There was nothing like the feeling of him inside me, and even though I loved the way his tongue felt, I needed to hold him, needed him to fill me up and make me whole again.
“You’re trembling,” he finally said, and I did realize that my legs were shaking.
“Please, I need more.” I reached down and grabbed his shoulders, trying to coax him to me, but he groaned and slipped a finger deep into my channel.
“Is that what you’re craving?” His strokes felt so good that I threw my head back and moaned loudly. “Yeah, you want me to fuck you?”
“Yes.” I writhed and whimpered as he chuckled.
His finger left me, and two took its place, then a third, but they were still not as big as his cock, which I’d been craving since the car.
“Please, Cole. I want to feel it inside of me.” I felt so empty and knew he would make it all better. Perhaps that was why I’d liked these little dates of ours most, because with him, I didn’t feel like such an empty shell.
“You’re so sexy when you beg. Remember you depriving me in the car? Turning my tricks on me? I think it was a cry for wanting the same, was it not?”
“No, it’s not. It’s not. I need you inside of me. That big, sexy cock of yours filling me deep is all I crave.”
He pushed another finger in and stretched me wider. I knew that he was only making way for his cock. There was no way he’d not give me what I wanted, and until then, I’d enjoy the torture.
A moment later, the ministrations hit the right spot, and I orgasmed, soaking him to the wrist.
“Fuck, you win. I’ve got to get in that.” He rose up, wiping his chin that was wet from his service, and centered his cock between my legs. We shared a laugh at his eagerness and how quickly he’d given up.
But once he had the head of his cock pressed against me, he dragged it up and down my slit. “Or I could tease you more.”
“You wouldn’t.” I dared him, knowing full well what I was asking for, and he didn’t disappoint.
He dipped his head in just a little and then fucked me nice and slowly with it. Then he inched in deeper still, doing the same. “I’m going to make you beg for it all. How about that?”
“Please,” I said, closing my eyes. “I want it all.”
“No, one tiny please is nothing,” he said. “Beg me for more. I want to hear you scream my name when I give it to you. I want to hear you tell me that you aren’t going to stop wanting it.”
I wondered if he was trying to lead me into a committed relationship for a moment, but then he laughed and inched deeper, and I forgot all about the legalese of our non-agreement. He was so close to being completely inside me, but I knew he had one more hard push. I brought my legs around his waist and pushed his ass with my feet to bring him closer.
“No fair cheating,” he said as he sank to my depths. “You’re ruthless.”
“I’m only as ruthless as you taught me to be.” I closed my eyes, and he didn’t disagree as he pounded me harder.
After an hour and five positions, we both climaxed. He had me loving the simultaneous orgasms, and I was addicted to the way he worked me up to the big finish. It was hard to stop, but we’d both collapsed and held each other.
I lay there, not sure whether I should get up and leave, or if I was supposed to stay. When he didn’t offer any solutions, I got up and found my dress that had eventually been worked off and left on the floor.
His voice sounded in the darkness. “What would it take to get you to stay the night?”
“You’d want that?” I felt a little giddy that he’d even offer, but we had, after all, just had the best sex of my life. There was no way I’d turn him down. I wasn’t sure I ever could, and that was making me feel like I had no power at all.
He looked up at me with a thoughtful expression. “It is nice holding you. I know it would be nice to wake up with you and do this all over again.”
“But isn’t that kind of defeating the purpose of our non-arrangement?” I knew that if I stayed, I’d want to keep him and never let him go. I wasn’t sure how long I could lie to myself. I already did.
He reached out his hand and took mine. “Please? Just for tonight?”
I felt a burning ache in my chest and a slight tingle between my legs where it was already growing sore. “Who knew that I’d be the one to have you begging?” I gave him a sly smile, and his eyes burned on mine.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me back down to the bed. I tossed my dress back to the floor as he drew me closer to stretch out in front of him. “Go ahead and tease me, Jessica. You know I love a challenge.”
Chapter 21
Cole
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d woken up with a woman in my bed. I’d dated many ladies but had always called them a cab or drove them home, even if it meant insulting them. With Jessica, I had asked her to stay. I’d damn near insisted.
As I ran my hand across her bare shoulder and listened to her steady, shallow breathing, I knew I would have begged if I had to.
As she stirred, I moved closer, pressing my erect cock into her ass and kissing her shoulder. I wanted to give her something nice to wake up to and then get her good and beneath me before she could leave.
She moaned as I rubbed against her, and then she turned, rolling to her back with a look of panic on her face. “I have to call Leslie.”
“It’s still early. I’m sure they’re asleep.”
She moved to the edge of the bed and sat up. “You don’t know my son. He’s up at the crack of dawn. He’ll be wondering where I am.”
I moved closer and brought my arm around her hips, resting my hand between her legs as I kissed her hipbones.
She moaned but slapped my hand. “Stop it; the phone is ringing.”
“They’re still sleeping,” I said, continuing to make my moves.
“Hey, Leslie.” Her hand slapped mine, and I pulled away and rolled over as she got to her feet. “What?” She stopped in the middle of my bedroom and looked up at me with wide eyes.
I was lying on the bed with my cock in my hand and slowly stroking it. But that wasn’t what she was so surprised about.
“Who left the gate open? Broken? And you’re sure he’s gone?” Panic set in her eyes, and for a moment, I thought that her son had wandered off again. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to think with the kid already running off at the fair.
“Stupid dog,” she mumbled. “Is Camden all right?”
I sat up and moved to the edge of the bed to figure out what was going on, but Jessica gave me a hard look and then moved to get her dress from the floor.
Once I saw she was getting dressed, I went ahead and got up too. The morning wasn’t going as well as I expected, and I knew if something horrible had happened at home, it was as good as over for us. She’d never forgive herself for leaving them all alone, and her first night with me would be her last.
“I’m on my way. I knew I shouldn’t have stayed.” She took a deep breath. “No, Leslie, it’s not your fault. It’s mine. I’ll be home in twenty.” She dropped the phone on my bed and stepped into her dress, which she pulled up and then reached back to zip. I walked over and swatted her hands away and did it up for her.
“The dog got out?”
“Yes, the damned gate is broken, which is no surprise. It’s not the only damned thing falling apart around there. Leslie said that Cam put him out and the dog just beelined for the fence and took off.”
“We’ll find him.” I wasn’t going to leave her alone in all of this. I’d help her look for the dog and then maybe take the family out for lunch after. The dog couldn’t have gotten too far.
She stepped away to get her shoes and slipped them on. “You don’t have to do anything. I’ll be fine. Cam and I will go out in the neighborhood, and surely, someone’s found him. He’s a friendly dog.”
I walked over to close the distance and give her a bit of comfort, but when I touched her, she pulled away. “I bet he’s back
home before we get there.”
“Don’t. Don’t you get it? If I had been home, I would have been there to make sure this didn’t happen. Max is a part of the family. He means everything to my son and me, and I don’t know what I will do if something happened to him.”
“Hey, he’s fine, okay? We’ll find him.” I wanted to comfort her so badly, but she had already made me the enemy.
“I should have never let you talk me into staying. I’m a mother, and this is precisely why I don’t date. I have responsibilities, and I shouldn’t be laid up in bed with a man I barely know for nothing more than sexual gratification.”
“Ah, I see. Non-arrangements and no dating. That’s what you’re going to stick with, right?” I had really started to like her and for one foolish moment felt like she might be the one. But this? This sealed it for me. She really didn’t want anything more than an arrangement and would never be more than someone to warm my bed. And now, because of some dog, she wouldn’t even be that.
I tried not to be so upset and hoped that her temper would pass when she calmed down. “Let me at least take you home and look for the dog.” I found a pair of jeans and held them, then went to the closet for a shirt.
She let out a long breath. “Suit yourself. But I’m telling my son that we had to work. I don’t want him to think there is anything going on with us. I can’t have strange men going in and out of his life. It’s bad enough I’ve allowed too much to happen already.”
So now, I was back to being a strange man? I guessed I’d been called worse, but the words were insulting just the same. “If that’s how you truly feel.”
“It is. Now, will you please put on some pants and take me home?”
I stepped into my pants and then slipped my shirt over my head. I hadn’t planned on things going so far south, but she’d pretty much killed any chance with us already.
Once I slipped on my shoes, I took her to the car and drove as fast as legally possible to her house, making sure to roll through a few stop signs just to get her there quicker.
With Pal’s diner nearby, she wasn’t in a terrible part of town, nothing compared to the slum I was from. Being in the area made me think of the last time I’d come down here, just a few nights after Mickey Carson had given me the beating of my life. She deserved better than this, but I knew it was probably hard for her being a single mom and having to take care of things like broken fences all alone.
“Here, it’s this one.” We stopped in front of a simple home that seemed well-kept enough for the fact that she didn’t have a man around since her husband’s death, but I did see a few things that needed doing, and I was going to make sure they got done, starting with mending the broken fence.
Before I could shut off the car, she had her door opened and closed and hurried around the front to her walkway that needed a good weeding.
I got out and hurried to catch up while a pretty redhead walked out with Camden, who was crying. “I’m sorry, Mama.”
“It’s okay, baby.” She pulled him into her arms, and they stayed that way for a moment while the redhead, who I assumed was Leslie, gave me the onceover.
“Have you checked with the neighbors?” I asked.
“Just the man next door, and he hasn’t seen him. He also answered the door with no pants, so, yeah, not going back over there.”
I narrowed my eyes and decided that little tidbit of info was more than I needed to concern myself with. “I’ll go down the street and see if anyone’s found him.”
“You don’t have to do that,” said Jessica. “This neighborhood isn’t the safest, and at least I know these people enough to ask. You might want to get that shiny car out of here before it’s stolen.”
I wasn’t leaving until I knew she had her dog back, and I wasn’t about to let her walk the streets alone. “Thanks, but I know this area.”
The women exchanged a look like they doubted it, and before I could explain, Camden stepped forward. “Could I go with him, Mama?”
“Absolutely not. I’m not having you go out in this neighborhood with anyone. I will go, and you and Leslie stay here in case he’s returned.”
I looked at her, and she made sure to look everywhere but at me as she headed down the walk. I looked at Leslie, who gave me an apologetic look, followed by a shrug, and then I took off after her.
“Has he gotten away before?” I asked as we walked down the sidwalk.
“No. Never.”
“Do you ever take him for walks?”
She let out a short breath. “Yes, I take him for walks now and then. Are you insinuating that I don’t take care of my dog?” Her tone was clipped, and I knew this was going to be a long search.
“I just thought that if you did, we might know the areas he’s familiar with.”
“He’s not that familiar with things around here. I mean, me and my son don’t go walking these streets. We’re not exactly in a nice neighborhood. I take him a few houses down, but never even this far.”
As we walked farther down the street, the familiar smells of Cheeks’s cooking filled the air. “Do you smell that?”
She lifted her nose to the air. “I’m not sure I want to.”
I shook my head. “It’s Pal’s Diner. I used to work there. It’s right on the corner.”
“I know where Pal’s is. You worked there?” She gave a short laugh.
“Yes, in college, but that’s not my point. If we can smell the food, I’d bet you my billions Max did too. And if I know Cheeks, the cook, he is probably making a new friend.”
I hurried down the walk, and she quickened her pace to follow. I rounded the corner and then took the next walk down to the end to approach Pal’s from behind. When we finally got to the alley, there was a beautiful golden retriever sitting on the back step, panting while an old scrawny man filled a bowl of water.
“Max!” shouted Jessica. The dog’s tail began to wag, and Cheeks looked up as we approached.
Max hurried over to Jessica’s side, and I walked up and put my hand out. “Still feeding the strays, I see.”
“You were my favorite stray, for the record, Cole. What the hell are you doing back here? You know this dog?”
“This is Max. He belongs to my friend, here. This is Jessica. Jessica, this is Cheeks. He’s the cook here at Pal’s.”
Jessica gave him a warm smile. “I eat here all the time. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’ve seen you around,” said Cheeks. “I stay in the back mostly, but I keep my eyes on the front. It gets lonely standing over that grill.”
I remembered how he knew everything going on out front, even more than Vinny. “How’s Vinny doing?”
“He’s off today, but he’s good.”
“He’s actually taking a day off?”
Cheeks nodded. “The blood pressure’s getting him down. He’s supposed to take it easy, but that’s killing him. You two should come in for a bite of breakfast.”
“Thanks, but we should be going. It was good to see you again, and thanks for looking out for Max. He escaped the backyard.”
“If he goes missing again, you’ll know where to find him. I gave him a bite of our pan sausage, ma’am. I hope you don’t mind.”
“It was very kind of you, thanks. But I should get him home.” She gave Cheeks another thankful smile and then started away with Max, who she held by the collar.
“Don’t be a stranger,” said Cheeks as he opened the back door.
“I’ll pop in for lunch one day. Hopefully, I can see Vinny too.” With another nod, we said our farewells, and I caught up with Jessica and the dog.
She didn’t say anything to me until we got back to the house.
“Max!” screamed Cam. He ran over and hugged his dog, who licked his face in return.
“Take him inside, Cam. Give him some water.”
Leslie smiled at me. “Thank you for your help.” Then she turned and took the boy and the dog in the house.
Jessica spun around and looked at
the ground. “This can’t happen again. I appreciate your persistence and patience with me, but as I said from the start, I don’t date, and things like this, well, it’s why. I have to look out for my son and my family.” When she was done talking, she looked up at me.
“I understand. We’ll keep things strictly professional if you like.” I knew it wasn’t what I wanted when I said it, but I wanted to make her happy and had to respect whatever she requested.
“That would be for the best.” She turned and walked into the house and shut the door behind her. I went to the car with an ache of emptiness in my chest and just enough anger to keep me walking away.
Chapter 22
Jessica
I sat in my small office, which had only gotten smaller with the addition of my personal things and pictures of Camden lining my desk and walls, and I made a few updates to the website. I had finally gotten it just the way I wanted it and added a few more recent photos to the gallery, which I hoped would still be there when I hit the button to save and publish.
A soft knock brought my head up. “Come in.” Not expecting any visitors, I wasn’t sure who it would be.
Tanner stuck his head in the door and then stepped inside. “How are things going with the site?”
“They’re good,” I said, gesturing to the computer. “I was just publishing some new content.”
Tanner walked over and leaned on my desk. “From what I’ve heard, you’re really doing a great job, and I really hope you’re still liking the job.”
“I do. It’s right up my alley. I never thought I’d find a way to make a living at it, but new doors open in the industry every day.”
He smiled and then pushed away from my desk. “Yes, they certainly do. I just wanted to let you know that Cole wanted to see you in his office.”
I sat up a little straighter. I hadn’t talked to him in two weeks, since he’d helped me find Max, and while I knew he was respecting my wishes, I had to admit I missed him. I’d barely seen him in the halls, and I knew it was a deliberate move on his part. I wondered if he missed me, too.
Made for Me Page 14
