Just a Little Flirt

by Renita Pizzitola

  “Oh, and it did. But your merit goes hand in hand with that referral. That little boy’s mom couldn’t stop talking about you and what you did. The story she shared with me epitomizes what we strive for here.”

  “Little boy?” But she’d said Cade.

  “Yes, his name escapes me at the moment but his mother, um, Cadence, I believe. Yes, that’s it. I have it right here. Cadence Holt.”

  Oh my God. Cadence. “Ben Holt’s mom.”

  “Yes, that was his name. You remember the family?”

  “Of course. It was a difficult moment for her. I’m glad I helped.”

  “You made a lasting impression. Well, please take a few days to think about the position. We’d love a response by Friday.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Enjoy your week. And I look forward to hearing from you.”

  We hung up and I sat in my car, staring at Cade’s apartment. I’d had it wrong all along. I really had gotten the position based on merit and I should have trusted Cade. I sat back, a huge smile on my face and a ball of happiness nestled deep in my chest.

  It felt good to be home.

  The sun warmed my skin and my summer dress swished around me as I knocked on Cade’s door.

  Sean opened the door, his eyes widening. “Hey, thought you were getting in later. I should know. Cade’s been counting down the minutes.”

  “I decided to surprise him.”

  He stepped back and made a sweeping gesture with his arm. “By all means. He’s napping.” He grinned, eyed me up and down, and said, “And this is the kind of surprise I’d like to wake up to.”

  I shook my head at his overly sexual yet, as always, flattering comment.

  A flash of fur drew my gaze to the couch. “Scout.”

  He wagged his tail.

  “He has trouble getting on Cade’s bed right now, so we’ve let him commandeer the couch.” Sean sat back down and ruffled his scruff.

  With Scout’s face between both my hands, I kissed the top of his head. “How are you, boy? I missed you.”

  Scout licked my chin then stared up at me with his brown eyes. He really was an adorable dog. Golden with eyes that sucked you in, just like his owner.

  “So he’s doing okay?” I asked.

  “Yep, once the cast comes off he’ll be back to himself.”

  Scout’s back leg was bandaged up in a dark blue cast. Written across it: Ask me about my third leg.

  I choked back a laugh. “Let me guess. You wrote that?”

  “Scout asked me to. Says it helps with the bitches.” He paused expectantly. “See what I did there?”

  “You’re hilarious.” I rolled my eyes. “Okay, I’m off to see Cade.”

  “Cool, I’ll turn the volume down for the good parts.”

  I scrunched my nose. “You think the good only comes in parts?” With a shrug, I walked away. “Better just find the mute button.”

  Sean groaned. “Offer stands. I live right down the hall.”

  Smiling, I turned the knob on Cade’s door and peeked in. He was on his stomach, comforter piled atop him, his face shoved into a pillow. I closed the door quietly behind me and tiptoed to the bed. I trailed my finger over his neck and he stirred, but didn’t wake. I brushed his hair off his face and he reached for my hand, smiling a bit.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead,” I whispered.

  He rubbed his face then flipped onto his back. The comforter shifting with him, revealing his shirtless abs. Nice.

  His eyes remained sealed shut and he settled back into deep sleep.

  I pulled the comforter back a bit more. Just boxers, even better. I slid my leg over him, and straddled him.

  “Wakey, wakey.” My hands glided up his chest and I pressed a kiss to his lips.

  A smile curved his mouth and he reached for my hips. His hands seemed to register my body before his brain did. He shifted a bit under me, clearly enjoying the situation, then his eyes flew open.

  “Surprise.” I grinned.

  “Holy shit, you really are here.” He rubbed his eyes.

  “Of course I’m here. Do you get woken by girls climbing all over you often?”

  “I thought I was having a kick-ass dream.” He flashed a sleepy smile.

  “So I see.” I wiggled my body over where his arousal stirred under me. “I wanted to surprise you. My flight was early and I had Brinley pick me up.”

  “I wanted to pick you up at the airport, but this is so much better.” His gaze drifted down my body. “And you’re wearing my favorite dress.”

  “I am. You like it?”

  “I like it better off you.”

  I smiled, recalling he’d said something along those lines during my drunken phone sex chat. “Sounds familiar.”

  “Hmm, so you do remember?”

  “Bits and pieces.”

  Cade pushed his eyebrows together, pretending to be in deep thought. “How did it go again? First, I’m supposed to undress you?”

  “You know, it’s hard for me to remember all the details, so you may just need to walk me through it.”

  He pushed my dress up and tossed it to the floor then pulled me down and kissed me, thoroughly. My hips rocked, gliding me over him—the only thing between us, insubstantial fabric—and his grip tightened.

  The kiss was filled with everything that had been spoken between us the last ten days. I feared the distance would push us apart but really it brought us closer than ever before. Everything had fallen into place perfectly.

  When we took a moment to catch our breaths, his gaze locked on mine and a small smile graced his lips. He cupped my cheek, and opened his mouth to speak but I cut him short.

  “I love you.”

  He snapped his mouth shut, curved it into a smile, then said, “I love you too.”

  No exchange of two tiny sentences had ever felt more right.

  We fell into more kissing, the kind I never wanted to end. His lips moved with mine while his hands worked their way all over my body, curving down my spine, gliding over my hips, along my thighs. And I did the same, tracing his arms, his chest, his slightly stubbled jawline.

  Once the yearning reached an unbearable point, I said, “I think I remember what happens next.”

  “Oh, yeah?” His voice was thick, just like it had been that night on the phone. He ran his lips down my neck, flicking his tongue lightly along the path he created. “What’s that?”

  I moved my lips to his ear, and whispered, “You tug my panties to the side and push deep inside me.”

  His breathing turned ragged and he whispered back, “Excellent memory for a drunk girl.”

  I grinned. “It was my favorite part.”

  With a smile, he ran his thumbs over my hip bones then dipped them into my panties.

  I reached back and unfastened my bra, letting it drop down my arms, before depositing it on the floor.

  Cade traced the seam of my panties, running the tip of his finger along my inner thigh while his gaze sketched every curve of my body. As he toyed with the edge of the fabric, his eyes drifted up, locking with mine. There was the tiniest bit of hesitation, like an unspoken question, but I knew what he wanted. Nothing between us.

  Even though I was on birth control, I would never consider this with any other guy, but Cade wasn’t just any guy…

  Shifting my weight to my knees, I reached between us and tugged his boxers down. Then glided my body up his length, making it clear I wanted this too.

  With a deep breath, he tugged my panties to the side and grabbed ahold of himself, aligning our bodies. When the head brushed my opening, I whimpered and pushed down.

  He slipped inside me and we both gasped. His chest clenched under my palms and a quiver raced through me. I eased myself back into a sitting position, and he settled into me. So deep, and hot. We stared at each other, seemingly unsure of what our next move should be.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  His jaw was tight, but he nodded.

  I raised mys
elf up then slowly lowered. Cade held my hips, helping guide my slow rhythm. I let him take the lead, not wanting to push him too fast.

  He ran his hands over my breasts, his thumbs making small circles as he licked his lips. “You’re so fucking hot. It feels…so fucking good.” He moaned, then scrubbed his hands over his face. “Shit. Don’t move.”

  I froze.

  His chest moved up and down with each controlled breath. He lifted me up, slowly slipping out of me. Then laid me on his bed next to him and pulled my panties down. I slipped them off as he ran kisses along my chest, taking my nipple into his mouth.

  I fisted a handful of his hair and arched into the kiss. The heat of his tongue spread like wildfire over my breast and down my belly as his other hand trailed the burn, settling between my thighs. His finger slid over my core, slick from arousal.

  I gripped his shoulders as my body burned and begged for more. My breathing raced and I moved my hips against his hand. He’d worked me up to an unbearable point, and at the rate we went, I wouldn’t make it much longer. “Cade…”

  He looked up, his eyes dark with desire, lips wet from the kisses he’d scattered over my body.

  “Please.”

  He shifted over me and ran his thumb along my lips, parting them ever so slightly.

  My tongue circled his finger before sucking it into my mouth. Cade pulled his thumb away, replacing it with a kiss that started off tender but quickly turned carnal.

  He adjusted himself between my legs as I opened my body to him, then thrust back inside, plunging deep.

  “Oh my—” I flattened my hands to the mattress and gripped the sheet.

  He deepened the kiss as he rocked in and out. I moved my hands to his back and lifted my hips slightly. Cade slowed down, his elbows pressed into the mattress next to me, his biceps flexed. He took a deep breath. “How close are you?”

  “Very.” My voice came out more like a desperate plea.

  There was a sound at his door. Was it locked? The sound repeated. A scratching followed by a whimper.

  Cade chuckled. “I think Scout is worried about you.”

  I slapped my hand over my mouth.

  “Don’t worry. Dog ears. Good hearing.”

  I’m pretty sure Cade was just trying to make me feel better, but then he shifted inside me and I couldn’t care less if his roommate heard every sound I made.

  Cade wrapped my leg over his hip, and picked up the pace. My head fell back. My hips arched forward. Heat raced down my thighs. My stomach went taut. I held my breath as the first wave rolled through me, then came a second, more powerful one. My toes curled and I splintered beneath Cade, aware of every inch of my fractured body as he shoved deep inside me and whispered tender words to glue me back together.

  I whispered words of love back as his body went tense then slowly relaxed, settling over mine.

  A fine coat of perspiration made our skins slick and cool as the air brushed against us. Cade draped his arm across my stomach and pressed a kiss into my temple.

  Who would have imagined sex could be like this? So freaking amazing. It made me think about poor Amber and that asshole Cameron. He’d ruined her first time, just like he’d ruined mine. I hoped she didn’t carry too much baggage from it like I had. “I wish you would’ve been my first.”

  Cade kissed my temple. “Being someone’s first is overrated.”

  I glanced at him. Was he trying to make me feel better again?

  He shifted his gaze, like it was hard to maintain eye contact, as he said, “I’m much more interested in being your last.”

  I flipped onto my side, cupped his face, and pulled him to me. “You’re perfect, you know that?” I kissed him. “And just so you know, when it comes to love, you’re my first, my last, my only.”

  Epilogue

  Surprising Fallon topped my list of favorite things. Hell, anything involving that girl did. But surprising her was the best. It wasn’t the catching her off guard that made it worthwhile. No, it was the look of complete adoration she gave me every time I did. Like for some crazy reason, she couldn’t believe anyone would do something like that for her. But didn’t she know by now, I’d do anything for her, and then some? Her happiness was my happiness. And not in some needy, dependent bullshit sort of way. It was the way her smile captured my breath, and sent my heart ricocheting around my chest. And her bright eyes roped my very being, tugging me deep inside her. It was just her.

  Today’s surprise was a big one of the clumsy, four-legged variety.

  “Come here, girl.” The puppy tromped her way over, sliding once, but quickly rebounding. She had yet to grow into those big paws. Just watching her uncoordinated little movements took me back to when Scout had been a puppy. She was practically his little clone.

  I ruffled the fur on the top of her head and she nipped at my hand, her puppy teeth sharp. From the moment I chose her from the shelter, I’d become her favorite chew toy.

  I offered her a squeaky toy. She yanked it from my hand then went back to gnawing on my fingers.

  “Okay, to the room you go.” I carried her to my bedroom and sent Scout in with her. If I left her by herself she’d yelp, but she liked his company.

  Scout settled onto the floor, looking unimpressed as she pawed at his tail.

  There was a knock at the door. “Be good.” I shut the two of them in, hoping Scout was enough entertainment or my shoes might be next.

  Fallon stood at the front door still dressed in scrubs from work. My favorite part about her loose-fitting work uniform: imagining what lay hidden beneath. Of course, I no longer had to guess. I knew exactly how tight that body was underneath.

  “Hey.” I pulled her to me and gave her a kiss.

  She melted into my arms, her body going soft against mine. All feminine and sexy. Pure Fallon. Maybe the puppy could wait.

  But all too soon, she pulled away. “So what’s up? You seemed excited on the phone.” She readjusted her fine blond hair into one of those sexy, messy buns she liked to wear. A few stray strands brushed her neck.

  I swept the wisps back, letting my fingers linger a bit, then grinned down at her, noting how her gaze fixed on my mouth. She’d claimed I’d mastered some sort of panty-dropping smile, which wasn’t my intention but I’d gladly take it. Unfortunately, every time she focused on my lips I wanted to run them all over her body. God, she made it hard to focus sometimes. I temporarily shoved those thoughts to the back of my mind.

  “I have a surprise for you.”

  Her eyes brightened. “You do?”

  “Yep. In my room.”

  “All the best surprises involve your room.” She ran her hands up my chest, then rested them on my shoulders.

  I laughed. “Agreed, but this one is different.” I grabbed her hand and led her down the hall. I placed my hand on the doorknob. “Ready?”

  She nodded.

  Her smile locked me momentarily in place. I’d never accurately be able to put into words the way it brightened her entire face, taking her from beautiful to…Fallon. I mean, how else did I describe someone like her? There was no comparison.

  She glanced at the door then back at me, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she anxiously awaited my surprise.

  I pushed the door open. “Here you go.”

  The puppy sat up and tilted her head to the side, examining the unfamiliar face.

  “You got a puppy!” Fallon stepped into my room, dropped to her knees and patted her thighs. The puppy trotted over. “Oh my God, she’s adorable.”

  “And yours.”

  “What?” Her head yanked in my direction.

  “If you can’t have a puppy at your place, she’s welcome to stay here. You’re always here anyway. And, don’t worry, I’m also getting her trained for you.”

  “She’s mine?” She scooped the puppy up and nuzzled her neck. “Seriously?”

  “Do you like her?”

  “Are you kidding? I freaking love her. She’s like a mini-Scout. I c
an’t believe you didn’t tell me you were doing this!”

  “There’s more.”

  Her eyes widened. “What’s that?”

  “If you want, I’d like to train her as a therapy dog. Your therapy dog.”

  “Like I’d be her handler?”

  “Yeah. But only if you want, of course.” After Scout broke his leg, he seemed to have less energy. The vet warned he may have some arthritis in that leg. It’d be nice to give him a little more time off, but the kids loved his visits and I didn’t want to let them down. If he could be on a rotation though…

  “I’d love that. Oh my God. This is so awesome.” She jumped up, puppy still in her arms, and tiptoed to kiss me. “What’s her name?”

  “That’s up to you. She doesn’t have one yet.”

  “Hmm.” She sat back down, and I settled next to her.

  Scout scooted closer to me and rested his head by my feet.

  Fallon ran her hand down Scout’s back. “What do you think, Scout? What should we call this little girl?”

  Scout perked at the mention of his name, stared at Fallon, his tail wagging, then rested his chin back between his paws.

  “Oh my God, I’ve got it.” Fallon bounced with excitement. “If he’s a Scout, then she’s a Daisy.” She smiled at me. “Like a girl scout.”

  “I love it.” I scratched Daisy’s ear and her little teeth chomped into my hand again. She rolled onto her back, exposing her rounded puppy belly, and pawed at my wrist. “Daisy it is.”

  Fallon leaned toward me again. “Thank you so much.”

  I pulled her into my lap, cradled my arms around her and kissed her the way I’d wanted to since she’d gotten there. It was easy to get lost in those kisses. These moments we shared. Each somehow better than the one before it. The world vanished around us and it’d all come together. She’d call me her only, saying I was the sole thing that mattered and, from the outside, it may seem I felt the same way. But this is where we differed. Because this girl, the one bundled in my lap, her mouth moving along mine, those delicate fingers grazing along my jawline, well, she was so much more than that. No, she wasn’t just my only. She was my everything.

  To N.S. and H.S.