Once and Again: Petal, Georgia, Book 1
Page 11
“Put it in my closet please.”
He started to get annoyed when he noticed Lily wasn’t in the room and realized most likely his quarry was also in Beth’s closet doing something or other. His sister had totally helped him corner his lovely Lily.
“I have a pretty awesome sister. Thanks.”
“Don’t get anything gross on my clothes or I’ll hunt you down.” She said it quietly and then turned around and headed back toward the kitchen.
Ah and there she was. He put the box down and moved to where she’d been hanging her coat up.
“Good, you’re wearing a skirt.” He closed the door behind himself and looked to the one window at the far side of the closet. Closed. Good.
Startled she turned to him and he caught the blush. “Wh-what?” She backed up.
“I’ve missed you.” One handed, he loosened his belt and unzipped his jeans. “And now I aim to remedy it. In part. You wearing panties under that pretty skirt?”
“Wh-what?”
He grinned and he knew it affected her by the way she widened her eyes. “You got anything else to say but what?”
She swallowed hard and then again when he pulled his cock free. “I want you. Right now. No one is going to notice we’re gone, not with all the hubbub out there. And even if they did, each and every person here would go out of their way to protect what you and I have.”
She bent and produced a bright red pair of panties that she stepped out of. He took them from her hand and stuffed them in a pocket. “Compliance. I like that.”
In two steps her back was against the wall, and he inched her skirt up until he exposed stockings and a garter belt. “Oh you’re so sexy I can’t stand it. I think about you. About this all the time.”
“You’re a boy, that’s what you all do.” Her voice was breathy, which only made him want her more.
He slid his hands up those pretty thighs and snapped one of the straps holding the stockings up. “I like these.” He walked his fingers up her thighs until he found the part of her he wanted most right at that moment. Hot and wet. “You’re ready for me.”
No response this time, just a nodded head. Which was fine with him. He knew what a nod meant and as long as he had the go-ahead, that was enough.
“No time to taste you. That’s a cryin’ shame.”
She stuttered a breath
She should have remembered how much it got him off when she did that. But all the more for him. He stood and pushed her back against the wall. “I want you here. And I want you now. You on board with that?”
There was no argument on her face. Not at all. She hauled him closer and her lips met his, opening to him right away.
As he kissed that sweet mouth he pulled one of her legs up, and she hooked a calf around his waist, bringing him even closer. He growled and she swallowed the sound, whimpering a little until he brushed the heart of her with the head of his cock. Then she stilled and groaned. Her fingers in his hair tightened. “In. In. In.”
He had no arguments with that plan. Not a one. And when he pressed into her pussy, they both hissed at how good it was. But there was no time to luxuriate in that heated wet, just enough time to fuck her hard and fast and spend the rest of the afternoon with her scent on his skin like a secret.
Once fully seated, he met her gaze and never gave it back as he began to fuck her in earnest.
Hard.
Fast.
Deep.
So good he nearly lost his mind, but he held on, needing all of her he could get just then, knowing it might be all he’d have until they could sneak in some time next. She was wily, ridiculously busy, and he had to compete with all sorts of priorities he knew were important, but hated to share her over anyway.
Her muscled calf held him tight. As if he’d move anywhere else but inside her.
“I love it when you take me this way,” she whispered into his ear. “I love the denim of your jeans against my naked thighs.”
He snarled a curse and dug in deeper. Admittedly, it rang his bell too, that she was partially naked and he had on all his clothes. They needed to explore that further.
But right then he would die if he didn’t keep fucking her. Harder and harder until her eyes went half-lidded and glossy, her lips wet from his kisses. “I want you this way all the time. But for now, let’s get you coming.”
“Mmm. Good idea.”
He watched as she slid a hand between them, jumped with the first tightening of her pussy around his cock when he knew she’d found her clit with her fingertips.
“I know you’re ready. Take your pleasure. Come all around me.”
Her bottom lip caught between her teeth as her gaze remained locked with his. He wanted to look down, to watch her hand as she made herself come. But he couldn’t tear himself away from her eyes. From the total honesty she gave him in those stolen moments.
It wasn’t long before she got even hotter and wetter, not long before she gasped and then came all around him. Came so hard he saw stars and had to find his own climax. Which had been hovering just at the outer edges of his consciousness, waiting, waiting until the right moment. And as she moved her hand to grip his waist and hold him close, the moment hit hard as he pressed deep and came.
On shaky legs, Lily headed back into the house after she dropped Chris off at school. Today was the day for yet another conversation with her mother. She’d been put off the last time and Lily didn’t plan to let her mother dodge the subject again.
“Mom?”
Pamela wandered into the living room. “Yes? Everything all right?”
“No. Not really. Can you sit and talk with me for a bit?”
Pamela sat. “What is it? Is Chris all right?”
“As all right as he can be I guess. It’s about you. And through that, about us all. Mom…” She paused, trying to remember the script she’d loosely crafted. “I’d like to talk to you about how many pills you’re taking lately. And all the drinking with it.”
Pamela’s back shot straight and her eyes narrowed. Despite the circumstances, that flash of fire was a good thing to see. It was nice to know her mother had some fight left in her.
“That’s none of your business.”
“It wouldn’t be if you weren’t stumbling and falling because you’re so messed up you can’t even walk straight.”
“Those are prescription pills! You’re treating me like I bought drugs on the corner.”
“I’m not treating you like anything. I understand those are pills your doctor gave you to deal with the stress of Dad’s leaving. And I know how hard it’s been for you. Petal is a small town. Everyone knows your business. But they don’t judge you, not the way they judge him.”
“I don’t know why you’re talking about this. I don’t talk to you about what you do.”
“Like what? What do I do that has me falling down and hurting myself and asking my son to lie to my daughter about it?”
Her mother blushed. “Chris is having a hard time but he’s getting better.”
“He’d be a lot better if he wasn’t seeing his mother drunk or stoned all the time.”
“This conversation is finished. I don’t have to make excuses to my daughter about what I do. They’re pills my doctor gave me and a few glasses of wine never hurt anyone.”
“A few bottles of wine to wash down your meds has hurt people. It’s hurting you right now. Yes, they’re prescription but I checked, you’re not supposed to drink when you take them. And you take more than you should at a time. People abuse their medications all the time. You’re self-medicating because it hurts. I get that.”
“You’ve been looking at my pills? I forbid it! I won’t be managed like a child. I had enough of that for years.”
The counselor had warned Lily about getting involved in arguments that took the focus off the real problem so she steeled herself and tried to keep to the topic. “You’ve checked out of your son’s life. I’m raising him, not you. He’s a great kid. You are totally
capable of being a good mother. I know that because that’s what you were to me. You drink too much, and you shouldn’t be combining the alcohol and pills. You’re going to not wake up one of these days and then what? How many people does Chris have to lose?”
“What I do is none of your business. Nancy was telling me you’d get this meddlesome and I guess she was right. If you think you can come in here and treat me like you do Christopher, you’re out of your mind. You can just get out now if that’s your plan.”
Nancy. Of course.
“Well, no I can’t get out. There’s no way I’d leave Chris here with you unsupervised. No way I’d let him discover you in a pool of vomit.”
“I told you the oil I made the hush puppies in was bad. That’s why I got sick.”
“Your body saved you from overdosing. Christ, Mom, I’m not stupid! We ate the hush puppies too. No one else got sick. You have bottles in your room. You’re hiding how much you drink now. You know it’s bad or you wouldn’t be hiding it. This is out of hand. Stop it while you still can. I checked. Your medical insurance covers all sorts of different things. I think you’d benefit by at least seeing the counselor a few times a week. Just to talk to her about all the stuff you can’t talk about with me or anyone else. She won’t judge you.”
“I don’t need a psychiatrist! I’m fine. I can stop when I want to. If that’s what it takes to shut you up, I will.” She stood, her hands shaking with anger.
Lily doubted her mother could simply stop. Not without a place to put all the reasons why she sought the oblivion of her haze to start with. But the counselor had said this would be a probable outcome and that it might take several tries before Pamela truly heard what she was saying.
“You know you can always talk to me too. I’m not going to judge you.”
“You’re judging me right now! You always judge.”
That hurt.
“I want you to be all right. I don’t want Chris to see you this way. I don’t want Dad to wreck your life any more than he already has. I’m not judging why you do it. I know why you do it. I’m saying your son sees it and I know the mom I had growing up wouldn’t want that.”
“You said your piece. We’re done. I’m a grown woman and I don’t need to clear anything with you before I live my life.”
Pamela left the room and Lily just sighed. She’d done it. Had no idea if it would help or hurt, but she’d done it and it was all she could do for the moment. If it got worse, she’d have to move to different plans, plans she really hoped she didn’t have to go through with. But she’d protect Chris no matter what.
Chapter Ten
When he called her again, it was as she worked on a coatdress she’d been commissioned to make for a bride she’d also taken engagement pictures of a few weeks back.
Her clothing business was bringing some nice and much needed income into her life after her old job had finally ended. Between the clothes and the photography, she was doing all right.
Which was good as it was one less worry and she had so many it made her feel better to be able to cross something else to panic over off her list.
And it kept her busy enough that she didn’t have to think about the conversation with her mother earlier that day.
“I’d like to see you.”
She smiled, knowing he couldn’t see it. “I can’t tonight. I have too much to do.”
“A girl’s gotta eat. Why don’t you let me make dinner for you?” He put all his sexy into that voice of his and it brushed over her skin like a caress.
But she couldn’t lose herself in his body. In the way he cared about her. Too many risks to run to him when she was upset.
“I’ve got too much work to do. Really. You can make me dinner another night.”
He sighed heavily. “I want to see you.”
“It hasn’t been that long, you know.”
He laughed. “Well, as I’d like to wake up to you every morning and spend all my time with you, long isn’t the issue. I want to see you every day.”
She wanted to believe it.
“We can see each other Sunday at dinner.”
“Sunday is three days from now.”
It was her turn to laugh. “You’ll survive. Use your hand. And don’t forget to give me all the details. Or maybe let me watch another time.”
He made that sound of his, the one he used on her and rendered her to goo. “You’re killing me.”
“I have to go. I’m putting together this dress and it’s all hand-sewing work at this point.”
“Don’t stay up too late. You need to rest.”
Oh he was so much. Damn it. Too much to resist. “Thank you. You too. I’ll see you later. Sweet dreams.”
She wanted to give all that to him. To unload her fears and anger and let him help her be okay. But she was chicken.
So she just kept working and tried not to think of the way he said her name.
She opened her door to find him on her doorstep nearly five hours later.
“What are you doing here?” She yanked him inside, looking around.
“No one saw me. It’s dark and your steps are at the back of the house. I even walked so my car isn’t around.”
“It’s midnight! Why are you here?”
“You’re upset.” He moved to her after locking the door. Brushing his thumb over her cheek, he peered closely at her face. “You’ve been crying.”
“I don’t want to talk just now. I need to sleep.”
He looked around at her sewing stuff. “You do. But it doesn’t look like you have been.”
She didn’t want to talk about any of it. Having to confront her mother had been more than enough emotional upheaval for the day.
His gaze went hooded and a shiver ran through her. A delicious awareness of his presence. “Hi.”
He smiled. “Hey, Miz Travis.” In two steps he was touching her, his hands roving all over her body. “Too many clothes.” He unbelted her robe and pushed it from her body, leaving her in nothing more than boxer shorts and a tank top. “Well now. I like this.”
She used to wear his boxer shorts back when they were together. She loved to sleep in them.
“Whose are these?” He slid a fingertip inside the waistband and slid it around her body, leaving gooseflesh in his wake.
“Mine. All you guys wear boxer briefs now so I just went and got my own. Why are you here?”
“Because I needed to touch you. I needed to kiss you and sink inside you. I’ve missed you.”
Flattered, she smiled up at him. “We only saw each other two days ago.” Heat flashed through her as she remembered that stolen time in Beth’s closet.
“But remember, I didn’t get to taste you.”
She forgot anything she was going to say and didn’t bother to argue when he sat her in a nearby chair and got to his knees between her thighs.
He pulled her boxers down and off and simply stared at the beauty of her body. Her nipples were hard and visible through the threadbare tank she wore. The outline of that sexy piercing showed, thrilling him, making him even more glad he’d taken the risk and finally just gone to her.
“Open your thighs wider. I can’t get to all of you unless you let me.”
She closed her eyes for a long moment and then complied. More beauty as the dark, slick, pink cleft was bared to his gaze. “Your pussy is so lovely.”
Her blush was pretty. Not an embarrassed one, she didn’t show any signs of embarrassment with him when it came to sex. Which he appreciated and knew was an important step to their finally being together in reality. Out in the open. No, he knew her reaction was a flattered one.
“Were you wet before I arrived?” He kissed up the inside of her thigh and then cut his gaze to her face, mouth hovering near her pussy.
She shook her head.
“This is all me?” He didn’t stop the smile.
She nodded.
“Cat got your tongue, sweetness?”
“You should use yours. On
me. Right now.”
He chuckled, the breath washing over her clit. She sighed as he pressed a kiss to her clit, her fingers tangling through his hair.
He continued to kiss, open mouthed, that beautiful pussy that was all his. Didn’t matter who came between. She was his now and he’d never let her get away again. He wanted to worship this sweet and salty spot forever and ever.
Her clit was hard against his tongue as he drew the flat of it over and then tickled the underside with the tip. Her gate was hot, wet as he slid a fingertip around it a few times until slipping it in deep, and then added another.
So good. Sweet holy fuck she tasted perfect. Like nothing and no one else, and he couldn’t seem to get enough. He wasn’t a man who shirked away from going down on his partners, but this was different. Whatever it was between them was different and always had been.
He craved her. Craved her taste, the sounds she made as he licked and suckled. Found himself thinking of eating this pretty pussy at least three dozen times a day.
Her thighs began to tremble as he took her higher, not breaking his rhythm. She tugged him closer. His cock stretched the front of his jeans at that. Wanting to be where his fingers were. He forced patience, wanting to make this all about her. Wanting to show her what she was to him.
His eyes may have watered from her grip in his hair when she came in a hot rush against his mouth. But he wanted more. Continued nuzzling and kissing until she hit another climax and finally pushed him back as her chest heaved.
“Now that we’ve taken the edge off, I propose we get totally naked and get flat so I can fuck you so hard your tits jiggle just the way I like.”
Minutes later, he lay on his back with a beautiful woman straddling his body. “Life is good.”
She gave him a smile, but he saw the sadness still in her eyes. He was pretty sure he hadn’t caused it or she wouldn’t be fucking him just then. He’d get her all buttered up first and he’d talk to her about whatever it was.