The Sweet Talker

by Cathryn Fox

  One hand goes around my waist to hold me, the other on my back, keeping me bent forward as he pulls out and slams back in again, taking as much as he’s giving. His skin is hot against mine, no barriers to separate our flesh, which makes this hotter, sexier.

  “You are so hot and tight, I’m not going to last.”

  “You don’t have to last, Brody. We can do it again later. All night, in fact. I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

  “Good, because there’s nowhere else in the entire world I’d rather be than inside you.”

  My heart misses a beat at the way he makes me feel important, cherished. This guy could be with any woman he chooses and it’s me he wants.

  Don’t let that go to your head, girl. This is just sex. Great sex, but sex nonetheless.

  His other arm goes around my waist, and he reaches down to stroke my clit, and much to my surprise the third orgasm of the day hits, and as I soak his cock with my hot juices, he slams high and deep, hugs me tighter and spills his seed in me.

  “I feel you,” I cry out, as emotions clog my throat. Tears threaten as he fills me, not just my body, but my heart too. I’d forgotten how nice it was to be touched, to be held. Brody is doing crazy things to my body, my heart and my soul.

  He presses kisses to my back as he continues to pump me full of his seed, and I love that we have nothing separating us, and that when he drips out of me later, it will bring a smile to my face and take me back to this exact moment.

  He pants hard, and his warm breath sends shivers down my spine. He mistakes it for being cold, and with his cock still inside me, he tugs me until I’m upright. He backs us up until the warm water is on us and we both stand there in silence, lost in our own thoughts as we come down from our high.

  He moves my wet hair from my neck and kisses my shoulder. “How do you feel?” he asks, breaking the quiet as the water starts to cool. Not sure I can—or should—put into words what I’m really feeling, I move and he slides from my body. I turn to face him, the smile on my mouth telling him all he needs to know.

  He chuckles, and brushes the back of his knuckles over my flushed cheek. “Same.” Warm lips find mind for a tender kiss. “How about we get out of here, and I’ll make us something to eat.”

  “Okay,” I say lazily, dreamily.

  “Or do you want me to carry you back to bed?”

  “Okay,” I say again and he just laughs.

  His eyes widen. “Wait, you have to call your parents.”

  My heart skips a beat. I love that he’s so worried about me talking with my parents. I guess my relationship with them means a lot to him, knowing he’s never had much of a relationship with his own.

  “Dressed. First.”

  He laughs. “You go to your room, get dressed, and call your parents. I’ll go make us something to eat.”

  “Okay.”

  He turns off the water, ties a towel around his waist and wraps me up in one. He lifts me and carries me down the hall. “You know, I kind of like that I can reduce you to one word answers.”

  I laugh and he sets me on the bed, and I take a few breaths to refill my brain. He walks to my door and my gaze goes to his strong back.

  “Thanks.”

  He grins at me. “You’re thanking me for sex?”

  I smile. In a sense, yes, but this is so much more than sex to me. This is me living again. “I’m thanking you for…everything.”

  “Anytime, babe.”

  I laugh as he leaves and the sounds of pots and pans snap me back to reality. I dress quickly, and grab my tablet. I quickly check the time, and knowing they’ll be up, I hit video call. My Mom answers with a smile on her face and she calls Dad over.

  “Darling, how are you?” Mom asks.

  “Great, Mom, missing you all.”

  She frowns. “I hate that you’re spending Christmas alone.”

  A movement at the door catches my eyes, and I spot Brody there, Mabel at his feet, and I frown. “What?”

  “Can I say hello?”

  Panic races through me. Why the heck would he want to say hello to my parents and what are they going to think. It was only last year I lost Jon. What will they think of me?

  “Is someone there with you, dear?” Dad asks.

  “Uh, yeah. A friend.” I glance up and take in Brody’s smile. “He wants to say hello, is that okay?”

  Mom and Dad exchange a look I don’t quite understand. “By all means,” Mom says when she turns back to me.

  Brody plops down on the edge of my bed, his outer thigh brushing mine and sending tingles through my body. “Hi there.”

  They both go silent, and I worry I made a big mistake. They think it’s too soon for me, and of course they’re right. I shouldn’t be sleeping with Brody, shouldn’t have invited him to stay with me and I sure as hell shouldn’t have let him video message with my parents.

  “Mom—” I begin and I’m about to end the call, when Dad speaks.

  “You’re Brody Tucker, from the Seattle Shooters.”

  My heart starts racing. Okay, now I get it. They’re star-struck!

  “Yeah, it’s me,” Brody says.

  “Brody this is my Mom and Dad, Elias and Astrid Larsson.”

  “Nice to meet you both. It’s a shame you can’t all be together for Christmas, but don’t worry I’m here and I’m going to make sure Josie has a fantastic holiday season. Wait until you see the tree. Although, it will actually have to wait. We haven’t decorated it yet.”

  I sit here with my jaw open as he talks to my parents, putting them at ease, like they’ve been friends for ever. Mom and Dad smile and move a little closer to the screen, and I suddenly feel like a bug under a microscope.

  “Josie, you didn’t tell us you knew Brody Tucker.”

  “Just Brody, sir.”

  My dad smiles. “Brody it is, and you can call us Elias and Astrid.”

  “Nice to finally meet you both. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.”

  I stare at him, my jaw on my lap. What the hell is he doing? We don’t have to pretend to be a couple in front of my parents. Which begs the question, what the hell is he doing?

  11

  Brody

  Three days until Christmas Eve:

  * * *

  Despite it being early Monday morning—did all these people miss the memo that Mondays suck?—the streets are busy, alive with activity as I finish walking Mabel and head toward home. Technically it’s not my home, it’s Josie’s place, yet in the few short days I’ve been staying with her, it’s somehow started to feel like my home too, and I haven’t been this happy on a Monday morning in a very long time. But I can’t think like that. We’re just having fun, right? Nothing more. All that sex was just…sex. Nothing deeper, no hidden meaning behind her touch, no telegraphed messages that she too might want more. Like I do. But will I fuck it all up in the end? The last thing I want to do is hurt Josie in any way. In fact, I want to do things for her, be there for her. With that thought in mind, I walk past the pharmacy, and see a photo kiosk where you can print pictures in minutes.

  I tug my phone from my pocket, and grin as an idea forms. I open the door to allow Miss Mabel to enter, and she happily walks inside. I follow behind and a burst of warmth washes over me. I’m glad all the shops in this town are dog friendly and don’t mind Miss Mabel tagging along. Chatter reaches my ear and I turn to find a bustling giftware boutique at one end of the store. The shelves are filled with unique Christmas gifts that customers are sorting through, and filling their baskets with last minute presents.

  With Mabel in tow, everyone stops to pet her. People are so damn friendly in this festive town. I chat with a few people, and everyone asks about Josie. I like that they do, like that they care about her, and don’t just want to know about me and my NHL career. It’s clear that everyone now knows we’re a couple, now. It’s also clear how well liked she is in this small town. Then again, what’s not to like? She’s kind, and sweet and nice to everyone
, except if you soak her with cold slush. I chuckle silently at that. She was having a bad day, and I made it worse. Guilt niggles at me as I think about her phone. I took a shit load of pictures of Mabel at the park today, and I really hope she had all her photos backed up. I would never forgive myself if she lost anything important.

  I snatch up a cute picture frame that says, ‘Best Pawent’ and head to the kiosk to print some pictures. After we pay, we walk back home and Miss Mabel makes a beeline to her bed to collapse, all tuckered out from our play. I remove the frame from the bag and slide the picture in. Glancing around her place, I look for the best location to display the gift, and decide the perfect place is on the window ledge over the sink. It’s the best place for her to notice it when she comes home and I hope it brings a smile to her face. Her place is in need of pictures. That thought makes me laugh, because my house is no different. It lacks warmth.

  I send a text off to Declan to see what he’s up to today, and head downstairs to the Chocolate Lab to check in with Josie. I reach the bottom step and look through the glass partition to spot Josie at the front counter, the phone pressed to her ear, panic all over her face. My heart leaps with worry, just as a noise in the lab catches my attention, and I turn to see Kayley. She smiles at me, but she too looks a bit frazzled.

  “What’s going on? Is everything okay?” I ask Kayley as she refills a tray with chocolate bark from one of the fridges.

  “Our driver is out sick. We have a ton of orders and neither of us can go because we’re too busy.” I look through the partition again and count at least fifteen people milling about the store. Without thinking twice about it, I head back upstairs, grab my coat and hat and hurry back downstairs.

  Josie’s face lights up when she sees me, and it wraps around my heart and squeezes tight. “How did you and Miss Mabel make out?” she asks as she rings in an order. To the left of her, I spot boxes and bags with addresses on them.

  “Great. She’s napping.”

  “Are you going somewhere?” She glances at my head as I tug on my hat. “Hanging out with Declan?”

  “Nope.” I pick up one of the bags and check the address. “I’m headed to Acorn Street.” She goes completely still, confusion on her face. “House number twenty-four, to be exact.”

  She turns from me and smiles as she bags the chocolate she just rang in and hands it over to the customer. “What are you talking about?” Her frown is back as she turns back to me.

  I almost want to come back with a smart-ass comment, as I normally would, but she doesn’t look like she’s in the mood for teasing. “Kayley said your driver is sick, and I just happen to be free, and I have a car.”

  “No, Brody.” She shakes her head and takes the box of chocolate from the next person in line. “I can’t ask you to do that. You’re here on vacation. I’ll find someone.”

  “You already have.”

  As soon as the words leave my mouth, her gaze flies to mine. You already have. My God, I want to be the guy she finds, the guy she trusts not only her body with but her heart, too. Yes, I get it, she’s a little lost, hasn’t lived life in a long time, and is likely too afraid to put her heart on the line again after losing her husband. I don’t blame her, but if she ever trusted me with it, I would be damn sure to treasure it. Damn sure not to do anything to fuck this up. I can’t. I won’t.

  I gesture with a nod over her head. “Do you have any more out back, or is this it?”

  “Brody, you don’t have to.”

  “I want to.”

  “I can pay you.”

  “Oh, you’ll pay,” I say and give her a teasing wink. A blush crawls up her neck, and she nibbles her bottom lip like she’s remembering all the fun we had last night. I turn to Kayley, who is grinning at the two of us. “Is this it?”

  “For now,” she tells me. “I’m sure there will be more when you return from this run.”

  I load up the bags, and the lady at the cash leans in and says to Josie, “You’ve got a good one there.”

  “Yeah, I do,” Josie says and I toss a grin over my shoulders at her.

  I head outside, and load the back of my car. I hop in and turn on the wipers to brush away the light dusting of snow. Off in the distance, I can see the ski hill. While I haven’t quite made it there yet, I’m not disappointed. I’d rather spend every waking moment, and sleeping ones, with Josie and Mabel.

  I jack the tunes, a strange new lightness inside of me as I meander through the decorated downtown core and veer off onto the streets filled with lit up houses. The deliveries take a lot longer than expected. Not only do I have to use my phone to search for the addresses, because I don’t know my way around, but at each house, I have to stop and talk and take pictures. It’s fun surprising people, though. No one expects to find me on their doorstep delivering chocolate. Once I’m done, I head back to the shop to get the next batch of deliveries. I take a look at the addresses, and plug them into my phone. I look at the last package, and it says pharmacy. I plug in the address, but it doesn’t show up.

  “Where is West Haven?” I ask.

  Josie cringes. “It’s far. I’m so sorry. It’s two towns over. I didn’t even know they had a pharmacy in West Haven. It’s such a small place, it barely shows up on a map.” She stacks more boxes of chocolates on the shelf, and glances at me over her shoulder. “You don’t have to take that one. I can do it after work.”

  “No, you can’t.”

  She frowns. “Why not?”

  “You have plans after work,” I tell her.

  “I do.”

  “Yeah, paying me back. My God, your memory is short.”

  She laughs and whacks me. I capture her hand and I don’t care who is watching, or if she thinks this is for show, but I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss it, unable to get enough of her.

  I load up and after I do the local deliveries, I head to West Haven, and slow as I go down main street, which is nothing but fields, and old farms in the background. I check the address on my phone, and glance at the numbers on the mailboxes. I finally find the place, and as I turn into the long driveway and read the welcome sign, a laugh bubbles up in my throat. Josie had it all wrong. This isn’t a pharmacy. Not really. Okay, well… it sort of is. I park at the big old farmhouse beside numerous other vehicles, grab the bag and make my way to the front door. As snow crunches beneath my boots and the smell of freshly baked bread and chili reaches my nostrils. A motor revs in the distance, and I glance up to see numerous snowmobiles going up a hill.

  I knock and laughter from the backyard reaches my ear as the door swings open and an elderly lady smiles up at me.

  “Delivery from the Chocolate Lab,” I say and hand the bag over.

  “Thank you.” The lines around her blue eyes crinkle as she smiles up at me. There’s a warmth about her, a real kindness, and I’d like to think if I knew my grandmother, she’d be very much like the woman standing before me.

  “What is this place?” I ask, and her smile widens.

  “Come on, I’ll show you.”

  I spend the next half hour walking the old farm, and the whole time, all I can think about is how much Josie, and Mabel, would love this. Once I’ve taken in the place, I hurry back to my car and check the time. With any luck, Josie will be closing up shop and I can scoop up her and Mabel and take them back to West Haven.

  I park on the street and spot Patrick leaving. Since she said he’s always the first in and last out, I’m hoping she’s finished for the day. I hurry inside and Josie’s head lifts as I enter. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, are you done for the day?” I glance around, and take in the empty store.

  She puts her hand on her hip. “Are you that anxious for payment?” There’s a wicked gleam in her eyes, and I suspect she’s just as anxious as I am to crawl back into bed, or the shower, but I have other things on my mind.

  “Yes, but it will have to wait.”

  She angles her head. “Wait? You’re saying you’re not anxious to
extract payment from me?”

  “Of course I am, and I plan to extract over and over again,” I tease. I check the time on my phone. “But that will have to wait. There’s something I want to show you.”

  “Oh?”

  I laugh. “Not that. Well, yeah, that, but later.”

  “What are you up to, Brody Tucker?”

  I pull myself up to my full height, and say, “Six foot two, but come on, there’s somewhere I want to take you.”

  She removes her apron and places it on the counter. “But…I just finished. I have to shower, and make dinner, and Mabel has been inside most of the day.”

  “How about this, you shower later, and I’ll help you with that. But right now, let’s grab Mabel and don’t worry about food. I’ve got us covered.”

  “What are you up…” She lets her words fall off and shakes her head. “Six foot two, right. Fine, let’s go, but you know I don’t like surprises.”

  “You’ll like this one,” I tell her and pull her into my arms for a kiss. Our mouths linger, and when she exhales, I realize just how tired she is. “I’m sorry, Josie. We don’t have to go. I didn’t stop to think that you’ve worked your ass off all day.”

  Her hand touches my cheek. “You are the sweetest, and I want to go wherever it is you want to take me.”

  Oh, if she only knew.

  “Okay, finish doing what you need to do here, and I’ll grab Mabel.”

  “I love how much you like including her in everything.”

  “I’m such a great boyfriend,” I tease. “Besides, I love Mabel as much as I…” I catch myself before I finish that sentence, and my heart crashes in my chest as Josie stares up at me, her eyes narrowed, intense, and I shoot up a silent prayer of thanks that I didn’t blurt out that I loved her. The last thing I want to do is spill my guts and scare her off.

  Love her?