218 First Hugs Read online

  She answered wearing black pants, heels, and a pink blouse. Her eyes immediately moved to the flowers, and she hardly looked at me. “Are those for me?”

  “I thought they would look nice on your picnic table.”

  “And you’re right.” She took them from my hand and kissed me on the mouth. “Thank you.”

  I’d do anything for more kisses like that. “You’re welcome.”

  Like she’d done it a hundred times, she pulled out an empty vase from the cabinet, trimmed the stems, and then dropped the flowers inside along with some water. “They look beautiful.” She set them on the picnic table outside then returned to the kitchen.

  Steam was erupting from the pan, so I knew something was going on. “Need help?”

  “No. Everything is finished.” She turned off the burners then scooped the food onto two plates.

  I had no idea what it was. Some kind of pasta.

  “Gnocchi and salad. Is that okay?”

  I’d eat anything she made—even snails. “Looks good.”

  She set the plates outside before we took our seats. She had a bottle of wine with two glasses and poured the red liquid into each one.

  “This looks great. Thanks for having me.”

  “No problem.” She took a few bites, her lips painted deep red with lipstick. “So, what’s the story?”

  I’d finally stopped thinking about it once I’d laid eyes on her. “Remember how you answered my phone when we were getting it on against your wall?”

  “Yes.” She grinned at the memory. “I definitely remember.”

  “Well, apparently, it was my mom.”

  She nearly spat out her food when she released a loud laugh. She covered her mouth then wiped her face with a napkin. “Are you serious?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  It was the first time I’d seen her cheeks blush with embarrassment. She covered her face and laughed again. “Oh no…”

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yep.”

  “What did she say?”

  “I haven’t spoken to her. I was talking to Ace about it today, and we figured out she was the one on the line.”

  “That’s gonna be the most awkward conversation in the world. I’m so sorry.”

  I shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll get past it. Maybe one day it’ll be a funny story.”

  “I doubt that.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, probably not. I’ll call her and get it over with soon.”

  “What will you say?”

  “Not much. She already heard the entire exchange.”

  “What about me?” she asked. “Will you tell her about me?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  She laughed before she drank her wine. “Then she’s not gonna like me very much.”

  It’s not like she would ever meet her anyway. “Whatever.”

  Celeste returned to eating her food, seeming to forget the entire exchange. “I’m sorry I answered the phone like that. I shouldn’t have done that. I just assumed it was Ace or Cypress or something…”

  “Don’t apologize, baby. It was hot.”

  “Yeah?” The corner of her mouth rose in a smile. “It was hot that I spoke to your mother that way?”

  “Well, it was hot at the time. I thought you were talking to Ace too.”

  “I’ve learned my lesson.” She sipped her wine, smearing more lipstick on the glass.

  “Maybe check the screen next time,” I teased.

  “Or silence the phone.”

  “Good idea.”

  She swirled her wine before she took another drink, a flirtatious smile on her face.

  I had a feeling I was going to get laid again tonight.

  “How are your friends?” she asked.

  “Good-ish.”

  “Ish?” she asked.

  “My friends Cypress and Bree are going through a rough patch. They say it’s over for good this time.”

  “I hope not. They were cute together.”

  “I don’t know. They’ve had a lot of problems, and I don’t think they’ll get over them this time.”

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Cypress kissed someone when they were married.”

  Her eyes popped open. “He cheated?”

  “I guess. But he won’t tell anyone who he kissed. He says it was short and didn’t mean anything, but he won’t give us the details. It’s strange because I can’t picture him doing that. He cheated on her a long time ago, but he’s been superloyal ever since.”

  “He cheated on her in the past too?” she asked incredulously.

  I knew that made Cypress look like dirt. “Yeah…not his finest hour.”

  “If I were Bree, I wouldn’t be able to trust him anymore. Sounds like he has a problem.”

  I used to hate Cypress, but I recognized how much he’d changed. I believed there was more to this story. “I think he had a good reason for what he did. He’s just not sharing it with us.”

  “If he’s gonna lose his wife, shouldn’t he say something?”

  That was a good point. “Yeah…”

  “Some people just aren’t meant to be in a relationship. Monogamy isn’t normal anyway. Very few beings in the world are monogamous.”

  Did she share that belief as well? I was under the impression she was a bit of a drifter, moving from place to place. It made sense because she never seemed interested in anything more serious. She never asked if we were exclusive or if I was seeing anyone else. “Maybe. But I know Cypress loves her.”

  “I’m sure he does. But maybe he just needs more physically. The guy was pretty much single for eighteen months. It’s a little unrealistic to expect him to be alone that entire time.”

  “Yeah, I guess. But I still have a hard time believing that.”

  She set down her fork and surveyed the trees around her, her eyes filling with a gloss that was caused by the setting sun. Her hair was always thick and her makeup heavy, and I had yet to meet a more beautiful and elegant woman. I loved the way she carried herself, the way she always held a strong posture. She exuded strength and independence, not weakness and clinginess. She was the kind of woman who didn’t need a man.

  And I found that sexy as hell.

  * * *

  We did the dishes together and cleaned up the kitchen, each doing a different task until the house was back to its usual cleanliness. It was sleek and cute, reminding me of a picture from a French catalog. She seemed to be strictly disciplined, always cleaning up every single spot until she was finished.

  She dried her hands on the towel then looked at me with that cute smile. “You want to see my room?”

  My cock came to attention. “I think I’ve already seen it. But I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.”

  “That was the spare bedroom. My room is upstairs and down the hall.”

  “Lead the way.” I didn’t pay attention to the bedroom last time. I was too busy looking at the naked woman I was fucking.

  She grabbed my hand and pulled me upstairs, revealing the beautiful master bedroom that was just as well decorated as downstairs. She pulled her top over her head and unclasped her bra with a simple movement, making it drop to the floor.

  I stared at her tits in fascination. “Your boobs are perfect.” I gripped them with both hands and squeezed them. My thumb brushed over her nipples, and I squeezed them harder, my cock harder than steel now that her ample breasts were in my hands.

  Her fingers moved to my jeans and got them loose as I felt her up. She yanked them down along with my boxers, letting my cock come free. She licked her palm before she wrapped her hand around my length and stroked me, her thumb brushing across the head of my dick and swiping away the drop that formed.

  Damn, she was good at that.

  I got her jeans open then tugged them down, slipping her out of the denim as well as the heels she wore. Her panties came next, sliding down her soft skin until they were on the floor.

  I didn’t have
a chance to appreciate her body last time because we got to fucking right away. But this time, I slowed things down. I guided her to the bed and positioned her on her back before I kissed her, my body pressed against her folds. I loved feeling that nub against my length as well as the arousal that was seeping at her entrance.

  I’d never wanted to fuck a woman more in my life.

  My hand was on her cheek then in her hair before I returned it to her tit. I gripped it as I kissed her harder, our bodies wrapped around one another. She looked beautiful with her dark hair stretched out across the bed, her beautiful eyes bold and confident. I loved it when a woman felt sexy. There was a distinct difference to being vain. She wasn’t arrogant or conceited, just aware.

  I wanted to fool around with her all day, but this foreplay was just making me harder. I wouldn’t last long with all the stimulation. Just her tits alone made me want to come.

  Like an idiot, I hadn’t brought a condom. I assumed she had some stashed in her nightstand. “Do you have a condom?” I asked as I kissed her.

  She wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me toward her. “I’m on the pill.”

  I’d only fucked bare pussy a few times—and it was fucking heaven. But I didn’t know this woman that well, so it wouldn’t be smart. “Maybe we should use one anyway.”

  “I’m clean,” she said into my mouth. “Are you?”

  I got tested regularly. My last result had been recent, and I hadn’t slept with anyone since. “Yes.”

  “I want to feel you…just you.” When she said those words with that French accent, I was powerless to think. I just wanted to fuck.

  I pointed my cock at her entrance and slid inside, entering the tightest, warmest, and wettest pussy I’d ever known. “Fuck…” I slid all the way inside until my balls rested against her ass. I held myself up and looked down at her, all my senses ignited into a powerful fire. I didn’t want to move because she felt so good. All I could think about was dumping all my come deep inside her, but I had to please her first.

  And I would.

  I rocked into her, moving through her tight wetness as my arms flexed to keep myself above her. Every time I thrust, her tits shook, her nipples hard. The sexiest thing I looked at was her face. Her red lips were open, revealing small teeth where her tongue was pressed between them. Her eyes were bright with desire, fixed on me like I was the only man she’d ever been with. She could look so sexy without even trying. She was better than any fantasy I’d ever had. My brain couldn’t even conceive of a woman this beautiful.

  And right now, she was mine.

  She didn’t just lie there and enjoy it. She gripped my biceps, using my frame to lift her bottom up and slide down my length. She moved with me, wanting my cock as much as I wanted to give it to her. Her deep breaths turned to suppressed moans. Not much longer after that, she was saying my name. “Blade…”

  This woman. Fuck.

  She locked her ankles together and rested them at my lower back. I could feel her toned thighs right against my sides. Her calves pressed into my back, also strong from walking in heels all day. Her hands slowly slid down my back, her nails teasing my skin with their sharpness, and when she reached my ass, she gave me a hard squeeze.

  No woman had ever grabbed my ass before. I liked it.

  She guided my hips, showing me exactly how she wanted it. She wanted long and even strokes, a slow pace. She wanted to know when every thrust was coming so she could enjoy it.

  That was hot.

  She rolled onto her back and bit her lip. “Just like that…” She kept one hand on my ass and dug the other into her hair, holding on as the pleasure swept through her. “Fuck me like that, Blade.”

  Thank god she was gonna come. I wasn’t gonna last much longer.

  I kissed her jawline and trailed my lips to her mouth. “I love fucking you.”

  Her hands gripped my back, and she held on as she came all around my dick. “Blade…god.” She bit her lip and moaned at the same time, her nails ripping apart my skin.

  I fucked her harder and tried to make her sensations last as long as possible. I wanted to make her come every night, and I wanted her to want me to be the man who made her come every night.

  She released another moan that came out as a grunt, and she finally stopped, nearly piercing my skin with her nails. “I want you to make me come again.”

  “I’d love to.” I was a gentleman. If a woman asked me to do something, I’d oblige.

  “But I want you to come inside me first.”

  Damn.

  With flushed cheeks, she looked me in the eye and gripped my ass with both hands. She pulled me into her, wanting my entire length. She wanted my balls to slap against her ass. “Come on, baby.” She rocked with me, using her core to lift herself up and take my length.

  I didn’t need much incentive. She was already gorgeous underneath me, with rockin’ tits and a sexy expression on her face. She was begging for my come, like I wasn’t just as thrilled to give it. I ground into her harder, inserting my length deep every time. “Here it comes…”

  She bit her bottom lip as she watched me. “Donne le moi…”

  I didn’t need to know what she said to appreciate the sexiness. I came with a powerful convulsion, heat searing all the way up my spine and through my balls. I released with a loud moan, my vision blurring because all I could do was feel. I couldn’t see, hear, or smell. I could only bow to the powerful explosion that brought me to my knees. “Fuck…” I gave her all my come, wanting to make sure she had every single drop of that seed. I wanted it to sit inside her all night while she slept. I wanted it to seep from between her legs when she was in the shower so she would think about me.

  “Yeah…that felt good.” She locked her arms around my neck and kissed me, still slightly grinding beside me.

  The sex that evening even topped the last fuck we’d had a few days ago. Every round with this woman got better and better.

  “But you aren’t going anywhere.” She grabbed my hips and kept me in place as I started to soften. “I want more.”

  I kissed her slowly, giving her a gentle embrace despite how aggressive we both were just a minute ago. “More, it is.”

  * * *

  I walked into the office to see Ace and Cypress. Amelia and Bree must already have been at work because they were nowhere in sight.

  “Same clothes as yesterday…” Ace looked me up and down. “Must have had another good night, huh?”

  “A very good night.” I sat in my chair and looked at Cypress, who’d looked constantly grim for the past week.

  “Talk to your mom?” Ace teased.

  “No.” I rolled my eyes. “Not yet.”

  “Your mom?” Cypress asked in confusion.

  Ace immediately jumped at the chance to tell the story. He told it in full, not skipping over the heated words Celeste had said.

  Cypress barely cracked a smile. “Yikes. That’s bad.”

  “And I haven’t spoken to her since,” I said. “I’m sure my mom hasn’t called me either for the same reason.”

  “Let me know how that goes,” Cypress said before he turned back to his computer. His shoulders were slumped and heavy, and he nearly had a full beard on his chin.

  Ace eyed him before he turned back to me.

  “Cypress?” I asked.

  “What’s up?” Cypress didn’t look away from his screen.

  “So…who did you kiss?” He still hadn’t told us what happened, and Ace and I were eager to get to the bottom of it. The three of us told each other everything, so I didn’t understand why that would change so suddenly.

  Cypress ignored us. “Doesn’t matter.”

  “You know you can talk to us,” Ace said. “We won’t say anything to Bree.”

  Cypress ignored us again.

  After an awkward moment of silence, Ace turned back to me. “Glad that you’ve chilled out about Celeste. No reason to freak out when you’re getting laid.”

  “W
ell…last night we were fooling around, and I asked for a condom. She told me she didn’t want me to wear one because she was on the pill…so we didn’t.” When I had a fling with someone, we never even discussed protection. It was always assumed we would use a condom in every instance.

  “Seriously?” Ace asked. “She was the one who asked?”

  “Yeah. Said she wanted to feel me.” It was so hot that I didn’t have any regrets. It was probably foolish, but whatever. She seemed like a smart girl who wouldn’t catch anything from anyone.

  Ace still stared at me in shock. Even Cypress looked at me.

  “Makes me think we’re more serious than a fling,” I said. “Should I ask? Or should I keep saying nothing?”

  “If you’re fucking without a condom, I think it’s perfectly okay to have the conversation,” Ace said.

  “You need to have the conversation,” Cypress said. “Just for health reasons. If you’re fucking other people, it wouldn’t be smart.”

  “So you think I should talk to her?” I asked, hoping I would finally get to straighten things out with her.

  “Definitely,” Ace said. “You aren’t being clingy by asking where you stand. If she’s fucking other guys, you have a right to know. At least, now you do. Just don’t make it sound like you’re in a hurry to be serious. Make it sound like you’re concerned about your health.”

  “Yeah,” Cypress said. “That should go over well.”

  I was finally going to figure out exactly how Celeste felt about me. If we weren’t using condoms, then I assumed we were only seeing each other. If that were the case, I’d be happy. I wanted to keep her as my own. I didn’t want to share her with anyone. And maybe we would grow closer together until she didn’t want to leave.

  It was just wishful thinking, but it was a nice dream to have.

  A very nice dream.

  3

  Bree

  Cypress must have believed I meant what I said because he didn’t try to talk me out of it. He’d left me alone since that horrible conversation we had in front of our houses. In fact, he avoided me. He was never in the office when I went to work in the morning, and we never worked the same restaurant at the same time.