Overdrive (5 page)

Mac clamped his hands over her hips and dragged her close, until they were touching chest to breast. “You’re babbling.” His husky voice held a trace of a smile, and she blushed.

“I know. Sorry.”

“Do you know why you’re babbling?”

“I’m not s-sure.”

“You’re nervous. You know what else?”

She shook her head mutely.

“I like that I make you nervous. But let’s see if I can distract you a little.” He bent low and took her mouth in a searing kiss that sent a bolt of heat straight to her pussy. There was no buildup. Just a mesh of lips and teeth and tongues. After nearly two years of anticipation, that was exactly how she wanted it.

She craned her neck, pressing closer, gasping when he crushed the sensitive tips of her breasts to his unyielding chest. Bouncing on her tiptoes, she slid her arms around his neck, holding on for all she was worth. He murmured his approval, tightening his grip, angling his hips to grind against hers. The thick length of him nudged her stomach, and she groaned, straining closer still.

Mac broke away with a curse, nipping her bottom lip once before retreating. The blood pounded in her ears as she tried to get her bearings. Apparently, he was no better off because he squeezed his eyes closed, sucking in a ragged breath.

“Damn,” he muttered. He ran a possessive hand over her bottom, leaving a trail of heat in its wake, before stepping back. “That was—” His throat worked as he swallowed hard, pinning her with his intense gaze. He shook his head bemusedly. “Sweet dreams, Frankie,” he whispered. A second later he jogged lightly down the steps and got into his car.

She stared after him, unable to speak, shaking with want. What the hell was that? One kiss and she was ready to throw herself at his feet. But it was more than that. He’d seen her, warts and all, and he still wanted her. Even better? He still
liked
her.

His taillights were long gone before she had the strength to push away from the door and stand on her own two feet.

Chapter Five

Two hours later Frankie lay sprawled on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was no closer to sleep than she’d been when she first slid between the sheets. Every time she tried to relax, her thoughts would flip straight back to Mac’s kiss and the adrenaline would start pumping again, making the prospect of relaxation laughable.

She reached out blindly toward the nightstand and found her cellphone. As she held it in her hand, she reminisced about the old days. Back when a girl could call a guy, listen to the sound of his voice for a few seconds then hang up fast and burst into giggles. No caller ID, no star sixty-nine. Just good, old-fashioned, crush-crank calls. She sighed and stared at the lit screen of the phone, willing it to vibrate.

She thought back to the rest of the night and marveled again at Mac. One minute he was seducing her with his panty-drenching grin, the next he was her champion, slaying the dragons from her past, making her feel normal and special all at the same time.

She was so lost in contemplation, when the cellphone buzzed in her hand, she tossed it like it was a rattlesnake.

Mac.

She scrabbled through the blankets in a panic, finally locating it near her feet. Scooping it up in trembling fingers, she cleared her throat. “H-Hello?”

“Hey.”

She sat back against the pillows and grinned like a fool, not bothering to hide her pleasure at the sound of his voice. “Hey, there.”

“Did I wake you?”

“No. Not at all. I was…watching some TV,” she said, grabbing the remote off the table and flicking on the television. She hating lying, but the alternative was to have said,
Lying in bed, fantasizing about you,
and she wasn’t that brave.

“I wanted to call and tell you what a great time I had tonight.”

She could hear the smile in his warm baritone, and it sent a thrill through her. “Me too.”

“I got that impression, but I’m glad to have it confirmed. Which leads me to the real reason for my call.” He paused, an edge of exasperation working into his tone. “Tell me one more time why we can’t keep doing that?”

She let out a long sigh. “When you say it like that, it sounds so simple,” she admitted. “But just because something feels good doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. Eating ice cream is fun too. If I did that every day, I’d be fat in three months and I wouldn’t feel healthy.”

“So you think I’m bad for you?”

She hated the hurt in his voice. “No. Not at all. I meant that our choices have consequences. Sometimes good and bad. Being with you made me feel really good tonight. But if we keep doing it, it’s going to feel bad when we have to stop. I don’t want to be the topic of conversation in this town again. And say what you will, but Galbraiths aren’t meant to be with mechanics, Mac. Especially ones like me. This will definitely cause tension between you and your parents, and I don’t want that.”

“I thought we got somewhere with this conversation at dinner.”

“We did. And in my head, I know you’re right, but I’ve lived for the past ten years thinking one way. I’m going to work on it, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”

“Okay. I get that. For what it’s worth, I did have a great time, and if you ever do get past that stuff, give me a call. I won’t bother you again, aside from car-related business.”

“Mac, I—”

“I’m not trying to be a jerk or make you feel bad, but I certainly don’t want to push you into doing something that doesn’t make you happy. It’s a shame, though. We could actually have something here. Night, Frankie.”

The phone went dead, and her heart sank. That was it. They’d been on one stupid date. So why did she feel so bereft? She wasn’t ready to make a public appearance or to commit, but did that mean they couldn’t spend some time together in secret to see how compatible they were? Tonight could’ve been a fluke. No point in getting everyone worked up over what might amount to nothing.

She flipped on the bedside lamp and snatched up the phone to punch in Mac’s number before she could change her mind.

“Hello?”

“What about the other thing?” she blurted.

“What other thing?” Mac said, the genuine confusion evident in his voice.

Don’t make me say it.
“Um, the one where you said…” she sucked in a breath and released it in a rush, “…you would be my guinea pig if…you know. While I’m figuring things out. Then we can see what happens from there.”

The line grew so quiet she was afraid he’d hung up on her. “Mac?” Her voice was equal parts panic and mortification.

“Yep.”

“Did you hear me?”

“I did indeed.”

“And?”

“I didn’t think of those as two separate offers. But if that’s what you want, I’m in.”

She’d been hoping for a little more enthusiasm rather than the clipped response. Maybe he’d changed his mind?

“Do you want time to think it over or something?”

“I don’t need time, I said I’m in.”

“Are you sure? You took so long to say anything, I thought—”

“You need to stop thinking so much,” he said with a heavy sigh. “It’s just not what I was expecting, so it threw me off. Then it took me a couple extra seconds to respond because I had to wait for enough blood to travel back to my brain for me to form a sentence. It’s not every day a beautiful woman asks if she can use you in a series of sexperiments.”

She laughed, relief overcoming embarrassment. The weight that had been pressing down on her chest since they’d hung up the first time dissipated. “I guess not.”

“When do we start?” The grimness had left his tone completely now, and his voice was like liquid sex, flowing over her, leaving goose bumps in its wake.

Part of her wanted to scream,
Now!
but she held back. Mrs. Nussbaum was an insomniac, and the last thing Frankie needed was for her to see Mac pulling in at two a.m. “Maybe tomorrow night?”

“Sounds good. Why don’t you come over around seven?”

Were they seriously discussing their sex date like it was an upcoming dentist appointment? The time to back out was now. She opened her mouth but couldn’t get the words out. Today with Mac had been more fun, more exciting, than all of her dates combined. She had a chance here to live out her fantasy. Who knew if that opportunity would ever come again?

“I’ll be there.” She steeled herself, then blurted, “Should I…bring anything? Uhh…for…”

“You mean like a swing? Or some fur-lined handcuffs?”

She could hear the smile in his voice and found herself grinning back. “Not quite what I meant. Should I bring protection? I mean, I haven’t been with anyone since college, but I’m on the pill for medical reasons and wasn’t sure…”

“This is such a great conversation to have ahead of time. I’m glad you brought it up. It’s entirely up to you. I’m vigilant about my health and give blood twice a year so I’m on top of things there. At the same time, I definitely want to make sure you feel safe and protected.”

She’d thought about being with him for so long, she didn’t want anything between them. “I don’t want to use a condom. If that’s okay.”

“Oh, babe, I am so down with that. And don’t worry, if you change your mind, I’ll make sure I have some on hand.”

“Okay.”

The line went quiet again, save for their echoing breaths. She should probably hang up.

“I don’t want to hang up yet,” Mac said, the reluctant honesty in his tone encouraging her to be honest in return.

“Me either.”

“What do you want, Frankie?”

What did she want?

She shoved aside all the doubts and self-recriminations and spoke the truth. “To listen to you talk. Your voice is so…”

“So…?” he urged.

Her heart pounded, and she closed her eyes. “Sexy. Your voice is so goddamn sexy.”

“I’m glad that you think so. And what would you like me to talk about?”

She squirmed, a familiar pressure spreading low in her belly. How to answer that loaded question? Mac had offered her the chance to explore a world she’d denied herself for so long. If she was going to do it, she was going to do it right.

“The things we’re going to do tomorrow, maybe,” she whispered.

His breath came out in a hiss. “That’s up to you, babe. I’m at your disposal. Whatever you want, however you want it.”

His answer both excited and frustrated her. She’d been hoping he’d—

“But I can tell you what I’d like us to do,” he said softly. “What I’ve imagined doing a thousand times. Would you like that?”

“Yes.” She gripped the phone tighter and pressed her thighs together.

“First, tell me, are you in bed?”

“Uh-huh. Are you?”

“Yes. I hate to be cliché and ask what you’re wearing, so I’m going to pretend it’s a black, short, lace nightgown.”

She glanced down at her flowered boxer shorts and Bob Marley T-shirt and bit her lip. “Yeah, we’ll go with that.”

His warm chuckle sent a thrill through her, and she smiled.

“Are the lights on?” Mac asked.

“Yes.”

“Turn them off.”

She didn’t hesitate, reaching over to turn off the bedside lamp. “Okay, they’re off.”

“Mine too.”

He must have moved to settle in because she could hear the creak of the bed. The darkness of the room only intensified the intimacy of the situation.

“Do you remember the first car I brought you?”

She burst out laughing. “Um, let’s see. I think it was the Camaro, right? Is that your idea of mechanic dirty talk?” she teased.

“Nope. I only brought it up to give you a point of reference. That day your dad was out, and you came out of the garage into the office wiping your hands on a rag. Your hair was in a ponytail like usual, and you had on black overalls. They were made of some stretchy material, and they fit you like a glove. It was like some high school wet dream come to life.”

His admission made her nipples hard, and she shifted beneath the covers.

“You asked me what the problem was. I told you, and you launched into this amazing analysis of what you thought was wrong. That made me even hotter for you.” His breath grew harsh, and his voice dipped lower. “I went home and jerked off thinking about you. Pulling the zipper down with my teeth. Pushing those overalls past your breasts…your hips. Making you step out of them so I could bend you over the hood and use my knee to spread your legs apart. You’d be open, Frankie. Accessible and wet as I slid my cock into you one inch at a time. Slow. I’d go so slow, baby, even now, because I’d want to feel all of you as I went in. I’d relish the heat and the burn. I’d push and stretch you until your pussy squeezed me tight, over and over while you screamed my name.”

Frankie pressed her thighs together as his words pulsed straight to her clit. Her strained breath joined his. “W-were you in your bed when you…jerked off?” she whispered, slipping a hand down her stomach. She imagined him stroking his cock as he caressed her, feeling the silken skin of her belly and lower. Her knees parted as a hand—she groaned—connected with the hot, moist flesh exposed. Her head fell back, and she closed her eyes.