Kate's Happily Ever After Read online

  Kate reached down and gathered up a handful of sheet in an attempt to cover some of her nakedness. As the euphoria brought on by two glorious orgasms faded, she became keenly aware of the setting sun streaming in through the bedroom windows. Uneasy over having her physical flaws on display, she snuggled closer to him. Reality crashed into her with super-sonic speed.

  “What time do we have to be at the reception?” she asked as casually as she could. When Bryan tensed, she knew she’d failed miserably.

  “Isn’t it the guy who’s supposed to have the problem with the whole afterglow concept? What’s wrong, Katie? Wasn’t it good for you, too?”

  “Of course, it was,” she replied quickly. “At the risk of sounding silly, the term that jumps to mind is ‘a dream come true’.” She smiled at him and hoped her nervousness wasn’t noticeable in either her eyes or voice. “I’m just not sure what to do next,” she admitted quietly. “To say I’m out of practice would be a gross understatement. Talking work seemed a safe subject, but now that I think about it, it definitely leans more toward the ridiculous.”

  “Katie, just try and relax. There’s no right or wrong where honesty is concerned.” Bryan adjusted their position until they were cuddled close. He idly traced his fingertip along her jaw line, chin and lips. “My body is still throbbing, and I want to hold you for a bit. You’re so soft and warm.” He kissed her tenderly. “Watching you come apart in my arms eclipsed everything I’d hoped for. Damn, you’re sexy.”

  She harrumphed then fidgeted a little; totally unsure of how to respond to such a compliment.

  “Kate, I get that maybe you don’t see yourself in the same way I do, but you can always count on one thing. I’ll never lie to you. I don’t exactly remember when my thoughts turned to wanting more than a friendship with you, but it sure as hell wasn’t just this morning. You know well enough that I don’t make it a practice of ripping ladies’ clothes off and ravishing them.” He gave a little pinch to her butt cheek, and she squealed. “There’s something new happening between us, and I want more than anything to find out what it is and where it might go. You have no idea how hard I get every time I lay eyes on you.” Bryan stroked her breasts, teasing her nipples into taut alertness. “See what I mean? You want me as much as I want you.”

  She took a few shaky breaths before speaking. “Okay, adhering to the no lying policy, it embarrasses me when you talk like you are.” Relief rushed through her as soon as the words left her mouth. This man was a friend, a good friend. Over the years, they’d talked for hours, sharing intimate details of their lives. If she couldn’t talk to the guy, she probably shouldn’t be in bed with him!

  “Talk like what?” he asked, appearing honestly perplexed.

  “I’m not used to post-sex banter, Bryan. Actually, my ex wasn’t much of a communicator in general, which helped lead to the divorce.” Boy, that was an understatement, but Kate felt herself beginning to relax sufficiently to continue. “To begin with, I’m in shock over what just happened. To hear you talk so easily about my body, your body and its hardness may be too much for me. Couldn’t we afterglow more quietly?”

  Bryan roared with laughter while playfully rolling her onto her back. Her heart fluttered as she smiled up at him. His sandy brown hair was tousled, and his eyes glittered with mischief and maybe something more. She watched his irises darken when his cock brushed her thigh, but he simply held her more firmly.

  “My Katie, the comedian. I’ll try to curb my natural desire to sing your praises, at least for now. We’ll work on talking dirty later.” He captured her lips in a searing kiss.

  Chapter Three

  “Rise and shine, honey,” Bryan whispered as he stroked Kate’s cheek. He watched her stretch languidly and gently rub her eyes. “Did you have a nice nap?”

  He’d dozed off and on for a while but had spent the last half hour gazing at her peacefully sleeping. She was snugly against him, and her warm breath had been fluttering across his chest, getting his engine revving all over again. Bryan didn’t remember the last time he’d felt so content to simply sleep with a woman.

  “What time is it?” she asked after a wide yawn.

  “It’s almost eight-thirty, and I’m passed famished.”

  Kate sat bolt upright in bed. The sheet dropped to expose her beautiful, ample breasts. Bryan reached out and tweaked a nipple. Kate swatted his hand away.

  “Eight-thirty at night?” She turned her head this way and that. The room was lit by the light from the full moon.

  “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” She shot him an accusatory glare. “The opening reception started an hour ago. What in the world will we tell people?”

  Bryan sat up fully to turn on the lamp on the bedside table. “Nothing since we’re not going.”

  “We have to go or they will talk! It’s a meet-and-greet, for God’s sake, and our nametags are probably the only ones left sitting on a table somewhere. There’re hundreds of people here. Some of them could be clients of ours. Worse, some could be our competitors. This is really bad.”

  “Why do you care so much what other people think?” he asked.

  She ignored his question. “They’ll probably assume that we were…are…you know,” she stammered.

  “Yep, there might absolutely be attendees who assume we are shut up in this cabin having wild, steamy monkey sex,” he finished for her.

  “And that doesn’t bother you?”

  “Not in the least, and it shouldn’t bother you either. Are you ashamed of being here with me?”

  “Of course not.” She laid her cheek on his shoulder.

  “Then tell me what’s going on in that pretty head of yours,” Bryan prompted.

  “I have no idea where we stand with each other, and we’re coworkers, and the company paid a lot of money to send us here, and people will think I’m robbing the cradle, and wonder what a guy like you sees in an old broad like me and,” she stopped rambling and drew in a loud breath.

  “Whoa, slow down,” Bryan chuckled. “You were able to get worked up over all of that in the three minutes since you woke up? Very impressive.” He stroked her back. “I think you’ve lost sight of the worst part of our current situation,” he said seriously.

  She opened her eyes wide and stared at him with obvious panic. “What?”

  “I’m weak with hunger. What else did you say you have in that cooler of yours?” Bryan grinned, threw back the covers and hopped off the bed. He strolled to the bedroom door naked.

  “Oh good Lord,” she muttered as she leaned over the side of the bed, obviously searching for her clothes. None of them were within arm’s reach. Bryan propped himself against the doorframe and waited to see what she planned to do next.

  “This is why old ladies shouldn’t engage in wild marathon sex sessions. It makes us stupid. Why are my underpants under that chair over there, and where the hell is my bra?”

  Bryan choked back the laugh that threatened to burst free. Could she be any cuter? “How about we make this cabin a clothes-free zone?” he suggested.

  “No way. I’m not walking around here with all my jiggly parts just, well, jiggling all in front of you.” She struggled to get out of bed while tugging the sheet along with her. After a number of tries, each one displaying glimpses of bodily regions he wanted to kiss, she wrapped herself in the material. With one hand clutching the sheet closed over her chest, she combed her fingers of the other through her hair.

  “You’re stunning. Every inch of you is perfect.”

  “Uh huh,” she snarked.

  Bryan stood aside as she whisked by him into the living room then he followed her. She grabbed her suitcase and, without saying a word, disappeared into the bathroom. He wondered how a woman who’d fucked him to near delirium could be embarrassed to be naked in front of him. In that instant, he swore he’d help her overcome every one of her insecurities until she saw herself as the desirable, sexy woman she was. He put on his sweatpants from his suitcase then turned his atte
ntion to piling logs in the fireplace.

  “Did you get out the other sandwiches from the cooler?” Kate asked when she emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later.

  “Haven’t looked yet, honey. I was trying to set the atmosphere first,” he answered, without looking back at her. He leaned farther into the fireplace, lit matches and touched them to the strategically placed kindling.

  “I’ll go see if there’s any ice in the freezer for the drinks. Hopefully, the cooler isn’t full of water after all this time.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he answered as he sat back on his heels to survey his handy work. Tiny flames quickly grew into an impressive blaze. Not bad for a city slicker, he silently congratulated himself.

  He scooted across the floor to the cooler and opened it. There were two sandwiches, fruit and soda left, along with a bottle of wine. “Hmm, and what might this be here for?” he wondered aloud as he checked out the label. Had Katie been thinking of seduction when she’d packed for their trip? It brought a smile to his lips, and an ache to his groin, but he had no time to ponder the possibility further. Kate began bitching from the kitchen.

  “What in the hell is this, Bryan?”

  “I have absolutely no idea.” He switched his attention from the fire to Katie. She stood in the kitchen doorway holding a gigantic food basket in one arm and waving a note card in the air with the other. He was glad he was sitting down because if he hadn’t been, he would have fallen down. She was wearing a high-necked, long-sleeved, floor-length nightgown that gently draped over her luscious curves. His cock swelled so fast it shot a pain straight down his left leg. She was his fantasy woman in the flesh, looking every bit the demure modest lady on the outside when underneath she was all fire and heat. He had great difficulty concentrating on her words.

  “The card says, ‘Enjoy, love Beth.’ Tell me what’s going on right now, Bryan.” Kate purposefully tapped her bare foot on the floor.

  Damn it, Beth, don’t you know when to stop? Bryan fumed as he got up and slowly walked to Kate. He prayed the room was dim enough, and Kate was angry enough at the moment, that she wouldn’t notice his erection tenting out the front of his sweats.

  “Calm down, honey,” Bryan said as he gently took the basket from her arm and plucked the note from her fingers. “Let’s go sit down.”

  He draped an arm around her waist and led her to the couch.

  “I told you I’d never lie to you,” he reiterated his earlier comment.

  “And?” she asked with a noticeable scowl.

  “I went to Beth last week and asked her to send us up here.”

  Kate just stared at him in silence.

  “She’s your best friend and loves you to death. I hoped she’d be on board when I explained how I wanted quality alone time with you in a situation you’d feel comfortable with. I had absolutely no idea she’d take it as far as a private cabin and, apparently, food.” Bryan willed her to believe him.

  “You…you asked to come here with me?” Kate stammered. “This was your idea, truly?”

  “I was prepared to beg her, but as you can see, she jumped at the idea.” Bryan heaved a heavy sigh of relief when the anger left her expression and her body seemed to relax. He felt a tug at his heart over the fact Kate obviously didn’t understand her appeal to him. “Please don’t be mad.” He stretched his arms toward her.

  Kate flung herself into his embrace and kissed him soundly. Bryan couldn’t stifle the groan that escaped when she bumped his engorged cock.

  “What do I find here?” she purred as she slid her hand under the waistband of his pants and firmly cupped his penis.

  “I swear when I saw you standing here, trussed up like a Victorian virgin, knowing your beautiful boobs and creamy pussy were right beneath that nightie, I almost exploded in my pants.

  “Bryan,” she wailed and looked down at the floor.

  “What? I can’t tell you how horny as hell you get me? That I want to fuck you in every way and at every opportunity that presents itself? You’re my living wet dream, honey.”

  “That’s thrilling and wonderful and beyond my wildest hopes, but you could demonstrate instead of saying it aloud.” She laughed nervously.

  “Nope,” he replied firmly and lifted her hand out of his pants. “My biggest fantasy about us is that I’m the man you want to explore your deepest, darkest desires with. I know an extremely adventurous woman boils beneath your currently sexually stifled surface.”

  “Stifled? Really?” She sounded annoyed, but her lips quirked up in a grin.

  “Hear me out, okay?”

  Kate nodded in the affirmative.

  “I’m well aware that your sexual experience is somewhat limited, Katie. I’m also pretty damn sure that deep down you burn to try new things, but you’ve decided they’re inappropriate or dirty and are too far out of your comfort zone. Am I wrong?”

  “No, you’re not wrong.”

  “Then let me be everything you want a man to be. Trust that you can tell me anything, want anything, and I will take care of you. Let yourself go completely. It will be incredible for both of us.” He stroked the side of her face.

  “I wouldn’t know where or how to start,” she admitted softly.

  “Lesson number one is to talk to me.” He eagerly scooted closer to her on the couch. “What were you thinking about when you wrapped your hand around my cock?”

  “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?” she asked as her cheeks reddened. “Years of sexual repression aren’t going to disappear in one day, you know.”

  “Of course not, but think of all the fun we’ll have whittling away at them. I promise not to push you farther than you can handle. You complained that communication was an issue in your marriage, so it seems the perfect place for us to start.” He watched her expression change as she ran the tip of her tongue along her lower lip. “That’s it. You know what you want, and it will bring me great pleasure to hear you say it.”

  “I was thinking about giving you a blowjob,” she blurted out quickly.

  “See, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” He flashed a leering grin, and his cock jerked to full attention. “That term though is pretty open for interpretation. Why don’t you describe exactly what you’re considering doing, and I’ll tell you if I think it’s going to work for me?”

  “Okay,” she agreed after a few seconds of consideration. “First, I’ll slide your sweats down to your ankles,” she began slowly. “Then I think I’ll ever so carefully hold your balls with one hand while I take your penis in my other.” Her voice grew stronger with each word. “Next, I’ll lick from the base to the tip over and over again really slowly.”

  “Oh yeah, honey, I can almost feel it.” Bryan clenched his teeth and breathed shallowly at the image. “Then what?” he encouraged.

  “I’ll start sucking, of course.” She smiled broadly when Bryan nodded in eager agreement. “Once I set the perfect rhythm, your head will touch the back of my throat each time I go down on you. And when you come, I’ll swallow every drop.” She sat up straighter and fixed him with an “I can be bold if I want to” look. “Does that work for you?”

  “You’re about to find out just how much.” He dragged her playfully up onto his lap.

  Chapter Four

  Kate walked into Beth’s office with purpose at eight o’clock sharp on Thursday morning. She pushed the door closed none-too-softly behind her with her foot. She stomped across the room, planted her hands flat on Beth’s desktop and stared intently at Bryan’s coconspirator.

  “Learn anything useful at the seminar?”

  “Don’t be a smartass, Beth. What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea how your crazy meddling could have ruined everything? How it could have made it where I lost Bryan as a friend and probably my job, too, because I couldn’t show my face in this building?”

  “Could have? Dare I hope that instead of the worst case scenario, which you described eloquently, that it was best case?
Come on, Kate; what happened?”

  “Beth, after all these years, you should know it isn’t my style to chat openly about spending days having wild, incredible, toe-curling, screaming-in-ecstasy sex.” Kate giggled like a schoolgirl and sat down.

  “Get out of town!” Beth squealed as she leaned forward, put her elbows on the table and propped her chin on her hands. “Spill it.”

  Kate felt so young and alive that she couldn’t have kept her mouth shut on a dare. “I swear my legs are still quivering,” she began quietly. Despite the door being shut, she certainly didn’t want this conversation over heard. “He made me feel so sexy and desirable I wanted to do everything with him!”

  “So did you?” Beth asked with barely controlled excitement. She was literally squirming in her chair.

  “Well, we only had two nights, but we got a good start on it.” Peals of laughter echoed in the room. “He’s so uninhibited in what he wants. You wouldn’t believe the things we did. And the things we talked about. He wants to do stuff I’ve only read about in books.”

  “Stuff? What kind of stuff?”

  There was one quick knock at the door before it swung open. “Good morning, ladies.” Bryan stood in the doorway and inclined his head in greeting. “I bet you two were discussing the weekly financials, weren’t you?” His lazy smile warmed Kate to her core. Part of her mind told her she should be uncomfortable with what they’d done together, but a bigger, stronger part just wanted to do it all again and again and again.

  “Absolutely,” both women answered in unison.

  “Well, I’ll leave you to it then. Have a good day.” With a wink and what Katie thought bordered on a leer, he stepped back and reclosed the door. Kate left Beth’s office also…about two hours afterward.