Lovers by Night

by Virginia Cavanaugh

  The kiss was slow, passionate. He drank from her lips as if he had all day to enjoy their sweetness. Her hands sank into his shirt, and she moved to straddle his lap. His hands went to her thighs, and he squeezed them and caressed them as he continued to kiss her.

  His cock responded immediately. He couldn’t get enough of her. She was like a drug, and he sorely needed his fix.

  Her hips rocked against him, and things went from slow and steady to raw hunger. He caught her lower lip between his teeth as she ground her pelvis against his.

  Paige pulled back. “The bedroom is that way.” She pointed to the hall on her left.

  “Do you have condoms? I just have one left in my wallet, but I plan on needing more than one.”

  She laughed. “Yeah. I bought some while I was at the store earlier.”

  “In that case…” He stood, and she wrapped her legs around him. He nibbled the sensitive skin on her neck as he walked toward the room she indicated. The little sounds she made had his desire climbing.

  He tossed her on the bed, and her beautiful breasts bounced. The swells peeked above the neckline of her tank top. She stretched, raising her hands above her head. Such a sexy sight. He gripped the waistband of her sweats and pulled them free from her legs. Her baby-blue panties were next.

  “You’re a little overdressed. Or is this going to be a half-our-clothes-on thing again?”

  Brandon ripped his shirt over his head and toed off his tennis shoes. Her gaze was glued to him as he went to work on the button of his jeans. “You’re spending too much time staring at me when you could be getting rid of that shirt and bra.”

  Laughter parted her sexy lips. “I can’t help it. I like looking at you.”

  He shed his pants and socks then stepped forward to help her with her tank top. He palmed her breasts and nibbled at the swells. She squirmed beneath him. Her legs parted, and his cock rubbed against her pussy.

  “Fuck.” His head dipped forward as he pumped his hips, gliding his dick across her opening. So hot and so wet. Damn, he wanted to enter her with nothing between them, but he knew that couldn’t happen. With effort, he moved his pelvis away from hers. She whimpered at the loss of contact and tried to lift her hips against him again.

  It was a temptation he didn’t need. He rose to his knees and went back to work on getting her shirt off. She raised her hands and let him pull it free from her body. Then he grabbed her hip and flipped her over so he could unfasten her bra.

  She went to her knees, though, and wiggled that perfect ass in front of him, and he was lost. His hands rested on it, rubbing her smooth skin. She sucked in a hissed breath, and he smiled. Gently he grazed his teeth across one side of her bottom.

  “Oh my.” She sighed.

  He repeated the action on the other cheek and was rewarded with a moan. Then he licked the seam of her pussy. She jerked forward, but he held her in place. Her musky scent filled his nose as he licked and sucked her there. The taste of her cream had his cock pulsing with want. He wanted to be inside her so badly.

  “Feels so good…I’m really close,” she said, panting between words.

  Fuck that. He wanted to be balls deep in her when she found her release. He pulled back, and she whimpered. He reached for his discarded pants and quickly pulled the condom from his wallet.

  As he used one hand to roll on the latex sheath, he used his other to rub her pussy and keep her primed. Once he was ready, he pulled her to the edge, dropping her legs to the floor. Her ass was in perfect position, and her upper body was stretched across the bed.

  He repositioned his hand, coming around the front side of her hips so that he could stimulate her as he fucked her. One sturdy pump of his hips and he was inside her. He rubbed her clit as he stroked in and out of her body.

  Sounds of pleasure tore from her throat as he moved behind her. Each thrust drove him crazier. Skin slapped against skin as his pelvis smacked her ass. Then she crested, and her pussy fisted his cock so tightly he saw stars. Paige screamed her release, and he lost control. White-hot lust had him gripping both of her hips and slamming in and out of her.

  She clawed at the bed and yelled her pleasure as each orgasm seemed to ride into the next one. Her cunt became so fucking tight that he had to work hard to push back inside her until he couldn’t hold back anymore. With one great thrust, he buried himself balls deep, bowed his back, and shouted as he came harder than he ever had before.

  His legs began to shake, and she was trembling below him. He leaned forward, catching himself with one hand. A long moan escaped her lips as her pussy contracted around him again.

  Holy hell. He tried to regulate his breathing. His cock was so sensitive, and tiny aftershocks seemed to rack her core, squeezing him. He leaned down and kissed her back, and she shivered. Her breathing was becoming steadier.

  As he came down from the huge sexual high, he also became aware of just how good it felt to be inside her. Too good.

  Panic seized his muscles, and he pulled out of her. She gave a slight cry at the abrupt movement, no doubt as sensitive as she was. His gaze fell to his cock. “Son of a bitch.” He sighed.

  Paige rolled to her side. “What’s wrong?”

  Her voice sounded gravelly, probably from all the screaming she’d done. He met her stare across the mattress. “The condom broke.”

  Her gaze widened. “What?”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “The fucking condom broke.”

  Paige tried to push the lust fog out of her head, but she was having a little trouble recuperating from the best sex she’d ever had in her life. It had been so intense her muscles were still spasming. She pushed into a sitting position. “You mean it broke just now when you tried to take it off?”

  He gave her a look of irritation. “No, it fucking broke sometime while we were fucking.”

  “Oh God.”

  “Please tell me you’re on birth control.”

  She shook her head and started adding up the days since her last period. The calculation didn’t come out to her liking. “And I’m due to ovulate.”

  “Shit.” He ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the bed next to her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten so carried away.”

  “I need to think.” Paige sighed.

  “It’s all right. Does Hobbs have a twenty-four-hour pharmacy? We can go get the morning after pill.”

  Paige snapped her gaze to his. She wasn’t sure how to react to his statement, but for some reason, it pissed her off. “I seriously need time to think.”

  “What is there to think about? The condom broke so we go with plan B.”

  She pushed off the bed and stared him down. “Sure. Because you’re the only one involved here so we need to do it your way.”

  “What the hell are you saying, Paige? You want to get pregnant?”

  His question hit her like a blow. She hadn’t started the night wanting to get pregnant, and really it was probably not a good idea. But still, she wanted just a few moments to process all of this. “That’s not what I said.”

  “Then just let me go get the pill.”

  “Let me have a fucking minute to think!”

  He took a deep breath then reached for her. “Paige, I’m just trying for a reasonable way to get us out of the predicament.”

  She pulled away from him. “Hobbs doesn’t have a twenty-four-hour pharmacy, so that option is out for right now.”

  “Seriously?” He sighed.

  “Yeah. Welcome to Little Town, USA.”

  “So we can go in the morning.”

  She looked at him. “I could take it and it not work.”

  “If that happens, we’ll deal with it.”

  She wrapped her arms around herself and started pacing. “I wouldn’t be able to abort.” Something inside her wouldn’t let her go there. She didn’t judge others who had made that choice, but it never had been something she felt comfortable doing herself. Whether tha
t made her a stronger or weaker person, she wasn’t sure. But living with the decision to abort was something she didn’t think she was capable of.

  “Okay. There’s always adoption.”

  Tears burned her eyes. Why did it hurt so much for him to automatically bring adoption into it? But she knew the answer. Just because her feelings for him had grown over the last few days didn’t mean he was in the same place. Sometimes great sex was just great sex.

  “You don’t have to feel obligated to stick around.” She walked out of the bedroom and headed for the living room.

  “Damn it, Paige, wait.”

  She kept walking. Where in the hell she was heading, she wasn’t sure. Hell, she hadn’t even bothered to stop and put her clothes on. But the instinct to put space between them outrode any sense of modesty at this point. His fingers dug into her upper arm, and he pulled her around to face him.

  “We are getting way ahead of where we need to be. We don’t know that the pill won’t work.”

  He pulled her into his embrace, and she stopped fighting him. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and tried not to think of all the ways she’d messed up by letting her heart get involved. Staying in his arms was tempting. She liked the way it felt to be close to him. But pulling away would be harder the longer she remained there.

  Her hands went to his chest, and she pushed back. “You should probably go home. I think we both could use a little space right now.”

  He met her gaze. “I really don’t want to leave you right now.”

  Right now. Those were the words she needed to concentrate on. Because later he was leaving. “I’m good.” She forced a smile. “I’ll stop by a pharmacy on the way to my mom’s in the morning.”

  He opened his mouth as if to say something and then closed it. For a moment longer he stared at her. “If you truly want me to leave, I will.”

  Her heart constricted and begged her to say no. But her head won out. “I just need a little time.”

  Brandon turned away and marched to the bedroom. She could tell by his posture he wasn’t happy. He came back into the living room with his jeans and shoes on, holding her sweats, tank top, and his shirt in his hands. He held her clothes out to her, and she pulled them on while he slipped into his shirt. Silently she followed him to the door.

  He stopped in front of it and turned to face her. “I want to see you tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be at my mom’s all day.”

  “Then after.”

  She bit into her bottom lip. “Maybe.”

  His jaw clenched, but he nodded then turned and opened the door. A cold blast of air swept inside, and Paige hugged herself tight against it.

  Brandon placed a kiss on her forehead. “Bye.”

  When she closed the door behind him, she sank to the ground and cried.

  Chapter Seven

  The night before sucked. Like, record sucked. Paige released a sigh of frustration as she walked down the aisle at the pharmacy. Her gaze landed on the box containing the pill she needed. For a moment, all she could do was stare at it.

  For hours last night after Brandon left, she’d thought about the possibilities of being pregnant. Once the general panic wore off, thoughts of letting nature take its course filled her head. There were numerous reasons why it would be stupid to get pregnant right now. But the thought of having a child wasn’t totally bad.

  Remembering her mother’s accident had brought a flood of emotions. If she’d have lost her mother that day, she would have been alone in the world. Next year she’d be thirty. Technically her biological clock was ticking, and the prospect of a husband wasn’t exactly around.

  She rolled her eyes, snatched the box off the shelf, and made her way to the cashier. Thoughts of having a baby right now weren’t probably the best idea. Her selfishness of wanting a child didn’t need to outweigh the effects of bringing a child into this world with no father.

  As she drove to her mother’s, her thoughts rolled back and forth on actually taking the pill. After nearly driving herself insane, she decided not to make any decisions until she returned home. She had twenty-four hours to take it to benefit from its highest effective rate.

  Paige killed the engine and exited her car, pulling her coat closed around her as a brisk wind whipped by. The cold weather had definitely made it down south. Audrey Sutton’s smiling face greeted her at the front door.

  “Hello, Birthday Girl!”

  Arms encircled her in a mothering hug, and Paige had to summon her willpower not to burst into tears. How easy it would be to break down and tell her mother about the mistakes she’d made. How she’d fallen in love with a man who would no doubt be riding off into the sunset in a few months. But she didn’t. Somehow she managed to pull back and give her mother a warm smile. The bruising around her face had started to fade.

  “Lunch is nearly done. I made your favorite.”

  Paige took off her coat and inhaled a deep breath. The smell of her mother’s homemade chicken stew filled the air. What a perfect day for it with the biting cold temperature outside. “Smells wonderful.”

  They ambled to the kitchen. Paige sat down at the wooden, round table. Scratches marred its surface from various objects scraping across it over the years. She’d done homework many times sitting here. A small speck of pink sparkle paint caught her eye, reminding her that more than a few school projects had also been completed on its top.

  Paige smiled up at her mother as she placed a bowl of stew in front of her. Tears burned in her eyes. Luck had been on Paige’s side with having Audrey as he mother.

  “What’s wrong, Paige?” Audrey took a seat beside her. “I knew the moment you arrived that something is bothering you.”

  Always so intuitive, her mother. “Nothing really. I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking since your accident the other day.”

  A smile lifted the corners of her mother’s mouth. “I’m fine, Paige. As good as new, except for the bruise on my face. But even that is better.”

  Paige returned the smile. “I know.” She took a bite of the stew, and a flavorful burst danced over her tongue. Her mom sure knew her way around a kitchen.

  Her thoughts returned to the morning after pill she’d intentionally left in her car. She stared at her mother and once again wondered if being a single mom was all that bad.

  “Mom?”

  Audrey swallowed her bite of food. “Yeah.”

  “Can I ask you a question and get your honest, uncolored answer?”

  “What do you mean exactly?” Her mother sat back in her chair.

  “I mean I want to talk about something, and I want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

  She studied her child with curious eyes. “Okay. What is it you want to know?”

  Paige glanced at her bowl and pushed vegetables around with her spoon. “What was it truly like to be a single mom?”

  “Hmm.”

  Paige looked up and noticed her mother’s puzzled look. Many questions danced across her expression, but she didn’t give any of them voice. Paige was thankful because she really didn’t want to discuss Brandon and their encounter last night. She didn’t think she’d be able to do it without crying.

  “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

  Paige sighed. “I know. You’ve always made me feel that way. I know I’m important to you. But I want to know what it was like. I mean not having a man around.”

  Audrey shrugged. “It wasn’t easy. It would have been nice to have help and someone to lean on. I really want to ask, why the sudden interest, but I can tell by the look on your face you’re not ready to tell me.”

  Paige swallowed and cast her stare downward. She’d never really been able to hide anything from her mother.

  “It’s fine. When you’re ready, you’ll tell me.” Audrey reached out and lifted Paige’s chin with her fingertips. “Well. The truth of it then.” She sighed. “In the beginning, it really sucked somet
imes. You made it worthwhile, and you brought a smile to my face. But at night it was hard. After awhile, I learned to hold myself. I really did love your father. And I missed him. But he left and moved on with his life, and we moved on with ours.” A smile lit up her face. “But I can’t begin to describe the mixed emotions. The hard work and lonely nights were rough, but the joy of seeing you take your first steps, the first time you said momma, your first tooth, your kindergarten graduation, your first play, band concert, or you making all-state band. I can’t express the joy all of those things filled me with. Did I miss having a man around? Yes. But I loved every moment I had with you.”

  “I remember you dating a little when I was younger.”

  “I started dating again when you were about a year and half. Most men I went out with saw me as an easy piece of ass. They figured if I already had one child it would be a breeze getting in my pants because I’d be looking for male comfort. And I’ll be honest, there were a few times I went for it because I was lonely. But I knew those guys weren’t father material. After awhile, I enjoyed not having a man around twenty-four-seven to dictate to me. I liked my freedom.”

  Paige brushed a tear from her cheek. She understood loneliness. Hell, after Brandon had left last night, she’d felt it. “So, it wasn’t because of me that you never found a man to marry?”

  “No. If I had fallen in love with someone who would accept you and I as a package deal, I would have married. I just never found a man fitting that description. Well, until recently.”

  Paige gasped. “What do you mean, until recently? You’ve been seeing someone?”

  Audrey laughed. “I have. I didn’t know if it would go anywhere, so I’ve kept it to myself. But things have started to turn a little more serious. I thought maybe you might want to meet Frank in the next week or so.”

  She didn’t know what to say. Her mother had kept a secret from her. And judging by the blush lighting her cheeks, her mother just may have fallen in love. “Oh my. I don’t know what to say. Why didn’t he come to the hospital when you were in the accident? Or call?”