Whisper of Temptation (Whisper Lake Book 4)

by Melanie Shawn

  He ripped open the condom and rolled it on. She turned and placed her hands against the tile wall, planting her feet firmly on the wet shower floor and bracing herself. However, she soon realized she needn’t have worried about holding herself up. Keeping herself safe. It was Austin. Of course she didn’t. He always took care of her.

  He slid his strong forearm under her belly, holding her in place with a firmness that was unquestionable. It didn’t matter that they were in the shower. It didn’t matter that the tile of the wall and the fiberglass of the stall floor were wet and slippery, as was their skin. None of that mattered at all. When she felt Austin’s strong arm encircle her and prop her up, she knew he’d never let her fall. She would’ve bet her life on that. Austin Stone would never let her fall.

  Butterflies fluttered through her as the ramification of the metaphor began to sink in, and she was tempted to worry about what the blind trust she felt might mean for her future…but all philosophical and metaphorical musings dissolved from her brain in an instant as she felt Austin thrust into her from behind with a powerful force. There was no room for thoughts of the future, or thoughts of the past. Only for the present, and the unbearable pleasure of Austin filling her up again and again.

  “Oh God, Austin, that feels amazing,” she groaned, her knees turning to jelly. His strong arm kept her protected and upright, no matter how useless her legs had suddenly become. “Please keep doing that. Don’t stop. It feels so good.”

  At her desperate, rough whispers and pleas, he picked up his speed, and even that small adjustment was enough to make her sanity completely unspool. She felt him all through her, in more than just the private center of her body he was pushing into again and again. She felt him in every cell, engulfing her and filling her. Like they were merging their bodies and souls.

  Austin leaned over her back and kept up the speed and intensity of his pounding. With the hand he was not using to steady her, he began to tweak her nipples as he thrust in and out of her. She shivered in ecstasy, delight spreading through her like a warm, sparkly wave.

  “How is it possible to feel this good? How is my body even capable of this?” She heard the words tumbling out. Nothing but incoherent babbling really. She knew she was saying them because she could hear it, and it was her voice. But she wasn’t even conscious of forming the words or spitting them out, that’s how completely Austin had captured her body and mind.

  The things he was doing to her, making her feel, were beyond what she’d ever hoped to dare could be true. She had fooled herself into believing that men like this—and sex like this—only happened in the movies, or romance novels. Now she knew that wasn’t true. Now she knew Austin Stone not only existed, but he had the power to make her tremble and lose all conscious thought with the pleasure he could give her body. It was almost too much to bear.

  He slid his hand down from her nipple to the vee between her legs. His fingertips grazed the hard, sensitive button there in time with his strokes, softly at first, and then more insistently. Sara became immune to anything but the thrumming of pleasure rushing through her, out from her core to the edges of her limbs. The orgasm building inside her was powerful, blocking out everything but the craving for more.

  “Yes!” She released a hoarse cry, so visceral it tore through her and from her with the force of a tornado. She exploded, every muscle clenching, her inner walls squeezing hard against Austin’s length. Her body was unconsciously trying to capture the feelings he was sending through her, keep them inside and never let them abate.

  A groan vibrated through Austin’s body as he pushed into her so deep it sent a new wave of spasms exploding through her. He tightened his arm around her waist and his body convulsed against her. The orgasms rocketed through them like freight trains, and she was certain she’d never felt more connected to another human being on this planet than she was to Austin Stone right then. And she doubted she ever would be.

  When she’d stopped shaking enough she could stand on her own, she straightened and turned to face him. He folded her up in his arms and she surrendered herself to his embrace. They stood there silently for a moment, holding each other while the hot stream of water poured over them.

  “Can I ask you something?” He ran his fingers through her hair.

  A nod against his chest was all she could manage.

  “Why did you want thirty seconds?”

  She buried her face into him before finally getting the courage to tell him. It was stupid, really.

  Finally, she looked up at him. Her nose scrunched as her hands flattened against his chest and she admitted, “I was wearing granny panties and I didn’t want you to see them.”

  He grinned. “Seriously? Granny panties?”

  She swatted his arm playfully. “Yes. Seriously. Women don’t always walk around in G-strings and lace thongs. Plus, I packed in a hurry and only had one pair of nice—”

  “No, I meant did you seriously think I’d give a shit what kind of underwear you were wearing?”

  She dipped her head, and shook it.

  He lifted her chin. “You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. From the first second I saw you I wanted to make a shrine and worship your body. I don’t care if you’re wearing a paper sack, you’ll always be the sexiest thing to ever walk on two feet.”

  The way he spoke to her was so overwhelming. She wasn’t used to someone having such direct access to her emotions. But with Austin, she felt so vulnerable and raw. Wanting to lighten things up a bit she asked, “What about that walked on four feet?”

  “Brat.” Now it was his turn to playfully swat her, except this time it wasn’t on her arm. When his palm made contact with her backside, there was a loud slapping sound. Not from force, but because her skin was wet. A shock of bliss shot straight to her core and her inner muscles clenched, causing a tiny aftershock of orgasm to rock her.

  She wondered if he’d be ready for round two any time soon. Lifting her head to ask she locked eyes with him and saw a flare of desire lit in his eyes a moment before she felt her back flat against the tile wall and her legs wrapping around him.

  It looked like he was ready for round two now.

  CHAPTER 21

  “I’m too heavy and dirty.” Sara’s brow furrowed as she looked up at Austin, squinting because the sun was in her eyes.

  He had a lot of responses to her comment, but none that he thought she’d be happy about him saying out loud in the large crowd that surrounded them. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “I like it when you’re dirty, and I think we both know you’re not too heavy for me to lift up and—”

  “Stop!” She slapped his chest and shook her head as a smile spread on her mud-smeared face. “Fine. But only because my ankle really hurts. And this time, it has to be a piggyback ride. I don’t want any more comments and people getting the wrong idea.”

  They wouldn’t be. If it were up to him, they’d go to the courthouse today and get married. Him carrying her like a bride would give people exactly the idea he wanted them to have. That way, everyone would know that she was his.

  He bent down so she could hop on his back. She nuzzled against his neck and whispered, “I can’t believe I’m letting you do this.”

  “I can’t believe you thought you had a choice.”

  She playfully swatted him again. “Well, I guess it’s the price you pay for not listening to me. I told you I wasn’t athletic.”

  Yeah, she had. And he’d still talked her into doing the annual mud run with him, which he now wanted to kick his own ass for. Not that she’d hurt herself during the run. The race had gone off without incident. No, the injury had occurred when they’d crossed the finish line and she’d been so happy she’d jumped up and down while turning to hug him. On the down part, she’d wobbled and cried out in pain. Thankfully, he’d already had an arm around her, so she hadn’t fallen. But when he’d seen her face go pale, his chest had felt like it was being twisted by a clamp. He’d immediately scooped her up and tak
en her to the medic. And, yes, he’d carried her like a groom carries his bride over the threshold, which had garnered more than a few whistles and cheers from the peanut gallery AKA Jess, Ethan, Ali, Kade, Brynn, and Axel.

  He hadn’t even registered them at the time. All he’d thought about was getting her to a doctor. He’d really only started breathing again once the medic had assured him nothing was broken and it was most likely just a mild sprain. She’d been instructed to ice and elevate it, put an ACE bandage on it, take some ibuprofen, and rest.

  Austin saw that once she’d learned it wasn’t broken, she was no longer taking the injury seriously. But he sure as hell was. There was no way she was walking on it until he was convinced she was totally healed.

  “I actually had more fun than I thought I would. I mean up until the searing pain.” She teased as she placed a kiss on his neck.

  “You really are a brat.”

  “Me?” she asked with large doses of innocence and amusement in her voice.

  “Yes. You.” Seeing her hurt had made him sick, and she knew it.

  While the EMT had checked her out, she’d kept saying he might want to get examined as well, citing reasons like his face being so green his skin matched his eyes, and other creative ways of saying he looked like he was about to upchuck. He’d told her it wasn’t funny, but she’d said she begged to differ, because she was certainly enjoying herself.

  He loved that. He loved that over the past two days she’d relaxed, was living in the moment and joking around, even if it was at his expense.

  The past two days had been like a dream.

  Austin knew the bubble they’d been living in was going to pop. The kids were coming home this evening and the dynamic would change. They hadn’t talked about the future, but he just had to trust that the time they’d spent together had meant as much to her as it had to him. That it’d shown her how right the two of them were. That they fit. That they’re perfect together.

  He was so lost in thought he didn’t even realize they’d made it back to the B&B until Sara gasped and told him to put her down.

  “What? No.” He tightened his hold when she started wiggling her legs.

  “Mommy!”

  “Austin!”

  Looking up, he saw Charlotte and Trevor barreling toward them. His first instinct was to block them from Sara’s ankle. “Hey, guys. Mommy hurt her foot, so be careful.”

  “What happened? Are you okay?” Trevor slid to a stop in front of them.

  “Why are you so dirty?” Charlotte asked as she crashed into his legs and wrapped her arms around them.

  “We were in the mud run,” he explained as he gently set Sara down.

  Trevor’s face twisted. “Why would you run in mud?”

  “Good question.” Sara looked up at him with a small smile before turning her attention to the kids. “I missed you so much. I want to hug and kiss you but I’m all messy.”

  “I don’t care, Mama.” Charlotte threw her arms around Sara’s legs.

  “Hey, sorry to just show up like this. I tried your cell last night but it went straight to voicemail,” Jack explained as he and Valentina approached them.

  “Oh, um… I must’ve forgotten to charge it.”

  Austin noticed the blush on Sara’s cheeks, and even though it might make him an asshole considering the present company, he liked that he was the one who’d put it there.

  Lifting her hand to block the sun, Sara tilted her head to the side. “I checked my messages this morning and didn’t see anything from you.”

  “I didn’t leave a message. I wanted to get on the road. I have to fly out this afternoon.”

  “Oh, okay.” Sara looked down at herself. “Well, I’m a mess, but if you can just bring their bags in—”

  “Actually, I wanted to talk to you.” Jack took a step closer to Sara. “Privately.”

  “Oh, umm…”

  As much as he hated the thought of Jack needing to talk privately with Sara, he hated seeing her flustered and overwhelmed even more.

  “I’ll take the kids over to the diner,” Austin offered. “We’ll grab some breakfast to go and be back in about fifteen.”

  He may want to eliminate the stress of Sara trying to figure out how to speak to her ex, but he didn’t want Jack to think he had unlimited time with her. It wasn’t that he disliked Jack, he actually thought he was a good guy. He just didn’t want any man thinking they had unlimited time with her.

  Her face scrunched up in the adorable, sexy way he loved, and Austin had to stop himself from leaning down and kissing her. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded and gave her a wink. “I’ll drive.”

  She smiled at the kids who were already jumping up and down and telling him what they wanted for breakfast. He headed across the street, one hand holding Trevor’s and the other holding Charlotte’s, knowing when they got back, he would make sure Sara didn’t overdo it. He knew this was right. Him. The kids. Her. Them. They were right.

  Now all he had to do was convince her.

  CHAPTER 22

  “And then the fox said to the lion that there was no more room for him to…” Sara’s voice trailed off when she saw her munchkins were both sound asleep. She closed the book and slumped against the padded headboard.

  Tonight had been a record ten-book night, blowing the previous record holder of six books out of the water. Her kids had been more wound up after the first three than they were before they got in bed thanks to Austin’s voices and ever-entertaining storytelling prowess. Once he got one laugh, he’d turned up the performance, not understanding the goal of the reading was to lull—bore—the children to sleep. It was a rookie move.

  She grinned as she thought about his Baloo impression as he’d read one of the kids’ all-time favorites, The Jungle Book. Honestly, to look at him, no one would ever guess behind the tough, alpha, Marine sniper, tattooed exterior lay such an impressive performer. In fact, she’d been tempted to film it on her phone so she could send it to Shelby. Her sister would definitely appreciate the irony. She’d resisted, but just barely.

  Unfortunately, she’d had to be the bad guy who put an end to his book-reading show when she saw it was having the same effect on her kids as snorting Pixy Stix. Both Charlotte and Trevor had protested, but Austin had stepped up and had her back. He told them he actually had work he had to go do, but he’d read to them tomorrow. During the day. Then he mouthed the words I’m sorry as he left.

  Honestly, could this man get any more perfect?

  Sitting up, she turned so her feet were hanging off the bed. She would pace herself, but her ankle was still a little sore. She felt like her life was a ticking clock. A countdown to when she’d be driving away from the first place and the first man who’d ever felt like home to her, and it was making her crazy.

  The past couple of days had been amazing, but the truth was, the entire time had been a vacation from her real life. At the beginning, her intention had been to enjoy herself but then distance herself from Austin once the kids came back. That way the kids wouldn’t get even more attached to him. She knew she was a lost cause. Even if she never spent one more second with him, it wouldn’t change the way she felt about him. But as a mom, she wanted to protect her kids from the pain sure to come when their lives were Austin-less.

  She’d even decided at lunch today to ask him to keep his distance. Just until they figured out what they were doing. But thanks to the kids coming home early, she hadn’t gotten the chance. After Jack had announced he wanted to speak to her privately, the kids were spending time with him before she’d even wrapped her head around the fact they were home.

  And thanks to her ankle injury, he’d spent the day not only taking care of her, but also the kids. When they’d arrived home with breakfast, Austin had watched the kids while she took a bath. After that, he’d wrapped her foot in an ACE bandage and taken a shower that had lasted a grand total of two—yes, two—minutes. Before his hair was even dry, he’d been p
laying board games with the kids. Followed by watching two movies and then taking Trevor with him to get take out from Lanterns for dinner while Charlotte and Sara watched, wait for it, Frozen.

  The entire day, he’d brought her ice for her foot and reminded her to elevate it. He’d made jokes about her injury to lighten the mood so the kids wouldn’t be worried about her, while simultaneously keeping a watchful eye to make sure they weren’t getting too close or being too rowdy around her.

  And she was leaving in two days.

  Tears filled her eyes and she sniffed. Wiping her cheeks, she told herself to suck it up. This was her real life, not a fairytale. This wasn’t going to have a happy ending, no matter how badly she wished it would.

  She couldn’t stay here, even if he wanted her to. What kind of example would that be for her kids? What kind of a mother uproots her children’s lives and moves them to a town where they don’t know anyone? For a man?

  You do know people, her inner voice piped in. She did. She knew Ali, Jess, Brynn, and Chrissy. Trevor was “best friends” with Cassidy and Kimber. And Charlotte told her today that she and Sally had decided that they were sisters. They were even going to be doing a dance on the final day of the summer program during the talent show. Charlotte had been hesitant at first, but after she found out they were dancing to “Let it Go”, she’d been all in. Her daughter had only been able to attend one practice on Tuesday, but one of the teens, Axel’s sister Izzy, who was running the talent show, assured Sara if she could make it to the Saturday rehearsal, she would be fine.

  She loved it here. Her kids loved it here.

  A heavy sigh fell from her lips and she ran her hands through her hair. Was she crazy to even be entertaining the idea of staying here in Whisper Lake?1yyy9