Recipe For Seduction (A Madewood Brothers Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (10 page)

He undid his belt and released the zipper of his jeans, pulling out his erection. When he was sheathed, he teased between her legs, rubbing his cock across her folds. She moaned when he pushed a tiny bit inside.

She was the perfect height—the four inches of her boots made his final destination easy to access. And the faster and harder he’d be able to fuck her.

He pushed in deeper, loving the feel of her heat molding and forming to accommodate him. When he was buried to the hilt, he stilled. The reality of the situation had set in and excitement nearly overwhelmed him. He was here. With Veronica. Balls-deep inside her sex. Heat spread through his cock and his heart thumped ten times its normal speed. This was his every fantasy come to life.

He placed both hands on her ass cheeks, kneading the supple skin, and began to thrust. Each time he pulled out, he smacked his hand down on her bottom. The crisp slap of flesh against flesh and her cries of passion echoed through the kitchen.

He continued his assault on her core and ass cheek, and each time he touched her she trembled and tightened around him, throwing her head back in ecstasy. The muscles in his neck grew taut as he strained to keep himself from exploding. Because that’s all he wanted to do. Explode all over her hot, red bottom. But she would come first. He would make sure of it. He would not allow their first time together to be a letdown for her.

He grasped one of her legs and lifted it, changing the angle of their union, and she cried out in appreciation. “Yes, just like that.”

He thrust harder, faster, gritting his teeth, keeping his focus, wanting to give her an orgasm she’d never forget. Ever.

Suddenly, her entire body contracted, and she screamed, “Yes,
yes
. God, Finn, yes!”

Her sex clamped onto his cock with such force he slammed his fist on the stone counter just to keep himself from going off.

“My God,” she groaned, her breaths coming in gasps. She dropped her forehead onto the granite countertop and she laid her palms flat against it.

He smiled. Tiny whimpers escaped her lips as he continued his thrusts. “My turn,” he gritted out.

He pulled out and whipped off the condom. In a sexy move, she tucked her cheek to her shoulder and stared at him, puzzlement peeking from beneath her look of pure satisfaction. Her eyes widened at the sight of him stroking his own cock. But it was the hungry swipe of her tongue across her bottom lip that set him off. With a grunt, he released, the product of his pleasure hitting the tender pink flesh of her ass.

Leaning forward, he planted wet openmouthed kisses up her back. When he clamped down on the flesh between her neck and shoulder, she groaned. A few more of her moans and breathy whimpers and he’d be ready to go again.

He used a kitchen towel to clean her bottom. The cream-colored fabric was a stark contrast to the red splotches covering her ass from his spanking. When she was clean, she whirled around in his arms and surprised him with a seductive kiss. What was once limp stirred to life.

He grabbed her and lifted. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her toward the staircase, but the little vixen had other plans. She slipped her hand between their bodies and massaged his length while taking his mouth in a hard kiss. Her nipples cut like glass against his chest through the thin layers of the apron and his T-shirt, and when she bit down on his bottom lip, the stinging pleasure sent a spasm straight to his cock. And to his brain.

He pulled away from her kiss, letting his head fall forward to rest on her collarbone. But they were far past the point of no return. They had already leaped, plunged headfirst over the cliff, and there was no going back.

A twinge of guilt nagged in his chest. Was this the right decision?

“Finn?”

She put her hands to his cheeks and lifted his head. When their eyes met, he was bowled over by desire, appreciation, and—dare he believe?—love. He knew she loved him, in a big brother way—that he knew for sure. But for the first time, the warm tingle of something more burned its way from his cock to his heart. But he shook it off. They couldn’t give each other what they needed. And in the end, that’s what mattered most of all.

He leaned in and kissed her, hot, sweet, and thorough. “I just needed a second.”

Stepping forward, he lowered her to the dark wood of the staircase. He knelt and pressed his mouth to her belly as he pushed open her thighs. Moving south with his kisses, he made eye contact, loving the heavy-lidded look of lust she wasn’t ashamed to show him.

He loved how she luxuriated at his touch. She settled back against the wooden risers, holding out her arms and gripping the edge of the stairs as he moved down her body, letting his fingers flutter down the length of her legs. She moaned the more he grated his stubbled cheek against her skin. She put her hands on his head, grabbing his hair for balance as he licked the crease of her thigh. She shivered more and more, the closer his mouth came to the spot he knew must crave his tongue. Her blatant need for him was the most erotic sight he’d ever seen.

When he finally found the hard bead of her clit, she lifted her hips, urging him, pleading with him.

His tongue licked a long line up her folds as he grasped his hands tightly around her hips. He quickened his movements and latched his mouth over her sex, sucking until she teetered on the edge of pleasure.

Sliding his hand up her body, he squeezed her breast as his tongue worked at her clit. She was almost there. Almost—

“Finn!”

She clamped her legs around his head and her fingers gripped the neck of his T-shirt. She pulled, her strength ripping the cotton fabric as spasms rocked through her body.

It didn’t matter that they were in full view of anyone who might walk through the door. It didn’t matter that this one night of fulfilled fantasies could change everything between them. They had left that behind the minute he picked up that spatula. Hell, the minute he’d spotted her onstage.

He carried her to bed, laying them both under the covers to snuggle for a few minutes as they recovered. Their time together was ticking by, and he needed to make sure he sneaked out before Cal got home from work. He glanced at his watch. They still had plenty of time for round two, three, maybe even five.

He drew her closer with a contented sigh. Holding on desperately to the fantasy that would turn into a distant memory the moment he walked out the door.

“Don’t fall asleep,” she whispered.

He moaned and nestled further into her neck. “I won’t.”

Chapter Seven

Veronica slowly came awake. She rolled over but didn’t end up on her back. Instead, she was cradled against something warm and hard. And she suddenly remembered.

Finn O’Reilly.

In her bed.

Her body ached, in a good way—a just-been-fucked good way. A flutter danced in her stomach and a wave of heat rushed over her body at the memory of their encounter. Encounters.

She had been amazed. Exhilarated that his dominance was a complete turn-on. And have mercy, that spatula. She had expected pain upon contact but instead had been overwhelmed by a burning need to touch herself, for him to sate her urgent need for release. She’d never be able to look at a spatula again without sending a zing of pleasure straight to her clit. Good thing she didn’t actually cook.

Finn stirred, pulling her close to his body. His scent surrounded her, intoxicating her, pulling her under his spell, even though they hadn’t even spoken. The sun peeked inside her room through the tiny strip of window her horizontal blinds didn’t cover, and she wished she could turn around to admire him in the morning light.

She tensed. Wait a damn minute.

It was morning
. And he was still here.
Shit. Shit. Shit.

His hand slithered down her back to her hip and gripped, his skin warm against hers. “Morning,” he whispered against her ear.

She shivered and pressed her bottom backward against him. With one word, the man could make her melt. With one word he could make her forget her name. And she almost did…until she heard the toilet flush. The water rushed through the pipes in the wall behind them.

“Your heart is beating a mile a minute. What’s wrong?” he murmured.

“What’s wrong?” She craned her neck. “You fell asleep. It’s morning, and Cal is right out there.”

He tensed and lifted his head, cursing under his breath.

“Exactly.” How could he have forgotten? How could she have let him?

She wiggled out of his embrace and turned to face him. But in her maneuvering, the blanket fell away, revealing his very naked, very sexy body—the smooth line of his chest, his defined abs. She groaned. Why did he have to be so perfect?

But the movement of the blanket also brought the cool morning air. She cuddled up to him and swung her leg over his hip.

“You keep wiggling with your legs open like that and you’re going to get a stiff surprise.”

She smiled. “I wouldn’t mind at all.”

“Is that so? Well, I’m ready when—”

A heavy knock sounded on the door. “Veronica. Is there a reason why you undressed in the kitchen last night?” He opened the door. “The kitchen’s a—” Cal stood in the doorway, his jaw practically on the ground.

She shot up, pulling the blanket to make sure she was completely covered. Shock quickly turned to disgust when his gaze settled on her guest.

“Morning, Cal. Do you think you could give us a minute?” Finn drawled.

“Seriously?” Cal hissed. “
This
is why you left me to learn from your sous douche?”

Finn sat up, his bare chest for all to see. “Why is Chris a douche?”

“I can’t look at this.” He slammed the door and yelled from the other side, “You’re damn lucky Mark’s not home.”

She turned and searched out every inch of Finn’s face—the crinkles at the corners of his eyes, the two “beauty” marks beneath his left ear. Finn. Her friend. Her lover. Her disaster waiting to happen.

“So much for sneaking out,” he muttered.

She willed her lip to stop quivering. Tears threatened to flood her eyes. From fear? From happiness? From guilt? She was too overwhelmed to even process her emotions.

“Hey, what’s that face for?”

She’d never been able to hide anything from him, and she hated that. It was as if he could read her mind.

“It’s the morning after.” She traced her finger over his chin. “We really did it.” She blew out a long, hard breath. “Did we really just overlook almost twenty years of friendship and have mindless monkey sex?”

He gave her the trademark Finn grin. The one that never failed to settle her down. “We better have, because checking items off my fantasy list last night was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” He paused and contemplated his words. “Actually, the most fun ever.”

“I’m serious.” She pushed into him. “How are you feeling about all this?”

He exhaled, his grin fading to a thin smile.

Initiating the talk about feelings wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done. But she needed to know where he stood.

“If you’re asking if I regret what we did last night,” he said, “then, no. I don’t regret one single minute of it.”

Her heart fluttered and the aching knot in her stomach eased a little. “Even if I didn’t fulfill my promise? I was supposed to seduce
you
. Not the other way around.”

“Hopefully, we’ll have plenty more opportunities for you to fulfill that promise.”

Hesitation darkened his features. Did he really think she was finished with him?

He smoothed a hand over her bottom. “I didn’t really give you an opportunity to fulfill your promise. I sort of took over. As soon as I spotted the spatula, I had my own agenda.”

“You did have a very specific vision last night.” Palpitations thumped hard against her chest at the thought of his hand making contact with her ass. Who knew that could feel so amazing? Yesterday, a spatula was the rubber thing she used to mix the Kraft dinner. But today, she had a whole new appreciation for kitchen equipment.

“Well, it was something I’d been fantasizing about for a very long time.” His hand rubbed her cheek. “How does it feel back here?” He reached around and laid his hand on her bottom, taking ownership of her body as he pulled her closer.

Surprisingly, it felt wonderful. A satisfying full-body ache, a physical reminder of their time together. But her biggest question was, did she do his fantasy justice?

“Did the real thing live up to the fantasy?” She bit her bottom lip waiting for his response.

He reached out and stroked her cheek. “It was even better.”

She let out a soft sigh, expelling a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding in. “Good. Me, too.”

“So what are we going to do about Cal?” Finn folded the blanket at his waist and leaned back against the headboard. And just like that, he’d brought them back to reality. “Do you think he’ll tell Mark?”

“No. Not if I ask him to keep quiet. But do you see how I have no privacy? He just barges in anytime without knocking. Ali did the same thing.”

Not that she’d ever had anything for them to see. There were no unexpected guests or compromising positions. Until this morning. Annoyance overwhelmed her, raising her body temperature.

“You might consider locking the door…”

She made a face at him. “I was so looking forward to a time when I wouldn’t have to worry about locking a door. Having the house to myself. A life for myself.” She shook her head, strong in her conviction. “I’ve enjoyed raising those kids, and even on the worst days I’ve really loved having a family. But it’s time for me now. I need to find myself and my place in the world. I never got that chance.”

On the one hand, she was upset with Cal for ruining her plans. And for his knee-jerk decision to defer university, plunging his whole future into question. But on the other, what had she done wrong as a parent figure to prevent Cal from moving on? To start his own life free of her hovering and warden-like tendencies—or so he always told her? What did she have to do to help him cut the ties and take responsibility for his own life? She couldn’t be his security blanket forever. Nor he and Ali, hers.

As if he couldn’t get away fast enough, Finn scooted away from her to the edge of the bed. “So, it’s true. And here I thought Mark was mistaken.”

“What do you mean? About what?”

“Last I heard, you wanted kids of your own. Like I do. But Mark seems to think that isn’t the case.”

Why was her whole family suddenly all up in her business? “Mark talks about me?”

Finn shrugged. “It just sort of came up.”

“Well—” Mark was right. He’d been around for some of her major kid rants. Finn didn’t see the behind-the-scenes action. “I already have my family. And I’ve also seen what marriage and babies can do to people. To relationships. I want a man who will walk beside me and enjoy life…just the two of us, without all those complications.”

He shook his head. “I know you, Veronica. You confided in me, remember?”

She remembered. Growing up, he’d needed to be sure she wasn’t enduring horrible things at the hands of creepy foster parents. So he’d pried. Probably a lot more than she should have let him.

All those years ago, she
had
wanted a family, wanted the normal life orphan and foster children dreamed of every day and every night. But things change. People move on. And her eight-year stint with motherhood was all she needed.

“I gave up on that idea a long time ago. When I was little I dreamed of being whisked off my feet, saved by a man who’d deliver me from my life of neglect and isolation. But that didn’t happen. I delivered myself. And as for children… Hell, teenagers are tough enough. I can’t even imagine babies. I gave Cal and Ali everything, eight years of my life, and I’m so glad I did. But now it’s time for me to go back and fulfill my other dreams—travel the world, grow my business, have fun on my own for a while without the ever-present responsibility. Maybe in another decade or two I’d be ready again…but it’ll be too late then.”

He looked genuinely mystified. “Don’t you want to be happy?”

“Shame on you.” She sat up, hugging the blanket to her chest. “Pretty arrogant to think I can only be happy with a husband and children in my life. Are
you
going to marry me? Sweep me off my feet and take all my troubles away?”

His silence told her everything she needed to know. “I didn’t think so.”

But she had a feeling there was more going on inside that beautiful head of his.

He said with an oddly neutral gaze, “You’re right. We’re just…fucking. Nothing more, nothing less.”

She nodded. “That was the plan.”

“In that case…” He reached out and pulled down the sheet she had tugged to her chest. “When can I see these again? I mean, you. When can I see you again?”

She laughed and smacked him on the arm. “Jerk.”

“I’m working at the restaurant the next two nights, but maybe after that?”

She frowned. “I’ll be in Niagara-on-the-Lake for a consultation. I won’t be around for a few days.”

He sat up straight. “I’ll come with you.”

Her stomach fluttered at the possibility of spending more time with him. Alone. No complications. No one walking in on them. But it was a business trip. “That’s not the best idea. I’ll be working all day. And you have to make sure Cal does his job at Carmel, and—”

Finn shook his head. “It’s probably best if I stay away from him for the next few days. Seeing as he’s seen us together. Naked. In bed. It’s a little traumatizing, don’t you think?”

He made it sound like leaving town was a good idea, but she had no intention of taking him away from his business, his life. “What about your restaurant?”

“Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a vacation? I could use one.”

She snorted. “Niagara isn’t exactly a vacation.”

“Are you kidding? It’s the honeymoon capital of the world.”

Her nipples hardened and she pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts again. “Funny.”

“Besides, it’s the closest thing I’m going to get. Plus it gives us the opportunity to be together without any chance of getting caught. No sneaking around. No guilt. Just sex. Lots and lots of sex.” He grinned.

A weekend away without responsibility. Without having to think about Cal and Ali every minute, wondering if they were alive and well. A weekend where all she had to focus on was expanding her career.

And Finn.

Cal would be at work, Ali was at school, and Mark would be around to keep the house intact. This could be just another baby step in the right direction of reclaiming her life as an independent adult.

And also the perfect opportunity for her to surprise Finn with a little seduction of her own. Something that would make him squirm with delight.

She grinned back. “I guess you could tag along. I
will
have the evenings free.”

He leaned back with a look of satisfaction. “It’s settled, then. When do we leave?”

…

From Finn’s seat at the bar, he had the perfect view of Veronica walking through the doors of the Lake House restaurant, where they’d agreed to meet for dinner the first night of their mini-getaway.

She surveyed the crowd looking for him, her fingers wrung together in front of her body. She was nervous about something. But what? She had no reason to be. They were all alone in Niagara.

For the very first time, he’d pulled rank and simply informed his staff he was taking a vacation. They didn’t even bat an eyelash. How many years had he sacrificed, thinking his employees needed him? That just wasn’t the case. The realization had hit him hard, which was why he’d chosen this specific restaurant. It was an opportunity to check in on one of his former students from the Cooking for the Future program.

Often, after a session had been completed and a new one begun, his brothers all lost touch with most of the previous students—except for the few Cole had hired for his restaurant. But Finn knew exactly what each of his kids had been doing since they’d graduated. Which ones had pursued the culinary arts, which ones went to university on scholarship, which ones regressed and decided they didn’t want to make a better life for themselves.

Under his watch, it was only a handful of kids who had not reached their full potential.

They’d all had the potential to be or do anything—they didn’t have to enter the food industry. The skills they’d learned in the program, while giving them a base with which to enter the culinary field, could translate into any occupation. They learned leadership, organization, the ability to work in fast-paced environments, delegation, and dealing with authority. A kitchen was a well-oiled machine. And just like any business, it needed savvy individuals to keep it running smoothly.