ScandalandSin (14 page)

“Come again,” he said against her lips. “I
want to feel your pussy squeeze my cock when you come.”

Alaina jerked her mouth away from his and
buried her face in his neck. Her body trembled, her pussy pulsed around his rod
again. This time, he followed her over the edge into bliss.

His lungs fought for air as if he’d just
completed a marathon. Rye locked his knees to keep from falling. That wasn’t
easy when his body felt like one big pile of gelatin.

“Wow,” Alaina mumbled against his neck.

“Yeah. Wow.”

She slowly unwrapped her legs from his
waist and stood. Rye grabbed her when her legs buckled so she wouldn’t fall.

“You okay?”

“Other than having no strength anywhere in
my body, I’m great.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “That
was amazing.”

“
More
than amazing. How do you do
that?”

“Do what?”

“Get me to come like that?”

Rye hit the button to turn off the water.
Silence filled the stall instead of the rush of water through the jets. “Is
there another way you want to come? Because I’m willing to experiment.”

He grinned while Alaina laughed. He
couldn’t remember a time that he’d joked after such an incredible session of
lovemaking. His laughter soon faded when he sensed her question wasn’t
rhetorical. He reached for a towel and handed it to her, then took one for
himself. “You have a problem coming?”

“Usually, but that hasn’t been the case
with you.”

“Is this where I pound on my chest and give
the Tarzan yell?”

She slapped at him with her towel.
Chuckling, he darted out of the stall to avoid the damp terry cloth. He’d
teased her, yet it bothered him that she hadn’t found sex satisfying with other
men. It couldn’t have anything to do with Alaina. With that mane of auburn hair
and curvy body, she should carry a sign to warn men about testosterone overload
before she got within twenty feet of them.

She finished drying her body and stood with
the towel clutched between her breasts. “Do you have a robe I can borrow?”

He did, but had no intention of giving it
to her. He tossed his towel on top of the hamper. “What’s wrong with naked?”

She gave him a look that clearly said he
must be kidding. “You want me to walk around your house naked?”

“The only walking you’re doing is to my
bed. I’m not through with you.”

A slow smile spread across her lips. “You
aren’t?”

“Not even close.”

“Well then.” She tossed her towel on top of
his. “Naked works for me.”

* * * * *

Alaina lay on her stomach, her hair
covering her face. Her body had been weak after making love with Rye in the
shower. It was now beyond weak to completely useless.

She could hear Rye’s heavy breathing beside
her. She managed to peek through her hair to see him lying on his back. His
eyes were closed, his lips parted. One hand rested on his chest, as if to keep
his heart from pounding out of it.

“If you…kill me with…sex,” he said between
heavy breaths, “who will…finish your house?”

“Hey, I was ready for brownies and a glass
of wine.
You
started the whole sex thing again.”

Eyes still closed, he grinned. “Yeah, I
did.”

She would’ve laughed if she’d had the
energy. Rye had taken her hand and led her to his bed, where he’d proceeded to
give her the long, deep, slow kisses she loved. She hadn’t thought his cock
could get hard again so soon, not after coming in the turret and again in the
shower. He’d proven her wrong.

She loved being wrong.

It hadn’t taken long for her body to react
to his touch. Wanting to give him the same pleasure he’d given her in the
shower, she’d taken his shaft in her mouth. He’d allowed that for only a few
seconds before he pulled away from her, saying he didn’t want to come again
before she did. He’d proceeded to use his hands, mouth and cock to make sure
she did exactly that.

What an incredible lover.

She rolled to her side and rested her head
on her bent arm. She looked at him without speaking for several moments, simply
enjoying the afterglow of great sex and the handsome man lying beside her. “You
recuperate quickly.”

He rolled to his side toward her, copying
her position. “Not usually this quickly. You have quite an effect on me, Ms.
May.” He picked up a tendril of damp hair from her shoulder and rubbed it
between his thumb and forefinger. “You make me feel like I’m seventeen again.”

“I’m glad you aren’t. That’s way too young
for me.”

He chuckled while pushing her hair back
from her face. “I doubt if there’s a seventeen-year-old guy out there who
wouldn’t love to get you in bed.”

“There isn’t a seventeen-year-old guy out
there who wouldn’t love to get
any
gal in bed.”

“True.” He slid his hand down her back and
over her hip. “I’m sorry sex hasn’t always been good for you.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “It happens. The
few lovers I’ve had didn’t know how to push the right buttons.”

“There’s no excuse for a guy not taking the
time to please you.”

“It didn’t take much time for you to please
me at Stevens House. We had sex for, what? Three minutes? I came twice with
you.”

“You’ve never come twice with another
lover?”

“Rye, there haven’t been that many. Four, I
think. Maybe five. I’ve never been a very sexual person.”

“You are with me.”

Alaina knew he wasn’t ready to hear words
of love. Still, his comment deserved a response. “I guess you know how to push
all the right buttons.”

The air in the room seemed to grow thicker.
Alaina decided it was a good time to change the subject. “I’m ready for a
brownie. How about you?”

“I think that’s an excellent idea.” He
pushed her to her back and leaned over her. “After I lick the crumbs off your
breasts, it’ll be time to make love again.”

She laughed at his teasing, but quickly
sobered once he left the room. She wanted so badly to tell him how she felt
about him. The teenage crush had lain dormant all these years, flaring back to
life at the first touch of his hand.

No, she couldn’t tell him of her blossoming
feelings. For now, she’d have to keep them all wrapped up in her heart.

Chapter Eleven

April 22, 1937

Laura is so proud to be tutoring Patrick
with his mathematics. She told me she’s sure she can help him improve his
grades. I casually asked her where she’s tutoring him. She told me at his home,
which means
he
will be there too, at least part of the time. I asked
Laura if it wouldn't be better to study at the library, where she could have
access to other books if she needed them. She said there was a huge library in
Patrick’s home that contained all kinds of math books, as well as many others.
Her eyes lit up when she said Patrick’s father told her she could borrow any
book she wanted for as long as she wanted.

I fear there’s nothing I can do to stop
her adoration of him.

* * * * *

A day much too warm for late April heated
the turret to well into the nineties. Alaina wiped at the sweat over her lip
and on her forehead, even though she knew it would pop back in about eight
seconds. Rye had suggested she work on the bottom floor where it would be
cooler. She’d refused. This was going to be her room and she wanted to work
here.

After taking a long gulp of cold water,
Alaina returned to sanding the window seat in the turret. Rye and Dax had
examined it thoroughly and declared it could be saved, unless Alaina wanted it
torn out and a new one built. So much of the house had to be replaced due to
rotten wood that she loved the idea of keeping something original, something
that had been built so many years ago. The cushions would have to be replaced,
but the window seat only needed to be sanded and repainted.

Her heart stuttered at the sound of
footsteps on the squeaky stairs, somehow knowing it would be Rye before she
ever saw him. He stepped into the room, looking gorgeous despite the dirt
covering his face and clothes.

He smiled. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“How are you doing?”

“Other than sweating out every bit of the
moisture in my body, I’m fine.”

His smile faded. “Why don’t you work
downstairs where it’s cooler?”

“Because I’m stubborn and want to work
here.”

He squatted in front of her. A drop of
sweat rolled down her temple. He wiped it off with his thumb. The feel of that
calloused thumb brought back memories of him swiping it across her nipples and
clit so many times over the weekend.

The temperature in the room shot up another
ten degrees.

“Do you want me to help you?”

She shook her head. “I want to do this.”

“I’ll have more of my crew next week, after
they get through with the mayor’s house. I plan to hire more workers, but I
haven’t had time—”

She silenced him by placing her fingertips
against his lips. “I didn’t expect the house to be finished in a few days. I
know it’ll take months. There’s a lot to do here.”

He kissed her fingertips, then removed her
hand from his mouth and held it. “I don’t want you to get too hot.”

“You didn’t mind my getting hot Friday
night. Or Saturday morning. Or Saturday aft—”

“Okay, that’s enough.” The skin at the
corners of his eyes crinkled when he grinned. “You’re bad.”

“That’s not what you said Friday night. Or
Saturday mor—”

He silenced her this time with a kiss. If
Alaina hadn’t already been hot, his kiss would’ve shot her temperature through
the roof. She tilted her head and parted her lips when he deepened the kiss.
Sliding her hands down his sides, she clasped the hem of his T-shirt to pull it
off.

Rye grasped her hands before she raised his
shirt more than a couple of inches. “I don’t think that’s a good idea when
there are workers all over the house.”

“Oh.” One kiss from this man and she lost
her head. “Sorry.”

“I’m not. I’m glad you want me.”

“I think I proved several times over the
weekend how much I want you.”

“Are you interested in proving it again
tonight?”

She struggled not to grin at the teasing in
his eyes. “I might be persuaded.”

“I was thinking about taking you to Boot
Scootin’ after we leave here. You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten one of
Dolly’s greasy cheeseburgers and homemade fries.” He ran one fingertip up and
down her bare arm. “After that, we’ll need to work off all those calories.”

“I’m all for working off calories.”

“We’ll leave about six. How’s that?”

“Perfect.”

He kissed her again, more gently this time.
The sweet kiss affected her just as strongly as his passionate one.

She really had it bad.

Alaina focused on his ass in his faded
jeans as he walked from the room. She’d dug her fingernails into that tight butt
many times over the weekend.

With a quiet sigh, she returned to her
work. She dropped her sanding tool when cold air washed over her. Alaina
scrambled to her feet and turned, looking around the turret for the source of
that cold.

The air shimmered a few feet in front of
her, reminding her of the way it did over hot asphalt in the summer. Her heart
began to pound as something formed before her. She could see a splash of brown
at eye level, a bit of blue below that. Transparent features materialized. They
were too fuzzy to see them clearly, yet she could make out shoulder-length
brown hair, eyes, straight shoulders, small breasts, a tiny waist. She could
see the wall through those features, as if she were looking at a…

Ghost.

Alaina couldn’t breathe or look away from
the figure. The face filled in a bit more, enough so Alaina could see a pained
expression. The woman clenched her fists at her sides and squeezed her eyes
shut. She threw back her head, her mouth open.

And disappeared.

Legs suddenly weak, Alaina dropped down on
the window seat, her gaze still glued to the spot where the woman had appeared
and disappeared. She thought about yelling for Rye, but didn’t know what to
tell him. She didn’t believe in ghosts, but she’d seen
something
. She’d
felt cold air wash over her three times in the turret. That hadn’t happened in
any other room of the house.

“Hey, Alaina,” Dax yelled up the stairs.
“Bella Olinghouse is here to see you.”

She heard Dax, yet couldn’t find the
strength in her legs to stand. Several moments passed before she heard
footsteps hurrying up the stairs. Dax stuck his head around the edge of the
door. “Alaina?”

His eyes widened when he saw her. He
hurried into the room. “Are you okay?”