by Cathryn Fox
Just as she was about to slide down his body, his warm, work-roughened palms gently cupped her cheeks to stop her. While she couldn’t see his face in the steamy shower, she could hear surprise creeping into his voice when he asked, “What are you doing, baby?”
“Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” she murmured, her heart pounding erratically against her chest as she thought about tasting him. Taking charge of their play, she pulled away from his tenuous hold, and dropped to her knees.
Brad’s moan filled the small space as she leaned forward to draw him into her mouth, taking him as deeply as possible. She cupped his balls, massaging them in her palm until they grew tight.
“Fuck,” he growled, his fingers fisting her hair as pure satisfaction flowed through her.
Her body burned and her pussy ached to feel his hardness inside her as his cock swelled even more. She began rocking into him, his hands holding her head and following the motion. His breathing changed, and she could feel his blood rushing fast, filling the veins in his cock. She ran her tongue over his crown, moaning when she tasted the juices dripping from his slit.
When she whimpered in delight, he gripped her head harder, his body tightening with the tension of an impending orgasm. A wave of passion overcame her, loving that she could do this to him, loving that she could make him feel this good. She gripped him with her palms, forming a tight channel. He thrust forward, pushing in and out of her grip, the tip of his cock meeting her mouth on the other end.
Air rushed from his lungs and he began panting as she slid her tongue over him. “It’s good. Jesus, it’s so good, baby.”
She gave a throaty purr and licked him as more pre-come dripped from his slit. “I love the taste of you,” she said.
“Oh, fuck, Madison. I’m right there.” His voice sounded rough as he tried to pull her head away.
Staying deep between his legs, she wrapped her lips around him and sucked hard, wanting him to release in her mouth. His cock swelled, and he held her head still as a moan crawled out of his throat. She cupped his balls again, and a second later he growled, his hips jerking forward as he gave himself over to the pleasure. He released hard and as she drank him in, his hands went to her face again. He gently brushed his thumbs over her cheeks, and her heart hitched, understanding that what she’d just done had somehow created a deeper intimacy between them. Unable to ignore the sudden barrage of emotions careening through her, she closed her eyes, and worked to get herself under control. When his cock stopped pulsing, she inched back, unable to believe how emotionally close she felt to him.
“Hey,” Brad said and grabbed her shoulders to tug her to her feet. “Come here,” he murmured quietly.
She stood and he pulled her close, locking his arms around her waist. As she listened to his heart pound, she melted against him, loving this new, easy intimacy between them. As her emotions began to get the better of her, she worked to keep them in check, and to concentrate only on the physical things he made her feel.
Brad stayed quiet, too quiet. With his face buried in her hair, he continued to hold her, a little too tight, his breathing still labored, unsteady.
Suddenly getting the sense that something was wrong, unease cramped her stomach. “Brad?” she asked, her voice a hesitant whisper.
After a long moment he said, “Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?”
She inched back, desperate to see his eyes through the steam, but he grabbed her and pulled her to him, burying his face in her wet hair. “Why did you do that?” he asked, and her pulse leapt, astonished by the tenderness in his tone.
“I wanted to.” Even though it was a ridiculous thing to ask, considering the powerful orgasm he just had, she asked it anyways. “Didn’t you like it?”
A tortured noise sounded in his throat. “I liked it, baby. I liked it a lot.” He exhaled slowly. “It’s just…well…you don’t have to do that for me.”
Sensing there was more going on than he was saying, and that it likely had everything to do with his ex and the number she’d done on him, she attempted to lighten the mood. She wiggled against him, sandwiching his still-hard cock between their bodies and whispered, “Did you ever think that maybe I wanted to?”
He ran his hands over her back, touching her in such a familiar way, a way she loved so much. A shudder moved through her as her breasts rubbed up against his chest. “Yeah,” he breathed into her mouth as one hand slipped between her thighs to urge them apart. “Well, there are some things that I want to do to you too.”
Her pulse leapt, her pussy moistened, but before she could answer, to tell him just how much she’d like that, the water turned cold. She yelped, and Brad backed her up and out of the spray. He turned to shut the water off, but when a loud clang sounded, and they could hear water rushing in the walls, he said, “Oh, shit.”
“What happened?”
“I think something just broke.”
“Oh no.” Madison pulled back the shower curtain, grabbed two towels, and opened the bathroom door to clear the steam. She covered herself as Brad took his towel and wrapped it around his waist.
He rushed from the bathroom and she listened to his footstep on the stairs as she made her way to her bedroom. Pipes clanged as he shut off the water, and her stomach knotted, knowing she had to find a better place to live sooner rather than later. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, padding barefoot down the hall to find him.
Brad hurried up the stairs and when she saw the look on his face, she stilled and asked, “What?”
“The good news is I found the problem and I can fix it.”
“And the bad news?” she asked, taking in his troubled expression.
“Your cupcakes, most of them are ruined. The pipe that broke was above your kitchen and water leaked through the ceiling and onto your counter.” Madison wrapped her arms around herself, and Brad pushed her hair off her face. “It’s not so bad. It could be a lot worse. And hey, we can always make more.”
“Not without water, I can’t.”
He frowned. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“I really don’t want to let those kids down.” As she worried her bottom lip, his fingers closed over hers, a great deal of tenderness on his face. “They’re counting on my donation.”
“I tell you what.” He turned her around and slapped her ass to set her into motion. “Go pack a bag, then meet me in the kitchen. We’ll gather up what we need and take them to Granddad’s old place.”
“Granddad’s place?”
“Sure. If Grandma could bake dozens of pies in that kitchen every Sunday, then surely we can bake hundreds of cupcakes overnight, right?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, why not?”
She shrugged, unable to come up with a reason why they couldn’t. Her heart swelled as she looked at Brad, thankful that he was there with her, for so many reasons. “You really do have a solution for everything.”
“Yeah, now come on. It’s still early, and if we work through the night, we can get it done.”
“You’re going to help me?”
“Of course.” He flashed a devious smile. “But on one condition.”
In spite of the situation she laughed and arched a curious brow. “You have a condition?”
His grin broadened. “Yeah, no aprons.”
Chapter Eight
Brad took one look at the woman moving around his late grandmother’s kitchen and his heart swelled almost painfully. Soft music drifted from the old radio perched on top of the refrigerator as Madison hummed softly and mixed a huge bowl full of batter.
A tremor raced through him as he poured milk into his coffee and stirred it with a spoon. He tried to focus on the task she’d given him, he really did, but how could he be expected to concentrate when she was swaying her hips, her long silken hair tumbling down her back in erotic ways. As his fingers itched to grab a fistful of her curl
s, all he could think about was dragging her upstairs and finishing what they started in the shower.
As he continued to watch her, his mind recalled his last conversation with his granddad. Surely to God it was the dementia talking right? He wasn’t the boy Madison always wanted. If he were, wouldn’t he have known? Of course there was a chance his Granddad was right and he really was dense.
She tested the batter, poured a handful of chocolate chips into the bowl and went back to stirring. Brad took a sip of his coffee and let his glance fall over the sexy woman he’d been falling into bed with every night. Seeing her happy and relaxed as she baked, completely in her element in the big old kitchen, had him thinking about how envious he was of his friends who were either married or getting married. Truthfully, he was glad he found out who his ex was before he walked that path, but he had to admit, there were times when loneliness nipped at his soul.
Madison wiped her hands on the towel masquerading as an apron, and her movements drew his focus. As she left streaks of chocolate on the towel, one that, unfortunately, hindered his view and prevented him from ogling her ass in those curve-hugging jeans, he took a moment to consider her clothing. It was odd that she wasn’t in her baggy work wear—ones that hid her femininity—with her hair tied back and glasses on, the way she always used to dress when in the kitchen. Even though he found it strange, he suddenly became too preoccupied with the easy way she was moving about the kitchen, like it was where she was always meant to be, to give her clothing any more thought.
As he continued to watch her, he thought more about his failed relationship. He couldn’t deny that he missed being with someone, and watching Madison fill pans with batter while humming happily to herself gave him a sample of what life would be like with her living in this house.
With him.
Oh, Jesus. This was just sex, he quickly reminded himself. He was on the road all the time and knew from past experiences that long-distance relationships never worked, which meant he was not going to walk that path again and set himself up for heartache. Not that he thought Madison really was interested in more, anyway. Lord knows she reminded him enough that there was an expiration date on this fling. Then again, he was the one who’d set the terms. She was just happy to abide by them.
“Brad?” she began, wiping the flour from her face with the back of her hand before she reached for another cupcake pan. “Can you set the timer for me?” she asked again.
Seeing those streaks of chocolate on her face had him reminiscing about the shower again, and the way she’d taken him into her mouth. He shifted, his cock aching to feel her lips wrapped around him again.
“Brad?”
“Right, right, the timer.” He cleared his throat to pull himself together.
She shot him a glance. “Actually, what I was going to ask is what’s so funny?”
“Funny?”
“Yeah, you’re smiling.”
“I am.”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Because of you,” he answered, pushing off the counter.
“Me?” she asked as she licked batter from the spatula before tossing it into the sink. “What did I do?”
As he thought about how much he enjoyed being around her, how cute she looked with batter on her face, he asked, “What is it with you and chocolate, anyway?” He wiped her cheek with his thumb, and heat moved over her face, as if she too was thinking back to what they’d done earlier that night.
She arched a challenging brow, and beneath the exhaustion in her eyes he could see the heat. “You got something against chocolate?”
“Not when it’s smeared over your body, I don’t.”
His hands skimmed her contours and he brushed his lips over hers. “Mmmm, delicious,” he murmured, then stuck his finger in the batter to swipe more across her mouth. He kissed it off as he thought about smearing the rest over her entire body and cleaning it off with his tongue. As he visualized that sexy scenario, it occurred to him that they’d been sleeping together for a few nights now, and he’d yet to really see her. That gave him pause, but before he could give it any further consideration, Madison stifled a yawned.
His heart twisted when he noted the time. He glanced out the window to see the sun cresting the horizon. As a soldier who worked in the field, Brad was used to going without sleep but he knew Madison needed her rest, especially after just getting over a cold. Licking chocolate from her body would have to wait.
“Is this the last batch?” he asked.
“Yes, but then I have to wait until they’re cooled before I can decorate.”
“Why don’t you go on up and get some sleep. I’ll stay up until this batch is done, then I’ll join you.”
“You don’t have to do that.” She pushed her hair from her face, but her eyes looked tired when she said, “These cupcakes are my responsibility.”
He tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s a nice thing you’re doing for those kids.”
She went quiet, thoughtful for a moment. “It’s important to them, which makes it important to me.”
“Band geeks do stick together,” he teased.
“Hey.” She whacked him. “Be nice.”
He feigned hurt, but moved closer, until his lips were hovering over hers. “I’m always nice, and did you forget that I was also in the band, which makes the cause important to me too.”
“You played the drums in the senior band, which hardly made you a geek.” She poked him in the chest. “And what I remember, from my lowly spot in the junior band, is that all the girls were after you.”
“You weren’t,” he said, his eyes moving over her as he thought about what granddad had said.
“You were a senior. I was a junior.”
“And?”
“The two don’t mix.”
“We’re mixing now.”
Her eyes dimmed with desire as his mouth moved closer to hers, but underneath the lust he could see exhaustion pulling at her. “And as much as I’d like to mix it up some more,” he murmured as he lightly brushed his mouth over hers, “you need sleep. So go on and get upstairs and let me take care of this.”
“You really don’t have to,” she whispered, her throat working as she swallowed.
He cocked his head. “Maybe I want to, Madison.” Before she could protest, he slipped the towel from around her waist, and gave her a tap on the ass to set her into motion. “Take the room on the left at the top of the stairs.”
“Your old room?”
“Yeah. Go get a few hours of sleep. You can’t really do much until these cool.”
She ran her hands through her hair again, and looked a little unsure. “What about you?”
“I just had coffee, so I’m going to be up for a while anyway.” He turned her and faced her toward the hall. “Now go on. I’ll be up soon.”
“Okay,” she said, and as he watched her go, his gaze dropping to the sexy swell of her ass, he once again wondered about her work wear. Wouldn’t she have been more comfortable baking all night in those sweats of hers, ones that set his imagination on fire?
As he mulled that over, he finished the last of his coffee, reset the timer and strolled through the house, running his hands along the antique furniture that he’d be selling with the place. He thought more about Madison as he walked around the room, looking at the few repairs that still needed to be done before he put the place up for sale. Unlike the old rundown building Madison and his brother lived in, this was a good sturdy home with good bones. It would provide well for a growing family and was in a sought-after district, with great schools.
He looked at the old swing in the tree out back and couldn’t help but smile. How many times had Jonah wrapped himself around the tree, only to end up calling Brad to his rescue? Granddad was right; the boy really was a fool sometimes. Could he have been right about Madison too?
Brad continued through the house, until the timer went off. Hurrying back to the kitchen, he pulled the cupcakes from the oven and
shook them from the tray. He stifled a yawn and set them on the cooling rack.
He knew he should probably get a few hours of sleep himself. After all, he’d promised Jack he’d help out at the festival, showcasing the dogs they were training. He walked along the shiny wood floor he’d recently refinished and climbed the set of stairs leading to the bedroom he’d used when sleeping over at his grandparents. He inched the door open quietly, not wanting to wake Madison. But when he caught her sprawled across his bed, her long hair a tangled mess, her jeans and shirt neatly folded on the rocking chair, lust hit like a high voltage jolt and his body urged him to wake her.
To take her.
It was warm in the room. Not only from the baking, but from the early morning sun shining in through the lace curtains his grandma had made. At some point in her sleep Madison had kicked the blankets to the foot of the bed, giving him his first up close and personal view of her beautiful body. He let his glance leisurely trail over her near nakedness, taking his time to look at her, really look at her. He took pleasure in the creamy softness of her skin as well as the lush curves in her body. Most women from his circle dieted down to skin and bone, and he had to admit, he loved Madison’s full figure.
He took a step closer, and the old floorboards creaked under his weight. She shifted, rolling onto her side. He stilled until she settled back down. With her legs pulled to her chest, she looked so peaceful, so at home in his old bed. Once again, catching him off guard, he couldn’t help but imagine what life would be like with her living in this big place.
