Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

Fox

Josie watched the dance floor while I watched her. That comment she’d made in the car yesterday—how she knew how much her father loved her mother because she’d often caught him staring at her—crept to the forefront of my mind. But I pushed it back and looked away, sucking back my last wine sample.

“You know, you’re supposed to taste the wine,” Josie commented. “Let it roll around your tongue to savor the taste and figure out the flavors you recognize. Not knock it back like a shot of tequila.”

“You have your way, and I have mine,” I said.

She smiled and looked back at the crowd swaying to the music under the tent. I hated dancing. Vertically anyway, but she’d given me what I wanted—and then some—last night and again this morning, so I figured it wouldn’t kill me this once. I stood and held out my hand.

“Really?” Josie seemed as shocked as I was that I was initiating this shit. “I didn’t even ask because I figured there was no way in the world Fox Cassidy would dance.”

I was starting to realize there wasn’t much this woman couldn’t get me to do. Here I was, not at home or work on a Saturday—but at a winery, of all places. And last night I’d slept in a room with floral wallpaper and frilly curtains, followed by a morning where we joined strangers who thought it was fun to get to know the other guests at breakfast. But the moment I held Josie up against me on the dance floor, I forgot all about what I did or didn’t normally do.

She rested her head against my chest as we swayed to the music. After once around the dance floor, she looked up at me with a smile. “This place is really nice. Do you come here often?”

I shook my head. “First time.”

“Oh.” She seemed to think about my response before her eyes met mine again. “Is there a different winery you usually go to?”

“Nope.”

“Have you been to the B&B we’re staying at before?”

“Never stepped foot in a bed and breakfast until last night—unless you count the Hilton Garden Inn since they technically give you a bed, along with a free breakfast in the lobby the next morning.”

Again, she considered my answer. “What made you bring me here then?”

I shrugged. “Seemed like something you’d like.”

“It is.” She smiled. “Thank you.”

We went back to gliding around the dance floor in silence. But Josie had the type of brain that didn’t turn off so easily. Not even with the help of a little wine. She looked up at me. “Fox?”

“Yeah?”

“Are we…more than just sex now?”

“I don’t know, Jos. Do we need to put a label on it?”

She sighed. “No, I guess not. I guess I just like to compartmentalize things.”

I hated the look of disappointment on her face. “What comes after sex?” I asked.

“Sleep?”

I chuckled. “I meant in your compartments. You’ve got sex and just having fun at one end and married at the other, right? What comes in between?”

“Oh. A relationship is somewhere in the middle, I guess.”

“What comes before that?”

“I don’t know. Dating, maybe?”

“How about we call it that? Dating.”

“Okay.” She smiled. “I never really thought about all the different stages. But I would think dating is somewhere between hooking up and an exclusive relationship.”

My eyes narrowed. “So dating means you can see other people?”

“I would think so. If we’re keeping it casual.”

The thought of her with someone else made me feel like chewing up an imaginary guy’s teeth and spitting them out. “Then we’re adding a new compartment. Exclusive dating.”

“Really? You don’t want to see other people?”

“Are you good with that?”

She nodded. “I’m not really someone who can date more than one person at a time anyway. Besides, then maybe we can forego the condoms. I think they contributed to my soreness last weekend. If you’re good with that, I mean. I had a checkup after I found out Noah was cheating, so I know I’m clean.”

I stopped in my tracks. “Are you on the pill?”

“No, but I have an IUD.”

I bent down and wedged my shoulder into her belly. When I stood, Josie flopped over my shoulder. She screeched while laughing. “What are you doing?”

“Getting the hell out of here.”

“What about my tasting flight?”

I bent as we passed the table we’d been sitting at and scooped up the wooden mini-glass holder along with her purse.

Josie wiggled in my arms, but I didn’t let her down—not even as people stared while I walked through the winery, and not even as the security guard standing at the front door told me I couldn’t leave with the glasses in my hand. I kept moving—long, purposeful strides until I got to the truck and dumped her inside. Jogging around to the passenger side, I passed her the wine samples. “You should probably keep these low, open container-in-the-car laws and all.”

“I cannot believe you just carried me out of the winery.”

“You told me you want me bare. You’re lucky we’re not in the bathroom right now.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Anxious much?”

“You have no fucking idea.”

I drove double the speed limit to get back to the B&B. Inside, the host tried to strike up a chat about some snacks they’d be putting out later. But the only thing I’d be eating was the woman I was practically dragging up the stairs to our room.

Once the door was shut, I got scolded. “You’re so rude. That nice old lady was looking for someone to talk to.”

I started to unbutton her blouse. “I know. That’s why I nipped that shit in the bud.”

She shook her head, but I could see she wasn’t really upset. I finished the last button and went for her jeans. “Tell me how you want it, babe.”

“You always ask me that.”

“That’s because I want to make sure it’s what you’re in the mood for.”

“What about what you’re in the mood for?”

“That’s easy. You.”

She laughed. “No, really. I think it’s your turn. Tell me what you want.” Josie put her palms to my chest and walked me backward. “You sit and think about it. And I’ll get undressed.”

I tried—I really did. But as I watched her shed her clothes, my mind raced through a million things I wanted to do to her, not how she could give to me. When she wiggled out of her jeans, I thought about tapping that beautiful ass. When she sucked the flesh of her pouty mouth in, I thought about slipping my cock between those luscious lips. But when she unclasped her lacy pink bra and her tits spilled out so close to my face, my mind settled on one track.

Josie took a step back and caressed her tits. “So, have you decided what you’re in the mood for?”

I licked my lips. “It can be anything?”

“Anything.”

“I can’t wait to come inside you bare, but if I go in without a release first, I’m not going to last thirty seconds.”

“Okay. So what would you like to do?”

“You’re really up for anything?”

“Why not?”

I stared at her gorgeous, natural breasts. “Then I want to titty-fuck you and come all over your neck.”

She blinked, but after the initial shock wore off, she smiled. “How do you want me?”

Fuck yeah.I felt like a kid with free rein in the candy store. “On your back, on the bed.”

Josie climbed up and settled in the middle of the mattress. I didn’t take my eyes off of her while I got undressed. When she squeezed her breasts together, my sock tore from my foot.

“You tear a lot of clothes,” she laughed.

“You try a lot of patience.” I lifted a knee to the bed. “You sure you’re okay with this?”

“I’m excited for it.”

My head fell back for a quick thank you to the man upstairs before I leaned and licked a line up her breastbone. Then I straddled her ribcage and also licked my hand before spreading the lubricant all over my cock.

Josie watched me rub up and down the shaft. “I like when you do that,” she said. “Touch yourself, I mean.”

“Oh yeah? Then you’ll be seeing me do it more often.”

I licked my hand once more and pumped a few times. I wanted to be inside her in the worst way, but I wanted the first time without a barrier between us to be good for her. Squeezing my cock between her tits would likely get me off just as fast. But I’d get her off while my body recharged, so we could both enjoy it without feeling frenzied.

Sufficiently lubed, I took a deep breath, attempting to calm myself before getting started. My cock was rigid straight, so I had to lean over her and help it down to reach her cleavage. Josie sandwiched me in the middle, holding me almost as tight as her pussy did.

I thrust once and cursed. “Fuck. Every part of you feels like heaven.”

She leaned up on her elbows and was greeted by the head of my cock peeking out between her mounds of flesh.

“Oh my God.” She gasped. “That is so hot. Keep going.”

Happy to oblige, I pumped my hips back and forth. This was only the prequel to the main act—getting to fuck her bare, and yet it was better than anything I’d felt in a long time. Josie’s hooded eyes locked on my cock. Watching how turned on she was might’ve been better than the physical part of what I was doing.

I didn’t want to bruise her skin by rubbing too hard or too long, so when my release started to barrel down, I didn’t fight it. My eyes dropped to her neck, to the delicate hollow at the center of her collarbone that had been driving me nuts since the first time I laid eyes on her. This damn woman made me feel like a caveman. I wanted her to submit the most vulnerable part of her body for me to shoot my load all over. I’d never had the urge to conquer a woman like this before. It should’ve scared the living shit out of me. But in the moment, nothing else was important. I gave zero fucks about anything other than decorating her neck with some pearls.

I growled as I spurted hot cum onto her creamy throat. My heart raced, and I felt a little lightheaded. It wasn’t like me to collapse after a release. Then again, this whole weekend wasn’t like me. So screw reading into it. I might freaking snuggle, too. Though I needed to clean her up first.

Josie was still breathing deep when I returned from the bathroom with a damp towel and gently wiped her neck. Her smile was big and goofy, as if she’d been the one who just shot a piece of her brain through a pinhole.

“I had no idea that would be such a turn-on,” she said.

“Was that your first time?”

She nodded.

Forget caveman, I felt like a freaking astronaut planting the first flag on the moon.

“What else haven’t you done?”

“I’m not sure. If you’d asked me that question a little while ago, I probably wouldn’t have thought to put that on the list. I’m thinking my sex life might’ve been a little boring. Noah didn’t ever ask me how I wanted it. We usually did it the missionary way. He didn’t even like it when I was on top.”

“Do you like it on top?”

She flashed a shy smile. “I love it.”

“Well, then that’s what you’ll get.” I tossed the towel over my shoulder and scooped her off the bed. “After you ride my face.”

***

I woke to a thin beam of sunlight streaking across my eyes. Those girly curtains weren’t only ugly, they didn’t do shit to keep out the light. Yet I didn’t move, because Josie and I were a tangle of limbs—another thing I didn’t normally do. I liked my space when I slept. At least with other women I did.

Josie’s head was on my chest. I’d thought she was sleeping until I felt eyelashes tickle my skin.

“You awake?” I whispered.

She tilted her neck back to look up at me. “I am. My phone woke me. My boss texted, and I couldn’t fall back asleep. Did you just wake up?”

“Yeah. How long have you been up?”

She shrugged. “Maybe an hour.”

“What time is it?”

“Almost ten. We slept late.” Josie ran her fingers through my chest hair. “Noah shaved his chest.”

I had opinions on men who did that, but that’s not what had me clenching my jaw. “Don’t know if I like being compared to your ex.”

She caught my eyes. “Your dick is twice the size.”

A cocky smile inched up my cheeks. “Maybe I like comparisons after all.”

She giggled, then sighed.

“It’s Sunday. Everything alright at work? Why was your boss texting you?”

“Yeah. He wants to know when I’m coming back. When I left, I put in for twelve weeks—the max you can take under the Family Medical Leave Act. But I told him I might return sooner, if I felt up to it.”

I studied her. “You’re leaving?”

She shook her head. “Not right away. I’m going to tell him I’m not coming back early.”

I felt relief, for a couple of seconds anyway. “When is your twelve weeks up?”

“Four weeks from tomorrow. But I should probably go back earlier to settle in. I’m sure whatever I left in the refrigerator looks like a science experiment by now.”

I’d always known Laurel Lake wasn’t Josie’s home. But it was starting to feel like she was mine... I cleared the morning grog from my throat. “I’ll help you finish up the house so you can take off whenever you’re ready. Maybe you can make me a list of what else needs to be done.”

She frowned. “What will happen when I leave?”

Realistically? She’d go back to New York and forget all about me. Get busy with her job, probably meet another doctor, or maybe a professor or lawyer. And I’d go back to burying myself in work and eventually to mindless fucking with no strings attached. Though I couldn’t imagine jumping right back into that after this.

I skirted the question I knew she was asking. “You’ll get another renter, and I’ll try to keep my eye out to make sure newspapers and VHS tapes show up in the garbage from time to time.”

“I meant between us.”

“It’s kind of hard to date from fourteen-hundred miles away.” As soon as I said it, I felt like a shit. But what was I supposed to say? That we’d take turns visiting and spend countless hours texting? My fingers were too damn big for the little keypad on a cell phone. A long text from me was a sentence, and I wasn’t even good at local relationships. Plus, she just got out of an engagement where the guy had let her down. I wasn’t about to do the same.

Josie looked away. “Yeah, of course.” She pulled the covers off and climbed out of bed. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“You want company?”

She smiled sadly. “Maybe another time.”

I nodded. She obviously wasn’t happy with my response to what would happen between us when she left. But Josie deserved better than me, even if part of me didn’t want to let her go.