset with Angie because she wasn’t pretty enough, even though she’s beautiful and always was. There are bullies at every school, and we all dealt with them. Do you know who wasn’t a bully? Seraphina Guidry. She was kind to Wes. She liked him even though it was obvious to everyone in the world he hung around her because he was trying to wear her down.”