by Harley Stone
When she slid the soapy washcloth over the mouth-watering swell of her tits, I’d be on her mind. She’d wish it was my hands caressing her soft skin and gliding over her most sensitive areas.
Running my own washcloth over my chest and down my stomach to my aching hard cock, I imagined the way her breath would hitch at the contact. Cloth wrapped around myself, I pictured her leaving a trail of suds over the dips and curves of her body. Circling her peaked nipples, drifting down to her belly before flaring out over her hips and thighs. She’d let out a needy little moan as the washcloth slipped between her legs and found her swollen folds.
Fuck.
What I wouldn’t do to be that piece of cloth as it dipped down to stroke her clit. Her head would roll back, and her eyes would dilate as she rubbed herself. Would she feel scandalous and naughty to be pleasuring herself beneath my roof?
My cock throbbed, dripping precum. Needing some sort of release, I slid my soapy washcloth over myself, stroking up and down. I wondered how Tina would stroke herself. Was she more of a soft circles gal? Or would she apply pressure and rock her fingers back and forth? Would she focus solely on her clit? Or would her fingers find their way inside her tight pussy? What would she feel like, core clenching around those fingers? Would she go slow at first, inching one finger in, and then adding a second? What kind of sounds would she make? How would she taste?
Not knowing was driving me insane!
I was so desperate to watch her come that I could practically smell her arousal mixed with mine. I’d let her get herself off, and then I’d pull her out of that tub and drop to my knees to lap up her sweetness. I’d savor every drop, playing with her clit until another round of pleasure wracked her body.
Then I’d bend her over and drive my cock so deep inside her she’d be every bit as fucked up as she made me feel.
God, I had it bad.
Squeezing myself, I imagined the walls of Tina’s pussy pulsing around me. My balls drew up and the bottom of my spine tingled. Light exploded behind my eyes as milky white ropes of cum joined the stream of water, pulling a shout from somewhere deep inside me. Exhausted and boneless, I leaned against the side of the shower, struggling to recover as hot water continued to work over the muscles of my back.
Holy shit. What the fuck was that?
Just thinking about the woman had given me the best orgasm I’d had in years. Possibly ever. Getting inside her would most likely fuck me up for good, but it was a risk I was all too willing to take. Fucking desperate to take, even.
As soon as she was ready.
Only she was a single mom and not the fuck toy my imagination wanted her to be. I’d have to consider Dylan and the long-term ramifications of getting between her legs. Screwing with Tina involved commitment, and she wasn’t even officially divorced yet.
So why the hell was she invading my every fucking thought?
Disgusted with myself I turned off the water and reached for a towel. The last thing she needed was me mucking up her already messy situation. It would be better for everyone if I kept my distance until she figured out her shit. Right. I’d already decided to do that. So, why the fuck did I have to keep reminding myself she was hands off?
Determined not to touch her, I dried off, put on a pair of basketball shorts, and crawled into bed. It was still early, but it had been a long-ass day and I was exhausted.
Besides, I was already getting hard again, and if I had any intention of staying away from Tina, I needed to take care of that situation. Apparently, I was in for a masturbation marathon. Wrapping my hand around my cock, I closed my eyes and thought of Tina’s perfect plump lips pressed tight around me…
10
Tina
I SHOULD HAVE been worried about Matt, but it was thoughts of Kaos that kept me up all night. He wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met, and his sweet conversation with Dylan played on repeat in my mind, making me hopeful for a better life once we were free of Matt.
I wondered if Kaos would still be single when I was ready to start dating again. Then, I questioned my intelligence and sanity for even thinking such thoughts. The last thing I should be worried about was another man. Hadn’t I learned my lesson? It was past time to focus on taking care of Dylan and surviving the next three months.
“You’re not some kind of superhuman, and nobody here expects you to be.”
Kaos’s words kept tumbling through my mind, making me feel all kinds of things. He was kind, but also wrong. Matt had expected perfection from me. I felt woefully inadequate more days than not, wearing his disappointment like a collar that always returned me to that address. After all, I came with a massive amount of baggage that nobody sane would want to take on.
But Kaos had reached for me.
I could still feel his phantom fingertips brushing over my skin, sprouting goosebumps in his wake. He might not expect perfection from me, but he had to have some expectations. Some requirements. Could I live up to those? Would I even want to try? Mind spinning in circles, I stared at the ceiling and tried like crazy to count sheep.
Around six a.m., I gave up on pretending to rest and padded downstairs, planning to thank our host for his hospitality by cooking everyone a healthy breakfast. Since I was practically dead on my feet, I needed caffeine, first, but the kitchen countertops were void of anything that looked like a coffee maker. A small, copper pot sat beside the stovetop. I picked it up, eyed it suspiciously, and sniffed it. It smelled like coffee, but I had no idea how to use it.
With no other obvious options for caffeinating, I turned my focus toward food. Slipping into the pantry, I turned on the light and was bombarded with shelves full of cereal.
Tons of cereal.
We’re talking a grocery store aisle of cereal.
No rice, no beans, no flour, no sugar, just a handful of spices and every brand of cereal known to man.
Laughing to myself at the ridiculousness of it, I tried the fridge and found an unopened box of butter, half a gallon of milk, and some Chinese takeout that smelled like it was at the end of its lifecycle. Not much to work with. While Dylan would no doubt be thrilled about living off Cap’n Crunch and Cookie Crisp, if we planned to stay at Kaos’s for any stretch of time, I’d need more options. I glanced at the whiteboard Kaos had mentioned, but quickly dismissed it. His cousin might shop for him, but I would buy my own groceries.
Needing to start a list, I searched for a pen and paper for a while before remembering that this was the twenty-first century and I had other options. Pulling out my borrowed phone, I found the notes app and started my list. The sound of footsteps drew my attention, and I looked up in time to watch Kaos round the corner.
I was not at all prepared for the sight.
Eyes dark, hair mussed, wearing only a pair of faded black sweats that hung low on his hips, he was a treasure trove of well-defined pecs, abs, and biceps. All out there, exposed, just begging for me to gawk at him. His chest held a spattering of dark hair, but it was the hair on his lower belly—the trail that led down past the waistband of his sweats—that had my absolute attention. That happiest of trails filled my mind with the kind of explicit images that required the clutching of pearls and a whole slew of Hail Marys.
If I wasn’t careful, Kaos’s body would send me straight to hell.
“Good mornin’,” he said.
His voice rumbled through every inch of me. It also must have kick-started my brain because I realized where I was staring, and my gaze immediately snapped up to his face. Where it should have been all along. A smile played at the corners of his lips and I knew I’d been caught. Heat flooded my cheeks as I hurriedly looked away.
“Morning.” My voice squeaked. Seriously squeaked! Embarrassment hovering dangerously close to mortification levels I could never recover from, I cleared my throat and tried again. “Mornin’. I would have made coffee, but uh…” I pointed at the little copper pot beside the stovetop. “I don’t know how to use that.”
He padded over to the counter,
scooped up the little copper pot, and took it to the sink. “Have you ever had Greek coffee?”
“No.”
“It’s a lot like Turkish coffee.” He rinsed the pot, filled it, and held it up. “This is a briki.” He pronounced the word bree-kee. “You like sugar in your coffee?”
“Yes. And I’ve never had Turkish coffee, either.”
“Well, you’re in for a treat.” Carrying the pot to the stovetop, he turned on the gas and added a couple measures of ground coffee before retrieving a canister of sugar from the cupboard above the stove.
Ahh. At least he had sugar. I made a mental note to check out that cupboard and see what other ingredients were stashed up there. He added sugar to the pot and stirred, giving me a nice view of his ripped back. I’d never cared about shoulder blades before, but Kaos’s were quite the focal point. I had to force my gaze away so I could take in the rest of him. Broad shoulders tapered down to his waist. Two incredibly sexy indentations peeked out above his low waistband, and I had the overwhelming desire to touch them and see what they felt like.
And his ass… holy crap, how was it even possible to look that good in sweats?
“Medium low heat, stir it until the sugar dissolves and then stop,” he said, pulling me out of my lusty thoughts. Giving the pot a few more hard stirs, he set the spoon aside and turned to face me. Attention on the phone in my hand he asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” Having completely forgotten all about my task, I held up the cell awkwardly. “Just working on a grocery list.”
“Did you forget?” He tugged the magnetic whiteboard off the side of the fridge and held it out toward me. “That’s what this is for.”
“I’m not gonna bug your cousin with my list when I’m perfectly capable of shopping for my own groceries.”
His eyebrows rose. “Why not? That’s what I pay her for.”
“No, you pay her to shop for and clean up after you. It’s not fair to bombard her with two additional people to take care of. Besides, I like shopping for myself. I’ve never had a car before. I used to have to order groceries online and Matt would pick them up on his way home from work.” Mentioning my ex was a total buzz kill, and I could tell Kaos recognized the change in my emotions by the way his eyes narrowed. But I wanted him to understand why my freedom was so important to me. I couldn’t be locked up in a house again. “It’s nice to be able to do for myself again.”
“Got it.” He snapped the whiteboard back onto the fridge before turning off the burner. “See this foam?” he asked.
Curious, I stepped around the bar and joined him. Heat radiated from his body, and I tried to stay out of his aura, but it kept drawing me in. Besides, I needed to be close to make out the little bubbles that had formed on the top layer of the copper pot. “Uh-hunh.”
“This is how you know when it’s done.” He brought down two small coffee cups and picked up the pot, angling it over the first cup. “Since the foam pours first, you split it between the cups before divvying up the coffee.”
After following his own instructions, he handed me a cup. He held his out in a mock toast and sipped. I followed suit. Bitter, sweet, strong, it was like condensed coffee.
“Mm. It’s good. Thank you.”
“No problem. Be sure to sip. There’s grounds in the bottom, so don’t go crazy and throw it back like a shot or you’ll end up with a mouthful.” His gaze dropped to my mouth and heat flared in his dark eyes. My stomach tightened as the air between us practically crackled with tension.
“Dylan,” I blurted out, setting my cup down as my mom responsibilities kicked into overdrive. “I need to get him up and dressed so he can eat.”
Before Kaos could respond, I dashed toward the stairs.
Dylan was still sound asleep and did not appreciate my interference, but I managed to get him up and dressed by tempting him with Kaos’s cereal selection. By the time we reached the kitchen, Kaos had donned a T-shirt and was seated at the bar with his hands wrapped around his coffee cup. He greeted Dylan as we marched by, and I opened the pantry to prove to my son that I hadn’t been exaggerating.
“Wow,” Dylan said, taking in the shelves. He selected Trix, and I poured him a bowl while he climbed up on the stool beside Kaos.
“Want some?” I asked our host, holding up the box.
He nodded. “Please.”
I plopped two full bowls down on the bar and Kaos thanked me. Then he elbowed Dylan in the side.
“Yeah, thanks, Mom,” Dylan hurried to say.
Kaos smiled and launched into after school plans with my son while I sipped my coffee and tried to wonder if I should worry about the two of them getting so close. As far as men went, there were definitely worse ones out there for my kid to get attached to. Still, I had no idea how long we’d be staying with him, and Dylan’s attitude, grades, and personality in general had already suffered enough when we’d left his father.
And Matt hadn’t even paid much attention to him.
After a brief debate about the benefits of Kaos chauffeuring me to drop Dylan off at school—versus the risks of me doing it myself to protect my independence—I caved. My son’s safety had to come above all else, and if Matt showed up, Kaos was a lot better equipped to handle him than I was. Dylan chatted the entire drive there, but the ride back to the house was quiet. The atmosphere wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, more like… charged. At one point, Kaos changed the radio station and his hand reached over and hovered above my leg. I expected him to touch me, but he didn’t. Instead, he yanked his hand back and ran it through his hair looking flustered.
“I… I have to take the Jetta back to the club and get my bike,” he said, his attention focused on the road ahead. “I’ll drop you off at the house. You’ll have the Escalade if you need to go anywhere, but I’ll be back in plenty of time to take you to pick up Dylan. We can hit the grocery store afterwards, if you’d like.”
I could find my way to the grocery store alone, but the way he was careful to let me know I wouldn’t be trapped alone at his house did something to my chest. He cared enough to make sure I kept my freedom. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I nodded. “Thank you.”
When we got back to the house, Kaos showed me how to work the alarm system before hanging up the keys to the Escalade and taking off. I stared at the door for a few minutes—silently willing him to come back for reasons I wasn’t ready to admit—before heading into the kitchen to finish my grocery list. All the while, I couldn’t stop thinking about the man’s bare chest, muscular back, and low-hanging sweatpants. My head was a mess, and I decided to distract myself by exploring.
The French doors off the dining room led to the most enchanting, peaceful backyard I’d ever seen. It was like some hidden forest paradise of greenery and stone. I stepped out onto the stone patio and took in the built-in stainless steel grill, with a countertop and a mini fridge. Two sets of patio furniture—each clustered around a fire pit—and a matching teak dining set for ten were situated around the grill. Beyond the stone patio, the grass landscape was broken up with sections of colorful trees, shrubs, bushes, ivy, and flowers. A shallow pond stocked with colorful koi wound around the vegetation. I followed it to the side of the house where it ended before reaching a connected stone waterfall.
A wooden bench sat on the other side of the waterfall. I settled onto the bench, leaned back, and closed my eyes. The day was cool, but the sun had breached the scattered clouds and beat down on me, sapping my strength. The clean smells, soft sounds, and safety of the secluded backyard lulled me into relaxing.
I must have drifted off to sleep, because a feminine voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “Dari— Oh. You are… not my cousin,” she said.
I opened my eyes to find a gorgeous, dark-haired woman staring at me. Hurrying to my feet, I winced as a kink tugged at my neck and shuffled forward. “No. I’m Tina. I’m… um… staying with Kaos… with Darius for a little while.”
“You’re staying here?” Her eyebr
ows shot up. “Like… sleeping here?”
Unsure of how to take the disbelief that was written all over her face, I nodded. “Yes. Is… Is something wrong with that?”
“No. It’s just surprising.” She folded her arms across her chest and studied me. “He never has women here, so you two must be pretty serious.”
“It’s not like that,” I rushed to say. “I was in a bind and he’s helping me out. We’re… friends.” Friends seemed like a strange title to put on our relationship, since I’d only known him a couple of days, but I had no idea what else to call it.
“Ah. Okay, that makes more sense.” Her shoulders relaxed. “Sorry, I’m Carisa, and you quite possibly just saved my life.”
“I did?” I asked, confused.
She nodded. “If Darius was seeing someone and hadn’t told Aunt Linore there’d be hell to pay and I’d have a very difficult choice to make. I could call and tattle, or, I could blackmail my cousin into all kinds of shit for keeping his secret. I most definitely would have settled on the latter. Then my aunt would have been murderous when she inevitably found out that I knew and hadn’t immediately filled her in.” She flashed me a smile. “So, thanks for keeping me from that suicidal decision.”
She was quick-witted and charming, and I couldn’t help but smile back at her. “My pleasure.”
“But I do reserve the right to make said suicidal decisions in the future, so if the two of you do start dating, please be sure to let me know as soon as possible.”
“I will,” I promised. “But you’re safe. I just escaped from a bad relationship and have no desire to hop right into another.” Realizing how bad that sounded, I winced. “Not like a relationship with your cousin would be bad. That’s not what I meant.”
