Page 82 of An Unexpected Turn
“Could we do it this way?” She mumbled into the mattress as I cupped her breast, her nipples already rigid against my thumbs. Peyton seemed tiny, but once I got her clothes off, she was all soft, mouthwatering curves. Her breasts spilled out of my hands as she writhed against me.
“Do what, sweetheart?” I kicked the sheet off both of us and drew her closer.
“Make love like that,” she said, her throaty voice still groggy from sleep. “You behind me, touching me. I need it, Jake.”
“Well then, I need to take care of my girl. You ready for me?” I slid my hand between her legs. “Fuck, sweetheart,” I hissed. “You’re drenched. Did I give you good dreams?”
“So good, so—yes, please, Jake.”
I slid inside from behind, trying to go slow and fight my urge to pound into her as I had on my couch. She reached back, hooking her elbow around my neck, and kissed me, sloppy and desperate, as I inched in and out.
I’d never been so hooked on anyone. I wanted to keep her here, blow off my job and anything else that would take her out of this bed and away from me. This craving for Peyton wasn’t new. She’d done this to me from day one. The only difference now was that I embraced it instead of fighting it.
I held off until her body shook against me, clenching around me until she took all I had. I dropped my head to the crook of her neck as we rode out the aftershocks.
“I almost wish I’d packed my work clothes.” She turned and buried her face into my neck, painting kisses along my throat and sifting her fingers through the dark trail of hair on my stomach.
“You can go get them if you want. I’ll drive you back to pick up whatever you need for tomorrow. We’d get one more night.”
She pushed off my chest and sat up on her elbows.
“If I stay one more night, I won’t be able to leave.”
“What’s wrong with that?” I chuckled, not really kidding at all.
“A conversation needs to happen with someone before we start talking about extended stays.”
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and grabbed my T-shirt off the floor. I’d had my mouth and hands all over her from the time she’d walked in, but my gaze still tracked her body, following the hem of the shirt as it fell halfway over her thighs.
“Sweetheart, soo—”
“Soon, yes, I know.” She cut me off, breathing out a heavy sigh, weeding through the clothes on my carpet until she plucked her panties from the corner and pulled them up her legs. “And we aren’t supposed to talk about it until tonight.”
I pulled on my boxers and followed her, pulling her back before she made it to the staircase.
“I’m as frustrated as you are. But I promise this is almost over.”
She turned, meeting my gaze with a sad smile.
“I’m not frustrated with you. With the holidays looming ... either we’re keeping a secret or dealing with the fallout. Not exactly what I was hoping for.”
“I know,” I said, grabbing the back of her head and leaning my forehead against hers. “Either way, I want you to come with me on Christmas Day. Be with me and my family. This is it, this is us.” I cupped her cheek. “I’m not begrudging us one single thing, not anymore. Hell, I’ll put a sign in my office window saying that I’m in love with you, so there’s no question from anyone anywhere.”
Her face crumpled before she dropped her head against my chest.
“You’re always so damn impossible to resist.”
I laughed and pulled her tighter.
“Right back at you.”
I was tempted to bring her back to bed, but followed her downstairs into the kitchen. We’d fallen in love, and it was no one’s business but ours, yet all we’d done about it up until this point was tiptoe around how others would react.
I hoped Keith would understand eventually, but if he didn’t, I’d still choose Peyton without a second of hesitation.
“Can I put pants on after breakfast?” Peyton asked when I handed her a cup of coffee. “Mike knows about us, but walking in and seeing me half naked with you may be pushing it just a bit.”
“He texted this morning and said they wouldn’t be back until tonight, but I guess I can’t stop you,” I grumbled as I mixed pancake batter on the counter.
