Authors: Violet Walker
“River,” she moaned when his tongue reached out to taste her pink bud. “This is a bad idea.”
“But it’ll feel so good.” His tongue continued to torture her nipple while one hand roamed down her body, caressing her legs up to the moist heat hidden behind a triangle of red hair. River stood and pushed her down onto the bed, getting his fill of her body. She had curves for days and his body was already primed to take her. But first, he needed to taste her. His blue eyes smoldered while they watched her emerald ones follow his movements. He dipped his head and swiped his tongue through her moisture.
“River,” she moaned and thrust her hips up, offering him more of her.
He smiled. She couldn’t take her eyes off his tongue.
Enjoy the show, sweetheart
, he thought and bent over to eat the world’s best appetizer. River licked her lips and pulled each one into his mouth, sucking until she moaned. Then he spread her open, “So pink,” he whispered and lapped at the hard nub at the heart of her. He licked her up and down, up and down, before his tongue dipped inside her entrance and lapped at her sweet honey. “So wet, so hot Kara.” He was harder than ever as she squirmed and bucked against him. When Kara wrapped her legs around his shoulders and crossed them behind his neck, he was lost. She was close, he could tell by the way she clenched at his tongue so he removed his tongue and replaced it with two fingers, transferring his mouth to the bundle of nerves that would drive her wild.
Soon she screamed her pleasure, his name over and over. “River,” she panted and pulled at his hair. “Enough…you,” she mumbled and watched his quick moves to get rid of his clothes.
River grabbed her legs by the ankles and kissed up her legs softly, gently while she moaned and mewled. “You taste good everywhere, sugar.” Then he poised at her entrance, and sliding deep. Sliding home.
“River,” she gasped and spread her legs wider to accommodate his big body.
He felt his entire body swell with confidence at the noises she made, telling him how good he made her feel. She felt too good for him to take his time, so he thrust deep and hard, fingers biting into her hips to keep her in place. His own grunts grew louder the wetter she got, dripping down his thighs and making him even harder. He bent over to kiss her, his tongue doing to her mouth what his body did to hers. “Oh, babe,” he groaned.
“River, oh yes. Yes!” Her hand snaked between them to play with her bundle of nerves and seconds later they both lost it, bodies convulsed simultaneously. Screams and moans in sync while they rode out the pleasure that shook their bodies. “Wow,” she sighed, “that was way better than I remember.”
River kissed her neck. “So much better. Hotter. Wetter, too,” he smiled and kissed her neck while he enjoyed one final thrust. He watched Kara get up and slip into the bathroom from the comfort of her bed. When the door closed, he stood to gather his clothes.
She came out a minute later. “River, we need to-”
“Here’s my card. Send me your number and I’ll call you about when we meet with Bobby Lee.”
She smacked the card out of his hand. “I’m still not going and we have bigger problems. We didn’t use any protection.”
He stared at her for a beat then said, “Then we definitely can’t get divorced until we know if you’re pregnant.”
“Get out. Get out,” her voice was firm and icy.
River took in the anger in her beautiful face and knew that nothing more could be accomplished tonight. He nodded and left.
Chapter Two
T
he worst thing about living in a small town was that everyone knew your business within moments of it happening. There were no secrets, which meant heading to the pharmacy for the morning after pill was not an option. She was on her way to Loving, two towns over from hers, in search of the little tablet that would make sure she could get rid of River permanently. She didn’t remember the man being so arrogant in Vegas, issuing orders and acting like
she
was trying to extort him. As if! She’d tried to divorce the idiot; it was his fault they were still legally wed.
More than a day later and she still beat herself up for being stupid enough to fall into bed with him again, despite how ridiculously mind-blowing it had been. It wasn’t smart, because River tempted her to want, to hope, to dream for things she’d never have. Couldn’t have. She sped up and soon she pulled into the parking lot and walked in, sunglasses firmly in place. The store was relatively empty, which she was grateful for when she sidled up to the counter to ask for the pill.
“Sorry Miss, we’re all out.”
Apparently, the universe was out to get her.
That’s what I get for having hot, unprotected sex with my husband
. She thanked the pharmacist and walked out into the sunshine and into a brick wall of delicious smelling muscle. She looked up.
Of course.
“Excuse me,” she stepped around River and increased the pace to her car.
“Kara, wait up!”
No. She kept walking. Her car was so close. She would make it. She had to. But the world hated her, so his hand reached her the same time her hand reached the door handle. “What do you want?”
“What are you doing here?”
“What’s it to you? Or do I now need to account for my whereabouts where you’re concerned?”
“It’s just a fucking question!”
She shrugged out of his grasp. “I came here because I needed something at the pharmacy.” The rest was none of his business.
“But why did you come here, to Loving?”
“You think I’m following you? Jesus, you do have an ego! I came here because I don’t need my whole town knowing I needed the morning after pill!” She turned and slid into the driver’s seat, starting the engine. River still stood too close to her car. She tapped the horn to get his attention. He moved and knocked on her window so she rolled it down. “What?”
“Meet me at my house.”
“No thanks.”
“Why not?”
She looked at him, the clueless fool. “Seriously? Because I don’t particularly like you, River. First you act like I tried to force you to stay married to me, then you accused me of trying to extort you and then you fucked me and handed me a business card! Who does that?” She shifted the car into Drive. “Like I said, no thank you. Take care of that divorce, River.” She drove away without looking back.
The last thing she needed was to get entangled with him again. After three days in Vegas, she’d been a little in love with him. She didn’t want to risk any more of her heart to a man who obviously thought he was better than her. “Been there, done that. Ain’t going back.”
~
“The way I see it you have two options: pay her or make her fall in love with you.” Dean leaned back in his chair and stared up at his cousin, astonished and disappointed all at once. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“Yeah, well, I thought this had been handled nearly a year ago.” He plopped down in the leather chair across from Dean. “And I doubt she’ll take my money or fall in love with me.”
“She married you, so obviously at some point she liked you.”
He scoffed. “Yeah, well, a lot can change in a year, apparently.” Mostly what had changed was that River was an insufferable prick.
“What did you do?”
He opened his mouth to proclaim his innocence then shut it. “She said she called and sent the divorce papers over and I never responded, but, Dean, I never got the calls or the papers.”
Dean chuckled. “That’s why you should hire assistants based on capability not cup size.”
“And I may have tried to strong arm her into going to dinner with me and Bobby Lee.”
“And I’m guessing she’s not the type to be strong armed?”
“Hell Dean, she’s more likely to strong arm me. At least if she wanted anything from me.” He smiled to himself; she wanted one thing from him.
“You slept with her again?”
River groaned. “Dean if you could see her, she is spectacular with red hair and so many curves it should be illegal.”
“Sir, is River in there with you? He has a guest.”
Dean smiled and hit the button before River could get to it. “Send the guest into my office.” He looked to his cousin who squirmed uncomfortably. “I guess I’ll get to see her now.”
A tiny knock later and Kara walked into the office, an angry glare for River. “Hello, Mr. Harwood, I’m sorry to disturb your day, but we have a bit of business to settle and then I’ll be out of your hair.” She smiled and extended a hand to Dean.
“No worries. My cousin was just explaining about your nuptials. Congratulations.”
Kara said nothing to Dean, just kept her face blank. At least until she turned to River. “No wonder you thought I was trying to extort you,” she shook her head in disgust.
“You mean you didn’t kn-,”
Kara cut him off and slammed a manila envelope down on the desk in front of him. “Here are the divorce papers,
again
. You can sign them now and I’ll file them on my way back to the salon.”
“No.” He crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air like a petulant child.
“Excuse me? What the hell do you mean no? Sign the damn papers, River!”
Dean chuckled and they both cast a death look in his direction. “Sorry,” he held his hands up, a smile still stuck to his face.
“I’m not signing anything. I need you for my meeting with Bobby Lee and-”
“What a ridiculous name,” she mumbled and shoved a pen in his hand.
River let the pen slide from his fingers. “And you might be pregnant.”
“What!” Dean leaned forward and glared at River. “What’s wrong with you?”
Kara scoffed. “You’re related to him so you must already know, so please enlighten me.” She picked the pen back up and closed his hand around it.
Dean laughed. “I like her. I like you, you’re funny.”
“Yeah thanks.” She rolled her eyes. The Harwood family definitely grew men tall and handsome, and Dean was nowhere near as annoying as River. Or as hot, dammit. “River, sign the papers. I told you I went to the pharmacy in Loving to get the morning after pill.”
He dropped the pen again. “Yeah, well, I happen to know they were all out.” At her stunned look he told her, “No pharmacist-customer confidentiality.”
“Jackass.”
Dean stood and placed his hands on his hips. “I have an idea. River, you sign the papers and I’ll hang on to them until Kara has dinner with you and Bobby Lee.”
“And I’m supposed to trust you?” Kara looked back and forth between them. She was sure they were both up to something, but what? Being married to her wasn’t really a boon to his career, so it made no sense.
“I’m a trustworthy guy, ask anyone.”
She laughed but it held no amusement. “Sure I’ll ask someone in this building, ‘hey can I trust either of the
Harwoods?’
I can imagine how that’ll go.” She put on a fake high-pitched voice, “Oh yes, they sign checks in the most delightful way. I’d give’em my kidney if I could!” She shook her head to let them know she was unimpressed. “Sign the damn papers, River.”
“No.”
She picked them up and slid them back in the envelope. “Suit yourself. I can file them anyway and they’ll be
on the record
. Contest them or sign them then, I don’t give a shit. Nice to meet you, Dean.”
“You too, Kara. Can I ask you one question? Why won’t you go to this one dinner with him?”
“For starters, I don’t want to. Then there’s the fact that your dear cousin is a dick. He tried to bully me, then he accused me of extortion and then fucked me and left me with a business card like his dick was supposed to magically change my mind. And finally, he told me we definitely can’t get divorced if I’m pregnant, like I’ve won some kind of lottery by having unprotected sex with him.”
Dean tried to stifle his chuckle. “Oh okay. I understand now. Sorry, River.”
She grunted and turned on her heels, slamming the door behind her.
“Well the good news is that she likes you. The bad news is: she doesn’t care that she likes you.”
“How does that help me with Bobby Lee?”
“It doesn’t.”
“Thanks, Dean. Thanks a lot.”
~
“Sign the papers and leave them with me, and then I’ll go to this
one dinner
with you and,” she shuddered, “Bobby Lee.”
River crossed his arms and looked at her skeptically. “And why would I do that? Once you sign the papers, you have no reason to come with me.”
Her stance matched his. “And if I go without your signature, you have no reason to sign them, although I can’t figure out why you’re resisting this so much.”
“Fine. I’ll sign the damn papers.”
Her smile brightened and she stepped back. “Come on in, then.”
His face fell into a confused frown. “Okay.”
He sat on the sofa and she went straight to the kitchen.“Do you want anything to drink?”
“No thanks,” he called out to her and removed his jacket.
“Too bad. We’re sealing this deal with a drink.”
He accepted the glasses from her. “I was hoping you’d say seal it with a kiss. I’m a really good kisser.”
She shivered, remembering all the lovely things he could do with his mouth. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, River.” Even though her body was already telling her it was a brilliant idea.
“Let’s have that drink and I’ll try to convince you it’s a wonderful idea.” He pulled her down next to him and wrapped an arm around her.
Kara poured two fingers of Jameson into each glass. “Alright, lover boy, drink up.” She tapped her glass to his and took a healthy sip. “Yeah, that hit the spot,” she groaned.
River moaned and turned to face her. “I’m sorry.”
“For what? I mean it’s not your fault that you’re an-”
River cut her off. “For this,” he whispered and then he kissed her. This time he took his time, exploring unknown depths of her mouth and tasting those plump lips. His hands snaked around her waist and pulled her close until she straddled his lap.
“Damn you, River,” she moaned and joined the kiss, tasting his tongue and running her fingers through his hair. The man did something to her brain, scrambled it so the only thing she was capable of was responding to his kisses, his scent and the sensual way his body moved. Kara grabbed a handful of hair and yanked it back, her tongue sought out the strong column of his neck. She licked and bit and kissed until his fingers dug into her hips. She broke contact and stared at him. “Damn you, River,” she said again, and lifted her sweater over her head and tossed it aside. The bra went off next and she felt a swell of feminine pride at the way his blue eyes darkened to near-black.
“I can’t get enough of you, Kara.” His hands went to her large breasts, kneading them and worrying the buds between his fingers. “You feel so good.”
Kara groaned and leaned back to undo his pants. She stood and shoved her jeans down her legs, then went back to his pants.
“You weren’t wearing underwear this whole time?”
“Nope,” she smiled at him and groaned when his pants were around his ankles. “Now that’s what I like to see,” she said, her eyes laser focused on his erection. She bent over and took him in her mouth and deep down her throat. Her tongue swirled around the tip and River’s hands found their way to layers of silky red hair.
“Kara, enough! I need to be inside you.”
She released him with a pop and a coy smile. “And I need you to be inside me,” she said and crawled back into his lap. She bit her bottom lip as she lowered herself onto his impressive length. He was thick and long, curved slightly to hit her sweet spot. “Yes,” she groaned when she was fully seated. “God, River, you feel amazing.” Those were the last words she said before please overtook her body. Up and down with a hip swirl, she did it over and over, moaning loudly above River’s grunts. Her body tightened and he hardened even more inside her. “River,” she told him and she cried out again when one hand went to her clit. “Yes, baby,” she whispered in his ear right before she tightened and went over the edge. “River!”
He groaned as she milked him and his fingers dug into her hips. “Kara, sweet, Kara,” he groaned and moved her hips up and down faster and faster until he stilled on a grunt and she felt his orgasm fill her body. “Kara.”
I’m an idiot. A big, stinkin’, stupid idiot.
Kara’s head fell to his shoulder as little quakes shook her body. She bit down on his neck and he groaned and slapped her ass. Her feelings for her husband were creeping back into her heart and she needed to banish them. For good. “You feel so good, I don’t want to get up.”