‘‘I’m glad.’’ He grasped her hips. ‘‘When I lift you, wrap your legs around me.’’
Wordlessly she followed his directions. He sought her heat with the tip of his penis. ‘‘Tighter.’’
She locked her ankles behind his back and he thrust in and up. Oh yes. Closing his eyes, he fought for control. He didn’t want it to be over that fast.
‘‘You just found where I live,’’ she whispered.
Opening his eyes, he held her gaze as he withdrew a fraction and pushed home again. ‘‘There?’’
She licked her lips. ‘‘Uh-huh. Right . . . there.’’ She tightened around him, giving him a jolt of pleasure.
He almost lost it, but by clenching his jaw, he was able to hold back his climax. ‘‘I like it there.’’ That was the understatement of the year. Being this deep inside her felt incredible, as if he’d just unlocked the secrets of the universe.
Her grip on his shoulders intensified and her voice was breathy. ‘‘Then by all means, make yourself at home.’’
‘‘I believe I will.’’ The sensation of pulling back and rocking forward into that sweet spot was like nothing he’d ever known before.
Instinctively he recognized that except for the latex between them, he could make her pregnant right now, this very minute. He wasn’t sure how he knew that, but he was absolutely sure of it. It would be easy. He wondered if she knew how open she was, how ready to be filled with his eager sperm.
Instead of the usual panic at that thought, he felt a glow of excitement. So this was what it would be like to make a baby. For the first time in his life, that’s exactly what he wanted to do.
But he wouldn’t. Instead he would begin a steady rhythm that would give her another climax before he claimed his. At least that was his conscious plan. But somewhere along the way, staying steady lost out to driving urgency. He stroked faster, propelled by the fire in his veins and the lush sensation of thrusting into her hot body.
His belt jingled as his movements grew more frenzied. His cries mingled with hers.
‘‘Now,’’ she said, gasping.
Yes, now. His fingers digging into the soft skin of her bottom, he shoved hard and deep. A second after her keening cry of release, his orgasm ripped through him with a force that left him stunned and breathless. Sex had never been this good. Never. Then the thought tickled his mind, This isn’t just sex.
Although Maggie felt hot enough to tear off the rest of her clothes and run through the woods naked, she decided that might not be a prudent plan. Instead she put her clothes back on while Sean tried to help. He wasn’t much help, but she enjoyed the touching and the playful kisses as she pulled on her panties and jeans.
‘‘I want to do it all over again,’’ he murmured, nuzzling her earlobe.
She found herself back in his arms, her body melting against his as he kissed her in earnest. When he came up for air, his hands were under her sweater and he’d unhooked her bra. They were both breathing hard.
He cupped her breast and she moaned.
His voice rasped in the stillness of the forest. ‘‘I want you naked.’’ He nibbled on her lower lip as he fondled her breast. ‘‘But you’ll be cold.’’
‘‘That’s what you think.’’ She’d never been so hot in her life. Any minute Smokey the Bear would arrest her as a fire danger.
He pressed his mouth to her throat. ‘‘The car.’’
She sighed. ‘‘The soup.’’
‘‘The what?’’ He worked his way back to her mouth.
‘‘Soup. I brought soup.’’
‘‘That’s nice.’’ He ran his tongue over her lips. ‘‘But if it doesn’t taste like you, I don’t want it.’’
‘‘We should eat something.’’
Without warning, he stopped kissing her and swung her up in his arms. ‘‘Maybe I will.’’
He was true to his word. Inside of five minutes, she was sprawled naked in the backseat of the car as he gave her incredible oral sex. They wouldn’t both fit in the car, at least not in this position, so he’d had to leave the door open. Kneeling on a bed of pine needles, he was at the perfect height to drive her insane.
One deeply satisfying orgasm later, she divested him of his pants and directed him to lie on the seat, his legs dangling out the door, while she climbed on top. She was so wet that she slid onto his penis in record time.
He groaned. ‘‘Good.’’
‘‘Yeah.’’ She couldn’t believe how much she craved this sensation. It wasn’t only the delicious friction as she rode him. It wasn’t only the climax she could feel building in her and knew must be building in him. It was about the joining, the connection, being as close to him as she could get. A warning bell sounded in her brain.
He cradled her jiggling breasts. ‘‘I love this.’’
‘‘Me, too.’’ Bracing her hands on his broad shoulders, she moved faster.
‘‘I mean, I really love this.’’
‘‘So do I.’’ She gazed into his eyes as her movements brought her closer and closer still.
He gasped and clutched her hips. ‘‘Maggie, slow down.’’
‘‘Don’t you want to come?’’
‘‘Not yet.’’ His jaw muscles clenched. ‘‘I love being inside you. I want . . . to make it last.’’
‘‘All right.’’ She began an easy rhythm, rising and descending gently. As she held his gaze, the connectiongrew stronger. The warning bell sounded again. ‘‘Like that?’’
‘‘Mm.’’ His expression changed from the fierce intensity of lust. His mouth curved in a tender smile. ‘‘Maggie,’’ he murmured. ‘‘Oh, Maggie.’’
She swallowed. Such sweetness between them might not be a good thing. Wild sex was okay. They could deal with that. But this . . . this was dangerous. She picked up the pace.
‘‘Don’t.’’
‘‘Yes.’’ She moved faster.
‘‘Please . . . I can’t . . .’’ He came.
So did she, and it was wonderful but sad. She knew what he wanted from her. But she couldn’t give it to him.
Before they ate the soup, Sean went to get the backpack he’d left in the woods so they could have the crackers and cheese he’d smuggled out of his house. He picked up the soft blanket, too, in case they had more car sex and Maggie needed it to stay warm afterward.
He would have liked some cuddle time after the last round, but with the door open, it was too chilly for cuddling. They’d had to get dressed.
The shadows were already lengthening, and soon it would be downright cold out here. Maybe after it got dark they could chance going back to his house. They could hide her car in the trees next to his truck and walk in.
He wanted to spend as much time as possible with her. Although he couldn’t complain about the sex they’d had so far, he couldn’t pretend it had any particular significance, either. She might be willing to get naked with him, but she didn’t want it to be meaningful. He’d never cared about meaningful before, but now that he wanted her to stay in Big Knob, meaningful sex was everything.
He wasn’t giving up on that, though. He’d seen glimmers of deep feeling in her eyes, whether she wanted him to notice or not. A woman like Maggie wouldn’t stick around just for the sex, but if she started to care about him, she might.
She could also be playing him for a fool, as Denise had predicted. Maybe she wanted only a few more orgasms before she bought the property and left town. If that was her plan, he intended to stop her by out-bidding her.
And he could do it, too. Thank God he’d decided to confide in Clem, who had pulled some information off the Internet. SaveALot had a track record of paying very little for property in rural areas like this. Maggie wouldn’t be authorized to spend as much as Sean could raise.
Clem and Clara didn’t relish a SaveALot messing up the view from their front porch, so Clem was willing to back Sean on the purchase. Sean now had the resources to take her down, but he didn’t want it to be that way. He hoped she�
��d make the decision herself, because she cared about him. If he crushed her dreams, they’d have no future.
On the way back to the car, he used the flashlight tucked in his backpack to check on the skunks. Near as he could tell they were all in there, sleeping in a pile as they usually did. A few sets of tracks indicated they’d ventured out during the night. He scattered some carrots around the den’s entrance so they’d have another snack, although eventually they’d have to find their own food.
Maggie was leaning against the car’s fender when he returned. She set two Styrofoam containers on the hood and turned on the engine. She’d put on the ugly black glasses again, which made her look cuter than the dickens. And she smiled at him. ‘‘I’m heating up the soup.’’
That smile warmed him more than any bowl of soup ever could. He was beginning to realize how much he needed to see that smile on a regular basis. ‘‘Clever idea.’’
‘‘Just trying to keep up with you. How did you get away from the women following you?’’
‘‘Took some back roads.’’ He opened his backpack and pulled out a sleeve of Ritz crackers, only slightly crushed, and a package of sliced cheese.
‘‘How many were there?’’
‘‘Five.’’
‘‘That sounds like a posse. What would have happened if they’d caught you?’’
‘‘I don’t know.’’ And he hadn’t wanted to find out, either. Years ago he would have laughingly made dates with all of them for different nights. Switching partners every night hadn’t bothered him then. Now he’d have to turn them all down flat. He’d rather avoid a scene like that.
‘‘So where’s your truck?’’
‘‘Once I lost them, I doubled back, left the truck on a side road and hiked to my house so I could talk to Clem about the remodeling job. Then I picked up a few things and came here.’’ He laid the crackers and cheese on the fender and opened them. ‘‘Want some?’’
‘‘Sure. Thanks.’’ She took a couple of crackers, folded a slice of cheese and made a little sandwich. But before she took a bite, she looked at him. ‘‘Is there any way I can convince you not to bid on the property?’’
He shook his head. ‘‘How about you? You still in?’’
‘‘Yes.’’
They eyed each other for a few seconds.
‘‘Maggie, do you love your job?’’
‘‘I like it.’’
Which wasn’t the same as loving it, but he let that pass. ‘‘Why do you like it?’’
‘‘It makes use of my economics major, and if I succeed with SaveALot, I can make very good money. Very good.’’
‘‘I guess money’s important to you.’’
She sighed. ‘‘It is, only because there was never enough of it growing up, and I’m really sick of that feeling. I’ve seen what poor money choices have done to my parents and I won’t live like that.’’
‘‘I can relate.’’ His father’s poor money management had cost his family dearly, too. He gazed at her. ‘‘We’re not solving this, are we?’’
Her smile was sad. ‘‘Not exactly.’’
‘‘Well, since we’re at a stalemate, and you were nice enough to bring food, we might as well eat it.’’
‘‘Might as well.’’ She gestured toward the Styrofoam cups. ‘‘Help yourself. I don’t know if they’re much warmer, though.’’
‘‘Doesn’t matter. It’s not like we’ve never eaten cold food after having sex.’’
Her cheeks grew pink. ‘‘True.’’
He liked knowing he had that kind of effect on her. She wasn’t totally cool about this relationship. Picking up one of the containers, he took the plastic spoon she handed him. ‘‘Thanks.’’
‘‘I thought we’d need something.’’
He looked into her eyes. ‘‘You knew we’d have sex, didn’t you?’’
‘‘I thought we would. Didn’t you?’’
‘‘I hoped we would. I had no idea, especially after you found out that I’m bidding against you.’’
She held his gaze a moment before turning away. ‘‘I should shut off the engine.’’
While she was doing that he ate a cracker, just to give his jaw something to crunch on. If they didn’t have this issue between them, life could be so sweet.
When she came back, she took the top off her soup and used it as a plate for her cracker sandwich. ‘‘Bidding against me is pointless, you know.’’
‘‘Maybe, maybe not.’’
‘‘Sean, you don’t want to go up against a big company like SaveALot. They have deep pockets.’’
But you’re not authorized to dig very deep. He wasn’t going to tell her he knew that, though. Maybe, just maybe, they wouldn’t get to that stage. He had until ten tomorrow to change her mind.
‘‘I’m sure they do.’’ He popped the lid off his soup. ‘‘But I’m highly motivated.’’
She paused, her spoon halfway to her mouth. ‘‘So am I.’’
‘‘Then may the most deserving person win.’’ He took a mouthful of lukewarm soup.
‘‘It’s not very hot,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s fine. The flavor’s great. I love this kind.’’ He was touched that she’d thought to bring it in the first place.
‘‘I’m glad. I took a guess.’’
‘‘And if it’s not real hot, that’s my fault, anyway.’’
Framed by the big black glasses, her blue eyes sparkled. ‘‘Not completely your fault.’’
No, not completely, he thought with a smile. She’d been all too willing to suggest sex up against a tree. And she hadn’t argued about having more sex in the back of the car, either. He didn’t think she’d argue if he suggested they go back to the same activity after they finished their delayed lunch.
He was used to sexual enthusiasm from a woman. It was the sort of reaction he generally expected. But in this case, it wasn’t exactly the reaction he wanted. Because he’d never gone beyond sexual enthusiasm in his dealings with women, he wasn’t sure how to make true affection happen. Maybe as the afternoon wore on, he’d figure it out.
Chapter 25
Maggie was making little progress talking Sean out of bidding on the property, but she still had several hours to work on him. She wanted him to give it up willingly because he realized the place would suck him dry. She could see him wearing himself out and going deep into debt to fix and maintain such a monstrosity.
Strangely enough, she was more worried about that than her job. But if she could get him to see reason, then everything would work out. He’d avoid making a huge mistake and she’d get back in H.G.’s good graces and finally claim her rightful place in the company.
The soup tasted okay lukewarm, but not the coffee, so they poured that out. While they were eating more crackers and cheese, Maggie remembered the strange impressions she’d seen in the dirt farther up the road.
Dusting cracker crumbs from her hands, she turned to him. ‘‘Let’s take a walk. I want to show you something I found earlier today and see what you make of it.’’
‘‘Okay.’’ He fell into step beside her. Then, as if they’d been walking together like this for years, he took her hand.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d walked hand in hand with someone. Funny how you could have wild sex with a guy and still keep a certain emotional distance. But let that guy hold your hand while you’re walking down a country road, with late-afternoon sunlight filtering through the treeless branches and a hint of smoke in the air, and suddenly there was an intimacy between you that all the sex in the world couldn’t create.
She had to be careful, or she’d start getting sentimental about Sean. Maybe the best tactic was returning to their area of disagreement. ‘‘Haven’t you ever wanted to build your own house, design it from the ground up?’’
‘‘It’s crossed my mind.’’ He stroked his thumb against hers. ‘‘But I love a place with history.’’
‘‘Create your own history.’’ The
lazy touch of his thumb lit a fire under her. She was set permanently on simmer whenever he was around, and the slightest touch cranked her up to the boiling point.
‘‘The truth is, I want to rewrite history.’’
‘‘How?’’ She started thinking of the stump in the middle of the clearing and wondered if it would work as a sex bench.
‘‘I want to turn that house into the warm, welcoming place I remember. I want to do it for me, and maybe a little bit for my mother.’’
That comment touched her more than she wanted him to know. She had to give herself a few moments before she could say anything. ‘‘I don’t think your mother would want you to sacrifice yourself to that house.’’
‘‘I wouldn’t. I have the skills to bring it back. If I happened to be a computer guy like Jeremy, I’d be a fool to buy that house, but restoration is what I do. I’m good at it. It might take me a while, working nights and weekends, but I can restore that place without bankrupting myself.’’
She didn’t want to picture him working on the house, but she couldn’t help it. She imagined a light burning in an upstairs window late at night, after the rest of the town had gone to sleep. Sean would be up there sanding floors or scraping off paint, probably whistling to himself. He’d be loving every minute of it.
The first crack in her certainty appeared. She’d been so convinced that he would make the worst mistake of his life if he bought that old house. She’d been going on her parents’ experience, but they knew nothing about repairing and restoring old places. For them, owning an old house had been a self-defeating nightmare.
No, she couldn’t kid herself that she’d be rescuing Sean if she bought the property. She’d be saving her own ass, and that was all. That was a worthy goal, but she didn’t like knowing she’d be taking something away from a guy she . . . liked a lot.
They reached the second wide spot in the road. ‘‘This is where I came first when I was trying to find the skunk den.’’ She led him into the woods. ‘‘Come over here and take a look at this.’’
He squeezed her hand. ‘‘You bet. I’ll take a look at anything you want to show me out here in the woods.’’
Over Hexed Page 25
