by Gary, Codi
“Rand…” he whispered, touching her head lightly, and the sight of her loving him like that was too much.
“Rand stop,” he said, and when she pulled back there was that uncertain look again. Pulling her to her feet, he took her mouth, rubbing his hands over her back, and cupping her ass. She moved against him eagerly, his cock trapped between him.
“Climb up onto the bed.”
She did what he said and he bent to pick up his jeans. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed his wallet, pulling out the tiny foil package and ripped it open with his teeth. After slipping the condom over his erection, he crawled up to lie next to her.
“Was I doing it wrong,” she asked softly and he shook his head.
“It was wonderful, but if you’d kept going, I would have finished earlier than expected,” he said, playing with her hair.
“Oh. Oh,” she said, giggling. Cradling the back of his head, she pulled him down for a kiss, whispering, “We wouldn’t want that.”
Definitely not.
He came over her and the weight of him felt so right and his kisses stole every doubt from her head.
“Rand honey, bend your legs,” he said, guiding her.
She did what he asked, planting her feet flat on the bed and she felt the head of him slip inside her. She tensed up and he stopped, kissing her again. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around him and noticed his skin was lightly dampened with perspiration.
A few more inches in and she squirmed at the full feeling.
He pulled back and laid his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry, Rand.”
“Sorry for wha…OW! Son of a…” his mouth cut off her curse at the sharp pain as he slipped all the way in and stilled.
She glared at him as he kissed her and was tempted to bite his tongue.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t want you to tense up and have it hurt worse.”
She shifted under him and muttered, “You could have told me it was going to hurt like that.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve never been with someone who hadn’t…” He ran his hand over her hair and cheek. “Does it hurt now?”
Did it hurt? No, not anymore, it just felt…like she couldn’t get comfortable. She shifted and he sucked in his breath. “Don’t move Rand.”
She ignored him, but this time when she squirmed, a little zing went through her. “Oh…”
He pulled out of her slowly, and slipped back in. Gasping at the sensation, she threw her head back and gripped his sides. He did it again, a little quicker and it felt good, so good.
“Okay” he asked as he continued his slow ministrations.
“Oh yes,” she breathed.
He didn’t ask her again, just plunged in and out, over and over until that heavy, throbbing feeling started building again. She held on tight to him and she climaxed hard, lifting her hips up as her muscles clenched and she put her mouth into his shoulder as she whimpered, “Ohhh….ohhh….”
His rhythm became uneven and she felt it, felt his shaft flexing and clenching as he came and she ran her hands up and down his back, a sense of power as he groaned against her ear. She kissed his shoulder and neck, licking at his skin and loving the weight of him on her body.
As his breathing slowed, he rolled to his side, taking her with him. Sprawled across his body, she stared down at him and he ran his finger over her mouth. “Are you sore?”
“I think I’m alright,” she said.
“Good. I really tried not to hurt you,” he said, lifting up to kiss her lips.
Snuggling back down against him, her eyes closed, and her body turned slack as he rubbed her back lightly, the gentle strokes lulling her into a deep, satisfied sleep.
Someone was banging on the front door and shouting. Rand sat up, dislodging Jakes arm from her naked waist.
Jumping out of the bed, she grabbed a t-shirt from her drawer and a pair of sweats, hopping from foot to foot as she pulled them on. Laughter from the bed brought her up short, and she looked over at Jake watching her.
“What are you laughing about,” she snapped, slipping the pants over her hips, covering her chest with the t-shirt.
“You’re cute,” he said simply, and she tried not to let those two words make her insides glow.
“Well, do you not hear the crazy person at the door? There might be something wrong,” she said, turning her back on him to pull the t-shirt over her head.
She heard him rustling around behind her, but rushed out of the room without peeking, worried that it was Andy coming by to tell her the cows had gotten out.
Reaching the front door, she yanked it open, and found Red, looking furious.
“Where is he,” Red asked, his whole demeanor threatening.
“Ummm…” Rand stuttered, and felt Jake’s warm body at her back as he widened the door. She looked at him, shirtless in a pair of jeans and wanted to die.
“You son of a bitch!” Red shouted, moving her out of the way to shove Jake. Rand fell back against the wall as Jake landed on his ass, and Red jumped on top of him. “Nothing going on huh? I knew something was up when you left the bar last night.”
Rand rushed forward to grab Red’s arm and pulled. “Damn it, Red, get off him.”
Red jumped up and the full force of his temper focused on her. “And you! I offer to marry you and instead of just being upfront about this,” he waved his hand, “whatever this is, you tell me you’ll think about it.”
“Because this wasn’t happening when you asked me,” she yelled.
“So you’re telling me that last night he just showed up and you thought, ‘gee, I think it’s a great idea to sleep with a guy who screws anything that moves,’” Red said, sarcasm dripping from him voice.
“Red, you asked me, and I love you for it, but I told you I needed time because I wasn’t sure what I wanted,” she said, her gaze falling heavily on Jake. “And I do now.”
Jake’s face and ass hurt equally, but Rand’s words made him grin like an idiot.
Red’s face was an angry scowl and Jake broke in, “I wasn’t trying to be a dick, man.”
“No, you just think with one,” Red snapped.
“Now look, I’m not saying what I did was right, but she,” he said, standing up and pulling Rand against his side, “chose me. She’s gonna marry me, and that’s it.”
“Wait. Wait,” Red said, holding up his hands. “He actually asked you to marry him?”
“More or less,” Rand said, receiving a pinch from Jake for her smart mouth.
Red just stared at them, open mouthed and disbelieving. Then, without warning, a gurgling of laughter bubbled up and erupted from his mouth.
Jake looked over at Rand, who was scowling at Red, and couldn’t help feeling a little insulted.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry but…oh this is too good,” Red heaved as he leaned against the back of the couch.
Rand just shook her head. “I’m going to go take a shower. Can you handle this?”
Jake was tempted to pick Red up by the seat of his britches and toss him out the door, but he had stepped in on Red so he cut him a little slack. “Are we okay?”
Red straightened up, wiping at his watery eyes, and he looked toward where Rand had disappeared. “You know she’s not just one of your conquests, right? You do realize that if you screw this up, you’re going to lose her.”
“We’re both walking into this with our eyes open. Even if it doesn’t work out, when the year is up, we’re going to stay friends,” Jake said, and Red’s expression held a touch of pity to it.
“Yeah. Good luck with that,” Red said, making his way towards the front door. Looking back for a second, he added, “We’re okay for now. But if you hurt her, I’m going to do more than the love tap you just got. Understand?”
Jake nodded, and as Red closed the door behind him, uncertainty and dread made Jake break out in a cold sweat.Was he doing the right thing? Was Red right?
God, he hoped not. Or else he was going to lose the two people who
meant the world to him.
Chapter Eleven
Rand stepped out of the shower, unsure of where they went from that point. Red knew. Jake had announced they were getting married, and they had…well been intimate. Did they go to the courthouse?
She walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel to find Jake sitting on her bed, the side of his face ugly, purple, and swollen.
“You look like hell,” she said unsympathetically.
“Yeah well, hopefully this isn’t a sign of what our marriage will really be like. I’m kind of partial to my face you know,” he said and surprised her by reaching out and pulling her across his lap.
Holding her towel, she shrieked, “What are you doing?”
His mouth captured hers and she melted, kissing him back eagerly and forgetting about the slipping towel as she wrapped her arms around him.
“Can I take you out later? After work,” he asked between kisses and his hand crept up and over her breast, making her purr with pleasure.
“Mmmm…like a date?” She was having a hard time focusing with his hands and mouth working their magic over her body.
“Yeah like a date. You and me out to dinner and maybe a movie…” His hand drawing little circles along her inner thighs was making her squirm impatiently.
Grabbing his hand, she slipped it up to where she wanted and sighed as he obliged her, ignoring his chuckle as she arched against his searching hand. His thumb rubbed against her clit and she moaned, and bucked as that fantastic, trembling drum started beating in her core until finally she grabbed Jake’s shoulders and hung on tight, riding the waves of blissful satisfaction that followed her orgasm.
When he kissed her forehead and started to get up, she held tight. “You’re leaving before…I mean you aren’t…”
“I think we should wait until tonight. You might be a little sore,” he said, his hands rubbing over her back.
Disappointed, she started, “I think I’ll be fine…”
He stopped her argument with a kiss, “It’s okay. We have plenty of time.”
She almost argued, but let it go when he kissed her one last time and stood up. “I’ll pick you up at seven?”
“Okay,” she said, watching him walk out of the room. When she heard the door open and close, she flopped back on the bed.
Did all of that really happen? Did she just agree to marry Jake?
Something close to glee was swirling around inside her and before she knew it, she was squealing like an idiot.
Rand was looking forward to their date. She’d pulled out a simple black shirt with a v shaped neckline and jeans. She’d left her hair down, just like he liked it, and wore her best pair of boots.
She grabbed her jacket and walked out of the bedroom just as a knock sounded at the front door. Rushing to open it, she tried to appear calm, even though her heart and stomach were doing cartwheels and backflips.
Before she could say anything, his arm snaked out and pulled her against him. “You look beautiful.”
Rand couldn’t stop her hands from slipping under his shirt and around the warm skin of his back. She knew she wasn’t really beautiful, but the way he said it, his deep voice so rumbly and sincere, made goose bumps break out all over her skin. “You don’t have to say that stuff.”
“It’s true. Why wouldn’t I say it,” he asked, frowning.
Rand shook her head. “Never mind…”
“Rand, you are. I will never lie to you. Don’t you trust me,” he asked, his tone hurt.
Jake, her friend, she trusted above everyone else. Jake the fiancé? She still wasn’t sure.
They drove to the next town over and settled on a little Mexican restaurant with one other couple inside. Jake looked around at the small area, the brightly smiling waitress, and wondered if they should back out slowly. It was never a good thing when a restaurant was nearly empty on a Friday night.
“Sit whereever you like.” The waitress said as she went back to the kitchen and Jake whispered out of the corner of his mouth, “Do you want to go somewhere else?”
The look she shot him was puzzled. “No, this is fine. You love Mexican food, why would you want to leave?”
He let it go and led her to a booth next to the window. “I was just worried when I saw there were only a few people inside.”
“Probably because there’s supposed to be a big thunder storm rolling in,” she said.
“Well hi, y’all, welcome to Carlos’. I’m Tandy, and I’ll be your server. Can I get y’all a margarita or beer?”
He smiled at the perky blond waitress. “Well, hi ya Tandy, I’ll have a beer and can you make sure it comes out ice cold, darlin’?”
Tandy bobbed her head. “Sure can, and how bout you honey?”
Jake saw Rand was scowling at him, and he had no idea why. He watched her transfer her gaze to Tandy and her frown eased. Slightly. “I’ll just have a coke, thanks.”
Tandy stared at Rand for a bit before her smile widened. “Coming right up.”
Jake’s gaze was focused on Rand and not at the sassy blonde’s retreat when he asked, “Why are you looking at me like you want to string me up?”
She looked down at the menu in her hands and snapped, “I’m not.”
He watched her concentrate on her menu with her forehead wrinkled and smirked. He reached out and touched her menu but she ignored him.
Man, the woman was sulking about something.
“Well I don’t know what twisted your girdle, but you picked a fine time to start acting like a typical woman,” he teased, trying to get a rise out of her.
She slapped her menu down and hissed, “I just don’t get why you need to flirt with any girl who bats her lashes at you.”
He couldn’t be more surprised if she lifted her shirt and flashed him. “I wasn’t flirting with her, I was just being friendly.”
She batted her lashes at him and mimicked, “Oh darlin’ would you mind making sure my beer is ice cold?”
“First of all, I don’t sound anything like that, and second of all, I am nice to waitresses so they don’t spit in my food.” The last was said with a grimace just thinking about it.
He saw her lip twitch and her expression start to ease before she snapped her scowl back in place. “Right.”
Rand usually just rolled her eyes or made snorts of disgust when she thought he was flirting. He reached out and grabbed her hand, holding fast when she tried to yank it away. “Are you jealous?”
“Here ya go. Extra cold beer and a coke.” Jake caught her looking at Rand appraisingly as she said, “I just love your top. Where did you get it?”
Rand pulled her hand away from him and he covered his smile with his hand as she looked surprised by the compliment. “I don’t remember.”
Tandy leaned on the table and the woman’s look was downright sultry. “Well it looks awesome on you.”
Jake blinked. The girl wasn’t being friendly. She was flirting…with Rand.
Rand seemed oblivious to Tandy’s interest. “I got it as a present for my birthday, and was going to take it back, but my granddaddy couldn’t find the receipt.”
Tandy actually batted her lashes. “Well that would have been a damn shame.”
Alright, it was funny at first, but that was too much. “I’ll have the chicken enchiladas with two tacos.” Both women turned to stare at him and he focused all of his attention on Rand, “Honey, what do you want to eat?”
Rand looked back up at Tandy when she answered. “I’ll have a bean and cheese burrito with rice and beans.”
“Coming right up,” Tandy said.
Her smiled faded when her gaze shifted to him, her expression downright hostile. This time he watched her walk away and turned back to Rand with wide eyes. “Did you see that?”
“You checking out our waitress,” Rand asked with false sweetness.
It was his turn to be angry. “No, the glare she sent me.”
“Right because women usually glare at you.”
> Jake said very patiently, “Rand honey, I have no interest in that woman and I’m telling you, I am not her type.”
“How do you know that?”
He leaned back in his seat and grinned. “Because it wasn’t me she was checking out.”
“What are you talking about? Who else…” Rand’s brown eyes jerked toward the kitchen and then back to him. “Really?”
He laughed. “So you see, you were jealous for no reason.”
“Just because she wasn’t flirting with you doesn’t mean you weren’t flirting with her,” she quipped.
He’d finally had enough and sat forward with a deadly serious tone. “Rand, you have known me for a long time. When I tell you that I’m not flirting with anyone else, believe me. There’s only one woman I want to have…in every way.”
She lowered her eyes and a dull red covered her cheeks. She was quiet, even when Tandy brought their food and tried to engage her.
Jake took a bite of his food and got a funny aftertaste. “How’s your food?”
“It’s hard to screw up a bean burrito,” she said quietly.
He took another bite of his meal and swallowed forcefully. “Mine tastes a little funky.”
“Then don’t eat it. We can grab something else if you want,” she said, taking a bite of her meal without looking at him.
He didn’t mention it again, but he only ate half of it. After Tandy brought them their bill, he gave her cash and stood up. “You ready?”
Rand followed him out quietly and by the time he reached the truck, he’d had enough. “Rand, are you trying to start a fight? First I was flirting and now you’re giving me the silent treatment for God knows what. I wanted to just take you out and have a good time. I always have fun with you, but it just seems awkward and…”
Suddenly, she was on him and her mouth mashed over his, her arms wrapped around him to bring him closer. He didn’t question it, just slipped his arms around her and returned her kiss. He rubbed his hands over her back and down to grab her ass.
She didn’t jerk away, just kept kissing him until he leaned against his truck and slid his hands up to hold her face. He broke the kiss, breathing hard and asked, “What was that?”
