Swoon (18 page)

I pointed to the grass. “The lawn. It’s so perfect I wouldn’t want to step on it.”

He chuckled. “This is Kentucky. We’re known for our grass. It’ll survive.”

He took my hand and made me walk across the lawn. I tried to tiptoe softly. Suddenly I was flat on my back, looking up into his blue eyes, which were glittering with humor.

“What the…?” I laughed.

Lawrence lowered his mouth to my lips, his quick intake of breath parting mine enough to allow his tongue to slip in for a thorough kiss, his body pressing me into the dewy grass. He pulled back and looked down at me with a grin. I blushed a little, thinking about all the people walking around here whom I’d never met but were watching me roll around on the grass in the middle of their workplace.

Lawrence kissed my forehead softly and then rose to his feet, pulling me with him. I turned to brush the wet debris from my ass. He helped.

“We don’t mind a little mess around here either.”

I smacked his chest with the back of my hand. “Tell that to your employees.”

“I do.” He smiled. “Despite all the white paint, we’re pretty relaxed here.”

“You? Relaxed?” I grinned, shaking my head. “Never would have guessed it.”

He continued to lead me after the kids. “You have a lot to learn about me, Ms. Holt. A lot.”

My eyebrows rose. “Good things?”

He shrugged. “Mostly.”

I snorted.

Abby and Taylor were already stacking feed buckets, getting ready to dump them in the appointed stalls. Apparently this was their Sunday job, and they took it very seriously. I was introduced to several grooms who grinned fondly at the kids hefting around their buckets. This was a job that would ordinarily have been done by now, and it was sweet that everyone indulged them. Eventually the staff went on about their day and brought in all the horses, and we spent a solid hour letting the kids dump grain. I couldn’t believe they weren’t bored.

After their job was done, Taylor and Abby insisted on taking me on a walking tour while they ate an early lunch Lawrence had brought along. I was introduced to countless horses. Not every one of them came into a stall each day. There were herds of weanlings with large run-in sheds to shelter them from the elements. We lugged around a bucket of carrots that the kids fed the young horses, with us helping so their fingers remained intact.

Finally we ended up at a large field with a dozen fully grown horses.

“These are the retirees,” Lawrence said. “Not the studs, obviously, but mostly geldings, a few mares. They just hang out here and get treats from the kids.”

A big bay gelding ambled over, ears pricked and head low to the ground as he zeroed in on his target. Abby and Taylor climbed up on the fence and leaned over with handfuls of baby carrots. Lawrence stopped me when I reached to help.

“This is Jake. He’s the only one the kids are allowed to feed by themselves. He loves them.”

Sure enough, the big horse was gently taking the carrots from Abby’s small hands and puffing soft breaths through his nostrils into Taylor’s hair. The children giggled as his whiskers teased their cheeks. A couple of other horses meandered over for treats but got bored and grazed nearby. Except Jake. He hung his head over the fence and doted on the kids endlessly.

When we caught Taylor hiding a yawn behind his hand, Lawrence called it quits, and we each carried a whiny kid back to the Mule. We exchanged looks as we drove around, the kids drowsy in our laps. We pulled up to another farmhouse several minutes later, and the front door opened and Jeanine came out, now with makeup applied and hair down in waves, dressed in a yellow sundress and flip-flops. She was carrying a plastic grocery bag, which she handed to me with a smile and then took Taylor in her arms. Lawrence followed her into the house with Abby while I waited outside. Both children were almost passed out, so they were being put straight to bed to sleep the morning excitement off before the upcoming family meal.

I peered into the grocery bag, delighted to see a pair of flip-flops, wiggling my toes in anticipation. There was also what appeared to be a long navy-and-white-striped jersey dress, a makeup compact, a hair band, and a tube of mascara. I hurriedly tied my hair back, feeling cleaner already. As I continued to dig around, I felt the thin material of the dress and lamented the fact that I didn’t have a bra. I felt really weird going to this Sunday-supper thing without one. However, I was the idiot who had driven nine hours in workout clothes, so I’d just have to deal. At least the dress had a built-in shelf, insubstantial as it was.

Lawrence loped back out to the Mule and slid behind the wheel. He smiled at me and squeezed my knee. We were alone again, and I was… nervous? I took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh to simmer down.

“Tired?” he asked as we drove back to his house.

I shrugged, unable to voice my thoughts.

“Nervous?”

I cut my eyes to his. “Why would you think I’m nervous?”

“’Cause I’m a little nervous.” He laughed. Nervously.

“Why are you nervous?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.

“Because now we’re alone together. The mood is different. No kids to distract us. It’s daylight, so there’s no darkness to hide behind. We’re not mad at each other. It just feels…” He shook his head as his voice trailed off.

His honesty bolstered my confidence. I scooted closer to him on the bench seat and lifted his arm to let it rest around my shoulders.

“It’s nice to not be mad at you.” I smiled. “I was a little nervous. The air feels… expectant. Like there’s a lot to say and do and promise in just one day before I need to drive home.” I sighed again and snuggled deeper into my sweatshirt and his side.

He kissed the top of my head. “We’ll figure it out. I’ll come visit you and you’ll come visit me and we’ll make it work. It doesn’t have to all get mapped out today.”

We were quiet as we pulled up alongside his house and climbed out of the Mule. He opened the front door and gestured for me to enter first.

I kicked off my shoes and headed into the kitchen, dropping the bag of clothes on the stairs. I was standing at the counter, drinking a glass of water when a hot, hard body pressed up against my back. Lawrence placed his hands on my hips, then slid them around my abdomen, tightening his arms to pull me close. I felt relaxation deep in my bones as we breathed in together. He bent to kiss my neck, and my head fell to the side to expose whatever he wanted.

He spoke slowly in a whisper, each word punctuated by a soft kiss. “You… need… a… shower. Oof.” He grunted when my elbow connected with his sternum.

“Way to ruin the mood, Lawry.” I laughed and turned in his arms.

He was grinning mischievously, blue eyes twinkling. He dropped a light kiss on the tip of my nose. “Go shower and I’ll make you something to eat. We can relax for a while before heading over to my parents’ house.”

I stiffened a little. “The phrases ‘relax for a while’ and ‘heading over to my parents’ house’ don’t necessarily go hand in hand.”

“Oh, stop freaking out. You’ve already met my dad. He loved you. My family is easy.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m actually not worried about your parents. It’s your band of sisters that strike terror into my soul.”

He snorted. “That’s probably a good survival instinct to have. I knew I liked you for a reason. I promise to protect you from my sisters. But first, shower.” He swatted my behind and pointed upstairs.

“Toothbrush?” I asked with hope.

“In the shower.”

“You brush your teeth in the shower?” I crinkled my brows.

He nodded. “It’s the best way to brush your teeth.”

Nodding to myself, I left the kitchen and trudged up the stairs, pondering that.

I walked into the bathroom and pushed aside the shower curtain to turn the water on. While I waited for it to heat, I stripped off my clothes and left them in a pile, then snooped around. There wasn’t much to see. No prescription medications of any kind or any red flags. Just typical male soaps and lotions, razor blades, a box of condoms. I guessed that was a good thing, though I did contemplate throwing them out. Does that cross the line into crazy? I mean, we weren’t using them anymore…

The room was filled with steam, so I stepped under the hot spray, adjusting the nozzle for the perfect temperature. I looked at his generic shampoo and cringed. No conditioner. Of course not, ’cause he didn’t really have hair. My curls would have to go unwashed. If I used that stuff, they would rebel and might never recover from the frizz. I retied my hair higher on my head and let the water wash over my face. Then I grabbed the toothbrush and toothpaste and decided to give shower brushing a try.

I brushed and lathered and spit over the shower drain. Oddly liberating. I did it again, rinsed under the showerhead, repeat.

The bathroom door opened and shut, and Lawrence peeked just his face around the shower curtain, eyeing me lecherously.

I grinned. “Shower toothbrushing. It’s amazing.”

He nodded and smiled, then disappeared. A moment later, he stepped into the shower. Naked and ripped and apparently very excited to shower. My jaw dropped as I took in the sight, and I had to spit out the water that had collected in my mouth.

I reached out a hand to trail my wet fingertips down his abs and over to outline the flag along his side. His muscles tensed and quivered at my touch, and he captured my hand in his and raised it to his lips. Our eyes met and my breath caught when I saw heat darkening his blue gaze.

He stepped under the showerhead with me, pressing our bodies together. His skin felt cold when it met mine, which was flushed and hot from the water. His hand pressed against the small of my back, pulling me against every hard inch of him. I tipped my head back to look up at his face, the stubble across his jaw giving him a dangerous edge. The corners of his mouth tilted up in the beginnings of a smile, but before he could finish, his hand gripped the back of my head and his mouth crashed to mine. I sucked in a breath as my knees went weak and I fell against him, his strong arms supporting me fully. I let my hands wander up and down his chest, around to his back and down over his ass, pulling him toward me. One of my legs wrapped around his, desperate for closer contact, but he pulled away.

He quickly spun me around, pushing my shoulders forward so I had to brace my hands on the cold tiles of the wall. The shower beat down on my back, and I turned my head to look behind me. Lawrence’s strong hands gripped my hips and he rocked against me, then leaned over to capture my lips once again. He pulled his mouth away, and I let my head drop to my chest as his hands began to wander around. Up my spine, around to my breasts, cupping and teasing them, then down between my legs. I was at his mercy, unable to take a hand off the wall without falling over. Hot water cascaded around and between us. I concentrated on my breathing as the onslaught of sensations threatened to overwhelm me.

When he suddenly pushed into me, filling me completely, I stopped breathing altogether. One hand returned to my hip, gripping it in a bruising fashion, anchoring me in place, while the other continued to wander, continued to tease. His motions strengthened, his rhythm increased. The sounds of our skin meeting, water splashing, and panting breaths filled the steamy air. I risked taking one hand from the wall and placed it over his, between my legs, pressing firmly against his palm while his fingers tormented and his thrusts became furious. My eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and when his teeth fell to my neck and I felt the scrape and pinch of his bite, stars exploded and my entire body spasmed. He eased the movement of his hand under mine but kept firm pressure, holding me still as he pounded his release into me with a loud groan. His exclamation sent aftershocks through my system, and I pulsed around him and against him. He leaned heavily against my back, kissing my neck and shoulders, letting his lips play against my skin as we regained our senses.

“Now I need another shower.” I chuckled breathlessly.

He laughed as he eased out of me, and we both straightened. I turned in his arms and looped my hands around his neck. I was smiling like an idiot, unable to wipe the expression off my face. He kissed my cheeks, brushing his lips lightly over mine, then pressed a long kiss to my forehead, causing my eyelids to flutter shut in deep contentment.

We stayed like that for long moments, wrapped in each other, and only when the water turned cold did we let go.

* * * *

Lawrence

I gave Steph’s hand a squeeze as we walked up the steps between the large white columns to my parents’ house. She was nervous. She alternated between babbling and waving her hands around to silently chewing her lip. Before we reached the door, I tugged her close to me and softly kissed her lips.

“You look beautiful,” I whispered, because she did. She’d done some crazy thing with braids twisted around her head, transforming her gloriously wild but definitely just-fucked-in-the shower-hair into something casual and elegant. Jeanine’s dress fit her perfectly, draping over her small curves and showing just enough cleavage to make my night more interesting. She kept whining about the fact that she didn’t have a bra but felt better when she realized it had some sort of shelf thing in there. Whatever worked for her. I could still cop a feel and make her nipples stand out, though she kept getting mad and hitting me for it.

She hung her fingers in the belt loops of my beige slacks. “You’re very sexy all dressed up.”

I snorted. She thought this was dressed up. This was Kentucky and my family was old school. We dressed for dinner, especially Sunday supper. But I wouldn’t necessarily call this dressed up.

I took another second just to look at Steph, enjoying the peace and quiet before swinging open the heavy front door of the old manor house I had grown up in. The foyer was suspiciously quiet, but I let Steph take it in. I was so used to it, but I knew it was kind of a sight. The whole estate had been in our family for generations, and each generation had worked hard on keeping up the integrity of the place. While it wasn’t really my style, it was still beautiful. Lots of ornate fixtures, gleaming mahogany, bright windows, and hardwood floors. It was… stately. But still comfortable and homey. For instance, I used to slide down the banister as a kid all the time. Actually, I still did and would probably never stop. And there was a dumbwaiter hidden in the walls that still had some old
Playboy
s duct-taped underneath. It was home.