“The wine is good too. I hope no one thinks that just because I own a bar, I’m an alcohol expert. I guess I need to study or something.”
“Nah, I’ve never seen anyone at Halman’s drink anything too complicated. And if anyone asks, just make it up.”
“Just make it up?” Her laugh was musical and so damn sexy. “Think that will work?”
“I’d believe anything from that gorgeous mouth.” I sifted my fingers into her hair and covered her mouth with mine, the chair creaking under us as I licked inside her mouth with long, hungry strokes.
“You taste good,” she said, giggling against my lips.
“All I can ever think about is how goodyoutaste,” I growled before I covered her mouth with mine again. I shifted her on my lap until she straddled me, grabbing her ass with both hands as she squirmed, grazing over my painfully hard cock with perfect, torturous friction.
“I think,” she panted after she tore her lips away from mine, “we need to finish dinner and take all of that inside. As hot as this is, I’d rather not give your neighbors a show.”
She rubbed the back of my neck, a smile coasting over her wet lips as she slid off my lap. After keeping women at a safe enough distance for so long because I hadn’t been capable of more,morewas all I wanted with this one and all I could think about.
We managed to finish dinner, and we brought everything inside after we heard a crack of thunder in the distance. After I loaded the dishwasher, I found Claudia meandering around the living room, staring at the framed photos on the wall.
“I didn’t realize how much you look like your dad. Especially here.” She pointed to a photo of my parents and me at my police academy graduation. “Intense even then.”
“I guess.” I gazed at the picture over her shoulder. My parents beamed at the camera, so much pride and hope radiating from them both. The years that followed were enough of a blur to forget how I’d lost one and when I’d started fighting to keep the other.
“Couldn’t even smile for a picture,” she said, patting my cheek with a chuckle. “Such a brooder.”
“I suppose. I thought you liked my intensity.” I slid my arm around her waist.
“I love it. It makes every smile I get from you feel like a prize. Although I’ll crack up if you look this mad at the world in your baby pictures.”
“There are a few in the hallway, if you still want the tour.” I grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway toward the bedrooms.
“Wow, this really was your childhood bedroom, huh?” Claudia mused, peeking through my open bedroom door.
“My parents wanted to make this a spare room but could never agree on what they wanted to do with it, so it stayed the same,” I explained, shaking my head at how the walls covered with sports posters and pennants made it look like a high school kid slept in here. The only thing that had changed was they’d upgraded my twin mattress and headboard to a full in my junior year of high school when my long limbs wouldn’t fit in my kid-sized bed. “Convenient, I guess.”
“Stop it, you played baseball?” She pointed to the trophies on the shelf above my bed. “Girls must have swarmed you in high school. How did you get anything done?”
“I wouldn’t say swarmed—”
“Oh, stop being so humble,” she said as she sprawled out on my bed, dangling her legs back and forth behind her. “Let me guess, pitcher?”
“How did you guess that?”
“Pitchers are intense. All that grit and control.” She bunched her shoulders in an exaggerated shiver. “Plus, pitchers always have really amazing asses because of all that power they need to throw fastballs.” She tilted her head as if she was looking behind me and nodded. “Makes sense.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. I did that a lot lately, probably more in the past few weeks than in my entire life because she was so damn cute.
“I like your version of my teenage years much better than how they really were.” I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorjamb.
“Oh, please. And your room was ground level, easy to sneak in and out of.” Her smile was wicked as she stretched out on the bed, the hem of her dress rising enough to tease a look at her toned thighs. I ran out of words as all the blood left my brain and headed right to my cock from the sight of her in my bedroom and on my bed.
“Actually, no,” I told her, grabbing her ankles and yanking her down until her back was flat against the mattress. “My parents’ room is only next door, a little too close for comfort. So, despite the interesting picture of my past that you’re trying to paint, you are actually the first girl I’ve had in this room.”
Her eyes flared as they went wide, a mix of excitement and sex in her gaze as I climbed onto the bed, pressing my hands on either side of her before I lowered myself down.
“Is that so?” Her eyes bored into mine, the rain slapping against the window the only sound as we fell silent.
“Well, there’re no parents in the next room, and I have no curfew.” She slipped her hand under my shirt and scratched her nails down my back. “And I’m still feeling that kiss from outside.”
“Yeah?” I rasped, sinking deeper into her as her legs fell open. “Did I get you all hot and bothered?”
