Georgia Pine (Southern Promises Book 3)

by K. G. Fletcher

  The sound of knuckles on his passenger window startled him, and his eyes popped open to see Jessica smiling in at him, the torrential downpour falling all around her. He gasped and leaned across the space to open the door.

  “Get in before you drown!”

  She was giggling and shivering at the same time as she held up his keys and dangled them in front of his face. “I thought you might need these,” she said. “And these.” She handed him his shoes that were wrapped up in his hoodie from earlier.

  Water dripped from the ends of her long hair and lashes, her ample bosom and bra outlined in the soaked tee, her nipples displaying a full-on salute. She was fucking gorgeous.

  Tim palmed the sides of her head and aggressively pulled her forward, locking his lips with hers. They were a tangle of wet arms and hair and tongues, the heat from their skin, the humidity and heavy breathing fogging up the cab interior.

  “Are the girls okay unsupervised?” Tim managed to gasp in between carnal kisses.

  “Yes,” Jessica exhaled, frantically kissing him back.

  “Is your mother okay?”

  “No.” She pulled back from him and licked her swollen lips, her chest rising and falling with each breath. “She called you a Neanderthal.”

  Tim shook his head, humored. “A what?”

  “A Neanderthal,” she giggled. “I told her you were harmless, and not to worry.”

  “Hmmmm….”

  “You wanna come back in?” Her expression was hopeful.

  He wiped rain droplets off her face with his thumb. “I think I’d better call it a night. Don’t need your folks doing a drive-by and spying on us.”

  Jessica exhaled through her nose with disappointment. “They won’t be coming back, I promise. And you could park your truck next to my car in the garage if you want to. Daddy is a stickler for his evening routine, and Mama will probably call her best friend to give her the latest gossip about her only daughter kissing the gardener.” A giggle erupted. “I like kissing the gardener.”

  Tim couldn’t help but beam. “I like being the gardener who gets kissed.” He poignantly gazed at the cheerful expression on his Southern belle knowing it would mean the world to her. “My truck is too big to fit in your garage. But if you really don’t think they’ll come by again, I guess I could stay for a while longer.” His tiny, private world was starting to expand, his grip slipping. The woman sitting next to him had lit a spark in his cold, dead heart, and he had the feeling he was willingly about to let go into a free fall.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “You’re back!” Jennifer exclaimed looking up from the animated TV show.

  “I am,” Tim replied, rubbing a towel through his wet hair. Jessica stood beside him patting down her rain-soaked body with a towel she had grabbed from the laundry room on their way back in.

  Baby Jo-Jo was sound asleep on her back in the playpen set up in the corner, surrounded by various stuffed toys and a few books. When Jessica’s mother finally left, she hurriedly placated the baby in the safe place so she could retrieve Tim’s keys and shoes. Jill was nodding off in the corner of the couch, and Julia’s eyes were glazed over as she stared at the big screen, holding her blanket and sucking her thumb.

  Jessica tilted her head to look up into Tim’s face. “I need to get them to bed. Do you mind hanging out down here while I get Jo-Jo situated?”

  “No, of course not. Do you want any help?”

  “No, I’ve got it. We have a pretty steady routine at bedtime. Keep Jennifer company while I take care of her sisters first.”

  With the towel around her shoulders, she leaned over the pen and hoisted her sleeping baby up into her arms. Her damp t-shirt slid across the baby’s skin, and she started to fuss, causing her to reposition the towel. “I’m sorry, sweetie-pie. Mama’s all wet. Let’s get you upstairs.”

  One by one, she put her kids to bed, and for some odd reason, none of them resisted. As she tucked Jennifer in last, she sat on the edge of the mattress and smoothed her fair hair back from her face. “Good night, Jennifer. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Mama,” she replied sleepily.

  Jessica turned off the bedside lamp and started to leave.

  “Mama?”

  “Mmm?”

  “Is Tim going to live with us?”

  Jennifer’s innocent question took her by surprise. She stood in the small opening of the cracked bedroom door. “No, baby, he has his own house he lives in.”

  “Oh. Can we go see it?”

  Jessica stifled a chuckle. “I’m sure he’ll show us his house sometime soon. Now, please go to sleep. It’s been a long day.”

  “Okay.”

  As she started to pull the door shut, Jennifer shouted, “I love you” again.

  “I love you too, sweet girl. Now, go to sleep!”

  Rounding the corner to the family room area, she couldn’t help but smile when Tim looked up at her and immediately stood. She was rewarded with outstretched arms, anxious to bury her head in his chest.

  “You need to change out of these wet clothes before you catch a cold in the AC,” his voice rumbled in her ear.

  She rested her chin on his sturdy torso and looked up at him. “You’re wet too. Do you need to throw your things in the dryer?”

  His eyebrow cocked, and she swore she could see his green eyes sparkle like the Emerald City. “Sure, if you don’t mind a half-naked man hanging out in your house while my clothes dry.”

  She giggled and took him by the hand, leading him through the kitchen and into the spacious laundry room near the garage entrance. She hit a switch, and the room was illuminated with soft lighting highlighting one full wall of attached little cubbies with hooks and benches underneath. Each Kaufman girl was assigned a space where tiny shoes and an assortment of coats and backpacks were neatly put away in the efficient area essential for a busy family with multiple kids. The enormous stainless-steel washer and dryer took up the opposite wall.

  “Can I help you with this?” Jessica clowned, eagerly pulling up the edge of Tim’s shirt.

  He smirked, lifting his thick, muscular arms and helping her pull the stubborn, wet clothing that stuck to his skin over his head. The air sizzled with immediate heat and the faint aroma of dryer sheets.

  “Now let me help you,” he suggested, effortlessly peeling her shirt up and over her head. She crisscrossed her arms in front of her chest as her skin prickled with goosebumps.

  “Are you cold?” He wrapped his warmth around her in a bear hug and lifted her up, setting her on top of the dryer with her legs dangling over the edge. Pushing her knees apart, he nestled his trim waist near the apex of her thighs and pulled her snug against him.

  “We forgot to put our clothes in the dryer,” she said softly, fingering the damp hair around his face.

  “Hmmm. Let me take care of that.”

  Gripping the sides of the dryer, she watched as Tim shut the door to the laundry room before he picked up their damp clothes off the floor and shifted her legs to the side so he could toss them in the dryer. He paused and looked at her hungrily, hooking his index fingers over her shorts. He jerked them off quickly and threw them in the dryer before Jessica had a chance to realize what he had done. Pressing the “on” button of the machine, his lips curled into a wicked smile before he nestled back into the crevice of her thighs, causing a wet ache to surge to her core.

  “What do we do while we wait?” Her voice was high and breathy.

  “I don’t know.” His hot skin pressed against her exposed thighs, his body a solid mass of muscle and power. The rough scratch of his voice had her coming undone.

  “Are you hungry? Thirsty?” She delicately pushed his hair over his shoulder and shuddered with desire being skin on skin with him.

  “Always,” he replied, his eyes roving her body. For a split second, his expression darkened, the grip on her thighs intensifying. He tentatively pressed forward, his nose grazing her nose, warm puffs of breath hitting her cheeks.


  Jessica swallowed before he pounced, his lips capturing hers in a wild and demanding kiss. They were out of control, his tongue deep in her mouth, totally possessing her. She used her hands to rove the hard planes of his shoulders, reveling in the touch of his bareness. His tongue roamed her neck down to her chest, and she fell into the bliss as he teased his way across her body. Unhooking her bra, he threw the garment to the side, his massive hands grabbing at her ample bosom, his kisses along her curves, obliterating every thought from her mind. She arched against him, eager to feel him even closer, their tongues swirling and twisting in an erotic dance.

  When Tim pulled back, his eyes burned with desire, making her blood pound in her ears. His expression was hungry, like a lion, and a surge of anticipation trembled through her. Tiny prickles of desire shivered across her skin as he made a trail of kisses down her neck, falling through the crevice of her breasts and skating across her tummy, pausing to kiss her scar. He looked up with the crinkled eyes of his smile before he continued his descent, taking her panties with him.

  Pleasure surged through her body, thick and sweet and she wanted to cry out from the exquisite ache of lust spiraling through her. He jerked her forward to where she was dangling on the edge, the steady hum of the dryer vibrating her butt cheeks as he settled his knees on the floor with her thighs open wide. He lifted her legs over his shoulders and offered swirling kisses on her inner skin.

  Jessica pressed her eyes tight and gripped the side of the dryer allowing the blackness to envelop her. Her whole universe shifted, her focus on the tender throbbing between her thighs. Tim dragged his tongue against her clit and slipped two fingers deep inside her. The sensation was overwhelming, and she gasped.

  “Too much?” he whispered erotically, the slide of his fingers against her wet core intense.

  “No,” she replied in static, short breaths. “No…don’t…stop.” She arched to his mouth, and he licked her hard and fast, sending shock waves of pleasure slamming through her body, all the while his grip on her thighs never letting up. Her eyes pressed closed as hard as she could, the intense feelings of his mouth and fingers overwhelming her to the point she thought she might pass out. At one point, she tried to pull away to catch one, tiny, cleansing breathe, but he wouldn’t let up, his fingers thrusting deep, over and over, lapping at her clit with relentless pressure. His fingers curled inside her, stroking a new secret spot and moved faster and faster.

  Jessica’s body was coiled so tight, and she cried out his name. “Tim! Please, stop! I can’t take any more!”

  “You’re almost there, baby.”

  He closed his lips around her and sucked, hard, making her shatter. The orgasm ripped through her body, devastating every last ounce of strength she had left. Waves of intense pleasure washed over her like a monsoon, and she lost her grip, Tim’s strong arms catching her as she slipped off the machine.

  Cocooned in his arms on the rug in front of the large appliance, her body trembled with aftershocks as he raked his fingers softly against her temple. When she could finally feel her toes again, she opened her eyes and gazed at her lover in awe.

  “Welcome back,” he crooned, his deep voice soothing.

  Jessica wrapped her arms around his solid neck and rewarded him with a warm, wet kiss against his cheek. She didn’t want to let go. She didn’t want to give up the exquisite pleasure this man so generously offered. The confidence he gave her allowed her finally to let go for the first time in ages and be free of her insecurities she’d struggled with all those years married to Stephen. And she was grateful.

  Pulling back, she shyly fixated her eyes on his. “I’m naked, and we’re on the floor in my laundry room.”

  “And?” his voice tinged with humor.

  “And…you’re not. Naked, I mean,” she giggled, not sure where they were headed next.

  “Stand up,” he requested, allowing her to push off his arm so she could get up.

  She stood over him and watched as he slid his pants off, casting them to the side while he remained on the floor. A slight whimper escaped her throat as she gazed at his engorged, erect penis. He bit his lip, suppressing a smile.

  “Now I’m naked too,” he whispered, looking up at her with the greenest eyes she had ever seen. Her insides were about to combust as he held out his hand. She gingerly gripped his fingers and cautiously took a wide stance on either side of his outstretched legs, the apex of her thighs gaping and tingling. She watched him take hold of the base of his penis as if to steady it.

  With her chest rising and falling in anticipation of his hardness deep inside, Jessica lowered herself to him, her breath catching when his hot skin touched her sensitive nub. He clutched her buttocks, and she slid effortlessly on top of him, the pure pleasure immediate.

  “Oh, god,” she pined, never feeling anything as magnificent as what she was feeling at that moment. She was wrapped solidly around him, moving up and down in an undulating motion, the swell of his hardness rubbing her insides in pure ecstasy.

  “We’re having unprotected sex,” she whispered in alarm. Even though she said it out loud, she didn’t do anything to stop, both of them pushing harder and deeper as if to combat the danger they were putting themselves in.

  “I can pull out when I’m about to come. Or I can pull out now.”

  Jessica bit her lip, the delicious ache tempting her judgment. She didn’t want the feeling to end but knew she was as fertile as they came.

  “No… I…can’t risk it. I’ll get pregnant again. I always do.” Pushing back from his glistening chest, she disengaged from their game of Russian roulette and slouched on the floor next to him. Disappointment and embarrassment rushed through her like a freight train, taking her libido with it. Tim immediately stood and eagerly hoisted her to her feet.

  “The bedroom,” he implored, pulling her by the hand. He opened the door to the laundry room and peeked out before turning toward her with his index finger over his lips, making her chuckle.

  The two naked adults tip-toed quietly across the great room to the master suite, the high probability of getting caught by one of her daughters a disturbing thought. When they were behind closed doors, Jessica was relieved and watched as Tim rummaged in the bedside table and clumsily ripped open a foil pack. Swiftly, he sat on the bed and rolled a condom on before looking up at her with animal magnetism.

  “Where were we?” he growled, lying across the bed and motioning her to come forward.

  Jessica licked her lips and strode forward with confidence, eager to resume where they had left off. Straddling his immense frame, she allowed him to impale her sweetness, the fire reigniting and threatening to consume them both.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jessica squinted in the bright sunlight, shading her eyes with her hand as she watched the swim instructor work with baby Jo-Jo in the shallow end of their pool. It was remarkable to see her eleven-month-old flip onto her back without any help and calmly lay still on top of the water. She seemed to enjoy her lessons, never causing a fit. Jessica stayed out of her line of sight but offered quiet encouragement from the sidelines.

  “That’s my girl,” she whispered proudly, stepping back under the shade of the porch with her arms crossed. It was hard to fathom little Jo-Jo was on the cusp of her first birthday. They would have to start planning a special party soon—a celebration for her tiniest child. Sweat began to trickle down her neck. It was way too hot to be outside unless you were in the pool, but that wasn’t an option right now. Jessica headed back inside the air-conditioned house.

  Her friend, Elizabeth, sat at the kitchen table and contentedly filled in a flower in a girlie coloring book with a pink crayon. Jennifer, Julia, and Jill were preoccupied, seated on the overstuffed couch, going through a pile of picture books they had picked up from the local library earlier. The quiet, cool house was a nice change.

  “Tell me more, Jessica,” Elizabeth beckoned. “I can’t believe your mother saw him in your house holding your baby.
Did she come undone and embarrass you in front of him?”

  Jessica couldn’t help but notice her friend’s recent manicure matched the shade of pink in the crayon. Glancing at her own pitiful nails, she sat down at the table and took a sip of water, keeping her voice low so her daughters wouldn’t hear. “Mama wasn’t nice. She called him a Neanderthal.”

  Elizabeth stopped coloring and looked up, her flawless makeup face plastered with a humorous grin. “A what?”

  “A Neanderthal. That was the first thing that came out of her mouth. I think the entire situation shocked the heck out of her.”

  “Obviously. Did Tim stay or did she force him to leave?”

  Jessica leaned back in her chair and ran her finger around the edge of her glass. “He pretended to leave, and then he came back. It was pouring down rain, and we were both soaked.”

  “Wait, how did you get wet if you were inside with your mother?”

  Jessica sighed, aware of a slight burgeoning of heat in her belly. “He left his keys and shoes in the bedroom. I had to take them out to his truck after Mama left…”

  “Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! Wait a minute!” Elizabeth interrupted, holding up her hand. “Why were his keys and shoes in your bedroom?”

  A giggle escaped Jessica’s mouth as her eyes darted to the couch where her three daughters sat quietly with large books in their laps. Leaning forward, she motioned for Elizabeth to do the same. “We kind of got together that afternoon before my parents brought the girls home…”