“I wish that were true,” Frank said, bowing his head and studying his hands.
Duke pulled up a chair and sat next to his old friend. “Frank, you’ve always been there for Julie.” He cleared his throat and tried to find the right words. Finally, he just spoke from the heart. “I thought you might have turned on us.”
“I know,” Frank said, tears welling in his eyes. “I ain’t well enough to tell you what I think about that, so we’ll just say it happened and never speak of it again.”
Duke thought if the old man cried right there, he’d go ahead and sob right along with him. The enormous guilt he felt was incomparable to any he’d ever been burdened with carrying in the past. “Frank, I want you to know how sorry I am.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer not to speak of it again, as I said. It’s water under the bridge. Me, you, and your brother…we’ve been through a lot of rocky tides together. Ain’t no reason for us to drown our friendship now.”
“But, Frank, I owe you an explanation.”
“Friends and family don’t owe one another explanations. They just say what they mean and mean what they say. You said you were sorry and I don’t want to speak another word about it. Ya hear?”
“I hear ya, Frank,” he said, patting the old man’s arm.
“Good, now listen here. I got us a plan, and we need to start working on it right away. Bend an ear and pay attention. If I’m gonna be in here, then I can’t execute the works of this notion the right way. These people have me hooked up to all sorts of monitors and machines. Sort of makes mobility difficult.
“You, on the other hand, can march right downstairs and talk to the administration. If you get this done, we’ll call it even then. What do you say?”
“You want to go home.”
“Yep. Right now would be right nice.”
Chapter Sixteen
Hank heard the door slam. He counted every step her high heels struck against as she walked upstairs. He stared at the clock and did his best to allow her the time she needed to undress. Then, he counted down the seconds and waited out the time needed for her to slip into the bathroom, brush her teeth, and head for bed.
That’s when he joined her.
He’d waited until he was certain she was tucked under the satin sheets he’d specifically requested for her bed, and then he stretched out beside her. Her eyes looked like milk chocolate candies as they sparkled in the moonlight, and if he’d ever found her more beautiful than right then, he’d love to know when.
“I was worried about you,” he told her as his lips met hers. “You took too long.”
“I took a detour.”
“Where?” he asked, placing his hand on her hip.
“I went out to the garage to check on the guys,” she said, studying his eyes. “They’re out there working late, and I thought I’d drop by and see how things were coming along.”
He felt the tilt to his lips, the easy way she made him smile. “What’d you go and do something like that for?”
She shrugged. “Frank won’t be happy until I give stock cars a fair shot.”
“What do you want, Julie?” he asked, snuggling against the pillow as she did the same. They stared at one another longingly and he anticipated her answer, fully expecting her to stand by the fact that she’d give racing another shot for Frank, and only because racing made Frank happy.
Hank knew better, but he realized at this point and time, all things considered, Julie may not have recognized the fact that she still needed racing as much as Frank needed to see her behind the wheel. “I think if I don’t race, I’ll never be the same again.”
His next breath caught in his throat.
“You seem surprised.”
“Only because you admitted it,” Hank said. “I’ve always known what makes you happy. Fast cars and faster men.”
She grinned. “You might be shocked to know that I’ve grown up since the last time we had a heart-to-heart pillow talk.”
“You might be pleased to discover I’ve grown a lot, too.” He took her hand in his and guided her toward his groin. His cock swelled under her palm, and he moaned. “See what I mean? Lately, I mature by the second.”
She snickered. “If that’s maturity, then I think you have a long way to go!”
“Are you insulting me?” he asked, arching a brow.
“No,” she whispered across his lips. “But I’ll always remember our first time together.”
He would too. They were right out of college, but he couldn’t recall how old they were. He’d been so excited when she said she wanted to see “it” that he’d whipped out his cock so quickly, he hadn’t thought about the consequences.
After glancing down at his size, she’d quietly informed him she didn’t think he’d fit and left him alone in the back of his pickup truck. Her laughter had resounded in the hills as she’d sprinted away.
The memory of her antagonizing him brought a smile to his lips. “You were such a tease.”
“I still am,” she said, sliding her hand over his dick and giving him a playful squeeze. “I wonder what will happen if I take a look at your little man parts now.”
He winked. “I’m pretty sure if you take a peek now, you’ll see things haven’t changed much with age.”
“Let me judge that for myself,” she said playfully, closing her fingers around his girth.
A few tugs and pulls later, he said, “What’d I tell you? Damn thing is forever changing its size.”
“You’re right. That pretty penis still keeps growing every time I come in contact with it.”
“I think that’s a good thing.” A beat later he said, “For the record, Julie, a man doesn’t like to have his dick referred to as a ‘pretty penis.’”
“I didn’t know,” she said, ducking her head under the covers. “Let me get a closer look and see if I can’t come up with a better name for what you have down here.”
“You do that,” he rasped, pushing her head between his legs.
Her tongue whipped around the swollen crest, and he moaned as she consumed him. Thrusting between her cheeks, he wanted to bury himself inside her throat, hump against her chin, and let her have a stout taste of him. “There you go, submissive woman. Please me. If you do, I’ll reward you.”
“Yes, Sir,” she said.
As soon as “sir” fell from her lips, he yanked the covers back and stared into her eyes, watching as her mouth widened as she sucked him. “Good God, that’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
She raised her brows and swallowed, humming against his penis, laving him with an unforgettable delivery, taking her slow and easy time rubbing the texture of her tongue over his opening. The small slit tingled and he longed for release. Her chin dropped and she widened her mouth, taking in his entire size, sucking as she bobbed over him.
“Unless you want to finish me for the night, you’d better stop.”
She rose to the tip and kissed him there. “You making threats, cowboy?”
“Come here,” he rasped, gathering her in his arms.
“Yes, Sir,” she whispered, kissing him.
While his tongue swirled around hers, he couldn’t help but think about how things had changed for them. Before her accident, he’d wanted a submissive woman in his bed, but he’d wanted her there on his terms. He’d wanted a lover on command, but only when it suited him.
Now, he wanted more.
At one time, hearing her acknowledge that he was her dominant partner meant everything to him. Now, it meant nothing.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. If he were honest with himself, he’d admit how much he enjoyed hearing her call him “sir,” and he would’ve rewarded her promptly. In fact, that was precisely what he planned to do.
Sitting upright, he pushed her to the bed and let his lips loiter a while. He left his tongue in place, kissing her until he was blinded by the love he felt rising in his chest.
Oh yes, this was what he’d
missed. When Julie went away, he’d felt the void. The little things she did, like taking her time with a womanly kiss, made him long for what he once had, what he always believed he’d enjoy again.
His fingers glided down her sides and across the swell of her breasts. He pressed his thumb to her nipple, dragging the pad across the point, struggling to keep the fire in their kiss burning stronger, lasting longer.
He wanted her to remember him as more than a man who could skip out on foreplay, take or leave the pillow talk. He wanted to be more than a man she called out as her Master or Sir. He wanted to be her lover for life, her greatest love, and her husband.
“Marry me,” he whispered against her lips.
“Marry you?” she asked, breaking the connection completely.
“Yes, Julie,” he assured her. “I know I’m not much in the way of romance, but I love you. I know I can make you happy. I want to be your husband. I want you to be my wife.”
She stared at him with questioning eyes. “I don’t think you mean that, Hank.”
“Have you ever known me to say something I didn’t mean?”
A moment of silence passed. “Have you discussed this with Duke?”
“No,” he admitted. “This isn’t about Duke. It’s about me and you.”
“And Duke is usually in bed with us. Don’t you think we should discuss this with him?”
“I expect you to marry him, too.”
“Hank, you know we can’t do that.”
“Sure we can. We’ll find someone who’ll marry us and keep the ceremony private. Back in the good old days, we could’ve done it and gotten by with it.”
“They would’ve hung us out on the prairie, Hank.”
“No, we would’ve moved in together, and no one would’ve asked questions. They would’ve assumed we were married, and Duke just hit hard times and had to move in with us.”
“Why are we talking about the Wild West right now at this moment?”
He framed her face and dropped his lips to hers, showering her with the kind of kiss he thought a woman might like to have. He took his time with the kiss, licking at her lips, pecking them before he assaulted them. But when he finally gave her a bruising smooch, he made the effort count.
Towering over her, he fed her his tongue and his cock simultaneously, pushing inside her with long, hard strokes. He placed his elbows on either side of her head and stared into her eyes as they made love. And if the moisture dotting the corners of her eyes was any indication, she enjoyed him thrust for thrust, grind for grind.
* * * *
Duke watched the way their bodies moved. He’d never seen Hank like this before, and he suspected if Hank had stopped and looked up right then, he might have changed the way he made love to Julie.
Hank wasn’t a softy. He generally was more interested in what he could get out of the deal rather than what he had to offer the woman in his bed. His motto? Get in, get off, and get out. And that’s the way he generally took a woman, particularly the submissive women they’d shared.
Even though Duke always realized Hank loved Julie like he’d never love another, he’d often worried about their relationship. Julie needed more from him.
Julie needed this.
Hank rolled to his back and Duke watched as Julie sat atop him. Her curls bounced down her back as she rode him, her knees pressing against his thighs as she worked after that most fulfilling ride.
“More, Sir,” she whimpered.
Bracketing his arms around her waist, Hank pulled her toward him and kissed her nipples, placing a peck on one and then the other before licking their shape.
Julie’s head fell over her shoulders. “More, Hank. Oh please, go deeper. Go harder.”
He gripped her hips and ground against her, thrusting inside her, pounding the hell out of her sweet, hot pussy. Duke shoved his hand down his pants and pulled his own cock as he watched Hank fuck her.
Dying to interrupt them, he knew better than to spoil this moment. At the same time, he couldn’t help but be a little envious, and not because he was, at that moment, on the outside looking in, but rather because he understood what it was like to fuck the beautiful little vixen.
Duke pressed his thumb to his slit, dragging the pad over the opening until he swore aloud. Julie jerked and Hank smirked. “Get your hand out of your pants and come over here and join us.”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, stripping as he walked. “I was under the impression this may have been a private party.”
“We have a lot to celebrate,” Hank said, pulling her off him and tucking her against his side. He stared at her lovingly and said, “We’re getting married.”
The announcement took less than a second to make. And it didn’t take much longer than that for Duke to lose his cool.
Chapter Seventeen
Duke sat on the bed and processed. This was precisely why she hadn’t accepted the proposal. “I never said one way or the other,” she assured Duke, gently pulling away from Hank at the same time.
The look on his face was priceless. Still, she couldn’t quite make out the expression. Was he happy his brother had taken the leap of faith, or sad because he wasn’t there to witness the occasion? Was he elated since Hank wanted her for keeps, or discouraged because he felt he would somehow be left out?
This was by far the most important night of her life. One of the loves of her life had just made the evening unforgettable and special, while the other one threw a wrench in the bed and screwed everything up. Only, Julie understood why. She loved them equally, and how they felt about this situation mattered. Regardless of what they decided as a unit, she wanted everyone comfortable in the end.
“I swear you’re the best cock block in the world,” Hank grumbled.
“As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right,” Julie said, pushing away from the bed. They could’ve discussed this at another time. Hank could’ve mentioned his intentions an hour or two later. In fact, if he wanted to crook that finger, he should’ve curved the digit back at himself.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Hank asked.
“Downstairs. I haven’t had a glass of wine in a long time. I think I’ll let the two of you work this out.”
“Like hell,” Duke said, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her to his lap. “So you want to get married?”
“I didn’t say one way or the other.”
His face was blood red. If anger had a name, Duke earned the title. He glared at Hank. “You proposed.”
“Are you asking, or trying to come to terms with the fact we’re old enough to finally make a commitment?”
“What difference does it make? Did you or did you not ask her to marry you?” he asked, pushing her aside and standing again.
“Yes.”
“Did you or did you not accept?” he asked, directing the question to Julie.
“I didn’t give him an answer.”
“Well?” Duke asked, placing his hands on his hips which created quite an image. His fury grabbed the best of him, and his cock shriveled up until he was flaccid. He stood inches from her, his hands at his hips, his legs splayed, and his cock dangling between his legs. If he’d been hard, he might have looked a tad bit more intimidating.
Might, hell.
“Well, I wanted to see what you thought about it,” she explained. “I’d never give one of you an answer without consulting the other. You know that.”
Duke looked immediately relieved, and Hank appeared okay with her explanation as well. “So what did you think?”
“About the proposal?”
“You’re dancing, Julie,” Duke said.
“Hell, we all are!” Hank exclaimed, motioning for her. “Come back to bed.”
“Make me,” she challenged him, immediately admiring the beautiful spark of recognition. He knew what she wanted from them. And he would give her everything she needed without wasting one minute of precious time.
“You want me to tie you up?” Ha
nk asked suddenly, a dark and mysterious edge in his tone.
“No, Sir,” she replied, playing along. For the moment, the conversation was tabled for later.
“Do you want a spanking for bad behavior?” Duke asked, grabbing her by the hips and pushing her to the bed. She landed on the mattress facedown and Hank gave her a loving caress, as if his hand softened the blow, not that she needed to be coddled and pampered then.
In fact, she didn’t need a loving hand. She longed for an aggressive lover, a lover who would manhandle her a bit until she was groveling for sex, longing for penetration, and making her demands, begging to be fucked.
“What do you want, Julie?” Hank whispered, pulling her up by the hair of her head.
“I want to be wild with you.”
Hank lifted layers of hair and peered underneath. Long strands covered her eyes, but through the parted curls, she could see the sincerity staring back at her.
She needed to be wild and reckless. Hank wanted something else altogether. And Duke, well Duke wasn’t in any position to make a suggestion. He was erect and ready for a good time. His hard length pressed forward, and the pulsing veins in his cock were clearly visible.
Duke wouldn’t make it through a wild and reckless night. Duke’s control was shot to hell.
“I don’t want to get wild with you,” Hank rasped, pulling her over him. “I want what we had a few minutes ago. I want to love you, Julie. I need you to let me know you love me, too.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” she asked. “You and Duke have had plenty of practice. Between the two, I think you both know what to do.”
* * * *
Something snapped in Hank earlier that day. Maybe it was the way Sam talked about Annie, the reasons he gave for deserting his wife in lieu of something different, a walk on the other side of the tracks. Perhaps the chain of events leading them into the night just made him appreciate what he had in Julie. He preferred the familiar over strange anytime.
He stroked her cheek as he studied her face, noticing things about her then that he hadn’t paid attention to before. She had a few lines around her eyes now, and age left its mark around her lips, a wrinkle here or there. She was far too young for the signs of passing time, but considering her career and the stressful life she lived, she wasn’t untouched by age.
Acres, Natalie - Bang the Blower [Country Roads 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 12
