by Codi Gary
“I donated it to charity,” he said.
“Do you always have to be so rude and sarcastic? I hardly ever see you except Sundays and holidays, and when I do, you treat me as if I have a tail!”
His mother’s voice shook and although he knew she was probably just playing him, it didn’t make her words any less true. His parents were great, but as he’d gotten older his mother had become more overbearing and nosy, and it drove him crazy.
“I just wanted a change, that’s it,” he said.
“Well, I’m sure I’ll get used to it, although you look a bit like a character from Sons of Anarchy.”
Mike’s eyebrows shot up. “You watch Sons of Anarchy?”
“Yes, Michael, your mother is an actual human being with interests outside of worrying about her son.” Glancing past his shoulder, she asked, “Do you have company, or is there another reason you are guarding your door like a pit bull?”
“Thanks for stopping by, Mom, but as you can see, I’m alive.” Mike took a few steps forward, and placed his hand on the small of her back.
“You don’t need to shove me,” his mother snapped.
“I’m not shoving you!”
Mike heard the crack of a door behind him and they both turned to find Ellie standing in the doorway.
“Sorry, I just need to pee,” she said.
“Go ahead. I was just showing my mother out.” But while he tried to put a barrier between them, his mother pushed past him and held her hand out.
“Hello, I’m Barbara Stevens, Mike’s mother. And you are?”
Ellie cleared her throat and took his mother’s hand. “I’m Eleanor Willis.”
His mom’s eyes widened. “Edward Willis’s youngest?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
His mother shot him a murderous glance. “I didn’t realize you were seeing someone, Michael.”
“Oh, no, ma’am,” Ellie protested. “We’re friends. Mike was sick last night, and I was just taking care of him.”
“Sick? What kind of sick?”
“Food poisoning.”
Mike rolled his eyes to the heavens. Ellie shot him a desperate look and he took his mother by the shoulders. “Okay, Mom, it’s time to go. Dad is waiting.”
“Eleanor…”
Ellie appeared ready to bolt. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I don’t know if you knew this, but your mother and I were friends growing up. She was a lovely woman. You look just like her.”
Ellie’s eyes widened. “Thank you.”
“I won’t keep you from your business,” his mom said.
“Thank you. It was nice meeting you.”
“You as well.”
The bathroom door clicked shut behind Ellie and his mother turned on him.
“You have some explaining to do.”
Mike took her arm gently, leading her down the hallway away from the door. “I actually don’t. I can be friends or date whoever I want.”
“How old is she?”
“She’s twenty-four, Mom.”
“Oh.” His mom’s face flushed. “I thought she was younger than that. And what are you to each other? I don’t believe for a second you’re friends.”
“For once, can you not meddle in my life?”
“Fine, but just so you know, I would enjoy it if you brought Ellie to our Fourth of July barbecue.”
Mike didn’t mention he already was. “Why?”
“So, I can get to know her.”
“I think it’s a little early to expose her to you, Pop, and the rest of the clan,” Mike said. Opening the front door, he waved his hand. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Fine, fine, I can take a hint.” His mother stepped onto the porch and turned once more to add, “She’s very pretty, but you are using protection, aren’t you?”
Mike groaned. “Yes, I got the sex talk and I know the drill. Seriously, though.”
“All right, all right,” she said, walking down the steps of his house. He saw his dad sitting in the car and waved, but he was probably listening to the football game because he didn’t look up.
Mike closed the door and rubbed his throbbing temples.
“I left Advil and water on your nightstand for you.”
Mike looked up to find Ellie standing next to his couch, looking a little less rumpled, but still beautiful.
“Did I call you over here last night?” he asked.
“Yes, you practically begged me to come take care of you.”
He couldn’t tell if she was messing with him or not, so he just said, “Well, thanks, then.”
“It was my pleasure,” she murmured.
Mike glanced at her sharply. “Did something else happen I should know about?”
Ellie laughed. “You mean did I take advantage of you? No, you’re safe. I just helped you get cleaned up, and then put you to bed. By that time, I was just so tired, I guess I passed out.”
“Oh, shit,” he said. “I had puked on myself, didn’t I?”
“Just a little bit, it was no big deal. Believe me, I used to be a pro drunk.”
Her casual words struck him through and a slow grin spread over his face. “Wait, let me get this straight. A guy drunk dials you, begs you to come and take care of him, and it’s no big deal?”
“Like I told your mom, we’re friends,” she said, testily.
“Or, maybe, you wanted to see me so bad, you were willing to deal with me as a hot mess?”
“Think whatever you want, but I was just trying to be—”
Mike strode toward her and grabbed her arms, yanking her against him.
“—nice!” She squeaked the last word.
Wrapping his arms around her, he bent down to kiss the side of her throat, just below her ear. “So, you were just performing a public service? Nothing more?”
He took her earlobe between his lips and teased it with his teeth and tongue.
“Uh-huh,” she said breathlessly.
“Liar,” he said.
“Am not.” Before he could say more, she had pulled away enough to mold her lips to his.
Mike slid his hands over her back, pressing her body into his as he kissed her back, ignoring the pinch of pain in his jaw as he opened it wider, sweeping his tongue inside. Walking her back to the couch, he tumbled her back onto the soft fabric and followed her, coming down on top of her.
As he pulled up the bottom of her T-shirt to her chest, he broke the kiss and moved down, placing his mouth along her rib cage until she was writhing under him. He kneeled on the side of the couch, pulling her sweats and panties down as he trailed his lips along her abdomen, dipping his tongue into her belly button. When the pants and panties hit the floor, Mike climbed up onto the couch and shoved a few throw pillows under her hips. As he hooked her legs over his shoulders, he stared down her body until his gaze fused with hers.
And before she changed her mind, he dipped his head between her legs.
Ellie had no idea how they had gotten here so fast but she was beyond caring as Mike’s tongue pushed inside her, slipping up along her slit until it passed over the hard nub of her clitoris. She jerked at the zing of pleasure that shot up her body and whimpered as Mike pressed his mouth around her, sucking hard until her limbs were shaking and her breath was coming in hard pants. God, it felt so good, amazing really, and suddenly, the heavy throb of orgasm washed over her and she arched up, crying out as she rode the wave.
Mike was leaving lazy kisses along her thighs when she finally came down, watching him below half-closed eyes.
Before she could say anything to break the silence, she felt his press a finger inside her, and she moaned.
Mike used his other hand to pull the pillows out from under her, even as he pressed another finger inside, moving up and out of her. She could hear the wet suction as he pulled in and out, and then she couldn’t think at all because he was curling his fingers inside her, rubbing vigorously against the flesh of her G-spot. Aching need rebuilt inside her, but she c
ouldn’t fall over the edge again—not without something more.
“I need you inside me.” She had no idea how she got the words out; her breathing was too harsh and her heart was hammering so loud, she was sure he could hear it.
“Are you on the pill?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“Good.”
Without warning, he pulled his fingers out of her body and helped her sit up. She gasped as he lifted her up, hovering her over his lap until she straddled him.
He lifted her shirt up and completely over her head. She had gone into the laundry room to get her bra and panties, which she had thrown into the dryer the night before, but now it was nothing but a nuisance. Reaching behind her, she deftly unhooked her bra and slipped it down her arms until her breasts sprang free. Her nipples were already hard with arousal, so when Mike rubbed his rough cheeks and chin against the hard peaks, she cried out with pleasure-pain.
Mike soothed her with his tongue as he opened his mouth and took her into his mouth, shocks and tingles shocking every nerve in her body and traveling down. She could feel the front of his boxers getting wet with every jerk of her hips against his hard length, pressing against the cotton fabric and teasing her flesh until she just had to slide her hand down over his hard stomach, slipping under the waistband of his boxers and wrapping her hand around his thick cock.
Ellie lifted up, and pulled at the waistband of his boxers, sighing as he came out hard and ready.
“Oh, God, don’t make that sound,” he said hoarsely as he tangled his hands in her hair.
She adjusted her hips so the head of him pressed into her wet core, and whispered against his lips, “What sound?”
Mike thrust his hips up and his cock slid up into her, stretching her walls around him and she breathed out against his lips again.
“That one.” He trailed his hands down her back to cup her hips, pressing her down until she took all of him inside. Every last inch. Biting her lip as she whimpered and moaned, she rotated her hips as Mike lifted her and brought her back down. She let him set the pace and before long, their motions were hard, jerky, passionate and Ellie went wild, slanting her mouth over Mike’s and sinking her teeth into his lower lip softly. He retaliated with a light slap on her ass and before long, she wasn’t thinking of anything except the flex of his cock and floating euphoria that settled over her as she orgasmed again.
Mike yelled as he jerked and stilled, gripping her against him and she kissed his chin, cheek, and finally, his mouth as he leaned back against the couch, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
“Fuck, that was better than I thought it would be,” he said.
Laughing, she climbed off him and laid back on the couch with her feet in his lap. “You mean you’ve fantasized about this?”
“Of course,” he said, turning his head to look at her. “You’ve never thought of it before?”
“I don’t remember,” she lied.
He pinched her calf. “You are full of shit.”
“Mmm,” she said.
“I should probably get up and get home. I’m having brunch with my dad, and it’s already late.”
But before she could get to her feet, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him. “Just to be clear, this was not a mistake.”
Ellie relaxed into him, and didn’t even try to argue. “No, it wasn’t a mistake.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Mike said.
“Why is that?”
“I was afraid I was going to have to spank you again.”
Ellie slipped her arms around his shoulders and teased the corner of his mouth with her tongue. “For the record, I still owe you for that…and payback is a bitch.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ellie walked up the steps to the house she’d grown up in, and pushed open the door without knocking. She could see her father already seated at the head of the table, his silver hair twinkling like tinsel in the light.
“Eleanor, I’m glad you could make it.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She took a step into the room and saw Val, Justin, and Carter on one side, and Caroline, Gabe, and…
Some guy she’d never met before.
“Eleanor, this is Bryun Kline. I mentioned him on the phone a few weeks ago,” her father said.
Ah, the senator’s son. How had she not realized this was going to be an ambush?
Bryun stood up and held his hand out to her. He was a tall man with dark hair and crystal-blue eyes. He was good-looking, clean-cut, and under any other circumstances, she might have been interested if she hadn’t been caught up in Mike and if her father hadn’t set her up without her permission.
“It’s good to meet you, Ellie. Your father has gone on and on, and I can see why.”
Someone made a gagging sound and Ellie was pretty sure it was Caroline.
“Hi, Bryun. I apologize if I seem a little surprised but I wasn’t expecting you.”
Bryun pulled out the chair next to his. “Well, I am hoping it was a happy surprise. I am excited to get to know you better.”
When Bryun wasn’t looking, Ellie shot her father a furious glance, to which he just shrugged.
This was not how she’d imagined this day.
As they started loading their plates, Ellie caught Gabe’s eye. “Hey Gabe, thanks for fixing Mike’s motorcycle.”
Her brother in laws brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Ellie paused with a forkful of eggs poised in front of her mouth. “Mike’s bike. He said you were fixing it.”
“No, Mike couldn’t afford it. He’s supposed to let me know if they find out who did it, but until then, it’s just sitting in my garage.”
Why had Mike lied? Was it to spare her feelings of guilt? Or was he embarrassed?
“How much will it be to fix it?” she asked.
“About ten grand.”
Ellie didn’t have that, not until October. The only way to get her hands on that much cash would be to ask her dad and he’d probably want her kidney for it.
Or her firstborn child, happily conceived from her union to Bryun.
“What is this about a motorcycle?” her father asked.
“My friend, Mike Stevens, has his motorcycle destroyed by the same person who slashed my tires.”
Her dad frowned. “Why would they do that?”
“I don’t really know.”
“I see.”
The rest of breakfast passed with banal chitchat, but when it was over, Ellie walked over to her dad and whispered, “Can I speak to you privately?”
“In my office. I will be along shortly.”
Ellie sat down, and waited impatiently. When he stepped into the room, he didn’t even wait for her to speak.
“How much do you need?”
She opened her mouth the protest, but what was the use. “I would like to borrow ten grand.”
“I’m not giving you money to fix some man’s motorcycle.”
“It was my fault it was destroyed.”
“How do you know that?”
“I just do. Please, Dad. I will work in your office during the day to pay off the loan.”
Her dad quirked an eyebrow at her. “I am surprised you didn’t simply tell me to take it out of your trust.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I have actually been trying to change.”
Her dad sat down at his desk with a nod. “I have noticed that.”
He reached into his desk and pulled out his checkbook. “Do you want me to make it out to him?”
“Actually, can you make it out to Gabe? I want to surprise Mike.”
Her father filled out the check and handed it to her. “You can go give this to Gabe, but you start promptly at eight on Monday. Don’t be late.”
On impulse, she came around the desk and hugged him. “Thank you, Daddy.”
Her father, never one to be comfortable with affection, coughed. “Yes, well, if things move beyond friendship with Mike, he is mo
re than welcome to accompany you to brunch.”
As far as blessings went, that was better than anything either of her sisters had gotten.
Mike was sitting at home, drinking a beer and watching Scorpion, when someone knocked on his door. He got up and opened it to find Gracie standing on his doorstep.
“You here to hurl more insults at me?” he asked.
“Will you let me in so we can talk?”
Mike stepped back, allowing her to pass. Smalls, upon seeing his favorite godmother, started barking excitedly.
“Hello, my love,” she said, giving the puppy a snuggle.
“You had something to say to me?” Mike said impatiently.
Gracie scowled at him. “Fine. I thought you should know that you were right. I looked over Wendy’s plan and we both agreed that becoming partners was the best way to both get what we want. The Local Bean will be moving.”
“Well, I’m happy for you,” he said.
She poked him in the shoulder hard. “The next time you are unsure about whether something might be wrong, maybe you should talk to the person it affects the most. Especially if it’s me.”
“So, I’m forgiven.”
“Until you screw up again, yeah.”
Gracie kissed Smalls one more time on the nose and then turned to leave. As she hovered in the doorway, she pulled something out of her pocket.
“This is for you.”
Mike took the card, surprised. “Rock Canyon School District.”
“I put in a call and made a deal. They use you exclusively and they get a twenty-percent discount on computer maintenance. They are expecting your call.”
Mike stared at the card. “Thanks, Gracie. This means a lot.”
“That’s what friends are for. So remember that.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Why did I agree to this?” Ellie asked Caroline as she walked alongside her in Hall’s Market. It was the third of July and Ellie was dreading dinner with Mike’s parents. In fact, she was pretty sure that anything that the Coulter brothers or Forrest or whoever was behind these attacks had in store for her was better than sitting through dinner with Mike and his perfect parents.
“Because you like Mike and want to make him happy?” Caroline grabbed several containers of frozen cool whip. “How many do you need?”
