Should've Been You

by Nicole McLaughlin

  He smiled at her. She tilted her head. “What?” she asked, her voice full of self-consciousness.

  Jase shook his head. “I just love hearing you talk like this. I love having you here, Becca.” When her face softened, he leaned in and kissed her. But unlike earlier in the driveway, this time he took it slow. Let his tongue slide leisurely against hers. Savored the sound of her quiet moan as he stepped closer to her, letting her feel what she did to him.

  Her hand went between them and then she was gripping him through his jeans. “Ah, God, yes, Becca. Touch me, please,” he whispered against her mouth. Her hands began to fumble with his zipper as their mouths fused once more. He wanted to touch her back, but he also was having trouble focusing on anything but the feel of her hands on his cock as she pulled him out of his underwear.

  Kissing her softly, he tried to catch his breath as she stroked him. Finally pulling himself together, he stepped back toward the bed, pulling her with him by the hem of her shirt.

  When he pulled his shirt up and over his head, she did the same, leaving her in just her bra and jeans. “I can’t get over how perfect you are,” he whispered, running a finger down her cleavage.

  She began to undo her pants so Jase pushed his own down, followed by his underwear, and then stood in front of her naked. Staring at her bra and panties, he licked his lips before he spoke. “I liked you in those jeans, but I’d choose naked any day.”

  “I hope so,” she said quietly teasing him. “Now what are you going to do with me?”

  He raised an eyebrow and then grabbed each of her arms, turning her so her back was to the bed. Then he gently guided her down to sit on the edge of the mattress. It squeaked, and she looked up at him.

  “The bed is loud,” she whispered.

  He glanced down to the carpet then grabbed a pillow and tossed it to the ground. “Better?” Kneeling between her parted knees, he put his hands behind her butt and pulled her to the edge of the bed and then onto the floor with him. “I didn’t expect our first time to be on the floor.”

  She smiled, her beautiful face lit by the bedside lamp as they knelt in front of each other. “I didn’t really expect for us to ever have a first time so I’ll take what I can get.”

  That sobered him. He reached up to touch her face. “I want you so bad, Becca.”

  “Have you been with anyone since Christmas Eve?” she asked, licking her lips nervously.

  He shook his head. “No. Have you?” Her answer scared him, he realized, and he was overcome with relief when she shook her head.

  “Only you when I closed my eyes.”

  He grinned. “Well, if you’re going to count that, then I’ll need to change my answer.”

  Reaching behind him, she palmed his ass and pulled him against her. He kissed her, deeply and aggressively, dying to get inside of her.

  When she pulled back, breaking the kiss, she whispered. “Sit down.”

  Not a man to argue with a beautiful naked woman, he did as she asked.

  FOURTEEN

  Becca watched a smile creep onto his face as he sat down on the floor and leaned back on his hands. She saw he’d laid a condom on the bedside table and she grabbed it before shimmying forward on her knees.

  Straddling his legs, she settled down on his knees, which were slightly parted.

  “Do you have any idea how hot you look right now?” he asked as she opened the package.

  She gathered her courage, not wanting him to be the only one handing out sexy compliments. Condom in hand, she scooted up a bit. “Probably not as hot as you do, just sitting here waiting for me to ride you.”

  His eyes shot wide open, his lips quirking. “Holy shit.” He let out a sexy little chuckle and she smiled, suddenly shy.

  “Was that pretty good?” she said on a laugh, wrapping her hands around his erection. “I was trying for seductive.”

  He laughed again and it ended on a groan as she squeezed. “It was insanely good. Keep trying. I love it.”

  “What would you like me to do to you?” she asked, going for a sexy voice and stroking his length once again. Her other hand slid over his balls, and he arched up off the floor a little.

  “Whatever you want to.”

  She had an idea what he might like. Adjusting her body, she knelt and swept her hair out of the way before giving him a long hard lick. He blew out a shuddered breath and touched the back of her head softly. Wrapping her lips around the head, she slid down as far as she could, encouraged by his groan. She pulled up and went down again, going even farther, letting her lips and tongue slide along his skin as she continued a few more times. Up, down, repeat.

  “That’s so good, Beck. Shit.” His voice was ragged and whispered. “Get up here. I want to be inside you.”

  She released him and sat up on her knees so she could roll the condom down his wet shaft. She could feel him watching, and when she glanced up at his face, he met her gaze.

  “Get over here.”

  She kneed her way closer and hovered there, her warmth right above him. Balancing on one hand, he grabbed himself and lined them up, the head of his penis brushing across her clit. She shuddered, the sensitive skin ready and throbbing.

  “Feel good?” he asked, doing it again.

  “Uh-huh,” she whimpered as he did it a third time. Then a fourth. Ready to ease herself down on him, she began to lower her body.

  “Oh God, Becca, just like that.”

  She glanced down. Watching him enter her body was the sexiest thing she’d ever witnessed. She slid all the way down, her butt resting on his strong thighs, and then he switched balancing arms, put his free hand on her ass, and squeezed.

  Then smacked. She yelped, her eyes flying wide up to his.

  “Sorry, that was loud,” he said with a boyish grin. “I couldn’t help it,” he added, grinding up into her.

  “I kinda liked it,” she said, sliding up to take him all over again.

  “Did you?” he asked with growl, smacking her once more, quick and firm. This time she held in all sound and let out a long sigh.

  “Lean forward,” he said, angling his chin up. As soon as she did, he had a breast in his mouth. That was all she needed to start rocking back and forth on him like her life depended on it.

  “Oh God, that feels so good,” she whispered. It didn’t take her long, and she was feeling the first signs of her body about to come.

  She lowered her head and Jase reached up, urging her to kiss him. Their lips locked, tongues twisted, and she was a goner, her core bursting with pleasure. His fingers found her clit at just the right moment and her hips jerked in response as she whimpered against his lips.

  After an intense release, her body relaxed and she let out a breathy sigh.

  “Good?” he asked quietly.

  “So good.”

  He kissed her again then looked up at her. “Will you lean against the bed?”

  Without thinking twice, she rose off him, turned, and leaned her upper body against the mattress.

  “Damn,” he said behind her. “I wish you could see what I get to see.” A warm hand ran down her backside, a finger lightly penetrating her. She shuddered, pushing her bottom back toward him.

  He spread her apart with a hand on each side of her ass, and then he was inside her again. Instantly he was pumping in and out of her, and it wasn’t long before she felt her body tensing again. Pressing her face into the mattress, she cried out when he put his fingers on her once more, stroking as he took her.

  Their desire to keep quiet was ruined, because the bed creaked beneath her as he picked up his pace for a long moment. Then they were both coming, him on a muffled groan against her back, and her into the comforter.

  * * *

  Becca was woken by a kiss on her forehead. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open. “What time is it?” she asked.

  “Four thirty.” Jase stood over her, completely dressed . . . in uniform. Wow.

  “Oh.” She rolled over, her voice hoarse. She
rubbed her eyes and sat up a little. “This is my ultimate fantasy.” She ran a hand over the BECKFORD patch on his chest.

  He smiled and sat on the side of the bed. “Maybe sometime we can play that one out. I’m free tomorrow evening. Where will you be?”

  She smiled. “Is that when you’ll be back? Tomorrow?”

  He nodded. Lifting her hand, he kissed the back of her knuckles. “Promise you’ll be here when I get back. Well, not at Tyler’s, but in town. Or at your dad’s.”

  “I promise. I’ll probably stay with Hannah tonight. Give us some time to hang out. Then I’ll go to Dad’s in the morning. I’m off Monday.”

  “Good. Then we will spend it together, and I’ll be convincing you to come around a lot more often.”

  Her heart sped up, and she couldn’t contain her ridiculous grin. “I doubt it will take much convincing.”

  “You sure? Do you need to talk to your magic crystals first, or have a séance?”

  She slapped his arm. “Stop it.”

  He leaned down to kiss her on the lips.

  “I’ll be thinking about you, Becca. So you’d better be thinking about me.”

  “I’ve been thinking about you for eighteen years, Jase Beckford.”

  “Well, just so you know, I feel like maybe we’re just getting started.” He gave her a wink and was gone.

  She snuggled back into the covers and a few moments later Hannah came in and got in the bed beside her. “That couch sucked. Please tell me I’m not going to be lying on anything questionable.”

  “Nah, we did it on the floor.”

  “Oh good Lord,” Hannah said with a sigh. Becca just laughed, and they both fell back asleep.

  EPILOGUE

  Becca rushed back into the kitchen to grab the banana pudding out of the refrigerator. Pride took over as she grabbed the beautiful dish her mother had always used to serve their favorite Easter dessert. Just like that, a tear sprang to her eye.

  She laid it on the counter to grab a serving spoon when a hand caressed her lower back. She turned to find Jase smiling at her, but as soon as he saw her glassy eyes, he frowned. “What’s wrong, babe?”

  Shaking off her melancholy, she shook her head. “I’m fine.”

  Before she could turn to the utensil drawer, he grabbed her hands, pulled her into his body, and leaned his forehead onto hers. “Hey. I miss her, too. But I felt her here today. Sitting with us at that table as we ate all the food she used to make. Tasted just like she’d been in that kitchen, Beck.”

  A stupid tear made it down her cheek. She’d just successfully pulled off her first official Easter dinner for ten people. She and Jase, his mother, Hannah, Tyler, Lia, Caleb, and her father and his girlfriend Evelyn. “You think?” she said weakly.

  “It was amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

  He kissed her lips just as Hannah walked in. They pulled away, both still feeling a little awkward around her sister, although she appeared to be completely fine with them.

  “Okay, don’t be mad at me.” Hannah looked guilty. “But I like her. When she started asking about Mom . . .”

  “I know.” Becca fanned her own eyes, not wanting to cry anymore. “I know.”

  Evelyn had so sweetly asked them about all the dishes, complimented their mother’s taste in food, and asked about their family’s Easter traditions. It had been so unexpected and kind. Even more surprising, it was obvious that Evelyn knew quite a bit about their mother, which meant their father had spoken lovingly about her. To his new girlfriend. Then the way he’d smiled and squeezed her hand on the table . . . Becca could tell the conversation at the table had meant a lot to him. It had meant a lot to her and obviously Hannah, too.

  Jase smiled, kissed Becca’s cheek, and grabbed the banana pudding. “You ladies bring the bowls and spoons.”

  When he was gone, Hannah walked over and wrapped her arms around Becca. “Thanks for letting me help cook, but you nailed this meal. It was like having Mama back.”

  Becca hugged her sister and felt another tear escape. Together—okay, mostly her—they had tackled a giant honey ham, the famous mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, roasted green beans, and even their mother’s amazing scratch rolls. Not to mention the salad Lia had brought and the deviled eggs from Evelyn. It had been a beautiful day with amazing people.

  Hannah pulled away and wiped her eyes just as Evelyn stepped in. “Can I help you girls with anything? It feels so strange to be served,” she said, laughing.

  “Well, I suppose you could carry the bowls out.” Becca went to the cupboard and grabbed the stack and handed it to Evelyn.

  Hannah grabbed the spoons and they all headed back to the dining room for dessert. Once everyone had a helping, her father cleared his throat. “I have an announcement I’d like to make.”

  Becca and Hannah gave each other quick smiles, because they knew what was coming. Their father had talked to them about it the week before, when Becca had been here for her spring break. She and Jase had been taking turns driving on the weekends ever since the night of the storm. He’d come to Kansas City several times, but mostly she came here because it’s where her family was; besides, he’d needed to be here to work his cattle. They’d already spent several afternoons watching the vet stick his hand where no hand should go to see who was pregnant. So far it appeared that Pitch the bull had done his job successfully.

  “You all know that Evelyn and I have been seeing each other for a while,” her dad said.

  Becca smiled over at Jase, who raised an eyebrow. He had no clue what was coming, which made this even more exciting. Grabbing his hand under the table, she gave it a squeeze. He squeezed back.

  “Well, we’ve decided to make it official and move in together. So, I’ll be moving to Manhattan soon.”

  She could feel Jase stiffen beside her. Giving him a quick wink and another hand squeeze, she waited for her father to go on.

  “So that means I need to sell this house.” He looked right at Jase. “And since you love it here so much, and your precious bull and cows are here, I figured I might as well give you first dibs on the pastureland. I know money is tight right now, but we’ll work something out to make this happen.”

  Her father nodded at Jase.

  “Tim . . . I . . .” Jase glanced at Becca. She smiled back at him. He deserved this land so much. He was one of them.

  “Mama would want you to have it,” Hannah said across the table.

  “That’s right,” Becca agreed.

  “Thank you, Tim,” Jase said, an obvious lump in his throat. “What about the house?”

  “I’m buying it,” Becca said.

  Jase jerked his head toward her, eyes round. “What? Are you serious?”

  She nodded. “Yep. We’ll be neighbors again once school’s out.”

  “Pshh, yeah. That’ll last one hot second,” Hannah snarked from across the table, elbowing Jase’s mom who nodded in agreement.

  With a grin, Jase reached out and wrapped his arms around Becca, pressing a kiss to her neck. “Holy shit,” he muttered, making everyone at the table laugh.

  As soon as they were done with the meal, everyone got up. There were congratulations and hugs spread around.

  When they finally had a moment alone, Jase pulled Becca into the hall and up the stairs. They rushed into her bedroom and he shut the door before rounding on her. There was a goofy grin on his face. “What the hell just happened?”

  She walked into his arms. “Are you happy?”

  “Of course I am, but what about you? Your job? You’ve made so many friends lately.”

  “I have, but they’re happy for me. We can visit KC anytime we want. As for my job, I’ve interviewed twice with Roosevelt Private School in Manhattan. They offered me a position.”

  “Becca, why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I wanted it to be a surprise,” she said.

  He pulled her into his arms. “It’s totally a surprise. I can’t even believe it. But I don’t want you t
o do anything for my sake. I want you to be happy.”

  “I will be. I’m not trying to rush anything, Jase. I hope you realize that. I don’t want you to feel pressured, I just . . . I finally just realize how much I love it here.”

  He touched her face. “I hope you love it here mostly because you love me, Beck, because I love you.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes and she nodded. “I love you, too.”

  He smiled. “This is exactly what I want. You home. In this home. And maybe . . . maybe someday we should have babies in this home. Try and re-create the magic I always felt here with your family. I want that, Becca. Would you like that?”

  She laughed through her tears. “Yes. I would like that. I would love it. Children and cows. What more could I want?”

  He chuckled, kissing her on the lips. “Good. Now . . .” He looked down at her bed. The same one he’d lain in years ago as a broken young man, and she’d held his hand. “I’m sleeping in the bed with you tonight whether Tim likes it or not.”

  She laughed. “Okay. I’ll let you tell him.”

  Catch up on the Man Enough series!

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  About the Author

  Nicole McLaughlin wrote her first full-length book (6 pages) about the birth of her baby sister, when she was eight years old. She only finished it because her mother bribed her with a Rick Astley cassette tape. Sad, but true. Now her characters are what keep her writing and her subject matter has gotten a little bit deeper and a lot more romantic. She resides in a small town outside of Kansas City with her husband and three sons. When she isn’t writing, she’s a wedding and portrait photographer who loves to cook and watch historical dramas or documentaries. Nicole is the author of two series with St. Martin’s Press, the Man Enough series (All I Ask, Along Came Us) and Whiskey and Weddings (Maybe I Do, Maybe This Time).