Rough Play (9 page)

She laughed. “That was nothing. I remember when it started.” She clicked her tongue in her mouth. “Sometime after Gretchen’s first husband died.”

He started. “Gretchen’s a widow?”

She nodded and rolled to her belly, putting her stomach flat against his hard cock and settled in, drew circles on his chest. “Yeah. She was a newlywed not long after I moved here. It wasn’t very much longer and he was killed in a shooting.”

“I didn’t know.”

“It’s been a few years ago and most people don’t talk about it.” She turned her head, laying her ear to his chest. “It was really sad.”

“That’s rough.” He wasn’t sure what this was all about with her relaxing and just laying around, but he liked it and wrapped his arms around her back. Liked that too. The laziness. The need to do absolutely nothing but relax as she caressed his sides.

Her hand stilled for a moment as she pulled in a deep breath, let it out slowly then wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Tonya was tied up with trying to be there for Gretchen. I took over a lot at the diner. It was late. I was taking the day’s money to Tonya when I walked in. Gretchen had flung herself head first into baking. Tonya was trying to reason with her to stop, but Gretchen wasn’t hearing any of it.” Flora swallowed. “Gretchen was just sobbing. There was food everywhere. She was covered in flour and bits of food. Looked like a Thanksgiving feast for thirty people right there in the middle of May. Pies were stuffed in every available spot.”

He caressed her shoulder, pulled away a web of wet hair from her skin. “What did you do?”

She softly laughed. “The whole situation was out of control. I grabbed a pie. Took a spoon out of something. Some sort of soup, I don’t know. I just licked it clean and started eating this cherry pie with a huge serving spoon. I told them, ‘Thank God, Gretchen. It’s been so busy at the diner today and I am starved.’ They stared at me with blank looks for a few minutes then each grabbed a fork and a pie and started in too.” She shrugged. “The rest is history.”

“I didn’t know you weren’t from here.”

Her toe moved up and down his calf. He had to admit, he liked that too. She lifted her head up, propping her chin on his chest. “Nope.”

“When did you move to Apple Trail?”

“Long time ago.”

He nodded, noting her evasive tone, but pushed anyway. “Do you have family here?”

“Nope.” Her gaze moved away from him.

“What brought you here?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “Just ended up here.”

“Something had to bring you here.”

She cleared her throat, pulled her arms out, pushed up on all fours, and leaned over. All that hair was down, wet, half sticking to her skin. Strands reached down and tickled his stomach and chest. “Nothing in particular.”

Even though he wanted to stay on this topic, he couldn’t not touch her when she was so deliciously in front of him. Naked. Wet. Body warm. And touching her shoulder led to more touching. The slick wetness of her skin encouraged him to touch more. To slid his hands along her sides and around the curves of her hips. Spread his fingers wide so his fingertips stroked her spine, thumbs caressed down her hips until he could cup her ass.

She walked forward on her hands and knees, straddled his lap and lay back across his chest, face tucked along the crook of his neck. His very hard cock pressed against her. Then she made a sound. This sighing thing. He wrapped her in his arms. Liking her this way more and more. Soft and relaxed. Eyes drifting closed when she was normally so guarded. He rubbed up and down her back. Stroking from the tangle of wet hair over her shoulders, all the way down to the top rounded curves of her ass.

She moaned. “This isn’t what we’re supposed to be doing in this tub.”

He shook his head. “I know. You’re supposed to be rubbing my back.”

She chuckled and moved. Every little inch she adjusted pressed along his length. Grinded against him. “I think we’re getting closer.”

He relaxed as she kissed and licked at his shoulder, neck. “I guess it’ll have to do.”

“Maybe we can have a re-do tomorrow and I can do your back then.” She nipped at the curve of his neck and he grabbed her by the ass hauling her more firmly against him, brought her knees up alongside his hips and seated her over his thighs.

“We can try.”

A warm smile glowed on her face as she pushed off his chest and sat up. Water dripped from her pink nipples and he leaned forward and caught one on his tongue. A hiss seeped out of her as he closed his mouth around the tip, drew her in and sucked the water off. Her breasts were larger than his palm. The weight heavy and full against his hands.

She gripped him on either side of his head. Nails bit into his scalp, but the throaty pants were more than enough to make up for it. Flora was all woman and so different. And not just because of the needy way she thrust her chest to his face, or how her back arched, but just everything.

From the simple way she slung her hair in a ponytail as she walked from his house to the concentrated way she focused her attention. Even with the guarded wall she’d built up around her, there was so much she couldn’t hide. The aggressive way she attacked and took what she wanted. She was a lot of woman and one he doubted he’d ever fully know.

Not that he’d ever known much about anyone in particular, but with her he wanted to know more. Knowing he likely wouldn’t know every last bit of her chaffed a little, but then that was part of the fun too.

She covered him and lowered herself down. One thing he wanted to uncover the most was why she was this aggressive person, but also gentle. While she wasn’t always gentle with him, far from it, but there was no missing the gentle way she was with her friends. The long tight friendship she spoke of. How was it this hard woman who kept him at arm’s length managed to lower her defenses enough to have those close friendships?

Water sloshed against his chest, broke his thoughts. He blinked and shook his head. God, what the fuck was wrong with him? He had a beautiful woman flushed and across his lap and he wanted to know…hell, anything else?

He gripped her hips and rocked her against him. An eyebrow lifted, her teeth raked her lower lip as she leaned forward, grabbed him by the shoulders and grinded down. Her breasts bounced in his face, body rode over his and heat flooded through his veins.

Her deep breaths were reduced to quick gasps against his shoulder. Her insides held him tight. Leaning over now, her hard nipples stroked his chest. Heels squeezed and pressed against his thighs. She stilled with a whimpered cry and he tugged on her hips, thrust up and claimed his own release.

The tension in her shoulders softened, but as usual, she didn’t hang around. Before he could even get his arms around her, she sat up and pushed wet hair from her face. A more than satisfied smile turned up the corner of her lips.

He relaxed against the hard side of the tub and stroked his thumbs across her sides while he had the chance. “We can crawl to bed and get on that back rub now.”

With a low chuckle, she lifted off him, stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself in a towel. “Tempting, but I have to go. I promised Tonya I’d stop by.”

He wouldn’t acknowledge the disappointment settling in his bones as she quickly dressed and that cold shoulder she often wore settled back in place. Or the fact that it was a common line she tossed out.
Tempting, but I have to go. I promised fill-in-the-blank.
And usually the blank was either Tonya or Gretchen. More than lately, it was usually a favor for Tonya. He wouldn’t put a word to what he thought about her leaving him to do something else. He had a feeling it was jealousy and he just wasn’t going there.

It was complicated. Messed up and he wasn’t entirely sure how to address that he just plain and simple wasn’t done with her for the evening without her bringing up all that damn clingy talk again.

She grabbed the clip for her hair, stepped in her jeans and buttoned them, still naked from the waist up as her bra was in his living room. Shirt too. “See you later.”

He slapped a forced smile on his face and let her go again. “No kiss goodbye?”

She rolled her eyes, walked back to the side of the tub and left a fast one on his lips. She walked out, but stopped with her hand on the door, tapping on the frame. “See you tomorrow?”

“I’ll be here.”

A broad grin spread over her face as she left, and he was alone with his thoughts. Wanting to know more about the woman behind the great body and attitude he kept wanting.

Chapter Nine

Jacob was pretty clueless about the whole baby process. When he was seven, mom brought Grant home wrapped up in a blue blanket and that was it. Who knew laboring could last so long.
Hours
. As in so far fourteen and his almost a sister-in-law was at a seven. What that meant, he wasn’t entirely sure, but he knew the end goal here was a ten. By the way he figured, there was another six hours at least. Then she had to actually push his new niece out and God knew how long the actual pushing would take. He was only getting bits and pieces here and there.

He slouched in his chair and stared at the dull white paint on the wall. And all this, in his opinion, was the easy part. Next was when the real challenge set in. The late night feedings, constant mess, the diapers. And the vomit. A little nausea rolled in his belly remembering how often Grant had puked as a baby. There were a few days in there Jacob would have sworn up and down more stuff was coming out the north end over the south and how in the hell momma had the stomach to clean it, he never figured out.

He glanced across the room as Grant, who was fixing to be a new daddy, put his hand across Rebecca’s belly and stroked. They say it’s supposed to be different with your own. Maybe the poop smells less since it’s coming out of something you created, fuck if Jacob knew. One day…one day very far away he’d find out and he fully expected to tell people they were full of it.

Shit smelled like shit no matter whose ass it came from.

Jacob shook his head and slipped back out of the room. Rebecca had several friends in the room. Nurses said they were welcome to stay as long as they didn’t get loud, but he, Trent, Lane and the girls had slipped out.

Grant probably would have liked them in the room, but the way they had it figured, Rebecca was doing all the work and should have her closest friends near her and it was getting cramped.

He headed down the short hallway to the small seating area where Flora, the girls and his other two brothers waited instead. He plopped in a seat next to Flora. “At a seven.”

“Oh, my God.” Flora’s head tipped back. Earlier that day, they’d brought them sandwiches and had so far stuck around. “I feel so sorry for her.”

Jacob shook his head. “She’s conked out from some of the drugs. After sitting in these hard chairs all day, I’d trade places with her for a few hours.”

She snorted. “Oh yeah. I bet you’re just itching to push a melon out of your body.”

He squirmed in his seat. That was true.

She picked up another magazine, one she’d looked at an hour ago. He glanced across the narrow, but long waiting room. Lane sat by Gretchen at the end. His arm was over the back of her chair. Hand curled down and fingers brushed her shoulder.

Just seeing that put a big smile on his face. A few days ago something changed there. He wasn’t sure what, but it was a blessing. Lane had mellowed overnight. From being at work at daylight to the next day getting there around eight kind of mellowed. Lane hadn’t shared details of what caused the change and they didn’t ask. He could only hope it would last.

Jacob leaned his head back and was helpless but to think back to the picture of Rebecca in that bed since that’s why they were here. A few hours ago she’d been in some serious horrible pain and Grant had all but ripped his arms off from helplessness. She finally got drugged up and was now resting.

And this was supposed to be the easy part. Jacob rubbed over his face. He wasn’t against families and babies, but shit like this was why he was in no hurry. It was just all over stressful. He’d heard Rebecca’s friends talking and hoping they wouldn’t have to do a
c-section
.

As in surgery. Grant was going to be a mess if that happened. He glanced to Flora. “What do you think will happen?”

She frowned. “With what?”

“To Rebecca. To have the baby.”

“Well,” Flora turned another page, “after she reaches a ten and the baby is ready to come out, she’ll push. Her body will stretch and rip and whatever needs to happen to make room to get it out.”

“Rip?”

She nodded and squinted at some photo of some movie star’s dress.

“And that’s it?”

“That’s what they say, but I’ve never done it myself.”

He shifted his legs. “It seems like it’s been a long time. One of her friends mentioned a C-section. Do you think it’ll come to that?”

She smiled and rubbed his arm. “She’s going to be fine.”

“Grant probably won’t be.”

“And that’s why you’re here.”

“I have to say, if I was a woman I would be hard pressed to look forward to it. How do you look forward to having kids one day, knowing the hell it’s going to be to get it out?”