Cup of Sugar (10 page)

Conn liked Peter and Meredith. Liked being here, relaxing and having a good time in their home. Mostly, though, he enjoyed spending time with Nia. That feeling went both ways, he knew it did. Something he definitely wanted to explore further when they got home. Not that he wanted to start planning their wedding or anything. No rose-colored glasses for him this time around. But hang out and have fun like they were this weekend, absolutely.

If he could get past Nia’s rule.

Sara’s comments had clued him in. Nia had been hurt. Belly-up relationships not only sucked, they chipped away at your heart, your guts. Made it hard to take that leap the next time. He got that. Didn’t mean he’d let Nia slink into her house tomorrow and forget about their great weekend together. Hell no.

He passed the darkened kitchen and dining areas. Nia had turned off all the lights while he was outside, but moonlight shone through the large picture windows, illuminating most of the front portion of the house. He hung a left by the reclining chairs and turned into the cozy family room. And there lay Zeus, snoring in front of a freshly stoked fire. Nia had moved the coffee table and pulled out the sofa bed. A short stack of folded blankets and pillows sat on the end. The room was ready and waiting. Unfortunately, Nia wasn’t.

Chapter Seven

The sheets on her childhood bed rustled as Nia rolled from her back to her side. Then to the other side. Pointless. She’d been tossing and turning for forty-seven wide-awake, tormented minutes. Disappearing to her room without saying goodnight to Conn had been the smart decision. The best way to avoid temptation.

But she couldn’t get Sara’s words to stop echoing in her brain.
You’re supposed to have fun in your twenties. Take chances, follow your heart. Do crazy shit instead of overthinking everything.

Exactly what Nia had wanted to do tonight. And what she’d done when she accepted Conn’s offer of a ride. When she’d invited him to join her on the motel bed. For every incredible, orgasmatastic minute of their night together. Then today, with all the spontaneous, honest-to-goodness fun they’d shared.

She tossed the covers off and slid from the bed. Tomorrow she’d go back to being smart and sensible, to thinking ahead and sticking to her rule. Tonight, she’d follow her sister’s advice. First time for everything.

The house had its share of creaky spots. Nia picked her away along in the dark, avoiding the squeaky boards in the hall floor. She held her breath as she approached Sara’s room. A vision of Sara yanking the door open and yelling,
“Too late, you had your chance!”
then laughing as she revealed Conn naked and grinning on her bed popped into Nia’s head, freezing her to the spot. She pressed one ear to the door and…no heavy breathing, no deep male voice. Nothing.

Of course. Conn had made it very clear which woman held his interest. Unlike James, the first guy-next-door that Nia had fallen for, when she and Sara shared a dorm suite during college. They’d been close back then. More than sisters and roomies, they’d been best friends. James had hung out with them—eating pizza, studying, goofing around in the games room. The three of them had hit the bars together on weekends. But he’d been Nia’s boyfriend. Or so she thought.

She’d brought him home over the spring break. Her first “meet the parents” boyfriend as a grownup. James hadn’t complained when she told him he’d have to sleep in the family room, despite his insatiable sexual appetite back in Peterborough. The third night of the visit, Nia had finally worked up the nerve to surprise him. She’d even donned the kind of cheesy lingerie he preferred, though she hated the scratchy lace and tacky style. She’d only taken two steps down the hall when she’d spotted James leaving Sara’s bedroom. In his boxers.

Stupid ghosts of boyfriends past. Always rearing their cheating, judging, rejecting heads at the worst possible times.

Conn wasn’t James. Conn couldn’t hurt her because she was in control of the situation and her emotions. She clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle a snort. She was so
not
in control.

The opposite. She was losing it. Over a man. One she shouldn’t be thinking about, other than to wonder if Conn’s property taxes were the same as hers, or if his basement also flooded on the west side during a heavy downpour. Crap.

Nia scurried the remaining length of the hall, creaky floors be damned. She rounded the corner and leaned against the dining room wall. She’d only packed one pair of pajamas for the weekend. The coolness of the plaster seeped through the thin satin, sending a chill rippling through her. She hugged herself, rubbed her palms over her bare arms.

Forward or back. Best she decide before her chattering teeth brought Zeus running.

Have fun. Take chances. Follow your heart.

A deep breath in, and…forward. She pushed off the wall and tiptoed toward the glow from the fire. Toward one last night before Conn went back on the off-limits list.

* * *

Conn stuck his hand out from between the sheets, issuing a silent command for his dog to stay put. If he thought for one second that the person approaching might be Sara, he’d let Zeus go, give the girl a get-the-hell-out-of-here notice, canine edition. Nothing about Sara’s attention flattered him. Too over the top. Too spiteful in intent.

The only scent in the air came from the hunk of maple burning in the fireplace. With his back to the entryway and his eyes closed, he saw nothing. But he didn’t need sight or smell. He knew whose feet padded across the carpet. Whose silky pajamas swished as she moved. Nia had triggered his radar for months now, the effect amplified to maximum since last night. Goddamn, he wanted to open his eyes. Turn to look at her. Something in his gut made him blindly wait.

The covers shifted and the springs beneath the flimsy mattress squeaked. Skin and satin pressed against his back. Still, he didn’t move, faking sleep so she’d have full control of whatever happened next.

Her soft hand touched his shoulder, moved down his arm. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to roll over—and on top of her. Inside her. Especially when her palm slid down, onto his chest. Then inched lower.

His cock, perpetually on standby since she’d climbed into his truck last night, sprang to full readiness. And though he wasn’t much of the praying type, he sent one up now.

“Conn…” Her fingers circled his cock, answering that prayer. “Are you asleep?”

“Nope. But if I were, what would you do?”

“Wake you up.”

“Right answer.” He grinned against the pillow. “Turns out, I am asleep.” His exaggerated snoring sound elicited a giggle from the beautiful woman snuggled against his back. “Have at it, sweetheart.”

She slid her fist up and down his cock. Slowly, with little pressure. A touch that probably wouldn’t register if he were truly asleep. Since he was wide a-fucking-wake and already borderline desperate for her, the gentle contact had him gritting his teeth while he battled the urge to thrust into her grip. He wanted her. Oh hell yeah, he wanted her. But he had to wait. See how far she’d go to wake him up.

“Zzz…”
He punctuated the bogus snore with a snort.

“I see.” The springs squeaked as she moved away. Again when she curled those delicate little hands around his biceps and pulled him onto his back. “Well maybe I wasn’t done yet.”

His eyes stayed closed, though barely. But not his mouth. That split with an uncontrollable grin. Please, let her not be done yet.

The covers disappeared. Then his sweatpants, in one swift tug. Satin-covered knees nudged his legs apart and she settled between them. It about killed him to lie there, immobile, but he did it. He even managed another ridiculous fake snore.

“Oh, Conn…” Her sing-song whisper gave him goose bumps of the best kind. So did her fingernails as they trailed up his thighs. “Are you asleep?” One palm cupped his balls. The other wrapped around the base of his shaft. Silky hair danced on his stomach and warm breath teased the head of his cock. “I really want you to wake up…”

Jesus. Her mouth. On his cock. So hot, surrounding him, sucking him deep into her throat. Holding him there while her tongue did some magic dance along his dick.

She came up slowly, meeting his eyes as she let him slide free. “You’re awake.”

“Not sure. Think I might be having one hell of a fantastic dream.”

“Then keep dreaming, because it gets better.” And down she went.

He groaned. Grabbed fistfuls of the sheet so he wouldn’t shove his big, rough hands through the gorgeous hair fanned over his abdomen.

Up and down, she worked him. Tormenting him with those beautiful, please-fuck-me eyes and soft vibrating hum around his cock.

Sweat beaded on his forehead. Fire swirled low in his groin, demanding its release.

“You should stop.” He tempted fate putting one hand in her hair to draw her up. “Baby, you have to stop.
Now
.”

She shook her head. Reached up and caught his other hand, brought it to her head.

“Nia…”

“Let me do this.” The tip of her tongue swirled around his cock. “I want you to come in my mouth.”

He groaned. As if he could refuse that offer.

Her lips closed around him, took half his length, then slid back up, releasing him. “Can I tell you something?”

“Sweetheart, you’re sucking my cock. You just told me to come in your mouth. That pretty much gives you authority to say anything.”

“Okay.” The prettiest eyes blinked up at him and a fresh streak of pink flooded her cheeks. “I’ve been thinking about doing this all day.”

Oh man. The naughty-and-nice combo was lethal to his control.

“And…I like it when your hands are on me…while I’m sucking you.”

Control, what control? He gathered her shimmering, silk hair in one hand. Cupped the back of her head with the other. “My hands are on you. Wrap those sexy lips around my cock.”

Inch by inch, his length disappeared between her plump, pink lips. All the way down she went, until the tip of her nose brushed his abdomen. Her tongue, her lips, the suction—he had to fight to keep his eyes open so he could watch. Then she rose, sucking hard, all the way to the tip.

He applied gentle pressure, directing her back down. Her nails dug in to his hips. Her back arched, giving him a fantastic view of her hips and ass, even if they were covered. The firmer he held her in place, the hungrier she got, devouring his cock. Jesus, this woman.

An inferno raged at the base of his cock. Done. He was done. “Nia—” His hips jerked. He was there. Oh hell yeah, right fucking there. “So good, baby. So good…”

He blinked until the room came back in to focus. Shook off the residual stars and birds ringing his head and looked down his body at the woman between his legs. “I’m awake.” He grinned at her giggle. “Get up here.”

She crawled up, dragging the blankets with her. Soft and warm, she molded to his side, a perfect fit.

He hooked a couple fingers under her chin and tilted her face toward his. “Don’t get too comfortable. It’s not snuggle time.” In a beat, he was above her. Caging her. Kissing those crazy-hot, super-soft lips. Rubbing his cock against satin and groaning when her legs locked around his butt. “I want inside you. Badly.”

“But—you just came.”

“Oh, I do remember. And it blew my mind. Trouble is, you make my cock think it’s seventeen, not thirty-one.” He rocked the expanding proof against her clit, got that much harder when she moaned into his mouth. He had to move before he did something seventeen-year-old stupid, like sweet talk her into fucking without protection, or asking where her folks kept the plastic wrap.

He managed a feat of inner strength and rolled to his side. A quick tug and he had her spoon-style in front of him. “Much as I want to get rid of these pants,” he slid his palm over her hip, “I think it’s safer leaving them on.” He slipped his hand under the front edge. Over silky skin and hot, wet heaven. He slid two fingers inside her, groaning at the tightness. At the way she backed her ass against his hard-on while parting her legs.

“I thought about stuff today too.” He stroked in and out, fingers curled to hit her G-spot. “How sweet you tasted last night. The sounds you made. Especially when you came.” He nibbled the tender spot at the bottom of her ear and slid his fingers up to her clit. “I want to hear it again. Right now. And five minutes from now. Then all night long.”

“Yes, there.” Her breathing hitched. Her hand clapped over his. “Conn…” His name rode a sweet, whispered moan.

“So hot.” He cupped her. Stroked softly as she relaxed against him. He nuzzled her hair and neck. “So beautiful.”

She hummed and wiggled closer. Then pulled his hand from her pajama bottoms and brought it to her breast, humming again when he thumbed the hard nipple through her tiny tank top.

He could get used to this. Scratch that. He was already used to it.

“I should go before I fall asleep here.”

“Because of your parents?”

She nodded. Gave a soft
mmm-hmm
.

Peter and Meredith didn’t strike Conn as the freaking-out type. They didn’t pray before meals and they hadn’t mentioned church tomorrow or anything about Christmas last week, so religious reasons didn’t seem likely. Old-fashioned values, maybe. He could respect that. “They have a house rule about sleeping with boyfriends?”

“No. They’re fine with that. But you’re not my boyfriend. You’re my neighbor.”

That again. “I have to be one or the other?”

“Yes.”

He slid his hand down, inside her pants again. One touch and her hips rolled forward. A couple circles over her clit and she was halfway there.

“You sure about that?” He caught the bottom of her ear between his teeth, nibbling and sucking.

Under his hand, she trembled, on the edge of release. The sexiest, softest moan filled his head. Her body shook, jerked against his hand. Then melted inside the semicircle of his embrace.

“I really should go.” Same words as before. Quieter this time, and less determined.

“Forget ‘should.’ Go if you want to go—I won’t stop you. But I’d rather you stay.” He traced the line of her neck with his tongue. Eased two fingers in and out of her sweet heat. If it took pleasuring her into boneless, satisfied submission to keep her here—no problem.