I have a condom on in record time. Picking her up, I lay her fully on the bed and cover her body with mine. I hiss when I sink inside and Kimberly arches her hips to get closer. I need to be deeper. Taking her left thigh in my hand, I bend her knee and raise the leg until I feel her womb. She protests when I pull out, but when I thrust back in, she begs me to do it again.
I wish I could say my stamina was impressive that first time, but I would be lying. Kimberly feels too good wrapped around my cock. I can feel her inner muscles bearing down, preparing to release.
“Oh…Oh… Bode, I’m going to come,” she cries, but I don’t need the heads up. I can feel her going over the edge and with a few final thrusts, I explode as well.
We work to calm our breathing. I roll over and pull her against my side, and her arms wrap around me like she’s afraid I might leave. There is no way that will happen.
For a time, we hold each other without a need for words. What we’d just experienced fits into the category of more. I know this because I’ve never felt anything like it and I can imagine spending a lifetime of more.
I dip my hand into the warm, scented water and slowly release a drizzle over Kimberly’s chest and nipples. Each stiff bud draws up even tighter when I blow across them. I’ve already had her twice tonight and I want her again.
I’m not much of a bath person. I don’t even have a bathtub in my home. Now, I’m thinking I’m going to see about adding one. Then again, is it the tub that’s the main attraction or is it the woman leaning back against me, cradling my cock between her ass cheeks.
With only a little adjustment, I could be inside her and bringing us both pleasure, but while I came twice tonight, I made sure her total doubled that. I know she must be sore, thus the warm bath and keeping my lecherous thoughts to myself. At least for now.
“Tell me what we’re going to do tomorrow?” I ask.
She wiggles her butt and I take the little imp’s hips in my hands to stop her. I may want to consider her comfort by abstaining, but my determined woman does not. My woman. I like the sound of that.
“I want to get online and do some preliminary research. I’m not even sure if what I have in mind is possible.”
“Want to tell me about it?”
She leans back and takes my hands in hers and places them on her chest. “It’s something Lili said. Or rather something I mentioned when I was telling her how much I loved the island. The only thing I have a problem with is the lack of cell reception. I want to find out what would be involved in bringing Faire Island into the twenty-first century.”
“Kimberly, I’m not sure about that. The cost would be astronomical and I’m not sure the gain would be worth the price. Not to mention we don’t have the kind of money to make that happen.”
“That may very well be, but I want to at least find out,” she says before giving a giant yawn.
I run my hands down the middle of her chest and cup each plump breast. “Let’s get to bed.”
She moans when I tweak each extended nipple. “No more sex. I think you broke me.”
“Then you need to stop squirming like that.” She does it again and I draw in a breath. “Kimberly. Don’t start something you’re too tired to finish.”
She turns around to face me and wraps her legs around my waist, trapping my cock between our bodies. With a much too cocky grin, she says, “Maybe one more.”
Later, I lie in bed with a sleeping woman draped over me. Her head rests on my chest, one leg is thrown over one of mine, and her arms are spread wide. That can’t be a comfortable position. I maneuver until her back is tucked against my front in the traditional spooning technique. I’ve never been a fan before, but just like the tub, I can reevaluate.
The lavender scent from the bath salts radiating from her body finally lulls me to sleep.
“Would you like another cup of coffee?” I ask Kimberly. She looks up from the laptop she’s been glued to since we finished a late breakfast three hours ago. Late because waking up with her warm body molded to mine gave me the perfect opportunity to slide right into her and we didn’t stop until we were both spent and breathless.
She looks up and smiles and the cock I’d thought was down for the count twitches. It’s those fucking fuzzy socks. Today’s pair is lavender with dark pink hearts. Fucking adorable.
“No, thanks. I think I’m already hyped up enough.”
I wondered if we’d have the awkward morning after and I had already set my mind to not allowing her to make light or ignore what we’d shared. We’d taken a step forward in our relationship. Whether it’s a long-term relationship is yet to be determined.
I can’t stop thinking that Kimberly Westmoreland won’t be staying on Faire Island. The quaint lifestyle is a novelty to her and will soon wear off with the reality of living so remotely. Just as I can’t imagine her making her home there, I can’t see myself living off-island. Faire Island is in my blood. I would be lost without the sea air or my family. But could I do it for Kimberly?
“I think I need to meet with the area cable company,” she says.
“Good luck with that. Adan is forever bitching about their service. You’ll probably be on hold for an hour and then get disconnected.”
She picks her cell phone up and grins. “That’s because you don’t know people.”
In only a few moments, she smiles and says, “Hello, Uncle Dean.”
I can’t miss the sparkle in her eyes as she explains to her uncle what she’s trying to do. She may think she doesn’t like the business world, but she’s playing the game like a pro and seems to be enjoying it. Seeing her in this light is very sexy and I want her.
By the time she hangs up, she has a meeting with the head of Dimensions Cable Company in two hours. Watching her work her magic is hot as hell. “Is there anything else you need to look into?”
“Nope, I think we can find out everything we need to this afternoon. Want to go for a walk and grab lunch?”
I shake my head in the negative. Actions speak louder than words and Kimberly gets my meaning when I pick her up and carry her to the bedroom.
Chapter 12
Kimberly
It’s late when we get back to the island and I’m anxious. We are in Bode’s truck heading for the Inn. Do I ask him to stay over? Now that we’re home, do we go back to the way we were before? I don’t know and it’s making me edgy. All I know is that if he goes home, I am going to miss him. Kimmie would blurt everything out and say something crude.
The man has had his mouth and hands all over me and in me and I can’t ask him if he wants to stay with me? I’m disappointed in myself. Why is it so hard? Then the answer pops into my mind like a neon sign. Because he’s important. What if he says no? Man, I wish I could talk to Lili.
“So, I know you still have a lot of work to do before you present to the town. What about if I stay over and help you out? Four hands will be better than two, right?”
My shoulders actually sag in relief, but I don’t want to seem too eager. I don’t want to be the clingy girl. I’ve never in my life been that girl. “Sure. That would work,” I say offhandedly and turn my head to grin like a fool out the window.
As soon as I unlock the door, I’m greeted by Henrietta flapping her wings and strutting around like she’s testy I’ve been gone for two days. There’s no telling how many eggs I’m going to find in the house.
Bode steps inside and sets our luggage down. “Is that a chicken?” he asks.
I fall to my knees and Henrietta comes right to me. We’ve come a long way. I rub my hand down her feathers and introduce her. “This is Henrietta.”
“Why does a chicken live with you?”
I chuckle, he has no idea. “Because it’s easier than convincing her to leave. And really, she’s a very nice chicken.”
I show Bode to the bedroom and then I start the hunt for eggs. I have a handful and I’m placing them gently in Henrietta’s roosting box when Bode comes back downstairs. “What are you
doing now?”
“Henrietta likes to keep all her eggs in one place. It makes it easier for her to sit on them. I have no idea what I’m going to do with so many chicks when they hatch.” I find three more eggs in Henrietta’s favorite places in the kitchen and add them to the box.
“Um, Kimberly. Do you have a rooster?” I shake my head and he fights a grin and says, “Honey, do you think those eggs are going to hatch?”
I look up at him from kneeling by the eggs and give him a curious look. “Yes, why? Henrietta is very protective of her babies. She pecked me the first day I tried to take one, but then I made her this box and she’s quite content to let me move them all here.”
Bode scrubs his hand down his face. I think I hear him mumble fucking adorable. “Oh, babe, we need to have a discussion about the birds and the bees.”
He’s kidding, right? “What do you mean?”
“No rooster. No chicks,” he says simply like that’s supposed to mean something.
He looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to get it. I don’t. “I don’t understand.”
Again, he scrubs his hand down his face and shifts from one foot to the other. “You have to have a rooster to fertilize the egg before it will hatch. Like birds and bees. Like sperm and eggs.”
It’s the last example that makes the lightbulb go off. My eyes widen and I’m sure I turn a bright shade of pink. I sit back on my knees. “You have got to be kidding me.”
Bode chuckles and shakes his head.
I turn an accusing glare at Henrietta. “Oh, I see what you did, Henrietta. You didn’t want me to take your eggs, so you played with the city girl. I see how it is.”
Bode laughs out loud, throws me over his shoulder, and takes the stairs two at a time. I squeal, laughing right along with him. But we don’t laugh for long.
I’ve attended and been the moderator of many high-level business meetings with my job in Lili’s non-profit company. I can’t remember a time I was nervous to the point of my stomach threatening to react. Today, as I stand in front of the people of Faire Island to pitch my idea on how to sustain their hometown, I have to work to get enough breath into my lungs. My hands are sweating so much I’m leaving stains on my notes.
I look up from my rumpled paper and meet Bode’s eyes in the back of the room offering silent support. His gaze moves to my lips and I know what he’s thinking about. The pre-meeting orgasm he’d given me before we left the Inn to… “loosen me up.”
Our relationship changed that day in Wilmington. We ended up spending two days there. We did a lot of planning and after our meeting with Tom Frazier, the president of Dimensions Cable, one meeting led to another and so it went.
We also had a lot of orgasms. Mind-blowing, toe curling, big O’s. When we flew back to the island, nothing was discussed or decisions made about defining this thing between us. It’s been a week now and it’s like the subject has been dropped. It’s really okay with me because I’m in uncharted territory with relationships.
This week we worked on the project, cooked together, and took long walks on the beach to clear our minds. Most enjoyable of all, we made love whenever and wherever we wanted. I don’t think I can ever tire of being with Bode. He makes everything new and exciting.
Each day we worked seamlessly together, making a very productive team, and at night we walked up the stairs and fell into each other’s arms. I think he’s even bonded with Henrietta. I caught him carrying her to breakfast one day. It was so stinking cute.
I can’t think about any of that now. My focus has to be on the stunned faces of the people of Faire Island as I stand before them and pitch an idea that could save them or bring the town more visibility than they may want.
Mayor Hershel is the first to speak up after I outline the plan. “So you think that bringing this, what did you call it, high-speed accessibility here would bring people back to the island?”
“Yes, I do. But like I said, there are a lot of parts that would need to align. Our first hurdle will be to come up with a way to pay for the cable company to lay fiber optic cabling from the mainland.”
“How would that work?” Hershel asks.
“Just like you have your landline cabling running from the mainland to the island. It would be run along the ocean floor. They would need to build a cell tower here as well.”
Agatha asks, “But what would we do with all that? We’ve lived our whole lives without internet access. I just don’t see why that would help.”
I keep reminding myself to see the big picture. Lead them to the big picture. They don’t see it yet. “Technology is one of the hottest commodities today. Startup companies are popping up everywhere. If we can bring this high-speed availability to Faire Island and offer incentives, we can get these companies interested in moving here.”
“What do you mean incentives?” Frank asks for clarification.
I glance toward Bode and his handsome smiling face gives me a morale boost. “That would be up to the island to decide as companies make their interests known. It might be reduced rent on an existing building or no taxes if they choose to build a facility. But think of the opportunities. This could mean jobs for those that live here and jobs to bring people here. An increase in population will help all of our businesses. And housing. You could finally fill up all the empty homes again.”
Al Henley speaks up, “As the town treasurer, I think this sounds wonderful, but I imagine it’s very expensive. We don’t have that kind of money.”
A low hum of mumbling begins. Hershel raps on the council table for quiet. “It is very expensive, but it is possible to get investors, government grants, and I’ve spoken with Dimensions Cable and they are willing to give us a heavy discount. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but I honestly believe it’s doable.”
“Thank you, Kimberly, you’ve given us a lot to think about. I say we meet again in one week and put it to a vote. All those in favor…”
“Stop worrying,” Bode says as we snuggle by the fire pit out back.
Picking up my glass of wine, I take a sip and sigh. This spot off the back deck, overlooking the ocean, has become one of my favorites. Tonight, there is a chill in the breeze coming off the water and I bring a quilt to keep us warm in addition to the fire that crackles and pops. I don’t know; it may be being close to Bode that makes it my favorite.
“I’m not worrying. I know this isn’t my decision to make, but what if instead of saving the town, it does the opposite?”
Bode’s arms surrounding me tighten and he kisses my temple. “Anything is possible, but I can’t see the town board letting that happen. They have to give their approval to businesses.”
I sit up ramrod straight when a horrible thought strikes. “Oh, my God! What if a phone sex business wants to move here?”
Bode chuckles and picks up his beer. “Can you really see Agatha and Olivia approving that?”
“You have no idea what those two are capable of. They once asked me if I’d ever had anal.”
Beer spewed from Bode’s mouth, making the flames of the fire sizzle.
“That was my exact reaction as well,” I tell him, as I pound on his back.
Bode’s cough eases and he leans back in the double Adirondack chair and pulls me close again. I love how my body fits against his. “Please, never mention that again. I’m not going to be able to face those two without turning red. So what are you going to do now?”
Is this when we are going to talk about us? Is there an us? “I guess I go back to work on the Inn if I want to meet my July open date. What about you?”
“I need to give Patrick some time off after filling in for me so much lately. I’m not really sure what’s on the books for next week, but I know I want to spend time with you.”
That doesn’t sound like a write-off. “I like that.”
Bode nuzzles the side of my face and says, “I’m curious, what did you tell Agatha and Olivia?”
I lean back to see his face and laugh out
loud when he waggles his brows. Men are so easy. “I told them no. I’d never found someone I trusted enough to do that.”
His nostrils flare and his eyes smolder in the firelight. “So it’s not off the table?”
Chapter 13
Bode
A week later as I’m leaving Kimberly’s for work, I get a call I can’t ignore. “Hello, Mamma.”
“Good morning, Bode. Have you had breakfast?”
I’m not sure if I should say I had breakfast with Kimberly. Or that I’ve basically been living with her. I decide to keep it simple. “I have.”
“I wonder if you could stop by before heading to work. I checked your schedule and you don’t have a flight until ten.”
I hear what she isn’t saying. This isn’t an optional drop by. “Sure. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
From her tone, I don’t think it’s anything major, which means it’s something I’m not going to like. One of those for your own good things. I’m clueless as to what it could be. I’ve been rather low-key lately.
My mother meets me at the door with a cup of coffee fixed just the way I like it and leads me into the kitchen. I’ve always loved my mom’s kitchen. It’s yellow and cheery and always smells of something delicious.
We sit at the table and do the routine check-in. How’s work. Catching up on what’s going on in town. Just regular chitchat, but I know it’s coming.
“I’ve noticed your truck hasn’t been in your driveway this week,” she says nonchalantly and takes a sip of coffee.
I start to squirm in my seat. I’m a grown ass man and I shouldn’t have to explain my whereabouts to my mother like a teenager. “Mom…”
She holds up her hand to keep me from saying more. “I’m not keeping tabs. In truth, I hadn’t noticed at all, but Homer has been telling anyone in town that will listen that you’re living with Kimberly.”
Going All Inn (Faire Island Bride Series Book 1) Page 10
