Awakening Veronica (31 page)

Travis sat back in his recliner and watched as she moved on Hank, taking as much as she could of him, settling her knees outside of his hips and moving gingerly as she adjusted to him. Hank didn’t hurry her and was obviously struggling to not thrust to give her time. He threaded her arms around his neck and whispered to her as he caressed her hips and grasped her there, pushing her down ever so slightly as he thrust upward, the length of him sliding in and out of her, coated in her translucent cream. She rested her forehead against his shoulder, sliding her fingers into his hair as she looked over at Travis, her eyes glazed with lust as she moved with him.

Hank increased his rhythm, rolling his hips slowly as more and more of him slid inside her with each thrust.

Travis wrapped his hand around the thick base of his dick, groaning as the tingles of pleasure tried to pull him over the edge, tempting him to stroke to his own release. He wanted to be deep inside her when that finally happened.

Her legs trembled as she whispered, “Don’t stop, Hank. Please don’t stop.” She raised her head, and her eyelids slid closed as she lifted over him and slid down hard, taking him to the hilt, time after time, their breathing and the slick, sensuous sounds of their union the only other noise in the room besides the music. Her hands tightened and her nails sank into his shoulders, as her orgasm came closer. Travis couldn’t wait to feel the sting of her nails in his flesh, too.

“Come for me, Nika,” Hank whispered as he grasped her hips and his own control spun out, his hips pumping beneath her, shoving his cock deep with each stroke until she tensed and cried out over and over, exultation filling her voice. Hank wound his arms around her and held her to him tightly. His head fell back and he groaned deeply and shuddered as he spent himself

Travis squeezed his cock at the base and ceased stroking before he lost control, wanting to wait for her to come to him.

Veronica inhaled and stretched, arching her back as she lifted her arms over her head, enrapturing both men with the decadent sight she made.

Hank gazed up at her, his features relaxed with satiation, and smiled at her, then chuckled as he stroked her nipple with his fingertips. “You’re just getting started, aren’t you, Nika?”

She nodded, making her auburn waves bounce, and then looked over at Travis, her features softened by erotic pleasure as she nodded. She smiled when she noticed the state of his cock and said, “I was hoping…”

“Hoping, Nika?” Travis asked, the throb of his arousal increasing as he watched her lift up off of Hank’s still semierect shaft. “Hoping I wanted you, too? Wanted to be inside you?”

He picked up the condom from the side table, ripped the package open, and rolled the condom onto his cock.

Hank steadied her as she stood and then came to him, folding her warm, fragrant body around his, plastering her skin against his. Her scent invaded his nostrils, intoxicating him, making him ravenous, wanting to thrust deep inside her.

She held his gaze and lifted up, arching her back as his cockhead nudged against her entrance, and took him inside of her. “Oh yes,” they both moaned at the same time. Her hair was like satin under his fingertips and he sunk his fingers deep in it to cradle the back of her head. Warm lips met his as he tilted her lips to his and then she laid her head against his shoulder, and ground her hips on his cock. “You feel so good inside me, Travis,” she murmured.

She squeezed his cock with her muscles and he slid deeper inside her until he was engulfed in her satiny heat. Her breath tickled against his collarbone and she began to move with more purpose as she lifted her head and gazed into his eyes.

“I was a good girl earlier? I did okay?”

“Okay? Nika, you were fantastic. Worn out?”

She shook her head and giggled. “No, I’m getting my second wind.” She sat up and pumped up and down on his erection several times, drawing a growl from Hank as he watched the two of them, his eyes riveted to where they were connected. “Oh, Travis. Travis!” She pinched her nipple and reached down to finger her clit, her movements becoming even slicker on his cock as her cunt rippled around him, driving him closer and closer to orgasm. He leaned forward and closed his mouth around her other nipple, gradually increasing his suction while she rode his cock faster and faster, panting her ecstasy as her orgasm milked his cock. He bucked underneath her, thrusting hard several times until the cum exploded from him in a surging rush. She let out an achingly vulnerable sound and collapsed against his chest and lay there, panting for several minutes.

After a time, he pressed the button on the outside of the recliner, lifting the footrest and reclining the chair farther back. After redressing, Hank tossed him a fuzzy throw blanket, which he draped over her so she wouldn’t get cold.

He slid his hands underneath the blanket and stroked her back as Hank did a little channel surfing. He knew she didn’t drift off. He could sense her alertness. She evidently was content to stay where she was and he didn’t plan to move until he absolutely had to. Still lodged deeply inside her, clasped by her lovely body, was right where he wanted to be.

“Sleepy?” he asked as he kissed her shoulder, hoping she knew how precious she was to him.

“Nope.”

“Inspired?”

A soft giggle escaped her and she twitched as he slid his fingers over the dimples above her tailbone. How two such innocuous indentations in her flesh could be so damned sexy baffled him but he couldn’t get enough of them, or her.

“Very inspired,” she finally said as she lifted her head and smiled up at him. Her cheeks were still pink and she had a dazed, relaxed look that made her even more appealing.

“I think I understand what Grace meant.”

“About what, Nika?” Travis asked as Hank looked over, his interest piqued.

“Just a curious expression I’d never heard of before, but she was right. The two of you were loading my stuff into the truck earlier tonight and she told me you were woobies.”

“Woobies?” He’d never heard the expression before.

She rested her chin on her forearms as she gazed up at him, her brown eyes glimmering with warmth. “The human equivalent of a security blanket. You both comfort me and make me feel safe. Wrapped up in your arms is the best feeling in the world.”

Hank smiled. “That Grace is a smart woman.”

“Yeah,” Veronica murmured. “Woobie-Doms.”

“Woobie-Doms?” Travis reiterated, careful to keep any teasing out of his tone. He liked her mood and didn’t want her to think he was laughing at her.

“The very best.” She turned her head and slid the side of her hand underneath her eyes one at a time, wiping away a trace of moisture under each eye. His heart swelled as he kissed the top of her head where it rested on his chest.

She’d been so emotionally overwhelmed earlier and now here she was, sharing the deepest part of herself with both of them.

Now he understood what she meant when she said she seemed to feel everything more strongly than some people. It didn’t mean she was weak. She simply had a wider range of emotional experiences than most people. He was pleased she was a part of his life. His heart thumped as he realized he wanted to be a permanent part of hers.

He was starting to dread that trip to California later in the week.

Chapter Fourteen

Veronica followed Grace and Grandma Kate into the gymnasium at the Divine Recreation Center on Tuesday evening.

Thankfully, the gym was deserted except for the group of women participating in the class, which included her friend and Grandma Kate, as well as Rachel Wolf, who she’d recently discovered was none other than romance author, Jane O’Malley. That Grace was full of secrets. In addition, Dr. Emma Rivers was there, as well as Grace’s sister, Charity, who was a bit of a badass, and Lucy Owen.

The girls had accompanied Veronica, Grace, and Kate earlier that afternoon on their shopping trip to Stigall’s Department Store, Cheaver’s Western Store, and Discretion Boutique in Morehead. The shopping trip had been fruitful, and a little expensive, but she’d needed a few items if she was going to be staying further into the holidays in Divine.

She’d also managed to find a costume in sizes that she, Hank, and Travis would all be able to wear. Trying to explain to the girls why she needed pink tights and a tutu in a “big and tall” size had been interesting but she thought Emma might have caught on to what she was doing, because she’d started helping her searching for other parts of the costume and mentioned that she knew of a good online costume outlet that carried plus-sized and tall-sized costumes.

The afternoon had been a rich people-watching experience for her, especially at Stigall’s where she’d had the pleasure of meeting two of the store owner’s daughters. Leah, the store manager, hurried to and fro, giving instructions, praising her workers and greeting her customers, while the other one had been…interesting.

Her name badge plainly said “Presley Ann—sales clerk” on it, but when she’d approached Veronica, she’d introduced herself as “the owner’s daughter.” Veronica had asked her questions about the bras she was looking at, but Presley Ann’s answers had either been unclear or she didn’t know the answer at all.

Being an observer of people, Veronica had lost interest in the bras and had asked Presley Ann a question or two about her job. She wished like hell she could’ve taken out her voice recorder or at least a pen and paper to record the young woman’s responses. It was the oddest thing. Though she was a grown woman, it was clear she hadn’t been working there—or anywhere—for very long. She spoke like a teenager and clearly felt that her job was temporary, until she found the right husband or her dad gave up and let her sister fire her.

“Are you not interested in working in your family store?”

Presley Ann rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand at her surroundings. “Ohmygawd. It’s like so obvious, right? So, my dad is all, ‘Princess, you have to get a job and support yourself,’ and I’m all like, ‘No way am I accomplishing that on what you pay me, Dad,’ and he’s all like, ‘Young lady, you need to know how to take care of yourself,’ and I’m all like, ‘Let me off of work, Dad, so I can find a man to take care of me…’” She went on and on before asking Veronica, “So, do you have a job?”

Veronica wondered if she had happened onto a movie shoot for a second. “Yes. I’m a published author. I write romance novels.” She took out a business card and handed it to her. Presley Ann looked at it and then seemed like she wasn’t sure what to do with it.

“So…I’m like not much of a reader?” the young woman said, ending her statement as though it was a question. “I haven’t read anything since high school? No offense, but not even romance novels? Like, reading is just boring to me?”

Stifling a giggle, and not taking any offense, Veronica nodded with understanding and said, “You know…I’ve heard that books are boring only to those who lack imagination.”

Presley let out a gasp and raised her hands to heaven as though finally someone got her. “See? I knew you’d understand!”

After she’d walked away in obviously expensive designer high heels complaining about how “like horrific” the pain in her feet was, Veronica had found a quiet corner to jot down a few notes before she forgot the nuances of the conversation.

She was still writing at a feverish pace when the girls found her. They all nodded in understanding when she described Presley Ann to them.

Rachel said, “She’s a trip.”

Grace watched Presley Ann as she wandered around the store and finally zeroed in on another customer, and shook her head. “The sad thing is that she’s like that because her daddy has pampered her all these years. I can’t be around her without wanting to correct her grammar and speech. I kind of hope she finds a nice, understanding man to take care of her. Bless her heart.”

Rachel looked at Grace like she was crazy. “That gold digger? Don’t say that in front of Lydia Carlisle. She’d go ape. Presley Ann needs a wakeup call.”

Lucy Owen growled as she looked at the front door of the store. “At least she’s preferable to someone who needs a gigantic stick removed from her self-righteous ass.” She glared across the store at a woman who looked familiar.

“Who’s that?” Veronica asked Grace as Grandma Kate sidled up alongside them and craned her neck, trying to see who they were talking about.

“That, honey, is Tabitha Lester,” Grace whispered as she inspected the same bras Veronica had been looking at earlier. “And you need to avoid her as much as possible.”

“Oh,” Veronica replied with a cringe. “Hank mentioned her to me. Thanks for the heads-up. She was the one protesting Maizy’s wedding, wasn’t she?”

Lucy nodded. “She is mean and gossipy. You don’t want her attention.”

Veronica said, “Hank told me she’s already gotten wind of his relationship with me…and Travis. She makes us sound like depraved sex addicts.”

Grace said, “That’s exactly what she believes.”

Veronica said, “I couldn’t help but notice at the wedding that she seemed to direct most of her outburst at Maizy.”

Rachel got big eyes and looked at Grace. “See? It’s not just me. I noticed that, too, Veronica. And not only with Maizy. She’s hateful to Lucy, Emma, Summer, and any of the other girls she knows.”

Lucy looked confused. “You have a point. But then how come she’s always so mean to Beck? He’s one of the guys.”