make her lose control.
Back and forth, back and forth, with the flat part of his tongue, then the tip. Her center engorged, then the first shudder of her release struck. She cried out as her whole body convulsed.
When she was done, she collapsed next to him in the tub. Her eyes were dilated, her skin flushed. Water rained down on them.
“Your turn,” she breathed, her hand reaching between them to close around his erection.
He held in a moan. “What did you have in mind?”
She smiled. “Stand up and find out.”
He rose and stepped under the shower. Elissa knelt in front of him and licked the very tip of his arousal. Instinctively he flexed and surged toward her before he could stop himself. He wanted to bury his hands in her wet hair and pull her closer. He wanted her to suck as hard as she could until he exploded.
Instead he braced himself against the wall and did his best not to act too aggressively.
She circled him with her tongue, then opened her mouth and took him inside. The wet heat combined with the pounding of the shower to create an otherworldly experience.
Suddenly she stopped and stepped out of the shower. A minute later, she returned, condom in hand.
“You’re holding back,” she said simply. “This way you don’t have to.”
He was surprised she’d noticed and grateful for her actions. After he slipped on the protection, he turned her so her back was to the tile wall.
“Gonna be cold,” he said.
She grinned. “I can handle it.”
She only shrieked a little as he raised her up against the tiles. Then she moaned and wrapped her legs around his hips when he thrust inside of her.
She was hot and slick and already contracting around him. In a matter of seconds he was hanging on by a thread and a few seconds after that, he just didn’t give a damn.
“I HAVE TO GET TO WORK,” Elissa said two hours later when they’d moved back to the bedroom and used the last condom. “I’m supposed to spend the weekend working on my jewelry. The craft show is in a couple of weeks and I’m not close to ready.”
Walker leaned over and kissed her shoulder. “I’ll help.”
She blinked at him. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
He rolled onto his back and pulled her with him so she stretched across him.
“What’s so hard to believe?” he asked. “I’ll go out and get supplies, then come back and help. You can tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
Just like that, she thought. A couple of days ago, she’d assumed they would never speak to each other again. Suddenly they were lovers and he was implying they would be spending more time together. Was that what she wanted? Was that the safest route?
She already knew the answer to that last question, but in that moment, she didn’t care.
“You don’t have to go to the store,” she said. “I have enough food for us.”
“I wasn’t talking about food.” He leaned over and shook the empty condom box.
“Oh,” she said. “You really think you’re going to want to do that again?”
He cupped her face and kissed her firmly. “You can bet on it.”
“HOW HARD COULD IT BE?” Walker asked when Elissa sat him down at the kitchen table and gave him detailed instructions on how to wrap the wire around the pale blue topaz.
“It takes practice,” she told him, not sure if she should be insulted by his assumption that what she did was so easy.
She returned to her worktable and began sorting stones. She had ideas for several matching sets, which would be her most expensive items, along with lots of different styles of earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces.
She’d already made a list of the different designs to help her keep on track. Another sheet held her completed inventory list. If she really focused she could-
“This isn’t right.”
Walker stood next to her and handed over a mess of twisted wire and barely visible stone.
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
He set the object on the table. “This isn’t my thing. Why don’t I make labels or put stuff in boxes?”
She held in a smile. “But you said it was so easy. You said it wouldn’t be a problem. You said-”
“I was wrong.” He spoke between gritted teeth.
“Really? You? Wrong? Color me astonished.”
“It’s not easy,” he grumbled. “Is that what you want? Is that enough crawling?”
“Nearly,” she said brightly. “I think another minute will do it.”
“Fine. You have talent and I don’t. You were right and I was…”
He paused and she held a hand up to her ear. “Yes?”
“Wrong.”
She sighed. “What a beautiful sound. The w word. I rejoice for all women everywhere.”
“You’re taking this a little too much to heart. I can think of only one way to shut you up.”
Then, before she could react, he pulled her to her feet and kissed her thoroughly.
“I have to work,” she protested.
He put one hand on her breast and slipped the other between her legs.
“What was that?” he asked against her mouth.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
BY LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON, Elissa had made progress on her inventory and Walker had, knowingly or not, made inroads into her heart. Her friends had been right-sleeping with the man meant bonding with him and no matter how much she told herself to keep her distance, neither her brain nor her heart were listening.
He put the last label on the box, then stacked that container with the others. After glancing at his watch, he said, “Zoe will be home soon. I should go. You don’t want to have to explain me to her or your mother.”
“Right.”
She’d forgotten about the fight she’d had with her mother. All her anger and confusion returned in a rush.
He kissed her once and left. It was only after he was gone that she realized he hadn’t said anything about seeing her again. Did he plan to? Had anything changed for him or was this just the long version of a one-night stand?
She hated the questions nearly as much as she hated herself for asking them. If she wanted to know, she should be a grown-up and ask. But before she could, she heard a car in the driveway.
By the time she got to the door, Zoe was already out and racing toward her.
“Mommy, Mommy, I had the best time,” her daughter yelled. “I have so much to tell you!”
Elissa crouched down and held out her arms. Zoe rushed into them. Elissa glanced over her daughter’s head and saw that her mother wasn’t alone in the car. Elissa’s father was with her.
Had he come along to say goodbye or was he to provide a buffer between the two women?
Elissa straightened as her parents got out of the car and walked toward her.
“Hi,” she said, not looking at her mother. “It sounds like Zoe had fun.”
“I did!” her daughter said. “I want to stay over again.”
“If that’s not a problem,” her mother said stiffly. “We’d love to have her.”
“Sure. That would be great. We’ll have to work something out.”
Her father handed her Zoe’s small suitcase and kissed Elissa’s cheek. “You know we love you, Elissa, don’t you? You understand things happened?”
Meaning what? They were allowed to be pissed she’d left but she wasn’t supposed to care that they’d stopped looking?
“Of course.” She forced herself to smile.
“Good.”
She could tell he thought everything was fine now, but she knew differently and from the way her mother avoided her gaze, she, too, understood that all was not well.
“We won’t keep you,” her father said. “Let’s talk soon.”
“Sure.”
