Chapter 14

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

Merrick

"Is this rain ever going to stop?" Courtney asks.

It's Saturday afternoon, and it's been raining since early yesterday morning. She stayed over last night, and today we've just been lounging around the house. "I think it's supposed to let up in a little while, then start up again later tonight into tomorrow."

"Will you be able to work with all this mud?" she asks. She wrinkles her nose, and it's adorable.

There isn't much about Courtney that I don't see as adorable these days. "Depends. The job we're on now, yes. Others, sometimes not."

"That's good," she says, sliding her feet in between me and the back of the couch. She's lying on one end, and I'm on the other. We started off watching television, but we both quickly lost interest and we've just been talking ever since.

"How are things at the boutique? You still liking it there?"

She narrows her eyes at me. "Are you a spy for Jordyn?" she teases.

"Nope. I'm not Jordyn's brother-in-law right now. I'm just yours." It's easy to say because I feel like I am hers. I feel like she's mine, but that's a conversation for another time. Way off in the distance, after I've had time to unpack why I feel that way. Instead, for now, I'm going to ignore it.

"I do love it. In fact, Jordyn mentioned me taking on more responsibility. She wants to be able to spend more time with Finn."

"How do you feel about that?"

"You sound like a therapist." She laughs.

I shrug. "You are lying on my couch."

She giggles, and the sound wraps around me and fills this house like a warm embrace. "I'm excited about it. I love the job, and Jordyn is so easy to work with. I was bouncing some new ideas off her for items we can offer, and services such as personal shopping. It's what we do now, sort of, but this would be dedicated time, maybe even after hours, to sit down with the customer and go over their wants and needs."

"That's a great idea. We don't have anything like that here in Willow River."

"I know. Jordyn and I both think it will go over really well."

"I'm proud of you, babe."

She blushes at my compliment. I love that, too, but I don't tell her so.

"Thanks, Mer."

"Are you getting hungry?" We ate a late breakfast, but that was hours ago.

"A little. What are you in the mood for? I'll make us something."

"Honestly, anything," I say and she smiles. "Come on. Let's go see what we can find." I stand from the couch, offering her my hand and helping her up. I wrap my arms around her in a hug, because I can, and because I can't not. She's quickly becoming my addiction. One I never saw coming, but I guess that's how most addictions start. They sneak up on you out of nowhere, and bam! You can't live without it.

Pulling out of my embrace, she skips off to the kitchen. It's double the size of hers, and she loves to cook in it, and who am I to deny this beauty anything? She opens the pantry and pokes around. I love how comfortable she is here.

She pops her head out. "Do we have mozzarella cheese? Shredded or block?"

"Not sure." I move to the refrigerator to check, all while biting back my smile at her words.

"Do we?"

She's opened up so much since we first started this situation-ship or whatever it is we're in. I don't know what in the hell you call a fake relationship where you can't keep your hands off each other and crave the feeling of being skin-to-skin with the other person, yet you're not really dating. It's supposed to be for her experience, but yeah, it's fucked is what it is and confusing as hell.

"We've got cheese," I tell her, raising the bag of shredded mozzarella. "What are you thinking?"

"Homemade pizza." She holds up a couple of packages of dough and a jar of sauce.

"Yes. I think there's a pound of hamburger thawed out that needs to be used too. We can brown that and use it."

"Perfect."

We get to work making a late lunch. Courtney handles the dough and sauce, while I brown the hamburger. Once we have the pizza in the oven, we quickly clean up.

As soon as the last dish is dry, I lift her by her hips and set her on the counter, stepping between her legs. "That was a lot of work. I think I've earned a kiss."

"You think so, huh? I did just as much work as you did."

"Then we should kiss each other." I breathe against her lips before kissing her. I force myself to keep this one slow. It's been an incredible day, just lounging around with her, and I want it to stay that way. I don't want this to turn hot and heavy. Okay, maybe that's not true, but it's not going to be. Slow and sweet, that's the theme for this afternoon, and I'm sticking to it.

We kiss as if we have all the time in the world, and right now, we do. When the timer goes off, telling us the pizza is ready, we pull apart. I'm glad we set it; otherwise, I'm certain our creation would be burnt to a crisp, and we'd be back at the drawing board looking for something to eat.

I make us both a plate, and we carry them to the living room, settling back into our nest we've been living in on the couch to eat.

"This is really good. I would never have thought to put hamburger meat on it."

"Stick with me, kid." I wink at her, and she grins.

"Show me your ways, ole wise one."

"I'll show you something," I say, winking at her, and her laughter shakes her entire body.

We eat as we talk and laugh, just enjoying spending the day with one another. While standing at the sink a little while later, rinsing our plates to add them to the dishwasher, I glance outside. "Looks like the rain has stopped for now."

"Finally," Courtney says dramatically.

"How about a walk around the property? There's a small creek in the back. I'm sure it's muddy from all the rain, but I can still show it to you. When it's not raining, the water is usually crystal clear."

"I'm in. We've been cooped up in the house for far too long."

I step behind her, where she's starting the dishwasher, and wrap my arms around her, burying my face in her neck. "I kind of like being cooped up with you."

"Yeah," she agrees. "However, some fresh air will do us some good."

"Agreed." Taking her hand in mine, I lead her to the door, and we slip on our shoes. Flip-flops for her and a pair of slides for me. Our feet will get wet, but who cares? It's June in Georgia. It will probably feel good.

I lace her fingers with mine and lead her around the back of the house.

"You know we still need to go shopping for all the things you need," she tells me.

"We do." I laugh. "I hate shopping."

"Well, I can't just pick out everything on my own. It has to fit your taste. This is your house."

"I'm not picky, Court. I'll be happy with whatever."

"Well, we should at least make a list of what you need, or think you need. We can start there."

"I'm not exactly sure. Curtains, dishes, shit for the kitchen, stuff like that." I've lived here for a while now, and I'm still in need of all that stuff. I have the bare necessities and that's it because I hate to shop. I know my sisters-in-law, my cousin Ramsey, or my mom would help, but I wanted to do it on my own. Well, without my family holding my hand. Courtney is perfect for the job.

She laughs. "I'll get you sorted out." She drops my hand and links her arm with mine, and I slow my gait so it's easier for her to keep my pace as we take our time walking to the back of my property.

"How much land do you have?"

"Three acres. Not a ton, but enough that I have a big enough yard for my nieces and nephews to play in when I have them and not worry about them being near the road."

"No kids for you?" she asks. I can tell from the tone of her voice that the question is not as casual as she'd meant for it to sound.

"One day. In the meantime, I love being an uncle. It's a trip to see my brothers be dads."

"How so?" she asks.

"Declan was the first with Blakely, and Mom was really her only female influence until Ramsey came back into our lives a few years ago. That poor girl, she didn't stand a chance but to be outspoken and ornery." I chuckle.

"I've heard some pretty funny stories. She's got some great one-liners."

"She does, and it's so damned hard not to giggle, to urge her on when we all know we should be explaining how what she's saying is inappropriate. Oh, one time she made a sign that was supposed to say don't come in here. Instead, it read, don't cum in her." I'm shaking with glee, because damn if my niece isn't a barrel of laughs.

"She did not!" Courtney sputters with laughter.

"Oh, she did. She was being so sweet, and she was so proud of herself, and all of the adults were biting their tongues trying not to laugh."

"That's too funny."

"Trust me, she'll have more blunders. That kid is a handful. I feel for Declan and Kennedy as she gets older. They're going to have to put bars on her bedroom window."

"Stop." She swats at my arm playfully. "They will not. She's going to grow up to be amazing, and she'll have a good head on her shoulders because she's surrounded by a group of incredible adults who raised her to be that way."

I don't know what to say to that, so I don't. Instead, I stop walking and peck a kiss on her lips. "We're almost there."

The remainder of the walk is in silence, but it's not uncomfortable. Everything is wet and soggy from the rain, but the trees are green and beautiful, and I can imagine they would give off a nice bit of shade if the sun were shining brightly in the sky. It's really a beautiful piece of land.

"Wow, the water is really flowing," I comment as we get close to the stream. The sound is so calming.

"Usually, it's calm and clear. I'll have to bring you back here again so that you can see it when it's not been raining for forty days and forty nights."

"It's been less than forty-eight hours," she says, shaking her head with a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Seems like months." I pull her into my arms and hold her with her back to my front as we watch the steady flow of the stream.

"It's peaceful."

"It is."

"You should put some chairs or a bench or something here, maybe a hammock, so you can sit and listen to the water run. Can you hear it when it's not so full and muddy?"

"Yeah, there's a small, constant flow over that small rock bank." I point to what I'm talking about and she nods.

"You should do it."

"If I do all that work, you better use it."

"Oh, I'm in. Me and my Kindle and a nice cool breeze."

"I see how it is. I do all the work, and your fictional boyfriends get to reap the rewards."

She turns into my chest and moves her arms to wrap around my neck. "Technically, you're fictional too."

"I like the way you think, gorgeous." I lean in for a kiss just as a giant raindrop pelts us in the face. "Fuck, that break didn't last long."

"It's just water," she says, smiling up at me.

"Come on, let's head back to the house." I take her hand in mine, and we start walking back.

"Are you afraid you're going to melt?" she jokes.

"No, but I don't want you to get sick."

"You know that's not true, right? It's something our parents used to tell us to get us to do what they asked."

"Maybe, but I'm not risking it." I walk a little faster as the rain starts coming down. That is until I'm tugging on her hand. I look back to find her standing still, soaking wet, with a smile on her face.

"What are you doing, crazy girl?"

She lets go of my hand and spreads her arms out wide. "Enjoying the rain." She closes her eyes and tilts her head back, letting the drops wash over her. It's really coming down, but she doesn't seem to mind that she's completely drenched.

I move to stand in front of her and wait patiently for her to open her eyes. When she finally does, I lift my hands to palm her cheeks and kiss her. I can feel every curve of her soaked skin through her clothes, and I know she can feel my cock pressing into her belly. I don't think about that. I don't think about the rain, or how she may or may not get sick from this. All I can seem to focus on is her lips on mine.

My hands fall from her face and roam over her shoulders, down her arms, and eventually, I bend, cupping the back of her thighs and lifting her in the air. She wraps her legs around me, never breaking our connection.

I don't know how long we stand, kissing in the rain. It could be minutes. It could be hours. What I do know is the rain does nothing to cool my desire for her. Knowing I need to get her inside, I break away from the kiss, and she buries her face in my neck. I'm breathing heavily, not from the exertion of carrying her. She's light as a feather, but from the kiss, and this intense connection that we share.

I stumble through the back door and kick it closed, not giving a single fuck that we're both dripping water all over the floor. I carry her to my bedroom, and into the bathroom, where I set her on the counter, and strip naked. I step up to her and help her out of her clothes. She shivers from the chill of the air conditioning.

Reaching into the shower, I turn on the water. I don't ask her if she's on board. I know she's reached a point where she'll tell me if she's not. I love the growth she's had over the last few weeks we've been together.

Once the water is warm, I step inside the shower and offer her my hand. She doesn't hesitate to take it and join me beneath the hot spray. My hands take their time as they roam over her curves. Her big brown eyes, hidden under long lashes, watch my every move.

"Another first," she murmurs, as she leans in and places a kiss on my bare chest over my heart.

"Kissing in the rain."

"That, too, but I meant this. I've never showered with anyone before."

"Good." The thought of another man standing before her like this sits like lead in the pit of my stomach.

Reaching for my body wash, I squirt some on my palm before rubbing them together and proceed to wash her all over. I could have grabbed the loofah or even a washcloth, but where's the fun in that? When I'm finished, I move on to her hair.

"I don't have conditioner or anything fancy," I tell her, holding up my bottle of shampoo.

"It's fine. A day without conditioner won't kill me."

I take my time lathering up her long, dark hair. "Rinse," I say after I've massaged her scalp.

"Be careful, Kincaid, you're spoiling me. I might never want to leave."

Good. "Nothing wrong with being spoiled," I say instead.

"My turn." She grabs my body wash and returns the favor. Her hands are so damn soft. When she reaches for my cock, she strokes me gently, then turns me into the spray so all the soap rinses away. I'm reaching for the shampoo to wash my hair, knowing she's too short to do it for me when she drops to her knees on the tile shower floor.

"Court, baby, what are you doing down there?" My voice is husky and laced with desire.

She peers up at me with those big, dark eyes and long lashes. Instead of answering, she uses her actions as she grips my cock and kisses the tip. I hiss out a breath. Seeing her on her knees for me with my cock in her mouth has me teetering on the edge. I was already hard as fuck from being in the shower with her and our earlier kiss.

"You don't have to do this."

"This is for me just as much as it's for you. I've never wanted to do this before. Not until you."

Damn, what is this woman doing to me? Before I can finish my thought, she wraps her lips around my cock, and takes me to the back of her throat. My hand flies out and slaps the wall to help me stand. My knees grow weak, and I can already feel the tingling in the base of my spine. My balls are tight as the need for release overwhelms me.

"Court." I reach out and push her hair back out of her eyes. It gives me an unobstructed view of her mouth around me and helps me see those big brown eyes. She peers up at me, never letting my cock fall from her lips. "I'm close."

She squeezes my thighs and goes back to bobbing her head. Fuck me, has it ever felt this good? Not that I can remember.

"Baby, you need to pull back." I try to warn her, but instead, she takes me deeper, tugging the backs of my thighs into her, as if she's afraid I'll move away.

My cock twitches.

She moans.

I fall over the edge, spilling every ounce of my desire down her throat. She swallows every single drop before removing my cock from her mouth. She stands and smiles smugly.

"You." I crush her into my chest in a tight hug. I can't form words. My brain isn't firing on all cylinders. All I can do is hold on to this beautiful, sexy-as-hell woman who is turning my world upside down.

The water starts to run cold, which means I have to let her go. Reaching around her, I turn off the spray and then step out. I gather a towel and wrap it around her, handing her another for her hair, before taking one for myself.

We're silent as we dry off and step out of the bathroom into my room. I don't bother with a T-shirt, because I need her naked. I've come to crave holding her at night with nothing between us. First, I plan to devour her pussy like the starving man that I am. She upped the ante, and I'm calling her on it.

She slides under the covers, and I do the same. I move between her thighs, and she stops me by tugging on my hair. "Not tonight." Her voice is calm, and I don't see an ounce of hesitance for what she knows I was about to do. "I don't want what we did in there to be about anything but the moment. I want you to do that." She nods to where I'm nestled between her naked thighs. "Just not tonight."

"So, you're telling me that you want me to have you for breakfast?"

She laughs. "If that's what you want."

"I want it now." My voice is gravelly.

"Just hold me, Mer. Please?"

Fuck me. How do I say no to that? I kiss the inside of each thigh, and then move up her body. I wrap the covers around us and pull her tightly into my chest. "You're incredible, Courtney."

"Thank you for this. I know it's not how you wanted the night to end, but I like knowing that I got to do something for you. I don't want this to be tit for tat."

"It's going to be. You should come first. Always. No matter who you're with." The last words are more a growl, because fuck any man who happens to be able to be with her like this.

"Fine." She chuckles. "Next time."

"Next time," I agree, knowing damn good and well she's my breakfast.