At Last

by Mindy McKinley

  “You’ve been trying to find him,” he said gently, understanding dawning on him.

  She nodded. “Last Sunday before Nan had her stroke, she told me a little about him. It was so out of the blue, I was shocked. She said his name was Joe and that I have his eyes.”

  He pursed his lips. That was not a lot of information to go on.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she said, catching his face. “It’s not much, but after twenty-eight years of nothing, it feels like everything.”

  “Why do you think your mother hid him from you?” he asked. "Do you think she might have had a good reason to protect you?” It seemed too elaborate a cover-up to be something she shouldn’t take seriously.

  She shrugged. “I suppose. But I need to know for myself, and I’m willing to take the chance.” She leaned up and looked into his eyes. “Does that sound crazy?”

  “Oh, Lu,” he said, touching her face, feeling like he would do anything to bring her the answers she wanted. “Not at all. It sounds like something anyone would want. I don’t know what I would do without my family. Even if I want to stab Seb most of the time.”

  She laughed and leaned down to kiss him. It made the room turn sideways. “Your family sounds amazing,” she said, settling back onto him.

  “They are,” he said into the room. He wrapped his arms around her tight and pulled a blanket up around them. “A lot like you.”

  Chapter 19

  Lula

  Lula woke the next morning to the feeling of Dominic’s strong body behind her and his fingers dragging lazily along her hip. It was so delicious she pretended to be asleep a little longer just to savor it.

  He was so solid, so there. Half of her had expected him to steal off in the night and leave her with just memories. His continued presence made her heart soar dangerously.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” he whispered, dropping kisses along her shoulder and neck.

  She smiled and turned toward him. His eyes were sleepy but bright as they searched hers as if he was worried about how she would react. “Good morning, handsome,” she replied lazily and touched the stubble on his chin. “Did you sleep good?”

  “I did,” he told her, nipping at her neck again, sending a rush of excitement through her belly.

  He hardened against her hip, and with a devilish smile of her own, she slid her hand down his stomach and wrapped her fingers around his heavy cock.

  He let out a growl and smiled at her. “And waking up is turning out to be pretty fucking good too.”

  She didn’t answer, just bit her lip and pushed him onto his back. He watched her with wide eyes as she traced his tightly toned abs and stomach with her hands and then followed with her tongue down, down until she brought the tip of his cock into her mouth.

  “Oh Jesus, Lu,” he breathed. He fisted the sheets with his hands as she slid her mouth down and over the whole of his shaft.

  She worked her tongue around it in waves, thrilling at the guttural moans she was eliciting from this beautiful man. She loved having him in her mouth; she felt powerful, sexy, heady.

  Before she could finish, he tensed and then stopped her. He gently eased her up. “If you keep doing that, I won’t last another second.”

  “But I want to ...”

  “Lu,” he warned, “another time, okay? I just want to be inside you right now, is that all right?”

  She fake pouted but smiled and answered, “Fine, but I get to be on top.”

  He shook his head and rolled on a condom as she climbed on top of him. When she slowly guided his cock inside of her, he groaned, “Jesus, Lu, you are one surprise after another.”

  She smiled and tossed her head back, moaning at the bliss of having him fill her again. It was almost as if he was made perfectly for her pleasure.

  She felt sexy and bold as she started bucking against him, slow at first and then faster when his moans of ecstasy emboldened her.

  He met her thrust for thrust and palmed her breasts as they crept closer to release. “Christ, Lula, you make me crazy.”

  “Good,” she breathed, panting from excitement, nearly ready to come.

  With an animalistic growl, he wrapped his arms around her and thrust up into her so hard she exploded in an orgasm that shook her to her core.

  Shuddering and gasping, she fell down onto him, lights exploding in her brain.

  It took her several minutes to come down from her high, and he just held her, skin to skin, just as affected by their pleasure as she.

  Without moving, they fell blissfully asleep again, limbs limp, completely sated.

  “Lu.”

  She blinked her eyes open to find Dom lying next to her. She smiled. She couldn’t help it. “Hi.”

  “Hey, beautiful,” he said, sweetly brushing a strand of hair from her face. The warmth in his eyes made her heart stutter. “It’s after noon,” he said, amused.

  “It is not!” she said, sitting up. The clock read 12:17. “Shit.”

  “I had the same reaction,” he said chuckling. “I think we wore each other out. In the best possible way.”

  She grinned at him and was shocked to find her body still wanted more. Would that feeling ever run out? “I guess we did.”

  “I should probably get home,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “I have a lot of research to do.”

  A trickle of disappointment found its way into her chest but she pushed it away. He had stayed far longer than she had ever expected. “I should check on Nan,” she said to cover it.

  He leaned into her and kissed her softly. “This was ... you are amazing,” he said gently, holding her gaze.

  She melted. Everywhere. Her corporeal body was no longer there. “I agree.”

  “I wish I could stay longer,” he said, kissing her shoulder and then sitting up.

  “Well, we can’t stay in bed forever I suppose.” She watched him carefully for any sign that he was about to bail on her entirely, that he was uncomfortable and desperate to get out of there. When he gave her no inclination,he relaxed a little.

  “Oh, we could,” he said dangerously. “We definitely could.” He picked his clothing from the floor and started dressing. “And I, for one, am up for the challenge if you are.”

  “Name the date,” she said, sitting up, “and I’ll fill the bed with snacks.”

  He laughed and eyed her bare chest appreciatively. “The only snack I need is you, beautiful.”

  She flushed.

  When he finished dressing, he stalked toward her and kissed her so hard it laid her back against her pillows. His hands slid against her breasts, her neck and his tongue delved deep against hers. She was breathless when he pulled away.

  “Can I see you again? Soon?” he asked. His green eyes searched her face so earnestly that she felt her stomach pull. She was falling. Falling.

  “I would love that.”

  The most beautiful smile she had ever seen spread across his face. “I’ll text you later, okay?” he asked and kissed her forehead.

  Her insides vibrated with happiness. “Okay.”

  “See you soon, Lu.”

  “See you soon.”

  And with that, he was out her door. She flopped back on the bed and listened as his car started up and backed down her driveway, taking her heart with her.

  That was it, the falling was complete. She was in love with Dominic Adams. She wanted to chastise herself, but it was hard when her sheets, her skin, all carried the scent of his cologne. For now, she would let herself enjoy being his, for however long it lasted.

  Dominic

  Dom drove home trying to make sense of what he was feeling. Whatever hope he had of “getting over” Lula easily was shattered. He’d had her. Many times. And now all he could think about was having her again and again.

  Jesus, she was so tight, so supple, so expressive, so fucking adventurous that he found himself getting hard for the thousandth time that day. There were so many things he wanted to do to her, and that
mouth of hers on his cock ... he groaned out loud.

  She was an absolute goddess. Incomparable.

  He frowned as he pulled into his driveway as he realized it wasn’t just the sex.

  Some niggling notion was tugging at the back of his conscience even though he had been putting all his effort into ignoring it. It was a stupid thought anyway. Lula was fun, smart, sexy. Of course he wanted to spend time with her. Any man would.

  He tried to convince himself that she was just like every other woman he had ever been with. That this feeling would pass with time, with just a little more time inside her.

  But as he got to work on his research, he would catch himself smiling at the memory of her crying his name in pleasure, of how she shuddered and came on his cock. Of how she kissed him so softly that morning with a tender look in her rare amber eyes that made everything seem sideways.

  Something about knowing Lula Stanley wanted him gave him a high, a focus he hadn’t felt for a long time. It grounded him, guided him to do more, to make more of his time. He only wished she was there, curled up somewhere with a book so he could stop by and distract her with kisses when he needed a break.

  That was the thought that worried him. That he would want her around. Just around. Not in his bed, just simply occupying his space with him. He had never wanted that before; his personal space had been sacrosanct.

  “Shit,” he muttered aloud when he wondered what she was up to yet againthat day. She had said something about visiting Nan. He took a steadying breath and forced the urge away when his fingers itched to text her and find out. He didn’t want to sound desperate, which was a worry he had never entertained before.

  Forcing his mind back to his research, he managed to get a fair chunk of work done before he decided to take a break in the early evening. He grabbed a beer from the fridge, settled into the couch, and sent a text off to the pretty girl that had been haunting him the entire day.

  DOM: Hey beautiful, how has your day been?

  He was relieved beyond reasonable measure when she responded quickly.

  LULA: Hey there, handsome, it’s been good. I visited Nan for a bit—she wanted to know why I smiled and looked so flushed all day long.

  He grinned. He wanted to pound his chest and yell “I did that” into the ether.

  DOM: Did you tell her it was all the orgasms?

  LULA: LOL! NO! But I did tell her I had an amazingly good-looking date last night.

  DOM: Attagirl!

  LULA: How was your day?

  DOM: Pretty damn good, I’d say. I woke up with a beautiful girl in my arms this morning and then I came home and got a lot of research done.

  LULA: And what about now?

  He bit his lip and considered what she might mean by that. His heart raced at the thought of having her again tonight. But he didn’t want to push it.

  DOM: Right now I’m all alone on my sofa with nothing to do.

  LULA: That’s a shame.

  DOM: It really is, considering all the empty space that’s on my sofa. It’s like a vast, comfortable wasteland just waiting to be used.

  LULA: Oh? And what exactly would you use that space for?

  He hardened. Did Lula want to sext? He could hardly believe it. He was into it, very into it.

  DOM: I’d rather show you.

  LULA: Is that so? Would you say there’s enough room there for us to try those last two Kama Sutra positions you haven’t done yet?

  He swallowed and let out a disbelieving “Fuck.” Jesus, she drove him wild. He typed furiously.

  DOM: Might be a little tight, but I like that, more of a challenge.

  His heart raced as he waited for her response.

  LULA: Tempting. Very tempting.

  DOM: I’ll throw a pizza into the deal, sweeten the pot.

  LULA: I like hamburger, extra cheese.

  He nearly whooped in celebration.

  DOM: It’ll be here in an hour.

  LULA: Then so will I.

  He fist-pumped the air, threw down his phone, feverishly cleaned his house, changed his sheets, showered, and was ready only seconds before the doorbell rang.

  His heart stopped when he opened the door to find Lula smiling at him. She looked beautiful in her jeans and a tightly-fitted Chicago Cubs shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a relaxed ponytail and he didn’t think she had ever looked lovelier.

  “Hey there,” he breathed, leaning against the doorframe, just taking her in.

  “Hey there,” she said back. Her eyes were bright and playful. “Where’s that pizza?”

  “You beat it here,” he told her and stepped to the side. “Come on in.”

  “I don’t know,” she pretended to be cautious. “You lure me here with the promise of pizza and then—"

  He cut her off by pulling her inside, closing the door, and kissing her senseless.

  “You were saying?” he asked, trailing his hand down her neck and over her breast.

  he peered up at him, eyes wide with desire, lips bright pink from his onslaught. “Was I saying something?” He chuckled and was about to kiss her again when the doorbell rang. “See,” he told her, “I would never tell lies about pizza.”

  She giggled.

  They spent the evening eating pizza, watching stupid television shows, and climbing all over each other whenever the whim took them. Which seemed to be a lot.

  Later that night, as she lay in his bed, fast asleep across his chest, he smiled at the ceiling. A calmness had settled into him that he had never felt before. The sex was electric, yes, mind-blowing even, but what was most shocking was how much fun he had with her out of bed.

  They could talk about anything from baseball to War & Peace to the weather, and it seemed like an adventure. She was surprisingly witty and so full of life. He had never met anyone like her. He wasn’t even sure if there was anyone like her. She was a force unto herself, a whirlwind of intelligence, beauty, love ...

  She looked at him in a way that made his heart thud, and he knew without her saying that she was falling for him. He had seen that look before. What made this time different was that it didn’t scare the absolute fuck out of him.

  For the first time in his life he considered what would happen to her if he just moved on as he normally did. If that itch to be free overtook him. Would he break her heart? Would he extinguish that light in her eyes?

  The thought made his stomach roll. How could he live with himself if he did?

  He didn’t know. He felt like he didn’t know anything lately except that right now, with her in his arms, he was exactly where he wanted to be, so he kissed her head, snuggled her tighter to his chest, and fell asleep.

  Chapter 20

  Lula

  After stumbling out of his house early that morning, rushing home to shower and change, Lula made it to her classroom only seconds before the first hour bell rang. She smiled when she saw tea and a cinnamon roll on her desk.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” was scrawled on the napkin. She melted. That man.

  He was so thoughtful, so caring, so many unexpected things. She thought about their magical weekend as she popped a piece of the roll in her mouth. He had made love to her in every way imaginable. He was wild and gentle, everything she needed in each moment, carefully choreographed for her pleasure. It was mind-blowing.

  Keeping her focus for the day was going to be difficult.

  “Hey, Miss Stanley,” one of her kiddos called out as they entered the room.

  Flushing as if the student could have read her thoughts, she swallowed her bite and smiled. “Good morning, Kyle, how are you?”

  “Pretty good,” he answered easily and plopped into her chair. “Finished my chapters,” he told her proudly, holding up his book.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” she told him and quickly ate the rest of her roll while the other students filed in for class.

  Guiding freshmen through the finer points of Fahrenheit 451 while memories of Dom’s truly phenomenal abs flashed t
hrough her brain proved entirely too difficult. Toward the end of the period, she gave up and assigned the last ten minutes of class as silent reading. None of them seemed to mind.

  Safely behind her desk, she sent off a quick text to Dom to thank him for the breakfast. She had needed it, considering all of the calories they had burned the last two nights.

  A girlish thrill zipped through her when his answer came immediately. For the rest of the day they secretly sent texts off to one another, exactly as their students were told not to. It felt naughty and exhilarating.

  Over lunch, Amy sat bug-eyed as Lula recounted the events of the weekend, at one point even dropping her salad-laden fork into her lap. She squeaked and Lula laughed.

  “I kinda hate you right now,” Amy told her, pointing the offending fork at her.

  “I’d hate me too,” she agreed, handing her a napkin. “But to be fair, this is the first time in our entire friendship that I’ve ever out-storied you.”

  Amy shook her head and wiped the salad dressing from her skirt. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at him the same way. Was he really that big?”

  “Huge,” she said in a drawn-out way that made Amy’s eyes fly open.

  “Ugh, now I’m kicking myself for not pursuing that when I had the chance.” She sighed. “But I am so happy for you, Lu.” Amy reached across her desk and took Lula’s hands in hers. “You deserve happiness, every bit of it you can find. Especially if it’s the”—she cleared her throat—“huge variety.”

  Lula giggled. “Thank you, Ames,” she answered and turned her attention back to her lunch. Now, if someone could tell her just how long she would be this happy. She imagined a big digital clock hanging over her head counting down the minutes to inevitable heartbreak. It would be nice to know just how much time was on it.

  After she said good-bye to Amy, she found a few steamy text messages from Dom, to which she responded in kind. And when she returned to her desk, she found a new email notification. Her heart fluttered when she noticed the sender’s address.