Love At Last

by Cooper, Sharon C.

  Standing in only his boxer briefs, Lincoln grabbed the last condom from his wallet, glad his son had hooked him up. He set the foil packet on the bedside table and turned when he heard the bathroom door open.

  Blood rushed from his brain downward at the sight before him. A strapless, lace bra covered Carolyn’s full breasts and skimpiest panties he had ever seen barely covered her mound as she leaned against the doorway.

  He should have been exhausted considering what they’d done less than an hour ago, but need charged through him. His gaze took another ride along her curvaceous, partially naked figure. Before their adventure at Conrad’s house, it had been a long time since he’d been with a woman and just looking at Carolyn had him as hard as granite. Everything within him wanted to just devour and have his way with her, but she deserved to be worshipped.

  “You’re … wow. Sweetheart, you are truly a vision.”

  “Thank you.” Her gaze raked over him, paying special attention to the bulge behind his shorts. A smile spread across her lips. “I could say the same for you.”

  She approached him and ran her hands up his torso, over his chest, and cupped his face. “I have fantasized about us being together like this.”

  On tiptoes, she captured his lips in a heated kiss. His hand went to the back of her head, pulling her closer while his other hand slid around her tiny waist and he deepened the kiss. His throbbing erection pressed against her belly. If she didn’t know how much he wanted her before, she knew now. Lincoln wasn’t sure what he had done in life to deserve this woman, but he knew he was never letting her go.

  Placing a trail of kisses along her scented neck and her bare shoulder, his hands moved on their own accord over the curves and valleys of her bodacious body. With a skill he hadn’t used in years, he unsnapped the back of her bra with a flick of his fingers and tossed the garment to the floor. Next came her panties … if he could call them that; the little strip of material barely covered her assets.

  Once he had her naked, Lincoln swallowed … hard. She had the body of a woman half her age and stood before him clearly comfortable in her skin. He loved what he saw. Her full breasts hung free while her perky nipples stood at attention begging for his mouth to be on them. The small strip of hair covering her mound was perfectly trimmed, the sight only adding to his raging desire.

  Lincoln lifted her and smiled at the gasp she released at his sudden move. He laid her on the bed, and stood back. Through lust-charged eyes, she watched as he eased his boxer briefs down his legs, his shaft springing to attention. She probably had no idea how much her attention turned him on. He let her get her fill until her tongue snaked out and swiped a path across her bottom lip. That sexy move almost did him in and he suddenly wanted to jump onto the bed and dive right into her.

  Calm down, he told himself. They were going to take this slow even if it killed him.

  As Lincoln climbed onto the bed, the heat from her body excited him even more, if that was possible. He hovered above her then lowered his head to her enticing breasts. Carolyn moaned when the tip of his tongue swirled around one pert nipple and he rubbed the pad of his thumb over the other.

  God, this woman …

  Carolyn’s hands were on the back of his head as he licked, teased, and squeezed her breasts. Her taste. Her scent. The way she purred with each lap of his tongue made him even harder. He moved back up her body and captured her lips, hunger for her raging through him. Lincoln thought he could slow things down a little … slow himself down, but Carolyn wasn’t having it. She slid her hands between their bodies, not stopping until she reached his shaft. He groaned when her soft hands gripped him—fondling, squeezing, teasing him mercilessly. With each stroke of her hand, he grew longer, harder.

  He sucked in a breath and cursed when her thumb circled his sensitive tip. It felt too damn good to stop the erotic torture, but if he didn’t …

  “Are you trying to make me lose control? Because if you keep that up, that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “I want you to lose control.” She squeezed him with just the right amount of pressure, but then her hand started moving up and down him again. He jerked out of her grasp, panting. “Lincoln,” she moaned when he lifted up, disappointment lacing that one word.

  “I’m right here, baby.”

  Grabbing the condom from the side table, he quickly covered himself. Still thinking that he wanted to take their lovemaking slow, he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. Yet each time his gaze took in her body, his mind screamed, To hell with it. He needed to be inside of her.

  Lincoln touched his lips to hers and slipped his tongue into her mouth as he nudged her thighs apart with his knees. The hunger in their kiss let him know they were both ready.

  He rubbed his shaft against her core before pushing his tip into her heat.

  “That’s it, baby.” Carolyn opened wider, taking all of him before tightening around his length.

  Lincoln placed his hands on the pillow on each side of her head and stared down into her eyes as he moved inside of her. Slow and steady at first, but then picking up speed, loving how good she felt. Carolyn’s hands fisted in the sheets and she rotated her hips, matching him stroke for stroke and taking him in more.

  “Ah, baby,” he groaned, his control quickly slipping as her heat pulsed around him. His hands gripped her thighs, and Lincoln slammed in and out of her, going deeper and harder. The faster he went the louder she got, her erotic sounds filling the quietness of the room. One last powerful thrust and they came together.

  Carolyn screamed her release, drowning out the growl that came from deep within his belly as a powerful orgasm shook his world. He collapsed on top of her and started to roll over, but she held him tight.

  “Don’t move,” she whispered and they clung to each other, their heavy breathing mingling. Lincoln eventually pulled out of her but had no energy to do much else. Carolyn still hadn’t released him so he nestled against her breasts, which was like snuggling against a soft pillow. Neither of them spoke until their breathing was under control.

  “I’ll be back.”

  After disposing of the condom in the bathroom, Lincoln returned to the bedroom to find Carolyn asleep. He turned off the light and climbed back into the bed, covering them with the sheet and comforter. Gathering her into his arms, he settled in and placed a kiss on her forehead.

  This is what I want … forever.

  *

  The next morning, Carolyn snuggled closer to Lincoln, basking in the memories of their mind-blowing night of lovemaking. It had been a long time since she had been with a man her own age and realized what she’d been missing. He put her needs first … especially when he woke her in the middle of the night for another round. She trembled, remembering how he had taken his time exploring and worshiping her body. And when she had been too exhausted to move, he had carried her to the shower and bathed her.

  Carolyn shivered again, trying to fight off her chills and wondering why the bedroom was ice cold. Throughout the night, lying next to Lincoln had been like sleeping next to a furnace, which she didn’t mind, but now she was freezing.

  “Did you turn off the heat?” he asked, startling her, his deep voice laden with sleep. He shifted his muscled body toward her, holding her tighter. “It feels as if we’re sleeping outside.”

  “Let me check the thermostat.” She started to move, but he held her in place with a hand on her hip.

  “I’ll do it. Where is it?”

  After she told him where to find the thermostat, he didn’t move. For a moment, she thought he had fallen back to sleep until he unwrapped himself from around her. He slipped into his pants without bothering with underwear. Seconds later he returned to the bedroom.

  “Fifty degrees in here. Safe to say your furnace is broken. It’s probably impossible to get someone out here on a Sunday, so get dressed. I’m taking you home with me.”

  Carolyn chuckled. “Have you forgotten who my
family is? All I need to do is make a phone call.” She glanced at the bedside clock, confirming that it was after ten and a decent hour to call her nephew, Nick. He was a sheet metal worker, and the new senior manager of Jenkins & Sons Construction. When her niece, Peyton Jenkins-Cutter, married a few months ago and moved to New York with her new husband, Nick and Martina took over the responsibilities of running the family business.

  “Hello?”

  “Good morning, Nick.”

  “Hey, Aunt Cat. What’s up?” he asked, using the childhood nickname one of her siblings had given Carolyn when she was three.

  “Not too much except my furnace isn’t working and it’s freezing in here. Can you come by this morning and look at it?”

  “Actually, me and Sumeera are just leaving breakfast. I’ll stop by before I drop her off at home.”

  “That sounds good. And it’ll be nice to see Sumeera since you haven’t brought her to Sunday brunch lately.”

  Silence. Nick had never been one to date exclusively, but when she found out that he had hooked up with Sumeera, Martina and Peyton’s good friend, Carolyn thought that maybe he’d settle down. Maybe not.

  “We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  After returning her cell phone to the nightstand, Carolyn turned to Lincoln who had climbed back into bed. “We’re going to have to get up. He’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  “That’s good. Hopefully he can fix it. But if not, I want you to come home with me. Actually, even if he does fix the furnace, you can still spend the day at my place.”

  Carolyn smiled and cupped his cheek, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the slight stubble. “That sounds like a good idea, except I’m expected over my parents’ house in a few hours for Sunday brunch. Why don’t you go with me?”

  For as long as Carolyn could remember, her mother hosted Sunday brunch for the family. This was Katherine Jenkins way of getting everyone together often knowing that if she didn’t, she probably wouldn’t see them all on a regular basis. And if any of them missed a Sunday, they could expect a call the following day from her to check up on them.

  “I’d love to go with you.” Lincoln yawned and pulled her into his arms, placing a kiss against her temple.

  Carolyn ran her fingers through the light dusting of hair on his chest, more thoughts about the night before bouncing around in her head.

  “We need to talk about last night before you distract me again.”

  “Okay.”

  “Why did you interrupt every time someone asked me about what I did for a living?”

  He sighed and rubbed his forehead, something she noticed that he did whenever he was uncomfortable.

  “Are you ashamed of me?” She had asked him that the night before and though he denied it, she wasn’t satisfied with his lack of response.

  Narrowing his eyes, Lincoln turned and placed his arm across her waist. “Again. No, I’m not ashamed of you. You’re a beautiful, sexy, and intelligent woman. No man in his right mind would be ashamed to have you on his arm.”

  “Then tell me what was going on with you.”

  He hesitated. “At first I didn’t consciously interrupt you, but when we were at the dinner table, I realized that was exactly what I had done. I guess I didn’t want them to embarrass you, or make you feel … feel insecure about your career choice.”

  Carolyn studied him, wondering if that was all to it. “Lincoln, I’m a big girl with thick skin. And the only opinion I care about is yours. Everyone else can kiss my ass.”

  He stared at her for a long minute and then threw his head back and laughed. “Well, all right then.” He sobered and hesitated before speaking again. “I just don’t want anyone to ever mistreat you, or make you feel less than the incredible woman that you are.”

  “Aww, tha—”

  The doorbell interrupted what Carolyn was about to say. She leapt up, hurried into some sweats before stuffing her feet into her fur-covered house shoes. “I forgot just that quick that they were on their way.” She rushed into the bathroom, rinsed her mouth with mouthwash thinking that she’d brush her teeth after she let them in, and splashed water on her face. “Come out and meet them once you’re dressed. Oh, and there’s a new toothbrush in the bathroom drawer,” she said before scurrying out of the bedroom.

  Carolyn swung the front door open, hugging herself against the cold breeze that followed Nick and Sumeera into the house. Nick closed the door then kissed her on the cheek.

  “I’m going to head downstairs.” He left her and Sumeera alone.

  “Sumeera, come in.” Carolyn touched her arm and led her into the kitchen. After rinsing her hands in the sink, she put water in the teapot for tea. “I would offer to take your coat, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Laughing, Sumeera sat at the bar. She kept on her goose down coat, wool hat, and gloves. “No worries. I’m still cold from the short walk from Nick’s truck to the door. I probably wouldn’t have been able to shed my coat even if your furnace was working.”

  They kept the conversation light, discussing the weather and Sumeera’s job. She was the realtor who Carolyn had planned to introduce to Lincoln since he had been talking about selling his house and moving downtown.

  “So how’s it going with you and Nick?” Their relationship wasn’t any of her business, but she really liked Sumeera. She was good for her commitment phobic nephew.

  “Nick is Nick. I’m …” Sumeera shook her head. “I don’t know if we have a future together. I’m trying, but it takes two,” she whispered.

  Carolyn squeezed her arm. “I’m sorry to hear that, but you make sure you take care of you.”

  Lincoln walked into the room and Sumeera’s brows shot up before she smiled and winked at Carolyn, who did introductions.

  “Nice to meet you,” Lincoln said, and went straight for the cabinet that held the coffee.

  Carolyn excused herself to go back to the bedroom, brushed her teeth, and freshened up better than she had before. She grabbed a hat and a fleece jacket to put over her sweatshirt, feeling as if she would never get warm. When she finally walked back into the kitchen, Sumeera and Lincoln were discussing real estate.

  “I’d be happy to list your home.” Sumeera typed something into her cell phone. “I’ll get in touch with you tomorrow to get some information from you and set up a time to stop by and take pictures.”

  “So you’re really serious about selling, huh?” Carolyn went back to her tea, which was now cold.

  Lincoln stepped behind her and nuzzled her neck, not caring that they had an audience. “I’m very serious. I’m hoping you’ll help me pick a new place. I want to make sure I get something you like, too.”

  Pleasure blossomed inside of Carolyn and she turned slightly, meeting Lincoln’s serious expression. She didn’t want to read too much into his comment, but based on the look in his eyes, she had a feeling that she was hearing him loud and clear.

  She swallowed, afraid of letting herself get too excited. She could so see spending the rest of her life with him. Could she have finally found a man who would love her unconditionally until the end of time?

  Chapter Eleven

  “Where is everyone?” Carolyn asked from the doorway of the fireplace room.

  “Who knows, but Gram told me to meet her in here after dinner,” Martina said.

  Sunday brunch was winding down, and Carolyn had had a hard time pulling herself from Lincoln’s side. She loved that he fit in easily with her boisterous family. There were at least forty of them roaming around the mini mansion. Most of the guys, including Lincoln, were in the lower level—which held a huge game room and a theater room—and some were in her father’s office discussing business. The women typically spread out around the house chatting, watching TV, or entertaining the kids. But this Sunday, her mother wanted to meet with some of them, after eating, to discuss the Christmas holiday.

  Carolyn walked farther into the room. After she grabbed one of the napkins and a few of t
he homemade oatmeal cookies that were on the sofa table, she sat on the loveseat across from Martina.

  Rarely did they hang out in the space that was deemed off limits by her mother most of the time. It was called the fireplace room because of the massive fireplace with mosaic tiles intricately set around it. The room hosted a cathedral ceiling, floor to ceiling Georgian windows, top of the line furnishings, and gorgeous hardwood flooring. A baby grand piano occupied a far corner, and landscape paintings, which her niece, Christina, had painted, graced the walls. Calling the space grand would be an understatement. When her parents weren’t having formal events, the room was set up with three different sitting areas.

  “I’m surprise you haven’t eaten all of these cookies.”

  “Gram threatened me. Told me if I ate ’em all, they would be the last thing I ate in this house.”

  Carolyn laughed. That sounded like her mother … although Carolyn knew Katherine Jenkins wouldn’t starve her favorite grandchild. Though her mother would never admit the latter, she and Martina had a very special bond. Probably because she practically raised Martina from birth when Carolyn could barely take care of herself.

  “Have you talked to PJ lately? Is she going to make it home for Christmas?” Carolyn asked of her niece, Peyton.

  “I talked to her last night. The doctor has her on bed-rest because her blood pressure is high and she’s had some spotting. So they’re not coming for Christmas.”

  “Aww, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m going to have to call her.” Peyton was six months pregnant with her first child and her husband’s second. “I’m sure Michael is beside himself knowing he’s going to have a son.”

  “Yeah, but he’s driving PJ crazy with the hovering. She said she can barely go to the bathroom without him being right there. Me, Paul, and the baby are going to New York for Christmas. I want PJ to have some family around for the holidays. So whatever Gramma has planned, I’ll help, but I won’t be here.”

  Carolyn nodded. Martina and Peyton were not only cousins but best friends, and she knew her daughter was missing her.