by Claire Adams
“Faster,” I begged. “Harder.”
His hips moved faster, the frenzied rhythm pressing me into the mattress. I cried out as the tension building inside me, the pleasurable tingling that started between my legs and spread up through my abdomen, became unbearable, and then, seconds later, released in a wave of luscious wetness, my entire body quivering.
He pulled himself out of me, and I moaned with the denial of that long, hard shaft, the emptiness inside me now that he was absent.
“I want to see your face,” he said, nearly growling the words. He spun me around gently and went for one of my nipples, sucking hard, so I arched my back and took hold of two handfuls of his soft brown hair to keep him in place and doing what he was doing. He moved to the next one, this time biting a little so I screamed with pleasure. He moved to my neck next, sucking hard as his fingers moved between my legs and entered me, swirling around in that hot wetness and stoking even more heat inside me as the pressure built into a crushing wave that would be my next orgasm if he kept this up. I didn’t know what it was about this man’s fingers and mouth, but he could work as much magic on me as he liked.
“Do you want more of this?” he asked, lifting his chin to whisper directly into my ear, his lips moving over my skin.
“Yes,” I said, nodding eagerly.
He took hold of one of my legs and brought it up so I was wide open to him, and then he entered me slowly and teasingly, sliding all the way in an inch at a time as he watched my face, a sexy smile on his lips. This new angle got him deeper, the heat of his long, firm cock rubbing all along my interior walls and spreading those tingling sensations. I could hardly breathe at how good he was making me feel. To think I’d almost died and missed this.
I released a heady giggle at the thought, and he increased his speed, settling into a deep, hard rhythm, his thrusts drawing whimpers from me at how deep he was going. He lifted my leg even further, burrowing into me up to the hilt. I cried out, breathless and shivering as my second orgasm crested and fell over me. My body felt possessed by the quivering passion racing through it, my muscles seized with the shivering power of my own pleasure. I couldn’t breathe, and still, Cash was deepening his strokes and lifting my leg to rest on his shoulder. I’d never been this open to a man before, never given him access to the sweetest, wettest parts of me. I wanted Cash to take everything. I wanted us both to be obliterated in the rush of tingling sensations that we were stoking in each other. I couldn’t tell him all this. I couldn’t even breathe. All I could do was wrap an arm around him as he roared behind clenched teeth with the strength of his own orgasm. He pushed into me so hard I gasped, his hips trembling, the look on his face exquisite with that agonizing pleasure he was feeling. And then he relaxed all at once, collapsing onto me, our hearts racing in our chests, so hard it felt like I had two hearts. I had to catch my breath, but it didn’t feel like I ever would.
“That was amazing,” he whispered, still catching his own breath. He rolled off of me slowly, and I moaned at the loss of his softening cock inside of me, the breaking of that connection between us.
My body felt loose and exhausted. Cash was talking, but it was difficult to keep my eyes open. I was just so content at this moment. I didn’t want to fight it. I just let sleep claim me when it came calling, the feeling of Cash next to me
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Cash
One Month Later, Thanksgiving
I’d finally crumbled to my mama’s constant hints and agreed to bring Hailey to my parents’ house for the holiday. She was excited and nervous to meet the rest of the Ogden clan, but ready for the next step in our relationship. I’d already met her sister Paige, so it was fair that she meet my parents. They didn’t get out to Jackson much, and I stayed pretty busy on the farm, though I’d finally been able to hire a ranch hand after nearly nine months without one. I’d need another come the New Year. Business was picking up after a long, hard couple of months, and things were coming along nicely. I’d also agreed to this family dinner because I wanted to see how my folks and baby sister would get along with Hailey. Now here we were, seated around the Thanksgiving turkey and fixings, all of us smiling nervously at each other. No one could feel as anxious as I did. I moved my fingers over the front left pocket of my jeans, checking to make sure what I’d put in there before we sat down to eat hadn’t gotten lost somehow.
“Thank you again for inviting me to your lovely home,” Hailey said, glancing from my mama to my dad. They’d taken her on a long, drawn out tour almost as soon as we’d arrived, boring her to tears mostly likely, though she feigned interested like the nice girl she was, nodding and asking plenty of questions to humor them.
“We’re so happy to have you,” Mama said. She hadn’t stopped smiling since we’d gotten in this morning. I told her we’d spend the night, but I had to get back to the farm after that, ranch hand or no ranch hand. The daily operations were still mostly dependent on me. If Eric had stuck around town, I might be able to count on him to run by, but he was on the other side of Wyoming, spending Thanksgiving at an aunt’s house.
“Cash has been telling us plenty about you since y’all met,” Dad said in between a bite of dark meat and another of Mama’s famous cornbread stuffing. Hailey’s plate was piled high, which would earn her good marks. I’d once made the mistake of bringing a girl home to them in high school who didn’t eat much. Nobody could leave the poor thing alone. But I learned my lesson: if a girl couldn’t put some food away, I didn’t need her in my life.
“Only good things, I hope,” Hailey said, and the table erupted with laughter.
“We hear you’re quite the traveler,” Dad said, and Hailey nodded, her eyes lighting up the way they did whenever she started talking about something she loved.
“Yes, I love to travel. I’ve been so many beautiful places.”
“You’re from New York though, right?” my sister Rita asked, her green eyes big. She’d wanted to visit the city since she was in high school, which I’d already shared with Hailey, who nodded in response to Rita’s question.
“Yeah, I lived there for a few years. If you ever want a travel buddy, let me know. I have plenty of friends who would let us crash with them. I’m subletting my place until the end of my lease or we could stay there. There’s so much to do in the city. We could hit a few Broadway shows and go shopping. Not to mention the food is some of the best in the world.”
That put Rita over the moon.
My parents kept on discussing the places Hailey had traveled, Hailey politely answering their questions in between bites of food.
“You’ve been to Japan?” Rita exclaimed at one point.
Hailey smiled and nodded. “It was gorgeous. If you ever get the chance to go, definitely take it. I’d rank that in my top five favorite places.”
“Jackson isn’t in there, is it?” she asked, cocking up an eyebrow.
“Actually, it is.” Hailey snuck a look my way, drawing a smile from me. “I know that might sound weird, considering where I’m from, but everyone wants to experience something completely different than what they’re used to. The constant crush of the city does eventually get old after you’ve lived there for a while. Not that I wouldn’t love to go back. I just need to convince this guy to go with me.” She sent me a teasing smile as everyone had a good laugh at my expense, not that I minded.
“Good luck,” Rita said, to more laughter.
“I think I’m ready to settle down after so many years of traveling,” Hailey said. “I just want to appreciate what’s right in front of me for a while. I have my whole life to travel, but I’ve never felt as comfortable in a place as I do Jackson.” She grinned at the surprise on the faces around the table. “I know. No one is more surprised than I am; not even my family.”
We all dug into our food a bit more before Mama started the conversation up again.
“I’ve been reading your books, Hailey.”
My eyes widened, a surprised look passing from Hail
ey to me as Mama went on.
“They’re very good. I’m a little surprised that such a lovely girl is writing such dark material. It’s like you actually lived each of these lives. And the writing is so sharp and expressive.”
Hailey grinned with pride at the multiple compliments. “Well, maybe I’ll start writing some happier stories now that I’m in a loving relationship. Who knows?”
I did. That was the kind of stuff she liked writing about and I didn’t see any reason for her to change it, no matter what was going on between us. She’d finished the first draft of her Wyoming novel and even let me have a peek at it before shooting it over to her agent right before the holiday. It was really good, and there was even a grizzled, handsome, green-eyed cowboy protagonist who only warmed up with the love of a good woman who showed up on his porch in danger of losing her life. But it was edgy too, just like all the rest of her novels.
“I’ve never seen Cash as happy as he is with you, Hailey,” Dad said, drawing everyone’s eyes to him.
I could tell by the playful smile on Hailey’s face that she was about to give some smartass reply that would get everyone hooting and hollering. And probably at my expense. Not that I minded. I loved seeing that woman smile.
“I’ve never seen him happier than when I offer to do the dishes after dinner.” She grinned harder as the room exploded with laughter.
“Poor boy needs a damned dishwasher,” Mama said, looking at me with sadness in her eyes but a big old smile on her lips.
“He has one!” Hailey said and held up her two hands.
Everyone had another good laugh at that as I ran my fingers over the small shape in my pocket.
Hailey reached to squeeze my leg. “I’m only teasing,” she said, blue eyes sparkling.
I let a smile be my answer, though my nerves were killing me. When everyone was done exchanging jokes and barbs, I cleared my throat, drawing the collective attention of the table.
“I’m glad y’all got the chance to see how great Hailey is. I can’t imagine my life without her in it. I’ve always been happy with my simple life on the farm tending to my animals and minding my own business. I didn’t imagine there was much more than that for me on this earth, but Hailey showing up out of nowhere sure changed that.”
She beamed at the mention of her name, her wide blue eyes too beautiful for me to look away from.
“I’m so glad Eric saw fit to rent my room out via the internet without even asking me first.” I paused to let the collective laughter die down. “Because I never would have met this amazing woman without him stepping in.” I looked around the table, meeting my parents’ eyes, then Rita’s before I looked back at Hailey, who was smiling, but with a strange look in her eye, those glasses sliding down her little nose the way they always did. “I love you so much, Hailey. I never imagined it possible to feel as strongly about someone as I feel about you. I hadn’t even noticed that something was missing in my life until you came and filled in that emptiness.”
I had to straighten my leg to pull the ring out of my pocket. Before Hailey had time to react, I dropped onto one knee. She froze, staring down at me, her blue eyes as wide as the dinner plates we were using to eat. My mom gasped, and my sister whispered, “Oh my God!”
“Hailey Young, I can’t picture my life without you. Will you make me the luckiest man on this earth by agreeing to be my bride?”
She nodded, tears spilling from her eyes. “Yes! Yes, of course I will!”
My family cheered, and I put the ring on her finger before she could change her mind. We kissed as my sister took pictures of us with her cell phone.
Epilogue
Hailey
A Few Years Later
Abbie was playing in her new plastic sandbox—a gift from her daddy for her first birthday, which had only been five days ago—while I watched her, a contented smile on my face. She had sandy blonde hair just a few shades darker than mine and brilliant green eyes like her daddy, which I loved. Paige was chatting with Eric, who was supposed to be helping Cash grill the burgers and hot dogs but was instead flirting pretty hardcore with my little sister. She could do a lot worse than Eric, so I wouldn’t give them too much of a hard time if they decided to make something out of this casual, but consistent flirting. He wasn’t quite as fast when it came to the ladies as he’d been when we first met, and he’d yet to settle down. I’d been trying to convince Paige to move up here since she’d last been here for my wedding a few years ago. She loved it but said she’d miss Los Angeles too much if she moved out to the middle of nowhere, even if her sister and her husband and child lived here too. Maybe falling for a tall, blond-haired almost cowboy would do the trick for her.
“Watch the grill a minute, Eric,” Cash said, breaking into the conversation between my sister and his best friend to hand the other man the long metal spatula he’d been using. “Paige, can you watch Abbie a minute so I can get Hailey’s help in the kitchen?”
“Sure,” she said and crossed to kneel at the sandbox next to our daughter.
Cash took me by the hand and led me inside.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “All the food’s outside already.”
He didn’t say a word as we closed the front door behind us and went straight to the bedroom.
“Cash? What’s going on?”
He closed the door, and as soon as he turned, I knew what was going on with him. I’d seen that hot look in his green eyes more than a few times. The place between my legs that was always hungry for him reacted in a primal fashion, stoking that hot wet flame.
“You’re driving me crazy in that little dress,” he said, running his tongue over his bottom lip. “I can’t stop thinking about having my way with you.”
“I can’t believe you,” I said, shocked, but smiling at this suddenly impulsive turn he’d taken. I loved the man, but he was a little too dependable. You could set your clock by his schedule.
“Lean over onto the headboard,” he whispered. “We don’t have much time.”
I did as he asked, moaning as he moved my panties out of the way instead of taking them off.
“You’re so wet already,” he said, sounding pleased, which turned me on even more. He slid inside me in one stroke, and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out. Eric or Paige could wander into the house at any time. He groaned at how wet I was, his strokes going so deep, my knees weakened. He went at me hard and fast, burying his cock up to the hilt so his legs slapped against my ass. He took by my hips and increased the intensity of his strokes, drawing a harsh cry from me as my orgasm detonated inside me, spraying walls and abdomen with pinpricks of agonizing, soul-shattering bliss. I pictured fireworks going off wherever the tip of his cock grazed, his magic touch still working on me after all this time. A few seconds after my orgasm crested and crashed over me, sending color blooming in my cheeks like life’s sweetest rose, Cash made a harsh, erotic sound behind clenched teeth, and his hands tightened on my hips. He pressed himself into me as far as he could go, and I cried out a little at the delicious pressure of him filling me up so much.
He slid out of me, and I went into the bathroom to clean myself up before we returned to the barbecue. When I came out again, Cash was standing in front of the bed holding an envelope, a huge grin on his face, his pretty eyes focused on mine.
“What’s that?” I asked.
He handed me the envelope.
I opened it and pulled out the papers inside. It was a travel itinerary. I drew in a sharp breath at the destination. Kyoto, Japan. I looked up at him and had to swallow back the better part of the shock before I could answer.
“Did you really book tickets to Japan?”
He nodded, his eyes shining. “Happy Anniversary, baby. My parents have already agreed to watch Abbie for the two weeks we’ll be away. I know you haven’t gotten to travel much since settling out here and having the baby. I wanted to go someplace special with you. Maybe you could come up with more novel ideas while you’re out there.
And you can show me around since you’ve already been once before.”
I launched myself into his arms, squealing with pleasure as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “This is more than I ever could have asked for, Cash!” I rose onto the tips of my toes to kiss him sweetly on the mouth. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Hailey, more than words can say.”
We kissed again, this time taking our time, the barbecue be damned.
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DADDY NEXT DOOR
By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Claire Adams
Chapter One
Vivie
I switched the station when the opening riff of Guns 'n' Roses' Sweet Child O' Mine hit my ears. It had always been one of Dad's favorite tunes — one he played on guitar a lot and one he'd sang to me as a kid. It didn’t matter that he'd been gone for four years; not a day went by that I didn't miss him or think of him. And something like that song reminding me of everything he’d been as a dad and how he loved me; it was just too much to take after the day I’d had. Not to mention, I sure as hell didn't want to break down and start crying in the middle of five o' clock traffic.
I kept one hand on the steering wheel as I flipped between stations, stopping on a local talk show where the radio host, Arthur Valley, was interviewing a local detective. I pricked my ears and fine-tuned the radio so I could hear more clearly; crime stories always fascinated me, and it sure wasn't as if we had many crime sprees here in Irvine. So, my interest was piqued.
