Cruel Water (Portland, ME, novels Book 2)

by Freya Barker

  The pout she sports is pretty cute, but her words aren’t. “So what you’re saying is that if she’d told you to walk, you would’ve? You went for permission? Not sure that makes me feel any better.”

  “You’re being purposely obtuse, babe. Also, you know Pam better than I do, you figure she gave me my answer for me? She actually hit me.” I still can’t get over the fact I let her cuff me like that.

  Viv snorts, “For real?”

  “Not lying. Right there on the street in front of a coffee shop full of gawkers, in the middle of day, she stood up, leaned over and whacked me upside the head.” The deep belly laugh coming from Viv sounds really, damn good.

  “She loves me,” she says on a smile, when our laughing slows down.

  “She sure does,” I confirm, rubbing the side of my head for emphasis, which causes Viv to burst out laughing again. “And for the record,” I continue, “it would’ve killed to walk away, even temporarily, because regardless, I was gonna come back.”

  That was apparently the right thing to say, because Viv throws her arms around my neck, wraps her legs around my hips, and proceeds to blow my socks off with a toe-curling kiss.

  “Ahem,” a voice sounds from behind me. Reluctantly pulling my lips from Viv’s, I turn to find a smirking Syd in the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt, but the boys were wondering where the blue cheese dip is for their wings.”

  Immediately a highly flushed Viv starts worming herself from my hold. “Oh shit. Sorry, I’ll get it.”

  But Syd is ahead of her. “No, no. Stay as you were, I’ll just be a sec.”

  I chuckle as Syd walks by us, her smirk morphed into a wide-ass smile, cracking her face in half. With a groan, Viv drops her head to my shoulder, where she mumbles, “Someone, please shoot me now.”

  “I heard that,” Syd pipes up from the other end of the counter. “No need to be so melodramatic, not like I’ll go around announcing you two were making out hot and heavy in the kitchen.” Armed with two bowls of dip, she slips behind my back, which I smartly keep turned to her given the current state of my crotch. “Atta boy, Ike,” Syd stage whispers. “Atta boy.”

  This time it’s my turn to groan. Forty-two years old and I’ve been called boy by two women this week. Granted, one is a formidable, slightly terrifying Amazon, who’s got me by a number of years, but the other is a waif of a girl, younger than me by a few years, if I were to grant a guess.

  “You better get back to your teammates, or they’ll send out a search party,” Viv comments wryly, her face still pressed against my shoulder.

  “Hmmm,” I mumble, enjoying her heat, scent, and body surrounding me. “Gimme a minute.”

  By the time I return to the rowdy bunch at the table, there are only two little wings left and my beer is lukewarm. I take the ribbing the guys give me silently smiling. Content in the knowledge I was able to finagle a promise from Viv to let me escort her home tonight.

  Half an hour later, I spot her trying to get my attention from across the bar.

  “Time for me to go, guys. I’ll probably see you next week.” To a cheer of later, good game and a couple of lucky dogs, I make my way over to where Viv is talking with Matt, who is manning the bar.

  “Ready?” she asks me when I walk up. I don’t miss the elbow she throws in Matt’s ribs before turning and walking out ahead of me.

  I catch up with her by the back door. “What was that all about?” I want to know when I step outside behind her and close the door.

  “Just another misguided Y-chromosome set on brothering me to death,” she complains. “What is it with every male within shouting distance either thinking they have to protect me, or hurt me.”

  “Hey.” I grab her hand and pull her to a stop halfway down the alley to the parking lot. “What’s that all about?” She looks to the side, her eyes fixed in the distance, on some point in the restless waters of the Atlantic. I have to lift her chin and turn her face to me before she’ll look me in the eyes.

  “It’s nothing, really. He’s just looking out for me.”

  “What did he say?” I press on, starting to understand her penchant for pushing things down. I get the shoulder shrug again. “Tell me.”

  “He just reminded me I should be careful. That I haven’t been particularly successful thus far in my selection of men.”

  “Need me to talk to him?” That son of a bitch knows nothing about me, and I shouldn’t even care, but Viv obviously does. “Be happy to,” I add, trying to ignore my own insecurities. Because frankly, the mention of men, as in multiple, sets my teeth on edge, not to mention the question whether I deserve her. I’m still not sure I do. But I do know I’ll do my damnedest.

  “Please don’t you start,” she says, pulling away from me.

  “Hey. Look at me.” I wait for her to lift her eyes before I continue. “When people care about you, they have a tendency to go out of their way to look out for you. Listen, not necessarily because you need it, but more likely because they need it. Your brothers, Gunnar, and Matt, they’re guys. They know you’ve been hurt and there’s nothing they can do about it now. For a guy, that doesn’t sit well. So they turn a bit overprotective—try to manage your life for you.”

  “So why aren’t you?” she asks, crystal blue eyes boring into mine.

  “Who says I’m not protective? Fuck, there’s nothing I’d rather do than slay your dragons for you. But I hold back because I’m afraid if I come on too strong, I’ll run you off.”

  I watch her face soften a little before grabbing my hand. “Not running now.”

  No, she’s not. She’s looking at me with heat darkening her bright blue eyes. Damn.

  -

  We barely make it through her front door when the dam breaks.

  A frantic clash of mouths, hands hurriedly pulling and tugging on clothing, and in a matter of seconds, I have Viv pressed up against the wall. My shirt is off and my jeans and boxers are wrapped around my ankles, while Viv is only left in her bra and underwear. I tug down the cups of her bra and latch onto the closest breast, my hand covering the other, when I suddenly release her.

  “Please don’t stop,” she whispers, her fingers tangled in my hair.

  “Slow down. We need to slow this down, baby.” I press my forehead against hers, both of us breathing deeply. “I want to do this right, instead of right now.”

  Her eyes are fierce as she yanks on the strands between her fingers. “First right now, then we can spend all night doing it right,” she hisses through her teeth.

  “Fuck me. I like your idea better,” I growl against her mouth, simultaneously slipping one hand down and inside her panties to find her swollen and slick. “Jesus, babe, you’re so ready.”

  “Ahhh, I told you,” she groans, as I slide a finger inside her and then a second one. Viv grinds herself on my hand and suddenly I can’t wait. I have to be inside her. Sliding my hands under her ass, I lift her up and she automatically wraps her legs around me. With a few short stumbling steps, I manage to carry her over to the kitchen island, where I plant her butt on the edge.

  “Hold on. This’ll be fast,” I say, slicking my cock along her crease. I ease the tip in when it occurs to me I’m not wearing protection. “Jesus, condom,” I blurt as I pull back, but she grabs my ass and holds me in place.

  “I’m protected,” she breathes against my mouth. “And clean.”

  Thank God.

  “Ditto on the clean,” I’m able to tell her, having had a full physical, and my one-night stand with Viv was the first encounter since. “Look at me.” I hold myself still with the head of my cock poised at her entrance. “I want you to see me, as much as I want to see you.”

  Slowly and steadily I slide inside her body, feeling every one of the little shivers that run through her. Her mouth falls open as I fill her up, bottoming out when my balls slap against her ass. I squeeze my eyes closed to regain some control over my body, which is raring to go. She feels so fucking good. I slowly open them again as pull ou
t, and a small whimper falls from Viv’s mouth, her eyes big and clear on mine.

  “Ready?” My voice sounds rough and brittle.

  “Oh yeah,” is her answer, as she drops her legs from around my hips. Bracing herself on the counter, she pulls her heels up on the edge, spreading herself wide open. So fucking beautiful. I don’t know whether to feast on her or fuck her.

  “You’re a fucking siren,” I groan, as I try to make up my mind. “My ultimate temptation.”

  All it takes is a slight movement of her hips and my control is a thing of the past. I slam myself home between her legs, hard and deep, my hips pumping strongly; my knees barely able to hold me up. Viv throws her head back, mouth wide open, and lifts her hips slightly with every surge of my cock. God this woman is phenomenal when she lets loose.

  “Fuck me,” Viv hisses as she lifts her head and focuses on my eyes. One of her hands comes off the counter, and she starts working her clit in hard, fast little circles. The sight of her, so completely uninhibited and in the moment, is enough to pull my balls tight to my body and the telltale tingle to start at the base of my spine.

  “Hurry,” I manage between clenched teeth, but unnecessary, because I can feel the tightening of impending release in her pussy.

  Throwing her head back, Viv groans out my name as her orgasm hits. The pulsing of her body around my cock a trigger for my own.

  “Coming, babe. I’m coming. Ahhh ...”

  I’m blind. I swear I can’t see. My head is swimming and my knees are buckling with the force of my climax. Before I end up in a sorry puddle on her kitchen floor, Viv pulls my body over hers, wrapping her legs around my ass. Gratefully, I lay my head on her chest and wait for my faculties to return.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Viv

  Holy shit.

  I can still feel him all over my body. It’s been three hours since he left my place this morning, but the impression his body made on mine is far outlasting his presence. I’m almost waddling as I make my way from the pantry back to the counter, my arms piled high with vegetables that need chopping in preparation for today’s crowds. Each part of my sweetly aching body represents a memory of probably the most intensely hedonistic and satisfying night I’ve ever spent. Who am I kidding? I know damn well there’ve been none before like this. The slightly abraded rubbing between my legs reminds me of Ike’s intense silver eyes holding mine in their draw as his mouth sucked tirelessly on the sensitive nub between my legs. With every pull, the scruff on his lips and chin deliciously chafing my tender skin. The proprietary and hungry clasp of his fingers on my hips leaving bruises. An aching in my lungs, deprived of air as his lips and tongue devoured my mouth and stole my breath. And the throbbing empty space where the size of his cock stretched the limits of my body’s hold.

  What started off as a frantic coupling, when neither of us had the control to wait, moved into the bedroom and onto a slower pace. He took the time to thoroughly familiarize himself with my body, and I had a chance to explore his strong, powerful one at leisure. The wide angle of his shoulders, the light dusting of hair over his solid chest, the strong lines of his long legs, and the feel of his prominently erect shaft in my hand. All the while, his penetrating stare followed every trace of my hands on him, only his breathing betraying their effect.

  A soulful sigh escapes my lips as I neatly peel the first potato.

  “What the hell’s gotten into you?”

  Syd is turned to me, one elbow resting on the counter, her eyebrows drawn together. “Had a tough night? You look like you’re hurting with the way you’re moving around. And with all that sighing you’ve been doing, I don’t know whether to be happy for you that a certain someone showed you a good time, or whether to chase him down for hurting you.”

  I can’t hold back the snicker. Immediately the frown on Syd’s face smooths out.

  “Well, alleluia! Someone got some serious action,” she says, nudging my shoulder with a big grin on her face.

  “Yeah. Uh ... didn’t need to hear that.” Gunnar’s voice comes from the doorway, where he is leaning against the post, a pained expression on his face. “She’s like my little sister.” He pretend shivers with repulsion.

  “Quit being such a prude,” Syd teases, “or have you forgotten what we were doing this mor—”

  Dropping my knife, I reach out and slap a hand over Syd’s mouth, cutting her off mid-sentence. “TMI. Please. I feel your pain,” I say to Gunnar, who just shakes his head and disappears. “Wait!” I call after him. “Did you need something?”

  He sticks his head around the door. “Just wanted to know what time Dino’s coming in. I need some more boards for the windows, thought I might try to catch him. Hoping he could drop by Lowe’s and pick up some things.”

  “I don’t think he’s left home yet. He doesn’t usually get in until eleven-thirty.”

  “Okay, I’ll call him.” Gunnar’s head disappears from the doorway.

  I woke up in the early hours of the morning with the wind whipping against the windows of my apartment. The forecast predicted damaging winds for tonight into tomorrow, which is why Gunnar is in early. Since the pub is completely exposed to the elements at the front, he likes to get boards up on the large front windows at the first sign of a storm. It might be a bit overkill for the overnight weather, but you never know with these onshore winds. Besides, right on the tail of this system is a tropical storm building in intensity. That should hit the second half of the weekend, as per the weather predictions. Worse comes to worst, we’ll close the pub—it wouldn’t be the first time—but Gunnar will do everything he can before that happens, to make sure the building sustains no, or minimal, damage.

  “So ... about last night,” Syd teases.

  “Not gonna give you a detailed report, girlfriend. Not likely.” I smile at the look of disappointment on her face, and playfully bump her hip with mine. Ouch. Forgot about those bruises. “And even if I did, it would be a glowing one,” I can’t resist adding.

  “I’m glad. I mean, I’m really glad. I’ve been worried about you lately, what with all that is going on. Your father, Frank, your brothers finding out, filing for a restraining order—it’s all a bit much. You need something positive in your life.”

  “Thanks, sweetie.” I give her a side hug and lay my cheek briefly on the top of her head. Not particularly hard to do, since Syd is tiny and I’m ... well, I’m not. Hard to imagine that not long ago there was a time I had no girlfriends whatsoever. Whatever ones I had, they had long since disappeared with the control Frank exerted over my life and my relationships. I’m blessed to have found two good ones in Syd and Pam. “Ike was a bit of a surprise, and a little scary, but Pam urged me to give it a go.”

  “She’s great, isn’t she?” Syd points out, being no stranger to the quality of Pam’s counseling.

  “The best.”

  I chuckle as I start to tell Syd the story of Ike’s meeting with her. By the time the potatoes are rinsed and in a pan on the stove, both of us are giggling like idiots at the thought of this big, tall man getting a slap upside the head from a very angry Pam on a street corner.

  -

  The rest of the day goes by as most Thursdays do; with a lot of patrons coming in for meals. The Thursday specials have taken on a life of their own, mostly so, since Syd started flexing her culinary muscle. Her creations are all like wholesome home cooking but with an unusual twist. Just like today’s, which is carrot mashed potatoes—honey garlic glazed carrots thinly sliced and mixed in with the potatoes—and meatloaf with fresh mango chutney. The woman can cook. She makes what should be a simple meal into a gourmet experience. That’s why people keep coming back on Thursdays.

  I’m manning the bar when I notice a commotion outside the front door. With the boards up on the windows, it’s impossible to see out, but the window in the door provides just enough of a view to see what looks to be a tussle between two men. Hard to keep track of what’s going on, since the ruckus outside is drawin
g attention. A few customers have gotten up to get a good look and are blocking the view. When the door swings open, a huge burst of wind almost blows it off its hinges, and all I can hear is yelling.

  “Get Gunnar out here!”

  A familiar voice carries over the sounds of the wind. Ike.

  Ike

  This fucking day has dragged on.

  I spent it working on a new engine design for a new customer, a large freight company hoping to inject new life into their aging and sluggish fleet. Time is money in today’s economy and higher speeds are expected. Unfortunately, their current fleet of cargo ships is at least twenty-five years old, and they’re struggling to keep up with current demands. It’s one of the things our company is good at, looking at innovative ways to increase productivity. In this case, it is cheaper for them to have new or rebuilt engines installed than it would be to start replacing their cargo vessels. Big job, and for now it had me pinned in my office, behind my drafting table and wishing for fresh air.

  I left Viv’s this morning without making any definite plans, just a vague reference to seeing her tonight. After last night, I don’t think I could stay away if I tried. It’s all I thought about all damn day. For someone not comfortable staying in one place, I sure seem in a hurry to get tied down. Not all of it is Viv, though. It started with my house. That had been the biggest commitment I’ve made to date. The renovations seemed the logical next step—making the place mine. Then the changes in my job, keeping me mostly in Portland. Now, here I am getting hooked on one woman. Settling down. Something that just a short while ago would’ve sent me running in the opposite direction, but that was before I met Viv.

  I’m nothing if not adaptable. Which is why, after a meeting with David, that ran well past office hours, I’m now on my way to The Skipper instead of home. Instead of parking my bike in the parking lot, I slip into the alley behind the buildings. The wind is strong coming off the water and the alley acts as a funnel, increasing its intensity. Damn, it’s going to be a bitch riding home tonight. Unless of course, I end up staying with Viv again. Not a bad plan.