“Landon,” Emmerson whispered against my chest.
I dug my fingers into her hair, my other hand rubbing against her back. “Yeah, baby?”
“Will you make love to me now?”
I let out a small chuckle. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
Bending down, I picked her up. She slid her arms around my neck, and I walked us over to the back of the truck. I had laid down the heavy blanket first, followed by both quilts. I folded up a jacket I had in the backseat to use as a makeshift pillow for Emmerson. This wasn’t how I pictured our first time making love, but it felt right. And the way Emmerson was currently looking at me said she felt the exact same way.
Gently putting her on the bed of the truck, I watched as she pulled her shirt over her head and then reached behind her to unclasp her bra. I stood there, mesmerized by how beautiful she looked in the moonlight.
I followed her lead and pulled my shirt over my head before I tossed it on top of hers. I kicked off my boots and proceeded to remove my jeans while I watched Emmerson do the same.
There was no way I could stop the smile on my face as she moved up and spread out on the bed of my truck. There was something so fucking sexy about it, and I knew I would never look at the back of this truck again without thinking about Emmerson and making love to her for the first time.
My heart stilled in my chest when a thought occurred to me. “Emme, I just realized I don’t have a condom,” I whispered.
“It’s okay, I’m on birth control.”
I crawled on top of her, groaning before I kissed along her neck
Giggling, she moved her fingers softly over my back and whispered back, “Is that a good groan or an ‘oh shit we’re going to have to stop’ groan.”
I drew back and looked down at her. “It’s an ‘I’m going to come the moment I push inside of you’ groan.”
Her soft lips went into a pout. “That would be a damn shame, not to mention it would totally ruin this night for me.”
I shot her a look that said there was no way this night would be ruined for either of us.
I positioned my body over hers and cradled her face in my hands. “I love you, Emmerson. And not in a brotherly way. I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember.”
A tear slipped free and rolled down the side of her face, and I used the pad of my thumb to wipe it away.
She swallowed and met my gaze. “I love you, too, Landon.”
I pressed my mouth to hers, and even though I tried to keep things slow, our kiss quickly turned passionate. Emmerson’s hands were all over me, her body arched as if silently telling me it was time. I kissed along her jaw, down her neck and to her breasts, pulling a nipple into my mouth and gently sucking on it before I moved to the other one.
“I don’t need foreplay, Landon. I’m going to combust if you don’t get inside of me.”
With a chuckle, I moved my hand down her body and felt between her folds. She was so fucking wet, I had to force myself to go slow. All I wanted to do was push inside of her and bury myself as deep as I could.
When I pulled my hand back up, I slid my fingers into my mouth and closed my eyes while I tasted her.
“Landon! Please!”
She moved her hand down between us, and when she grabbed me, I jerked.
I grabbed her hand and pushed it above her head, positioning myself at her entrance. Slowly, I slid inside of her. With each inch I moved forward, my heart pounded even harder.
“You’re so tight,” I said softly, my eyes locked on hers.
“You feel…you feel so good, Landon.”
Her eyes closed and she drew in a breath as I pushed farther in. “Are you okay?”
Nodding quickly, she urged me on. “Don’t stop. Please!”
After what felt like fucking forever, I was seated all the way inside of her. If I died right then, I knew I would be okay. Never in my life had I felt such blissfulness. Being inside of Emmerson, our bodies connected together like this, the way she looked up at me, and how she whispered my name through those soft pink lips—it was all I dreamed of and more. So much more.
“Emme,” I whispered against her lips as I slowly pulled out and then pushed back in.
She wrapped her body around mine, and we got lost in one another. It didn’t matter where we were, or how long it had taken us to get here—we were together. And fucking hell, I was never going to let her go.
Ever.
Emmerson ripped her mouth from mine. “Faster, Landon. I need you to go faster.”
It didn’t take long for me to speed up my rhythm. The sound of our bodies hitting together was one of the most erotic things I had ever heard in my life. I needed her to come, especially since she didn’t let me pleasure her before we started. In one move, I rolled us until Emmerson was on top of me.
She lifted her brows and chewed on her lip.
“Use me to make yourself come, Emme.”
She brought her hands to my chest and slowly rolled her hips. Something seemed to switch on inside of her as she moved her hands up and rested them on the back window of my truck. She lifted and bounced back down on me, rubbing herself against me until she found what she needed.
Emmerson’s head dropped back and she let out a moan as her orgasm began to build. I could feel her body tightening on mine and I knew the moment she came, I was going to as well.
“Oh, God, Landon! I’m coming.”
“Fuuuck, Emme. Yes!”
We came together in what had to be the best orgasm I’d ever had in my entire life.
After making love to Emmerson, there was no way I would ever want another woman. Never.
When our bodies finally stopped shaking from our releases, Emmerson collapsed onto me. I could still feel my dick twitching inside of her, demanding the party continue even though I had just come so hard I’d nearly lost consciousness.
“That was…amazing,” Emmerson panted into my chest.
I wrapped my arms tightly around her. It almost felt like I was dreaming, and that this moment would end with me waking up with my hand around my cock.
“I want to do that every day for the rest of my life,” I said softly, running my hand down her body.
Emmerson giggled. “I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise every day.” She leaned up and stared down at me. “That was the best sex of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever come that hard.” With a quick look up, she shook her head. “That’s a lie. When you gave me oral sex, that orgasm was the most intense I’d ever had. This one was…it was…”
I smiled and brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. “It was what?”
“Perfect. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. Everything felt so…right. If that makes any sense.”
I nodded and then leaned up and captured her mouth with mine. When I pulled back, I said, “It does make sense, and I agree.” Reaching to the side, I grabbed the old T-shirt I kept in my truck if I needed a change of clothes and said, “Let me clean you up.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to move. I want you to stay inside of me like this forever.”
My heart felt as if it were suddenly floating freely in my chest. I rolled her over and started to move once again. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when I quickly got hard.
And I wasn’t surprised when it only took a few minutes for us to cry out each other’s names once again.
Emmerson
THE SOUND OF Landon’s constant, rhythmic heartbeat should have lulled me to sleep, but I was wide awake. I moved my finger in small circles on his chest as I lay in his arms in the back of his truck. We had crawled under one of the quilts, and Landon had held me after we both caught our breaths from another mind-blowing lovemaking session.
I smiled, thinking about how perfect this all felt. Landon was the first man I had ever had sex with and not used a condom. He was the first man I’d ever had an orgasm with during sex. And he was the first man to ever make me long for something I’d ne
ver had before. I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was. It felt like this longing had always been deep down inside of me, but now I could finally feel it. And I knew I needed to explore it more.
“A penny for your thoughts,” Landon whispered.
“I feel so…content. So happy,” I truthfully replied.
He held me a bit tighter. “Me too. It’s weird—I feel like this moment was meant to happen. That the universe was simply waiting on us to make it happen.”
I moved my head and rested my chin on his chest. “Yes! That’s exactly it.”
He smiled down at me. “As much as I’ve doubted not telling our folks about us actually dating, I’m glad we haven’t said anything yet. I’m glad we don’t have any added pressure.”
“Me too. At some point, though, we’re going to have to tell them.”
“Yeah, I know. I sorta like it just being us right now. Living in this little bubble and not having anyone push us or offer advice.”
I laid my head back on his chest. “Have any of your friends said anything about the engagement?”
“Yeah, most of them have reached out. The guys at the shop got in a good round of teasing and told me I was now ruined for life.”
A chuckle slipped from my lips.
“You?” he asked.
“Oh yeah. And most were not happy I’d kept our ‘relationship’ a secret.”
Landon laughed. “If they only knew.”
I felt my grin widen. “It’s been pretty easy to push off their questions. Most of them said they’d always suspected something was between us. Which isn’t surprising since everyone always has.”
He lightly moved his fingers over my arm. “Now that Hailey’s marriage is off, how long do we play this fake engagement for?”
I swallowed hard. I wanted to ask him if he wanted to end it now, but a part of me didn’t want to let it go. I was actually looking forward to the cake tasting and the engagement party. And the venue shopping. What in the hell was wrong with me? But Landon beat me to the answer.
“I don’t think it should be anytime soon,” Landon mused. “Especially with it still being posted about in the media.”
Nodding, I replied, “I agree. Plus, I really want to go to this one venue and check it out. It’s fairly new.”
A deep rumble came from his chest. “Truth be told, I want to go to the cake tasting.”
I lifted my head to look at him once more. “Really?”
His cheeks flushed some. “Yes. I know that’s terrible to admit.”
“I don’t think so! I’ve already started my post about it!”
We both fell into a fit of laughter.
“Aw shit,” Landon said on an exhale. “We might as well have fun with it, right?”
“Right. I mean, no one’s getting hurt. If anything, and if I’m being honest, it’s brought so much attention to my business. I’m actually thinking of hiring an assistant to help me out with some things, especially emails. All these businesses have been emailing me to use their services or products for the wedding.”
He pulled his head back, so he could look at me. “That’s great, Emme.”
I smiled, then bit down on my lip. “I do feel sorta bad, though, that the stuff they’re sending will never actually be used.”
“Well, share them with some of your brides.”
“That’s a great idea, Landon.”
He smiled, and I nearly sighed at the sight of those dimples. They seemed to catch the rays of moonlight filtering through the tree.
“What about this engagement party?” I asked. “Do I still let Autumn throw it?”
Landon reached over to a small bag that was sitting off in the upper corner of his truck. He reached inside and pulled out a small ring box.
He held it up and looked at it. “It would be a shame not to show off this ring I got for you.”
I quickly sat up, allowing the quilt to fall and expose the upper part of my naked body to the chilled air. Landon’s eyes went down at my breasts, and I was almost positive I saw his nostrils flare.
“Let me see it!” I said in an excited voice.
He laughed and opened the box. I gasped as I looked down at the ring and then snapped my gaze back up to meet his.
“Landon. How did…when did you…” I was staring down at the exact ring I had described to him two years ago. I had seen it in an antique store in Italy when I was there with my mother, Addie, and Hailey on our annual girls’ trip.
“After you told me about the ring and talked nonstop about it, I asked my mom if she remembered you seeing an old antique ring in Italy. She said she remembered and told me the name of the town. I started calling all the stores there and finally found the right one. I paid for it over the phone, and they mailed me the ring.”
My mouth fell open. “They mailed you the ring? Landon, this ring was expensive! Very expensive! And wait…”
I let everything fall into place in my mind and then gasped again. “You’ve had this ring for two years, and you’ve just been holding onto it? Why?”
He shrugged. “I never knew the right time to give it to you. It’s technically an engagement ring, and well…I never thought I’d be asking you… I mean, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t dreamed of asking you to marry me…” Landon’s voice trailed off. “Anyway, we’re in a fake engagement now, and I’ve been wanting to give it to you, so this is perfect. When we call the engagement off, it’s yours to keep, of course.”
I smiled, but a part of me grew sad at the idea of calling off our fake engagement. I suddenly wanted this fake engagement to be a real one. The thought was crazy, but a part of me wondered if maybe Landon felt the same way—though now was not the time to ask him.
I brushed those feelings to the side and held out my hand. “What are you waiting for? Put it on!”
Landon laughed as he pulled the stunning ring out of the box.
“I can’t believe you had them mail this, Landon.”
He laughed. “They insured it, and it was sent express.”
I shook my head, staring down at the ring. It was a platinum band with a cushion-cut diamond surrounded by mine-cut diamonds. I couldn’t keep my eyes off it.
“The setting is so ornate and classic,” I said softly. “But Landon, you paid so much for it. Why?”
When I looked up from the stunning, nearly two-carat diamond, our eyes locked.
“Why? Because when you talked about this ring, I could hear the happiness in your voice. You fell in love with it the moment you saw it, or at least that was what you said. I knew I had to get it for you, even though I knew it was an engagement ring. I guess I figured I could give it to you someday. I just wasn’t sure how you would feel about your best friend giving you an engagement ring.” He laughed, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Suddenly, I wanted him to be giving me this ring for a completely different reason. I wanted him to drop down on one knee and ask me to marry him and not because of a fake engagement.
My voice cracked when I tried to speak, so I cleared it and said, “I don’t know what to say. Landon, this is the most generous gift anyone has ever given me.”
“Say you’ll wear it and be my fake fiancée.”
Tears threatened to build in my eyes, and my jaw ached from trying to keep them at bay. How was it my life had changed so much in just a few weeks? Was it because I’d been in love with this man for far longer than I had ever wanted to admit? Thinking about Landon not being in my life—as either my best friend or as my lover—was not a thought I even wanted to entertain.
“Y-yes. Of course I will be.”
I slipped on the ring, knowing that deep inside I prayed this so-called fake engagement would lead to a happily ever after. Our happily ever after.
Landon pulled up and parked in front of Sweet Confections Wedding Cakes and Bakery right at six o’clock on the dot. I bounced on the balls of my feet as I waited for him to get out and walk up to me. He leaned down and kissed me, letting the kiss las
t longer than it probably should have considering we were standing on the sidewalk. He kissed me like he hadn’t seen me in days, and it had only been since this morning.
When he pulled back, he rested his forehead on mine. “Shit, I’ve missed you, Emme.”
Butterflies flew in my stomach as I reached up and wiped the lipstick from his lips and giggled. “I missed you too. How did we do this before? Go hours without seeing each other?”
He laughed. “It was easier because we weren’t having sex then.”
I smacked him on the chest and laughed. “Come on, we need to get inside.”
The door chimed at the top of the frame as we walked in. An older woman in her fifties walked out and greeted us with a wide grin.
“You must be Landon and Emmerson. December twenty-first wedding.”
“That’s us!” I said, my voice way too cheerful.
Landon leaned in and whispered against my ear, “Tone it down there, sweetheart.”
Yep, there went my stomach again. I placed my hand over it to settle it and let my wide smile fall a bit. All this man had to do was whisper in my ear, and my stomach was either flipping or my heart was threatening to beat out of my chest. Or I was daydreaming about sex in the back of trucks, in showers, against a door…
My body started to heat up, so I pushed all thoughts of sex and Landon to the back of my mind.
“My name is Lynda, and I’m the owner and head baker here at Sweet Confections. Why don’t you two have a seat right here, and I’ll bring out the flavors.”
Landon clapped his hands together and rubbed them as he made his way over to a table that was set up in the corner of the bakery. Two glasses and a pitcher of water sat in the middle.
As Landon sat, he gave me a boyish smile. “I’m so glad I didn’t eat lunch today.”
Laughing, I shook my head and sat down.
Lynda walked out with a woman about my age, who set two long plates and three small bowls in front of us.
Lynda took a seat and pulled up the paperwork.
“You did say it was okay for me to document our cake tasting, correct?” I asked as I pulled out my phone stand and proceeded to get things set up to record the session.
Fool for You Page 16
