by Reana Malori
“I should go change,” she said sheepishly, her hand going up to her scarf.
“No need,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I think you look beautiful just the way you are.”
“I wasn’t expecting you,” she tried again. Thinking about it, her shorts were high enough to show the dimples in her thighs. Ugh! She really needed to change.
Gavin smiled, “Doesn’t matter. I showed up out of the blue. I’m just glad you opened the door.” Grabbing her hand, he began walking them deeper into the living room.
“Want a drink?”
“No. I didn’t come for that.”
“What did you come here for?”
“You. We haven’t spent any time together in a week. Do you know how much I missed kissing you?” His smile was wide and made him look carefree. She liked this look on him.
“Probably about as much as I missed you. But we were going to see each other tomorrow,” she said, resting her hands on his shoulders. In her bare feet, she was several inches shorter than him. The height difference was damn sexy and she licked her lips. Yeah, she missed him, too.
“Don’t do that.”
Knowing exactly what she was talking about, she looked up at him from beneath her lashes. “Whatever do you mean, Mr. Carpenter?”
“Don’t play with me, woman. I have exactly two hours before I have to walk through the doors of The Long Shot. Do you know what that means?” He dipped down and looked into her eyes. She knew that look already.
The urge to tease him came over her. “It means you want me to make you dinner, right? I do have some leftover meatloaf if you want it.”
“No…” he returned. Bending down further, he wrapped his arms around her legs and lifted her up. On instinct, her legs went around his waist and her arms wrapped around his neck.
“Gavin…” She laughed out loud. “Will you stop picking me up?”
“No. Now tell me how to get to your bedroom,” he urged.
She knew better than to keep messing around. Two hours wasn’t a very long time, if last weekend was anything to go by. Whatever she’d done in her goody-two-shoes life to warrant a man like this wanting her, she was glad for it. This was definitely her reward.
“Last door on the left,” she said, holding on tight as he began walking down the hallway. His hands roamed her body as he walked and she was amazed at his strength.
“You’re like an addiction. I can’t get enough of you. I’m not even sure how I lasted this week without storming over here,” he growled, stomping his way through her house.
“Considering you have responsibilities at home, you couldn’t.”
“Yeah, but the thought crossed my mind. Good thing I’m such a good dad,” he joked. Walking into her room, he kept the door open as he threw her on the bed. “Don’t move. I need you right there.”
Kneeling in front of her, he murmured, “No matter what, I want you to stay in that spot and don’t move.”
Her voice trembling in anticipation, she looked down at him. “What are you planning?”
“Something I’ve been wanting to do since last week.” Grabbing her cutoff shorts, he pulled them down her thick thighs. Once he had her shorts and underwear completely off, he licked his lips. “Open wide for me, baby. Daddy needs his treat.”
Her body gushed fluid at his words. As she watched him prepare to lay claim to her in the most sensuous way, she began to tremble in need. Low whimpers began to escape as she waited for him to begin.
“Why so nervous?”
“I’m not,” she managed to squeak out.
“Are you ready for me?” Grabbing her legs, he placed them over her shoulders and leaned his head in closer. Inhaling deeply, his eyes caught hers and she melted into a puddle of goo.
“This is why I came here today.” Swiping his tongue across her bare mound, he tasted her from top to bottom.
Her head fell back and the bed and her legs widened, allowing him more space to maneuver. “Oh, Gavin…” she called out. The wetness of his tongue, the raspy texture of his beard, and the softness of his lips worked as one to give her an experience she’d never enjoyed so thoroughly before. Of course, men had gone down on her in the past, but none with as much gusto as Gavin. It was as if he had an advanced degree and was not wasting an opportunity to put his education to use.
“Oh my God,” she called out as he grabbed her clit between his lips and sucked. The raging inferno of lust raced through her body. The screams releasing from her throat were more like feral growls. Never before had she felt this fucking good.
As her orgasm roared through her, one last thought entered her head.
She’d never be able to give this up.
*****
Gavin smiled as he thought about his little detour earlier today. From the look on her face, Regina had been surprised when he’d shown up at her door. They’d been talking all week by phone and text, but it was different spending some quality time with her. All week, he’d been dreaming about being inside her, stroking her deep as their bodies were connected to each other.
No other woman had made him feel like this, not even Tina. It had been just over a week since they’d went out on their first official date, but it already felt as if they had something special. Her sweet smile beckoned him whenever he was in her presence. His son absolutely loved her and even if Riley wasn’t aware of how things had evolved between him and Regina, he was positive his son would be happy with the change.
It felt good to have someone in his life that he looked forward to seeing, a woman who welcomed him with open arms no matter what time of day he appeared. Need for her had been clawing at him all week, and he’d finally thrown caution to the wind and driven over to her place. It would have served him right if she’d been away from the house. When she’d opened the door to him, her creamy thighs bared to his gaze, he’d been overcome with a primal craving he couldn’t control.
Licking his lips, he remembered the taste of her on his tongue. Adjusting his thickening cock in his jeans, he tried to get ahold of himself. But he couldn’t get the sound of her guttural moans and screams of pleasure out of his mind. The woman did things to him that he’d never expected or dreamed he’d ever have again. Damn, he wanted her again. Two times today just wasn’t enough. He wanted to be inside her again, resting between her legs. Kissing her plump, soft lips.
“Man, I don’t know what that look is for, but be careful where you aim it,” his manager Angel called out.
Coming out of his daze from thinking about Regina, he turned to look at one of his most trusted employees. “Aww, come on Angel, you know I love you like no other.”
“Don’t you start that shit with me. Who the hell are you thinking about, anyway?”
“I know who he’s thinking about,” Doug said, walking over to the two of them.
Angel and Gavin greeted him with head nods and Gavin slid a cold beer over to him.
“Don’t go running your mouth, Doug,” Gavin warned him.
“It’s not running my mouth if it’s true. So, are you gonna tell us what’s going on with Ms. Perkins?”
“Ms. Perkins?” Angel asked, with some confusion. “Isn’t that your son’s teacher? The real pretty one with the thick thighs.”
Gavin knew his friend was simply making an observation, but it still rankled him that other men were commenting on how good Regina looked. Face frowning, he gave a sharp nod. “She’s the one.”
“Damn,” Angel said on a heavy sigh. “What the hell does a beautiful woman like her see in you?”
Doug guffawed at the look that came over Gavin’s face, “Man, why are you so upset? He’s just telling the truth.”
“Both of you can go fuck yourselves. Don’t do or say anything to fuck this up for me. When she comes here, you be on your best behavior.”
Angel was the first to perk up, straightening his shirt and combing his fingers through his hair. “She’s coming here tonight? Man, I better go clean up. Once she sees me, she might just up an
d leave your ugly mug.”
“Go clean something,” he said to his employee, motioning him away with a shake of his head.
“Aww, Gavin, why’re you trying to keep me away? Scared I might steal her?”
“In your dreams,” he groused, shooting Doug a dirty look as he sat there laughing like a damn hyena. “And what are you laughing at?”
“You. I’ve never seen you like this. How long has it been?”
He sighed. “Just over a week. But I’ve been after her since the school year started. I’m not trying to lose out now.”
“So, is that why you always have that dopey look on your face now?” Doug motioned with his beer as if to prove a point. “The same look you had when I walked in here. By the way, where were you earlier? I came by looking for you, but they said you hadn’t arrived yet.”
“I was at none of your business. What the fuck, man? Why the third degree?” He knew he was being too defensive, but he couldn’t help it. This thing with Regina was too new, and there was too much that could go wrong. The more he thought about it, the more he began to question exactly why she’d given him a chance in the first place. Not that he wasn’t a catch, but he didn’t seem like the type of man she’d be interested in.
He was under no illusion that he was anything other than a rough-around-the-edges former Marine, one who cussed too much and had too many scars on his knuckles from the fights he’d been in. Sophisticated was never a word that could be used to describe him. Jeans and a well-worn T-shirt were his preferred daily outfit, and a pair of work boots was his shoe of choice.
On the other hand, Regina was the epitome of everything he wasn’t. He’d always thought of her as being so prim and proper whenever he saw her. Never a hair out of place and her face was always flawless. Well, until he got her beneath him as he made her scream his name. He’d assumed she’d be the type of woman who wanted to be wined and dined with the best. And while he was no slouch when it came to treating his woman like the beautiful queen she was, there was this niggling concern in the back of his head that she’d look at him one day and wonder why the hell she’d even bothered.
That doubt was what rolled around in his gut; why he felt he needed to show her that he was more than what he appeared to be. Maybe he’d moved faster than he normally would, but with everything that had happened in his life, there was no time to waste.
He knew better than anyone that just when he thought life was moving in the direction he expected, the rug could be ripped out from under him. Life was too damn short to not go after what—and who—he wanted.
“Somebody needs to get laid.” His friend wasn’t bothered by his surly attitude, which made him laugh. If only he knew.
“Whatever, man. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be all right. I’m just ready for the heavy crowd tonight. Actually, since you’re here, I’m gonna put your ass to work. Come help me bring some of the bottles from the back.”
CHAPTER NINE
Regina sat on the park bench waiting for Gavin to show up. He’d called her on his way home last night to confirm their plans for today. His voice had sounded so tired coming through the phone, her heart had twisted for him. She’d tried to cancel their outing today and told him to simply get some rest and spend time with Riley. He’d been adamant, though, and promised that both he and Riley would be here today.
She’d never tell him this, but her heart expanded when he’d said that. It was important to her that Riley begin to see them together. And his response told her that it was important to him, too.
Looking around at the other children playing, she smiled at their innocence. She loved kids, even when they were at their most mischievous. She’d chosen teaching because of her love of children, not because of her drive to be an educator, although the two had converged once she decided to go into early childhood education.
Over the years, she’d met so many children who had no one they could turn to when they were struggling, when life was becoming too hard. The children she taught were younger by choice, and that suited her just fine. If she could instill trust at this age and give them a good memory of a teacher who cared about them, they’d carry that with them for years.
Smiling at the memory of the teacher who’d been that for her. Mrs. Virgis had been her name and to Regina, she’d been her very own guardian angel. Thinking back, the woman must have been flirting with sixty, but she’d been feisty. Regina shook her head at the memories as they flooded back. Mrs. Virgis believed in her, even when she didn’t believe in herself. She’d fostered her love of writing, encouraging her to enter speech-writing contests, even winning a few. She’d been her champion when Regina was more focused on boys and looking cute than doing her homework.
No, she hadn’t been the model student at all. At least once a quarter she’d been hauled to the principal’s office for fighting. Hellion was too tame of a word for what she’d been as a child. But her teacher believed in her and helped her to realize that her intellect was her power, and that she had the ability to do something more with her life than the path she’d been heading down. Having that much of an impact on a child’s life was what Regina had hoped for.
She took a sip of her coffee and nodded her head. She was proud of what she’d accomplished all these years. Lifting her face up to the sun, she sent a silent thank-you to the woman that had helped her find her way.
“Hi, Ms. Perkins!” Riley’s voice called out to her.
She and Gavin had planned it this way. It would appear as if they’d just come upon her in the park and decided to sit down. Hesitant about the charade at first, she’d come to see that it was best to ease Riley into this rather than springing it on him. He was a child, after all, and it had been him and his father his whole life.
“Well, hello there, Riley. What are you doing here?”
Plopping down on the bench next to her, he pointed behind him. Gavin was bringing up the rear with a basket of food and a blanket. “My dad wanted to come to the park and fly our model plane. He’s been at work a lot lately and he said we needed to hang out. Get some sun,” he finished, repeating his father’s words.
She held back a laugh at his attempt to be more grown-up. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. I was sitting by myself and had no one to talk to.”
“Oh, you can talk to my dad. He’s a good talker.”
“He is?” She wondered how he knew that.
“Oh yeah, I hear my friends’ moms all the time saying that they wanted to get my dad alone for a private discussion. He must be good at talking if they all want to do it with him. Right?”
Oh my God… Regina coughed to cover up the need to laugh out loud. She turned her head to look at Gavin and almost broke her composure at the look of horror on his face. So, he’d heard that, huh?
“Hey Dad, look who I found. Ms. Perkins.”
“Hello there, Ms. Perkins. Fancy meeting you here.” He smiled.
“Oh, you can call me Regina.” She winked at him over Riley’s head.
He played along. “Then you’ll have to call me Gavin.”
“Hey Dad, can we take the plane out? I want to show Ms. Perkins what it can do.”
“Sure, buddy, let me just sit this stuff down on the table.”
Regina hopped up and went over to him, “I can help,” she offered. How they’d ever be able to pull this off, she had no idea. Looking at him in some workout pants and a hoodie, she wondered how he always looked so good in everything he wore. Jeans. Sweatpants. Dress pants. Nothing looked bad on him. She, on the other hand, could never pull off that “I-woke-up-like-this” look to save her life.
Setting the food on the table, she looked over at Gavin and tilted her head in question. The amount of food he’d brought could feed an army. He shrugged his shoulders and looked down sheepishly.
“I wanted to make sure you and Riley had enough to eat.”
He was something else.
“Dad,” Riley called out. “Can you get the plane?”
Looking o
ver at her, he gave her puppy-dog eyes. “Really, Gavin?”
“Well, Riley wants to play. I can’t disappoint him.”
“Fine. Go get the plane and I’ll do the food. But you owe me big-time,” she said with a grin.
“Anything you want.” Turning away, he headed back to his truck, but stopped. Taking the few steps back to her, he stopped behind her and whispered in her ear so that Riley couldn’t hear. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
Answering him in a low voice, she turned her head slightly toward him, “Thank you.”
Trailing one of his fingers along her hand, she felt a shiver go through her body at the contact. If she weren’t careful, she could see herself falling hard for Gavin. She wasn’t sure if he was ready for that. Hell, she wasn’t even sure if she was ready for something like that. He was almost too much for a woman to handle; of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t up to the task. The question was, did she want to commit to it. To him.
A loud and resounding Yes sounded in her head at the question.
Hell, yeah, she could commit to him. If given the chance, she’d do it right damn now. Lifting her head, she saw Gavin walking back toward her with the plane in his hand while Riley picked away at the food on table.
“Hey Riley, maybe you should go help your dad,” she said in an effort to distract him. Little fingers were wonderful in the classroom, not so much in food for a picnic. Watching the two of them kneeling together in the grass as Gavin showed him different things with the plane, Regina knew she could get used to this.
Two hours later, most of the food was gone, the plane was put away and Riley was off at the playground with some other little boys who’d come out to play. Regina and Gavin relaxed on the blanket, watching him and enjoying the day.
“Thank you for agreeing to come out today. I didn’t want to give up the day with Riley, but I wanted to see you, too,” he said, fidgeting with a blade of grass between his fingers.
He had no idea how much his invitation actually meant to her. “I wanted to be here.”
