by Missy Jane
Hank cleared his throat and handed me a bottle of wine. My eyes crossed.
“Ugh, thanks. You really shouldn’t have.”
They both laughed.
“Don’t worry, Meg. It’s not red this time and there’s only one bottle,” Hank said with a wink.
I took the wine from him since he still had his hands full with what appeared to be a casserole dish.
“And what’s that?” I asked as I led them into the kitchen.
“You know how you raved about his home fries?” Elle asked.
“Fries? Those were mini baked potatoes, not fries,” I said.
Hank chuckled and set the dish down on the kitchen counter to shake Sean’s hand.
“Sean this is Hunky Hank. Hank, Sean.”
Both men laughed as Elle reddened. “Megan.”
“What?” I asked in mock innocence.
She deserved it for making me worry about her.
“Sean, this is Hank Thurmond. A very good friend of mine,” Elle said.
Hank frowned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders possessively. “For now.”
Elle rolled her eyes but made no move to dislodge his arm. I grinned and put the wine in the freezer while Sean stepped out the back door to check on the steaks. Elle’s bruises were barely visible beneath her artfully applied makeup. She also didn’t have the defeated air about her I’d grown used to seeing. Hank was definitely good for her.
“Well, you’re the first to arrive but the steaks should be ready soon,” I said.
Hank and Elle each grabbed a beer and headed out the back door to sit on the patio and talk to Sean. I was about to join them when my doorbell rang again.
Within thirty minutes the other four guests had arrived and we were all sitting on my back patio. I had two wooden picnic tables set side-by-side for occasions like this. Disposable plastic tablecloths turned the dull brown into a festive placemat for our potluck dinner. Wine and beer were interspersed all around and everyone was having a great time. To my relief, Sean actually knew two of the guys and had no problem talking to anyone. I had secretly feared his usual somber mood would descend in the middle of the dinner.
The six people around the table were some of my closest and oldest friends. It wouldn’t have been the end of the world if Sean didn’t get along with them, but it wouldn’t have been pleasant either. Aside from Elle, the other women, Clara and Toni, were openly opinionated on everything. Neither would hesitate to put Sean in his place if he said something rude.
“Sean,” Clara called from the far end of the table. “You manage Hardy’s?”
He nodded until swallowing the food in his mouth. “Yup.”
One of Clara’s perfectly sculpted brows arched in excitement. “So, you know Mari Campbell?”
I tensed and dropped my gaze to my plate for fear of what his face might tell. Beneath the table, Sean’s hand landed on my thigh. He squeezed gently before removing it to wrap his arm around my waist.
“Yeah,” he answered. “I was her manager for a couple of years.”
“Oh. So have you met Devon Campbell?” Toni asked.
Devon was once deemed Houston’s Most Eligible Bachelor. Though Mari had successfully put an end to his bachelorhood he was still one of the city’s sexiest men.
“Yes, I’ve met him.”
When he didn’t elaborate both ladies thankfully took the hint and moved on to another topic. My appetite had disappeared at the mention of Mari and I played with the remaining food on my plate.
“You all right, baby?” Sean whispered in my ear.
His warm breath across my skin made me shiver and I leaned into him. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
He raised a brow, but said nothing else as he placed a gentle kiss against my temple.
I looked away to find Elle grinning at me.
* * * * *
The remaining food was put away, dishes washed and guests gone to other destinations. I sighed and wiped a towel across my kitchen counter. Sean stood behind me, whistling as he finished sweeping. I dropped the towel and turned to watch.
“I appreciate your help, but you didn’t have to do that.”
He grinned. “Hell yeah I did. The sooner you finish, the sooner I can have your full attention.”
I laughed and shook my head as he emptied the dustpan into the trash.
“Oh? And what do you plan to do with my attention once you have it?”
He calmly put away the broom and dustpan, then walked over to the kitchen sink and washed his hands. I leaned against my refrigerator and watched him with my arms crossed.
“Well,” he began slowly, “first I plan to strip you down to nothing but your soft, tasty skin. Then I’m going to coax you into the shower so I can wash the smell of grilled meat from both of us.”
I giggled and made a show of sniffing my arms.
“I don’t know. I kinda like the smell of grilled meat.”
He chuckled as he dried his hands. “Oh? Well then how about I just rinse you lightly?”
“Hmm…”
I put a finger on my chin and pretended to think it over as he closed the distance between us. My body reacted instantly. His heat seeped through our clothes and I shivered at the warmth.
“Of course, there are a few other shower activities I can think of that have more to do with getting dirty than getting clean,” he said.
I gasped as he lifted me into his arms.
“Sean. Put me down.” My exclamation was halfhearted at best and bursting into giggles certainly didn’t help. He just grinned.
“I will. As soon as I have you naked in the bathroom.”
He started placing soft kisses all over my face, not quite landing on my lips. I held on to his shoulders. This playful side of him was a rarity and I loved every second of it.
“I’m too heavy.”
He scoffed. “No you’re not.”
“Am too.”
“Megan. Have you ever seen what I can bench?”
“Umm…” He frowned and I laughed while a guilty flush filled my face. “Well, I’m usually watching you, not your weights.”
That actually seemed to mollify him.
We made it to the bathroom without hurting each other and he set me on my feet to turn on the shower. I considered waiting for him to undress me but quickly changed my mind and toed off my shoes.
“Hey. What are you doing?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Nothing.”
I unzipped my dress.
“Nothing? I heard a zipper.”
I giggled. “Oh yeah?”
Once my dress cleared my vision and I could see again, Sean’s bare chest came into view. He was standing a breath away and wasted no time catching up to me in disrobing.
“Oh yeah,” I said breathlessly.
I ran my hands over his chest, still amazed that I had free reign to do so.
“Don’t stop now, baby. You’re getting to the good parts.”
I glanced down at my pink, lacy bra-and-panty set. I had bought it with Sean in mind and the look on his face showed true appreciation.
“I don’t know. Since I bought this for you to admire, I think you should take the time to admire it.”
He raised one brow and glanced down again. “Oh, I am.”
The heat in his voice boiled my blood. I swallowed hard and dropped my hands to my sides.
He placed one finger on the top of my bra and traced the edge over one breast. I shivered at the contact. It was too much and not enough. My body was a mess of confused sensations.
“But I think I’m going to admire what’s beneath all this pink lace even more,” he whispered.
I was trying to think of a retort when he chased all thought away with a scorching kiss. I clung to his broad shoulders while he suckled my lower lip into his hot mouth.
“Mmmm.”
All I could do was moan. He left my mouth and kissed a path to my bra strap, which he then nudged off my shoulder with his nose.
“Let’s see what I
can find in here,” he mumbled as he slipped a tongue beneath my bra.
I gasped and reached behind me to undo the clasp, but he beat me to it and my bra slipped off between us.
“Yummy,” he whispered.
My nipples were so hard it bordered on pain, which only intensified when he rasped his tongue over each of them. I grabbed the back of his neck to hold him in place, telling him without words where I needed his mouth the most.
“You’re delicious, babe.”
“Mmmm, thanks.”
He grinned as he suckled one breast and pinched the opposite nipple between two fingers.
A whimper escaped my mouth between my panting breaths but he gave no sign that he noticed. Steam began to fill the air and a sheen of moisture drenched us both.
“Sean…shower…”
He lifted his head, eyes glazed in lust, and stared at me for a second. “I nearly forgot.”
I laughed breathlessly as he maneuvered us toward the shower.
He stuck his hand in to check the temperature then guided me beneath the spray. I went willingly, stepping under the warm water with a sigh.
His hard chest pressed against my back as he reached for the body wash. I leaned back against him and raised my arms to twine around his head.
“You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever had in my arms.”
He dripped the body wash onto his large hand, blatantly ignoring my loofah, before taking one breast into his palm.
“You also have the most perfect breasts.”
“Yeah? You’re not so bad yourself.”
He nibbled on my ear in response and switched to the other breast. I squirmed in his hold, rubbing against him as much as possible. Once he’d soaped the entire front of my body, I spun around so he could do the back.
“Want me to wash your hair?” I asked.
He chuckled. “What little of it there is? Sure.”
I made a production of lathering up his short locks, alternately kissing his lips and other soap-free spots of his face.
“I hope…you’re satisfied with…how clean I am…’cause I don’t think…I can take much more of this,” I panted.
He grinned and looked over my flushed and needy form, complete control masked his face.
“Oh? And why is that?”
Without hesitation, I grabbed his erect cock in one slick hand and gave a light squeeze. He moaned but made no move to stop me.
“I need this inside me. Now.”
The water was shut off and we were out of the bathroom in record time. I laughed as he swung me into his arms without bothering with towels.
“I hope you don’t mind a damp comforter,” he said.
I kissed him hard on the lips and shook my head. “It’ll dry.”
He followed me onto the bed, raining kisses wherever his lips landed along the way. I let my hands roam over the wealth of skin and muscle he presented. As skin grazed against skin, the water droplets didn’t last long between us. I grasped his erection again to let him know I was more than ready.
“Condoms?” he asked.
“Table.”
He reached my bedside table and pulled out the new box I’d placed there that morning. As soon as he was sheathed, he placed the tip of his cock at my entrance. I spread my legs wide in invitation, pushing my hips up in case he didn’t get the hint. He ran both hands down my thighs until they met at the juncture of my legs. One slid up over my belly, the other played in the moisture he’d created.
“Ready, babe?” he asked.
“Oh yeah. Please.”
He grinned and worked his cock into my eager body, slowly inching his way in. I groaned and threw my head back, eyes closed at the sensation.
His lips found my throat and I grabbed his ass in both hands. We moved against each other in tandem, muscles flexing and skin sliding with the knowledge of each other’s needs. I reached my peak quickly and wrapped my legs around his waist to hold him in place.
“There! Oh, Sean, right fucking there.”
He increased his pace but didn’t change positions and within heartbeats I was screaming his name with my release. He grunted and bent his head to latch on to one of my nipples, causing a new series of tremors to work through me. I dug my nails into his ass to encourage faster movement, tilting my pelvis the slightest bit. He groaned loudly and released my nipple with a pop.
“Ahh fuck, Megan.”
His body slowly relaxed against me as his climax drained the last bit of his energy. I rested in satisfaction beneath his weight without a care.
“Mmmm, that was wonderful,” I whispered.
“Mmhm. Give me a few minutes and we’ll see if I can top wonderful…and go for spectacular.”
I sighed out a laugh and hugged him to me.
We went through the whole box of condoms by morning.
* * * * *
Sundays are hit and miss at work. Sometimes they’re so busy the time just flies right by. Other times I feel as if the sands of time were drenched in water and clogging the neck of the hourglass. This particular Sunday fell into the latter category and my lack of sleep the night before was not helping one bit.
“Yo, Nettle. Heads up!”
My eyes flew open, though I hadn’t realized they were closed, to see a flash of white as Ben tossed a towel my way. Once it hit me in the face I realized it was a damp towel.
“Ugh! Jerkface. What the hell?”
He laughed his ass off as I jumped out of my chair, picked up the towel and lobbed it at his head. Unfortunately my fatigue translated into absolutely no strength in any muscles and the towel flopped harmlessly a foot away from him.
“Just trying to wake you up before your boyfriend walks in,” he said.
I scowled at him before his words fully penetrated. The door opened and Sean waltzed in looking fresh as a fucking daisy. I turned my scowl his way.
“Hey, beautiful. I brought you coffee.”
I sighed in relief and gratefully took the steaming cup from him. He leaned on the counter until we were only a couple of inches apart.
“How are you feeling?” he whispered.
“Like hell. How come you look so damn chipper?”
He grinned and I wanted to deck him. I took a sip of coffee instead.
“I crawled into bed as soon as I got home but couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about the bombshell in my arms this morning. Luckily cold showers really do help.”
I choked a bit on my coffee and flashed a weak smile. There was no way to stay mad at him.
“So, what do you have going on today?” I asked.
“I’ve got inventory tonight so I go in late. I was hoping we could have an early dinner when you get off. Four o’clock, right?”
I nodded and opened my mouth to answer when the glass doors behind him crashed against the walls. One shattered and I yelped in surprise. Sean immediately spun on his heel, blocking my view of the intruder.
“Where the fuck is Elle? Don’t tell me that bitch ain’t here again.”
I recognized the asshole’s voice from before and picked up the phone to call Ryan. After the second visit I had let him know about this guy so everyone could keep an eye out.
“Sir, I think you need to calm down,” Sean said.
My pulse leapt as I realized Sean had taken a step toward Angry Bald Guy. Ryan answered and I quickly told him what was happening before slamming the phone down.
“This ain’t any of your fucking business, man. Back off so I can talk to the girl.”
I moved to the end of the counter, walking into Angry Bald Guy’s line of sight. Sean threw an annoyed glance my way, but addressed ABG.
“Look, it’s obvious Elle isn’t here. Why don’t you go back to that bitch Declan and let him know his favorite punching bag is off-limits now.”
I gasped and stared between the two, waiting to see ABG’s reaction to Sean’s declaration. He didn’t make me wait long. He took an aggressive step toward Sean, fists clenched and scowl firmly in place. Se
an’s shoulders relaxed and he shook out his hands as if in preparation. I looked around for a weapon.
“Declan made it my business to find Elle for him,” ABG said. “So, that’s what I’m going to do. Even if I have to go through you to do it.”
I vaguely wondered what bad action movie this guy had been watching, but my amusement died a quick death when he took a swing.
“Sean!”
I raced around the counter but stopped just shy of in the way. Sean ducked the massive fist headed toward him and grabbed the guy’s wrist. He did some sort of twisty thing where he turned ABG into a human pretzel and the next thing I knew he was on the ground. I released a sigh of relief, thinking it was over. But then ABG kicked Sean in the ribs and was back on his feet in a flash. Sean grunted and fell against the counter as ABG went at him again.
“Stop!”
Neither of them paid any attention to me, but now members and other employees had arrived. I looked to the guys for help but no one seemed to want to get between the fists. Sean and ABG exchanged blow after blow until I saw blood hit the floor. I wanted to throw up.
“Cops are coming, Max. You gotta stop now, man.”
I looked over to see Ben frantically pointing out the door where the unmistakable sign of flashing lights could be seen.
“Sean!” I yelled again, but he didn’t seem to hear me.
He finally got one arm around ABG’s neck and wrestled the asshole to the ground again. This time, Sean pinned him facedown where he couldn’t kick out. By the time an officer ran through the door Sean had the asshole on the ground with both hands behind his back and his legs pinned by Sean’s strong thighs.
* * * * *
It took almost two hours to straighten everything out and keep the officer from taking Sean to jail too. The police officers, Sean, ABG and Ryan were outside right in front of the large windows. I was in tears, begging to go to him, but Sean kept his back to me the whole time and Ben wouldn’t let me out of the gym.
“Just wait, Megan. You might only make things worse. We can show them the tapes if they want but all of the witnesses are backing up Sean. It was self-defense.”
I understood his logic but didn’t agree with it. Sean had blood on him and I still didn’t know if it was his. I needed to put my hands on him. I needed to know he was okay.
