Say No To Joe? (29 page)

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Authors: Lori Foster

BOOK: Say No To Joe?
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Willow didn't let him finish. She turned and ran for the school. She believed him, she really did. But . . . What if Clay was lying? His scratches looked an awful lot like the ones Joe had. What if Clay was the one who'd done those awful things to her home, taunting her, trying to force her to move away? What if he was the one calling her trash? His stepfather disliked her; everyone in town knew that.
Shaking from the inside out, Willow ducked inside the school and leaned back on the wall.
Please don't let it be Clay. Please.
But she knew she had to tell Joe. Whoever it was, they not only hurt her, but Austin, too. And she couldn't allow that.
If it was Clay, she had to know.
But maybe it wasn't. And then one small part of her life could return to normal.
 
 
Luna curled into Joe's side, replete, exhausted, madly in love. Damn, he was good. With his hands, his mouth, his whole body. She shivered with a small aftershock of pleasure and kissed his chest.
Joe raised his head from the mattress and glanced down at her. “Now what was that for?”
“What?”
“That small shiver.”
“Oh.” Luna smiled at him while smoothing her hand through his dark chest hair. His muscles glistened with sweat and he still breathed too hard, yet he'd felt her shiver. Joe stayed so aware of her that she couldn't sniff without him noticing. She'd never known a man to be so attuned to a woman. It was both comforting and disconcerting to have all that masculine focus directed her way. “I was just thinking how incredibly talented you are.”
“In bed?”
She nodded.
He grinned and dropped his head back with a groan. “Glad you noticed. And for the record, I get better with age, okay?”
That made her laugh and feel a bit melancholy. She wouldn't get to sample Joe as he aged; he'd be long gone by then, working his magic on numerous other women. The cad.
“I'm sure you will. I can see you even as a grandpa, tottering around and grabbing for some poor woman's behind.”
Eyes closed, expression composed, he murmured, “Well, your ass is so fine, babe, I don't doubt it for a second.”
It was Luna's turn to rear up and stare at him. He said that as if
she
would be growing old with him.
Joe slowly opened his eyes, revealing smoldering heat and sexual intent. His attention dipped to her breasts.
“Come here.” His gravel-deep voice almost made her lose track of her thoughts. When Joe wanted her, it made her want him, too.
“No wait.” Luna attempted to hold him off. Surely, Joe didn't think he could drop a suggestive statement like that, hinting at a future for the first time, then just carry on as if he hadn't said it? “What did you—”
“I thought you were done telling me no.” With laughable ease despite her efforts, Joe brought her forward until her breast was close to his mouth. “We can talk later.”
“But, Joe . . .
oh, God.”
His mouth was hot, gently tugging, speeding her toward arousal. She closed her eyes and relished the pleasure.
Joe idly licked her before switching to the other breast. “I love how you taste, sweetheart. All over.” He caught her hips and levered her over him. “Come on top so I can get my hands on this sweet ass we've been discussing.”
“You've been discussing it, not me.” But Luna found herself sprawled over him, her legs open around him, his greedy mouth back at her nipple while his hands squeezed and palpated her behind. Already Joe grew hard, and she knew what that meant. Since she'd said yes, he'd been unstoppable and insatiable.
For days now, he'd generously overwhelmed her with so much pleasure she hadn't had a chance to reciprocate. But Joe had such an incredible body that she wanted her turn at giving. She wiggled free and scooted down his chest to his washboard abdomen. Fingers spread wide, she reveled in the textures of crisp body hair, sleek flesh over hard bones and bulging muscles.
Before she could move too far south, Joe's hands clamped on her waist in protest. “Come back here.”
Luna raised up on stiffened arms. “Hush, Joe.” While speaking, she visually explored his body. His small copper nipples were drawn tight, barely visible beneath his chest hair. His shoulders glistened with sweat. His inky black hair was mussed.
She stroked his chest down to his hipbones and smiled. His penis, soft only minutes ago after a grinding release, was now long and hard again, twitching for attention. “Just lie there and enjoy yourself for once, okay?”
His nostrils flared; his gaze brightened until the blue of his eyes burned like a flame. In a sexy, very interested rumble, he asked, “What are you going to do?”
“Nothing that you haven't already done to me.”
A long, husky groan escaped and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Lord, help me.”
Powerful and in control, Luna laughed. “A big, strong guy like you can handle it, right?”
He twisted his head to glance at the clock. “We have two hours till we have to leave to get the kids. I'll need at least one of those hours to recoup, okay?”
Joe had such a dry, sincere sense of humor that he kept her grinning. “I'll keep that in mind.”
She moved to the side of him, then rested one hand high on his thick, hair-roughened thigh. “Where to start?”
Sounding choked, Joe asked, “Do I get to make suggestions?”
Using one fingertip, Luna traced the length of his cock. “Here?”
“Oh, yeah.”
She laughed and swatted at him. “Turn over.”
“Turn over?” He slanted a very dubious, cautious glance her way.
“You look just as uncertain as Austin with that expression.”
Joe grunted and rolled onto his stomach. “I am never uncertain in bed.” Arms folded beneath his head, he attempted to look relaxed, but Luna saw the stiff set of his wide shoulders, the tensed muscles in his legs. Oh, Joe Winston was far from relaxed. “Have at it, woman.”
“Have I ever told you that for some insane reason, I kind of like it when you call me woman?”
Momentarily distracted, he said, “Yeah?”
“That's right.” Luna dragged her fingertips down the long length of his spine. His back was broad, silky smooth and taut. Well-defined muscles at either side of his spine caused a deep groove that she found ultimately male and appealing. “I like butts, too. Course, with this silly tattoo on yours . . .” She again read the words,
I Love Lou
, and shook her head, bemused.
“I'll have it removed.”
“I thought you said that'd hurt?” She stroked the colorful design on his firm bun and felt her breath catch. “It doesn't bother me.”
Joe twisted to his back again. “Yeah, well, it's starting to bother me.”
That surprised her. “Why?”
He rolled his eyes and growled. “Are you going to keep teasing me or are you going to get down to business?”
Biting back a smile at his impatience, she snaked her hand lower and cupped his testicles. They pulled tight. “You're so hot.”
“You're in bed naked with me,” he rasped. “What did you expect?”
She continued to fondle him. Very softly, she asked, “Is this the kind of business you anticipated?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Without warning, she curled her fingers around the very base of his erection to hold him steady, bent down, and drew the broad, sensitive tip into her mouth. Joe went rigid on a long, vibrating groan.
It was a heady thing, pushing big, badass Joe Winston past his control. She drew him deep and was rewarded with another, harsher growl. He smelled delicious, of heated male flesh and the unique smell of Joe. This close to his sex, his scent was intoxicating. She moved her tongue around him, teasing the underside of the head where he was most sensitive, then slowly drew back.
Joe's hips lifted off the bed, following her retreat.
“Relax, Joe.”
He grunted, but his hands went behind his head, locked there, and his biceps swelled and hardened and flexed as he visibly restrained himself.
Pleased with his efforts, Luna treated him to a long, slow lick. “You look in pain, Joe.”
“Yeah,” he rasped, eyes squeezed tight and teeth on edge, “it feels so fucking good I almost can't stand it.”
“Perfect,” Luna purred and drew him in again while cradling his balls, gently kneading. She fell into a satisfying rhythm, taking him deep, slowly withdrawing, licking the head and then swallowing him deep again.
Among raw groans of encouragement, Joe started to tremble. After three minutes, he was stiff enough to break. “I ain't gonna last, babe.” Every big, hard muscle in his body wound tight.
“Luna?”
She loved the desperation in the way he said her name.
With a curse, Joe halfheartedly tried to pull her away. He caught her hair and tugged gently, but Luna made it plain that she wanted all of him. Finally, with a long moan of surrender, Joe came. He still held her head, showing her what he needed, gently guiding her. His tempered strength was exciting.
Luna waited until he collapsed back against the mattress, laboring for breath and still giving low, sated sounds of pleasure, then she cuddled up to his side again. A limp arm came around her, but other than that, he didn't move.
“Joe?” She touched his chest, stroked his crisp hair, then flattened her palm over his galloping heartbeat.
“Yeah?”
I love you.
No, Luna wouldn't do that to him, wouldn't make him feel awkward during the time he remained with them. She knew how Joe felt about settling down, so she swallowed the surge of emotions and kissed his right pectoral. “Thank you for everything you've done and everything you're doing. We all appreciate it.”
His breath held a moment, then he shrugged. “S'no problem.”
He still sounded winded, making Luna chuckle. “The kids adore you, and they're so impressed by you.”
The limp arm around her tightened in a slight hug. “I feel the same about them. They're incredible and smart and so damn cute.” He shook his head and got his eyes open to look at her. “And you.” He kissed her forehead. “For a free spirit, you've got the best maternal instincts I think I've ever seen. The kids might like me, but they trust in you. In such a short time, you've reassured them enough to make a huge difference.”
Luna sighed and rested back against him. “We could make so much more progress if we didn't have all this stupid harassment going on. Every time I think it might be over, something else happens.”
Joe shook his head. “I can't understand how anyone could mistreat those two. And to think that their father walked out . . . on them . . .” Joe sat up and stared at Luna.
“What?” She, too, sat up. “What is it?”
“Do you have any idea who their father might be?”
“No.” Luna saw the wheels churning and knew Joe was busy working something out in his head. “No one seems to know. From what I understand, he's never been a part of their lives.”
Joe swung his legs over the bed and stood. “I want to check something.”
As he left the room, Luna trotted after him. He went to the kitchen and picked up the stack of papers he kept atop the microwave. They were records of the lake and the business that Chloe used to run before her death. He'd been going over everything nightly while figuring out all they'd need to do to make it profitable again.
Joe shuffled through the papers until he found the original records. Being he was naked, he didn't have his glasses on him, so he held the paper back at arm's length and squinted. “Well, what about that.”
“What?” Luna tried to see over his shoulder, but he was too tall.
He glanced down at her, his expression thoughtful. “Did you know that your cousin got the lake and all this property fourteen years ago?”
If there was significance in that, Luna didn't understand it. “So?”
“So that's when Willow was born. How would a single, pregnant woman afford all this? Even minimizing property values because of the area, it's still one hell of a set-up. The house alone is worth a bundle, and it's not exactly small. Why would a single woman with only one baby even want it?”
Luna shook her head. “I don't know what you're getting at.”
“I think Willow's father gave it to her. I think the son of a bitch knew she was pregnant, that maybe he bought her off with the house.”
“But why? Lots of men get women pregnant and don't marry them. This is a new age—single mothers are everywhere. And how do you account for Austin? Because, Joe, they were born five years apart, yet they look exactly alike.”

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