by C. Morgan
I couldn’t stop the flinch when I heard the C-word. “I think it would be better to just see where things go. I don’t want to say something and freak him out.”
“Maybe I could break something else,” she teased. “Then he will be committed to you for another few days. We’ll do this relationship in baby steps. Eventually, you guys will find yourselves living together and using all those skills to renovate your forever home.”
I rolled my eyes. “You have a very active imagination.”
“I have a pretty clear glimpse into the future.”
“Sure, you do.”
I sipped my wine. It seemed silly to be sipping wine in my sweat-stained outfit but there I was, trying to understand what I was feeling for Fulton. I didn’t want to fall for him. I didn’t want to fall for anyone really. I was supposed to be focusing on my restaurant.
Damn if fate didn’t like to get in the way.
Chapter 25
Fulton
I was anxious to get to work with Amara. I knew I should be out fishing but she was more important. Making sure she was ready to open not only ensured her paycheck but mine as well. Stanley was more than happy to have another day off. I didn’t bother making my coffee. I went through a drive thru and ordered two cups, along with some donuts. It was going to be a long day and I needed full caffeine.
When I pulled into the back lot, Amara was just climbing out of her car.
“Good morning, sunshine,” she said with a bright smile.
She was wearing another pair of jeans that fit her body like a glove. I was proud she didn’t wear shorts. The work was hot, and it would be nice to strip off some layers, but we were going to be on our knees most of the day and not in a good way.
“I brought coffee and donuts,” I said and held up the bag.
She burst into laughter and reached into her car. When she came back out, she was holding a bag that was identical to mine. “Me too.”
“Then we are set for the day.”
I stood back while she unlocked the door. We walked in and I was almost overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work before us. It was not going to be an easy job.
“Ready?” she asked once we had both downed a cup of coffee and devoured a donut.
“May as well use this sugar rush for good.”
“Should I start measuring?” she asked.
I nodded, pointing to the tape measure that was in a neat pile with the other tools we had left in the restaurant. “I’ll start putting down the mud.”
We had found a rhythm last night and it worked. “This is going to look so good.”
“It is already looking much better. You do amazing work.”
I looked over at her. We were both on our knees, and little drops of mud dotted her skin. She had never looked so beautiful. “I’ve heard that before.”
“I am sure you have.”
“From you.”
She offered a flirty smile. “I don’t deny it. Your, um, work is impressive.”
“I can do better,” I told her. “I aim to please. Practice makes perfect.”
“I agree. You should definitely practice more. If only you could find someone willing to participate.”
“I guess I’ll have to keep looking,” I said with a grin.
She tossed a rag at me. “I’m going to let that go.”
I set another tile, scooted back, and did another. “Are you going to open tomorrow?” I asked her.
“Yes, absolutely.”
“Do you think your business will pick up?”
She let out a long sigh. “I don’t know. I hope so. As it is, Kerri and I were already talking about cutting hours. We started off with such a bang, but things are starting to slow down. We have an advertising campaign kicking off soon, but until then, I need to watch my expenses. Especially after this little disaster.”
“You’ll rebound. I’m not trying to tell the business professional what to do, but this first year is going to be tough.”
She smiled. “So, I’ve heard. I guess I’m getting to learn everything the hard way.”
“That’s the best way. At least that’s what my dad said. I think he was right.”
“Is that how you learned?” she asked.
“It’s the only way I learn, and even then, it takes several times before it sinks in.”
I watched as she measured the next piece before bringing me the measurements at the saw. “Have you had a lot of these little emergencies?”
I groaned, shaking my head. “Too many. I still have them.”
“Like what? Obviously, your boat hasn’t sunk.”
“No, but it’s always on the verge of sinking, it feels like. In my line of work, it’s two steps forward and two massive steps back. I can’t seem to catch a break.”
“I’m sorry,” she said and touched my arm. “That has to be hard.”
I cut the tile and handed it to her. “Life is hard. You either push through or give up. I’m not the type to give up.”
“Even on the days when it really sucks?”
I smiled. “Those are the days you have to really push hard.”
“How do you do it?”
Her questions didn’t annoy me. They very easily could have, but they didn’t. She was talking to me about something that I lived on a daily basis. She seemed genuinely interested. No one had ever been interested in how I felt, let alone what it meant to me.
“I do it by focusing on the end of the day. I don’t make big plans for the future. I don’t picture myself in a pretty little house with a white picket fence. I think about going home every night and going to bed. I think about drinking a cold beer on the end of a dock.”
She slowly nodded. “I get it. If you don’t think about what you might never achieve, you won’t be disappointed.”
“What about you?” I asked. “Are you a planner?”
She smiled. “I am. Is that a bad thing?”
“Nope.”
“Good. I would hate to have something you didn’t like.”
“I like it all,” I told her, letting my eyes roam over her body. “What does planning do for you? I mean, do you wake up with a list in mind and then check it off as the day goes on?”
“Kind of. It’s more about goals I have for the day.”
“What is your goal for today?”
Her sexy smile was making it very difficult for me to concentrate on the tiling. “To finish this floor in time to thank you for all your hard work.”
“You’ve already said thank you,” I reminded her.
“I’ve said it, but that is not the same as showing it.”
I liked the way she thought. “I look forward to that.”
We got back to work. Now that there was an incentive to finish, I was feeling energized and ready to rock. “Did you do all the tile in your house?” she asked.
“I did. Backsplash, bathroom, and the kitchen.”
“You are very handy.”
“Handsy. Handy. Yes.”
She laughed again. “I like a man that knows how to work with his hands.”
“And I certainly know how to do that.”
“Yes, you do, but what else do you know how to do?”
I didn’t like to brag, and it wasn’t like I kept a running list of what I could do. “I don’t know. I can fix shit. When you grew up the way I did and live the way I do, you just kind of figure out how to get shit done. You don’t think about it. You do it.”
“You taught yourself?”
“Some. Some stuff my dad taught me. Before my mom died, she taught me the basics like cooking and doing laundry. Although I’ve had my fair share of mishaps. It’s all about learning from my mistakes.”
She stopped what she was doing and leaned back on her haunches. “I admire that. I really do. I know I said some pretty tone-deaf things about college, but you are really smart.”
“Thanks, and I don’t blame you for what you said. We have all been brought up that way. We’ve all been taught that edu
cation can only come from a book. Fortunately, my parents were too poor and maybe a little too ignorant to instill that in me.”
She was smiling at me. I watched as she crawled on all fours toward me. She stopped in front of me, looking me in the eyes—like really looking. “I’m so glad they didn’t. If they had, I might never have met you.”
“Maybe.”
Her eyes dropped to my mouth before she practically jumped to her feet. “We’re close to being done. I’ve got some cold beer in the cooler. Do you want one now or are you one of those guys that only works sober?”
I smirked. “Look at me. Do I look like a guy that only works sober?”
“Two beers coming right up,” she said with a wink. I watched her walk away. Her hips swaying in a seductive way.
I looked back at the floor. I was going to bust ass and get the thing finished. I wanted her. I wanted to put my mark on her again. And again and again. I was going to fuck her until she couldn’t remember her name. The only name on her lips would be mine.
She came back and handed me the beer. I took a break long enough to suck part of it down before busting my ass to get the floor done.
“Soon,” I told her.
“Good, I’ll start the grout.”
I watched her work, impressed with how quickly she picked up on the skill. “You’re doing a great job,” I told her. “You might have missed your calling. Maybe you should be in construction.”
She giggled but never stopped working. “I don’t think I could keep up with this kind of work. This is really hard work.”
“Standing on your feet all day and dealing with grumpy customers isn’t exactly a walk in the park.”
“No, but so far, our customers have been great. I have a good staff.”
“Are you going to be able to keep them all?”
She sucked in a breath. “I hope I can. I will feel terrible if I can’t give them the hours they need.”
“You do what you can. They will understand.”
“I hate letting people down.”
“You are not letting them down,” I told her. “This is what it is like in the working-class world. When you make money, your people make money.”
“Do you think it’s crazy to open a restaurant? I mean, I know the statistics. Am I being naïve?”
“I think you have a dream and that’s what you are going after. That’s what you should do. If it fails, you learn, and you figure out how to do it right the next time.”
“You are crazy smart,” she said.
“Nope. Just a man that has busted his ass a long time and made about a million mistakes.”
“And you get up and you do it all over again.”
“I do.”
“Why?”
I thought about it for a second. “Because I don’t want to let Stanley down.”
“That is very noble.”
“It isn’t just for Stanley,” I quickly told her. “It’s for me as well. I’m not sure I would know what else to do if I didn’t fish. I have to eat and I like having a roof over my head, so I have to work.”
“I get it,” she said. “I do.”
We focused our attention on the work. We were so close to being finished. When the last bit of tile had been wiped down, she grabbed two more beers and joined me on the floor.
“What do you think?” I asked, surveying the situation.
“I think it looks really good. I’m anxious to do the dining room.”
“One thing at a time,” I told her.
She took another drink from the bottle. “One thing, huh?”
She took the bottle from my hand and put it on the floor beside her before crawling over me and straddling me. I leaned back, my hands on the newly laid tile behind me. I looked up at her, waiting to see what she would do next. Her hands went to my cheeks as her eyes gazed into mine.
“One thing,” I repeated.
“I know what one thing I want right now.”
I bounced my hips once, letting her feel the erection in my jeans. “I think I have a good idea and wouldn’t mind giving you that one thing.”
She slammed her mouth over mine, a complete contradiction to the gentle touch of her fingertips against my face. It was just like the person she was. Everything was a contradiction with her. I wasn’t quite sure how to read her. I didn’t have to read her. I just needed to feel her.
Chapter 26
Amara
I held his face, keeping his head in my grip as I worked my mouth over his. I could feel his erection. I moved my hips, rubbing myself against it. The jeans we were both wearing were seriously problematic. I wanted him bare.
“Lie back,” I whispered.
The new floor needed to be christened and I had some very good ideas about how to do it. He did as I asked. I scooted back a little before running my hands up his shirt, pushing it up as I moved. He pulled it over his head, wadded it up, and put it under his head.
He grinned up at me. “Do your worst.”
“Oh, is that a challenge?”
“Or a plea.”
I traced a finger down his chest, running between his pecs and over the trail that disappeared under the waistband of his jeans. I bent forward and ran my tongue down the same invisible line before tracing a line around his flat nipples. His skin was hot and salty. I licked over the other nipple, taking my sweet time. I could hear his breathing and felt him straining under me.
I slid down his legs a little, bringing my tongue over his belly and pausing over the button of his jeans. I reached up and quickly undid the button before pulling the zipper down. I spread open the fly, my breath catching when I saw the erection outlined in the tight briefs.
“You are one fine male specimen,” I breathed.
I moved off him and quickly tugged his jeans and briefs down. It was surreal to see him splayed out, naked on my new restaurant floor. I bit my bottom lip, staring at the beautiful cock like it was an exquisite dessert. I was going to wrap my mouth around it like it was.
“Take off your shirt,” he ordered.
I pulled it over my head. He snatched it from my hand and wadded it up under his head. “Hey!”
“This floor is really hard,” he said with a silly grin.
I wrapped my hand around his cock. “This is really hard,” I said and gave it a good squeeze.
He sucked in a breath. “You’re killing me.”
“Not yet,” I whispered and lowered my mouth over him. I moaned at the first taste of him.
“Take me all the way in,” he rasped.
I opened my mouth and slid my lips down, taking him deep into the back of my throat. He groaned, his hands moving into my hair. He applied pressure, pulling my head down. I slid my mouth up and down his cock, scraping my teeth over his skin. I sucked and slurped until he was on the edge.
He sat up, using those killer abs. He pushed me off him before jumping to his feet. He reached down and lifted me to my feet. I felt a little dizzy. His hands were working at my jeans and pushing the zipper down. I shimmied out of them as fast as I could.
“That floor is too hard,” he growled. He pulled me against him, our naked bodies rubbing against each other.
“You are not making me wait,” I breathed.
“Nope.”
He reached between my legs, his fingers finding me wet and ready for him.
“Yes,” I whispered, opening my legs.
He pushed his finger in deeper. “Come on, give me that first one,” he demanded with his lips pressed against my ear.
I knew what he was asking for. I gave in to the demand and let go of the orgasm that had been building since we first started our little project. I cried out, my back arching and pressing my breasts against his chest.
“That’s it,” he coaxed as his fingers worked inside me. “That’s what I want. Give me more.”
The man turned me inside out and made me want to shout at the heavens.
“Yes!” I shouted. The release of my voice enhanced the o
rgasm.
He turned me around, walking behind me and pushing me toward the sink. I had no idea what he had planned but I was game. I trusted him.
“Hold on,” he growled, putting my hands on the edge of the sink as he stepped behind me.
He pushed the tip of his cock inside me. My head dropped low, my back arching as I stepped back and bent over a little more.
“That’s it,” he said. “Just like that. Shake that ass.”
His large hand rubbed over one cheek, gently caressing before giving it a hard squeeze. He slid all the way inside me. My body opened to him. He moved slowly at first before picking up the pace. I tried to relax my body, but everything was twisted up tight. The little shivers of ecstasy tore through me, one beautiful spasm at a time.
“More,” I breathed the word. I didn’t even realize I was saying it out loud until I heard him answer me.
“Shh, just take a minute. Savor it.”
I moaned low in my throat. “Please,” I whimpered. “I’m not done.”
“I’m not even close to being done with you.”
His body fit with mine like it was made especially for me and vice versa. I did what he asked and closed my eyes, savoring every sensation, every touch as he took me from behind. I refused to think about where we were. That only made it more daring. I liked the wild side. I liked the unconventional.
His body began moving faster and faster until I was holding on to the sink’s edge for dear life. The sound of our bodies slapping together echoed around us, mingling with the soft grunts and groans. I gasped for air, focusing all of my energy on getting that next release. It was the only thing I could think about in that moment.
“So close,” I breathed. “More. Just a little more.”
“You get it all. Every last inch.”
I could feel the ecstasy just out of reach. He pulled away from me, leaving me an empty shell barely able to stay upright. I looked behind me. He reached for me, pulled me into his arms, and, with a great deal of care, gently lowered me to the floor. The cold tile was a shock to my system, but I didn’t mind.
He moved between my legs and once again entered me. I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of being filled by him.
