Hold On To Me

by Towers, Terry

  Curled up in the rocking recliner, I chewed at my lower lip, trying to decide which was best. I was starving, I wasn’t sure I’d make it through waiting for him to prepare the beef. “I’m thinking smokie.” Uncurling myself from the chair, I stood and walked over to him taking the smokies from his hand. “Did you already start the barbecue?”

  “Done, ma’am. He took another look at the hamburger and placed it back in the fridge and then snatched the smokies back out of my hand. “And for your information, you’re the guest and I’m feeding you, not the other way around, so you just park your butt back into the chair and let me take care of this.”

  “But I can…” I motioned to the table outside.

  Leaning in to me, he placed a delicate kiss on my lips. “You’re not doing anything other than relaxing. That was the whole point. You need to learn to give up control sometimes and let people care for you for a change.”

  While he said the words with a smile and it came from a good place, it made me think. Smiling, I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back. “Okay. Thank you.” Releasing him, I made my way back to the rocking recliner I’d unofficially claimed as mine, my head swimming.

  Had I become a control freak over the years? Did I even know how to let go and let someone else take over? I was still mulling it over when Grayson reappeared and came to sit on the sofa next to the chair. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

  “I was just thinking about what you said.”

  He frowned. “I say a lot of things, most certainly aren’t worth repeating or giving much thought to.”

  Laughing, I leaned forward and gave his hand a squeeze. “No, I was wondering if I was really controlling? Am I that bad?”

  He learned back in the sofa and put his hands out. “Whoa, whoa. Back it up right there and bring that line of thinking back to the station where it belongs, that’s not what I meant.”

  “No, no. I know that. But I was thinking about my life in general. I seem to have a need to control everything; from my business to the kids and everything in between.”

  He sighed and rubbed at the day-old blond and silver scruff that had formed on his chin. I hated beards, but that shadow was sexy on him. “You’re a single mother of two teenagers. I don’t really know the kids, but they seem like they’ve turned out to be pretty decent young adults. You’ve had to keep a tight rein on things in your life, you’ve only had yourself to rely on and I think you’ve done a pretty damned good job of that in your life.”

  I shrugged. Not really sure. I had some things, I’d admit that. I had a couple of great kids and a thriving career, but my love life had always been in shambles.

  “I think you’ve been severely disappointed by a number of people who you’ve trusted in the past and now you’re trying to keep yourself from getting hurt again. I’m in the same boat. I’m a work in progress.” Leaning forward, he grabbed my hand and pulled me over to him until I was sitting across his lap, cuddled against his chest. “So how about this for a deal?”

  I side-eyed him a moment. “A deal?”

  “Yeah. How about this: if you agree to let me take care of you a bit. Just give up control a tad then I’ll work on breaking down this wall that seems to be standing in my way.”

  Smiling, I lowered my forehead to touch his. “Deal.”

  11

  Riley

  What in the hell is wrong with him? Grayson had excused himself to go to the bathroom roughly twenty minutes ago and hadn’t returned to the bench that overlooked the lake. Maybe he was sick? I really hoped not; it had been an amazing day at the lake house and I’d hate to see the weekend ruined for him. He didn’t talk about it much, but I did know that his job stressed him out at times and I suspected he needed the downtime even more than I did.

  Getting up from the bench, I made my way back to the house. Upon entering I was greeted by the sweet smell of roses that seemed to fill the interior of the home. “Grayson?”

  Venturing further into the house I was nearly to the bathroom door, which was open when Grayson popped out from the doorway. “I was about to come get you.” He smiled down at me and my heart did a little flip-flop.

  Curious, I took another step and looked into the bathroom. It was then that I noticed the music in the background—John Mayer. There bathroom had been transformed. The bathtub was practically overflowing with pink suds as the rose aroma surrounded me. Scented candles were lit and the only source for light in the room.

  “What I want from you is to get undressed and jump in that tub and I’ll be right back to join you. I just have to grab something.”

  “Wow, this is so nice.” Entering the bathroom, I began to undress, slightly relieved that he left me to it. Seeing me naked was one thing in the throes of passion, but everyday nakedness would take some getting used to—the relationship was still so new.

  Once naked, I stepped into the tub and sank down. The tub was much deeper than I’d originally given it credit for, submerging me all the way to the tops of my breasts. This was nice. The water was even the perfect temperature!

  An amazing end to an amazing day, I thought, closing my eyes and leaning back against the tub. It was so peaceful and relaxing. My thoughts began to drift off.

  “Don’t be going to sleep in the tub again. I’m starting to think you have a death wish.” Grayson’s voice pulled me back to reality and I opened my eyes to see him standing in the doorway, naked with a serving dish of strawberries and chocolate dip. As my eyes scanned the length of his body a thrill shot through me, seeing every part of his body was rock solid.

  He looked delicious.

  “This is amazing, Grayson. Like a scene out of one of my novels.”

  A guilty look flashed in his eyes. My eyes narrowed at him. John Mayer, chocolate-dipped strawberries, rose-scented bubble bath…

  “Ohmygod!” I sat up so fast in the tub that water sloshed over the side and onto the floor. “You read one of my books!” Heat colored my cheeks. I was both flattered and embarrassed. Groaning, I placed my sudsy hands over my face.

  “I’m thinking sorry is in order right now.”

  Dropping my hands from my face, I sighed. “I’m embarrassed. I didn’t expect it.”

  He cringed. “I hope you don’t mind. I happened to see one of your books posted on your social media and bought it.”

  “You’re not even in my contacts in social media. Why didn’t you just send me requests? Were you doing background recon?”

  I wasn’t even sure how I felt about that. I hadn’t even thought about checking his, but I did now.

  “Yes and no.” He set the strawberries on the bathroom counter and leaned a shoulder against the door jamb. “I was curious about your work, but didn’t know how private you were about your books so…I may have overstepped. I am really sorry. This was supposed to be romantic—not creepy.”

  “You could have just added me to your contacts.”

  Raising a finger, he left the room and a minute later returned with his cell phone in hand. “Okay, I’m putting in requests so it’s all out in the open. My stuff. Your stuff—all out there.”

  I groaned, this really wasn’t something to get worked up about. Of course he’d be curious. “Do you think we’re there yet?” I asked laughing.

  “Oh I think we are.” Putting the phone on the counter he picked the platter of strawberries and chocolate back up before heading to the tub and stepping in. “Now we’re going to enjoy a bath with chocolate and strawberries.”

  I sat upright, pulling my knees to my chest and giving him room. “I’m not sure if this is going to be as romantic or easy as it is in my books.”

  “Guess there’s only one way to find out.” Sinking into the tub he motioned for me to turn and lie against his chest.

  Spinning in the tub, I tried not to slosh more water onto the floor, but him entering the tub had seriously displaced so much water that it was already flowing over the sides. The damage was done at this point.r />
  Laughing, I settled back against him. “Okay, that was relatively painless, I think your floors are going to need to be dried off though.”

  “Meh, I’m not too worried about that.” Wrapping his arms around me he brought the platter in front of me. Holding the platter in one hand, he grabbed a strawberry and dipped it into the chocolate before bringing it to my mouth. Accepting the strawberry, I savored the sweet flavor. Strawberries and chocolate were hands-down my favorite fruit and chocolate combination.

  Between the two of us, we devoured the dish of deliciousness way too quickly, but the hardness that was settled between my butt cheeks shifted my desire from the food to something just as primal.

  As if sensing my shift in desires, Grayson ran his hands up my arms and to my shoulders. Brushing my hair to the side, he began to gently knead and caress the tense muscle. I moaned, closing my eyes and allowing my head to fall back against his shoulder.

  “Keep moaning like that and I’ll end up forgetting all about the massage and take what ’m aching for right now.” His words were hot against my neck and only made the building desire within me increase exponentially.

  “Can’t help it. You’re a master at that.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t think I’d go as far as to call myself a master.”

  “If you were feeling this good right now you would.”

  The knots seemed to magically disappear, evaporating into the night along with every bit of anxiety I’d been feeling over the past weeks. There was so much going on with my life that it was hard to escape, but being with him seemed to make all the negativity disappear.

  Turning my head, I opened my eyes and our gazes locked for an instant before his lips came crashing down on mine. I moaned against his lips as the sweet taste of chocolate and berry greeted my lips and tongue.

  As out tongues danced his hands slipped around me to cup my breasts in his palms, gently caressing them, capturing my large, pink nipples between his index finger and thumb and gently applying pressure, sending jolts of electric pleasure through me. I moaned again, my body gyrating against him, my bottom rubbing against his dick—taunting him.

  The desire within me continued to build as I reached behind me to grasp his thick shaft in my hand and gently began to stroke him. It was his turn to moan as he began bucking against my hand where it came to the point where I wasn’t sure if I was stroking him or if he was fucking my hand—perhaps a combination of both.

  One of his hands slid from my breast and travelled south, until it reached the apex between my legs. Grasping my mound in his hand he gently squeezed before slipping a finger between my folds and seeking out my clit. His fingers working my clit in combination with his other hand teasing my nipples was bringing me quickly up to the summit. The pleasure was so intense, I kept forgetting that I also had a job to do and that I wanted him to come as much if not more than I wanted to come myself.

  “Oh Grayson, you’re going to send me over,” I groaned, removing my lips from his and laying my head back against his shoulder. This was going to be too much. If he didn’t stop soon it would be over for me. I didn’t want it to end, but there was no way in hell I wanted to stop it, every fiber in my being was demanding release.

  “That’s what I want,” he growled in my ear.

  The sound of his raspy voice that was filled with the desire I knew was pent up in him was all I needed to go toppling over the edge. My body stiffened against him, releasing his dick so I could grasp the sides of the bathtub as my pussy released making me groan loudly.

  My body was spent, but the hard erection against my ass reminded me that he still had a need that was demanding release.

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  Grayson

  I didn’t think I’d ever met a woman who drove me insane as well as Riley did. I adored everything about the way she looked and the way she presented herself. The occasional bursts of vulnerability that she displayed only made me want her more, making me want to protect and shelter her even if she didn’t need it.

  Though at this very moment, all I could think about was how good she was going to feel with her pussy wrapped around my cock. I was about to bend her over the side of the tub when she informed me that she had a plan of her own.

  “Stand,” Riley ordered, shifting in the bathtub to face me on her knees.

  “I...ummm. But....”

  She fixed a stern gaze at me, the fire burning within her evident in her eyes. “Stand. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  A grin tugged at the corners of my lips as I grasped the edges of the tub and pushed myself up and to my feet. Standing fully erect, my dick bobbed just above her mouth as if begging for her attention.

  Keeping her gaze locked onto mine she grasped my aching member in her hand and began to slowly stroke it. She was taking it purposely slow—I had no doubt about it—just to torment me. My teeth clenched as my entire body tensed up. She was going to be the death of me!

  Sliding a hand to the back of her head, I urged her mouth to the tip. God, I wanted to see her lush, inviting lips wrapped around me, worshipping my cock. “Take it baby,” I growled. With each teasing stoke of my dick, the gentleman in me became harder and harder to see, making way for the more feral part of me.

  She grinned. The devilish grin was taunting me. “All you had to do was ask,” the words came from her lips as if they were a purr, making me moan.

  “Jesus!”

  When her tongue lashed out and licked up the precum that was beginning to form at the tip I nearly fell to my knees the pleasure was so intense. Running her tongue along the underside of my dick to my balls she made her way back up and then took the head on, sucking lightly.

  I groaned again, concentrating on keeping upright as her mouth began to move back and forth on my shaft, my dick disappearing and then reappearing time and time again. With each motion I felt my balls tighten just a fraction more.

  It didn’t take long for me to take matters into my own hands, as I fisted her hair and urged her to take me faster, my hips meeting her mouth. Somewhere along the line we went from her pleasuring me to me taking what I needed from her.

  She kept up, her hand switching from my dick to my balls, gently caressing them and driving me damned near insane.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck. The words came racing through my head as if on a loop.

  “Fuck, I’m going to come,” I attempted to pull away from her to finish the job, but her free hand lashed out and grabbed my ass, pulling me back as she doubled her effort. I wasn’t going to last much longer, her mouth and tongue felt too good and oh sweet fuck seeing her worshipping my dick like that was nearly enough to make me come all on its own.

  I was seconds away. My dick and balls were so tight they could break stone.

  3… 2…

  “Holy fuck,” I snarled, my hands flying out and gripping the side of the wall and the shower curtain rod as I slammed my dick into her mouth one final time and released. The painful tightness in my dick and balls was suddenly released and I was momentarily overcome with the sense of euphoria that nearly made me fall to my knees, had I not been holding the wall and rod for balance.

  This woman was going to be the death of me and I would enjoy every second of that death.

  12

  Riley

  Every inch of me hurt and yet I had never felt so satisfied in my entire lifetime. I loved it. I couldn’t even guess how long we’d spent indulging in each other’s bodies over the course of the night, but it had easily been one of the best nights of my life. And we still had another day and a half here before we had to head home.

  “Grayson,” I patted the bed next to me as I slowly opened my eyes, only to come up empty.

  Frowning, I rolled over to his side of the bed and felt the blankets, they were cold so he’d been up for a while. There was an analog clock mounted on the far wall. Turning my head I looked at it and was shocked to see it was 2pm.

  “Holy shit!” I’d slept all damned day. No wonder the be
d was cold.

  Sitting up in bed, I covered my chest with the blanket and listened for movement inside the cabin. I didn’t hear movement, but I did hear voices.

  Craning my neck and head toward the sound, I frowned. I recognized his voice right away. But who was that other voice…? It was a woman. My brow knit as I tried to focus, but it wouldn’t matter; it wasn’t like I’d know who it was by the voice anyhow. The words were all jumbled and I couldn’t decipher what was being said.

  Dropping the blankets from my body, I tiptoed my way to the door and put my ear up to it, listening intently. I still couldn’t make anything out—shit!

  Going to my carry-on suitcase, I lifted it onto the bed and unzipped it. Flipping open the case, I grabbed underwear, a fresh pair of jeans and a tank top. I wasn’t overly fond of form-fitting clothing, but this black tank top worked magic on my waistline.

  Once dressed, I grabbed a brush and raked it through my dark, unruly locks. I generally straightened the natural wave from my hair, but considering we had some kayaking planned for later I didn’t figure there was much of a point. Swapping my brush for my make-up bag I put on some light make-up just to spruce myself up and spritzed a tiny bit of perfume. Giving my reflection one final look I nodded my approval.

  Opening the bedroom door, I took a few steps toward the kitchen area where Grayson and the woman were and stopped short, staring at the woman who was sitting across from him. I had to be seeing things, there was no way it was the same woman from the community gardens.

  But it was…. My suspicion was confirmed when they both turned their heads to look directly at me. There was a smug smile on the woman’s face.

  “Good morning, or should I say afternoon, baby.” He gave me a smile and then motioned to the woman I’d already decided was a skank across from him. “I’m not sure if you remember Brooklyn, we ran into her at the gardens.”