by RC Boldt
Finally, she watched as his face transformed, eyes lighting up, mouth curving into the biggest smile she’d ever seen him have.
Only to have him roll his eyes at her.
“Oh, Lee. You’ll eventually figure out that you’re madly in love with me. I mean, really.” He shrugged, reaching for a piece of sushi. “How could you not? I am a fine specimen of manliness, and I’m the first man to make you come with my tongue. Plus, you find me quite entertaining.” He popped a piece of sushi in his mouth, looking pleased with himself.
“Is that all?” she asked drily.
Chewing, he held up an index finger, signifying he wasn’t finished. Finally, after swallowing, he added, “No, that’s not all.”
Smirking, she said, “Do tell.” She wasn’t expecting his hand to snake out to cup the back of her head, bringing her lips to his, kissing her deeply, and leaving her breathless when he broke the kiss.
“You love me because you’ve finally found the person who loves you—the real you, the one that’s messy and imperfect. You love me for the same reason I love you,” he stated softly. “Because my heart recognizes that it’s safe with you.”
His thumb grazed her cheek as his eyes held hers, lips twisting slightly. “I felt it from the start, Lee. It’s just a matter of having faith that you’ll come around.”
Voice filled with wonder, she asked, “And if I don’t?”
“Come around?” When she nodded, his smile was tender. “Oh, Lee,” he leaned his forehead on hers, “I’ll just keep on trying. Waiting for you. Because I know from watching the others that you don’t just give up on true love when it doesn’t come easy. It’s worth the fight. Worth the struggle.”
And if his declaration hadn’t made her feel like her heart would beat out of her chest, his next words would seal the deal.
“You’re worth it, Lee.”
* * *
Lawson wasn’t sure if it was simply his words that spurred her on, but one moment he was pouring out his heart, and the next Lee had carefully shoved their sushi containers out of the way, climbing onto his lap and straddling him before kissing him within an inch of his life.
Not that he was complaining. Oh, no siree.
If this happened every time he told her how he felt about her, how much he loved her … hell, he’d tell her all the damn time.
Hands going to her ass, feeling the firm muscles of her glutes, he pulled her closer, pressing his hardening cock against her core. He threaded his fingers through her hair, then tugged her head to the side to deepen their kiss, tongue delving inside to taste her.
Shifting his arm beneath her ass, he carefully stood from his chair, carrying her the few steps to the sliding glass door leading inside his house. Reaching out, he slid it open, and after stepping over the threshold into the air conditioning, he shut the door behind them. Her lips trailed a path to his earlobe, and when her teeth gently closed around it, he let out a low, dangerous growl.
Stalking the rest of the way to his bedroom, he laid her upon the bed and gazed down at her. God, she’s breathtaking. Her long brown hair was scattered against the pillow, lips parted, breathless in anticipation, and dark brown eyes gazed up at him.
He began pulling off his shirt, letting it drop carelessly to the floor, rapidly unfastening his shorts, and they and his boxers joined the heap of clothes at his feet. Advancing toward the bed, her eyes tracked his movements, his hand—which now gripped his cock—moving up and down in long, languid strokes.
Rising to her knees, she scooted the edge of the bed, and when she placed her hand flat against his chest, he swore his heart would nearly burst forth. Her hand moved slowly, tracing over his firm abdominals, toying briefly with the thin trail of hair leading to his cock, which was jutting forward. Letting his hand drop, his eyes tracked her movements as she took him in her grasp, working his length, sliding up and down, pausing only briefly to swipe her thumb across the tip, gathering the moisture gathered there. The moment she raised her thumb up to her lips, licking his essence off of it, was when he lost all control.
Hands slid to her head, and with his fingers fisting tightly in her long hair, their mouths met in a feverish kiss, tongues clashing. Nearly ripping off her clothes, throwing them to the floor haphazardly, he pushed her back onto the bed.
When she tore her mouth from his, her breathing was ragged, labored. “I want you on your back. To have my way with you.”
Shifting to lie down, he smirked. “And just what are you going to do with me?”
Climbing atop him, he let out a hiss as her silky smooth skin slid over his. She leaned over him, her hair falling to create a curtain around their faces. “Everything,” she whispered against his lips. When her teeth tugged ever so gently at his bottom lip, he groaned aloud, hands going to her hips, pulling her toward him as he arched against her. She began trailing kisses down his chest, and his abs tightened as she continued farther south. And when her lips slid over the head of his cock, it took all of his strength to not do the typical, obnoxious guy move of thrusting hard within the heat of her mouth. Because he knew. He knew that his girth, his length was challenging.
Hands fisting in her hair, he attempted to focus on his breathing as she worked his hard length in and out of her hot, wet mouth, tongue flicking against the tip every so often.
“Fuck,” he groaned, eyes closed. He felt as though he were on the edge, at the end of his rope just as she pushed the envelope. Because when the feather-light touch of the fingers of her other hand grazed his sack, he nearly came off the bed, body arching.
“Lee,” he breathed out in warning, “you’re fucking killing me.” Swallowing hard, he groaned as she caressed him, and when her mouth left his cock only to have her tongue slide languidly over his tightened sack, he’d had enough.
Tugging her up, shifting her to lie beneath him, he pressed his body against hers, capturing her gasp of surprise in his mouth as he tasted his own musk on her tongue. As he reached blindly for the nightstand, he nearly pulled the bedside drawer completely off its hinges in his hurried quest for a condom. Ripping it open, he sheathed himself in no time, pressing the tip to her hot core. His heavy lidded gaze met her own as he probed, nearly coming undone at the feel of her wet heat.
“Please, Laws.” Her voice was unsteady, needy, and he basked in the satisfaction that he’d caused it.
“You want this?” He nudged inside of her the smallest bit before retreating.
“Yes,” she breathed, arching her body, trying to urge him on. Looking down at her rosy nipples puckered in arousal, he bent his head, mouth latching onto one, and flicked it with his tongue. Simultaneously, he felt a flood of wetness at her core as he toyed with her, sliding his cock in and out of her ever so slightly.
Pushing inside of her, feeling her inner muscles contract around him, he bit back a curse, and tried to keep himself in check. “You feel so good, so wet.” He began moving in and out, working himself deeper each time. “Does that feel good? The way my cock stretches you, the way I slide deep inside of you?”
His words were coming out in harsh, breathy pants, closely matching her own labored breathing. Eyes locked onto hers, he saw in them not only lust, but love.
Love. He recognized it even if she wasn’t ready to acknowledge her feelings aloud.
Love. And that was the game changer for him. As hot as this was, being with her intimately like this, it was a million times hotter now. Because they weren’t just having sex. No, this was so much more.
Leaning over her, his fingers entwined with her own and slid them above her head on the mattress as he leaned his body closer, his pelvis creating a friction against hers.
God, she was so fucking wet, tight around him. He could barely take it, but he didn’t want to come without her. Slowing his thrusts, he leaned back slightly and moved her legs, draping them over his arms. The instant he did so, his eyes nearly rolled back in his head.
The positioning made her feel that much more snug, tighter ar
ound him—it felt like he was deeper—and if her response was anything to go by …
“Oh my God, Laws.” Her eyes were closed, lips parted, breath coming out in pants.
He began to move, picking up rhythm, relishing in the easy way he slid in and out of her, coated with her wetness. Her fingers gripped his forearms, urging him on, silently pleading with him to pick up the pace. And he complied—thrusting deep, retreating, thrusting deep, retreating, until he felt her inner muscles display the telltale tightening, indicating that she was close.
Bending his head, he whispered, “I want you to come hard.” His tongue flicked her pebbled nipple. “I want to be soaking wet from you. Want you to clench me tight.” His tongue toyed with her nipple, and when he latched his lips around it and sucked hard, her inner muscles gave a jolt before she gasped.
“Laws.” The contractions of her muscles hit in rapid succession, clenching him so damn tight he thought his cock might have indentations from her. Releasing her nipple, he thrust deep as she came, and it wasn’t long before he felt his own release charging forth. The frantic way her fingers clenched, digging into his forearms as she rode the waves of her release, sent him over the edge, his thrusts becoming wild, frenzied.
“Lee,” he called out as he came inside of her before collapsing on his arms so as not to crush her with his weight. Pressing tiny kisses to her throat, he whispered, “God, I love you.”
When she wrapped her arms around him, tugging him down to rest his body atop hers, she kissed his shoulder before her eyes met his.
In that moment—with her arms wrapped tight around his body, her brown eyes gazing at him with such ardent affection—he didn’t need to hear her say the words. He knew.
And he knew this was exactly what it felt like to be enveloped in love.
C
HAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Gordon’s first law: If a project isn’t worth doing at all, it’s simply not worth doing well.
Lawson’s take: This one made me pause. Because I definitely wasn’t brought up this way. Hell, growing up, I can recall numerous times when I helped my dad with some project or another. Some of those projects were for my mom, and it was usually repairing some piece of junk she’d found at a yard sale and thought would be nice to decorate the house with. Those projects? Yeah, those weren’t really something we wanted to do. But we did them and did them well. Because … well, it was for my mom. And that’s what you do for people you love, right?
~
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GORGEOUS.”
Opening her eyes with a wince, she peered over at the man lying beside her in bed, propped up on an elbow. With a noise of protest, she threw an arm over her eyes. “Why are you watching me sleep?”
“Because you look so peaceful.”
His softly spoken words made her lift her arm to look over at him.
“That and I can slide off the covers and ogle you without your knowledge.” Lawson gasped in fake dismay, hand flying to cover his mouth dramatically. “Oopsies! Guess the cat’s out of the bag.”
“You’re such a creeper.” She was doing her best to restrain a smile, lips twitching at the corners.
His wide, happy grin focused on her, he said, “You love this creeper,” before pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “Now, come on. Hurry up and get ready. I’m taking you to work today.” He turned, the muscles playing his back as he moved, rising from the bed, gloriously naked.
Seriously, the man’s ass was a work of art. The muscles of his glutes were perfectly outlined, without an ounce of fat to be found.
“Why are you taking me to work?”
Lawson turned to give her an odd look. “Because the school year is over, I’m off today, and I want to take my girlfriend to work on her birthday.”
Girlfriend. Girlfriend. Girrrrlllllfrieeennnnnd. She let the word roll around in her head. She was Lawson’s girlfriend? She was Lawson’s girlfriend.
Ho-ly shit. She was in a … relationship with Lawson Briggs.
“Try not to get too excited, Lee.”
His response had undertones of dry humor. She knew she probably looked like she was about to projectile vomit at that moment. Not because of him, exactly, but more because of the idea that she was going to give the whole relationship thing a shot.
And that, in itself, was scary as shit.
Suddenly, she was tugged across the mattress by her ankles, her naked body dragged up to press flush against his own. Smoothing back her hair from her face, he gazed down at her with such affection that it made her breath hitch.
“We can do this, Lee.” His thumb traced her lower lip in a gentle caress, and the way he touched her, the way he spoke, the way he looked at her calmed her.
Pressing her palm flat against his chest, over his heart, she replied, “I know. It’s just that sometimes I need to remind myself of that.”
After dropping a brief kiss on her lips he turned, making his way to the doorway, and heading out of the bedroom. “I’m going to get the shower started. If you don’t join me, let’s just say, you’re going to miss out. Because birthday sex is supposed to be the best,” he called over his shoulder, on his way to the bathroom.
Shortly thereafter, she discovered he had been telling the truth. Birthday sex was, indeed, the best.
But, then again, so was Lawson Briggs.
* * *
“I’m not singing Culture Club’s ‘Karma Chameleon’ with you. No. Just … no.” She stared at Lawson with a mixture of disbelief and horror.
“Yeah, Laws. You could at least choose something a little better for her first karaoke experience.” Laney shot him an exasperated look, shaking her head as she flipped through one of the other karaoke song books.
“But that song is a classic,” Lawson protested as they perused the book’s contents, trying to find a happy medium for what he had informed her was to be a ‘duet for the ages’.
“How about something a little more low-key?” she suggested, glancing over to see his side profile as he scanned the list of songs. With his straight nose, strong, square jaw, and soft, full lips showcased by the dark blond goatee he’d grown—for her, no less—he was nothing short of handsome as hell. Her eyes lingered on his lips, recalling the way he had driven her mad with them earlier, the way his facial hair had felt against her skin, especially when he’d placed his mouth over her—
“If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll end up leaving, and probably not making it to the car before I have my way with you.”
She was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t realized he’d turned slightly. His blue eyes had darkened with heat, and his words were husky, spoken low enough for only her to hear. And even though she was having a great time out at Shenanigans with their group of friends, the prospect of him wanting her, needing her bad enough that they might not make it to the car in time was tantalizing …
“Lee.” His tone was one of warning. Meeting his gaze, she found his eyes filled with humor and heat. “It’s your birthday. Stop lusting over me, woman. I’ll be all yours later.”
She leaned in. “Promise?”
He pressed his forehead against hers. “Promise. Always.”
“Hey, hey, hey. That’s enough. I just ate not that long ago.” They turned to see Foster making a sick face.
“What can I say? There’s something about this woman that makes my boxers drop.” Lawson shrugged.
“Uh, Laws,” Pearce began, “pretty sure that’s not at all how the saying goes.”
Lawson raised one eyebrow cockily. “Or maybe it is.” Grinning, he directed his attention to Foster. “Fos, be honest. You’re broken up now that you can’t have me.”
Foster stared at him for a moment. “Where do you come up with this shit?”
Noelle piped up, “Come on, Debbie. Quit raining on everyone’s love fest with your negativity.” The blonde nudged her shoulder with a wink. “Thanks for inviting me along, tonight, Lee.”
Flashing the other woman a smile, she was about
to respond, when Foster interrupted. “What the hell are you wearing?”
She and Noelle both turned to stare at their boss in question. His eyes were on Noelle, who was dressed in a form-fitting black dress with vibrant red flowers printed on it. She thought their office manager looked stunning, as the dress showcased the woman’s curves.
Tapping a finger to her lips, Noelle answered slowly as if she were speaking to someone with a much lower IQ. “Well, it’s called a dress, Kavanaugh. It’s what women sometimes wear instead of, oh, say pants or shorts … or even a skirt.”
She watched as the tic in Foster’s lower jaw pulsed, becoming more pronounced when the other woman added sarcastically, “I think the proper and preferred response from you would be, ‘You look nice tonight, Davis. Thanks for joining us.’”
The two of them appeared to be in a staredown, and just as she turned to exchange an amused look with Lawson over the behavior of the two, she heard a low, subdued response.
“You look beautiful tonight.”
Holy shit. Before Foster’s response to Noelle could fully sink in, she heard her name being called by the karaoke DJ.
“And now we have Lawson coming up to sing with his lovely Lee. Let’s show her some love since it’s her first time!”
“Laws,” she warned, watching him as he slid back his chair to stand.
Holding out his hand for her, he flashed her a cocky grin. “I knew you’d end up protesting every song choice I tossed out to you, so I took it upon myself to make an executive decision.” Softening his expression, he added, “Trust me.”
She slid her hand into his large grasp—his mere touch sending shivers down her spine—and let him pull her to her feet.
Exhaling a long breath, she muttered, “You’d better put out extra later on, Briggs.”
“Pffft,” he scoffed as they made their way up to the karaoke stage. “As if that was ever in doubt.” Leaning closer, he whispered in her ear, “This song choice is fitting since it’s your first time up here.”
