by Aubrey Rose
Her gaze landed on the stainless steel apron sink, then lifted and drifted across the cherry wood cabinets. It was a beautiful space and she was certain he must love to cook.
Her mouth said it. “You must love to cook.”
She’d spoken very softly but he caught it. Of course. The more she knew him, the more she was becoming amazed at Vincent’s skills.
“I only do eggs.”
Her gaze returned to his back as he was pouring whipped eggs into a pan on the stove. She watched the play of his muscular back as he moved. “You mean you only cook eggs?”
“Yeah.”
She sipped her coffee, then set it on the island to the side of her as some uncomfortable feelings assaulted her. It had to be for a woman. There was no other explanation for having a kitchen as magnificent. She’d noticed on her survey that there were no small touches. Bowls, vases, pictures. And he had said he’d never cheated.
He could have lied. She’d never met a more powerfully sexual man and it seemed impossible to her that he went without.
“Here, eat.”
She looked up and he was standing in front of her with a plate of scrambled eggs. His gaze was watching her hands as she twisted the wedding ring on her finger. He didn’t have one.
“Thanks,” she said, producing a smile she might not be feeling. No return smile, but she felt a bit of the smoldering-panties feeling in his gaze, like she’d had with him in Lulu’s.
He set the plate by a stool, and reached down to open a drawer on the island to pull out a fork. She sat on the stool and took the fork, poising it over her plate.
“You’re not eating?”
He shook his head as he leaned against the counter, looking at her. She wasn’t going to let him intimidate her with his intensity while she was eating, and he wasn’t. So she dug in and found the eggs were ordinary, but really helped fill up the gnawing hunger she’d been feeling. Running around with Vincent Whitehorse was like going on a diet, she silently mused, as she put food in her mouth watching him, watching her.
Then the sound of her cell phone started, playing “Stairway to Heaven,” disrupting the silence. Without thinking on it much, she looked away from Vincent, grabbed her purse, and pulled out her cell. Before she could lift it to answer, Vincent’s hand closed over both her hand and the cell. How did he move so quickly and silently?
“If that’s your husband, give him an excuse. Do not say you saw them,” he ordered. By the intensity of his gaze alone she nodded.
But then she added, “Won’t be him.”
She was so confident of this she answered brightly and without looking, once Vincent released her hand.
“Tess, where the hell are you?” Steven. Her eyes widened and she might have looked at Vincent a bit panicked. Steven never called her, only texted, and that not very much.
“I, um ...” Vincent clasped the back of her neck while his strong body pressed into her side. “Why the hell do you want to know?” she asked back tersely.
“You PMSing?” She wanted to scratch him as she controlled her temper. “I need some flowers, and you're not at the shop,” he complained.
She rolled her eyes and Vincent relaxed a bit against her. “Steven, it’s past nine at night.”
“T, you sound like you’re PMSing. My new talent needs the royal treatment, which means freaking flowers when she gets off stage or maybe even on stage.”
Tess hated it when he called her T, so she gritted her teeth. “I could have ordered something if you’d planned—” she started to say.
“I need a damn key to your shop,” he huffed.
No way. She’d avoided that like the bad flu. “Um ... sorry.” She did not sound sorry in the least. “What’s her name? Your new talent?”
“Luna Whitehorse. She’s got it all. This is big, T. I’m telling you this is the one. Going to take a lot of time. You get it. My guys are impressed. Think I have to change that last name, though.”
Tess tilted her gaze up to Vincent at this revelation. He could hear it all, and he did not look pleased. “Are you coming home?” she asked.
“At least not till Monday, Tuesday. Don’t hold me to it. Now some other shop going to get this flower business, T, you could have had the advertising. Got to think of stuff like that. Later.”
The call went dead, and she held the phone up, looking down at it. Vincent’s fingers moved on her nape gently. “He always leave off like that?”
She nodded, not looking up at him, feeling lousy at how much that revealed about her, and her marriage. But overriding those feelings was the fact Vincent picked that to comment about. He was thinking about her first. Not the crazy thing going on between Steven and Luna.
“He’s lying.”
Tess turned her gaze back up to Vincent ... he was really close, and she fought the need to lean into him. “Luna’s only talent is her pussy, and even that’s sorry.”
She wondered if he were trying to make her feel better, because she didn’t. At all. Luna’s only talent’s in bed. Luna had sounded pretty good up on that balcony. What bothered Tess was how much more it bothered her hearing Vincent talking about Luna’s pussy. His wife.
It was very good she and Vincent were cooling it.
“So talk,” she demanded, setting her phone down ... glad a second later when Vincent stopped touching her.
Vincent looked at Tess’ long red hair with the dark blue drop-ceiling light over the island hitting it in different rich shades of red. Tess had some fucking hair when it was dried, curling, and waving down to her shoulder blades, and it was thick.
He’d felt that when he’d had her on top of him, pulling her up and down off his cock. She’d had no fucking rhythm, so he’d done all the work, and she’d rode deep on every one of his hard thrusts, making sexy noises for more and harder. Tess Navarro liked it rough. So did he.
But he’d not seen her hair up close, nor her long, shapely legs in a ruffled skirt. Those legs had clamped his ass and up around his head twice. Once when he was eating her and once when he'd pulled her legs up that way, fucking her pretty pussy with its trim strip of red hair. Hell, that strip of fluff had mesmerized him. He’d not seen a trim like it before, leaving the pink beneath a visible bare, soft slit.
He pulled his hand from her nape and through her thick hair. Hell, he needed to get his head straight. Stop looking at Tess Navarro. How many times had he found a reason to be close to her or touch her? Too damn many. He knew he’d hurt her talking about Luna’s pussy. He’d not meant it that way, but he’d seen the soft pink of Tess’ lips pulling down.
He stepped away with her sky-blue eyes watching him when he put a stool between them by sitting the next one over.
“I fucked up and put Luna on the board of Whitehorse Endowment,” he stated flatly. “WE controls Whitehorse Training and Security Facility for women.”
Tess leaned his way, looking serious, as he finished. “Luna gets wind I’m cutting her loose before I tie up this mistake, she will make those charities suffer.”
“Charities?”
He knew what Tess meant, being amazed anyone would try to mess up charities for their own personal gain. “Yeah, she’s that bitchy if she thinks she’s losing something, as in attention first and money second.” He paused and ground his chin with his palm. He’d known a long time he’d made a mistake putting her on the board, back in better times between them. Back when she’d put sex to good use, getting him to do it. “She’ll do it because she knows it is the only fucking thing that will hurt me.”
“Are you stuck, then?” Tess asked softly, and he appreciated the fact she was being soft with him and looking worried for him.
“Yeah, beautiful. But I have a plan.”
Then Tess surprised him by instantly offering, “I’ll wait ... whatever you need, Vincent.”
She didn’t make it easy for him to stay away from her. Navarro was a stupid moron giving her sweetness up for crazy-assed Luna.
“Thanks,” he muttered on
a low note, and her gaze got softer on him.
“Can’t stay here, though,” she whispered.
“Just tonight,” he ordered, then added incentive. “I’ll figure something you’ll approve of after that.”
It took her a minute, searching him with those sky blues of hers, but then she nodded slowly and did a kitten stretch that nearly had him on her. “I am really tired. Probably shouldn’t drive.”
He managed a stiff nod. “Take any room upstairs. I don’t care which.” He stood and started to walk back away from her around the far side of the island, thinking it was best to keep his hands out of grabbing distance. “I’ve got some work to do.”
He was out the other side of the kitchen and down the hall before her voice stopped him, making him look back.
“Vincent?”
“Yeah?”
“Have to be at my shop by nine, and um ...” She looked away from him, then dragged her gaze back. “This might sound funny, but I’m sorry my husband is doing what he’s doing to your marriage.”
He’d felt like that. The crazy need to apologize, as if by proxy, he should be guilty his wife was fucking up pretty little Tess Navarro’s life.
“My marriage was already fucked,” he ground out, then he turned on his boot heels and went to one of the offsite home offices he’d set up.
FIVE / HARDER
There were two bedrooms upstairs to pick from, if she wasn’t going to do the master bedroom, and there was no way she was.
Tess did look at it, though, and it made her instantly horny in a clutch-her-legs-together kind of way. The bed was a king size and low to the floor, with a curving brown leather headboard. She could imagine them getting lost together in the yards of mattress. The big bed was rumpled and looked as if Vincent had just rolled out of it. Naked. Of course she’d conjure him naked as on edge as she was with him ... about him. About his hands just recently lifting her naked breasts up and fingering her taut, sensitive nipples.
Looking at his big, rumpled bed made her vividly remember his touch. The room was decorated in dark maroons and browns, with big, solid furniture. There was an en-suite bathroom, but she didn’t dare enter the room far enough to look into it. As it was, she had to fiercely remind herself that if she started more of an affair with Vincent she could be putting him in danger from her husband’s questionable associates.
That centered her mind off rolling naked with Vincent in his big master bed, even if her body was still banging. She wasn’t hugely experienced, only having been to bed with two men in her life, but Vincent’s brand of control and command topped with his rough edge in bed was breathtaking and hard not to crave. Everything she’d had before it was truly uninspired. Including her marriage bed.
Turning away from the temptations of his bedroom, she went to check the others out. Both looked like well-designed guestrooms, as if he’d had a designer decorate them. The southwest theme was strong in both rooms, one done in more terra cotta and reds, and the other one more greens and browns. Both beds looked nice and what decided for her was the small attached bathroom in the wild horse room with a thick sage-green comforter. The pictures of wild horses on the walls were stunning, as if the photographer had stood in the middle of a stampede to get them.
Rummaging through her purse, she found a hair pick, lip gloss, and some mascara. It would have to do. Then in the bathroom she found some shampoo, lotion, and mouthwash. This meant she was taking a hot shower. Although when she stepped into the shower she considered turning on the cold water to cool her thoughts down ... thoughts such as standing naked a couple of rooms away from Vincent.
She began wondering if she was trying to transfer the rough road to the end of her marriage with a hot new guy ... like hotter than any man she’d ever been close too. After her shower, Tess wiped steam off the bathroom mirror, looking at her blurry vision.
“Okay,” she muttered to her reflection. “It’s just bracing, to you, that he wants you when Steven is throwing you away.” Again. She was trying to convince herself that her over-the-top attraction to Vincent was so intense, because ... well, it was the purest form of revenge on Steven.
That had to be right? She was just starry-eyed in lust because it showed she was worth wanting, and it had nothing to do with any real and instant attraction between them. That was just crazy. Lusting after the husband of the bitch screwing your husband. Tess shook her head.
“Shoot,” she muttered, putting lotion on her face. When she thought about it like that, she saw she could easily be taking revenge.
It was depressing, and she was still horny and worried about being at Vincent’s house when she climbed into bed nude, because she had no nightclothes. She could have looked through the drawers but she didn’t want to be any closer to Vincent’s stuff. As it was, she squirmed on the bed this way and that, not able to stop thinking about marathon sex with Vincent, interspersed with the first-base action in his truck.
She went to sleep completely wet and horny and that never happened.
But she came awake moaning.
Vincent kicked Tess’ long legs up over his shoulders with his mouth sucking harder over her soft slit. At first she’d been asleep, but then she’d arched into his mouth. Her fingers grabbing his hair, tugging. He lifted her pillowed ass in his hands, firm handfuls, sucking the jewel around his tongue that made her sing high notes. Then she came, passionately quivering around him, bucking against his mouth, gasping his name with sounds that grabbed his cock. So fucking sweet.
He didn’t want any argument now she was awake, so he unlatched his mouth from her sugar-hot slit and he flipped her onto her belly. His cock slid into her a second later and all she did was moan drawn-out, needy sounds while raising her plump ass to him.
He hooked her hip, pumping in and out, lying low on top of her. It was a hot body mash, sliding over her bare rump and sleek back, pushing her deep into the mattress with each thrust. Her cut-off moans happened each time he went deep.
He moved faster, thrusting harder, bouncing her off the bed. “G o d, Vin ...”
“Vincent,” he growled in her ear.
“Vincent,” she gasped, and the sound drove him harder.
“Pussy. Knees,” he ordered through a grunt.
“Vin. Vin. Vincent,” she gasped.
“Now,” he snapped.
His hard cock was still embedded inside her when she crawled up on her knees for him. That made him growl, grab her hips, and start thrusting faster ... He’d turned the lights on when he’d invaded her room, wanting to see everything about her. Her long red hair sliding over the sleek curves of her back as he bucked into her harder, slapping and jiggling her ass on each rapid fuck.
Her ass vibrated with each thrust, and she panted, unable to catch her breath, while holding one of her hands clamped around his wrist on the hand clamped to her ass. As if to hold him there.
“G. G. God,” she cried, and he came down over her back lower, hooking a hand under her to tweak her swollen clit. “Vincent!” It was a high-pitched, cut-off scream.
The bed made noises as if it would collapse. “Harder,” he growled, and he banged into her ass, spearing her harder.
Her pants were staccato with his stabs, then his name started shuddering out of her mouth and he knew she was coming again. He jerked out and flipped her onto her back, pushing her knees to her chest. He pushed his rigid cock into her, solid, on the crest of her climax.
She screamed then, in pleasure, as he watched his cock fucking her pretty pussy. He turned his gaze to her and their eyes locked. Lust and hot fucking passion snapped between them. She grabbed his neck, curling her fingers in his hair.
“Harder,” she gasped. “Fuck me harder.”
He couldn’t believe it. He let her legs go from being curled to her chest and they clamped around his hips as he planted his fists on either side of her head, and then he plowed into her faster and harder.
Their eyes were violent together as the bed banged the wall, then he let
loose and felt his ejaculation spear free as Tess arched beneath, him climaxing again.
When he could unlock his knees, he rolled with Tess on top of him. She’d have to know they weren’t done after the other night. Just a breather. But he had to know.
“Are you hurt?” Her head lay in the hollow of his neck as he cupped the back with his fingers working in her soft, thick hair.
Her lips touched his chest, saying, “No.”
He squeezed her nape. “You sure. It was rough.”
She pointed her chin on his chest, looking over his chin at him with her rich, light blue eyes. “I’m so wet it didn’t even burn,” she whispered. Then she blushed ... even after he’d eaten her out, fucked her brains out, had her on her hands and knees ... she fucking blushed.
And it squeezed tight on his emotions. “I like you wet,” he muttered. Making her blush more and making him feel fucking more.
Then he grabbed her pits and dragged her up his chest, until he had her mouth, and they made out like it was the first time and they hadn’t just screwed each other crazy. They were tongue fucking so hot, he didn’t let up; he just slid her down over his cock.
Tess woke with Vincent curled tight to her back, his mounded bicep under her cheek and that arm and hand curved toward her with his hand around her breast. His other hand was between her legs, cupping her mound. She’d never woken up so full of man before. The closeness, heat ... everything making her want to squirm, it felt so good.
“I want you in my bed tonight.”
Tess stilled, startled at Vincent’s voice in her ear. His hand cupping her mound squeezed inward, holding her as if he possessed her. God. What did she do with this? She couldn’t deny wanting it so freaking bad.
“I’m not a couple-night lay kind of girl,” she said tightly, while inwardly she was crying. She pushed forward, trying to get loose. He held tight. He had to feel how wet she was. Still. “Let me go,” she hissed, then she added, “You already broke your word.”
