GRIND

by Stephanie Brother

  "Your home is beautiful, by the way," she said quietly. "You live here all by yourself?"

  "Yep. And never once have I regretted the decision. I find that more isn't always merrier. Some people think I'm a hermit or something, but that's not it at all."

  "It's definitely a change from living in a house with twenty-three other people, that's for sure. Oh, wow," she gasped as another boom of thunder shook the whole house and a strike of lightning lit up the entire room. "I've never seen a room like this before. It's really coming down fast out there."

  The expanse of my circular sitting room was completely surrounded by ceiling to floor windows, which gave the feeling of being inside a music box, especially during inclement weather. I smiled as I watched her walk around it.

  After shuffling through the built-in cabinets and finally finding the leftover candles, I stuck them all around the baby grand in the corner of the room. Feeling like maybe now was as good a time as any, I stuck my hand out to Emma, smiling when she looked up at me in surprise. "Would you… care to dance?"

  Chapter 3

  EMMA

  * * *

  My hand was already reaching for his before he'd even asked the question, and when his fingers enclosed around mine, another bolt of lightning struck. But this time it was deep inside me, the skin contact sending my blood zinging. His hand was rough and calloused, like a real man's. There was no pretension at all with Cory, and the way his eyes smoldered in the flickering lights as he looked down at me left me wondering if he could tell just how turned on I was already.

  Part of me was embarrassed by how good it felt to have him lead me around the room, his warm hand at the small of my back, fitting there like a glove. The music he'd turned on was low and thrumming, and I nearly shivered under his gaze, his blue eyes so intense that it was like looking at the sun for too long. My mouth was drier than a desert, and all I wanted was to see what it felt like to kiss him.

  With each bolt of lightning showing off Cory's features, I noticed something new. Like the small mole along his chiseled jawline, and the scar that went through his thick brow. I wanted to stroke my fingers across it even though it had long since healed.

  It felt so normal to lay my head against his broad chest, the scent of soap and something earthier clinging to his flannel shirt in a way that reminded me of the woods. The thunder was merely a noise in the background even with how loud it was, with Cory's heartbeat so very closely pressed against me. As anxious as I had been on the way here, it was surprising to realize how much I was really enjoying myself.

  "What?" he asked, though I more felt the question rumbling in his chest than heard it.

  I shook my head, burying my smile into his shirt. "I'm just surprised is all. Tonight wasn't at all what I was expecting."

  A chuckle. "And what were you expecting?"

  Good question. What had I been expecting? "Well, nothing, I guess. My dad says to live life without expectations. That way you can never be disappointed."

  CORY

  I’d never disappoint you if you were my girl. Damn it, what was I thinking. She was ten years my junior. Her whole life was ahead of her… the crazier thoughts faded to background noise when Emma's voice sounded again, this time not so far away, but more urgent. "Your phone."

  I raised a brow and realized that lost in the moment, I failed to hear my phone buzzing in my own damn pocket. Emma's phone let out a quick succession of loud beeps from the dining room. We both looked puzzled, and pulled apart as I looked down at my phone.

  "Flash flood warning. Seek shelter now," I read aloud. “Huh. Well, I didn’t see that one coming,” I said, pocketing the phone again. “I’m sure everything’s fine. We’re set up on the hill here anyway, so no need to worry.”

  Emma shrugged. “Who says I was worried? I get those things all the time. It’ll probably clear out pretty fast. They usually do.”

  I realized my hand was still around her waist and withdrew it, much to my dismay. I would’ve been completely fine holding her for the rest of the night like that. Preferably undressed.

  She tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear, clearing her throat. “You know, I have to admit… this is the last place I expected to turn up this weekend.”

  “What, you didn’t foresee a delicious dinner in your future?” I teased.

  “More like I didn’t imagine I’d enjoy the company so much. Thank you for inviting me to your home, Cory. And most importantly, thank you for helping me out at the winery. I still feel horrible about Lindsey breaking that huge bottle…”

  Waving her off, I strolled over to get a closer look out the windows without getting too close. The last thing I wanted was to be struck dead in my own home while I was enjoying my time with Emma. “That sounded oddly enough like the precursor to a goodbye. Besides, Daniel was smart to let me handle it. The wine bottle, I mean.”

  Emma’s eyebrow rose and I smiled as a small wrinkle appeared on her forehead. “Daniel?“

  “Oh, the manager who uh, spoke with you earlier. He works for me. Actually… they all do. The Shire Hills Vineyard is one of my businesses.”

  I liked the way every emotion was so clear and easy to read on her face. “You? You… own the winery? Wow, I had no idea.”

  “Didn’t know a cowboy had it in him, huh?” I winked at her.

  But she shook her head. “You seem very intelligent and I just remember how you looked so… different from everyone else there. Maybe that’s why.”

  Just as I was about to tell her that it was because I didn’t consider myself to be very much like anyone else, my phone buzzed yet again. Instead of the emergency alert, though, it was my driver, Beckett.

  “Yes?”

  “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Shire, but I wanted to let you know that Highway 49 and all the off-shooting roads are completely impassable. Just heard on the news, sir.”

  “Dammit,” I muttered, running my hand through my hair as I began pacing back and forth, Emma watching me. “Is the system very big, you think?”

  “It appears so, yes. Slow-moving too, so we’ll probably be dealing with these road conditions well into the night. I would have to caution against driving through it until the morning.”

  Sighing, I nodded, even though Beckett couldn’t see me. “All right then. I’ll just have to make arrangements then. Thank you for the heads up, Beckett. Let me know if anything changes. And get some sleep while you’re at it.”

  “Yes, sir. Good night.”

  I hung up the phone and looked at the dark screen. I knew this was probably a huge inconvenience to Emma, but the part of me that couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d like to do with her, wondered if maybe Mother Nature hadn’t just intervened on my behalf. I wasn’t a believer in all that kind of nonsense, but my luck seemed to be getting better by the hour.

  “Is everything all right?” Emma asked, her arms wrapped around herself.

  “Loaded question, right there. Nah, everything’s fine but we’ve hit a snag.”

  Worry clouded her warm brown eyes. “A snag?”

  “According to my driver, all the roads, including Highway 49, are flooded over. And this storm isn’t going anywhere in a hurry. He thinks it’s going to be lingering very late tonight. So…” I let my voice trail off as the realization clearly dawned on her.

  “So, I’m stuck here, then?” she finished quietly.

  I pretended to clutch at my heart. “Ouch. You say that as if it’s secretly your worst nightmare. I am sorry though, Emma. I mean I’m sure you were looking forward to going to sleep in your own bed tonight,” I added, although the blush creeping across her chest told me maybe she wouldn’t miss that part so much.

  “Are you sure we can’t just wait it out for a while and see if the roads get any better?”

  I nodded. “Of course we can, I’m just telling you there’s no use in holding your breath.”

  Tapping her fingernails along her upper arms, Emma looked around as the lightning seemed to dance all
around us, the lights flickering every couple of minutes. She slid her feet out of the strappy heels she was wearing, effectively shrinking her at least an inch or so. “In that case, I might as well get comfortable.”

  “This is gorgeous,” Emma whispered more to herself than to me as I showed her one of the guest suites where she would be staying. The storm hadn’t let up in the slightest, just like Beckett said, and by the time midnight rolled around, Emma looked pretty tired. I, on the other hand, was never more awake.

  “Thank you. I picked out everything in here myself.”

  Emma wrapped her arms around herself, her gaze falling back on me. “Really? You’re full of surprises. It’s so pretty,” she said, gesturing to the décor.

  “What can I say? I may be a cowboy but I still have good taste.”

  Another bolt of lightning tore through the open sky and with the resounding thunder came the eerie sound of total quiet as the power went out inside the house.

  I groaned. “Shit. I knew the generator thing would come back and bite me in the ass. Just a second,” I said.

  When I came back to Emma’s room, she was standing stock-still in the same spot that I’d left her in.

  “All right. One for you,” I said, carefully handing her the candlestick and tapered candle topped with a small flickering flame, “And one for me. I’ll… give you some space now. Please let me know if you need anything though, okay?”

  As my hand brushed against hers, it felt like a tiny bolt of lightning jumped between us—a curious spark. She was so close… all I had to do was reach out and take what I wanted. I could imagine her melting against me, me ripping her thin dress right off and tasting her beautiful skin, feeling how wet she was as I shoved my cock inside her. The very thought was starting to get to me, and I had to turn away before she noticed.

  Despite all that, she was my guest and I wanted her to be comfortable. “Good night,” I said over my shoulder before walking out the door. I could’ve sworn I heard her whisper it back, the smallest bit of disappointment in her voice.

  Unable to take a shower and cool my thoughts off, I got undressed and lay in my bed, imagining Emma kneeling before me, her full lips wrapped around my cock, taking as much of me into her mouth as she could fit. Stroking my dick wasn’t helping, not when I knew the real thing was only at the end of the hall…

  I slid out of bed and into my robe, pacing the floor of my room. My heart was racing, beating almost as fast as the rain pouring down the sides of the windows.

  Before I knew what was happening, my feet had led me back down the hallway, until I creaked open her door, the candlestick in my hand. Opening it without knocking first was a pretty ballsy move, but it was like my brain had shut the hell down.

  To my surprise, Emma was sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes focused on me as I approached her slowly. I could even see her chest heaving, straining against the top of her dress. When she stood up to meet me, I pulled her hands into mine.

  I didn’t understand why I was so insanely drawn to this woman past the obvious, but I went with it. “There was something I meant to do before,” I said, my voice low.

  My hands slipped around her waist and I caught the look of surprise on Emma’s face in the flickering of the candlelight and the sharp lightning strikes outside.

  My lips found hers easily as I bent down, my mind reeling as I swept my tongue along her lower lip. She would be mine for the night.

  Chapter 4

  EMMA

  I don’t know when Cory managed to put the candle in the nearby holder, but everything was lost to me except his mouth on mine.

  With the thunder acting as the backup singer to my gasping for breath, Cory lifted me up and wrapped my bare legs around his waist.

  His robe had come undone and underneath, the only thing separating our skin was my dress and thong—Cory wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing.

  I drew in a shaky breath as we pulled apart for one long, agonizing moment, the lightning reflecting in his blue eyes. It sent the most delicious shock through me to see him staring at me with such lust, like he’d been lost at sea and I was his savior. But his mouth wasn’t done with mine yet, and he kissed me harder, deeper, his tongue thrusting in past mine, tasting me. His bare chest felt warm and so very much alive with the way his heartbeat thrummed against me.

  His hands went up to cup my bare ass, squeezing firmly as he backed me up onto the low dresser, sending the mirror swaying as I lifted my chin up to give him better access to my throat.

  Kissing along the sensitive length between my earlobe and my collarbone, Cory’s mouth was warm while his hands didn’t stay idle as they held my hips firmly in place. I thought for a split second he would push my panties aside and sink me down onto the thick cock jutting up between him and my belly, but Cory had other things on his mind first.

  “God, Emma,” he murmured along my collarbone, nipping at my skin. “You’re so fucking beautiful. I have to have you. I have to.”

  Not hot, not sexy. Beautiful… college guys didn’t know the right words to a girl’s heart, but Cory was much more than some college guy. He was 100% all hot-blooded cowboy, if it wasn’t evident by the throbbing shaft I was now grazing my fingernails along…

  “Ohhh,” he breathed, a slight chuckle escaping his throat. “You are a bad girl, aren’t you? Two can play that game, Emma.”

  I fucking loved the way my name sounded in his mouth, the deep drawl catching right at the end of it. I wrapped my legs tighter around him, barely having enough room to stroke the length of him.

  Cory’s mouth travelled down to my cleavage, and his hands had slid up along my sides to push the thin straps of my dress aside, my shoulders now bare.

  A louder crash of thunder matched the electricity that charged through me as my bare nipples were exposed to the cool air, courtesy of the ceiling fan above us.

  “Mmm, simply beautiful,” he said, his eyes on me as he brushed both thumbs over my nipples, causing me to shudder uncontrollably.

  I tried to fix on a smile as I stroked him again, but he’d pulled out of my reach, ducking down to draw my nipple into his mouth, lashing it fiercely with his tongue.

  I whimpered at the sensation of his tongue lapping at me, switching between flicking slowly against my nipple and suckling it into his mouth with an audible pop. It was like he was starting a fire deep inside my belly, the flames licking up the sides up my groin. I wanted more—so much more.

  As if he were reading my mind, Cory swept me back up into his arms and walked backward until his legs hit the edge of my bed. “I need to see more of you, baby,” he whispered, standing me up and pulling the dress up and over my head before tossing it aside.

  I felt vulnerable at first, but looking at the way he regarded my mostly naked body, a sense of pride swept over me. And it gave me a chance to really get a good look at him, his cock sticking out, the mushroom head of it sending the most perverse thoughts into my brain…

  Gently pushing me until I lay back on the bed, he wasted no time splaying my legs apart. I had to admit, there was a small twinge of disappointment running through me when he didn’t immediately fuck me right there, but Cory was definitely a man with better patience than me, the wicked grin that spread across his handsome face more than telling.

  “I’ve been wondering this whole time…” he started off, standing between my legs as he rubbed my calves first, pushing up further and further, “what kind of beautiful…” hands inching up further, “tight…” and even further, “delicious surprise you had hidden under that dress of yours. I reckon I should find out, don’t you?”

  The more he talked, the wetter I became. “I reckon you should,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper as my legs shook from anticipation.

  Letting his fingers graze along the inside of my thighs, Cory was loving the amazing torture he was putting me through. When he reached the apex of my thighs, he stopped and moved closer, bringing his mouth down to my breast again. This time h
e lay half on top of me, licking at my nipples as he began to squeeze my breasts together, his cock throbbing along my navel, so dangerously close…

  I cried out, squirming against him. My skin broke out in gooseflesh over and over again, and I was secretly pleased by how firm his nice ass was as I squeezed it back, wishing to wrap my legs around him so that he’d rub against my aching mound.

  The satisfied noises he made as his mouth trailed further down south were nothing compared to the way my breath started to come in pants. He hadn’t even touched me yet but I was already so close to coming, having never experienced such a sensitive lover like him before.

  Cory took his sweet time, relishing the way I couldn’t hold still. When his mouth hovered over my mound, his warm breath in contact with my sensitive skin, I thought for sure I’d lose it right then and there.

  Cory slipped his rough finger between my panties and my sex, peeling the damp fabric up and away from me, effectively leaving my pussy lips exposed while covering up the top of my mound. I was trying so desperately hard to not raise my hips to his face, but it was so hard.

  “Exquisite, Emma,” he whispered right over my covered-up clit.

  He slid his wide finger inside me easily with how wet I was, and I shuddered as he pressed upward, circling his finger around my g-spot even better than I could do with one of my own toys.

  I looked down at him in amazement, watching the look of concentration on his face as he began to pump one, then two fingers slowly in and out of me.

  Calming my breathing down the best I could, I had to look away. Cory’s striking eyes would make me come on the spot if I kept staring into them too long. The panties were finally pulled off of me and I thought I was going to cry from the pleasure of his thumb brushing over my swollen clit.