All They Ever Wanted (17 page)

Lori laughed and Miles was awed by the raw delight in her voice. She'd closed herself off from everyone since arriving in Chances Inlet. Finally, he was getting to see the real woman beneath her fortress of layers.

“It's just that I don't know what my future holds,” she whispered. Her wistful words made something squeeze inside Miles' chest. “And when I'm with you, I can forget that for a little while.” She finally lifted her eyes to meet his. They were flooded with desire, but there was something else there,
too—honesty. “I know you're using me for the same thing and that's okay.”

It's not okay!
Miles felt like a jerk for being called out by her. Except he couldn't argue because what she accused him of was the truth.

She flicked her tongue over his nipple and all coherent thought left his brain.

“Thank you for dinner,” she said. “But if it's all the same, I'd like to start with dessert.”

Miles watched as she unbuttoned his jeans and carefully pulled down the zipper. He groaned when her greedy fingers slid between his boxer briefs and his skin. Lori lingered there a moment, gently stroking her thumbs along his raging erection.

“Lori,” he hissed when she pulled her hands away to shove his clothes over his hips. She shot him a coy smile before flicking her tongue over his nipple again. He stepped out of his pants and underwear and kicked them aside. Lori spread her hands on his chest and traced her tongue lower, circling the inside of his navel before she reached nirvana. Miles threw his head back with a heavy sigh when she sank down on her knees and circled him with her very skilled tongue.

A soft hum escaped her as she took him more fully in her mouth. Miles grabbed hold of her ponytail just to keep upright. He guided her head back and forth with it as she pleasured him with her mouth. One of her hands kneaded his sac while the other slid along his thigh. Miles was seconds from losing control when he pulled her head back, easing her mouth off him. She tilted her head up and the sight of her wet lips and unfocused eyes wrecked him.

“I want to be inside you. Now.”

She nodded, reaching around on the floor for his jeans. He took them from her and dug into the back pockets to retrieve the condoms he'd stuck in there earlier.

“Let me do it,” she said. Her breathing was still raspy and it was doing crazy things to Miles' body. After she'd rolled the condom over him, she gracefully got to her feet. Miles backed her across the room to the wide desktop he and Gavin
had installed in the room's alcove. Lori eyed it carefully then tested it for sturdiness.

“Tell me, Dudley Do-Right, is this where you did your homework?” She shot him a wicked smile.

“Every night.”

She slipped her bra straps off her shoulder then reached behind her back and undid the clasp. “Did you ever think of doing this when you were doing that homework?”

Miles pulled the bra from her fingers and tossed it on the pile of clothes on the floor.

“Every night,” he growled as he slid a finger beneath her panties. “And it looks like I'm not the only one thinking about it now.”

Her eyes drifted shut when he traced his thumb along her wet seam. He yanked the panties over her hips before nudging her deeper onto the desktop. She balanced herself on her hands, letting her legs hang open over the side.

“I've been thinking about it all day, Miles,” she confessed breathlessly.

“Who am I to deny such an industrious girl her dessert?” Stepping between her legs, Miles leaned over her lush body. She looked more appetizing than any dessert he'd eaten before. Miles took a pink nipple in his mouth. With a contented sigh, she arched her body to give him better access, stroking her foot over his hip. He traced a finger through her curls before thrusting it deep inside her. Lori's eyes flew open as she bucked off the desk.

“What happened to you wanting to be inside me
now?
” she demanded.

Miles smiled to himself as he gave her pert nipple one last tug with his lips. Wrapping his hands around her hips, he stood up tall. She chewed on her lip while she watched raptly as he slowly slid inside her. A sweat broke out at the back of his neck at the eroticism of their pose. He groaned with satisfaction when her warm, wet body wrapped around him. “Damn,” he said as he pulled her body closer. “You feel so good.”

Threading his fingers beneath her ass, he lifted her up so he could slide deeper inside her. Lori wrapped her legs around
his hips and draped her arms over his shoulders. She threw her head back again when he filled her to the hilt. Her moaned “yes” was like a benediction to his ears. Miles stilled so that he could slow things down and savor the moment, but Lori had other ideas. She clenched her muscles around him and he was lost. They moved together at an urgent pace, her little breaths fanning his ear.

“Yes,” she moaned. “Just like that. This is what I need.” She nipped his collarbone and he could feel her muscles growing tighter. He wanted to watch her find her bliss again. Slowing the pace, he leaned her back against the desktop and maneuvered a finger between their bodies. Her head rolled from side to side.

“Please, Miles,” she begged. “Make me forget.” Something about her words was unsettling at the back of his mind, but the sight of her writhing before him pretty much obliterated any rational thought. His brain told him to give her what she wanted and to follow her over the edge. He dragged his thumb over her sweet spot and circled once, twice, three times. The third time was the charm. She convulsed around him and Miles barely had time to take in the gorgeous picture of her as she came before he was pumping into her again, his powerful release making him swear like a sailor.

T
hey were each sitting cross-legged, the picnic basket between them on the floor in front of the pretty stone hearth. Miles had brought along several wide candles to place in the fireplace and the candlelight danced on the bare skin of his chest every time either of them moved. Lori had dressed before they'd moved downstairs, but Miles had only gone so far as to pull on his jeans. She was distracted by his sexy body until he'd opened up the basket and started pulling out the food. Suddenly Lori was ravenous.

Miles should be the poster boy for Scouting. He'd definitely come prepared this evening. The basket contained not only candles and wine, but a delicious dinner of sandwiches and salads. The only thing missing was the dessert, but since she'd already enjoyed a thoroughly satisfying one upstairs, Lori wasn't going to complain.

Miles ripped off a piece of bread and tossed it over to where Tessa was lying. The dog caught the morsel in midair. Lori smiled. “You're going to spoil her.”

“She's really very sweet. Have you had her long?”

“Actually, she's a stray who used to hang out in the alley
near my apartment. Diesel and I would take turns feeding her. I was worried about how she would survive when we both left, so I brought her with me.”

Miles' body went still at the mention of Diesel and she quickly realized her mistake. Pursing her lips, she swore silently.

“Diesel?” His voice was low and ragged. “You two knew each other before you came to town?”

“Yes, we lived in the same apartment building. In New York.” Of course, he'd likely already figured that out on his own.

He turned to face the fireplace and Lori cringed a bit at the hard set of his jaw.

“So Diesel knows who you are?” he asked without bothering to face her. “Does he know your whole freakin' back story?”

Lori reached over the picnic basket and gave his knee a gentle squeeze. “He and I are friends, Miles.” She waited until he swung his eyes back around to meet hers. “We've never had
dessert
together, though.”

“Good to know,” he said as he tossed the remains of his sandwich back onto his plate.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry over the fact that Miles was miffed. “Miles, this”—she waved her hand between them—“is all you need to know. We're just two people enjoying each other, helping each other through some rough times. My back story and
your future
aren't important. The woman sitting here right now, the woman you made love to, is who I really am. Truth.”

He swallowed roughly before he eventually nodded. “At least I know where you lived before you came here. Although I don't think you grew up there. Your accent is too flat to be a native New Yorker.”

Lori smiled. “You're right. I grew up on the other side of the country. In a small town very similar to this one.” She was safe in giving him that much information. The media had thankfully never connected her father to Lori Hunt of Logan, Oregon.

Miles took a sip of his wine then stared at her over the rim of the glass. “Brothers and sisters?”

“Only child.” She was splitting hairs, but technically it
wasn't a lie since she was the only child her biological parents had together.

“Favorite color?”

Lori always hated that question. She never really gravitated toward one color or the other, preferring whichever one fit her mood at the time. Glancing across at the serious expression in his eyes, however, there was only one answer she could give. “Blue.”

He crooked an eyebrow as though he knew he was being played but he continued with his questioning. “Dogs or cats?”

It was Lori's turn to raise an eyebrow. She angled her chin toward Tessa.

Miles grinned. “Okay, favorite subject in school. And don't say home ec.”

“I didn't take home ec, thankfully. I was a band kid. Piccolo.” She swallowed a mouthful of wine, basking in his admiring smile. “But my favorite subject was always science. I loved doing the experiments.”

He gave her an approving nod. “Favorite music then, band girl?”

“Oh, wow, that's not fair. I like all music. Although being in North Carolina, country music is really starting to grow on me.”

Miles set his empty glass down on the hearth, then he moved the picnic basket to the side. “How about North Carolina? Is it really growing on you?”

She tried and failed to fight the smile forming on her lips as he prowled across the blanket toward her. “Some of the people definitely are.” A lump formed in her throat at the truth of her statement.

Taking the wineglass from her fingers, he set it next to his on the hearth. “Favorite flavor of ice cream?” he asked as he gently leaned her back against the blanket on the floor.

Lori stretched out her legs beneath his muscled thighs, which were pinning her down. “I have to go with chocolate.”

He ran his tongue along her nape and the fluttering began deep in Lori's core. “Really,” he said between nibbling her neck. “All thirty-one flavors and you pick something as boring as chocolate?”

Lori slid her hands beneath his loose jeans, skimming her fingertips over the firm globes of his ass. “Vanilla is boring.” She leaned her neck to the side, giving him better access. “And I told you I was easy.”

“Easy enough that you won't object to a second helping of dessert?” he murmured in her ear.

Miles' hands were circling her tender nipples, eliciting a long sigh from deep within her. “A real woman never refuses a second helping of dessert,” she managed to get out before his mouth took hers. His kiss was achingly slow and tender. Lori's hips flexed beneath his in an effort to try and spur him on. But Miles ignored her message, taking his time savoring her mouth while his fingers unfastened the buttons of her blouse. He stroked his tongue against hers in a slow, deliberate rhythm. His unhurried movements were having the opposite effect on Lori as she grew wet and wilder beneath him. Pulling out of his kiss, she rolled her head to the side. The aroused flush covering her body made her breathless.

“Please.” She might have been ashamed that the word sounded more like a sob, but at the moment, all she could think about was how much she needed Miles inside her.

Stretching up to a plank position, Miles chuckled as he watched her peel off her clothes. He jumped to his feet and took care of his jeans and the condom efficiently before pinning her body back to the floor with his.

“Please what, Sweet Cheeks?”

“Please take me,” she whispered.

The words were barely out of her mouth and he was thrusting into her with one swift movement. Lori cried out from the sheer pleasure of it. Miles shifted so that with every move he made he was rubbing against the part of her that needed it the most. He moved a few strokes and stars began to form in front of her eyes.

“Favorite position?” he growled against her neck.

Lori laughed out loud and Miles stilled as if to listen as it echoed off the bare walls.

“Hmm, I'm pretty adventuresome,” she said, nipping at his chin. “But right now, this one's working really well for me.”

He thrust again and Lori moaned with pleasure.

“Let me help you,” he said.

“You are helping me.” She clenched her muscles around him and he moved deeper.

“That's not what I meant.” He sounded as impatient as Lori felt.

She dragged her nails down his spine, hoping to urge him to move. “I know what you meant, Miles, but you can't help me with anything else but this.” Lori arched her back so she could take him more fully. “This is all you can ever give me. And all I can ever give you.”

He growled something obscene before rocking into her at a pace that had them both breathing heavily with the exertion. When the world started to splinter, Miles captured her shout of pleasure with his mouth. His tongue mimicked the thrusting of his body until, moments later, he came with a long jerk of his hips.

Lori wasn't sure how long they lay intertwined on the floor. A sense of wholeness enveloped her body, warming her from her fingers to her toes. Her heart and her mind were still racing at a frantic pace as her body came back from its sensual stupor. Was this really all they could ever have?
Would ever have?
Tears burned the backs of her eyes and she wanted to rail at the younger version of herself for making such stupid choices—ones that had forced her on the road she was now traveling. All she and Miles would ever have was this little intersection along the divergent paths of their lives. She needed to get a grip and soak up everything he was willing to give her for the short time they had left.

Thunder rumbled off in the distance. Darkness had settled over the quiet street. Lori traced Miles' ear with the tip of her tongue. “I have to get back to the B and B soon,” she whispered. “I need to get the breakfast dishes organized.”

“Mmm,” was all he said before he eventually stirred.

They dressed in the quiet as the thunder crept closer. Miles extinguished the candles before repacking the basket. He led her out of the house, locking the door and returning the key to beneath the flowerpot. Pulling a flashlight out of the basket,
Miles used it to illuminate the path through the woods. The sky opened up just as they emerged near the garden shed. Tessa yelped as she ran ahead to the safety of the inn.

Miles' face split into a wide grin. “Let's make a run for it,” he said as he twined his fingers through hers and pulled her toward the house. Both of them were soaked when they reached the kitchen. Fortunately the B and B was quiet and settled for the night. Miles handed her a towel from a stack in the laundry. Then he helped her carry the necessary plates and silverware into the breakfast room. Lori returned to the kitchen to set the timers on the warming trays. She shivered when Miles came up behind her and pressed his damp body against hers.

“Let me warm you up,” he whispered against her neck.

She never considered denying him. Miles turned off the lights and led her up the stairs to his room, where he proceeded to do more than warm her under the spray of the large shower in his suite.

*   *   *

“You weren't kidding about the snoring,” Miles teased Lori as he carried the heavy cambro container of coffee the Java Jolt had just delivered into the B and B. It wasn't quite seven in the morning and the kitchen was empty except for the two of them. He needed to get out the door and hit the beach for his run, but he seemed to be getting later and later with his training every morning.

The past four nights spent with Lori had been diverting and relaxed. Despite the heavy decisions weighing them both down, they'd managed to carve out more time together—most of it in bed, not that Miles minded. But he could feel reality hovering, waiting to strike, like the storm clouds that currently blanketed the sky above the beach. Inexplicably, that only made him want to spend more time with her.

She blushed prettily as she piled the muffins into a basket. “I did warn you, Dudley.”

Will stomped up the porch steps, making Miles abort the kiss he wanted to give her. His friend stopped at the screen door and reached around it to grab a bottle of water from the
cooler. “The clouds are looking ominous out there,” he said. “Let's run into town and grab a treadmill at the gym instead. You can kill two birds with one stone and press the flesh with some of your adoring future constituents.”

Lightning flashed behind Will's head and Midas scrambled between his legs into the kitchen, seeking refuge beneath the back stairs. The dog had the right idea. Miles would much rather stay at the B and B and spend more time with Lori than work out at the crowded Ship's Iron gym. His friend eyed him discerningly as though he knew the way Miles' thoughts were tracking.

Miles blew out a resigned sigh. “Let's get moving, then, if we're going to beat the rain.” He grabbed his own bottle of water. “Can you keep an eye on Midas?” he asked Lori.

Glancing at the dog cowering in the corner, she gave him a soft smile. “I don't think he'll give me much trouble.” With a quick wave, she carried the muffins into the breakfast room.

His gut clenched as he watched her disappear through the doorway. Whenever they parted, Miles found himself constantly wondering if he'd see her again. That needy feeling working its way through his body was starting to concern him.

“Earth to Miles,” Will said. “Let's go or we'll have our shower before we get to the gym.”

He hesitated a moment longer before following Will out the door. They started off at a slow jog in an effort to cover the half-mile trek into town before the sky opened up.

“So, what happened to Lori having one foot out the door?”

They hadn't even gotten down the drive yet and Will was already asking questions. Miles felt defensive about revealing any details of his relationship with Lori—even to his close friend. “My mother is only at seventy-five percent. Lori won't leave until she feels my mother is ready.” There was that rolling in his gut again. Miles wasn't exactly sure of what Lori would do—especially if whatever it was she was running from backed her into a corner.