by Marie Force
“I woke up at my usual time after almost eight years of six a.m. wake-ups.”
“That’s brutal.”
“That’s my life.”
“Not today it isn’t. Come back to bed for a little while.”
She let him lead her back to bed and tuck her in.
He leaned over to kiss her. “Be right back.” He went into the bathroom, closing the door and returning with the fresh taste of toothpaste on his lips when he kissed her again. “You going to tell me what’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong.”
“Why do you look so lost, then? Was last night too much? I kept telling myself to let you sleep, but you kept looking so sweet and sexy.”
“It wasn’t too much.”
He slid his hand up her thigh to cup her intimately, making her gasp. “Are you sore? Here?”
“Yeah.”
“It was too much, then.”
“It was perfect. I loved everything we did. I’m sore because it’s been such a long time since I did anything like that. Forever, if I’m being honest.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve never had sex like that, Paul. I didn’t even know it was supposed to be like that.”
His brows narrowed with displeasure. “He didn’t take care of you?”
“Not the way you did.”
“Well, that’s a goddamned crime. They should’ve put him away for that, too.”
His vehemence made her laugh, and then the tears were back, once again pissing her off with the way they appeared out of nowhere to remind her that her heart had once been shattered. It had healed, but she was different now than she’d been then, less trusting, more cynical.
With gentle strokes of his fingers, he brushed them away. “Why the tears?”
“I don’t know exactly. Emotional overload maybe?”
“If this is happening too fast for you, we can dial it back a notch.”
“What would that entail?”
“Whatever you want it to. The last thing I want to do is overload you—physically or emotionally.”
“I kind of liked the way you overloaded me last night.”
“Only kinda?” He pushed his erection against her leg. “I gotta work harder.”
“Please don’t,” she said with a laugh. “You’ll kill me.”
“Since I have no desire to kill you, how about we go find some breakfast and then hit the beach?”
“You want to get up this early on a rare day off?”
“I’m already up.” He pressed against her again, making her laugh. “May as well seize the day. We can nap later.”
“Mmm, a nap. What’s that like?”
“You haven’t lived until you’ve had the Paul Martinez nap special.”
“I’ll look forward to that all day.”
“Hey, Hope?”
“Hmm?”
“It’s okay to relax and enjoy yourself a little. Nothing bad is going to happen.”
There was nothing he could’ve said that would’ve meant more to her in that place and time. After they checked in at home and called the hospital to learn Marion had spent a quiet night, they set out to take full advantage of their scenic location. Hope did as directed and threw herself into enjoying a blissful day with Paul. He was funny, charming, solicitous and affectionate—the same way he’d been before they had sex.
It was a relief to realize he wasn’t going to turn into someone different because he’d gotten what he wanted.
By the time they returned to their room later that afternoon, she was drunk off the sun and the thrill of being the subject of his undivided attention. He made her feel important by listening carefully to everything she had to say. His unwavering focus made her feel seen in a way she never had been before.
She wanted to dive into bed with him and pick up where they’d left off in the early morning hours, but her body wasn’t having it.
“I know what you need,” he said.
“I told you. I don’t think I can.”
“Such a dirty mind! That’s not what I was suggesting at all.”
Hope eyed him skeptically.
“Take off your bathing suit and get on the bed, facedown.”
“And I have a dirty mind?”
“Trust me?”
Oh God, what a loaded question! “I want to.”
He kissed her forehead and tugged at the tie to her bikini top. “I promise you won’t be sorry.”
“Okay then…” She removed her top and then her bottoms, feeling her skin tingle as he took a long, leisurely look at her. Averting her gaze, she went to lie on the bed as directed, telling herself that everything that’d happened so far had been awesome. Surely this would be, too, right?
Paul had sensed her underlying tension all day. It was a huge step for her to become intimate with him, and it was almost as if she expected him to turn into a dick today or something. After everything she’d been through, that was understandable. But he was determined to prove that she could trust him and that he was nothing like the man who’d hurt her so badly.
He went into the bathroom to get the bottle of bath oil he’d noticed there earlier. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but it was close enough in a pinch. Filling a sink full of steaming hot water, he put the plastic bottle in the water to heat up and took a moment to settle himself.
Here she finally was—the woman he’d hoped to someday find, the one who challenged and intrigued him and turned him on like no one else ever had. It wasn’t lost on him that he faced an uphill battle in convincing her that she could let go of past hurts and allow herself to love and be loved by someone new.
He was well on his way to falling in love with her and had been for quite some time, if he were being entirely honest. Thinking back to the recent day when he’d contemplated jumpstarting his dating life, he’d initially considered everyone but her because she was technically an employee. That was the only reason she hadn’t been at the very top of his list.
And then she’d kissed him and changed everything. One taste of her sweet lips had left him hungry for so much more of her. Add in the adorable, precocious son who came with her, and they made for one very attractive package deal. She’d said she would never get married again, and he hoped he could change her mind about that.
But he had to go slow, or she’d run as far away from him as she could within the tight confines of their living arrangement. The small space of yard that separated their homes could become an impenetrable distance if he wasn’t careful.
With the oil heated, he took it with him to the bedroom, where she was right where he’d left her—facedown on the bed with her smooth back and supple ass on full display. He went immediately hard at the sight of all that gorgeous skin, but kept his bathing suit on when he climbed on the bed next to her.
“What took so long?” she asked.
“You can’t rush quality.” He tested the temperature of the oil before dribbling it over her back.
She took a deep inhale that evolved into a sigh when he began kneading her tight muscles. “Oh God, Paul. That feels so good.”
“Relax. Let me take care of you.” Starting at her shoulders, he worked his way down slowly, giving careful attention to every inch of her back and then her legs, saving her sexy ass for last. As he ran his hands over her cheeks, squeezing and massaging, he noticed the subtle lift of her hips, the slight squirm of her body, and realized she was fully aroused. “Everything okay down there?”
“Mmm, so okay. Never been better.”
That was exactly what he wanted to hear. He let his fingers slide into the deep valley between her cheeks, drawing a gasp of surprise followed by a moan of pleasure from her when he encountered the abundant proof of her arousal. Hooking his arm around her waist, he drew her up to her knees and put two pillows under her hips.
“P-Paul, what’re you doing?”
“Relax, sweetheart. I’m taking care of you. Just let go and enjoy.” Mindful of her soreness, he gently ran hi
s fingers over her clit, retreating to slide them into her and then repeating it again and again. Then he added his tongue, pressing it to her clit as he pushed his fingers into her.
She exploded, crying out as the orgasm hit her hard and fast.
He stayed with her until the contractions eased and he retreated slowly as the aftershocks made her tremble. “Ready to do the front now?”
Hope released a tremulous laugh. “I’m ready to sleep for about twelve hours after that.”
He removed the pillows and helped her turn over.
Looking up at him with eyes gone liquid with satisfaction, she offered a tentative smile. “You give a great massage.”
“It’s my happy endings special.”
When she laughed, her whole body got in on it, and a deep sense of longing overtook him. He wanted to make her laugh every day for the rest of their lives, if only she would let him.
“What are you thinking right now?” she asked. “You look so serious.” With her hair spread out on the pillow and her face flushed from her orgasm, she was more beautiful than she’d ever been before.
“That I like to hear you laugh.”
“It’s nice to have something to laugh about again. Something other than the antics of a seven-year-old boy, which can be quite funny.”
“I want to keep making you laugh after we get home.”
“That would be nice.”
He started at her feet this time, massaging her legs and giving extra attention to her inner thighs, which she’d mentioned earlier were sore from what they’d done yesterday. With her legs spread before him, it took every bit of self-control he could summon to stay focused on the massage and not the throbbing need that pulsed through him with almost painful intensity.
Skipping her core, he slid his oiled hands over her belly, drawing a sharp inhale from her when his thumbs caressed her hipbones. She was writhing again by the time he got to her breasts.
“Paul…”
“What, sweetheart?”
“I want you.”
“You have me. I’m right here with you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
She held out her arms to him, and he went willingly to her. “I want you inside me.”
“You’re too sore.”
“You’d go slow, right?”
“We could go slow.” What did it say about him that he was so desperate for her that he let her talk him into making love when he’d planned to let her rest and recover from what they’d already done? Despite his reservations, he found himself removing his bathing suit and coming down on top of her.
She wrapped her arms around him and released a sigh that sounded like relief to him.
Her oil-slick skin heated on contact with his body, which was the hottest fucking thing he’d ever experienced until he began to enter her. That was hotter. She was so wet but also so tight, and he was forced to go so slowly, lest he hurt her. It was pure torture of the best kind, and it didn’t help that she moved beneath him like a sexy siren determined to have her wicked way with him.
“Does it hurt?”
“Not too bad.”
“That’s not no.”
“It burns a little, but that’s because of you, not me.”
He stopped moving and looked down at her. “Because of me?”
“You’re big, Paul. Like you didn’t know that already.”
Unfortunately, her words only made him bigger, which drew a groan from her. “Note to self, never mention he’s big when he’s trying to get inside you.” Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. “Stop! I can’t take any more!”
He grinned at the face she made at him. “Then you need to stop talking dirty to me, baby.”
Her fingers dug into the muscles of his back as he entered and retreated over and over again until she finally relaxed and allowed him in.
“Ahhh, God, that feels so good,” he whispered into her neck, making her shiver. Her muscles pulsed and rippled around his cock, which nearly finished him off before he’d even gotten started. “Can I talk dirty to you?”
“If you must…”
“How dirty am I allowed to get?”
“As dirty as you want.”
She had no idea what she was asking for. With his lips nearly touching her ear, he said, “You have the tightest, hottest, wettest pussy. I love the way you grab hold of my cock and squeeze me so hard.”
Her inner muscles contracted around him.
“Christ,” he said through gritted teeth. “Do that again.” She did it again and again, and the sensations triggered his inner beast, making him forget all about his plans to go easy on her. He started to move, giving her the deep thrusts that she’d loved so much last night.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Don’t stop.”
“I’ll never stop.” He slid his hands under her, gripping her ass in both hands as he let loose. “Feels so fucking good.”
Her thighs tightened around his hips, and the spasm of her inner muscles let him know she was close, so he went for broke, drawing another keening cry of completion from her. That was quickly becoming his most favorite sound in the world, he thought, as he went deep one more time and lost himself in her as she clung to him.
“Hope… God…” He wanted to tell her he was falling in love with her. He wanted to tell her he wanted a life with her and Ethan. He wanted to tell her everything, but he held back. More than anything, he was afraid to scare her away, so he bit his tongue for now. But eventually, when she was ready, he would tell her everything.
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts. He took the call from the hospital.
“Mr. Martinez, the doctor would like to meet with you tomorrow at eleven if that’s convenient.”
“I’ll be there.”
With those three words, reality returned to remind him that this time away with Hope had been a mere interlude. The real challenge would begin when they returned home.
Chapter 21
Mac and Maddie had breakfast at the South Harbor Diner and then took the stairs behind the diner to Dan Torrington’s new office. Wearing a pink polo shirt with plaid shorts and loafers, Dan met them in the reception area.
Mac cringed at his friend’s flashy outfit. “The Preppy Handbook called. They want their cover model back.”
“Ha-ha, very funny. A man has a bit of style, and this is the abuse he takes.”
“If you want to call that style…”
“Be nice, Mac,” Maddie said. “We’re here because we need his help.”
“Come on in.” Dan led them into his office in which a desk sat amid boxes in various stages of unpacking. “Sorry for the mess. My stuff from LA arrived on Friday, and I haven’t had a chance to do much with it.”
“So this is an official move, huh?” Mac asked as he took one of the visitor chairs and Maddie took the other.
“Looks that way. I’m keeping my office in LA, but this is where Kara wants to be, so it’s where I want to be, too.” He offered a sheepish grin and a shrug. “Plus, I seem to have a practice here since Jim Sturgil was charged with a felony.” He held up the hand that bore a healing pink scar across the palm where Jim had sliced him with a carving knife during Dan and Kara’s engagement party.
“I still can’t believe he did that,” Maddie said. “He’s lost his mind.”
“He stands to lose a lot more than that,” Dan said. “My contact in the attorney general’s office tells me they’re going for prison time for the assault with a deadly weapon charge.”
“Wow,” Maddie said on a long exhale. “Poor Ashleigh. How could he do this to his daughter?”
Mac took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze. Jim Sturgil had done a lot of things to his wife and daughter that Mac couldn’t believe, beginning with leaving them in an empty house after he moved out and took most of what they’d owned with him. The assault on Dan, whom he’d accused of ruining his law practice, was the latest in a long string of bad moves by his former brother-in-law. Thank goodness Tiffa
ny was happily remarried to Blaine Taylor now, and Ashleigh would have Blaine’s influence in her life growing up.
“So you’re here for estate planning.” Dan shuffled some papers on his desk. “I’ll confess that I haven’t done much of that since my first years out of law school, but I’m hoping it’ll be like riding a bike. I printed out some worksheets to get you started. You’ll have to list assets and other tangible property.”
“We’re mostly concerned about making sure our kids are taken care of,” Maddie said.
“After what happened to Lisa Chandler, it’s on our minds,” Mac added.
“You’re not alone in that,” Dan said. “I’ve gotten quite a few calls from other parents with the same concerns. Looks like I’m about to get back up to speed on estate planning right quick.” He reviewed the worksheets in depth with them, highlighting the areas he needed them to complete before their next meeting. “It’s all pretty straightforward.”
“Except for the part about who we want to get our kids if the worst should happen,” Maddie said. “That’s not straightforward at all.”
“What’s the issue?” Dan asked.
“We have too many candidates,” Mac said.
“That’s not a bad problem to have,” Dan said.
“No, but we’re concerned about causing divisiveness in our family by choosing one sibling over another,” Maddie said. “How do people handle that?”
“One thing I’d suggest is to decide on who you want and speak to that person and only that person about what you’re asking of them,” Dan said. “Make sure they fully understand what they’d be taking on and that they’re willing. After we make it legal, you don’t need to ever speak of it again. There’s a very good chance no one else will ever know who you chose. Or at least we hope that’s the case.”
“I like that,” Mac said. “Why would anyone else need to know as long as the person or couple we choose knows?” Speaking directly to Dan, he said, “You have a way of making sure that everyone involved understands that whatever we decide is what we wanted for them, right?”
“Yep. We’ll sew it up nice and tight so there’s no room for interpretation.”
