by Maya Banks
As her orgasm subsided, she whimpered at Dillon’s thrusts over her hypersensitive flesh.
“Shhh, baby,” he soothed, but he let up and thrust more gently even in the throes of his own orgasm.
He leaned into her and worked slowly in and out, taking care not to hurt her. He shuddered one last time and held himself inside her as his hands wandered over her body, touching, petting and caressing.
And then he eased away, and she all but collapsed over the couch, her body heaving with exertion.
Michael smoothed the hair away from her face and bent to kiss her cheek, smooching gently up to her ear. Then he gathered her in his arms and picked her up, swinging around to walk toward the bathroom.
“Why don’t you take a soaking bath or a hot shower while we cook dinner,” he said as he kissed her forehead.
She snuggled into his arms for a moment before allowing herself to slide down until her feet hit the floor.
“I’ll just take a quick shower,” she said in a slurry voice. “If I get into the tub, I’ll be asleep in two minutes.”
Michael smiled. “Okay, then. Take your time. We’ll be in the kitchen.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lily lingered in the shower and turned the water cool so that it would rid her of the lingering heat still simmering through her veins. She was deliciously sore, and she could still feel the imprint of their hands on her body.
Her pussy throbbed and pulsed, and her clit was so hypersensitive that even brushing a washcloth over it sent shards of aftershocks through her groin.
She leaned against the wall and let the water rain down over her head and back as she took deep, steadying breaths to ease some of the tension coiled in her muscles.
When the water grew too cool for her to bear, she stepped shivering from the shower and quickly wrapped herself in a towel to warm up.
She towel dried her hair and ran a comb through the curls until they held some semblance of order. Then she quickly dressed, eager to return to Michael and Dillon.
As she walked into the kitchen, she inhaled the aroma of cooking food and her mouth watered.
“It smells great. What are we having?” she asked as she slid onto a barstool beside Michael.
“Spaghetti,” Dillon said. “Not too fancy, but I was later getting home than I wanted. This is something that’s quick to whip up.”
“Mmm, it smells yum and I’m starving,” she admitted. “Michael promised me food. He said nothing about me having to service him.”
She worked to keep the betraying grin from her face as Michael turned his heated gaze on her.
“Servicing me. I like the sound of that. Maybe I should make a rule that you have to service me at varying intervals of the day.”
Dillon snorted. “You’ll wear her out.”
“On the contrary. I have a feeling she’d have me exhausted inside of a day,” Michael teased.
“And when do I get serviced?” she asked innocently.
Dillon’s gaze smoldered. “Any damn time you want, sweetness. I’m at your beck and call any time you find yourself in need.”
She’d have to be dead not to respond to that. Her nipples tightened all over again and desire that she’d thought completely satisfied pooled in her belly and swelled outward at alarming speed.
Dillon finally dropped his gaze and pulled out a noodle from the pot of boiling water to test it. Then he picked up the pot and went to the sink to pour it into the colander.
“Seth called earlier to say he’d be in tonight,” Dillon said.
“Oh that’s wonderful!” Lily exclaimed. “I think I’ll stay up for him. Did he say when he’d get in? And did he get everything settled in Denver?”
She hadn’t realized how anxious she sounded until Michael slid his hand over her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.
Dillon smiled as he piled three plates high with spaghetti and ladled the thick sauce over the top.
“It’ll be after supper sometime. He was leaving as I left the pub. He didn’t have much stuff to move so he’s dragging a trailer with his truck. He said he gave notice and gave his landlord the keys, so it looks like he’ll be back for good.”
Lily clapped her hands together in delight, joy and such deep contentment squeezing her heart.
“I’m so glad. Now we can all be together.”
Michael and Dillon exchanged smiles. “Yeah, sweetness. We’ll all be together now,” Dillon said.
It was late when Seth pulled into Dillon’s drive. He parked way over to the side and didn’t even bother unhooking the trailer. He was tired and more than a little eager to see Lily after being gone for three days.
He got out and headed toward the front door. The outside light had been left on for him, but the interior looked dark. Disappointment gripped him at the thought of her being asleep already.
He let himself into the living room and quietly closed the door behind him. A lamp burned in the corner and it was there in the soft illumination that he saw Lily curled on the couch, her head resting softly on the arm.
He smiled. She’d waited up for him but had fallen asleep.
Tenderness filled him as he walked slowly in her direction. For a long moment, he stood over her, simply watching the slight rise and fall of her chest.
Then as if sensing his presence, she stirred and opened her eyes. Her smile was immediate and warmed him through. Her face lit up, and she shot to her feet before he could put out a hand to stop her.
She threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” she whispered. “I missed you so much.”
He gathered her in his arms and just held her, enjoying the feel of her against his body. He kissed the top of her head and laid his cheek against her hair.
“I missed you too, baby.”
To his utter surprise, she pulled away and then leaned up to take his mouth in a fierce, possessive kiss. Her mouth was hot and wet against his and then moved to kiss a path down his jaw and to his neck.
She sank her teeth into the column of his neck and nibbled her way further down his chest. She tore impatiently at his shirt as if she couldn’t wait to touch him.
“Take your clothes off,” she urged in a husky, passion-filled voice. “Hurry.”
He was already hard—painfully so, and he wasted no time shucking his shoes, pants and shirt. Before he could reach for his underwear, she was there, sliding her hands into the waistband and pulling downward to free his cock.
Her hands closed around his length and then her mouth, hot and lush, covered the head, sucking him deep.
He slid his hand into her hair to steady himself. His knees shook so badly that it was a wonder he didn’t hit the floor.
She sank onto the couch, pulling his hips forward so he remained in her mouth. He leaned, propping his hands on the back of the sofa to brace himself, forcing her back.
“Damn,” he murmured. “If this is the kind of homecoming I can look forward to, I’m going to make it a point to leave more often.”
Her hands were everywhere, over his ass, stroking down his sides then back to cup his behind, squeezing and kneading as she sucked him with her wicked mouth.
“Do you have a condom on you?” she asked hoarsely around his cock.
“Back pocket,” he managed to grind out.
She left him long enough to retrieve the condom from his jeans and then she pushed him down to the couch. He sprawled against the cushions, his legs splayed out and his cock so erect that it lay back toward his belly.
She yanked off the long T-shirt she wore and to his delight, she didn’t have on a stitch underneath. His gaze was riveted to her small, curvy body, rounded hips and plump small breasts that just begged for his mouth.
She tossed him the condom, and he wasted no time tearing it open and rolling it over his dick. As soon as he was done, she crawled onto the couch and straddled his thighs. Using his shoulders for leverage, she lifted herself then reached down to guide
his cock to her pussy.
There was no light tease, no work up to the big moment. She took him hard and fast, and he was inside her so quickly that he momentarily lost awareness of everything but her liquid heat surrounding him and gripping him like a fist.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and began to ride him, squeezing him like she was eager to take him into every part of her being.
“You’re going to have to slow down,” he gasped. “I’m not going to last long like this, and I want it to be good for you.”
“You’re good for me,” she said as she dipped her head to fuse her mouth to his.
He slid his body forward so that she could straddle him more effectively, her feet reaching toward the floor. The movement sent him deeper and they both gasped at the exquisite fullness.
“Damn it, Lily, I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You need to worry that I’m going to hurt you,” she murmured.
She fisted the hair at his nape in her hand and yanked him to her, taking him with savage abandon. She was hungry and wild, her pussy clutching desperately at him with each thrust.
He laughed, the sound light in the air. “Hurt me. Please. Have your evil way with me. I won’t complain. I swear. I’m yours.”
“Oh yes, you’re mine,” she breathed. “All mine.”
She twisted above him, taking him whole as she bucked over his hips. She threw back her head, her breathing coming in harsh, ragged spurts.
With one hand on his shoulder, she slid her other hand between them, her fingers finding her clit.
“Last one there is a rotten egg.” She looked at him, her eyes glittering with intense arousal.
He gripped her hips and ground her downward. It was fast, and she was slick. His worry of hurting her disappeared as she met him thrust for thrust.
Her fingers slid rapidly over her clit and she tightened around him.
“Oh no you don’t,” he muttered.
Her throaty laugh flowed over his skin, frying every one of his nerve endings. He felt her in the deepest part of himself. With a shout, he surged upward, just as she let out an intense cry of her own.
His released exploded from his groin, so fast and so furious that he lost focus. He acted instinctively, taking her, owning her in the most primitive way a man could own a woman.
But it was her doing the possessing. She had his heart in her hands. She owned his soul.
He arched one last time. Her hands flew to his shoulders and her fingers dug painfully into his skin as her body shook and trembled violently over him. Then he gathered her tight in his arms and collapsed back against the couch. They were sprawled, a tangle of bodies and arms and legs, and he struggled to catch his breath.
“I think we have to call that one a tie,” he said raggedly.
She smiled against his neck and then kissed his pulse point. “I’m good with that.”
“Thank God. I’d hate to think we had to call a do-over. You damn near killed me,” he groaned.
Her body shook with laughter but neither made an effort to move.
Finally she lifted her head so that she could look into his eyes. “I missed you.”
He was suddenly so overwhelmed by the depth of his feelings for this woman. The days he’d been away all came to this. Her back in his arms. There was such a sense of rightness and belonging that he found the words tumbling out.
“I love you, Lily.”
Her eyes widened but joy burst into her expression with the radiance of a Colorado sunrise over the mountains. If he lived to be a hundred, he’d never forget the shine in her eyes as she stared wordlessly back at him.
It hadn’t come out the way he wanted. He would have preferred a moment where he could better put to words his feelings and his utter contentment. But there it was, in the aftermath of the best sex he’d had in his life. His woman in his arms, warm and sweaty from loving. Maybe there was no better time than right here and right now.
“Oh Seth,” she whispered.
She hugged him to her, holding on for all she was worth. Her heart beat wildly against his chest, and she squeezed. He could feel the emotion boiling within her as she struggled to maintain her composure. For some reason that satisfied him all the more.
She didn’t return the words, and he wasn’t threatened by that. He knew they had a lot to work through. It was enough that he’d offered her the gift of himself. In time she’d come to trust in that offering and she’d return it in full measure.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Lily! I’m so glad to see you,” Holly exclaimed as she opened the door.
Lily smiled, now quite used to the other woman’s exuberant hugs.
“Come in, come in. Hello, son,” Holly said as she gave Seth a kiss on the cheek. “Your fathers are waiting for you out in the barn. They need help rounding up the stuff they’re taking to Michael’s to start work on his house.”
“I know when I’ve been dismissed,” Seth said with a grin. He bent to kiss Lily. “We’ll probably be gone all day. Dillon’s going to meet us out there after the lunch crowd dies down at the pub.”
“Oh, I’ll take good care of her,” Holly said.
“Where’s Callie?” Lily asked after Seth had left.
“She’s still sleeping. She didn’t get off work until after two this morning. I try to let her sleep as long as she will. It’s not good for her to keep running on only a few hours of sleep a night,” Holly said with a frown.
Lily took a deep breath and worked up the nerve to ask Holly, “Would you happen to have a notebook or blank paper and maybe some colored pencils? Or even just a pencil would do.”
Holly looked curiously at her. “Oh, I’m sure we do. I still have a ton of stuff left over from when the boys and Callie were children. The guys tease me about never throwing away anything, but I figure one day I’ll have grandchildren and all that stuff will come in handy.”
Lily flinched and hoped that Holly didn’t hear her quick intake of air.
“I’d love whatever you have,” she said softly.
“Have a seat and give me a minute. I have it all boxed up in one of the storage closets.”
Holly hurried away and Lily sank onto one of the couches in the spacious living room. All around her were signs of the big, boisterous family. Pictures—tons of them—all laughing. Surrounded by big smiles and loving gazes. Everyone looked so happy. She wanted that. Now more than ever.
And then she smiled because she was happy. Seth loved her. Michael and Dillon wanted her. She wanted them. It was okay to be happy. Her grin grew broader until her cheeks hurt from the sudden attack.
Not only did she have three wonderful, delicious men, but she had a large, close-knit family who seemed to think nothing of pitching in when they were needed
That was what families were all about. They didn’t bail at the first sign of adversity and they didn’t place blame.
After a few minutes in which Lily sank back on the couch and hugged her newfound knowledge to her like an overstuffed teddy bear, Holly came back in carrying an armful of papers, notebooks, art books and a box full of colored pencils, crayons and markers.
She dumped them onto the coffee table in front of Lily and said, “It’s all yours.”
Lily latched onto a large tablet of blank paper. A child’s art book. But it was perfect for what she wanted. Then she grabbed a handful of the colored pencils, examining the points of each.
“Would you mind too much if I walked down to Callie’s Meadow?” Lily asked. “There’s a surprise I want to do for Callie.”
It was obvious that Holly was dying to ask at least a dozen questions, but instead she smiled and said, “Of course. You know the way. Just don’t be gone too long. I’ll have lunch ready for when Callie gets up.”
Lily raised her eyebrow.
Holly frowned ferociously. “Okay, okay, so Ryan made lunch and left it for me to warm up.”
Lily laughed and then Holly joined in.
“One would think
after thirty-plus years I’d learn to cook, but I think my husbands are determined for it to never happen. They’re too afraid I’ll either burn the house down or poison someone.”
“I like cooking. I was pretty good at it.”
“Oh, then you and Dillon should have fun. That boy loves to create new masterpieces as he calls them. He’s always experimenting and putting new things on the menu at the pub. The locals love to go in to try out his new recipes.”
Lily gathered her stuff and rose from the couch. “I won’t be long.”
Holly smiled. “Be careful.”
Lily stepped outside into the sunshine. Though just days earlier the ground had been covered by a layer of snow, now it was as if spring had always been here. Flowers bloomed along the stone path that spiraled down the Colter property and the trees were leafing out. Some of the flowering species already had buds that were opening.
When she topped a slight rise that overlooked the meadow, she stopped and sat on a large boulder just off the pathway. The view was simply perfect, and the meadow spread out before her, covered in wildflowers. The mountain peaks jutted upward on all sides, still snowcapped against the bright blue sky.
For a long time she simply stared, absorbing the peace and beauty that seemed to cover the entire landscape. Then she began to draw.
She was totally ensconced in her creation. From time to time she would pause and mutter under her breath and then frown when a line didn’t look just so. She paid careful attention to color, blending when she didn’t have the one she needed.
Her back ached, but she continued on. Once started, she couldn’t stop. It was a compulsion. Her fingers felt alive. She was energized has her hand flew across the page.
Her wrist was stiff and her fingers had curled rigidly around the pencils, and still she continued on, in pursuit of perfection.
The sun had started to fade over the horizon when she heard her name carried on the wind. She straightened and nearly fell over when every muscle in her body screamed in protest.
