Welcome to Forever (22 page)

“Nothing much,” he whispered, kissing her left thigh then her right, climbing higher, and higher still.

She was about to give in—screw being appropriate, no one else was here—and then the school creaked. It wasn't the sound she'd grown to know was the vandals at work. No, this was one of those mysterious sounds that buildings made for no apparent reason.

They both straightened.

“Yeah, an elementary school is probably not the best place to be doing this,” he said, his hand still running over her legs, making her hotter and hotter still.

“Do you have to go get Ben?” she asked, breathless from his touch. Her heart was knocking around in her chest. They'd been together a lot in the last few weeks, and he still had the power to make her feverish with need. It wasn't just his body. It was him, all of him. His smile. His low laugh. The way he touched her so delicately at times, seeming to cherish her, and at other times he pulled her to him just as hungry as she was.

“He's with my aunt.”

She licked her lips without thinking.
Did I actually look at him and lick my lips?
But yeah, he looked delicious, all hot and sweaty the way she'd hoped he would be, and her body was practically screaming for more of his touch. “My sister is out tonight,” she said. “She and Val are going to this thing outside of town.”

“I see. You didn't want to go?” he asked, his lips curving. He could tell where this was leading, and judging from his growing smile, he liked it.

“I told them I have too much work to do.”

“You work too hard.” He leaned forward, pushing his way between her open legs, and crushed his mouth against hers, making her moan as he kissed her. Pulling back, he kissed his way toward her ear and whispered, “All work and no play, Kat. That's very bad.”

She nodded, loving his hands as they rode up her waist. Bad idea or not, she was willing to beg him to take her right here on the floor beneath Val's desk if she had to. She had needs that demanded to be met. Right. Now.

He grinned at her, cocking an eyebrow. “We'll take my Jeep. You shouldn't drive with that ankle.”

She nodded, ready to agree to anything at this point, as long as it involved her naked body against his hot and sweaty one. “Let's hurry,” she said.

Kat stumbled into her front door and called Julie's name, just in case. The house was dark. Quiet. Perfect.

She pulled Micah in after her, pressing her mouth to his. They kissed, maneuvering down the hall, leaning against the wall, and pressing against each other's bodies as they traveled, needing, wanting, writhing.

“Which room?” he asked. His tongue slid out of her mouth only long enough to say those two words, but his hands continued to move along her sides, traveling higher, flirting with the clasp of her bra.

Kat closed her eyes, wanting him to take it off her. Wanting him to take it all off.

“This one.” She turned the doorknob to her bedroom and back-stepped toward her bed, fitted with a pink flowery spread that screamed sweet, not sexy. She'd just have to make sure he focused all of his attention on her and not her décor.

She didn't ask him what she should do this time. She just started peeling off her clothing, desperate for his hands to touch every bare inch of her skin. He took over as she grabbed the hem of her shirt and began to lift her blouse overhead.

“It's my job to undress you,” he whispered in a low voice that made her stomach flutter. Then he proceeded to kiss her, running his hand down the curve of her neck, following it to her shoulder, down her arm, then collecting the fabric of her shirt in his own hand. He was slow and intentional with his duties, pulling her shirt up slowly. She lifted her arms overhead as he pulled it off and tossed it to the floor. Reaching behind her back, his fingers brushed along her sides before unclasping her bra and letting it fall to her feet along with the other discarded clothing. When she looked up, his eyes seemed to be surveying her bare skin. Then his hands followed as a low groan escaped his throat.

She ached with need as she waited for his next move.

“Lay down, Kat,” he said.

And
hell, yeah.
She intended to do just that.

She glanced back just long enough to find where she was going, and then gasped as his mouth covered one breast. His arm reached behind her, cradling her and gently pushing her to lie down on the bed. He definitely wasn't paying attention to the bedspread right now. She moaned as he moved to the other breast, giving them equal attention. His tongue flicked and swirled around her nipple, making her arch into him as he sucked with increased intensity. Then he moved south and did more magical things with his tongue until she was panting and nearly ready to explode.

“Please,” she whispered, trying to pull him back up. “I want you inside me.”

“Not yet.” He stayed put, his hold on her so tight she couldn't squirm away. She could barely think, either. “I want to savor you,” he said in that deep voice that made her shiver.

She clutched his hair softly in her hands. “Please,” she moaned, although she wasn't sure anymore if she was asking him to come back to her mouth or continue exactly where he was, not stopping until she was done. Or undone, as it were.

He began to climb back up her body, sprinkling kisses in his wake.

Pressing her hips up and into his, she demanded, “Right now. I need you right now.” It'd been a few days since they'd slept together and the wait from the school to her house had been a cruel form of torture.

Laughing softly, he bent and nipped at her lower lip, making her body sizzle in response. “Okay, Principal Chandler. You win.” He leaned up and unzipped his jeans, slowly and deliberately. Pulling a condom from his pocket, he stood briefly and discarded his jeans on the floor. Then he climbed on top of her and pushed his way inside, tossing wood to her fire and setting her body ablaze.

Oh, yeah. Right there.
She dug her fingers into the muscle of his back, pulling him toward her, unable to get close enough.

Seconds, minutes, hours later, she opened her eyes when his rhythmic movement stopped. “What?” she asked, her body trembling under his. She wasn't finished yet.
Not yet.
“What's wrong?”

“You're smiling,” he said, tracing a finger tenderly along the side of her cheek.

Leaning up, she kissed his lips softly, looking up into his eyes. “You make me happy.”

“Then I'll continue making you happy,” he whispered, starting again and gaining speed until she was rocketing into pure oblivion.

Sometime in the night, Kat rolled over and reached out for Micah before opening her eyes, and finding…no one. Where did he go?

Turning her neck, she looked at her bedside clock. It was midnight. They must've fallen asleep after—a smile stretched across her face—after all the hot sex. Rolling over, she heard a paper crinkle beneath her. She reached for the pull of her lamp and light flooded the room, causing her to wince and shut her eyes. After a moment, she found the paper and read the scrawled handwriting.

Had to go home to Ben. Thanks.

She stared at the note for a long moment.
Thanks
? Thanks for what? She bit her lower lip, knowing she shouldn't feel insulted, but
thanks
? Really? She'd thought they'd moved past being just friends with benefits. Although neither of them had said as much.

Her stomach growled as she pondered what it meant—or didn't mean. She hadn't eaten dinner before getting hot and naked with Micah. Dropping her legs off the bed, she winced as fresh pain shot up her swollen ankle, a reminder of the spray-painting incident.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch!” she whispered to herself, limping across the floor. It hurt like a bitch, but she wouldn't have it any other way because this sprain had been the culprit behind a most enjoyable night of nakedness. Those boys should get promotions, she decided, as she limped down the hall. Skip third grade and go directly to fifth.

The lights in the kitchen were still on. She headed straight toward the fridge, and then stopped cold, staring at the two women leaned against each other on her couch, fast asleep. This was starting to become a regular thing, and she didn't mind it one bit. The TV was still on, flashing some horror flick that she tried not to look at as she turned it off. That would completely sway her dreams from sexual to scary.

She stared at Julie and Val for another moment, then her stomach snarled as she spotted the container of popcorn between them.

Perfect.
Sitting beside her sister, she grabbed the bucket and shoveled several handfuls of popcorn into her mouth, still thinking about the note. Once she was satisfied, she snuggled into the cluster of people she held dear, and closed her eyes.

Micah lay in bed, unable to sleep. Ben was with his aunt next door, so he guessed he could've stayed with Kat tonight, instead of leaving her an awkward thank-you note and heading home. Why the hell had he left a thank-you note? That wasn't at all what he wanted to tell her. He wanted to say he liked her. Liked her a whole damn lot.

He got up and paced the room, deciding to put his hands where they belonged—in the dirt. Or up Kat's skirt, but they'd already had that pleasure tonight. He grabbed his spotlight and loaded several tools in the back of his Jeep, where Ben's wheelchair usually sat. Then he loaded several of his offspring plants that needed a new home. And he knew the perfect place to put them. He'd caught sight of Kat's yard this afternoon. Or really, it couldn't justifiably be labeled a yard. It was a large square of land behind her house. A yard was meant to be a sanctuary. Kat didn't have one of those. She spent every waking moment at that school, and she deserved a place to kick up her heels, preferably flats since she wasn't that graceful with women's footwear, and relax.

He revved the engine of his Jeep and headed back in the direction he'd retreated from a little over an hour ago. Kat would be asleep by now, so he wouldn't wake her. He just wanted to leave an expression of his heart. Something that said more than thanks for the great sex.

He flinched because that's probably how she'd interpret it.

Ten minutes later, he pulled past her driveway. Val's and Julie's cars were both parked out front now. He drove through the grass toward the back of the house and stopped beside a five-foot wooden privacy fence. After a military-style fence jump, he unlocked the gate and let himself in, deciding to work on the far back corner, where the sunlight hit the yard best in the mornings. In the late evenings, when Kat would most likely enjoy the garden, the sun would be down, and she'd be shaded. It was too late in the season for anything to bloom right now, but the bulbs he intended to plant tonight would produce vibrant flowers for her to admire come spring. And every time she saw them, she'd think of him.

After unloading the supplies, he started working, losing time like he always did when he was landscaping. Two hours later, he stood back and surveyed the small square of plowed earth where he'd planted the flower bulbs. Parallel to the side fence, he'd placed a lattice that roses would overtake next spring. There was a stand-alone swing in the center of the garden that he'd picked up earlier in the week with Kat in mind. She was the first woman he'd seriously considered allowing in his life since Jessica. She was special, and deserved a beautiful place where she could sit and think. This was a good start.

Maybe he'd add a small fountain and motion-detecting flood lights. It was unsafe for her to be living practically alone without them, although their lack served him well tonight he thought, as he wiped a hand across his brow. But right now he was tired. He packed up his stuff and headed home with a smile set on his mouth. He'd liked doing that for her, liked imagining her face when she woke up to his surprise. The thought made him want to find other ways to make her happy. That's what people in love did. They found ways to show each other how they felt. Better ways than leaving a thank-you note by someone's bed.

Something wet stroked the inside of Kat's ear. She snapped awake and then tumbled off the couch. “What the—?” Her eyes shot open and she clutched her ankle as it hit the carpeted floor. “Oww!”

Val's eyes widened as she looked at Kat's foot. “Oh, crap. Did I do that?”

Kat's gaze slid over. “Give the wet willy to my ear? Yes, you did. And it was very gross, by the way.”

“No.” Val pointed. “That. Your ankle looks like something from a sci-fi movie.”

Julie yawned, then gasped, too, pulling herself back into the cushion of the couch.

“It's not contagious,” Kat teased, lifting her leg and waving her ankle in her sister's face.

Julie's face scrunched. “What happened?”

Kat rested her leg back on the couch. “A couple of vandals at the school attacked me with spray paint last night and I lost my footing a little bit. I guess it aggravated my sprain from the hospital.”

“What?” Val shook her head. “For crying out loud, how many times have I told you it's not safe to stay there alone?”

“I wasn't alone.”

Julie and Val stared at her.

“The vandals?” Val asked. “The ones who did that to you?”

“And Micah. He caught the boys who have been vandalizing the school. Then we called their parents. It's fine.” Kat nibbled on her lower lip as the two women continued to stare at her, waiting for more.

“And then what happened?” Val asked, a wicked smile spreading along her sleep-creased face.

“And then…” Kat's cheeks burned at just the memory. She tried not to look at them. “Then he took me home,” she said, opting for truth. It was the truth. And if she could avoid eye contact until she veered the subject in another direction, no one would need to know about the encounter in the school's front office. Or what had happened in her own bedroom afterward—not that her sex life was a secret from the two these days.

“See.” Val gestured toward Kat. “It's in her eyes. That far-off, glassy look. That's how I know she got some.”

Julie nodded. “At least a kiss.”

Val shook her head. “Oh, no. It was way more than a kiss. I'd be willing to bet—”

“Whoa! You guys. I'm sitting right here,” Kat said, pretending to be insulted.

Val cocked an eyebrow. “And why is it you needed a ride from Micah anyway? Your car isn't in the driveway. Where is it?”

Kat nibbled her lower lip, remembering how she'd left it in the school's parking lot in order to stay with Micah. “He didn't think I should drive with my ankle like this,” she said, which was the truth. “Maybe you can help me get it from the school later today?” she asked, looking at Julie.

“Sure.” Julie shrugged.

“Thanks.” Getting up, Kat squeaked as her body weight hit her ankle like a dozen tiny, sharp knives.

“Are you going to get that looked at?” Julie moved toward it and sat on the floor, poking at the pocket of swelling. “Does that hurt?”

“Ouch! Yes, it hurts.”

“I think I saw an elastic bandage under your bathroom sink. I can fix this.” Julie turned back to Val. “Guest bathroom. Do you mind?”

“I guess not. You sisters seem to like ordering me around.” Val pointed at Kat. “But don't think you're off the hook. I want details.”

Five minutes later, Julie had Kat's ankle wrapped in a fancy pattern intended to push the swelling out.

“I did this for my clients at the health club that I worked at. When someone would get a sprain, I'd wrap them. It seemed to help,” Julie said.

“Yeah. It feels better already.” Kat took a few steps. “And to think I thought you were just watching all the hot men flex their oversized muscles up in Charlotte.”

“That, too.” Julie got up and headed toward the kitchen and the coffee machine. “No more freebies until I get my first cup.”

A few minutes later, they all sat around the kitchen table and sipped quietly.

“So, it's your turn to spill some details.” Kat looked at her sister. “What happened with that guy you were dating?”