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Authors: Tori Carrington

Private Parts (5 page)

BOOK: Private Parts
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8

A
THRILL RACED OVER
Kendall’s skin at the thought of bringing Troy to his knees with pure, sexual need.

She kicked off her shoes, tugged her blouse from the waist of her skirt and then quickly unbuttoned it. He held the free end of one of her belts in his hand, as if unable to believe his eyes.

“You’re not afraid, are you?” she asked softly.

He blinked dazedly up at her, his gaze automatically following her movements when she let her blouse fall to the floor, along with her skirt, bra and panties.

He shook his head. “Should I be?”

“Depends.”

“On what?” He shrugged out of his suit jacket, laying it across the covered chair, and unbuttoned his shirt.

“On what frightens you.”

He stripped his shirt off, and then his trousers, within moments standing in the flickering candlelight sporting nothing but his upright erection. He seemed to remember something and then took out a handful of condoms from his pocket and placed them on the nightstand.

She raised a brow.

He grinned. “Just in case.”

She liked the way he thought.

Kendall poured the wine and rounded the bed to hand him a glass.

His dark eyes glinted at her suggestively. “Are you saying I need this?”

She reached down with her free hand, cupping his hard-on. “Mmm…I just thought you might like it.”

His eyes grew darker still as his pupils grew large…along with the appendage she held tightly in her palm.

He practically gulped the wine.

It was all she could do not to laugh. “Thirsty?”

“Anxious to see what you have in mind.”

She leaned in and kissed him. Long…leisurely…tasting the fruit of the wine on his tongue, the heat of his rising desire on his lips.

“Mmm…”

She placed her hands against his shoulders, moving him to face her, his back to the bed. Then she gently shoved, forcing him to sit.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to whip out an alien
probe,” she assured him when he looked slightly panicked.

He raised a brow, amusement showing.

“Unless you want me to…” she teased.

He chuckled. “Go easy on me.”

“Oh, easy has absolutely no place in this equation.”

“What does?”

She tilted her head slightly as she indicated he should lie down in the middle of the bed. “Let’s just say that the other night, you had control…” She climbed up on the mattress after him. “Tonight it’s my turn.”

She straddled him, watching as his eyes darkened, his gaze taking in her nakedness even as she smoothed her hands along his right side and up his arm, raising it above his head.

“You smell good,” she said, and he did. A cross between sandalwood and something spicy. Pepper, maybe.

“It’s my cologne.”

She fastened the leather around his wrist and he automatically tugged against it, testing it.

“For a minute earlier, I thought Ari might be on to us,” she said, trying to keep his mind engaged, off what she was doing in case he balked and wanted to back out.

She realized she needn’t worry about that. He was so taken with watching her breasts sway inches away
from his mouth while she worked that she could have cracked a whip in front of his nose and he wouldn’t have blinked.

“Ari couldn’t find his own ass with both hands and a flashlight.”

She smiled as she repeated her actions with his other arm, not stopping until use of his arms was no longer an option.

She sat back on his thighs and considered her handiwork. God, there was something infinitely exciting about taking power away from a powerfully hot man.

“I think you underestimate him.”

“Hmm…what? Who?”

Kendall was perfectly aware that the way she sat allowed him a special view of her more delicate areas.

“Ari,” she said, sliding her hand slowly under her breasts, over her abdomen and then down into the valley between her legs.

Troy’s jaw tightened. “Fuck Ari.”

She laughed low in her throat as she used her own fingers to spread her damp folds, giving him an even more intimate peek. “No, Troy. I’d much rather fuck you…”

 

D
AMN, BUT THE WOMAN
was on fire…

Troy tugged on the straps holding his hands above his head, his palms itching with the desire to caress
those beautiful breasts…to probe the flesh between her rounded thighs.

The realization that he couldn’t set his teeth on edge as he was instantly relegated to voyeur over participant.

Kendall stroked herself and then smoothed her own juices over the top of his aching hard-on.

He threw his head back and groaned.

He’d heard the term “white-bread” before. As in something mediocre, everyday, mundane. But he’d never truly understood its meaning. Until now. Because everything that had come before this one moment—all his sexual relationships—had been far too white-bread. Predictable. First base, second base, third base, home. Nice. But certainly not thrilling.

Kendall—

She wrapped her fingers around his penis and squeezed. He gasped.

Kendall was feeding a fire within him that he might never have realized he had the fuel for if she’d not entered his life.

She slid her fingers up and down his shaft. He yanked against his restraints.

“Shh…” she murmured.

Then her tongue was on him.

Oh dear Lord in heaven…

Troy’s hips bucked from the mattress on their own accord. He set his jaw, warding off his impending
crisis. Too quick…too soon. But how was he possibly to have been prepared for this sexy onslaught?

Kendall swirled her tongue around the sensitive head and then slid her lips over to the rim, sucking lightly.

His hips bucked again.

She laughed and removed her mouth. “My, we’re the impatient one tonight, aren’t we?” She moved her hand up and down, up and down, slowly, tantalizingly… “So different than the other night.”

The other night…

The other night he had been the initiator. Had set the pace. Had controlled what happened.

Now he was at her utter, complete mercy.

And she was loving every minute of it.

And, he realized, so was he.

She slid her mouth back over him again, matching her hand movements to her mouth. Troy swallowed thickly, trying to hold back. Attempting to prolong the flames licking through his stomach and around his balls. But he couldn’t.

He tried to warn her as his back stiffened.

But she held tight as he exploded into the hot depths of her mouth.

 

T
ROY’S OBVIOUS SURPRISE
at her actions further heightened Kendall’s own desire. She ran her tongue the length of his erection, amazed that he’d lost rigid
ity for only a moment before going rock hard again. How badly she wanted to feel him deep inside her.

His low groan was more pleasing than the music coming from the small radio. She breathed in his musk, loving the smell of him, the feel, the heat.

Finally, she lapped her way up his defined abs, detouring briefly to suckle his flat nipples, and then kissed him. He leaned up into her, seeking a closer meeting. One she was only too eager to offer him. So hot…

She wriggled her body against his, enjoying the crisp hair on his chest against her hard nipples, the rasp of his thighs against hers. She wanted his hands on her. Touching her. Stroking her. But in order to achieve that, she’d have to release his bonds. And she wasn’t quite ready to do that.

Kendall tore her mouth from his, gasping for air. What was it about this one man that so little could give her so much pleasure?

She slid her legs on either side of his and then straddled him anew. She took one of his condoms from the nightstand and quickly sheathed him, staring deeply into his eyes. Then, inch by delicious inch, she sank down on top of him, taking him in.

A bone-rocking shudder rippled through her, from her scalp to her toes.

As she gazed at him, it struck her why having sex with him was different.

He was there.

Oh, she didn’t mean physically. Of course he was there in that regard. No, it went much further than that. He was present. With her. In the moment. No glancing at the clock. No rushing. No evidence of any other place that he’d rather be than with her.

The realization was startling in its clarity. And shot the flames of her desire for him even higher.

She shifted her hips, sliding over him, loving the way he filled her. Touched her.

She rested her palms against his chest, feeling the beat of his heart there. Feeling her own heart beat in synchronicity with his. Feeling connected to him in a way that far transcended sex.

And here she had just been aiming for an incredibly erotic night of sex.

Instead, she’d reached a plateau for which she hadn’t been aware she’d been reaching.

She sank down on top of him again and again…oddly both in and out of control. She might be commanding her actions, but she had little if no command over her spiraling, expanding emotions.

Kendall restlessly licked her lips, seeking air that she couldn’t seem to draw into her lungs as she leaned over to kiss him. He yanked hard on his restraints. She considered letting him go. Wanted more than anything to feel his arms around her, holding her.

Before she could make the decision, he pulled his right wrist free, tearing the leather, his hand
immediately seeking and finding her bottom. He probed her flesh, following her shallow channel down to where they were joined.

Oh, yes…oh, yes…oh, yes…

Then he was holding her ass still, his hips bucking up against hers, filling her deeper, faster. She reached to free his other hand but before she accomplish the task, her body exploded with pleasure, robbing her of any thought outside that of immediate bliss…

9

“Y
OU SEEM DIFFERENT
somehow.”

The following day Troy sat in the front booth at the Quality Diner, his father across from him. But it was neither the eatery nor his father that he was contemplating, but rather last night and the hours he’d spent in that motel room with Kendall.

He’d woken this morning surprised to find himself still in bed with her, yet reluctant to get out of it. To move her leg from where it lay across his. To put an end to her soft snores where her head rested against his shoulder.

He’d lain there, caressing her back with his hand, marveling at the soft warmth of her skin, the sweet smell of her blond hair, thinking that for the first time in a long time, he felt at peace.

He frowned now, finding his choice of description odd. To feel peace meant that one was at war, no?
If so, what was he at war with? And how did he go about ending it permanently?

He finally focused on his father and his question. “I’m sorry. What was that?”

His father appeared not to know whether to grin or frown. “You’re distracted.”

Troy picked up the menu. “I’m not distracted. I’m preoccupied. I’d like to get this contract sewn up before Philippidis changes his mind.”

His father took the menu from his hands. “You’re distracted. We already ordered.”

Had they? God, he couldn’t even remember.

Which made him all the more curious about his state of mind.

He’d never been so out of sorts over a woman before. Or if he had, he couldn’t remember it. Which could very possibly be the case, considering that he couldn’t even remember ordering.

He stopped short of asking his father what he would be eating for breakfast, however.

“What were we talking about?” he prompted his father.

“Your distractedness.”

“Before that.”

“The fact that Elena bought half of this diner.”

Troy nodded and looked around. “Ah, yes. And she hasn’t broken the news to Ari yet.”

His brother was going to be upset that his bride-to-be had gone against his wishes. But from what
he understood, Elena’s actions were good for everyone involved. She could have bought Verna out completely considering that the longtime owner was suffocating under a mountain of debt. Instead, Elena had bought half interest, providing the capital Verna needed to dig herself out, yet hold on to the place her family had established over a hundred years ago. And from what he could tell, the two women got along like a house on fire. Even now, he could see both of them through the kitchen window laughing as they cooked together.

His gaze homed in on Elena’s beautiful face. Okay, he reluctantly admitted, maybe he’d been wrong about her. Perhaps she hadn’t been marrying Philippidis for his money and wasn’t the gold digger he’d thought. In fact, he was growing quite fond of her and her strong independent streak. Lord knew it would be much easier for her just to go along with Ari’s wishes. Money was not in short supply and she would be well taken care of. That she wanted to make her own way, and was slowly integrating herself with the town inhabitants, all while her belly grew larger each passing day, was endearing.

“He’s not going to take the news well,” his father said of Ari.

“He’ll get over it.”

“I suppose he will. I think he’ll feel better once Elena finally agrees on a wedding date. I mean, that baby she’s carrying isn’t getting any smaller.”

Troy grinned at his father’s traditional views. “She’ll agree when she’s ready.”

“In the meantime we have to put up with Ari.”

Which wasn’t a bad proposition. Of the two of them, his younger brother had always been the one with the better disposition. Of course, with him around to look after the more important matters, what was there for Ari to worry about?

“Then there’s the other matter,” Percy said quietly.

Troy squinted at him as the waitress brought them their lunches. He was relieved he’d gone with a club salad and not half a grapefruit or something else equally as unappetizing from the menu.

“Where did you stay last night?”

Troy nearly choked on his own saliva. “I came home.”

His father narrowed his eyes.

“Would you believe me if I told you I slept on the couch in my office at the mill?”

“If it’s the truth.”

He’d never liked lies. Not even little white ones.

But in this case he figured he was entitled. He could only imagine what his father would do with the news that he’d slept with opposing council.

“Is it?” Percy asked.

The cowbell above the door opened. He was surprised to see Caleb enter along with a handsome, well-dressed older woman.

Troy wiped his mouth with his napkin and got to his feet. “Caleb.” He nodded at the other man.

His father followed suit, but his gaze wasn’t on his niece’s boyfriend. Instead, he appeared quite taken with the woman.

After Caleb greeted them both, he put his arm around her and said, “May I present my mother, Phoebe Payne.”

Troy welcomed her to Earnest and inquired if she was enjoying her visit. His father kissed her hand and offered to show her around.

Troy knew a moment of pause, dread coating the bottom of his stomach. They suspected part of the reason Manolis Philippidis had decided to let bygones be bygones was because he hoped to win back Phoebe Payne, who he had been dating until she’d learned of his bullish behavior.

What was his father doing?

Caleb said, “A word, Troy?”

He followed when Caleb stepped a few feet away.

“I have that meeting with the union head this afternoon. Can you pop in? Kind of a feel-good gesture? I have a feeling that this isn’t going to go as smoothly as we hoped.”

“Why? What’s happened?”

“There’s some concern over job guarantees.”

Troy rubbed the back of his neck. “Seeing as there
are no jobs to be had anywhere in Earnest, I’d think they’d be a little more amenable.”

Caleb grimaced. “Not a point you want to make. I already tried that and the brick wall raised higher.”

“Okay. Fine. What time?”

“We’re meeting at two-thirty, so fifteen minutes or so thereafter would be good.”

He nodded. “Fine. Good.” He turned to find his father had led Phoebe to their booth and was handing her in to sit next to him.

Christ. This was a disaster waiting to happen.

Caleb grinned. “Looks like we’ll be dining together.”

“Yes. Looks that way,” Troy said under his breath.

And if the only things on his father’s menu were food, everything would be great…

 

A
FTER THE FIRST FEW DAYS
of working inside the main conference room, Troy had offered Kendall use of an empty office at the mill just down the way from his. She’d thankfully accepted and spent most of her time in the airy space going over her notes, communicating with Philippidis’s office and punching numbers into her laptop.

Movement outside caught her attention. She didn’t realize she was hoping it was Troy until she experienced disappointment at discovering it wasn’t.

“Have you even had lunch?” Bryna asked, leaning against the doorjamb.

She lifted a carton of chocolate milk. “I’m brown-bagging it, compliments of Mrs. Foss.”

“Really?”

Curiosity brought Troy’s younger cousin closer to peek at what was left of her lunch.

She chuckled. “Peanut butter and jelly?”

“Along with a bag of chips and an apple.”

“God, how old does she think you are?”

“Not too old that I didn’t enjoy it. She even cut off the crust. My mother never even did that.”

They enjoyed a shared laugh as Kendall finished off her milk and tossed the carton along with the other wrappings into the wastebasket.

She liked Bryna. She was smart and open and didn’t pull any punches. Qualities that seemed to run in the Metaxas family. Once or twice she’d caught her and Caleb Payne sneaking a kiss in the semi-privacy of Bryna’s office, but while it was obvious the two were dating, they were discreet about it.

Of course, during the long contract meetings for which they were all present, Kendall had a hard enough time making sure she wasn’t too obviously mooning over Troy to pay much attention to anyone else.

“So tell me,” she said casually. Or at least she hoped she sounded casual. “Are all of you Metaxases involved in relationships?”

“Involved?”

“You and Caleb…”

“Oh!” Her cheeks colored briefly and her smile was so wide it nearly split her pretty face in two. “You noticed.”

“I noticed.”

“It isn’t too obvious, I hope? I don’t think Troy would be too happy about any workplace displays of affection.”

“No, nothing obvious…outside the fact that you two have the hots for each other big-time.”

Bryna looked down at her hands, her expression revealing that she was probably thinking thoughts she wouldn’t share.

“And Ari is engaged to Elena at the diner.”

Bryna gave an exaggerated eye roll. “I swear, if they don’t get married soon, their child will be able to stand up for them at the wedding.”

“Is there a specific reason for the delay?”

“I think Elena wants everyone to be clear that she’s not marrying him for his money. Until she feels comfortable that’s the case…”

“I see.” She paused. “And Troy?”

“Troy?”

Kendall was afraid she was caught.

“Are you kidding? Troy hasn’t had a date in something like two years.”

Kendall might have given a sigh of relief had she not been shocked by the answer. “Two years?”

Bryna nodded. “Yep. Not since his ex-girlfriend went off and married his best friend.”

She winced. “Ouch.”

“You can say that again. Nasty business.”

It was, indeed. Kendall couldn’t imagine what Troy must have gone through. It was bad enough losing your girl to another man, but to have that man be your best friend… She shuddered.

She reached inside the plain brown bag and pulled out a baggy. “Mrs. Foss included a few homemade oatmeal cookies. Want one?”

Bryna groaned as she sat on a corner of the desk. “I’d love one. I haven’t had oatmeal cookies since…well, since I last had a pb&j sandwich.” She accepted a cookie. “Miss Thekla doesn’t make them.”

“Miss Thekla?”

“Our housekeeper.”

Neither of them said anything more as they polished off the three cookies, Kendall offering up half of the third and Bryna happily taking it off her hands.

“Is a packed lunch included in the daily rate?” Bryna asked.

Kendall smiled. “I asked Mrs. Foss if she’d mind me making a sandwich to take for lunch using leftovers one night, and from there on in I found a brown bag waiting for me next to my breakfast plate. So, yes, I guess it is included.”

“Maybe she’s softening up in her old age.”

Kendall laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

Movement on the catwalk. They both turned to watch Troy and Caleb return from their own lunch, deep in conversation.

“Uh-oh,” Bryna said, getting to her feet and brushing cookie crumbs from her skirt. “I’d better get back to my office before the boss discovers I’m missing and docks my pay.”

“I’m sure you’d never let that happen.”

“You’re right.” She paused at the door. “You are going to make the Christmas party, aren’t you?”

“Party?”

“You mean Troy hasn’t invited you yet?”

Indeed, he hadn’t. “An office event?”

“More like a whole town event. The family’s been doing it for decades. We host an open house for the entire town. Food, drink, music, gifts…the whole shebang. It’s this Saturday night. I’m sure Troy just forgot. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s a little work obsessed.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Anyway, I’m inviting you. So please come.”

Kendall knew a moment of pause, momentarily wondering if Troy had, indeed, forgotten to invite her. Or whether he just didn’t want her there. “Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” She turned back toward the door. “Thanks for the cookie.”

“Anytime.”

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