by Ava Miles
His fingers pressed against her core as he thrust to the hilt, and she cried out, coming hard around him. He slid out, breathing hard, fighting for control. There was no way he was coming like a teenager.
“Flynn,” she panted.
“Right here, babe.”
“Come back inside me now,” she said, her voice lush with promise. “I’ll take care of you.”
He pressed inside again. “Oh, God. I don’t think I can go slow.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist and thrust up, making him groan out loud. “Who wants slow? Let go, Flynn. I want it.”
And she did. Grabbing his hips to her, she met him in a slew of forceful thrusts that had him crying out in time with her own moans. It was over fast for them both, but it was so freaking perfect, he didn’t have words for it as he fell onto his elbows. Their skin was damp with sweat, and he felt her heart thundering in time with his.
“Oh, God, Annie. God!” His brain was silent of all activity, and he could barely suck in enough oxygen. The orange blossoms were making his head swim.
Her arms came around him, stroking his back. “That was…crazy and wonderful. Oh, Flynn, it’s never been like this. Ever.”
He might have been a playboy, but sex with Annie was out of his regular stratosphere, which was exactly how he’d always believed it would be with his soulmate. “Crazy. Wonderful. Perfect. Give me a moment. I’m totally out of breath.”
She laughed hastily. “Me too. I’m wondering if this is what some people call marathon sex.”
He found himself laughing. “I think that’s more like hours and hours of sex.”
She pushed him away, and when he flopped onto his back, she rose over him all flushed and sweaty, her body covered in crushed tiny white flowers. “God, you look beautiful.”
“I think we’re about to have a marathon,” she said, taking his hands and putting them on her breasts.
She was absolutely freaking right about that.
Chapter 21
It was official: Annie had turned into a sex fiend.
She and sex hadn’t always been friends. Ben had been her only lover, and honestly, that was something she’d regretted. They’d had sex for the first time as seniors in high school in the back of his truck on a cool fall night, and it hadn’t been comfortable. Or fun. The stolen moments after that had been fraught with guilt—her parents had made it clear they thought a woman’s virginity was for her husband—but also fear. She hadn’t wanted to get pregnant.
Of course, she’d gotten pregnant anyway, and hadn’t that dimmed her ardor?
After the twins, she hadn’t been as interested in Ben or sex, and she’d used the twins, night feedings, and the long mommy hours as excuses to limit their sex life. It had seemed too difficult to be honest with him, especially since the one time she’d tried to tell him where she wanted him to touch her he’d gotten defensive and then angry. The unhappy sex had only deepened her despair about being married to him. Sometimes she’d been lonely. Other times, she’d simply been horny. A woman should want her husband like crazy, shouldn’t she? But more often than not, she hadn’t.
Ben had mentioned her low libido more than once, saying something was wrong with her. And she’d believed it.
But she didn’t believe it anymore.
Being with Flynn had silenced her every fear, her every shame.
Kissing his chest, she glanced up at the clock. Ten! When had she last been in bed at this hour? It felt decadent. No one to wake up. Help dress. Cook breakfast for. Shoot, a mother needed a vacation sometimes.
She snuggled into him, luxuriating in the warmth of his skin. He was still sleeping, a five o’clock shadow darkening his jaw. My, how she’d loved the feel of that roughness on her thighs and sensitive places. There was nowhere they hadn’t touched each other, and he’d shown her the fun and ease of switching positions to heighten their pleasure. They’d had sex all over his apartment before dragging their spent bodies back to his bed and zonking out. She thought it might have been after four, but it was hazy. She’d blame it on her fuzzy sex brain.
He mumbled. “Coffee.”
Aware she was grinning, she trailed her fingers over his chest. “My name is Annie. Not coffee.”
He cracked one eye open. “I suppose you’ll have to give me my morning jolt then.”
She shrieked when he lifted her bodily and set her down on his hips, spreading her legs quite deliciously. Man, he was good at everything, and she’d loved having his mouth on that part of her, something she’d never much liked before.
Stretching out for a condom, she rolled it on him.
He grunted, his hand lowering until he caressed her core. “God, I can’t get enough. Heck, I think I’m sore. Is that crazy?”
“I’m sore too,” she said, her head falling back as he tugged on a very sensitive part. “It’s supposed to be like this when you love each other like crazy.”
Levering up until they were eye level, he said, “Yes, it is. Put your legs around me. I want you to come for me again.”
Those words were all it took to send her engines into overdrive. They watched each other as they made love. His green eyes never wavered, and as the desire between them built, she knew he was exerting his will to keep looking at her, into her, showing her all the love he had for her. She caressed his face as they thrust against each other, first slow and easy and then harder, faster, until she clutched his shoulders and came in his arms, Flynn following her over the edge with a hoarse shout.
“I don’t know how I’m going to stand going home knowing we won’t be able to keep making love like this,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “I can’t imagine holding back anymore. I wish we could just be carefree adults and fly to Vegas and get married.”
He eased back. “You’d want that? Right now?”
The first whispers of unease sounded in her mind. “Is that too soon to say? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Framing her face, he kissed her hard on the mouth. “Uncomfortable? You made my day. I thought it might be months or even a year before you were ready to talk about marriage.”
“You did? Flynn, coming away with you this weekend isn’t the kind of thing a normal person would do. Not when I have three daughters at home and I’m in the middle of filling the biggest order of my business life.”
“No?” he asked, kissing the line of her neck.
“No, it’s the thing a person crazy in love does,” she said, cupping his neck and loving the silky feel of his thick hair in her hands. “I wouldn’t have come here if I wasn’t thinking forever.”
“Good, because that’s what I want too.” He kissed her softly on the mouth and her heart did a cartwheel in her chest at the sweetness of it. “Now, why can’t we elope? Because of the girls?”
She nodded, her desire fading quickly. “They need to get used to the idea. Mostly the twins, I think. Amelia will love having you around. Heck, I can see her calling you ‘Dad’ even.”
He blinked. “Really? How would you feel about that?”
“I’m good with it if she wants that. She was so little when Ben died. But the twins…”
“Are a different story,” he said, tapping her nose. “I’m going to win them over.”
“I know you are.” She took a deep breath. “We’re getting closer, I think. But you should know I don’t plan on putting aside my happiness for them. That’s not a lesson I want them to learn. My parents did that with each other. I did it with Ben. All it does is cause more unhappiness.”
“Whew! I was a little worried for a moment. What if… No, maybe I shouldn’t say.”
When he tried to ease away, she held him fast. “Tell me.”
“What if we got engaged? Declared the eventuality to them. Do you think that would motivate them to make more of an effort to accept me?”
She scratched her head. “I don’t know. Maybe. But I think I need to tell them that we’re headed that way first. The other
way will be too much of a shock.”
“I defer to you on things like this.” He cupped her shoulders. “My soon-to-be sister-in-law said I need to like your girls for themselves in order for this to work. It’s something I’m committed to doing. I want the twins to be happy, Annie. And however Ben was with you, he was their dad. No kid should lose their dad. I can’t imagine that.”
“Oh, you sweet man,” she said, tracing his jaw. “Thank you for saying that. You know, connecting with them isn’t always easy for me either. I love them, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t always understand them. I’m scared they’ll keep pulling away. That they’ll be the kids who are happy to go to college to be away from their parents and barely call or visit. You know?”
“Hey!” He tipped up her chin. “You’re a good mom. And you don’t always need to fully understand someone to love them. I mean, I definitely didn’t have that with my dad growing up.”
“And yet you said you and your dad aren’t close. You said the same about your twin brothers and the other older ones. Didn’t you wish it were different?”
His shoulder lifted. “Sure. But sometimes people are just different. It only feels harder in families because you can’t get away from each other.”
She gave him a look.
“It was a joke. Sort of. Okay, I see your point. Still, I think you’re a good mom. I just want you to know I’ll do my part to support you. And them. I love Amelia already. I’ll work on things with Iris and Eloise.”
“We both will,” she said, tilting her head back and studying his high ceiling. “I need to ask. Do you want more children?”
He loomed over her and gave her a crooked smile. “I do want children, and I know we’ll already have three. Maybe it’s my positive nature, or the fact that I grew up in such a large family, but I’d be game for another. Yours and mine. But have you had enough? Annie, I know we’re going to be happy regardless, so you don’t need to feel like this is a dealbreaker for me.”
She took a moment to gather herself. “I know having kids will be different with you—as different as sex has been. Let’s just say… When things settle down, I’d be open to going for another. Somehow I know it would be wonderful for us. Everything else has been.”
The caress he gave her cheek was as sweet as the kiss he gave her moments later. “My dear Annie. It’s a deal. Since we’re talking about the future, have you thought about what comes next after the holiday baskets are finished? I know you have roots in Ohio.”
“And you live here,” she said, gesturing to the city outside the windows. “I have been thinking about it. Flynn, I don’t want to live in Nemo anymore. Coming back there was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. When Ben died, I knew it was too soon to consider leaving because of the girls. I also needed more of a nest egg. Depending on how the business stuff goes, it’s going to create more options for me. The girls and I need to move off that farm.” Tom’s recent behavior had driven that home, plus the fact that she apparently didn’t own the land her house sat on.
“Okay, then we need to think about where we’d like to live long term. Any ideas?”
She felt like she was wire-walking simply by answering. “Well, the cost of living is cheaper in a small town, and the girls might be happier in a similar community. Do you want to live in New York forever?”
“I love the city, but I always thought I might end up with a house outside of town like the one I grew up in. We were less than an hour out of San Francisco, so it was the best of all worlds.”
The Bay Area was also expensive.
“Let’s keep an open mind,” she said. “I need to do some research. It’s not ideal, but I could rent a place in Nemo until we figure things out.”
“You don’t look thrilled by the idea.” His brows furrowed. “We need to find a place where we’ll all be happy.”
“And one I can afford,” she added, forcing a smile.
“I can help with that,” he said like she’d guessed he would.
She only shook her head. “No, I need to be able to support myself and the girls before we get married. Flynn, it’s not just for me. I need to show the girls how to take care of themselves. Be independent. Okay?”
His mouth twisted. “I respect that even though it chaps a little. Annie, I love you. I want to give you the world.”
Tears burned at the corners of her eyes. “No one has ever said that to me, Flynn. You can’t know how much it means to me.”
He sighed deeply. “Okay. Let’s think about it. We don’t have to decide today.”
“No,” she said, looking at the clock. “By my count, we have about two hours left before we have to leave.”
“Do you want to go out for breakfast? Maybe do a little shopping?”
She looped her arms around his neck. “No, I plan to have you every way I can until we return. That includes the bedroom on the plane.”
She was going to make every memory she could, luxuriating in him as a woman.
Chapter 22
Clara had never had many female friendships with women her age. In the past, some of the women she’d met had been jealous of her money, but the main reason she’d retreated was embarrassment over her first husband’s philandering. But now, working with June’s friends in the portable in a collective push on packaging, she finally understood the notion of girl power.
Together—with Hargreaves’ help, of course—they’d already finished up five hundred baskets. With Annie and Flynn back, their production levels were running at an all-time high. The happy couple’s glow hadn’t been lost on any of them. She couldn’t wait to unveil the house she’d rented for him, which Hargreaves and Caitlyn had helped to decorate.
The twins were growing less hostile by the day—they were even taking an interest in the baskets and occasionally helping with the assembly process—and Amelia was bouncing back to her usual sunny self. Sure, she didn’t go close to the barn where Tom hovered like a dark shadow as their motley crew wandered across Annie’s yard, but that was fine in Clara’s estimation. They didn’t need his hostility.
“Madam, I’m going to see about dinner,” Hargreaves said in a lowered tone when he reached her in the portable. “Is there anything else I can do for you before I depart?”
She spooned her bath salts into the appropriate container and handed it to Tilly, whose perfect centering had rightfully earned her the title of Sticker Queen. She added the correct stickers to the container and then set it aside. They had a good assembly line going today.
“No, I believe we can do without you for an hour, Hargreaves. Thank you.”
“I don’t know if I can do without him,” Carol said, sending him a smile. “He’s the most capable, helpful man I’ve ever met. I’m thinking I either want to adopt him or suggest Ohio State look into cloning him.”
“As always, Mrs. Anderson, your vision proves to be unique and forward thinking. Ladies, I will see you in the morning. It has been a pleasure working beside you today.” He bowed and walked quietly to the front of the portable, exiting.
Tilly sighed. “My goodness, if I weren’t happily married, I’d have to make a play for him. That accent. Oh, everything!”
Clara bit the inside of her cheek. These women’s reaction to Hargreaves was quite entertaining. Some days, she wondered if he was going to make it out of Ohio. Yesterday, Gertie had joked about kidnapping him and making him her butler.
“I’d be lost without him,” she told them honestly.
“And Arthur,” Carol said, scooping up body butter into an empty container. “He’s a tall glass of water and so good with children. You’re one lucky woman, Clara.”
“I am.”
“I think it’s time for a different playlist with all the boys gone,” Gertie said, heading over to her phone beside the portable stereo system she’d brought. “How about a little sultry music? We have about an hour left today. I figure it’ll put me in the mood, and my sweetie pie will be ever so thankful.”
June barke
d out a laugh alongside the rest of them. “In the mood? Gertie, what in the world are you talking about?”
Clara put aside any old finishing school rules about talking out of turn and said, “I, for one, am in the mood all the time.”
“Honey, you’re newly married,” June said, shaking her head. “The rest of us have been married some forty years. Right, girls? Marriages that old lose a lot of their heat.”
“Not ours,” Gertie said, shaking her chest playfully. “Sure, when the kids were young, we sometimes went a week without having sex, but after that, honey, it’s three times minimum.”
“You go, Gertie!” Tilly said, laughing. “I see Jim in a new light. It’s twice a week for Bill and me.”
“What?” June asked, her face pinching. “Two and three times a week?”
The song Gertie had selected started playing, and while Clara didn’t know it, she immediately liked it. She figured the song was called “Undone” because that’s what the male vocalist kept saying the woman he wanted did to him. “I believe I need this on a playlist. Who needs Christmas carols, after all?”
Heck, she needed to start her own playlist, something for creating the “mood,” as Gertie had said. Not that they needed the inspiration. When they were alone, sometimes they made love three times a day. Arthur was destroying all the junk people said about old people and sex for her, thank God.
“Carol, what about you and Dan?” Gertie asked. “I’ve seen you square dancing on Friday nights. He still puts his hands on you like a man who knows his own mind.”
“Yes, he does,” Carol said, fanning herself with her shirt. “I love that man as much as the day I married him. He still makes me come undone, let me tell you.”
June’s friends all hooted, but she didn’t join in, Clara noticed. “June, are you all right?” she asked, stepping toward the woman working to her right.
“Fine, Clara, thank you,” she said, but her voice was strained, and it lacked her usual humor.
“What’s wrong, honey?” Gertie asked, coming around the stainless steel counter. “Is our talk upsetting you?”
