My tone has a slight censure when I respond. “Just because I’m not big on long-term relationships doesn’t mean I can’t be romantic and doting.”
Viveka shrugs. “I suppose that could be true.”
“Be honest,” I demand with a grin. “Would you have rather gone out for an expensive and elegant dinner tonight, or would you rather stay in and eat frozen pizza?”
“They’re both good date ideas,” she hedges. “I would’ve been happy with either one.”
That doesn’t tell me what I need to know. I lay it all out there so we can get on to enjoying our evening. “Because I don’t want you to think I’m expecting anything of you because we’re here in your home and not a fancy restaurant surrounded by other people.”
Viveka blinks in surprise, and her face softens. “I don’t think that.”
“I hope not. Because after pizza and Flash Gordon, I am prepared to walk out of here and go home alone.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m a big girl, Ford. I also don’t have any regrets about sleeping with you already, and if you do stay the night with me, I’m quite sure I won’t have regrets about that, either.”
We stare at each other, the silence that envelopes us quite comfortable as we consider the exchange of words we just had. It seems we both reaffirmed this is casual, and that sex is still on the table. Yet, at the same time, I offered her an out if she didn’t want to go there and I truly meant it. I wouldn’t be disappointed if we don’t end the evening with sex. That is off character for me, especially because this woman completely rocked my world the other night.
The oven makes a small chime, and Viveka slides off the counter. She puts the frozen pizza on a round baking stone.
“This house is really nice,” I say as she opens the oven door. “Not in the best of neighborhoods, but it’s clearly had extensive remodeling.”
She nods as she slides the pizza onto the top rack. When she closes it, she turns to face me. “My ex-husband Adam bought it for me when we divorced. He gave me some money to do the remodeling as well.”
“That was nice,” I drawl slowly, not really sure if that is a good thing or bad thing.
She smiles. “That was his guilt. He wanted me to have a good start post-divorce.”
“Guilt?” Because if that fucker cheated on her, I would so kick his ass.
She gives a hard shake of her head. “He worked a lot. There wasn’t a lot of time for me. The marriage just… fizzled. His medical practice was more important than me, so when we finally decided to call it quits, he was very generous in the divorce settlement.”
She doesn’t sound bitter or broken up about it at all. Not an overly harsh word about him, and I have to assume she must have wanted the divorce to happen.
“Is that why you can afford to have a law practice that doesn’t make a lot of money?”
“Not really. I put all the cash settlement into investment accounts. Because I don’t make a killing at my law practice, you can imagine I don’t have much to put in retirement. So I pretty much live hand to mouth on what I make. But I’ve made it work for me, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
I can’t help but be honest. “It seems like a struggle.”
Viveka chuckles. “I’m guessing your peer circle doesn’t include attorneys like me. It must be shocking to see how I practice and live.”
“I find you utterly fascinating,” I say truthfully. “So, for example, how much are you being paid to defend this stupid woodpecker?”
I get a chastising look in return. “First, the woodpecker is not stupid. Second, I’m not making a dime. I took the case pro bono. In fact, a lot of what I do is pro bono.”
I blink in surprise. Not that she does free legal work, but it would be impractical for any attorney who owns their own business to do a lot of it. “You’re kidding me.”
“I’m not kidding you. Adam paid for the house. My car is paid for and still running. I’m just a regular person, Ford, who makes do with what she has. I clip coupons, and I shop at Costco for bulk items to save money. Frannie cuts my hair for free. One of the veterinarians I work with on animal cruelty cases treats my animals for free. And if I have frozen pizza at night, it’s the three-dollar variety from Food Lion and not the twelve-dollar variety from Whole Foods.”
I stare at her with a mixture of emotions coursing through me. I can’t tell if she’s upset she has to explain these things to me or she’s amused by my inability to relate. She doesn’t seem pissed or offended in any way. “The expression on your face says it all.”
I give a hard shake of my head as I step up to her. My hands go to her waist where I hold her lightly. “It’s just… I’ve never met another person like you. Not an attorney. A person.” Viveka looks up at me, and I notice for the first time she has a thin layer of gold separating her pupil from her iris.
Her voice is soft and almost apologetic. “We don’t exactly run in the same circles.”
I have to agree with that. My world is vastly different than hers, from both a legal perspective and a personal one. “All the attorneys I know are in it for the money.”
She tilts her head. Thankfully, there’s no condemnation in her eyes. “Including you?”
I breathe in through my nose and let out a pained sigh. “I can’t lie to you… I like my lifestyle, but I love the law, too. I would practice law for a lot less money, but I’ve worked hard to get where I am. The fact I can charge top dollar to people like Drake Powell came through a lot of blood, sweat and tears.”
Her warm hands go to my chest, and she’s quick to reassure me. “And I think that’s amazing. I want you to know I don’t hold anything against you because your practice is so different than mine. You have every right to your type of practice, and I think it’s great you’ve got the ability to charge jackasses like Drake Powell an arm and a leg.”
I chuckle and tease her. “I’d like to lock the two of you into a room together. I would put money on you to kick his ass.”
“That guy is a certified schmuck,” she says with disgust in her voice. “You should’ve heard some of the things he said to me before you got to the construction site.”
My body stiffens. “Like what?”
Viveka steps away from me with a husky laugh of amusement as she checks on the pizza. I try not to stare at her ass overly hard when she bends at the waist to peer in the window.
When she turns to me, she gives a dismissive wave of her hand. “Oh, you know… how some men can be. Bullying and sexual innuendo in an effort to assert power and control over a woman.”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t know that.”
How would I know that? I don’t do that to women. My male friends don’t do that to women. Maybe back in college there were some but—
“It was nothing,” she assures with a smile. “Besides I’m a big girl. When I was modeling, I had to grow a very thick skin, very fast. Constantly being told you’re just a little too heavy or you’re getting a little old looking can get to you.”
If she wanted to get my mind off Drake Powell, that worked. I practically sputter, “You were what… like fifteen or sixteen?”
She gives a wry smile. “I know. Crazy, right? But modeling is a brutal business.”
I don’t even want to imagine, but I’m thankful Viveka escaped it as quickly as she did. I firmly believe she kept her good graces and infectious free-spirited attitude because she did break away. She may have the beauty of a supermodel, which, I’m not going to lie, is what first attracted me to her. But it’s the things inside I’m finding that clearly sets her apart from all the other women I’ve known.
♦
She’s goddamned beautiful like this.
Palms pressed to her headboard, back arched, and ass tipped up.
Panting for it.
“Christ,” I mutter as I fist my cock and feed it into her.
“Oh, Ford,” she groans as I bottom out, and her head falls forward.
All that glorious
pale hair curtains her off from me and that won’t do. I grab it all up, transfer it to one hand, and pull it so her head comes up. My free hand goes to her hip, and she twists her neck to look over her shoulder at me, eyes glazed and needy.
“I’ll give it to you, V. Just hold on.”
So she does. Palms slide up, fingers curl over the top of the headboard, and her arms lock tight at the elbows.
It’s a good thing because I ride her rough, fisting that silky hair. Her pussy gloves me tight, and her cries echo off the walls all around me.
Frantic, crazy fucking. I’m not sure I know how to do it any other way with this woman. She brings out the animal in me, and more importantly, she seems to enjoy that beast.
Viveka comes without warning, her back bowing and then arching as she slams backward onto me.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” she chants.
The pressure in my balls swells, and I have a sublime moment where everything just seems to stop. My cock lodged deep, my knuckles holding her hair so tight they graze the back of her head.
One last tight squeeze of her around me and I explode.
A feral growl tears free of me, and it feels so fucking good it almost hurts.
Almost unbearable.
But then, time starts again, and I’m overwhelmed with sensations. The smell of sex, her tiny pants, and the sheen of sweat on her back. My cock pulses inside of her, and a terrible groan rumbles free.
Holy shit, that was…
I don’t know what that was.
I release her hair and ease out of her body. She collapses to the mattress and gives a soft, beautiful sigh of satisfaction. “That was… well, I can’t come up with the right words.”
She can’t see my smile, but she feels it when I bend over to kiss her shoulder. “Be right back.”
I hit her bathroom up to ditch the condom. As I’m washing my hands, I glance into the mirror and see my hair sticking up all over the place. That brings another smile to my face. Her fingers spent a lot of time in my hair while I ate her out earlier.
When I get back to her room, I realize I don’t want to leave. I was pretty sure we’d have sex tonight, but I’d always envisioned I’d leave after.
But Viveka is on her side facing me, one hand tucked under her pillow, the other fingering the sheet she’d pulled over her body. She doesn’t say a word, just peels it back and lifts it up. I let my eyes run over her body, lingering on the most fantastic pair of tits I’ve ever had in my mouth or hands. With some reluctance, I let my gaze move from her breasts to her face.
It’s that look right there that has me making the decision to stay.
I don’t take her invitation to get in on that side of the bed, though. I walk around, slide in behind her under the sheet, and pull her into me. Her ass settles against my happy, well-spent dick, and I curl an arm around her belly.
We don’t say a word to each other. Before long, I hear her breathing slow down.
I close my eyes and go to sleep with a smile still on my face.
CHAPTER 8
Viveka
I flip the bacon on the sizzling griddle. Cooking always eases my anxiety, and yes, I’m slightly nervous to have a man sleeping in my bed right now. It’s been a long time since I’ve woken up to that, so I did the best thing I could to save my sanity. I slid out from under his hold and decided to make breakfast.
Cooking keeps my hands busy and my mind from overanalyzing things. There’s a lot of stuff to be confused about this morning. What I thought would be an impersonal booty call last night took a different direction than I had anticipated.
Now, I don’t know what to think.
I give another flip of the bacon before pulling out a plate from the cabinet. After covering it with a few sheets of paper towels, I pull the slices off the griddle to drain. I snag a strawberry out of the bowl of fruit I had cut up earlier and pop it into my mouth.
Then I freeze.
I can hear Ford’s footsteps coming down the short hall and through the living room. I brace for what may either be a shameful confrontation or a pleasant greeting.
Ford steps into the kitchen, and I actually get tingles between my legs when I see him. He slipped on his jeans, but that’s all he has on. Hair messed up, feet bare, and an unforgettable chest with amazing abs I spent a great deal of time feeling up last night.
Mostly because the two of us slept wrapped up in each other’s arms.
My cheeks flush with warmth as I think about the wild and crazy sex we had followed by an intimate cuddle that turned into satisfying slumber.
Ford’s eyes lock with mine. I think he will make a quick excuse to leave because that’s what you do after a booty call, right? And besides, Ford has on more than one occasion made it clear he’s not relationship material. And this is generally okay. I’m not searching for one either.
But I can’t deny I like the guy.
Forget about what he does to me in bed, I have absolutely enjoyed every minute of conversation I’ve had with him. It’s been seamless and perfectly natural. Moreover, he has shown a genuine interest in me as a person. For much of my life, I have only been noticed and interacted with because of my looks. Many men don’t even want to hear a thing I have to say.
But not Ford. He peppered me with questions relentlessly while we munched on pizza and watched Flash Gordon. In just a few short hours, I can now say he is someone who knows practically everything there is to know about my life, as lamely normal as it has been up to date.
The tingles move from between my legs into my belly when his lips curve up in appreciation as he stares at me. I had thrown on a short silk robe that was hanging on the back of my bathroom door and had put my hair up in a haphazard ponytail.
“How is it that you are sexier and more beautiful every time I lay eyes on you?” Ford asks.
And he is not teasing me. He is absolutely serious with that question, and the tingles spread through my entire body.
“How is it that you manage to say and do things that make me like you even more every time you open your mouth?” I ask in return.
“You had an up close and personal experience with my mouth last night,” he reminds me.
I can’t control the deeper blush that warms my face. My pale Swedish skin always betrays my embarrassment.
“I like that you like my mouth,” Ford murmurs.
God, do I like his mouth. He made me come in under a minute with it before he flipped me on my stomach, pulled me up to my hands and knees, and fucked me from behind.
I think perhaps he might be able to read my face because his expression softens, and he takes a step toward me. Unfortunately, his foot catches on the huge bowl of water I have on the floor for my dogs. It’s stainless steel and makes quite the racket when it knocks into the refrigerator and spills water over the top.
“Shit,” he says apologetically. He makes a grab for some paper towels off the counter. “I’ll clean that up.”
I laugh and point out, “It’s only water, Ford. It’s not going to hurt anything.”
He gives me a sheepish grin, and then starts to bend down to mop up the water when he freezes. “Dogs,” he says, sounding completely perplexed.
“What about them?”
He straightens up and turns to stare at me, the fistful of paper towels forgotten in his hand. “You have dogs. Where are they?”
Understanding dawns, and I give him a soft smile. “I had Frannie take them for the night. While I didn’t want to assume you were going to stay, I figured if you did I would at least make it a little more comfortable for you. I know you’re not much of a dog person.”
“You see,” Ford grumbles, throwing his hands out, “It drives me nuts that people automatically think that.”
“Oh, poor baby,” I tease as I turn back to the bacon. “But you’re the one who told me you didn’t like dog slobber.”
“And you do?” he asks me.
Touché.
“It’s not my favorite thing in th
e world,” I admit grudgingly. “But the price is well worth the joy they bring to me.”
He’s nothing but pure stealth because I don’t hear him come up behind me. His hands go to my waist before circling around my stomach, and he draws me back into his body. I feel the rough scratch of his jeans against my legs and the warmth of his chest through the material of my robe.
Ford rests his chin on my shoulder and murmurs in my ear, “Next time, you do not have to send your dogs away. I will learn to like them.”
Of all the ways Ford has made me feel since I’ve met him, there’s no describing the swelling within my chest over those simple words. My dogs are important to me. They’re like my children. And it absolutely killed me to send them away last night.
I had hoped if I had a relationship one day in the future, it would be with a man who was an animal lover. And while I can’t say Ford is such a man, the mere fact he is going to try speaks volumes.
I give a cough to clear my throat and reach for the bacon. Ford releases me and says, “Do you have some coffee?”
“The Keurig is right there,” I say, jerking my head toward the machine to my left. “I’ll take another cup too, if you don’t mind. Cups in the cabinet above.”
“A gorgeous woman making breakfast on a Sunday morning?” he says with a chuckle. “I absolutely do not mind making you a cup of coffee.”
After I pull the bacon off, I work on mixing up some pancake batter.
“Tell me about your dogs,” Ford says. The tingles take over once again when he adds, “Because I guarantee you I’ll be back in your bed sooner rather than later.”
“Both of them are rescues.” I ladle hotcakes onto the griddle. “A golden retriever named Daisy, and my Pomeranian mix is a cocky little male who thinks he’s the boss in this house. I named him Butch.”
“Daisy and Butch,” Ford says as if testing their names to see how they roll off his tongue. “Got it.”
“It’s a good thing they weren’t here last night,” I say as an afterthought. “The noises we were making would have freaked Butch out.”
The Pecker Briefs Page 7
