Home to Stay by Maryann Jordan
15
Lucy blinked open her eyes, the sunlight much brighter in her bedroom than normal. Her pillow was much firmer than usual and something heavy rested over her waist and leg. Squeezing her eyes shut before opening them again in an effort to see clearer, all that met her gaze was the smooth skin, flat nipples, and defined abs that were presented before her. Sucking in a hasty breath, she lifted her head slightly and peered down.
With John’s dark hair sticking up slightly on top and his face relaxed in slumber, he was just as gorgeous as the first time she’d looked at his picture but now had a boyish quality she’d never seen. The truth was she’d fallen for a man she only knew through letters and a photograph, willing to admit that was premature and somewhat based on fantasies. But the more she got to know him, the more she realized her initial assessment was right… he was a good man through and through.
His eyes shot open, and a squeak slipped through her lips as she startled.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, his hand reaching out for hers. “Force of habit. I wake quickly, especially if I sense I’m not in a familiar place.”
“I woke a few minutes ago and couldn’t figure out why my pillow felt so hard. I’m afraid I was laying on your shoulder.”
He moved his leg and blushed. “It seems I had you trapped down. Guess I wasn’t so good at staying on my side.”
“Me either,” she laughed.
His hand lifted slowly, gently tucking wayward strands of hair behind her ear. “I want to kiss you good morning. Is that okay?”
Her lips curved, and she nodded. “Yeah,” she said, leaning closer as his hand slid to the back of her head.
Their legs remained tangled and now their chests were pressed together as he gently pulled her toward him, their mouths sealing. Steel and silk. Soft and strong. Light nibbles that became tongues dancing. She sighed into his mouth, and he groaned, his fingers flexing, tugging her hair. He tore his lips from her mouth and kissed along her cheek, nibbling on her earlobe. She slid one hand into his hair, her trimmed nails scratching along his scalp.
Trailing kisses down her neck, he sucked lightly at the pulse point, and she shivered. The whoosh that moved through her body from her lips to her sex had her shifting her hips forward, his erection tucked against her tummy.
His hand slid down, his fingers gripping her hip. Lifting his head from her neck, his gaze penetrated the lust fog she was lost in. “I want you, Lucy, but not today.”
Her chest heaved as her breath left her quickly, but he didn’t give her a chance to protest or convince him they needed to get naked.
“Honestly, babe, I want you. I want you naked and under me. And this is killing me to pull back, but there’s no way I’m going to take advantage of what’s happening. Yesterday was a shit-kicker for you. Plus, you’ve only had a couple of hours of sleep, and you’re still dealing and reeling from all that happened.”
She sucked in her still-tingling lips, her hand resting lightly on his cheek. His gaze was warm, his eyes searching. Her head nodded slowly, and she smiled. “You really are a good man, John Roster.”
A chuckle erupted from deep inside his chest, the rumble moving against her body. She thought it might be one of her favorite sounds—right after the groan he made when his tongue invaded her mouth.
“As much as I’d love to stay in bed with you, I know eventually I’d stop being a good man when the temptation overtook my best intentions. So, we’re gonna get up, get dressed, have something to eat, and plan our date.”
She blinked, her chin jerking back. “Our date?”
“Hell, yeah, our date. I fucked up when I walked away from you before, and I’m not going to make that mistake again. But we’ve had a second chance, even if that came from a bad place for you. So, I’m going to start over, and we’re going to have a date.”
“A date,” she repeated, her smile widening as the belly whoosh moved through her again. “I’d like that.”
His smile lit her room, and she pushed against his shoulder to raise up to sit on the bed. “Okay, then it’s breakfast and date planning. That sounds perfect to me!”
She stayed in her sleep shorts and t-shirt, but he pulled on his jeans over his boxers before they moved into the kitchen. While she scrambled eggs and made French toast, she caught him looking around. “I worked on the kitchen and bathrooms first,” she said. “I knew I needed a place to take a shower, and I had to have food.”
“Sounds like your plan was solid.”
“It’s not finished, of course. But it’s functional.” She plated the food and they sat at the table they’d been at before… just before he went silent and then left so abruptly. Staring down at her plate, she wondered if he would turn cold again, and doubt crept over her.
“Hey.” He placed his hand over hers, dragging her attention up to him. “What are you thinking about that put such a frown on your face?”
Lifting her head, she stared at him. Rugged handsomeness stared back, but she could observe concern in his eyes. “I was just wondering what happened before. You know… when you were here, and I thought things were going well, and then you left so quickly.” She watched his shoulders fall slightly and rushed, “You don’t have to tell me. You don’t—”
“No, Lucy, stop. Don’t apologize and backtrack. If we’re starting something, then we need to be honest. You need to be able to ask what you want, and I need to get over my shit and be honest.”
“Oh…” Not able to think of anything to say, she shoved a bite of eggs into her mouth, chewing carefully as she waited to see what else he would say, trying to not be distracted by his naked chest.
“I might’ve spent the last eight months thinking of you as a nice, grandmotherly teacher, but as soon as I saw you in the classroom, I was a goner. I was attracted to you when I saw you in those ridiculous coveralls in the hardware store, mumbling to yourself with your arms full of a crazy-ass assortment of stuff. I didn’t have a clue you were the teacher who’d been writing to me. But you are the same sweet, funny, smart teacher that I had grown to care about, and discovering you were a beautiful, eligible woman made me start thinking that our pen pal friendship could be a lot more. But I just wasn’t in the right headspace.”
She cocked her head to the side, staying silent, curious for what he was going to say yet agonizing because she could see from his furrowed brow how difficult this was for him. Reaching across the table, she placed her hand on his arm.
“No man wants to come to a woman as unemployed with an uncertain future. I was excited to spend time with you, and being in your cottage, seeing what you’re learning to do, I started having thoughts that went beyond just admiration. But I’d spent the last couple of months feeling sorry for myself, hating that I felt that way, and not being able to figure out what to do about it. I’d come home and spent time with my grandfather, helping him around the house, then I come here and discover that you’ve done much of the same type of things with no background and learning from YouTube videos. And while your method might have a bit of madness to it, I can’t deny that you’re getting some things done on top of working full time. I guess I just choked… felt like I had nothing to offer you other than a has-been soldier.”
“Oh, John, I never wanted you to feel that way.”
His fingers linked with hers as he ducked his head so that she was staring directly into his gaze. “Lucy, I know that. It was all on me. You’re nothing but sunshine and light, and I felt nothing but dark anger and frustration.”
“And the job is what makes it different now? Because you’re more than just a job. That’s only part of who you are.”
He leaned back, his lips thinned as he pressed them together. She hoped he wouldn’t shut her out but needed to know if he was ready for something or was going to keep running hot and cold.
“Does it sound like I’m some kind of alpha loser if I said yes?”
Unable to swallow the chortle that flew from her lips, she just shook her head. “What are you talking about? Alpha loser?”
His lips curved before he sighed. “For a long time, I was just the job. I had a career where I had to be in charge, a decision-maker, fast on my feet, and quick of mind. If not, people died. Yes, there was adrenaline and we lived off that kind of life. Hell, there are women who hang around military bases, attracted to being with that kind of man.”
Brows lifted, she blinked. “Wow… um… okay, just wow.”
His fingers squeezed on hers. “Babe, that was long in my past. Maybe my early twenties were spent not so discriminating in my partners, but I swear, those days have been long gone. For years now, I’ve only been with a few women, all ones I liked and respected, but in the end, knew they weren’t for me.”
She leaned in, kissing him lightly. “It’s okay, John, you don’t have to explain. It’s not like I’m coming to you a blushing virgin… although I admit my list is probably significantly shorter than yours.”
A growl left his lips and his brow lowered. “Okay… sex partner confessions have now been laid on the table, not to be brought up again.”
She laughed, settling back in her chair. “Go on, keep talking.”
“Anyway, I loved finding out more about you, but I was struggling with who I was outside of the Army Special Forces. Who I was outside the team. A man without a mission. Essentially, a man without a job. And sitting here in your house, I felt like I had nothing to bring to a new relationship.”
“And you do now?”
“It might seem crazy to you considering I haven’t even officially started work, but when you called, you needed me, and I would have done anything to make sure you were safe. Not because I was a soldier, but you needed me. And the job just means that I’ll be employed in something that I’m good at, something that I’m proud of.” His free hand drifted up to the scar near his eye but he held her gaze. “And that I can do the job regardless of this.”
“You were always a hero to me.” His intense gaze hit her, and she squeezed his hand, wanting him to take the words deep inside. “But now you’re my hero.”
“Damn, woman,” he growled, tugging at her hand and pulling her from the chair.
She landed in his lap, his arms banding tightly around her as his lips met hers. Breakfast forgotten, they kissed, wet and wild. Noses bumped, teeth clashed, tongues tangled. Her fingers clenched his shoulders, and his hands held her cheeks.
She gave herself over to his kiss, intoxicated with the sensation of the zinging between her lips and core, her sex clenching with need. She mumbled against his lips, “Now.”
He groaned. “I wanted to take you out—”
She separated, leaning back slightly. “John, we’ve known each other for the past eight months, even if you thought I was a little old lady. We’ve had dinner here. You’ve seen my house and my projects and managed to not insult what I’m attempting to do. You were the person I called when I was afraid. You came to rescue me. We spent hours talking, finding out about each other, learning more and more. We’ve spent the night together in the same bed. John, we don’t need another date to know what we feel is real—umph!”
Her words were stolen as his lips landed on hers again. This time, the kiss flamed hot and wild instantly, setting her body on fire. Kissing finesse flew out the window as noses bumped and teeth met in an effort to devour each other. His groan set her blood on fire and she shifted to straddle his lap, now able to press her core against his impressive cock.
He stood and set her ass onto the table, leaning over her as he dragged his mouth from her lips down her chest, trailing kisses over the swell of flesh at the top of her T-shirt before grabbing the material with his teeth and pulling it down. Her fingers clutched his biceps as he latched onto a nipple, sucking it deeply into his mouth.
Electricity crackled about the room, and she grabbed the waistband of his jeans, wanting them off. “Naked,” she managed to mumble.
He jerked away, and she groaned at the loss of his talented mouth on her breasts.
“No. Not like this,” he declared.
She groaned even louder this time, ready to pin his body to hers and not let go. “John, please, I—”
“I don’t mean ‘no’ to this or ‘no’ to now. But I’m not taking you for the first time on the kitchen table which I have no idea if it will hold our weight. Babe, our first time is going to be in your bed. Not only do you deserve that comfort, but I can also be reasonably sure we won’t end up in a pile of splintered wood in the middle of the floor.”
She burst out laughing as she was lifted and wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, holding on as he stalked toward her bedroom.
She was prepared to be tossed onto the bed but discovered quickly that John was in the mood to go gentle. He slowly lay her back onto the mattress, his hands gliding down her stomach and his fingers grasping the bottom of her shirt. As he pulled it upward, she lifted her arms over her head, giving him room to slide the material completely off. He tossed it to the side but her eyes never left his, loving the way his gaze settled on her breasts.
He bent over her, his tongue darting out to lick each swollen bud before kissing over her stomach, eliciting squirming tickle-giggles from her. Grinning, he snagged her sleep shorts and panties. Peeling them off with deliberation, his gaze followed his hands, his eyes flaring with each exposed inch. Now, completely exposed to his perusal, she felt worshiped, not exposed. Wanting him naked as well, he halted any words coming from her lips as he knelt on the floor, shouldered her knees apart, and settled between her thighs, his fingers parting her folds and his tongue diving into her sex.
Gasping at the sensation shooting between her core and her nipples, she grabbed the sheets, fisting them as she threw her head back. Her knees wanted to close, not to force him away but to ease the friction that was building, but his wide shoulders between her legs and one of his hands pressing down on her belly held her in place as he continued his delicious torture.
“God, John… I…” She had no more time to try to find words to describe what was happening because the moment his lips sucked her clit as he slid fingers deep into her channel, she cried out nonsensical utterances as her orgasm rushed over her. Stars pierced the blackness behind her closed eyes and her whole body shivered before her legs fell open, her ability to move now decimated.
When the quivering finally subsided, she managed to lift her head, open her eyes, and stare at a sight she never wanted to forget: John, his lips moist from her orgasm curving into a smile as his dark eyes held her gaze.
