by C. A. Harms
“Kim,” I said in warning.
“It took her at least three minutes to comprehend that she was standing in her living room butt-ass naked, cussing me and threatening my life.”
“I’m sorry I missed that,” he said before looking back at me. “But if you have a toy snake lying around, I’d love to see it on replay.”
His gaze locked with mine, his mouth slightly open and his tongue resting against his lower lip, and my face heated with desire. My earlier irritation was replaced with naughty thoughts I knew I shouldn’t be having with Kim present.
“And on that note,” Kim said as she stepped around Beckett, “I’ll be waiting in the kitchen and give you two a moment alone.”
She walked off waving over her shoulder as she pulled my bedroom door closed behind her. The moment she left, the playful atmosphere changed to one of extreme sexual tension as Beckett stalked toward me. With each step he took, my body grew more alert. That familiar sly look in his eyes as his gaze danced over my body from head to toe made it hard to breathe evenly.
“What are you doing, Beckett?” I asked as he sat down next to me on the mattress. He didn’t answer my question right away. Instead he ever so slowly trailed the tip of his finger along my calf and up my thigh before pausing on my hip. He toyed with the side of my panties, and my breath hitched when he slipped his finger beneath the thin, pink, silky strap. The intense way he stared at it as he moved his finger back and forth beneath it made my body heat with lust.
“I like these,” he whispered as he let the material snap back against my hip, then slid his palm over my stomach.
“Beck,” I said, and this time his gaze met mine. “What are you doing here?” I repeated.
He grinned and that flutter in my stomach returned.
“After I left here last night, on the drive home I got to thinking,” he said as he moved his hand to my opposite side, bringing his body even closer to mine. “Sunday is a long time away.”
“Only a day.” I smiled, suddenly feeling giddy.
“But I went weeks without seeing you or talking to you, so one more day seems like forever now that you’ve agreed to give me another chance.” His body moved over mine as he hovered there, just watching me. “Leaving last night was hard enough, so when I showed up today fully intending to take you to breakfast and found Kim entering the lobby downstairs, it was perfect.”
“Perfect?”
“Yes,” he whispered, brushing the tip of his nose over mine. “She agreed to let me in, and I got the chance to see what waking up next to you in the morning would be like.”
My stomach tightened with unease and I tried not to let it show on my face, but I could tell the moment he noticed. His expression softened and he tilted his head to the side, a look of regret taking over his features. “It’s my fault I don’t already know what that’s like, I know.”
“I wasn’t gonna say that,” I assured him.
“I know, but you thought it, and that’s okay.”
I didn’t argue.
He leaned in as if he was going to kiss me and I turned my head to the side. “Bad breath,” I explained.
“Don’t care,” he insisted, but I didn’t budge.
“Let me get up and I’ll meet you both in the kitchen.” I kept my head turned away slightly and he took advantage of it, moving his lips along my neck before giving it a nipping, teasing kiss.
“I’m gonna let you do what you have to,” he said before pressing another kiss against my neck. “Then I’m gonna take you out to breakfast, and yes, Kim can come too. Then after, I’d love to spend as much time as I can with you before dropping you off at work.”
I turned to face him without a second thought. “Dropping me off—”
He leaned in quick and pressed a kiss to my lips. He smiled wide, knowing he’d win this argument even though I tried to deny him.
“Yes, I do plan to take you to work, and then tonight I’ll also pick you up and escort you home.” I narrowed my eyes at him, fully intending to argue but changed my mind when he shot me that sweet smile of his.
“That smile,” I said as I pressed my fingertips to his lips, “should be illegal. Because it makes girls forget how to think independently.”
Beckett moved in closer and I held my breath. Panic rushed through me as I thought he was going to attempt to kiss me again.
“You have to know that by agreeing to date me, you’ve also given me permission to protect you,” he added as he skimmed his lips over my jaw. “It’s what I do, Elle. It means I will hover, and I will most likely piss you off at times with how possessive I’ll be. But I need you to be patient with me and understand that though I want this more than my next breath, I will screw up because I’m still learning how to do this with you.” He smiled against my cheek. “I’m gonna be caveman-like,” he whispered near my ear just before pulling back.
“Caveman-like?” I asked in amusement.
He chuckled, nodding. “Very caveman-like,” he said, only making my smile widen.
“Like pulling my hair and pounding on your chest and saying things like, ‘I man, you woman, kneel’?”
He moved faster than I expected, and suddenly I was up in the air, hovering over him. My mess of hair hung down around us as he looked up at me with a smirk. He gripped my waist as he lifted his hips, showing me just how much our playfulness and proximity had excited him. “I never said anything about pulling hair, but that sounds exciting.” He waggled his eyebrows, making me laugh and squirm to move off him. He gripped my waist tighter, holding me in place. “All playfulness aside, I need you to know that I want this, Elle.”
I stopped squirming and looked down at him as he slid his palms lower, doing nothing to stop him as he settled them over my ass. “I have a feeling I’m going to be over-the-top, but I can’t stop myself. I want to be near you as often as I can. I want to hold you at night and kiss you in the morning, whether you’ve brushed your teeth or not.” I wrinkled my nose, and he laughed. “What if we compromise and have breath spray on the nightstand?”
“Fine,” I replied, knowing it was either that or dealing with stinky breath during morning kisses.
“So do you understand just what you’re in for?” he asked, and I nodded.
“Demanding, possessive caveman with possible hair-pulling tendencies,” I said. “Oh, and late night snuggles with morning kisses as long as breath spray is available.”
Though I’d felt comfortable with Beckett before our falling-out, I never felt completely at ease. Until now, something had been stopping us from being just who we were. I leaned closer and kissed along his jaw and down the side of his neck before pausing near his ear. “Just so you know, Detective, I have a possessive side too, and what is mine, is all mine. Absolutely, no exceptions.”
“No worries, sweetheart, because I’m all yours to do with what you please.” I leaned back and he beamed as he looked up at me.
“Careful what you offer, Beck,” I said in warning, still experiencing that freeing feeling of being with him. He made me feel brazen and alive. With him I felt comfortable saying and doing anything.
I wanted to grab that feeling and hold on to it forever, because Beckett was my little spark of hope that gave me something to look forward to. He was my possible happy ending.
“I’d never offer something I wasn’t willing to hand over to you freely,” he said with a grin.
Oh yeah, I was in trouble. Beckett definitely knew how to play. He was a flirt and a taunter, and I was just learning how to let go of my own reservations and just say whatever was on my mind.
And Beckett was the one making me feel so brave.
BECKETT
I was completely new at the dating scene. In the past, I hadn’t spent more than a day or two with any woman. Commitments weren’t my thing, so the wining, dining, and small talk people did on dates always felt like a chore. I just wanted to get to the good shit, preferably without my clothes on where the only noises were bodies slapping to
gether.
Harsh, I know, but it had worked for me until now.
Of course, getting naked with Elle sounded like a dream come true, but there was time for that later, and so far I’d resisted on several possible occasions—like yesterday when I took her back to her apartment after our morning together to get ready for work. I’d watched her change into her scrubs through a crack in the door that I’m now sure she left on purpose. I’d also dropped her off last night after work without trying anything more than giving her a kiss.
Although letting her go proved more difficult each time, I still did it. But I knew that after today, I could no longer promise anything, because I felt like I was going to burst and I had a feeling I wasn’t the only one. Elle was getting a hell of a lot better at teasing me. I’m sure she always had it in her, but until now she wasn’t sure how to use it to her advantage.
Though I couldn’t promise by the end of the night that Elle and I wouldn’t finally give in to the sexual tension between us, for now I wanted to give this dating thing a go.
Which leads me to my first line of business. Here goes my first caveman action, I thought as I turned into my parents’ driveway. This was an unscheduled stop. Had I mentioned we were coming here, Shanelle could have panicked. But in all fairness, she did spring her dad on me, then walk away. So this was a form of payback in a way.
“Where are we?” Elle asked as I placed my car in park. Instead of answering her, I opened my door and crawled out as she nervously repeated the question.
Though I tried to refrain from smiling, it was impossible. Elle made me happy. Whether I was frustrated, pissed off, or even nervous, she still managed to make me feel amazing.
I looked through the windshield as I walked around the front of the car and her eyes were wide with curiosity. When I opened her door, she shied away, looking nervous.
“Where are we?” she asked, giving me that challenging stare I’d also come to love. “Is this your house?”
“It used to be,” I replied, leaning in to tug her out of the car.
“‘Used to be,’” she whispered as she climbed out and looked over my shoulder at the front door, “as in when you were a child. This is your parents’ house, Beckett. I can’t meet your parents.”
“Why?” I asked as I led her toward the house, not caring that she was literally dragging her feet.
“‘Why’?” she echoed. “Because until a couple of days ago, I could barely stand to be in the same room with you, and today you want me to meet your parents.”
I stopped walking and turned to face her.
“And then you showed up at the reception and kissed me. Today is our first real date and—”
I gripped the back of her neck and pulled her body flush against mine as my mouth covered hers.
She brought her hands up between us and pushed against my chest, but I held her tighter, refusing to let her go. I held on firmly, and slowly she relaxed against me. Her hands moved from pushing against my chest to fisting my shirt as she pulled me closer. A soft moan escaped her as I pressed my tongue to her lips. When she opened to me, and the gentle, delicate sweep of her tongue met mine, I knew my distraction was working.
When I was sure I had kissed her delirious, I pulled back and rested my forehead to hers, breathing her in. The fresh scent of her body wash mixed with an alluring perfume made it hard to focus.
“First off,” I said, not caring that I sounded breathless. This woman took my breath away, “you were mad at me, but ‘barely able to stand being in the same room with me’ is an exaggeration. You think I’m sexy, remember?” I asked with a smirk.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Elle turned her head to hide her smile. “You’re alright-looking, I guess.”
I reached around her to grip her ass, and she yelped in surprise as I pulled her tight against me once more.
“Okay, fine,” she squealed. “You’re sexy.”
“Besides, I met your parents,” I added with an arched brow, and she shrugged as if to say, Oh well. “And you like me,” I pushed. I felt like a kid again when I was with Elle. She was a breath of fresh air.
“And I like you,” she replied as she squirmed in my arms. “Now let go of me, you knucklehead, before your mother sees you manhandling me and gets the wrong opinion of me.”
“I’ve seen it.”
Shanelle froze, squeezing my forearms tight as she peeked over my shoulder. Her eyes widened and I couldn’t control the chuckle that erupted from me.
“Hey, Momma,” I hollered, giving Elle’s ass one more squeeze before turning to face my mother. “How you doing?”
She was scowling at me, not Elle. Because my mother knew how her boys could be—hell, my father was the same way. I ignored her displeased look as I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her into the air to spin her around. She slapped at my arms as we twirled.
“Beckett Lucas Montgomery.” She attempted to sound all motherly, but I heard the laughter in her voice. “You better put me down, or I’ll tell this sweet girl all your dirty secrets.”
I lowered her to the ground and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. “But Mom, you don’t know all my dirty secrets. You think us boys are innocent, remember?”
She rolled her eyes at me as she moved past me toward Elle. “I never once said my boys were innocent. I know they’re horndogs with little to no sense when it comes to women. I’m not blind, Beckett.”
She pulled Elle in for a hug, and the look of surprise on my girl’s face made me smile. Momma wasn’t shy. “I just said that the three of you were good boys and women these days don’t know good when it hits them in the face full force.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right.” I offered Elle a wink when she looked from me to my mother in confusion.
Momma took Elle’s hand and they walked toward the front door. Shanelle went willingly, but the look on her face hadn’t changed.
I knew meeting my mother would be a good thing. Momma always hounded us boys about our choice in women, and the moment she met Kinsley, she fell in love with her. I could see the same look in her eyes when she looked at Elle.
Bringing a girl to meet our mother was a big deal. None of us did it often. In fact, I’d only introduced her to one of my past flings and that was by accident.
I followed close behind as Mom led Elle through the hall, talking a mile a minute.
“Now, you call me Sarah, or Mom, either one. But there will be none of that ‘Mrs. Montgomery’ business,” she said with authority.
As they walked ahead of me, I’ll willingly admit I was checking out Elle’s ass the entire time. Damn it, the woman had an amazing backside. And every other part of her was pretty amazing too.
“So, Beckett,” Mom said as we entered the kitchen and she let go of Elle for the first time.
I sat at the barstool at the end of the snack bar and hooked Elle around the waist. I held her close to me, positioned between my parted legs, completely ignoring the uneasy look on her face, because she needed to moved past that shit. I had every intention of showing anyone we came into contact with that Elle was mine, including my mother.
“Is this the girl that gave you the brush-off after you tried to use that god-awful broody look to gain her attention?” my mother asked, and I was thankful she hadn’t referred to that look the way she had the day Knox and I were here. Her mentioning that I looked constipated again was something I preferred Elle not to hear.
Elle snickered as she tried to hide her giggle by biting her lip.
“It’s horrible the way he looks at you with those squinted eyes and that deep frown on his face,” my mother continued.
“Ma,” I warned, and she shrugged.
“What, Beckett? It is awful. Whatever happened to a man walking up to a woman and asking her for a dance, or her number?”
She turned around and moved toward the cabinet, where she pulled out three glasses, and Elle leaned in closer. “I think that look is sexy,” she whispered, “just so
you know.”
Her lips were so close to my cheek I could feel her breath on it. I turned toward her and skimmed my lips over hers just before she pulled back.
The little minx smiled knowingly as she looked back toward my mother. Mom was now adding tea to the glasses, and she turned toward us to place them on the countertop.
She and Elle fell back into conversation quickly, and I sat back quietly and just observed, getting the chance to learn more about the woman who had intrigued me from the start.
Watching them bond and laugh together gave me feelings that were strange and new to me.
“Your mom is amazing,” Elle said as we drove away from my parents’ house. “And she’s hilarious, by the way.”
I looked over to find her smiling from ear to ear.
“You just think she’s hilarious because she pulled out that big-ass scrapbook and showed you all my awkward childhood moments complete with detailed explanations.” Until today I thought my mother was on my side, but it turns out she was a torturer. I used to believe us boys inherited our twisted nature from our father, but I was so wrong.
“I will never be able to wipe the image of you with long hair and braces from my mind,” Elle said, laughing. “You looked so awkward.”
“Remind me to ask your mom to show me your seventh-grade photo next time I see her again,” I said. “Maybe we’ll plan a trip to visit them just so I can see you with pimples and pigtails.”
She slapped at my arm and laughed. “So you plan on sticking around long enough to see my parents again?” she asked with a sly grin.
I may be new to this dating thing, but I understood when a woman was using female trickery to gain reassurance.
“And here I thought you were the sane one between you and Kim,” I said, giving her a look. “But after that comment I’m beginning to think I was wrong.”
She narrowed her eyes, and for a moment I thought I’d be able to keep a straight face. “You think you’re a comedian,” she said. “Such a smartass.”
