His Curvy Fantasy, page 15
I suckled harder and nibbled on her collarbone. She tipped her head back to give me more access, and I took advantage of it. I held her close and drove her crazy with one hand on her breast and the other supporting her, my tongue and teeth sliding up and down her neck.
“I want you,” she whispered.
“You’ll have to touch yourself later and think of me. God knows I’ll be doing that.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“No apologizing. It makes the time we do have together that much better, Anna. I don’t regret this. Any of it.”
She nodded and pulled me in close. I held her, kissing the top of her head while my cock accepted the fact it wasn’t getting inside of her tonight.
“I promise I’ll tell them.”
“And I promise, I’m not mad. You will know when it’s the right time. Right now, I want to make out like teenagers for a minute. It’s like you have a curfew and we’re almost up against it.”
She smiled and tilted her chin up. I took my time leaning down to meet her in the middle, savoring every second of anticipation until our lips met. Cold skin parted to make way for warm tongues, and I groaned. My hands dipped to cup her ass and haul her body even closer to mine. I let myself get lost in her, taking as much as I gave and wishing I could skip ahead to when she was mine and everyone knew so we didn’t have to hide.
A car door slammed a few buildings over, and we pulled apart. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were wet. She looked beautiful.
“I should go back in.”
I nodded because I knew if I opened my mouth, I’d argue with her and ask her to stay.
“I don’t want to.”
I breathed a laugh. “I don’t want you to either.”
Without waiting for either of us to say anything else, I stepped into her again and yanked her to me, bending her back to kiss her like I couldn’t get enough. Because I couldn’t. She gasped and moaned and hiked her thigh over my hip, rubbing herself against me.
I grew harder again, wondering if I had time to fuck her in the back of my truck at the same time I knew I’d never do that. We were in our forties, not our teens. She deserved better than that.
When we finally pulled apart again, our breath pulsed out of us in pants that mingled in the air before fading to nothing.
“I need to go in.”
“I know. Think about me.”
She bit her lip. “I will.” That breathy little admission nearly had me begging for her to call me later.
“I’m going to take you on a real date sometime, Anna.”
She smiled. “I don’t need fancy.”
“That’s good because I don’t do fancy. But you deserve to be spoiled a little. When you’re ready, we’re going out.”
She nodded.
“Have a good night. Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year.”
She smiled and waved and hurried back to her building. I waited until she was inside, then turned and went back to my truck.
Smiling.
“I saw you,” Joey said to me two days later. “On New Year’s Eve. Kissing my mom.”
Oh, fuck. It was like that old song about mommy and Santa Claus, but different. Worse. Not funny at all because Joey was not only a teenager who understood the difference but also my employee.
“Joey, look—”
“My dad was an asshole. Still is, I guess, but I don’t know. She’s been through enough. You can’t hurt her.” His fists were clenched, but his eyes said he was about to cry.
“I don’t intend to.”
“Then why is she keeping you a secret?” he bellowed.
“That’s something you’re going to have to ask her.”
He shook his head. “I’m asking you. Because she’ll just deny everything. That’s what she always does. She thinks I’m still a kid and doesn’t want to tell me things. I’m not a kid. I’m a man. I’m the man of our family. I’m taking care of things. It’s what I do.”
I gently steered Joey toward the hallway and into my office. He was about to fall apart, and I didn’t think he’d want to do it in front of all of his coworkers.
He sank onto the couch and stared straight ahead. I debated calling Anna, but she was working. I knew she would come, but if he thought she wasn’t going to tell him what was going on, then calling her wouldn’t help.
It was up to me.
“Your mom and I have been seeing each other. Not long. A few weeks. We’ve been talking longer, but we didn’t know we were talking to each other.”
“Is that the app thing?”
I nodded. “We decided to meet and when we realized who each other was, we decided to give a relationship a chance. But she doesn’t want to put you and Matty in the middle. I know both of you already, and I think she knew it could get messy in a hurry. She needs to make her own decision about being with me or not. You and your brother might not make that easy for her.”
“Why? We like you. You’re not like our loser dad or the other losers she’s dated.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. You see me as a good option, but she might not. She has to decide.”
“So, what am I supposed to do?” He sounded a lot younger than he was. And having a conversation beyond his years.
“You let her make her own choice.”
“I keep quiet. I don’t tell her I saw the two of you together. I pretend I don’t know anything?”
I ran a hand over my head. It was asking a lot of him. And deceiving his mom. It felt like the right answer, but I wasn’t sure if it was. She had reasons for not wanting him to know about us. I assumed it was so she could make her own decision about us, but what if it wasn’t? What if I was fucking it all up by not telling him to talk to her?
“Yeah,” I said, making a decision. “That’s what you do. Your mom has to decide when she wants you to know. She has to decide if she wants you to know. If you push her, she’ll feel pressured.”
“I don’t lie to her very well.”
“That’s a good thing.” Just made it more complicated. “Do you think you should tell her?”
“I don’t know. I think the way you were kissing her means you need to be warned not to hurt her.”
A smirk started to lift my mouth, but I locked it down. He was a good kid, and protecting his mom was the right move. “I understand. And I have no intention of hurting your mom.”
“You two haven’t always gotten along really well.”
I chuckled. That was an understatement. “True, but we’re trying now. I really like your mom. She challenges me. And she’s smart and funny and she has two amazing kids.”
“She’s been hurt a lot. Mostly by my dad and her parents.”
“I know. What she’s been through isn’t right. I wish I could take all that pain away for her. But I think she’s ready to move past it.”
Joey nodded. “She’s been happier the last two months.”
I couldn’t stop my smile. “Good.”
“That’s been because of you.” It wasn’t a question.
“I hope so.”
“Then it sounds like you might be good for her.”
“I hope so.”
Joey glared at me for a long moment. I didn’t back down, just let him get it out. If he was going to continue working for me, he had to trust me, and the only way for that to happen was if he knew he could be honest with me.
“I wish she’d told me.”
I understood that, but it wasn’t my place to push for that.
“I won’t tell her I know. And I won’t tell my brother. But if you hurt her, you have to answer to me.”
“And Ms. Finley and Mr. Trent, I assume,” I told him.
“Yeah, them, too.”
“Understood.”
Joey turned to leave my office.
“Hey, Joey?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for not telling me I can’t see her.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome.”
That went about as well as could be expected. Now all I had to do was convince Anna to tell him so there weren’t any secrets.
Two days later, Anna and Goldie came in for lunch. The kids were all back in school and it was a Friday. The first of the New Year.
“Hi,” Anna said when I walked over to take their orders.
“Hi. What can I get you two?”
Anna’s gaze locked on me and scanned down my body.
Well, damn. I was definitely on board with that.
Goldie cleared her throat. “I’ll have a chicken sandwich and a really big glass of ice water after that look.”
My cheeks warmed, and I was thankful my beard hid any chance of a flush. Anna wasn’t so lucky and looked like she’d forgotten sunscreen.
“Goldie,” she hissed.
I chuckled.
“Fries?”
“Sweet potato,” Goldie said. “Don’t forget the ice water.”
I smiled at her. “Got it. Anna?”
“I’ll have whatever’s under the table because I’m going to hide now.”
Goldie and I both laughed. “She’ll have the same as me since seeing you turned her brain to mush.”
“Goldie,” Anna hissed again.
“What? It’s not like we all don’t know you two are sneaking around like teenagers and bumping uglies whenever you can. Which is not nearly often enough if you’re looking at him like you want him to be your lunch.”
“Oh, my God. Kill me now,” Anna said. “Why did I agree to come here for lunch?”
“Because the food is as good as the scenery,” Goldie said without missing a beat.
I chuckled and shook my head. “I’m going to go put your orders in. I’ll be back in a few with those ice waters.”
“Dump mine over my head, please,” Anna said.
I shook my head and laughed.
I brought their waters back and heard Goldie talking about her assistant flirting with her.
“You can fire him for that,” I told her.
She shook her head. “He’s just a flirtatious guy. I think he likes to get a rise out of me. But he’s harmless. His brother is the same way. Seeing the two of them together is really funny.”
“If he crosses a line, make sure you do something about it. That can get dangerous.”
“Thanks. I will. He’s never done anything. Just tells me I’m beautiful and I shouldn’t date losers and stuff like that.”
“Well, I can agree with him there.”
She beamed at me. “Thanks. You’re too sweet.”
“That’s what I keep telling this one. I’m not sure she believes me yet.”
Anna laughed and shook her head. “You have your moments.”
“Two chicken sandwiches,” Charlie said, delivering the plates himself. “Did you put in that order yet?”
I shook my head. “You need something?”
“More buns. We’re starting to get low.”
I nodded. “I’ll put it on the list. Thanks.”
He clapped me on the back and waved to Anna and Goldie.
“Know anyone who needs a job?” I asked them, teasing.
“Why? Are you looking to hire someone?” Goldie asked.
I ran a hand over my head and nodded. “Yeah. I need a business manager.”
“I actually might. Are you open to me putting out some feelers?”
“Really? Yeah. That would be great. I’ve asked everyone here, and no one wants it. Finley told me to talk to you about it, but with the holidays, I completely forgot.”
“I already have a few people in mind. I’ll reach out to them and get them your information. Does that work?”
“Yes, hell yes. Thank you.”
She smiled. “You’re making my friend smile. It’s the least I can do.”
“She makes me smile, too,” I said, staring at a blushing Anna.
“Ew,” Goldie said. “Okay, enough of that. I don’t need a front-row seat to your mating.”
I snorted and shook my head. “Just be glad she hasn’t told people yet, or I’d bend her over this chair and kiss the hell out of her.”
Anna gasped, her lips parting.
Goldie grinned. “I need a man like that.”
“That one’s mine,” Anna growled.
“Fuck yeah, I am,” I said. I winked at her, then walked away before I did something stupid, like tossing her over my shoulder, carrying her to my office, and claiming her as mine with the entire bar around to witness it.
Damn, did I want to do exactly that.
17
Anna
I watched as Hudson walked away. My heart thudded, both from being close to him and from how much I wanted to fulfill every promise in those hazel eyes of his.
“Damn. I mean, when you told me you two were together, I didn’t expect to get burned just from being so close to you. Wow.” Goldie’s gaze flickered from me to Hudson, then back to me.
“I think I’ve just gone too long without sex. I feel like I can’t control myself around him.”
Goldie shook her head and picked up her sandwich. “It’s not that at all. He radiates fuck me vibes. I know it’s code not to go after a friend’s ex, but if you cut him loose, I might not be able to resist the temptation.”
I chuckled as my gut burned at the thought. If things ended with Hudson, and I hated that I was already expecting it, it would hurt to watch him with someone else. I’d never tell a friend they couldn’t date him, but if he and Goldie got together, I’d have a really hard time with it.
“I’m kidding, you know,” Goldie said softly, putting her hand on my arm.
I forced a smile. “I know.”
“I really am, Anna. I mean, the way he looks at you is enough to melt me, but he doesn’t do it for me. Even if he did, I’d never go after a friend’s ex. And I hate to admit it, but I like the clean-cut type.”
“I can see that for you. You’re a little polished, especially compared to me.”
Goldie shook her head, her neatly pinned blonde hair not moving an inch. She held a perfectly cut, bite-size piece of her chicken sandwich that didn’t dare drip down her arm like my full sandwich was doing. “I’m not polished. I just have to look the part at work.”
“I had dinner at your house last week. You’re polished. And I’m not saying that’s bad. Just that I understand wanting a guy like that. I think I’ve always had a thing for guys that leaned toward the rough edge.”
“Hudson doesn’t strike me as rough. He’s more like a grumpy teddy bear.”
I snorted. “Okay, yeah, that totally fits him.”
Goldie laughed with me.
We ate our lunch and chatted about the boys and back to school. We agreed our next dinner together we’d bring the boys and let them all get to know each other.
“When are you going to tell Joey and Matty about you and Hudson?” Goldie asked as we waited for our check.
“I don’t know. I’m scared,” I confessed.
“Do you think they won’t be okay with it?”
I shook my head. “I haven’t dated much. Until less than a year ago, I was married to their dad. Not that he was around, but I wasn’t willing to get involved with anyone in case he tried to say I was having an affair and that he should be compensated. And I didn’t really want to get involved with anyone.”
“It’ll be an adjustment for them, but they like Hudson.”
“That’s part of it. If things don’t work out, it’ll crush them.”
“But what if they do?”
I looked up and saw Hudson coming toward us. Goldie’s question echoed in my mind.
The idea of it working out with Hudson was one I hadn’t let myself ask. The last time I got serious with someone, I married him, had two kids, and he ran off and left me with a ton of debt.
I couldn’t picture Hudson doing the same, but everyone had flaws. What were his? When would they come out? Would I be able to handle them?
“Anything else I can get you two?” Hudson asked a few seconds later. His hand rested on the back of my chair, his thumb stroking my back. It was the only contact we could risk in public. And it wasn’t enough.
I looked up at him and tried to imagine a future. With all of us living together, my boys calling him dad. A white picket fence, a wedding ring on my finger. Waking up to him every morning and going to sleep with him every night.
It was a kind of domestic bliss I’d never known. It was counter to everything I’d experienced before. And my brain immediately shut it down.
I leaned forward, separating myself from his thumb on my back. I grabbed my water and let Goldie answer for us. Both of them looked at me, trying to figure out what was wrong, but neither pushed me for an answer.
“Can you bring the checks?” Goldie asked.
“Already taken care of,” Hudson said.
“Did you pay for our lunches?” she asked.
“You’re going to help me find a business manager, and Joey never eats the free food he’s allowed to have working here. I owe both of you at least a few meals.”
“I can pay,” I protested.
“I know you can,” Hudson argued. “I never said you couldn’t. I am trying to be nice.”
“She means thank you,” Goldie said for me. “We both really appreciate it, Hudson. We’ll see you soon.”
Goldie ushered me up and out of my seat and out the door, barely giving me time to get my coat on before we were stepping onto the snow littered sidewalk.
“What are you doing?” I asked her.
“I’m not letting you mess this up. Not yet.”
“I’m not—”
She raised one brow at me and dared me to be honest.
I sighed. “Fine, I was about to mess this up. Because it’s not going to work out. He’s suburbs and cottages. He’s security and stability. He’s paid lunches and video game devices. I’m none of those things. I’m a single mom up to my eyeballs in debt. Why in the world would be want to be saddled with me?”
“You’ve obviously forgotten the way you two were looking at each other when we first got there. You don’t need a reason to love someone.”
“Love? No. I don’t love him. Lust, maybe. For both of us. He was married, and his wife died. He’s been out of dating about as long as I have. He doesn’t love me, and I don’t love him. We’re just getting to know each other. And it’s going to end anyway, so don’t even go there. I’m not getting the white picket fence with Hudson Grant. Or anyone, but especially not with him. He’s way too good for me.”
