He needed to do something physical—fighting or sex. He glanced over at Lancey. She was looking at him, wariness in her gaze. Damn. When was he going to stop being this guy? Was there ever going to be a moment when he could think about the people he cared for and lost and not go ballistic? He doubted it. He’d never been good at channeling his emotions.
“I should go. I’m getting restless and I don’t want to do something I’ll regret,” he said. He was as honest as he could be with her because Lancey…well, he liked her. Not enough to change who he was but enough to know that he needed to leave while he still could.
“Don’t. Stay please. I know I made everything sound…well, worse than awkward but I brought you back here to help me forget how messed up and confused I am.”
She was saying what he felt—words he’d never been able to utter to another person, even Cal, who he told all the embarrassing things to. But not this. Not that feeling that he was never going to be okay again.
He put his drink down and went back into the living room. When he sat back down on the love seat, she sort of leaned up on her knees toward him. He could see her ancestors’ strength and courage in her eyes and he realized that any thoughts he had of leaving—because it was the noble thing to do—were in his own head. Lancey Maverick didn’t need a man to protect her and she would deal with whatever happened in the morning.
Now he had to decide if he was as brave as she was. Would he take the gift of this night with her? Or was he going to run, the way he always did?
Well, hell. He wasn’t about to be beat by anyone. He stretched his arm out and wrapped it around her waist, lifting her off the love seat and onto his lap. She let out a soft sound of surprise and he held still until she put her hands on either side of his jaw, her finger rubbing along the stubble growing there.
She leaned in and he felt the brush of her exhalation before their lips met. Her kiss earlier had tasted of tequila and moonlight and bravado. There was no hesitation this time and he knew she was all in.
Chapter Four
Lancey had vacillated between begging him to stay and just drinking until they both passed out when he’d first come into her house, but once she’d seen that pain in his eyes, she’d realized they were both messed up. More than messed up. So maybe, for a few hours, they could offer each other the kind of distraction they both needed.
The stubble on his jaw abraded her skin and she liked the sensation so she kept moving her fingers over it, as she thrust her tongue into his mouth. She’d always been pretty much a missionary position kind of girl, but sitting on Finn’s lap, feeling the strength of his thighs between her own and his muscled chest against hers, she realized that she might like this a lot better.
She tucked her heels up against the sides of his legs and lifted herself a little bit on his lap so that he had to tip his head back for her kiss. She put her hand on the back of the love seat and held on as she shifted around trying to find a position that suited her. The dress she wore was respectable enough but as she’d straddled him, the flouncy skirt flared out around her and she felt his denim-covered thighs against her bare skin.
She liked the way that felt as well. She pulled back, sucking his lower lip between her teeth and then lifted her head. His eyes were closed, and his hands rested loosely on her waist, as if he was letting her set the pace.
Finn was by nature a take-charge kind of guy, but she wondered if he’d let her take the wheel tonight. She wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted. Some of the guys she’d been with had thought she was too aggressive, too used to being in charge and maybe they had a point, but she only did what came naturally.
His eyes opened as she put her hands on his shoulders and shifted back to sit on his thighs. She tugged the hem of his T-shirt up and he shifted around, pulling it up and over his head and tossing it aside. His chest was smooth with a light dusting of hair but covered in scars. Some of them were old and had started to fade but others were more prominent—visible proof of how rough his career had been on his body. That groaning when he’d sat down…she got it now.
She reached out and slowly traced each one of them, taking her time and exploring him at length because she needed to. She shifted around to kiss each one of them as the stories she’d heard through the grapevine all came back to her. Crashing at Talladega, a fifteen-car wreck at the Brickyard. Those were just terms she’d gotten used to hearing the other men in her unit who watched NASCAR use when they talked about that guy from her hometown. But now, she saw the price he’d paid for each of those races and it was steep.
He wrapped one arm around her waist and lifted her up slightly as he shifted underneath her so that he was reclining a bit more. Then he settled her back across his lap and as she sank down on him, she felt his erection pressing up against her, right at her center. She rocked her hips and moved her body over his hard shaft.
He slipped his hands up under her skirt and rubbed them up and down the backs of her thighs. His hands were big and hot as he moved them over her legs. When he reached her butt, he grabbed it and moved her hips forward against him, finding her mouth at the same time. He thrust his tongue deep inside as he continued to thrust between her legs. She held on to his shoulder with one hand, pushing the fingers of the other into his hair.
She was on fire and it was spreading until she could no longer control it. She reached for the buttons on the bodice of her dress and undid them with fumbling fingers and then pulled her head from his. She took his hand, pushing it against her breast and he slipped his fingers underneath the material of her bra, rubbing his finger over her nipple.
She let her head fall back as she continued to ride him, rocking against his jean-covered erection. His hand moved underneath her, and he shoved his hand into her panties, cupping her butt, and as his fingers slid along the crack, she shivered in his arms. She wanted more. She wanted to be naked, she needed him to be naked.
She shifted off of him, almost losing her balance, and he steadied her with one hand. “What are you doing?”
“Getting naked. It’s easier to do this without clothes on,” she said.
He lifted her and set her on her feet. She took a minute to watch the bulging muscles in his biceps, reaching out to squeeze one and he flexed it again. “Cal always says that driving isn’t a sport, but I have to work out like any athlete.”
“I bet. I work out a lot too, but usually because it keeps my mind sharp, especially when I’m on deployment,” she said. “You forget about the things you’re missing when you’re concentrating on not falling off a treadmill.”
He gave a shout of laugh and she smiled. He smiled right back at her. And though she knew he was never going to be the kind of man that anyone would consider ‘sweet,’ there was a gentleness in the way he was looking at her that made her want to hug him. She knew this was a side of Finn that not many people got to see.
*
Lancey pulled her dress up over her head, and he stopped breathing. She wore plain beige-colored panties and a matching bra. He was pretty sure she’d chosen them because they were utilitarian, but on her, they were sexy as hell. She undid the back clasp of her bra and looked over to find him watching her.
“What are you doing?”
“Enjoying you,” he said.
She blushed. He saw it start from the tops of her breasts and spread up her neck to her cheeks. “Well, I’d like to enjoy all of you too, Finn.”
“I intend to let you, Lancey,” he said, dropping his voice on her name.
She arched one eyebrow at him in an imperious sort of way. “Then what are you waiting for?”
What was he waiting for? The sooner he got naked, the sooner he’d have a lapful of sexy willing woman. “Hell, are you on the pill?”
Startled she looked over at him. “I am. Why?”
“I don’t have a condom with me,” he said. “I have to have a medical each week before I race, so you don’t have to worry about catching anything from me.”
She nod
ded. “Thanks for reassuring me about that. I’m clean, too.”
“Good. Now let’s get back to getting naked,” he said.
She tossed her bra on top of her dress and he kicked off his shoes and undid his jeans. He got to his feet and was about to shove them down his legs when he noticed her watching him. He remembered what she’d said about wanting to enjoy him—and he’d always been a bit of a show-off—so he decided to give her something worth watching.
“Like what you see?” he asked her.
“I do, but I’m reserving judgment until I view the whole package,” she said.
He shook his head and moved a few steps closer to her so that they were both standing next to each other. He took his time pulling his leather belt from his jeans and then coiling it up and reaching around to put it on the coffee table behind her, making sure to brush his cheek against her right breast as he did. He straightened back up and noticed that her nipples were perkier now. He then slowly pushed his jeans down his legs, stepped out of them and kicked them aside.
Then he held his arms out to his sides. “What do you think?”
“That you still have your underwear on,” she said.
He threw his head back and laughed. She was so forthright, he just couldn’t help it. And he really liked it. He hadn’t had this much fun during sex in a long, long time, if ever. He pushed his underwear down his legs, and she stepped back to look him over. His erection grew as she slowly let her gaze move over his body and he was ready to pull her back into his arms when she tipped her head to the side.
“Not bad.”
“I’ll give you not bad, darling,” he said, closing the gap between them and lifting her into his arms, the press of her breasts against his chest sending a shaft of desire through him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. He felt the warmth of her center through the cloth of her panties.
“Why are you still wearing your underwear?”
“I was busy watching you take off yours,” she said.
He set her down and stooped in front of her, kissing her stomach and letting his tongue dip into her belly button as he pushed his hands into the elastic band of her panties and slowly pushed them down her legs. This close, he could smell her feminine sweetness and couldn’t resist kissing her. She put her hand on his head, her fingers lightly pushing him forward and he found her clit with his tongue, flicking it. He let go of her panties, taking her hips in his hands and nudging her back toward the coffee table. Then he urged her to sit down while he knelt between her thighs, parting her with his fingers and sucking on her. She tasted good and her hands in his hair urged him to keep sampling her delicate flesh.
Her thighs moved restlessly against his shoulders and he reached underneath her to cup her butt and lift her up as he continued to taste her. She was thrusting up against his mouth as she gasped and moaned. He kept flicking her clit with his tongue until she grabbed his head and her thighs tightened around him, and she let out a long low moan. He lifted his head and looked up her body. Her breasts rose and fell with each racing breath she took. Her nipples were hard points, beckoning his mouth he moved up over her. He stopped to suck one of them into his mouth and she put her hands on his back, rubbing his spine. And then her hand moved around to his erection. She took him in her hand and stroked him. His balls tightened and he realized he was closer to coming than he’d thought.
He shifted his hips away from her—he didn’t want to come until he was buried deep inside of her body.
He stood up and then lifted her into his arms and sat back down on the love seat. She straddled him, the warmth of her pussy rubbing over his length. Damn. She felt so good. He wrapped his arms around her back and tangled his hands in her hair. The strands were as soft as he’d hoped they would be.
He tangled his fingers in it, and then shifted up to kiss her, driving his tongue into her mouth. She put her hands on his shoulders, framing his face with her hands and sucked his tongue deep into her mouth.
*
Her body was still buzzing from the orgasm he’d given her on the coffee table, but she craved more. She felt empty and needy in a way that she’d seldom felt before. Usually her vibrator got the job done, but Finn had driven her higher and faster than she normally went. She shifted and felt the tip of him at the opening of her body. She tore her mouth from his and looked down into those bright gray eyes, then put her hands on his shoulders and shifted around again.
He put his hands on her hips and steadied her and then their eyes met and he thrust up while guiding her down on his shaft at the same time. She closed her eyes and her head fell backward as he filled her. She held on to his shoulders for balance, getting used to the feeling of having him deep inside of her. She took a brief break and then started to ride him. She quickly found a natural rhythm, and he claimed her mouth again, using his tongue to mimic what their bodies were doing.
She lifted her head as she felt her orgasm building again. She let go of him and gripped the back of the sofa, driving herself and him higher and harder. She felt his mouth on her breast, his teeth lightly scraping over her nipple and then sucking on it. His hands grasped her butt and he drove her even harder…then everything inside of her exploded.
He held her hips down as he thrust into her and finally, she felt him come inside of her. He tore his mouth from her breast and threw his head back as he made a loud grunting sound. She rode his orgasm and then collapsed in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder as both of them continued to breathe heavily. His hand idly stroked her back.
She stayed where she was, unsure of how to get off of him or even when she should, but more than that, she didn’t want to move. When she was lying in Finn’s arms, she didn’t feel lost and it didn’t matter that she had no clue what her next move should be. He didn’t care. He thought that she was fine the way she was, and she needed that more than she’d expected to. She’d always wanted to break the Maverick woman tradition of being left in Last Stand and having to make their own way, raising kids on their own. But here she was, despite all of her efforts, doing exactly that. Somehow, she had to make peace with that part of her personal family tradition.
“Well, damn, lady, that was hotter than summer has been. I’m not even kidding when I say I didn’t expect that.”
“I did,” she said.
“That’s because you are way smarter than me,” Finn said. “Wrap your arms and legs around me.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to carry us to the bathroom so we can have a shower. And unless you object, we can use your bed next time. I want to stretch you out and explore. I was too rushed this time.”
“I didn’t feel rushed,” she said.
“Good. I’m just saying there’s a lot more to you than I thought. I want to do some exploring before this night is over.”
She wrapped her arms around him and hid her face in his neck for a few moments. This night.
That was it.
Just this one night.
It’s what she agreed to and said she wanted.
Hell, it was what she had wanted…until now. Until she’d had him inside of her and she had realized just how hard it was going to be to say goodbye to him. For this one night, she had let down her guard and just…been herself. She still wasn’t sure it was enough, but for tonight, it had given her some hope that the future still had some surprises in it.
“Darling?”
She lifted her head and looked down into those bright gray eyes of his. “I’d love that.”
“Good. Prepare to be impressed by my rock-hard abs.”
She shook her head. He was funny when he was self-deprecating. He didn’t take himself too seriously and she wished some of that would rub off on her. She’d love to have some of his strength and what-the-hell attitude. But she knew that wouldn’t happen.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and as he stood, she pulled her legs around his waist. He surprised her by managing to stay inside of her w
hile he moved. She did feel his abs and shoulders flex as he pulled her to him.
“Which way to the bathroom?”
“Down the hall, to the right,” she said.
He carried her through her house, and she realized that she could worry about tomorrow or just enjoy the night, this time with him. No one had ever carried her—she realized as he set her on her feet next to the shower—nor had anyone ever been so sweet with her. She’d had lovers, but they had always been with the same agenda she’d had. Sex would be simply a way to scratch an itch. She’d never realized, until Finn, what she had been missing.
He soaped her up, taking his time to explore her every curve and she let him. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he moved his hands over her body, looking at her as if she were a super model or the most beautiful woman in the world instead of plain old Lancey Maverick.
She’d thought this night was about two souls who had been lost, but she realized instead, it was a gift. Maybe it was Granny Maverick who’d sent her this man who made her feel special and loved when she’d been so lost, but she knew she’d never forget the night, or him, and how he’d made her feel.
She fell asleep after he made love to her again in her full-sized bed and when she woke in the morning to her alarm, he was gone. She told herself they’d said one night, and she had no right to be disappointed, but she was all the same.
Chapter Five
Adjusting to having a toddler in her life wasn’t as hard as Lancey had been afraid it would be. Lane was nice company and though he sometimes had a little temper tantrum, for the most part, he was even-tempered and happy. He reminded her a lot of her brother when he’d been this age. She hadn’t found another job yet, so she was getting ready for her shift at the Outlaw Tequila retail shop. Since Lane was Braden’s nephew too, she’d been bringing him to work with her and Braden would watch him while she worked her shift.
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