“Your accident. Indirectly, my fault.” He tapped a finger against the back of his opposite hand. “I…ah…watched you ride off on your bike after we waved to each other. You looked so beautiful, I couldn’t help but stare.” He looked down at his feet then, clearly uncomfortable. When he glanced up, he continued. “I saw your bike skid after the pile driver slammed the ground. I’ve felt bad about that ever since.”
No one had called her beautiful in years. And his concern for her wellbeing touched her deeply. Lilly reached out a hand and laid it over his. His skin felt warm over hands strengthened by hard work. “I had an accident. Nothing was your fault. I wanted to thank you for helping me.”
They stared at each other for what seemed a long time. Theo seemed larger than she remembered, and even more handsome, if that were possible.
Was it her imagination, or was he leaning toward her the same way she leaned closer to him?
“Something smells good,” Theo said, finally, and they grinned at each other from mere inches apart.
“Experiments. I work at a bakery and help the owner develop new recipes. One day, I hope to have my own place.”
Theo sniffed. “I think your experiment succeeded.”
“And I think I’ll make us a pot of coffee to go with the cake. It’s upside down.”
“Upside down seems to be a habit with you.”
He winked at her, and Lilly truly laughed for the first time in a long while.
Theo drank the last of his second cup of coffee and downed the last bite of his second piece of cake an hour later. He wiped his mouth on a napkin and pushed the plate away. “That was great. I hope your customers appreciate you.” The smile that touched Lilly’s lips made him want to lean over and kiss her. Instead, he cleared their dirty dishes and utensils and carried them to the sink.
Lilly came to her feet. “You’re my guest. I’ll take care of those.” She moved up behind him.
As a widower, he was used to doing everything himself. “Dishwasher?” Without waiting for an answer, he started stacking the plates. Then he grinned over at her. “I want to make sure I get invited back the next time you bake.”
Lilly’s smile reassured him that he didn’t sound like a freak. He hadn’t been this close to a woman since Teresa passed. Since she’d been the only woman in his life for twenty years, his flirting skills were as rusty as a bucket of old nails.
Lilly had knocked the wind out of him at first sight. With the breeze blowing her long red hair around her pretty, freckled face, and her tanned legs pedaling her bike, she had that indefinable wow factor that made a simple activity something special to watch. Meeting her had made him more hopeful for the future than he’d been in three years…since the world as he’d known it crumbled.
Though surrounded by water, he’d been living in a desert. He turned and met Lilly’s gaze. He wanted to get to know her… to be her friend, to hold her… and make love to her, goddammit.
They moved closer in unison, and he grazed the side of her neck with his fingers. He’d almost forgotten how soft a woman’s skin could be. He ached for her with a fierceness that brought a groan past his lips. When Lilly closed her eyes and released a sigh, he reached for her.
He thought their first intimate touch might be awkward, or clumsy, but when he took Lilly in his arms, she stared up into his face and eased against him. He pressed his mouth to hers, and she kissed him back with tenderness and longing that quickly turned breathless and hungry. He ran a thumb over the hard tip of her nipple and cupped her breast.
She deepened the kiss and dug her fingers into the hairline at the base of his neck as her tongue touched his. Theo ran his hands along her sides and up her back before pressing her against the counter and adding friction to their embrace. His erection strained against the fly of his jeans, and he grunted with desire as his groin met hers. He raised his hips, slid down, and then repeated the movements.
When Lilly moaned and pulled him closer, he knew he’d found her sweet spot. Her breathing turned ragged, and she pressed her face into the curve of his shoulder. He moved against her again, then again, and she cried out, one hand gripping the edge of the counter as she lost control.
He wanted to lift her skirt and tear off whatever she wore beneath but sensed her coming back to herself and letting him go. She took a side step away and released a quick breath.
Clearly, he’d taken things too far, too soon. So much time had passed—too long—since he’d made love, but he wanted to make love to Lilly when the timing was right.
According to what Lilly had told him over coffee, she’d been crushed by infidelity and emotional abuse. He’d lost his wife to a devastating disease. They might both need physical release, but Theo was sure they needed emotional connection more.
Maturity did that to a person.
He kissed her forehead and took a step back. She tilted her head and smiled up at him. “Wow,” she whispered. “Just wow.”
“Yeah.” He’d never been one for fancy words, but when they finally got together for real, he knew they’d create fireworks. “I’d better go—for now,” he said, and then kissed her again. The heat between them flared until he almost lost his will to leave.
“Maybe that’s a good idea—for now,” she whispered back, pushing her fingers against his chest.
Theo took her hand and held it while she walked him to the door. He grabbed his hat, sunglasses, and cell phone from the side table. They exchanged phone numbers.
“Saturday night,” he said. “Let’s go on a real date.”
“This Saturday?”
“Every Saturday.”
Lilly closed the front door, leaned against it, and giggled. Giggled. A few hours ago, she’d been baking upside down cake. Minutes ago, she’d been brought to orgasm by a living, breathing male. The first in so long, she wondered if she’d blown dust into her underwear.
Lilly smiled. Mister July, the gorgeous construction worker with blue eyes, had a thing for her. And she definitely had a thing for him. Theo had reawakened her feminine self and refueled her dormant desire. It had taken all of her willpower not to satisfy him in every way possible in her kitchen…and her living room…in her bedroom…and anywhere else they could manage. She’d been crazed by him and just barely managed to hang on to her morals and better judgment before she led him to the door.
Well, considering she’d climaxed against him—a veritable stranger, maybe the morals and better judgment ships had sailed.
Lilly laughed. Who knew a concussion would lead to this?
One month later…
Theo stepped into Lilly’s living room to pick her up for their fourth date—not counting the times he’d gotten cleaned up at his condo after work and driven to her place for drinks on her porch or walks around her community.
He tried to keep his cool under his jacket and tie and hid the gift he held behind his back, though Lilly hadn’t made standing still easy. She wore a slinky black dress that bared her cleavage and high-heeled shoes that showed off her sensational legs. She’d pinned up her hair, too, and wore a strand of gold around her neck with a diamond pendant.
Theo couldn’t take his gaze off her. “You look beautiful.” He meant that she looked sexy as hell, and smoking hot, but “beautiful” sounded better.
Lilly kissed him, and Theo breathed in the scent of her hair and traces of sweet soap on clean skin as he returned the kiss. The gift bumped her hip when he tried to hold her in his arms.
Her soft voice brushed his ear and made his skin prickle. “Got something for me?”
For a split second, he thought she meant his hard-on. He stifled a comeback more suited to a construction site than a dressed-up-for-dinner date and replied, instead, “Only for you.”
They’d kept their relationship casual since the afternoon in her kitchen, when they’d almost lost control, but Theo’s desire had simmered to the boiling point. Tonight, he intended to make his feelings known. He wanted this woman badly, but more than that, h
e wanted her to stay in his life. Lilly was courageous, strong, and kind. She was beautiful, smart, and had sex appeal to spare.
Could he be falling in love?
He took a step back and held out the gift he’d brought. “I thought the time was right to give you this.”
Lilly’s eyes widened, and then glistened with apparent pleasure. “Such a big box. No wonder you had trouble hiding it behind your back.”
They sat side by side on the couch while she opened the cardboard container wrapped in plain white paper. As she did, she gave him warm sidelong glances that made him feel good about the present he’d chosen. He’d picked it out carefully, wanting to offer her the best possible option.
Then again, what if she hated it? Nothing about the gift spelled romance. No one in the world would call it sexy. His heartbeat thrummed, and he suddenly wanted a glass of water. What the hell had he been thinking? He should have brought her flowers, or perfume, or tickets to a show.
Then… wouldn’t you know…Lilly lifted the bicycle helmet from its box…and burst into tears.
“Shit!” He’d screwed up. Women wanted lingerie and stuff that smelled nice. What had possessed him to buy a fucking bicycle helmet?
He wrapped an arm around her. “Don’t cry. I’ll take it back and get you something else. I wasn’t making fun of your accident. Honest. I suck at gifts.” She’d probably break up with him and never speak to him again.
Instead, she leaned over and pressed her mouth to his in an amazing kiss that rushed blood to his ears—and everywhere else.
“This is the kindest, most thoughtful gift anyone’s ever given me,” she said, at last. She held up the helmet for them to admire. “It’s perfect. I love it.”
Relief filled him. Though Lilly seemed to understand the significance of his gesture, he wanted to tell her what it meant to him. What she meant to him. He lifted her chin with his thumb and met her gaze. “I never, ever want anything to hurt you again. I want you to be safe from harm…and I want you to know…I will never hurt you.”
Tears trailed down Lilly’s cheeks. She closed her eyes and nodded.
After a moment, Lilly wiped away her tears. “I have to fix my makeup.” She gave him a peck on the cheek, laid the helmet on the coffee table, and stood. “Be right back.”
Theo wanted to tell her to forget about her makeup and their dinner reservations. He wanted to lead her to bed. But Lilly looked knocked-down gorgeous in her dress and heels, and he didn’t want to spoil her evening. She clearly considered their date night special.
His gaze honed on the hallway leading to the master bedroom at the back of the house. He hoped that one day, sooner than later, he’d get to see it.
He relaxed on the couch until the sound of Lilly’s heels on the hardwood floor announced her return. Theo stood, ready to go to dinner, but when Lilly entered the room, wearing filmy white lingerie and fancy bedroom slippers, his feet became riveted to the floor. His breath caught, and his pulse pounded. How the hell did he get so lucky?
“You like?” Lilly gave him a sultry smile, followed by a slow pirouette.
Theo drank in the sight of her creamy skin, full breasts, and long bare legs. She’d let down her hair, too, and rinsed the makeup from her face.
“You’re spectacular.” He couldn’t stop staring.
Lilly held out a hand.
Theo tore off his tie, slid out of his sport coat, and tossed them on the couch. He kicked off his shoes then took Lilly’s hand. She led him into a bedroom lit with candles where the scent of vanilla filled the air. An open bottle of wine, two glasses, and a box of condoms stood on the table next to a queen-size bed. A comforter had been folded down over crisp blue sheets he intended to rumple like mad.
Theo grinned. “You thought of everything.”
Lilly helped him undress. “Dinner wasn’t the only thing I had on my mind tonight.”
Lilly had never been so turned on in her life. After Theo lifted the nightgown from her body and took her in his arms, she trembled so much she could hardly stay on her feet. She guided him onto the bed and lay face to face with him, touching every inch of his skin, between deep, delicious kisses.
She shuddered and sighed as he cupped her buttocks while he rubbed his erection against her sex to make her ready. His fingers kneaded her flesh.
He kissed her again and then slid his tongue inside her mouth before running the tip over her bottom lip. Stifling her moan with his mouth, he nibbled the fullness at the center of her lip and sucked it gently between his teeth. While they kissed, his hand caressed the inside of her thigh where the skin was softest, and then stroked the sensitive mound between her legs.
When she pressed tighter against his palm, he rubbed his thumb over her pleasure center, and supported her spine with his opposite hand. Lilly arched her back, and her breasts lifted, creating an instant mental snapshot of the most erotic moment of her life.
Her breathing turned shallow as his tongue laved the hard tip of one breast while his thumb circled her swollen bud in perfect syncopation. She gasped when he increased the pace and pressure between her legs and moved to her other breast to suck. When Lilly thought she couldn’t take another second of stimulation without climaxing, Theo released her. She let out a gasp of protest.
“I’m not near finished, sweetheart.” Theo moved lower, ran his tongue over the circle of her navel, and groaned deep in his throat when he tasted her.
Lilly’s heartbeat seemed to thrum through the room.
A condom wrapper crinkled, and through the candlelight, Lilly watched as Theo prepared to enter her. She raised her hips and offered herself with total trust. As they moved together, and he gave himself to her, Lilly cried out, too.
An hour later—or maybe two—Lilly poured glasses of wine, and they sat naked on the bed after cleaning up.
Theo offered a toast. “To bike rides and bicycle helmets.”
Lilly took a sip of her drink. “Who would have thought a concussion would bring us together?”
“That and upside down cake.” Theo gave her a hungry look, reminding her of their first steamy encounter inside her kitchen.
“I heard one of the guys on the job joke about ‘upside down.’ Turns out, it’s more than a cake, it’s a sexual position.” Theo tasted his wine. “I checked it out on the Internet. Has to be the most uncomfortable looking thing I’ve ever seen. Who the hell thinks up this shit? We’d break each other in half, but you’d definitely go first.”
Lilly laughed so hard she almost spilled the wine on her new sheets. Falling in love with Theo was turning out to be fun. She placed her wineglass on the bedside table, took Theo’s glass, and placed it there, too. “I can think of lots of ways to give us pleasure, and none of them hurt.” She straddled him and let nature take over.
Theo buried his face in her neck and nibbled his way to her ear. “I think I’ll buy a bike so that we can ride around town together.”
Lilly leaned back. “Remember to buy a helmet. And maybe a pair of those sexy bike shorts. Checking out your ass will give me extra incentive to add miles to our route.”
Theo stroked her shoulder and let his fingers trail her arm. “We’ll get you a pair, too.” He stared down at their joined hips. “I sure like watching you move.”
Plays With Fire
Elle James
Lola Engel flipped the sign in the window of her shoe shop to display CLOSED and exited the building, pulling the door shut behind her. She locked it and glanced at her watch.
Damn.
She had only an hour to get home, change, and stage an “accident” before Chance Grayson went off duty at the fire station.
Running in high heels was never good, nor classy. If at all possible, Lola avoided running in public. Scarred as a child by name-calling bullies, she didn’t want anyone comparing her to an epileptic giraffe during a grand mal seizure. So, she hurried, skipping along, and then running all out when she verified no one was watching.
For a thirty-
nine year-old woman—okay, forty-three, though no one but her doctor knew the truth—she kept her body in top physical condition, with not an ounce of fat on her thighs or belly. Since her husband had passed, she’d had loads of time on her hands. Time she preferred to fill working out or flirting with the best-looking man in Hellfire, Texas.
Chance Grayson. One of the four Grayson brothers, all of whom were incredibly clean-cut, drool-worthy, butt-hugging, jean-clad cowboys and firefighters. They’d struck it rich in the gene pool, and Lola wouldn’t mind having some of that gold stretched out in her bed.
Oh, she wasn’t looking for long-term commitment or love. She’d already been in love once, and losing someone you cared for as much as she’d cared for Mr. Engel hurt far too much.
No, she’d vowed to enjoy an active sex life with whomever the hell she pleased and screw the tongue-wagging, back-stabbing biddies of the community who thought they were better than anyone else because they were married and settled.
Settled only meant living in a rut. Lola refused to slip into a ring or a rut. Losing her husband had taught her one valuable lesson: life was too damned short. She had to seize it by the balls and hold on to that orgasmic finish line.
Two blocks down, two to go. Why the hell had she walked to work that morning? And why the hell hadn’t she worn tennis shoes?
Because you’re too goddamn vain and won’t let others see you in anything less than the most expensive shoes this side of the Mississippi.
New York City didn’t have anything on Hellfire, Texas. Lola made damn sure of that. If she didn’t sell many expensive shoes in her brick-and-mortar store, she sold a truckload every week from her online shop.
Just because a person lived in small-town, snail’s-paced Texas didn’t mean a woman had to deprive herself of the best and sexiest shoes from some of the most fabulous designers this world had to offer.
Slowly, but surely, she’d educated the ranchers’ wives on the difference between Jimmy Choos stilettoes and Ariat cowboy boots. Not many of the wives had the kind of money for the more expensive brands, but Lola stocked budget knock-offs to satisfy the locals.
Blue Collar (A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology Book 2) Page 5
