Playing It Safe

by Lisa B. Kamps

  "She's what?"

  "She's, uh—" And God, she couldn't think, not when his mouth and tongue and hands caused flames to dance across her skin. "Um…train station. Taking me…meeting tomorrow."

  "When?"

  "Hm?"

  "When will she be here?"

  "An hour. No, less than that. I—I can't think when you're doing that."

  Aaron chuckled, the sound throaty and hoarse and strained. He pulled back, need simmering in his eyes. Not just need, something more, something that made her heart leap and soar.

  "I think I can remember how to manage a quickie." The brown of his eyes deepened, pulling her in. "Or do you want me to stop?"

  Savannah reached between them, palmed the hard length of his cock under the nylon of his track pants, and shook her head. "No."

  Aaron hesitated, but only for a second. Then his mouth crashed against hers. Hungry, demanding. He yanked the towel away and cool air washed over her, replaced by the heat of his hands as he touched every inch of her. He broke the kiss, his breathing harsh and raspy. Instead of picking her up and carrying her upstairs as she expected, he reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossed it to the side. Leaned down, shed shoes and socks and pants, his hungry gaze never leaving hers. Then he grabbed her again, flesh-to-flesh, his mouth devouring hers.

  She moved against him, their feet tangling as he turned and dropped onto the sofa. He shifted her body so she was straddling him, his fingers digging into her hips as he rocked her slick heat against the rigid length of his cock.

  He bent his head, pulled one tight nipple into his mouth, and drove into her.

  Her head fell back, his name falling from her lips in a breathless scream as the climax swept her away. He held her through it, whispering her name, kissing her, still driving into her. Hard, deep. So deep. Then slower, until her senses gradually returned, until her breathing evened out.

  He hooked his hands under her knees, pushed up with his powerful legs and turned, reversing their positions so he was on top of her, pressing her into the sofa cushions. He braced one knee on the sofa and thrust into her, faster, harder, driving her to the edge once more.

  She grabbed his shoulders, nails biting into flesh, searching for an anchor against the desperate need battering her. Close, so close, ready to fly apart, to lose herself.

  Her eyes fluttered open as he rocked into her, driving her deeper and deeper into the maelstrom. She looked up, her gaze meeting his. Tried to look away but couldn't.

  "I love you, Savannah."

  The words sent her flying, her body shattering into so many pieces, she was afraid she'd never find herself again. But she wasn't lost. Could never be lost as long as Aaron held her. Safe. Secure. Protected.

  Loved.

  She opened her mouth to say the words, heard only her sharp gasps and shallow screams. Aaron's mouth closed over hers, swallowing each little sigh and moan. Then his body tensed, his arms tightening around her as his own release crashed over him, filling her.

  Consciousness slowly returned as her breathing slowed, as she became aware of her surroundings.

  The hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen ten feet away.

  The play of the afternoon sun on the carpet and the arm of the sofa near her head.

  The tangle of her legs, wrapped tight around Aaron's waist.

  The rise and fall of Aaron's chest as his body pressed against hers. Hard, strong. Solid.

  The look in his eyes as he stared down at her, so open and honest, hiding nothing.

  She reached up and cupped his cheek with one hand, felt the scratch of stubble against her palm. A smile curved her mouth. She pulled in a deep breath, needing to say the words. To give him the same honesty he had given her.

  But the sound of keys jangling in a lock distracted her. She heard the door open, heard a quick rap of knuckles against wood.

  Savannah stiffened, looked at Aaron in desperation as she heard the first footsteps in the front hallway.

  "Hey, Van. You almost ready? I know I'm early—"

  "Tessa, no! Don't—" She pushed against Aaron, frowning when she noticed his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. She pushed again, but it was like trying to budge a concrete wall. "Tessa, wait. Just give me a—"

  "Whoa. OhmyGod. Van! Really? Really!" Tessa's shriek filled the room. Savannah couldn't see her, she couldn't see anything past Aaron's broad shoulders, but she didn't need to. She could picture her friend's reaction perfectly, imagined her standing in the middle of the room, her eyes rounded in shock, her mouth hanging open.

  "Tessa, go! Now!"

  "Holy shit. Okay. I'll be outside. Just—Jesus."

  "Tessa!"

  "I'm going." She heard the sound of footsteps heading back to the door and breathed a sigh of relief. The relief was short-lived when she heard the footsteps return, heard Tessa's voice, dripping with feminine appreciation.

  "Okay, I just need to say, for the record. Aaron, that is one amazingly fine ass."

  Savannah waved her hand, blindly pointing her finger in the direction of the door. "Out!"

  The door closed and she dropped her head back on the cushion, her face flaming. Aaron's head fell forward, his shoulders shaking as warm, rich laughter filled the room.

  Savannah did the only thing she could think of: she reached behind him and smacked his amazingly fine ass.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Tessa swore under her breath as she struggled to step through the door with the plastic tub in her hands. She tripped, swore again, then finally stepped onto the patio. She dropped the tub then brushed the hair from her face and fixed Savannah with a dirty look.

  "Tell me again why I'm doing this?"

  "Because you owe me."

  "I said I was sorry!"

  "Doesn't matter. You still owe me."

  "If you didn't want me catching an eyeful, you shouldn't have been doing the wild thing in the middle of the living room. Especially when you knew I was coming over."

  "That's not the point."

  "Oh, please. It's not like a saw anything."

  Savannah braced one hand on her hip, her brows shooting up in disbelief. "You complimented him on his ass!"

  A wide smile stretched Tessa's mouth. "Can you blame me? Good God, I'll be dreaming about that ass for months."

  "Tessa!"

  "Sorry. But seriously, what did you expect? It was right there in front of me. How could I not look?"

  "Again, you're missing the point." Savannah leaned down and grabbed a string of lights, frowning as she tried to untangle them. She gave up ten seconds later and dropped them back into the tub. "I was getting ready to tell him I loved him."

  "There was nothing stopping you from telling him after I walked out."

  "Nothing except the fact that you completely killed the mood."

  "Mhmm. You sure it has nothing to do with you chickening out?"

  "Positive."

  "If you say so." Tessa sat down on the wicker loveseat with a small sigh and stared at Savannah. "So. You love him, huh?"

  "Yeah. I think."

  "You think? Or you know?"

  Savannah stared at the tub of lights, frowning. Then she blew out a deep breath and sat across from Tessa. "I know."

  "You sure about that?"

  "Yes."

  "Like, really sure? Not just lust, but love?"

  "Yes."

  "We're talking full-time commitment here. The settling down, getting married, and having babies kind of love."

  "Yes. I think." Savannah stared down at her hands, frowning. Then she sighed again and looked at Tessa. "I don't think. I know."

  "What about swearing off having a family? Has that changed? Because there's a big difference between starting one of your own and jumping into a ready-made one."

  "I know that."

  "And that doesn't scare you?"

  "It terrifies me."

  "But not enough to run and hide." It was a statement, not a question.

 
"No."

  "Well, as long as I get to be maid of honor, okay."

  "Tessa! You're getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you? I haven't even told him how I feel yet, and here you are, planning the wedding."

  "Yeah, so?"

  "So…he might not even want to get married."

  "But you said he told you he loved you."

  "That doesn't mean he's making long-term plans."

  "Van, trust me. From what I've seen of that man, if he said he loves you, he's making long-term plans."

  "The only thing you've seen of him is his ass."

  "And can I just say again what a fine ass it is?"

  "Tessa! God, I can't believe you. Is that all you can think about?"

  "Generally speaking, no, but since we're talking about him—"

  "Okay, okay. Enough." Savannah leaned to the side and grabbed the tangled string of lights from the tub then tossed them at Tessa. "Here. Make yourself useful."

  "Tell me again why we're doing this."

  "Because you owe me."

  "Yeah, I get that. But I still don't know why. It's not even December yet. You never decorate this early."

  "Because it's nice out and I don't want to wait until it gets cold again."

  Savannah grabbed another strand of lights, her fingers mindlessly working at the tangles as she thought about Aaron. Tessa was right: she should have told him. It didn't matter if the mood had shifted. She should have cupped his face between her hands and told him she loved him.

  Instead, she chickened out. Now two days had gone by, and she was worried that maybe he regretted saying the words in the first place.

  No, Aaron wouldn't have told her if he didn't mean it. That was just her own doubt, her own fears, coming to the surface. So, she'd tell him tonight, after he got home from practice and the girls got home from school. They were having dinner tonight, just simple chicken on the grill since the weather had turned warm. After dinner, once the girls had finished their homework and gone to bed—that's when she'd tell him.

  Or maybe she should just tell him as soon as he got home. Go over and wait on his porch and tell him—

  "Hey, Van."

  "Hm?"

  "Did schools let out early today?"

  Savannah looked up, noticed Tessa staring at Aaron's yard with a frown on her face. "No, why?"

  "Because isn't that Aaron's oldest daughter stumbling across the patio?"

  "What? Where?" Savannah jumped from the chair and moved to the corner of the house so she could see. Sure enough, Brooke was making her way toward the back door, walking with the deliberate care of someone who'd been drinking. A teenage boy was right behind her, his hand resting at the top of Brooke's ass.

  Savannah's hand tightened around the string of lights as she watched the pair disappear into the house. "What the hell?"

  Tessa stood beside her. "Maybe it's not what we're thinking."

  "She's been drinking!"

  "You don't know that for sure." Savannah turned on Tessa, not bothering to hide her anger and disbelief. Tessa stepped back, her hands held out in front of her. "Okay, Momma Bear, calm down. So she's been drinking. That doesn't mean anything."

  "I can't believe this. She's thirteen. What does she think she's doing? And bringing a boy to the house? If Aaron catches her—" She didn't want to think what Aaron would do. He'd act first and think later, and probably say something he'd regret. And if he caught that boy in the house…

  Savannah dropped the lights and hurried across the yard, Tessa right beside her. She noticed the car parked along the curb between the two houses and quickened her steps. That meant the kid was at least sixteen. What the hell was a sixteen-year-old doing with a kid Brooke's age?

  Forget about what Aaron might do. Savannah was going to kill the kid herself.

  She reached the sliding glass door and tugged on it, only to find it locked.

  Tessa looked at her, the same concern Savannah felt reflected on her face. "Now what? You know they'll just ignore it if we knock."

  "We don't need to knock. I know where the key is." She moved over to the grill, bent down and felt underneath for the small magnetic box. She pried open the lid, her fingers closing around the key as she tossed the box to the ground. Five seconds later, she was easing the sliding door open, Tessa right behind her as they stepped inside.

  Savannah paused, her head tilted to the side as she listened. The house was quiet except for the whispered voices coming from the living room.

  "I—I feel kind of funny." Brooke's voice, confused, the words a little slurred. A sharp hiss of breath, a small moan, the rustle of fabric.

  "Shh. It's okay. You'll like it. Feel how much I want you?" Another moan, almost guttural. Another rustle of fabric, followed by a sharp hiss.

  "K-Kevin, stop. T-that hurts. I don't—"

  Savannah charged into the room, her vision clouded by a red haze. She saw Brooke standing in the middle of the room, narrowed eyes filling with tears as she tried to move away. The boy had one hand under her sweater, the other wrapped around Brooke's, holding it in place against his jeans.

  Brooke stumbled back, her eyes rounded in surprise as Savannah grabbed the kid by the shirt collar and jerked him back. She spun him around, her hand fisting in his shirt, and started shaking him.

  "What the hell do you think you're doing? She's thirteen! You don't touch a thirteen-year-old girl. Do you understand me?" She shook him again, harder, her hand tightening in his shirt as he tried to pull away. His hands scrabbled against her wrists, her arms. Grabbing, pulling, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly as she pushed him toward the door. She wanted to hit him, use her knee to double him over, to incapacitate him so he'd never be able to touch another girl again.

  "Van! Savannah, stop!" Hands pulled at her, holding her back when she would have knocked the kid's head against the wall. "Savannah, enough."

  No, not enough. Not even close.

  It was the deep sobs coming from behind her that finally made her stop. She released her hold on the kid's shirt, pushed him away from her. "I don't ever want to see you around her again. Is that clear?"

  The boy's face paled. His head jerked in a quick nod and he turned around, scrambling for the door and slamming it behind him.

  "Savannah. Jesus."

  She ignored Tessa, pushing past her to reach Brooke. The young girl was leaning against the wall, tears streaking her red face. Savannah pulled her into a hug, tried to catch her breath, tried to calm the rage still clawing at her.

  "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

  "N-no." The word was muffled against Savannah's shoulder as Brooke held on, crying and sniffling and shaking. "I—I didn't mean to…I just thought he'd kiss me. I-I didn't think—"

  "Shh. It's okay. You're okay. You didn't do anything wrong."

  "But I—I invited him over—"

  "Brooke, listen to me." Savannah pulled away, brushed Brooke's hair from her sweaty face. "You didn't do anything wrong. Inviting someone over doesn't mean you invite them to do anything else."

  Brooke sniffled again, her shoulders heaving with each shaky breath. "But…I wanted him to kiss me."

  Savannah took a deep breath, wincing at the odor of alcohol, and tried to calm her nerves. Every part of her was shaking, her body still tight with tension. With anger. With blood-chilling fear. What would have happened if she hadn't been home? If Tessa hadn't noticed Brooke sneaking into the house?

  Her stomach twisted as images flashed through her mind, none of them good.

  "Brooke, sweetheart, that doesn't matter. Okay? Wanting someone to kiss you doesn't give that person permission to touch you." And oh, God, how could she even begin to explain this to a thirteen-year-old? How could she make Brooke understand that none of this was her fault?

  She gazed down at the girl, finally noticing the glazed eyes—not from tears, but from alcohol. She smoothed her hand over Brooke's hair and gentled her voice, not wanting the girl to think she was in trouble. "Brooke, ho
w much have you had to drink?"

  "I—" She looked away and for a second, Savannah thought she was going to deny it. But she didn't, although she wouldn't meet Savannah's gaze when she spoke. "I had two beers. And…and a shot of something. Kevin…he—he said it would relax me. But I think there was something wrong with them because my stomach doesn't feel good."

  Brooke stumbled against Savannah, would have fallen if she hadn't already had one arm around the young girl's shoulders.

  Indecision warred inside her as she tried to figure out what she should do. Put Brooke to bed and let her sleep it off? Yes, definitely. But where? If Aaron found her like this, before Savannah had a chance to explain…

  She tightened her hold on Brooke and looked over at Tessa, saw that her friend was thinking the same thing. "Let's get her back to my house, let her sleep it off while I figure out what to tell Aaron." No, not what…while she figured out how to tell him. Because he needed to know. She couldn't—wouldn't—keep this from him.

  "Are you sure that's the best thing to do, Van?"

  "No, but I don't have a better idea. Do you?"

  "What are you going to tell Aaron?"

  Brooke lifted her head, her eyes widening in fear. She tried to push away from Savannah, stumbled and almost fell. "No, please. Don't tell Dad. You can't tell him. Please."

  "Brooke, sweetheart, it's okay. I'm not—I won't tell him anything yet. Okay? But he needs to know—"

  "No, please. Promise you won't tell Dad. You can't tell Dad. Please."

  "Tell Dad what?"

  Savannah jumped at the clipped voice, whirled around to see Aaron standing just inside the doorway. She hadn't heard him pull up, hadn't heard the door open. And oh God, how long had he been standing there? How much had he heard?

  Probably too much, judging from the stormy look on his face.

  He dropped the small duffel bag to the floor, reached behind him and very quietly, very deliberately, closed the door.

  Brooke whimpered, fell against Savannah and buried her face against her shoulder, begging her in a loud whisper not to say anything. Aaron moved closer, brows lowered in an angry slash over cold eyes, the muscle in his clenched jaw twitching.