by Dylann Crush
“Just a little dizzy, honey.”
I took her hand and helped her to the table. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. I was going to take my vitamins and as I stood at the sink, I just got a little lightheaded. I’m sure it’s blood sugar or something. Nothing you need to worry about.”
Mom might want to pass it off as something simple, but I knew better. Even if the doc hadn’t been able to find anything, something was going on.
“What can I do to help?”
“Oh honey, I don’t want you to worry about me. You’ve got your own things going on. All those jobs coming up. Although…” She paused and slid her hand over mine.
“What, Mom?”
“It’s just been so nice having you around. Not having to worry about things for a while. It sure has eased my mind.”
“I’m here for you. Even if I’m out in California, I can still find a way to pitch in. I’ll hire someone to do the lawn and come in to help take care of the house.”
Mom’s nose wrinkled. “I just don’t like strangers around.”
“Well, I’m not a stranger and I’m here now. Everything going on out in California comes second. I’ll stay as long as you need me.”
Her eyes sparkled, and I got a little kick out of bringing a moment of happiness into her life. “I don’t want to come in the way of your job.”
“You’re not. Being back here has made me realize something.”
“What?” She leaned toward me.
“Just that I missed y’all. Yeah, California is great. The weather sure is better. But it’s nice to be around people who like me for who I am.”
Mom’s hand rubbed mine. “Your nephew’s glad you’re back.”
I stifled a grin. “I’m not so sure about that. Or at least he might not be once we get started on that job tomorrow.”
“What you’re doing for him, and for Liam, it’s going to make a big difference for both of them.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re being a role model. Neither one of those boys has a father-figure in their lives. Your dad was a bit of a crackerjack, but at least he was around.”
I considered that statement. Crackerjack didn’t begin to describe my dad. Most folks thought he was nuts. He’d been obsessed with the caves on our land, always telling people that some of Jesse James’s long lost treasure was hidden somewhere underground. Didn’t matter that people called him a loony tune. He believed in that legend with all of his heart. And Scarlett had seemed to catch that bug, too.
“Yeah, I don’t know that I’m ready to be a role model.”
“Of course you are. Rodney and Liam will be lucky to have you. Everything that happened all that time ago”—Mom shook her head—“I didn’t realize how much it affected you.”
“It’s okay, Mom. I’m over it.”
“Are you?” Her gaze drilled into me, the softness around her eyes pulling at the bound up bundle of memories I’d managed to suppress all this time. “Talking to Rob might help.”
“Yeah.” I stood, needing to step away for a moment. My efforts at soothing my mom had suddenly turned into a deep dive into my own personal hell. “I need to get that over with.”
“You’ll find the right time.” Mom stood from the table and scooted her chair in. “I forgot to ask. Did you have a good time at the carnival?”
I cleared my throat. “Yeah. It was fun.”
“Was Harmony there?”
Her question appeared innocent on the front end, but she’d loaded it with meaning. I knew enough about my mom to know that she had a way of getting the answers she wanted even without coming right out and asking.
“Yeah, I saw her and Liam.”
“Mmm hmm.” Mom moved back to the sink to fill a glass with water. “She seems like good people.”
Good people. That was her way of giving her approval. Not that I needed it. Not that I wanted it. “Yeah, I’ll be glad when she has a space of her own.”
“What you’re doing for her, honey, that makes you good people, too.”
Good people. The last thing I felt like was good people. I might be working on a build out for her for a few weeks, but I was getting plenty in return. Free physical therapy for my shoulder. Plus free physical therapy for the hard-on I always seemed to have when Harmony came around.
Heat pricked my cheeks. I dismissed the thought and turned my attention toward my mom. “You feeling better?”
“I sure am. I’m headed to bed. Early day tomorrow. I need to run into the office and wrap things up.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m perfectly capable of driving myself.”
“I know. That’s why I’m offering.”
She wrapped her arms around me to pull me into a hug. “Did I tell you how much I love having you around?”
“Only about every five minutes.” I smiled and kissed her forehead.
After Mom went to bed, I couldn’t decide whether to head to the trailer and crash or take another crack at the engine I’d been piecing back together in the garage. Neither option held much interest. The only thing I wanted to do in that moment was bury myself in Harmony’s arms. I’d grown too used to our nightly get-togethers. So instead of drowning my sorrows in a beer or aimlessly flipping through the cable channels, I went out to the truck.
We hadn’t made plans, so I wasn’t sure what I’d find when I got to Harmony’s place. When I pulled into the drive, all the lights blazed in the front room. With any luck Liam would be in bed so we’d have a chance to talk…or maybe even more.
Before I could reach the door, it opened. Harmony stood in the doorway, the light from the living room glowing behind her.
“What are you doing here?” She had on a nightshirt with some sort of blobs of color on it.
I focused on the green blob centered between her breasts. “Couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to leave things weird between us.”
“Weird, huh? Is that how they are?” She shifted her stance and the light behind her filtered through her nightgown.
“Feels weird.” I moved closer, my feet crunching on the gravel as I approached. “Doesn’t it feel weird to you?”
“I don’t know. With all those new vocabulary words you’re picking up, I’d think you could come up with something more interesting than weird.”
I grinned. Teasing was a good sign. “You’re absolutely right. Weird is too simple a way to describe the complex situation going on between us. Things have felt a bit anomalistic.”
“Oooh. Have you used that in a sentence before?” She leaned against the door frame. Her hair was down, all messed up and sexy. Begging for my fingers to comb through it.
But not yet. It was time for sucking up, not time for sucking…damn… “First time.”
“Well, keep practicing. You know what they say…” Her words drifted off as I moved even closer.
“What’s that?” My whisper landed in her hair.
“About practice?”
“Yeah.” I leaned down to nibble her ear lobe. She smelled like sunshine and blue summer skies.
“That practice makes perfect?” Her arms snaked up around my neck.
“Right.” I ran a hand over the back of her nightshirt, feeling her ribs through the flimsy cotton material. “Where’s Liam?”
She aligned her body with mine. “Stayed in town tonight. He’s spending the night with a friend.”
“Really?” My cock practically wept at this news. “All night?”
“All night,” she confirmed. “Are things still weird, or have we made up yet?”
I put my hands on her hips and backed her against the door. “I vote yes. Now can we have make-up sex?”
She palmed the front of my jeans, running her hand over the line of my hard-on. “Are you going to come inside?”
“Hell, I’m ready to come anywhere you want. Inside, outside, upside down.” I might joke about it, but the meaning of her question definitely wasn’t lo
st on me. Hesitating, I dipped down to meet her mouth with mine. She tasted like strawberries, sweet and addictive. Was I ready to take that next step? To start facing the demons of my past?
Harmony didn’t push, just stood there kissing me, doing her best to work me over through a thick layer of denim. The kissing, the stroking, the feel of her breasts pushing up against my chest…I wanted her. I always seemed to want her.
I picked her up, and carried her into the living room. “Where’s your bed?”
She laughed and pointed to the back of the house. Made sense she would have taken over the master. At least that was one room in the house I’d never spent any time in. I ignored the rising panic in my gut, the way my shoulders tensed at the sight of Jeff’s picture on the wall. Instead, I focused on Harmony. The way her lips skimmed my cheek, the way she felt like nothing in my arms, the way her nightshirt slid up her backside, allowing me to cup her gorgeous ass with my hand.
Down the hall and into the master bedroom. I let her fall to the bed, then I followed. The only light coming in from the window was from the huge motion-sensing lantern that hung over the outbuilding. We melded together, a tangle of limbs and lips. Her mouth trailed over my neck, leaving heat and a deep need to have her in its wake. I wriggled out of my jeans, once again grateful I didn’t have boxers or briefs to contend with. She straddled me. I could feel her wet heat through her panties. She bent over me, running her hands down my chest. The feel of her fingers made me throb, aching for more. With her on top, there wasn’t much I could do.
I wanted to touch her, slide my fingers through her slick heat. She leaned down, kissing her way over my stomach, not stopping until she got to my cock. I hissed as she rimmed the head with her tongue then took me into her mouth. We hadn’t crossed this bridge yet, though the thought had crossed my mind. Multiple times.
I tried to relax as she took me deeper. Heat surrounded me. Her lips slid up and down, priming me, pushing and pulling me to my release. I held back, wanting to extend it as long as I could. Her hair tickled my thighs, her finger traced around my balls, but nothing could distract me from the momentum building inside. I tapped on her shoulder, straining to maintain control.
“I’m close. You want me to…” Fuck. Any ability to speak was obliterated when she took me deep into her throat. Her tongue, her lips, I couldn’t make out one sensation from the next. She literally fucked me with her mouth, taking me deeper and deeper each time. My hips thrust, so close, so fucking close.
Then I was gone. My hips bucked one last time before settling back on the bed. Harmony held on, sucking me off until the last tremors left me.
“What the fuck was that?” I managed.
She looked up at me, a sexy smile on her lips. “You liked it?”
“Like isn’t a strong enough word, baby.” I wasn’t willing to say the “L” word. I’d never said that to a woman, not even about giving head, and I wasn’t about to start now.
“Use your big words. You know how much they turn me on.” She snuggled up next to me, her damn nightshirt still in place.
“Get naked and I’ll give you something big.”
She snort-laughed at me.
“What?”
“You’re not supposed to call yourself big.”
“Why not? It’s not exactly small.”
“You’re right. It’s huge, gargantuan. Epic in proportion.”
I snugged her closer to me, trailing a finger from her belly button to her breast bone. “Are you mocking me?”
“Maybe just a little?”
Groaning, I nudged my head down her stomach, sliding her panties off her legs. Hovering on my elbows, I took her in, splayed in front of me like a damn dessert buffet. But where to start? I licked my way up her leg. She started to giggle. In the many nights we’d spent together, I’d learned her inner thighs were a playground where I could make her squirm since she was so ticklish.
She tried to swat my hands away as she laughed. But I persisted, trailing my tongue up her leg, nudging her thighs apart until she spread open before me. Then I wet my lips and dove in.
27
Harmony
Holy shit. Holiest of shits. The man’s tongue could win an Olympic medal. I’d been ready to go since taking him in my mouth. Seeing how turned on he got, how crazed I could make him, was the best kind of foreplay I’d ever known. And now, he had me hovering on the edge of something so big, so huge, so gargantuan, all I could do was brace myself for the impending impact.
It started slow, a flare, sparking a burn that coiled through my core. As he nipped and licked and used his fingers in the most creative way, it spread. Then he sucked. Hard. And I exploded. Tremors rocked through me. Stars sparked across my eyelids. I clenched my eyes shut, concentrating on following that feeling wherever it would take me.
“Oh, Dustin. Right there. Just like that.”
He didn’t let up, didn’t give me any relief until the waves crashing over me subsided.
“You okay?” he asked, climbing up my body from between my thighs.
“Yes. I think so. But you may have broken my vagina.”
His mouth dropped open. “What?”
“I don’t think it’s going to work the same after this. It’s done. Nothing can top that. Wrap it up, stick a fork in it.” I put my arm under my head so I could see him better. “I mean, not a literal fork.”
“Yeah, I figured that. But we can’t have you shut down for good. What am I supposed to do?”
My shoulders lifted in a semi-shrug. “You’ll have to take matters into your own hands. You’ve ruined it. You’ve totally shut down my vagina.”
He blew a raspberry into my belly button. “I’ll send a repair crew in. We’ll get you back up and running in no time.”
“There’s a forty-eight hour waiting period. It needs to rest.” I ran my free hand through his hair as he nestled his cheek onto my stomach. His whiskers scratched against my skin, making my afterglow that much glowier.
“That’s all right. I’ll be busy with the boys tomorrow anyway. I’ll probably be too worn out tomorrow night to want to play in your gorgeous vagina.”
“Forty-eight hours.” I sighed, relishing the feel of his weight, of not being alone in my bed. I hadn’t had a man in my bed for a long time.
“Do you want me to leave?” His fingers traced circles around my navel. The rough pad of his finger reminded me this man worked with his hands. He wasn’t mine to have and to hold.
“No. Can you stay tonight?” I was almost afraid to ask. We’d shared plenty of sexy times on the dock and in the tall grass and even once or twice in the bed of his truck. But this, him being in the house, had to be hard for him. It was easy to overlook that in a moment of passion, but now that we’d both floated back down to reality, would he want to stay?
“Yeah.” He bit his lip, suddenly looking like a much younger version of himself. The way his brow furrowed, worry lines creasing his forehead, told me more than he could with words.
“Then get up here.” I put my arms under his armpits and tried to tug him closer.
He obliged, kissing his way up my body until he reached my mouth.
I tugged my nightshirt down, covering myself up.
“What the hell is on your shirt by the way?”
“Oh, it’s my chakra nightshirt. The different circles represent the seven different chakras of the body.” I touched the purple circle at the top. “This one’s the crown chakra, the purple one.”
He put his hand next to mine. The heat from his touch seared my skin through the flimsy cotton. “What’s the green one? I like the green one best.” His fingers slid to the green circle, centered between my breasts.
My breath hitched as he traced the edges of the circle, moving back and forth from one breast to the other. “That’s the heart chakra. It represents love. It’s my favorite too, since green is my favorite color.”
He lowered his head, kissing the center of my heart chakra. “Nice shirt, now take it off
.”
I laughed. “What are you talking about?”
“I mean, if we’re going to do this, we’re sleeping naked.” He worked my nightshirt up, sliding it over my head, then tossing it aside. Then he pulled me into his side, spooning my back with his front. “So is your shirt more of that woo-woo shit?”
“It’s a little woo-woo. Do you not like it when I talk about woo-woo stuff?”
His fingers moved my hair off my shoulder and he snuggled his neck in that spot instead. “I like your woo-woo.”
My heart glowed. Some people found the woo-woo side of me hard to take. But it was a part of me, and I wasn’t willing to change myself for anyone—at least not any more. What he saw would be what he got.
“Good.” I wrapped my hands around the arm he’d flung over me. “What else do you like about me?”
His lips played along the shell of my ear. “I like that you’re a horrible waitress.”
“Horrible is a strong term.”
“Strong, but surprisingly accurate.”
“Fine. Anything else?”
“Hmm.” His whiskers tickled my neck, reminding me how they’d tickled my inner thigh as he performed that amazing homage to my lady parts. “I really like your vagina.”
“Even if it’s broken?”
“I’m going to nurse it back to health. A little massage, maybe a nice, warm bath or two. It’ll be back in top-notch condition in no time.”
“I look forward to it.”
“Not as much as me.” He pulled me just a tiny bit closer, securing me against him. “Goodnight, Harmony.”
“Goodnight, Dustin.”
His breathing evened out. I lay there, more comfortable than I’d been in a very long time. Safe, secure, warm and cozy, in Dustin’s arms.
I couldn’t have slept for more than an hour or two, when some sort of vibration woke me. Used to the faint rumblings of a California earthquake, I opened my eyes, ready to run for the doorway to brace myself. Instead, I saw Dustin crouched on the ground, feeling around for something on the floor.
“What’s going on?”
“My phone. It’s in my pocket. Somewhere over here.” He must have found it because the noise stopped.
