Authors: Beth Cornelison
When at last he pulled away, smoothing her hair back from her face, the sun had disappeared. The gray veil of night surrounded them, and the chirp of nocturnal frogs filled the balmy air.
She half-expected him to help her to her feet and escort her inside where they could finish what their heated kissed had so plainly started. Her pulse pattered erratically, though whether from anticipation or anxiety at the thought of taking the next step, she wasn't sure.
Instead, he sucked in a deep breath and stretched his legs out in front of him. Exhaling with a whoosh, Kevin tipped his head back to look up at the evening's first stars. If she had any doubt how the kiss had affected him, the proof strained against the front of his pants.
Enticing though it was, Claire averted her gaze from the evidence of Kevin's arousal and leaned back on her elbows in order to stargaze with him.
"Tell me when you're ready for a piece of the pie Mrs. P. sent," he said, his eyes fixed on the heavens and his voice still a bit winded.
"Actually, I think I'll pass on dessert. I enjoyed her lasagna so much I forgot to leave room for the pie."
He turned his head toward her. "I've been meaning to thank you."
"Thank me? For what?"
"For helping Mrs. P. out the other night when she was stung by the bee. That sort of thing happening is exactly why I wanted her to have someone in residence. She means a lot to me, and I'm glad you were there for her."
"I'm glad I was, too. It was a close call. Too close. I was really scared for a while." She shivered remembering the pitiful sound of her landlady's labored breathing.
"She's a stubborn old coot. I know losing her husband was hard on her, and she thinks she has to prove something about making it on her own. But independence doesn't have to mean isolation. Everyone needs someone sometime. Otherwise life can be pretty lonely."
Claire sat up, hearing something in Kevin's words that made her wonder if he was still talking about Mrs. Proctor. Had he isolated himself since Robin hurt him? He seemed to have numerous friends in the community who admired and cared about him.
Or did his words resonate within her for reasons that had more to do with her own quest for independence? Had she gone too far in her attempt to break free from her parents' control, isolating herself in Grayson? With a pang of regret, she admitted that she missed her family and promised herself to call again tomorrow to assure them she was all right.
Kevin reached toward her face suddenly.
Startled from her musings, she flinched and held her breath. But rather than touch her, he closed his hand around a bug buzzing by her ear. He pulled his arm back and opened his fingers to show her the black-winged insect that flashed its yellow light at them.
"A lightning bug." She glanced up at him and grinned. "I used to catch them when I visited my grandmother. I'd put them in one of her jelly jars and have dozens blinking in my little jar by bedtime. I liked to watch them flash as I fell asleep."
"I think catching fireflies is a rite of childhood."
"Then you did it, too?"
"Only pet my mom would let me have. She was allergic to all animals with hair."
She grinned. "My mom had a little poodle when I was a kid. But Bipsy and I didn't get along. So I don't think she counts as a pet."
"Bipsy?" Kevin repeated, eyebrows raised.
She laughed. "I know." Claire stuck a finger in her mouth and poked her tongue out to show what she thought of the name and her mother's snippy little dog.
When he smiled, her heart tapped. She laid her finger across his palm to let the firefly crawl onto her, but the bug flew off Kevin's hand and hovered between them a moment before buzzing away.
Kevin turned, tracking the bug. "Hey, baby. Come here often? What's a nice girl like you doin' in a yard like this?"
Claire chuckled. "Pardon?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just goofing around. Fireflies blink to attract a mate." His grin turned devilish. "Interesting mating ritual, huh? Can you see a nightclub full of people with their butts lighting up whenever they saw someone they wanted to hit on?"
Claire imagined just such a scenario in her head and had to laugh. "Think what the clubs could save on their electric bill. The room would stay lit from all the sexual energy." She put her hands behind her derriere, opening and closing her fingers. "Blink, blink."
His grin brightened. "Kinda gives 'flashing someone' new meaning, huh?"
She laughed harder until she had to wipe tears from the corner of her eyes. The gentle rumble of his laughter joined hers, and she savored the sexy sound, let the vibrations roll through her body, sensitizing every nerve ending.
The humidity that permeated the air amplified the aroma of gardenias that bloomed in a nearby yard. The sweet summer scents were heady, heightening her anticipation of what lay ahead.
"What would you be doing tonight if I weren't here?" she asked.
"You mean besides wishing you
were
here?"
She grinned and took his hand.
He shrugged. "I'd be wading through profit margins and inventory controls. Mid-terms are coming up."
"Mid-terms? You teach school?"
"No, I take a night class at Harrison. One class per quarter is all I can swing with work and all. But I'll finally have my degree in a few months."
That explained the books he had his nose in every spare minute at the hardware store.
"I probably hold the record for the longest time to finish college. A business finance degree twelve years in the making." His dismissive scoff nettled her.
"At least you stuck with it. A lot of people wouldn't have had the ambition to see it through. I think it's great you did."
He met her eyes briefly before glancing away. "Thanks."
When silence fell between them, she reviewed what she knew about Kevin, looking for a new source for conversation. He'd made reference to his mother earlier, and she seemed as good a place to start as any. "So your mom was a hippie, huh? Tell me about her."
He hesitated, plucking a tall piece of grass to twirl in his free hand. "I told you she died of cancer a few years ago, right?"
She squeezed his hand. An arrow of compassion and regret for picking a potentially painful topic speared her heart. "Yeah, you did. I'm sorry. We can talk about something else—"
"It's all right." He echoed his words with a sad smile. "She was great. A pillar of strength to the end, but she's at peace now. And she's with my dad, so I know she's happy."
"You were an only child?"
"Mm-hm. Dad was killed in Iraq when I was ten years old, and Mom never remarried. Sam—the guy you met the other day—he'd have married her in a heartbeat, but she never loved Sam the way she loved my dad." Kevin stuck the grass blade in his mouth and chewed the end. "She had a tough road, raising a kid by herself. Working two jobs sometimes. Not having money was...well, let's just say there's not much I wouldn't do to get a little ahead for a change. Love might make the world go 'round, but money greases the wheels."
Something about the way he looked at her unsettled Claire. They'd never really discussed the differences in their financial stations before, but his expression made it clear he knew she came from wealth. Kevin's mention of money brought back painful reminders that her father's bank account had been Blaine's key interest in her. Surely Kevin wasn't...
He gave her a wistful smile. "Busy as she was, my mom always found time for me, though. I don't know how she did it."
Pushing the upsetting doubts about Kevin's motives for romancing her aside, Claire returned a smile. "Well, whatever she did, she did it right. Look at how you turned out."
She meant her reply as a compliment, but Kevin's expression darkened, grew guarded.
"Sam's always telling me how proud my dad would be of the man I became." He shook his head as if he couldn't believe it, and the same disconcerting prick that had riddled her when he dismissed his hard work to finish school poked at her again, prodded her to argue.
"Listen to Sam, Kevin." She caught his chin and brought his face around so she could look into his eyes. "You're a man of many admirable qualities. You're hard-working and honest and kind and honorab—"
He cut her off with a kiss. She felt sure the kiss was a distraction technique since he seemed uneasy discussing himself.
As he shifted closer, capturing the nape of her neck and drawing her in to deepen the kiss, she added 'skillful kisser' to his list of known talents. Incredible kisser. Sultry, drive-me-wild kisser.
A moan of pleasure swelled in her throat. He answered by dipping his tongue between her lips and stroking inside her mouth. Heat pulsed through her, building, expanding.
She grew impatient with the kiss, with the small talk and politeness. She felt as if she'd waited all her life to make love to Kevin, and she didn't want to wait another minute.
Taking the initiative, she shifted and straddled him, snuggling her heat against the swollen evidence of his arousal. She rocked her hips forward, wanting him inside her, hating the barrier of their clothes.
He groaned. "Oh, God, you're killing me, princess."
"Then let's go inside," she rasped. "I want you naked."
With a sound that was half growl, half grunt, he lunged to his feet, bringing her with him, his hands under her thighs. He lumbered up the porch steps and into his trailer, carrying her with an awkward gait. She locked her legs around his hips, and with every step he took, she bumped against his distended fly. Like striking flint to start a fire, every jostling contact shot sparks through her until she thought she would explode.
He stopped at the end of his bed and sealed their lips again in a ravishing kiss.
Kicking off her sandals, she lowered her feet to the floor, her body sliding down his.
He smoothed his hands up, over her bottom, along her back, under her hair until he cradled her head again. The sweet pressure of his mouth both stole her breath and breathed fire into her blood.
With shaking hands, she pulled his shirt free from his jeans and hungrily explored his warm skin. He backed away to allow her to tug the shirt over his head and drop it at their feet. Her fingers followed her gaze over the firm muscle of his chest and his taut nipples. Ducking her head, she flicked one tan peak with her tongue, and he jolted as if he'd received an electric shock. Encouraged and enticed by his response, she feathered her tongue across his skin to tease his other nipple, too. He shuddered, drew an unsteady breath, and she lifted her head to grin at him. "Make love to me, Kevin."
His eyes flickered with something hot, something deep and powerful that burrowed straight to her heart.
"Eat your heart out, froggie," he muttered, but she had no time to puzzle over the odd comment before he tumbled her onto the bed. He covered her with his body, his weight pressing her into the soft mattress and surrounding her with his heat. His fingers glided over her breasts to the top button on her blouse. With maddening care and precision, he slowly worked his way down. After every button, he paused to sample each bit of her newly exposed skin with a kiss. The mere brush of his lips, the warm caress of his breath, gossamer-light touch of his tongue toyed with her patience. Her body throbbed, wept for completion while he eased from her throat...to the valley between her breasts...to her midriff...and finally her navel. And then he worked his way up again. Just as slowly.
She wanted to scream, wanted to shout for him to hurry. Instead she whimpered and arched her back as he neared her breasts again. She begged him with the thrust of her chest to take the aching tips in his mouth. He filled his hands with her breasts and gently massaged her, scraping his thumbs over her nipples until they strained for his touch.
Hooking a finger under the lacy trim of her bra, he swept inside the satin demicup. Flesh stroked flesh. She gasped and reveled in the thrilling rush of sensation. "Please, Kevin," she whispered. "You're making me crazy."
Lifting his head, he gave her a devilish grin. "Good."
He rubbed his fingers over the sensitive nipples once more, and she moaned. "Meanie."
"Mm-hm." He chuckled, and she absorbed the vibration from his chest. "I want to savor every minute of this—" He kissed her shoulder. "Memorize how you look—" He licked her throat. "How you taste—" He nipped her earlobe with his teeth, and she sighed her pleasure. "How you purr when I touch you."
Her body answered with a tremor that raced to her core. With more of his aggravating precision, he unhooked the front clasp of her bra and peeled back the fabric, exposing her to his ravenous eyes. His heated gaze slid over her like a physical caress, and she ached for his hands to soothe the need roiling inside her.
Trailing his fingertips from her shoulders to her waist, he caught his breath and raised his eyes to hers.
"You're beautiful." His voice rasped, thick and needy, and the tremble in his hands spoke for his failing grasp on his control. His fiery gaze penetrated her as he helped her remove her shorts and slide her blouse and bra down her arms. Her own fingers shook when she fumbled to unbutton his jeans and push them down his hips.
When his rigid length was freed from his clothes, Claire wrapped her fingers around him and stroked the smooth, hot flesh.
Kevin tensed and sucked in a sharp hiss of pleasure, his fingers digging into her arms. Patience and care were abandoned. His kiss, as he grappled in the bedside drawer for a condom, bordered on frantic. His lips devoured her, his tongue plundered, and his steely heat stroked her intimately with deep erotic thrusts. The feel of his flesh against hers was so heavenly, she met his undulations with her own, opening herself to him. The pulsing heat built quickly. She wanted him, needed him. Now.
"Kevin!" With simple shift of her hips, she took him inside her with a choppy gasp.
He froze in the middle of pulling the condom from the packet. "Oh, geez...Claire," he panted. He clutched her to him in a grasp that knocked the air from her lungs. "Not yet..."
A sheen of sweat slickened his skin, making his back slippery as she urged him to move inside her. But heaving a shuddering breath, he pulled out and gulped in air.