Test Drive (17 page)

Now, sitting on the couch in the living room and nursing a beer, he wondered about what a grand time he’d had. Pizza and silly games with a woman and two kids, none of which belonged to him.

Yet.

Still pondering how to get to the endgame he wanted with Lara, he nearly jumped when she appeared out of the dim hallway to join him by the couch. With only the TV to illuminate the darkened space, he saw her in the flicker of cartoon sea life.

His pulse racing, he swore. “Shit. You scared me.”

“I walk softly. Always have.” She smirked at him and grabbed the TV remote. “No more cartoons, please.” She changed the channel to a police procedural, then sat next to him.

“So. The girls good? Should I turn down the TV?”

“It’s okay. I closed the door to the bedroom. The girls are fine. I swear Amelia’s eyes closed before I hit the light, and Kay was yawning so hard I’m surprised she didn’t crack her jaw. They’re pretty tuckered out. It’s not every day they get the amazing Johnny Devlin as an esteemed guest.”

He smiled. “You’re not mad I stuck around?”

“Are you kidding?” She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “You were so good with them tonight. Thanks.” She held him tight, and he loved the feeling of her hand in his. Just touching her made his entire world right. “It’s good for them to see that not all men—who aren’t Grandpa—are assholes.”

“Language.”

She sighed. “I know. But it’s true. So many of my sister’s bad choices have fallen on the girls. Oh, nothing terrible. Nothing abusive,” she said to forestall his next question. “It’s just, they’ve never seen a man and woman in love. My parents are an example, I guess, but they’re so busy all the time. And well, they’re older. It’s not the same as seeing your own mom and dad together, loving and laughing. Not that that’s us or anything,” she added quickly, “but you get what I’m saying.”

“I do.” He pulled her into his side and tucked an arm around her shoulders. Not smart, because a wave of her subtle, floral perfume went straight to his head…and his dick. He prayed she wouldn’t notice. “You’re a great example for the girls.”

“Of a single woman working her ass off. Just like my parents, except I’m not married.” She sighed. “At least I can help my sister out. She’s a moron most days—and I mean that in a loving way.”

He snorted.

“But she’s trying to do right. She’s working with my mom at the diner. Typically, for Kristin, working means finding a man to support her, so doing for herself this time is a step up.”

“Hard to believe you’re related. Between school and Ray’s, you’re pretty busy. And you’ve been working there for four or five years, right?” He could still remember the first time he’d seen her. He’d sucked in a breath and felt everything just stop.

“Almost five, yeah.” She snuggled into him, and he had to suppress a groan. “Before Ray’s, I was working just to pay the bills. I didn’t want to dive into a career or anything right out of high school. I waitressed for a bit, worked retail. But minimum wage gets real old real fast.”

“Tell me about it.”

“You’re a mechanic. You get more than that an hour, don’t you?”

“Actually, I get twenty percent of labor costs. So you figure with what Liam and Del are undercharging the folks of greater Seattle, I’m
way
underpaid for my skills.”

They shared a laugh. He felt warm all over, content in a way that was both foreign and more than welcome.

“You do have talent, I’ll admit.” She moved even closer to him, so her breasts pushed into the side of his chest.

He had a hard time not moving to cup her soft flesh. Instead, he clutched her shoulder and ordered himself to be good. “Um, Lara?”

“You beat me at all the games we played. I owe you three kisses.”

“You do.” He sounded hoarse, so he cleared his throat. “But keep it clean, woman. Remember, this is a no-sex date.”

“Why no sex? Not that I’m offering, just curious.”

Bummer.
“Because we’re getting to know each other without complications.” And did he feel like a first-class jackass suggesting they abstain. But it felt right.

“Sex is a complication?”

She slid an arm around his belly, hugging him, and he tensed under her, unable to help it.

“Yeah. It gets people thinking, wanting. Clouding judgment.”

“Kind of like drinking, hmm?” She moved her hand from his upper belly down his abdomen, and his body hardened into solid rock.

“What are you doing?” His brain fogged over as her hand inched nearer his cock.

“I’m petting Pretty Johnny,” she teased. “The girls really liked you.”

“I liked them too,” came out as a growl.

“You’re so sweet. But the best part is that it isn’t an act, is it?”

“I’m a dickhead. Ask anyone.”
Shouldn’t have said dick, because now she’s noticing. Fuck.

“I have,” she murmured. “They agree. You can be a first-class jerk.”

“See?”

“But you’re also a terrific guy with commitment issues. Thing is, I’m not trying to scare you. I just want to pay back my debt.”

“Huh? What? I don’t… Oh, damn. What are you doing?”

Her clever fingers had found bare skin under his shirt, and she was scratching her nails up his belly, lightly enough to not hurt, but hard enough to be felt. She might as well have gripped him around the shaft and stroked. He loved his belly touched. A happy zone she’d not-so-innocently wandered into.

“Lara, what—”

“Shh. You’ll wake the girls. Let’s just watch TV together and enjoy.”

He couldn’t think with her rubbing his stomach. Especially because she seemed to get a perverse enjoyment out of scratching down to the hem of his jeans, toying with the button of his fly before dragging toward his navel again. Back and forth. Slower each time.

His erection pushed against his restrictive clothing, and he ached.

“So can I ask you a question?”

“You can have my car if you keep touching me like that,” he rasped.

He didn’t have to see her smile to know it was there.

“Do you practice safe sex?”

His cock fucking jumped. “What kind of question is
that
?”

“One I want answered.”

Those damn nails of hers veered to the waist of his jeans and lingered. He fought the urge to buck toward her with a cock needing attention. “Of course I use protection. I’m not stupid.”

“So does that mean you always use condoms? Or that you’re just good at pulling out before you come?”

Shit, shit, shit.
She’d said
come
.
Condom.
She was asking about sex. Why did he think fucking her would not be in his best interests again? Something about rules and being memorable and wanting her to view him as more than a—

“
Lara
,” he garbled on a strangled whisper.

The vixen had unsnapped his jeans and parted his fly. She ran her hand over his obvious hard-on through his boxer-briefs, no doubt noticing the huge and growing wet spot.

“Let’s see what’s under here.”

“But, but I…” He helped despite not meaning to. When she tugged at his underwear, he lifted off his ass to help her pull it down.

Then his cock was bare, stiff, and standing tall.

“You
are
a big boy,” she said and grinned up at him.

“Jesus. What are you doing?” He suddenly recalled the girls and froze.

“Easy, Johnny.” Lara put her hand over him and squeezed, and he feared coming then and there. “I’ll hear the bedroom door before anyone’s even close.” She paused and tilted her head up. “Now about those kisses I owe you…” She puckered up and kept her hot hand around his dick.

He couldn’t stop himself from leaning down to kiss her.

More like ravage her. The moment his lips met hers, she started pumping him in slow drags of her palm. He licked and nibbled her lips, then pushed his tongue into her mouth and palmed her head, increasing the pressure.

The witch kept priming him, and he feared going off. So fucking hot having her seduce him like this. He hadn’t thought she had it in her. He continued to kiss her, thrusting with his tongue and his cock in time.

Then she dragged her mouth away and trailed kisses down his throat to his neck.

He moaned and leaned his head back, lost to everything but her touch. She stopped kissing in one spot and then sucked like a damn vacuum. The bite of pain made him jerk, and he felt a burst of fluid leave him. She used it to lube her hand.

“Lara, baby.” He thrust with her, in and out of her grip. So when she stopped jerking him off, he wanted to cry. “What—Oh, fuck,
yes.
”

Lara’s hair tickled his exposed thigh. Her breath washed over the head of his dick, and then she engulfed him. Her slick lips took the head of his shaft, then eased down the base of him, stopping midway. His balls felt like stones, rock hard and so ready to release it embarrassed him.

“Gonna come. So hard…” he groaned. “Wait, I…”

She moved over him, taking him deeper before pulling back. Up and down, she bobbed, and he finally found the energy to pull his head forward and open his eyes, watching that glorious ponytail wash back and forth over his leg while she blew him but good.

He couldn’t hold back, not after seeing her do him.

From the hallway outside the apartment, footsteps sounded. She sucked harder, and her lips looked so red around his cock. He swore he saw her doorknob turn but couldn’t bring himself to stop her. Then Lara was taking him deeper and rubbing his balls.

“I’m there,” he warned when she shoved down and took him to the back of her throat. “Yes, yes,” Johnny hissed and gripped her bound hair, holding her steady while he jetted down her throat. “Oh God. Fuck yeah.”

Lara moaned as she swallowed him, and he continued to come, enraptured and out of his mind with lust. He swore he heard a roar inside himself, a rush of light and color and emotion as he finally spent inside the mouth of the woman he’d been fantasizing about for years.

When he’d given her everything, she pulled back, wiped her lips, and winked at him.

“So our three kisses are over. Too bad. It was just getting good.”

He stared at her, out of breath and out of mind, thinking he’d never seen a woman more beautiful in his fucked-up life.

Lara continued to grin as she tucked his semi-hard cock back into his briefs and jeans. She took care zipping and buttoning him back up while he could only watch her in wonder. For the life of him, he hadn’t seen this coming.

No pun intended.

He wanted to say something but had no idea what.

A knock at the door had her on her feet and him finally waking up. She checked the peephole before letting a gorgeous blond into the apartment. Had to be the sister, because little Kay was her spitting image.

“Thanks, sis. And I’m sorry I—” She blinked at Johnny, still sitting, stunned, on the couch. “And who is this?”

Behind her, Lara rolled her eyes. “This is my friend Johnny. Johnny, meet my sister Kristin—Amelia and Kay’s mom.”

Johnny stood up, relieved his legs would hold him. Lara acted as if nothing had happened between them while greeting her sister. It almost made him wonder if he’d imagined her taking him to heaven with her hands and mouth. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet
you
.” Even in a well-used waitress uniform of dull mustard and muddied white, Kristin had a mesmerizing beauty no exhaustion could hide. It was easy to see how Lara’s sister had accumulated so many male friends in what had to be no more than thirty years. Kristin could have starred in her own showcase at Strutts. She had large breasts, a tight, round ass, and long legs. She stood an inch or two shorter than Lara, but whereas Lara had an athletic figure and all the right curves, Kristin put a man in mind of nothing but sex. She was all handfuls and a wavy blond mane. Normally his type.

But looking at her, he only appreciated her physical beauty. He took a step closer to Lara, still captivated by his tricky little nurse.

A thoughtful look crossed her face. “Johnny charmed the pants off the girls. Oh, and he bought us pizza.” She turned to him. “I guess I still owe you.”

“Yeah, you do.” He saw the gleam of merriment in her eyes and knew she thought she’d bested him. She had—no question—but no way he’d concede she’d won anything in their unspoken battle of wills. He pulled her close for a kiss, right in front of her sister. “I’ll collect, don’t think I won’t. You owe me a dinner. My place next time. I’ll text you.” So saying, he pulled back, nodded to her sister, and left.

He made it inside his car before he collapsed into the all-body shiver he’d been suppressing.
Good God. The woman sucked the life out of me.
Willingly, without being coerced. His sexy nurse had a naughty side to her he hadn’t expected.

He smiled and broke out into laughter. Somehow he’d gotten sex while trying his best to remain celibate.
I really am The Man.
Too bad he couldn’t share that with the guys. Lara was too important to waste on immature kiss-and-tell.

What need did he have to brag when he had the real deal? For as long as he had her, he intended to make the most of his relationship that wasn’t exactly a relationship. What it was, he didn’t know. But he refused to jinx his chances by making more of his feelings than he should…whatever those feelings might be.

* * *

Lara considered finally telling her sister about Ron’s attack. She’d debated and decided not to tell her parents. More stress on top of financial worries would only burden them needlessly. After studying Kristin’s chipped fingernails, sagging ponytail, and tired eyes, she realized she wouldn’t be helping her sister with the truth either.

What would knowing about the attack do for anyone?

Ron would deny it, despite witnesses. After all, the “riffraff” at Ray’s wouldn’t stand up to bullying from his lawyers. And God knew Ray couldn’t exactly afford legal people poking their noses into his business. Besides, if Lara kept quiet, Ron might believe she was playing nice. With any luck, he’d forget about the incident and give Kristin the settlement she deserved.