Main Street Dealmaker (Holidays in Havenbrook Book 1), page 13
“You said a lot of things. What item, in particular, are you referrin’ to?”
“I said I’m not subtle. If I want something, I come out and say it.”
“Yeah, I remember.” She dropped her gaze to his lips, her body humming at the thought of those on any part of her tonight. “Any reason you’re bringin’ that up right now while you’re standin’ on my front step? You wouldn’t be anglin’ for an invite in, would you?”
“I’m not anglin’ for anything, firecracker.” He placed his hand on her hip beneath her jacket, his thumb tucked under her sweater, brushing maddeningly against her skin. “I’m sayin’ I wanna come inside. I’m sayin’ I wanna strip you naked and fuck you over the arm of that couch. I’m sayin’ I want you to sit on my face until you come all over my tongue and I can still taste you in the mornin’.” He ducked his head into the crook of her neck, sweeping his lips against her sensitive skin, flicking his tongue out to lick at her pulse point. “I’m sayin’ I wanna hear you scream my name inside these walls.”
She swallowed hard, her clit throbbing from his words alone as she tilted her head and allowed him more access. “That’s…that’s an awful lot to live up to in one night.”
“Maybe, but you’ve been with me enough times that you know I’ll make good on every single promise.” He kissed a path up her neck and along her jaw until their lips brushed with his every word. “What do you say, firecracker? You gonna invite me in?”
Instead of answering with words, she gripped his coat and tugged him inside, shutting the door behind them. Cole might not be hers for forever, but, just like the snow, she intended to enjoy whatever time they had together while it lasted.
Chapter Fifteen
Cole was in trouble. He’d known it from the second he’d run into Sadie in the Square, and the more time they spent together, the less doubt he had. But now? Following her into her pseudo home with the false intention that he simply wanted to fuck her? He was in deeper than even he’d realized. Because while, yes, he definitely did want to spend as much time as possible between her legs, that wasn’t the only reason he’d invited himself in.
He just wasn’t ready to say goodnight. He didn’t want their time together to end. And wasn’t that just a kick in the nuts?
As Sadie slipped out of those fuck me boots, he took a cursory glance around the space. It was small but open, the single room housing a sofa and coffee table, a bed, and a kitchenette, with a door leading to what he assumed was the bathroom.
He tossed off his coat and then stalked toward her where she stood in front of the couch. “Which first?” he asked, peeling her jacket from her shoulders and tossing it to the side.
“What do you mean?”
“Did you forget already, firecracker? I told you I wanted to fuck you over the arm of the couch and have you ridin’ my face. Now I just need to know what you want first.”
“Maybe I don’t want to do either of those things,” Sadie said, lifting her arms for him as he removed her sweater.
“I don’t know who you’re tryin’ to fool, but it sure as hell isn’t me.” He reached around and unhooked her bra, freeing her gorgeous tits and making his hands ache to cup them, but he restrained himself, instead sliding his fingers down to work on her jeans. “I’m the one who’s been standin’ behind you as you’ve ridden that sweet pussy back on my cock with no help from me.” He sat on the couch and lowered her jeans and panties until she could step out of them. Until she stood in front of him wearing nothing but a flush. “And I’m the one who can still taste you every mornin’ because neither of us can go a single night without my tongue lickin’ up all your sweetness. So, I’m gonna ask you again—which do you want buried inside you first? My cock or my tongue?”
She stood there for a moment, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, her nipples stiff peaks and her eyes heavy-lidded as she stared down at him. Finally, she said, “Your tongue.”
With a satisfied smirk, he reached back and tugged at the neck of his sweater, pulling it off with a quick yank. Then he slid off the couch and onto the floor, adjusting his head back on the cushions so she could rest her knees there. He smacked her ass hard enough to jerk her forward. “Then climb on up here, firecracker, and ride it.”
“Some people might consider your bossiness a turn-off. Do you know that?”
“What I know is you aren’t one of those people.” He groaned as she got into position, her soaked pussy hovering over his face and making his mouth water. “Look at how wet you are, just from my bossy ass. Fucking gorgeous. Now hold on, baby. This is gonna be quick.”
He reached up and cupped her ass in both palms, bringing her closer to his mouth, and then he went in for the kill. Sadie loved when he feasted on her, and he happened to fucking crave it, so he was no stranger to this and knew exactly what she needed to get off as fast as possible. And it was going to be fast. Because the need to be inside her beat like a drum within his chest, urging him to sink deep. To get as close to her as he possibly could in the only way that was safe for him—with his body.
“Cole,” she said, panting and gripping the back of the couch, her hips rocking against his face as he delved his tongue between her folds.
He hummed in response, and she gasped, just like he knew she would. Gripping her ass, he tugged her cheeks apart, the tip of one finger brushing lightly against her back entrance, and Sadie shuddered at the contact.
Pulling back, he blew against her clit, keeping his finger right where it was. “You like that, dirty girl?”
“No, I—”
“You sure?” he asked, this time swiping the area with intent.
Sadie sobbed out a moan as she ground down harder against him. “Oh God, don’t stop. Don’t stop, don’t—Cole.”
He slipped just the tip of his finger inside, and she went off like a rocket, moaning his name as she came on his tongue, her hips rocking against his face. He licked up every bit of her, sucking her lips between his, getting drunk on her taste.
Fuck, how could he be this addicted to her in such a short period of time? It was becoming a compulsion, but one he wasn’t inclined to work on. No, what he was inclined to work on was getting them as close as two people possibly could, seeing how many times he could make her come in one night, and ruining her for all other men. Because if he couldn’t have her for forever, he sure as hell wanted to make sure she remembered him that long.
He slid out from under her and reached into his pocket, pulling out a condom. Ripping it open before rolling it down his shaft, he feasted his eyes on her. She still gripped the back of the couch, her head hanging loosely between her shoulders, her panting breaths ringing in the room. She was spent but still needy, her legs spread and pussy wet and waiting for him.
“I already made you come, but you still need something, don’t you, firecracker? Tell me. Tell me what you need.”
She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I didn’t think your ego was what I’d be strokin’ tonight.”
He knelt on the couch behind her, shifting her so she braced her hands on the arm, and swept the head of his cock through her slit. “My ego got stroked plenty when you moaned my name with my tongue in your pussy. But yet you’re still sittin’ here, your legs spread and waitin’ for something, and I just wanna make sure I give you what you’re hopin’ for.”
Actually, he wanted to hear her say it—needed to—just so he didn’t feel so alone in this. Because Christ knew he needed every goddamn ounce of her, from her sharp tongue to her infectious laugh and hopeful outlook and giving heart.
She stared at him, her eyes heavy with desire and need. “I want you inside me. Just like you promised. Unless you don’t think you can make me come again…”
He huffed out a laugh, smirking as he rested his hand on her upturned ass before swatting it sharply. “There must be a reason you’re antagonizin’ me. Someone wants to get fucked hard.”
Unable to spend another second without the welcoming heat of her pussy surrounding him, he sank deep in one thrust, their groans mingling in the air. “Christ, Sadie. I’m never gonna get tired of this. Not as long as I fucking live. I crave how your pussy sucks me in deep and those throaty little moans I fuck out of your throat and how you whimper my name when you’re gettin’ close. And I get you close, don’t I? Every damn time.”
“Yes. So close.”
He bent over her, kissing a trail across her shoulders as he palmed her tits, tweaking her nipples between his fingers. Brushing his lips against her ear, he said, “Tell me I’m the only one who’s made you feel like this. Tell me no one knows this body like I do.”
“You,” she managed through panting breaths, reaching back to cup his neck. “It’s just you.”
Those words set off something inside him, and he pumped into her faster, an unrelenting urge coursing through him to take and claim. To keep.
It wasn’t the first time that instinct had hit him, and he feared the more time he spent with her, the louder that whisper would grow until it was a roar.
“C’mon, firecracker, let me feel you come. Squeeze my cock and show it who owns me.”
She turned her head toward him, her lips parted and resting on his, their eyes connected as he thrust into her over and over. Wanting desperately to lose himself inside her because he knew this was the one place he’d be found.
“Cole, I— I—” She moaned as she came, her pussy tightening enough to stutter his thrusts, and he had no chance of holding on any longer.
He sank deep, gripping her tightly to him as he fell over the edge with her.
And it was then, with Sadie’s eyes on his, their bodies locked together, her scent filling his nose and her taste still on his tongue, that Cole worried he was already in too deep. Worried he’d already fallen. He could only hope it wouldn’t kill him when it inevitably came to an end.
Chapter Sixteen
Cole woke up the following morning and blinked into the unfamiliar room. It took him a moment to realize he was in Sadie’s bed. Instinctively, he reached out, searching for her, but her side was cold.
It’d been so long since he’d done this whole morning-after thing. In fact, he’d…never done it. He and Amber had been high school sweethearts, so there’d never been an awkward morning after. And since his divorce, he’d never put himself in any situations where he might get attached—like staying the night with someone. He had no idea what had come over him last night to make him stay.
But…no. That wasn’t true. He knew exactly what had come over him. Sadie. She’d wormed her way inside, despite all the ways he’d held himself apart and closed himself off. And now what the fuck was he supposed to do?
He threw off the covers and climbed out of bed, uncaring of his nakedness as he collected his articles of clothing they’d strewn across the cottage the night before. He’d done to her exactly what he told her he would. He’d fucked her over the arm of the couch, his chest pressed to her back as he’d swirled his finger around her clit with one hand, cupping her breast with the other. She’d shaken in his arms, her body clenching around him as she’d begged for more. Begged for him.
After, he’d fallen into her bed and hauled her up his body until her dripping pussy had been directly over his mouth, and he’d devoured her. Guided her hips against his face when she’d been apprehensive, until she’d settled into it, gripping the headboard as she’d rocked against him, bringing herself to her own release.
“Fuck,” he mumbled, scrubbing a hand over his face as he diligently ignored his erection that seemed to be ever-present with thoughts of Sadie.
While there was no doubt he’d wanted to do all of those things to her, he couldn’t deny that he’d said them to hide his need to be with her last night. He’d done so in order to distance himself from what he was powerless to stop from happening between them. A hell of a lot of good that had done him.
Each time they’d slept together, he’d fallen a little bit more for her. How could he not? Sadie was gorgeous and intelligent, selfless and loyal, kind and funny. He loved that she wasn’t afraid to put him in his place. Loved that she challenged him every second she was in his presence. Wasn’t timid or shy about giving it as good as she got—at least, not with him.
There certainly wasn’t anything timid or shy about their attraction to each other. He’d never, in all of his thirty-three years, experienced this kind of explosive chemistry. It was intoxicating and had to be why she was on his mind constantly. He couldn’t fall asleep without thinking about her, couldn’t wake up without her face being the first thing he saw in his mind, couldn’t talk to his sister or his momma without wondering if they’d like her as much as he did.
And that thought scared the hell out of him. He’d lost himself once to love. Had fallen down a rabbit hole of coupledom, where even their names couldn’t be said separately. After the divorce, he’d had to learn at twenty-nine how to be his own person. Years later, he was finally starting to like who he’d turned into, who he’d become. And he refused to box himself into another codependent relationship with someone dead set on controlling his every move.
Ignoring the voice in his head that reminded him Sadie hadn’t attempted to do that, he reached for his jeans hanging over the back of the couch and tugged them on, finding a scrap of paper tucked into the pocket. With a furrowed brow, he pulled it out and unfolded it, running his eyes over the loopy script.
I had to run and start breakfast for the inn and didn’t want to wake you. Make yourself at home. Feel free to use the shower and help yourself to whatever. The door locks on its own, so you don’t have to worry about that. Thanks for last night. xo, Sadie
He ignored the way his gut tightened, same as his chest, at how familiar this all felt. How terrifying. He hadn’t let anyone in since his ex-wife. Hadn’t wanted to. He’d been happy on his own, figuring out his shit. Being the man he wanted to be and not some version of someone else’s ideal. He’d had no intention of complicating that.
And then, three years ago and only months after his divorce, Sadie had come along and knocked him on his proverbial ass. Even from afar, he’d been drawn to her. Had felt it like a tug under his skin, as if they were magnets drawn to each other. And that pull had only intensified over time. Had intensified to the point of bursting when he’d picked Starlight Haven to stay during his renovations.
“You’re a fucking idiot,” he mumbled to himself, pulling on his jacket and strolling out the cottage’s front door without a backward glance.
If he had no intention of entering into a relationship with her, why the hell had he started something? Why the hell had he spent his nights getting lost in her body? Spent the actual night wrapped around her, her curves settling perfectly against his body? He’d known from the beginning she was a commitment girl down to her bones. She wanted a happy ending for herself, and he’d already watched his first marriage crumble. He had absolutely no desire to put himself through that again simply for a chance this one might stick.
Using the code Sadie had given him several days ago, he unlocked the back door and strode through the inn, intent on getting to his room and washing off last night, along with the emotions it had conjured up that were suddenly crackling under his skin.
He heard Sadie’s voice before he saw her, the sound like honey coating his insides, all warm and sweet. He rounded a corner and stopped abruptly as soon as she came into view. She stood behind the front desk, her hair a chaos of waves around her face and a man he’d never seen before leaning too close to her for anyone who wasn’t an invited guest in her bed.
“I was thinkin’ maybe you’d finally be able to show me around,” the man said. “Try out that restaurant you’ve been tellin’ me about.”
Cole tightened his hands into fists at his sides, anger and irritation rearing their heads inside him so quickly, he barely had time to process it before he strode toward them. Didn’t even bother to remove what was no doubt a murderous expression written on his face, but he’d be damned if he let this fucker hit on the woman he’d been inside just hours before.
“I’ll be happy to get you a reservation there, but I don’t think my boyfriend would like it too much if we went out,” Sadie said, her tone friendly but firm.
Cole’s steps faltered. Boyfriend? Was that what last night meant to her? Jesus, he’d really fucked up if that was the case. He’d put the needs of his cock over her feelings, and now he was faced with a situation he’d never intended to be in again.
She lifted her gaze to him, the tension immediately seeping out of her features as relief replaced it, and he ignored the urge to comfort her. To cup her face and crash his lips down against hers. Let this jackass know who she belonged to.
He ignored it because it was absolutely fucking crazy. She didn’t belong to anyone, least of all him.
“Hey, baby,” she said, the tiniest hint of apprehension bleeding into her voice, and he pretended his chest didn’t tighten at the endearment falling from her lips. “You sleep all right last night?” Her tone was stilted, her eyes pleading as she stared up at him, attempting to communicate something. Gone was the taunting lilt he was so accustomed to hearing from her, the one he loved so much, and in its place was this saccharine tone she’d never used on him before.
“Fine.” He stopped himself a mere foot behind the jackass, and the other man stood upright sharply, knocking over the cup of pens on the desk as he whirled around to face Cole.
“Oh, oh… Uh, excuse me.” The man scurried off without another glance toward Sadie as Cole glared at his retreating form.
He had no idea why he felt this burning jealousy deep in his gut or where it had come from. He’d never been jealous with his ex-wife, even though he’d very obviously had good reason to be. He didn’t know if this emotion was innate in him, and something Amber had just never managed to tap, or if it was only Sadie who brought it out.
Regardless of why it was there, he needed to shove it down deep and never speak of it again. Needed to ignore it entirely, because Sadie wasn’t his, and he had no right to feel this sort of possession over her. They didn’t have a commitment to each other. If she wanted to go out with that guy—or any guy, for that matter—she could. Cole couldn’t do anything to stop her.
