Sugar Shack (4 page)

****

Catherine set her overnight bag against the wall and closed the door. The room looked exactly the same, perhaps a few less college mementos. She purposely avoided looking at the bed because she was afraid of the hot images her mind would dig up. Images of Luke bending her over the mattress and taking her doggie-style while they both kneeled on the braided rug beside the bed. They’d tried to be quiet, but whenever they were together, nature took over and they just surrendered to their baser needs. They didn’t care who heard them after a while, and thankfully, Luke’s parents were very open-minded and still very much in love. Many times Catherine heard them showing their affection in the room down the hall. She thought it was sweet for the couple, who were in their fifties at that time, to still be so amorous after years of marriage. Luke, however, would simply groan and cover his face with a pillow to drown out any signs of his parents doing the dirty deed.

Clearing her mind of the scattered memories, she rifled through her bag until she found a pair of lace panties and the pink cotton jogging outfit she
’d brought. It was warm and comfy and, she hoped, appropriate attire to kick off some sort of new beginning with Luke. It wasn’t revealing. It wasn’t sloppy. It was just...comfortable. And that’s how she wanted this new relationship with him to be. Comfortable.

Since Luke was going to be gone for a while, she decided to take a quick bath and be ready to face him when he came home. Hopefully, by then, she
’d have a game plan of how to do this friendship-revival thing.

The wall heater in the large bathroom was on, exactly as it used to be every winter in the past. It was something New Englanders seemed to do instinctively—keep places warm that were used a lot. That was a no-brainer in this cold climate. It was so comforting knowing the bathroom would be cozy and warm when you went in there. It made her smile as she ran her bath water and disrobed.

Settling into the warm suds, she relaxed against the back of the tub. Letting her mind drain of all the stress and worries, she didn’t think about anything except relaxing. Her rebel brain, however, had other plans for the downtime. Images of Luke and her sharing a midnight soak came into focus, reviving long-tempered feelings. How many times had they shared a tub? And how many times had he satisfied her in this bathroom? She sighed. She was too tired to fight it any longer. Maybe if she took care of the need those thoughts of him aroused she could get on with exorcising him from her heart—at least romantically.

Remembering one time in particular when Luke had pulled her against him in the tub, her back to his chest, she let the desire flow through her, recalling the slow, sweet invasion of his cock as it penetrated her beneath the warm water. She moaned as she relived the feeling of riding him, and how it felt to have her ass rub against his firm belly. In her memory, the sloshing water threatened to overflow onto the tiles, but neither cared as they pleasured each other. He held her hips tighter as he bucked beneath her and she slid down him until he was sheathed as deep as she could take him.

Lost in the past, Catherine’s hand slipped beneath the water and caressed her aching pussy. These memories were driving her insane. She needed release. She needed Luke.

Her middle finger slid inside her cunt, sliding gently over her sensitive clit. She sucked in an excited breath. God, it felt so good. Imagining it was Luke
’s tongue lapping at her, she bit her lip and arched her back. He would lick at her and suck at her clit until she came.

Then he would flip her over and grab her hips, forcing her ass into the air. A hoarse gasp broke from her lips as her fingertip rubbed her aroused nub.

She rubbed faster.

On his knees behind her, he would grip her tightly and ask her what she wanted. Meekly, she
’d tell him she wanted him. He’d ask her to speak up. She would repeat herself while he stroked the head of his cock against the valley of her ass. She’d push back, trying to catch his teasing cock within her pussy lips. He would keep just out of her reach. He’d ask to know what she wanted again, demanding she voice her desires out loud.

“
I want your cock. Please,” she would beg. “I want it inside me. Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me.” She’d be nearly hysterical with need for that wonderful prick of his.

Then he
’d slide into her, his cock buried to the hilt. Her gasps of pleasure would punctuate each thrust as he pumped in and out of her. She’d beg for more. Beg him not to stop. Never stop. Keep fucking me, baby!

She arched backward as the orgasmic rush swept through her body, making her go stock still as her pussy quivered. Her fingers pushed against her clit, soothing her cunt as it tensed and relaxed.

God, she’d needed that.

But playing with herself in the bathtub was a far cry from riding the cock of the man of whom she so vividly fantasized.
Or the warmth of his arms embracing her instead of now-tepid bathwater in a lonely tub.

****

Downstairs, Catherine shoved aside the curtain over the kitchen window that rested above the sink. Luke’s truck was still gone. He’d been gone for over an hour and the snow was coming down harder, covering everything in a thick, white carpet. She hugged herself, rubbing the soft cotton jacket across the chill bumps dotting her arms. She didn’t know if the shivers were due to the weather or the man she’d never expected to see after all these years.

Grabbing a cup from the cabinet, she filled it with water from the tap and placed it in the microwave. While that boiled, she wandered over to the tins lining the wall beside the stove. Inside the first one, she found a variety of herbal teas
. In the second, she located the hot chocolate she was searching for. The microwave dinged and she poured the envelope into her steaming cup of water.

The sound of the truck rumbling up the driveway stopped her in mid-stir. Quickly, she grabbed another cup and repeated the process, stirring the second cup of cocoa just as Luke walked in the back door.

The grin that softened his expression warmed her more than the cup she held out to him.

He snatched off his gloves and shoved them in his back pocket before he accepted the chocolate. After a tentative sip, he took a larger one, swallowing slowly as if to savor the flavor.
“God, that’s good. Thanks.”

Catherine smiled and held her own cup a few inches from her mouth, blowing across the hot cocoa.
“Welcome.”

He brushed past her and opened the pantry, grabbing a bag of miniature marshmallows.
“I got a stash of these babies. Want some?”

“
Do bears fertilize the woods?” she asked, holding out her mug.

He raised an eyebrow.
“You didn’t seriously just say that, did you?”

“
I tried.” She shrugged, turning away from him a little.

“
You still can’t cuss right, after all these years?”

“
Well, excuse me. It’s not like it’s a prerequisite for anything. I can cuss in my head very well, thank you.”

He chuckled, the sound rippling over her senses like a velvet tongue.

“Do I get any marshmallows?” she asked, cocking her head to one side.

“
Does a bear shit in the woods?” Luke grinned and tore the bag open, shaking some into her drink.

“
Now, isn’t that appetizing?” she kidded.

After dumping a handful of marshmallows into his own cocoa, he walked to the table and plopped down beside the hearth. With his free hand, he took the poker and stirred the fire before throwing a nearby log on top of the glowing embers. The wood immediately started popping and cracking as the flames licked at it.
“Have a seat,” he offered, replacing the poker and putting his feet on the rock face of the hearth to warm them.

Catherine noticed he
’d kicked off his boots once again right outside the door, as he’d always done. It wasn’t a bad habit to get into. She smiled. It was actually quite thoughtful. Instead of sitting at the table, she stood with her back to the fire and drank her hot chocolate. Its warmth helped with the shivers she was still experiencing, and she had a pretty good idea they would be doubled if she sat anywhere near him.

“
So,” he began, leaning in the chair until the back of it hit the table behind him. “Where should we begin?”

The wind blew against the side of the house, slamming the shutters in the kitchen. Catherine jumped, splashing marshmallow
cocoa over her warm-up top.

Immediately she pulled the hot material away from her skin, dropped the cup of chocolate onto the end table and yanked at the zipper, trying to get out of the jacket.

Luke was on his feet in seconds, trying to help her. “Bend forward.”

She did as he ordered, slight relief flooding through her when the hot, sticky material fell away from her. Luke worked the zipper until it unstuck and helped her pull off the top.

The thin vee-necked T-shirt she wore beneath was stained and damp, but not hot. The gooey marshmallows, however, stuck fast to the T-shirt at the plunging dip of the neckline and unlike the chocolate, the sticky mess was quite warm. She tugged the material away from her skin and looked up at Luke who still stood over her. Her heart tripped over itself as his amber gaze settled on her bare breasts she’d exposed by pulling on her shirt.

Sudden realization dawned. This was the moment she
’d longed for and never thought she’d have another chance at. She couldn’t care less if she were on fire, the desire to have him was stronger than anything she’d ever felt. She toyed with the shirt. Stretching it out a little farther, she fanned it so her breasts bounced just a bit. Another surge of molten heat, not at all from the cocoa, shot through her tummy and settled between her legs. His eyes were full of need. A need she hadn’t seen in so many years. And it was a need only he could satisfy in her.

Luke swallowed, his Adam
’s apple slowly moving up and down. “Damn, Cat,” he murmured, staring down her open shirt.

The old chemistry between them charged to life. Inhibitions fell to the wayside as she tugged the T-shirt over her head and let it drop to the wood floor. She simply stood there, letting his eyes drink in her naked torso.

Ever so slowly, he bent his head and touched his lips against the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder.

Catherine
’s breath escaped in a moan of pleasure. It was a moan trapped inside her for a decade, and now...now that the lips of her first love reclaimed their rightful place upon her body, she could breathe again.

Everything real fell away at that moment, and all that remained was Luke and Catherine, together again. She knew it was right. It was the most perfect thing in the world. She sighed again and turned off all rationality as her arms wound around his neck.

Their lips met, tentatively at first, as if testing that this was really happening. Then, bolder in the fact that it was indeed real, the kiss deepened. Their tongues touched and dipped and dueled as they rediscovered the taste of one another. Before long, kissing wasn’t enough. Their hands groped and tugged at each other, pulling haphazardly at their burdensome clothes.

Luke pulled back, resting his forehead against hers as he struggled to catch his breath.
“What are we doing, Cat?”

Her hands inched up his shirt and began unbuttoning it.
“Making up for lost time?” she asked softly before she lost her nerve. Her fingers worked faster until his flannel shirt was hanging open and only his thermal undershirt lay exposed. She wanted to see more of him. Deftly, she wrestled the ribbed shirt out of his waistband and pulled it up to his chest, leaving his taut, lean stomach visible. “You don’t make it easier by having kept yourself is such good shape, you bastard,” she joked.

He chuckled.
“How come you only talk dirty when we’re making out?”

She unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans. Brazenly, her hand dipped inside and slipped down the front of his boxers. His sharp inhale was all it took to make her pussy quiver with need.
“You don’t like it when I talk dirty? Or grab your cock like this?” Her palm wound around his stiffness and clenched slightly. Another sharp inhale.

“
Jesus, Cat,” he groaned, pulling back so he could look at her.

The flames of the hearth reflected in his eyes. They looked like warm, intoxicating brandy, and she wanted to drink it in all night.

“In another few seconds, I’m not going to be able to stop this, Cat.”

She squeezed his cock again, giving it a slight tug as she did.
“I don’t think either of us wants to stop this, Luke. Let’s do it. Get it out of our system and maybe we can have some closure between us.”

He nodded, holding her hand against him.
“Good idea. I haven’t been able to think of a damn thing except your sweet little ass since I saw you in my barn. Come on.”

He took her hand and led her to the downstairs bedroom.

Chapter Five

Catherine didn’t even have a chance to look at the room, nor did she really care, before Luke led her over to the large quilt-covered bed. The rest of their clothes littered the floor as they worked out of the cumbersome garments, eager to touch each other.