by Cathryn Fox
Seriously though, could things get any better than this?
I stand back and glance around at the empty boxes littering my new house. The moving company came Saturday morning, and put all the heavy furniture in place, then I spent most of the weekend organizing and unpacking the boxes. I look at my furniture, barely used, and all the pots and pans I bought but never cooked in. Takeout was easier, but the bachelor lifestyle is getting old, fast.
Am I ready to settle down?
My mind instantly goes to Rae again, and reality hits like a sucker punch. I guess things could be better. Rae could be here with me, and we could be unpacking her things too, then cooking together, eating together, going to bed and waking up together. All the domestic shit that I always avoided.
Holy shit!
Am I really thinking about that? Thinking about making this thing between us a little more permanent? What if it’s not what she wants? What if it is? Either way, I know we need to talk, and she needs to know I’m well aware that it was her, I took in my hotel room that night. But then again, she’s yet to come clean with me, and there has to be a part of her that thinks I’m a douchebag for sleeping with her sister, and then her.
But maybe she doesn’t care, maybe this really is just about sex to her. Fuck, I hate how much that bothers me.
A noise at my door draws my attention, and my heart races a little faster when I see who’s standing on my stoop.
Rae.
Man, I’m seriously into her, in so many ways.
Then convince her there’s more.
I step over a flattened box and hurry to the screen door. “Hey,” I say, and the hinges squeak as I push the door open for her. “Come in.”
A big smile lights up her face, and I bend and capture her lips with mine, desperate for a taste of her sweetness. Will I ever get enough of her? Not fucking likely. When I inch back, she’s breathing harder and blinking up at me.
“I’m here to help you unpack,” she says, her voice a bit unsteady. “I would have come earlier, but I had a family thing.”
“I appreciate it, but you don’t have to help me.”
“Didn’t have to, wanted to.” She crinkles her nose and looks around. “Moving by yourself is a lot of work, and it builds up an appetite.” She holds up a big casserole dish wrapped in a tea towel. “I brought us lasagna.”
I stand still for one shocked moment. Fuck, no one has ever cooked for me before.
She falters backward as I go quiet. “You don’t want it?” she asks, and the disappointment on her face is like a punch to the gut. Jesus, I hate that look. Don’t ever want to see it on her face again.
I take the dish, warm beneath the tea towel, and get my shit together. “Of course I want it. It’s only my favorite.”
“I know,” she says.
“Yeah, how do you know that?”
“Because you ate it every day in high school. You singlehandedly kept the cafeteria in business.”
I laugh and angle my head and look at her. “You remember that?”
“Hard not to.” She puts her finger on my chest. “You always had a little bit of sauce on your shirt. Right about here.”
I’m a little shocked that she remembers. Maybe she’s as into me as I am her. I sure as hell hope so. Either way, we have to talk.
I balance the lasagna in one hand and put the other on her face, and she leans into me. “Thank you, Rae. This was really nice of you.”
“I’m nice, what can I say.”
I place the lasagna on the counter and angle my head to study her when she glances down and frowns. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“No, it’s just…” She shifts on her feet.
“Just what?” I press, and take a strand of her hair between my fingers and rub it.
“I was always the nice one, and Saralynn was always the flamboyant, talented one.” She gives a defeated shrug. “And you know what they say about nice guys.”
“That they finish last?”
She looks down. “Yeah.”
I touch her chin, and nudge it until her eyes meet mine. Wanting to lighten her mood, I say, “Have I ever let you finish last?”
Her big mocha eyes go wide, and a small grin teases the corner of her mouth. “Well, no…”
I scoop her up, and she yelps. “What are you doing?”
“We’ll eat later, then I’ll give you a tour. Right now, the only thing I want to show you is my bed, and how much I like nice.”
I carry her into my room, and gently toss her onto my unmade bed. Her hair splays and my cock thickens.
“Nice bed.” She fans her arms out, running her fingers over my sheet as she catalogues her surroundings. “Nice room.”
“Like I said, I like nice.” I tug off my T-shirt, and her breathing changes. “You’re right, unpacking does build up an appetite.”
Long lashes flash over big doe eyes, all innocent like. Teasing me, she makes a move to get up, and says, “Oh, I’d better heat up the lasagna then.”
“That’s not what I want in my mouth right now,” I growl. “Now get naked.”
She tries to hide a smile, and I get the sense that she likes the way she affects me. Good. I plan to show her just how affected by her I am. Her, as in Raelynn Walker.
I rip into my jeans and kick them from my body as she sheds her clothes for me, completely uninhibited, and I really love the way she’s so comfortable around me. And Jesus, she looks so right on my bed.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever set eyes on,” I say, and this time she doesn’t blush. No, this time she opens her legs, and crooks her fingers, inviting me into her body.
I gently climb between her legs and fall over her. I capture her lips in a slow, simmering kiss with a mission in mind. Over the past week, she let me fuck her, let me own her body, but now, in this moment, I need her to let me love her.
“I’m so glad you came over,” I whisper into her mouth. “I might not ever let you leave.” What I’d do to tie her to the bedpost and keep her here forever.
“No? What about work Monday morning?” she asks playfully, as she moves her hips, massaging my cock with our bodies.
“Work/life balance, right? Call in and say you’re working with a client on the balance part.”
“You think I could get away with that?” She runs her hands over my body, a soft exploration, as a moan rises in her throat.
With a kiss, and a touch that is less hurried, I find the sensitive hollow of her throat. Now that I’ve gotten to know her body, all her erogenous zones, I plan to make sweet, sweet love to her—and I don’t even care if I have to turn in my man card for thinking like that. Love changes a guy, I guess.
I fucking love her.
“Won’t know unless we try,” I say, and she quivers as my breath washes over her skin.
“Mmm,” she moans as I slowly seduce her with my mouth, tongue and fingers.
I dip lower, take her beautiful nipple into my mouth. I lick, give a long, slow kiss until she’s quivering beneath my ministrations.
“Nate, please,” she cries out, and lifts her hips, but no way am I hurrying with her. We have the whole day ahead of us, and I plan to use every minute of it to pleasure her body, to make sure she knows what’s between us is real.
I make my way lower and flatten myself on the mattress, until her beautiful pussy is inches from my mouth. I run my finger along her slit, part her damp folds, and groan when I see her enflamed clit, so eager for my touch and mouth. It does the craziest things to me.
“So pretty,” I say, and rub her slowly.
“Ohmigod, Nate. I need you inside me.”
“Here?” I ask as I give her the tip of my finger. “Like this?”
Her hips move, and I press a hand to her stomach to still her. “No moving. Let me take care of you.” A groan fills the air, and I steal a glance at her, to find her head moving from side to side, the pink in her cheeks matching the pink of her sex.
Beautiful,
absolutely beautiful.
I give her more of my finger, and her muscles clench, holding me inside. I can’t believe how close she is. Then again, she’s always responsive with me, and I fucking love it. She’d told me she’d never come with another man before, and the fact that I can take her there so quickly rocks my world. She never holds back with me. But then I think about her with another man, and well, I have to dispel the image, because I’d kill any bastard who came within five feet of her.
She’s mine.
Proving that point, I lick her swollen clit, take it into my mouth, and savor her flavor. I moan, wanting nothing more than to stay between her legs forever.
“Nate,” she cries out, and I increase the pressure. I move my finger in and out of her, building her slowly, gently, and her breathing changes. She reaches for me, runs her fingers through my air, and I revel in every gasp, every moan catching in her throat.
Her hips inch up, and this time I let her rock into me. We move together slowly, and I lick her with each upward thrust of her body. “That’s it,” I murmur against her pussy as her climax approaches.
“Nate,” she whispers. Her body convulses. “I’m…coming.”
“Yeah, baby, I know.”
I stay between her legs as she rides out the orgasm; I touch her gently, stroke her softly, and bring her down slowly. When her tremors subside, I climb up her body and claim her mouth.
“What are you thinking about now?” I tease.
“You. Tying me to this bed and doing that for the rest of the night,” she says, and kisses me back.
“How about we do this instead.” I flip over and pull her on top of me. I grab a condom from my nightstand, roll it on, and grip her hips and lift her until she’s straddling me.
“Yes, this,” she murmurs, as she tosses her head back.
“You’re going to come for me again, and I want to see you when you do.”
Her gaze finds mine, and the need in her eyes—need for me—fills me with love.
She moves her body, tries to push down on my cock, but I hold her hips, controlling the movement.
“Nate,” she growls, but it turns into a moan as I drag her down, giving her an inch. “That feels so good.”
“You feel incredible,” I say.
“More.” I give her another inch, and she cries out. “Yes.” Her hands go to her breasts, and when she cups them and runs her thumbs over her nipples, my cock pulses.
“You are so beautiful,” I whisper, and pull her down, seating my entire length high inside her tight heat.
“Nate,” she whispers, and rocks against me. I pull her mouth to mine, and kiss her long and deep as we move together, each giving and taking and creating a rhythm that takes us higher and higher. My cock throbs inside of her and she moans into my mouth.
In no time at all she’s clenching around me, her hot release singeing my balls. I nudge her shoulders until she’s in an upright position, desperate to see her face as her pleasure peaks.
The mere sight of her desire brings on my climax and I release inside her. My fingers bite into her hips, and she shakes her hair, exposing her perfect breasts as her sweet pussy massages every drop from me. When our tremors subside, I pull her down and she rests on top of me. I smooth her hair back and kiss the top of her head as I ease my cock out of her. I quickly dispense with the condom, and we snuggle for a long time, both lost in our own thoughts until my rumbling stomach cuts the quiet. She chuckles and lifts herself up.
“I think we’d better feed you.”
I tap her ass, and she climbs off me. We slide from the bed, and I give her another light slap on her perfect ass. “Jump in the shower, I’ll stick the lasagna in the oven and meet you.” She nods and I guide her down the hall, leading her to the bathroom, since she doesn’t know her way around my place yet. She enters and I hurry to the kitchen. I turn on the oven, put the lasagna inside—then go perfectly still when a god-awful noise reaches my ears.
Is someone killing a cat?
I follow the sound, and when I enter the bathroom and hear Rae singing in the shower, my heart nearly explodes with the love I have for her. I inch the steamy doors open and her eyes go big when she sees me.
“Why ‘Hello’, Adele’s got nothing on you. You hit those high notes way better than her.” I do a fist pump. “Go girl power.”
“Nate,” she yells and splashes water at me. “Be nice. I sing when I’m happy.”
“I am nice.” I step in with her, gather her in my arms, and poise my lips over hers. “And I’m going to show you what I like to do when I’m happy,” I say, and capture her mouth with mine.
7
Raelynn
I can’t believe how much fun I’ve been having with Nate. I realize that in less than a month my contract will end at Data Solutions, and I’ll no longer see him on a daily basis, and that reality twists me up inside.
The truth is I’m crazy about him. On the outside, he’s all hot male, but on the inside he’s still that same sweet boy who gave me his pencil after Michael Fraser broke mine. He was kind and shy back in the day, but when he talked to me, he gave me his full, undivided attention, just like he does now. Unlike other guys who came and went over the years, he wasn’t looking over my shoulder to get a glimpse of my beautiful, talented sister. I might not have seen what a great guy he was then, but I sure as hell do now.
So what am I going to do about it?
I pace inside my office, my heels tapping the floor as I go from my window to my desk. There’s a part of me that wants to believe Nate knew it was me that first night we ran into each other at Pat’s Pub, and is waiting for me to open up to him. How do I do that without coming off as crazy? But there is another part of me—the insecure part born from years of living in my sister’s shadow—that is afraid to believe it’s me he really likes, afraid to want more.
I have to talk to him, find out the truth, and see if we have something more here. I glance at my watch. Even though I’d like to go see him now, I promised Saralynn I’d meet her for lunch at Pat’s. She’s only home for another week, and I feel bad that I haven’t spent more time with her.
I grab my purse and hat, and make my way out into the bright sunshine. Keeping my hat pulled low, I hurry down the sidewalk, but when I enter the pub, my sister is nowhere to be found. Typical. I’m always mindful of the time, and she’s forever late. I make a quick trip to the little girls’ room to freshen up my lipstick and fix my hat hair.
Three girls I recognize from the office, but have never formally met, all enter behind me as I pull out my comb and try not to eavesdrop. But it’s hard not to because they’re giggling like schoolgirls and talking about…Nate.
I swallow, and avoid eye contact as they compare notes on his hotness.
One of the girls fixes her hair, and with long manicured fingers, grabs her lipstick from her oversized purse. “Yeah, but I know a girl from Data Solutions’ branch in California, and she said he’s a total player. Slept his way around the office. Or so she says.”
“Then I can’t wait until he reaches my floor,” the blonde responds, and they all laugh.
“He’s got a reputation a mile high,” the pretty brunette adds.
Lipstick Girl wags her brows. “That’s not the only thing he has that’s a mile high. Or so I heard.”
“Ohmigod, Cheri, you are so bad.”
“No fun in being good,” Cheri says, and presses her lips together as she recaps her lipstick. She drops it in her purse, and the other girls follow her out the door.
I take a minute to catch my breath. Nate is a player? Sleeps his way around the office? Is he sleeping with other women besides me? I give that a moment of consideration and shake my head. He can’t be. We’ve been together nearly every night since he first took my yoga class.
But what about the night’s we weren’t together? Was he with someone else? Maybe he really had thought I was Saralynn, and he was having fun with the two Walker twins. Was Saralynn out with him the nights
I wasn’t? I figured she had a man in Baltimore, when we could never seem to connect.
Bile punches into my throat and my legs go a little weak as I mull that over for another second.
No, Nate isn’t like that. He’s kind, caring and attentive. He might have been a player once—most guys are—but he’s not like that anymore. Deep in my heart, I know what we have is the real deal. I feel it in every fiber of my being.
With that last thought in mind, I step from the bathroom.
But when I look for my sister, and find her arms wrapped around Nate, her lips on his, my vision goes a little fuzzy around the edges.
What the hell?
I back up, and grip the doorframe to keep myself up right. Am I seeing things?
I blink, but when I open my eyes again, her lips are no longer on his but they’re still embraced. My stomach cramps and tears prick my eyes. Here, I’d just convinced myself he wasn’t a guy to sleep around, yet he’s got his arms around my sister. Could I have been so wrong about him? Could he have thought he’d slept with Saralynn all this time and then jumped into bed with me, too? Is he still sleeping with her?
Do I have any right to be this upset?
At first I’d pretended to be my sister, then settled on having an affair with him as myself. It’s not like we were dating. Then again, if we weren’t dating, why was he keeping track? Was he simply playing a game, or was he actually pursuing a relationship?
As I think about that, try to sort things through, my sister’s voice reaches my ears. She says something to Nate and he laughs in response. My stomach sinks, and for a minute I worry something will be said and the truth about that first night will come out. Nate will surely think I’m a nut job for pretending to be Saralynn, and I’m not so sure he’d be wrong.
