Loving Pursuit Page 5

  “Right. She gets confused, but she might go somewhere familiar to help understand. I don’t know much about this, but it’s worth a shot.”

  A thought suddenly struck me.

  “Her church,” I said, turning my blinker on. “It’s only five blocks from the house.”

  “Let’s go.”

  I parked in front of the church. It was a no-parking zone, but I didn’t care. Getting out of the car, I hurried up the concrete steps, heading to the entrance. I’d just grabbed a hold of the wrought-iron door handle when Lewis’s voice called out behind me.

  “Marie, look.”

  I whipped around to find that he was heading toward a white statue of Jesus in the grass under the stained-glass window. Standing next to it, wringing her hands as she looked around in confusion, was my grandmother.

  “Grandma!”

  I ran back down the steps and passed Lewis to get to her side. I placed a gentle hand flat on her back. Her eyes looked unfocused as she stared at me.

  “Grandma, do you know where you are?” I asked, trying to sound calm.

  She was wearing a long, cotton nightgown and house slippers. It was the same thing she wore around the house all the time, but, for some reason, she looked frailer out here in the world with her night clothes on.

  “I’m at church,” she said, but she still looked confused. “Did they cancel the service? I went inside, and it was empty.”

  “Grandma, it’s not Sunday.”

  She didn’t respond, but her brow furrowed. I hated this. She looked like she was struggling to grasp some form of understanding that was just out of reach. It made me feel terrible for her.

  “I’m…I’m so sorry, Marie.”

  Pulling her into my arms, I tucked her head into my shoulder and muttered soothing words that meant nothing. I’d never felt so helpless in my life.

  “Who’s the hunk?” she suddenly asked. I turned my head to see Lewis looking at her like a deer in headlights. Laughter bubbled up in my chest, unable to be suppressed. This situation with my grandmother was tragically serious, but her innocent question helped to break the tension.

  I was embarrassed by the whole thing happening in front of him, but there was nothing I could do about it now. This was my baggage and he might as well find out about it now. If it was too much for him to handle, it was best to end this fling before it got started. Maybe that would be for the best anyway. He didn’t live here.

  But Lewis shocked me by stepping forward and introducing himself to my grandmother. He even held his elbow out to her and, when she took it, he guided her to my car.

  My mouth fell open in shock at the display. Lewis was an honestly good man. Doomed relationship or not, who could resist such a thing?

  7

  Something More

  Lewis

  The day had taken an interesting turn. I was just as drawn to Marie as ever and now that I’d gotten another intoxicating taste, I had to have more.

  I had gone with her back to her house, watching as she made sure her grandmother was sitting comfortably in the living room recliner with a pair of crochet needles in her hands. Marie was in the kitchen now, on the phone with Sergeant Inappropriate, or whatever the hell his name was. The cop was definitely carrying a torch for her, but that wasn’t going to happen. Not while I was around.

  I looked around her living room. Just like the boutique, this space was a reflection of her personality - warm and open. The walls were off-white, with thick grey carpeting. The black leather couch matched the recliner and it looked comfortable.

  But I didn’t take a seat. Instead, I made my way over to a shelving unit in the corner, letting my eyes roam over the framed pictures there. Front and center was a photo of a little girl that had to be a younger Marie, based on the similar features. There were a man and a woman on either side of her in the picture. They looked like a perfect American family, all smiles as they stood in the sunshine.

  Those must have been her parents. I wondered where they were. If her grandmother was living with her, did that mean that they were out of the picture?

  The rest of the pictures mostly consisted of Marie and her grandmother. In some cases, they were with other people. Friends, I assumed. But one framed photo caught my eye, and I picked it up. It was Marie standing with another man, grinning broadly while he kissed her cheek. It was cute.

  I hated it.

  “Oh, that’s old,” Marie said, suddenly at my side. She took the picture from my hands. “I didn’t realize it was still out here.”

  I watched as she popped open the back of the frame, removing the picture and balling it up in her fist.

  “I’ll just toss this out,” she said, replacing the now-empty picture frame on the shelf.

  Okay. There’s a story there.

  “You hungry?” she asked. I could recognize a change in subject, so I decided not to ask about the picture right now. She’d tell me when she was ready.

  “Starving,” I said honestly. The winery had some food available in their tasting room, but it wasn’t a full meal.

  “You want to help me in the kitchen?”

  “Sure.” There was a first time for everything.

  The kitchen was bright with white cabinets and stainless-steel appliances. It wasn’t a huge space, but it was clean and homey. Marie pulled out a cutting board from the cabinet and handed me a knife.

  “Think you can peel and cut the potatoes?”

  Maybe.

  Growing up, we always had staff that took care of things like cooking and cleaning for us. My mom stopped working when I was born, staying home to raise me, but we lived in a large mansion, which was too much for her to maintain on her own.

  Even when I grew up and moved out on my own, I’d never had a knack for food preparation. Instead, I ate out frequently or ordered in.

  But I was never one to shy away from a challenge. Picking up a potato, I started peeling, taking off way too much potato with the peel, so that they were reduced to half their original size by the time they were peel-free. Marie was seasoning chicken breasts while I worked, laying them onto a warm griddle to cook before turning back toward me. She didn’t say anything critical about my technique, but I could see that she was trying not to laugh.

  “Are you making fun of me?” I asked, with a quirked brow.

  “I didn’t say a word,” she replied, a huge smile stretching across her face.

  “You were thinking about it.”

  She leaned forward so that her elbows were resting on the kitchen island between us, a challenge in her sparkling eyes. “Prove it.”

  I could see down her V-neck top from this position. That, combined with her sassy attitude, made my body come to life. I hardened in my pants, yearning to take her against the kitchen wall right here and now.

  Instead, I mimicked her position, so that our faces were only inches apart. “Baby, I’d love to really know what you’re thinking.”

  Marie smirked before pecking my lips and straightening. “Halve the potatoes twice and put them in the baking sheet.”

  She turned back to the chicken, and I took a moment to adjust myself before doing as she asked. She was driving me crazy, with the flirting and kissing, but I liked it. It was a sweet torture to be so turned on, but not able to find completion.

  I’d make it happen soon enough.

  Marie helped her grandmother into the dining room when the food was ready, and I was glad to see that all traces of confusion had disappeared. The episode had passed for now, but I wondered if Marie had a long-term plan in place to deal with this situation. I knew from my own maternal grandfather’s last few years of life that dementia was a progressive thing. It was heartbreaking, but it would only continue to get worse.

  “So, you’re Marie’s new man?” she asked, and I picked up on that same protectiveness that I’d gotten from the waitress yesterday.

  “We’re friends, Grandma,” Marie answered for me. I frowned.

  “Yeah, I’m her new ma
n,” I contradicted. Marie was nonplussed, but I didn’t regret the words. I liked to follow my gut instinct in life, and it rarely steered me wrong. When something felt right, I went for it. This thing with Marie qualified.

  “Well, good. I can tell you are a good one. Much better than that Greg.”

  I glanced at Marie, but she kept her gaze on her food. If I were a betting man, I’d wager that the man in the photo was Greg. Whoever he was, I hoped that he was truly out of the picture.

  For the rest of the meal, Marie’s grandmother, who insisted I call her Ruby, regaled me with stories about Marie. Most of them were embarrassing in some way, much to Marie’s chagrin.

  It crossed my mind that I’d never done the “meet the family” thing before. My past relationships mostly consisted of short-lived flings, nothing with the power to last. Marie wasn’t like the other women I met. Maybe it was because she didn’t know about my money at first. I didn’t have to wonder if she was more attracted to my wallet than me. That first night together had been an explosion of passion and she had no idea who I was.

  Her grandmother went to bed right after dinner. It was still early in the evening, but Marie didn’t seem to find it strange. She just stayed at the table and watched her grandmother go, looking troubled.

  “You okay?” I asked, once Ruby’s bedroom door was firmly shut behind her.

  Marie blinked. “Yeah. I just…I try to put on a brave face for her, but today was scary. Nothing like that has ever happened before.”

  “Have you thought about getting a live-in nurse?”

  “I can’t afford anything like that,” she said with a shake of her head.

  It was on the tip of my tongue to offer to foot the bill for her, but I didn’t think she’d take that well. There was pride in her that I didn’t want to insult.

  “I’m just not sure what I’m going to do,” she sighed.

  I didn’t have any answers for her, so I just reached over and placed my hand on top of hers. I didn’t like seeing her upset like this.

  We sat together like that for several minutes, not talking. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. We were just enjoying being together. Finally, Marie pulled her hand out from under mine and stood. As she gathered plates, I helped her clear the table. Sharing these domestic responsibilities with someone was new to me. For some reason, it gave me a warm feeling in the center of my chest.

  I thought that I should probably leave after we loaded the dishwasher, but I didn’t want to go. Today has gone better than I could have imagined. I felt an emotional connection to her that I didn’t anticipate.

  She’d already gotten under my skin - it was the reason I was here. But I was seeing now that it was lust. Infatuation, maybe. Now, after spending so much time together, there was more to it.

  “Do you maybe want to watch a movie or something?” she asked, and I smiled at my small victory. Just twenty-four hours ago, she had rejected me. Things had turned around, and I was now sure that these feelings weren’t one-sided.

  “Absolutely,” I agreed.

  Marie turned on a superhero movie as we got comfortable together on the couch. That meant that she was tucked into my side while my arm went around her shoulders. We fit together perfectly like this, and I felt myself relaxing as the opening credits started. The lights were low, and it didn’t take long for the day to catch up on me, making my eyelids feel heavy.

  I tried to fight my fatigue, but it was a losing battle. The movie had barely started when my head rested against the back of the couch, and I drifted off to sleep.

  When I woke up hours later, it took me a moment to figure out where I was. The slight shifting of the body beside me brought it all back: spending the day with Marie, kissing, her grandmother, and falling asleep on the couch. The TV was black, but the room was still being illuminated by the soft glow of the lamp beside me. The only sounds in the room were steady, deep breathing and the ticking of the clock hanging above our heads.

  I looked down at Marie to find that she was out like a light. Her shoulder-length, brown waves fell across her face, but I could still see her soft features. Reaching out a hand, I brushed the hair back, marveling at her flawless pale skin in the low-lighting.

  I shifted my position, laying her flat on the couch and trying not to wake her as I stood, but she stirred as soon as my warmth was gone. When her eyes opened, there was a second of confusion, but when it passed, she smiled softly.

  “You’re not running out on me as payback, are you?”

  “Never,” I said sternly.

  She sat up on the couch. “I’m sorry about that, you know. I guess I just freaked out. I’ve never done that kind of thing before.”

  “What kind of thing?”

  “A one-night stand.”

  Kneeling beside the couch, I scooped her up, so that she was draped across my arms, and stood. She let out a small squeal.

  “Baby, one night with you would never be enough,” I said. “Now point me in the direction of the bedroom.”

  She did, wordlessly, and I strode across the room to the wooden door. Marie opened the way inside and there was enough light spilling in from the living room for me to make out the shape of her bed. I kicked the door shut behind me and headed that way.

  We tumbled onto the duvet, a mess of limbs as we started tearing at each other’s clothes. It was dark in the room, but that just heightened the sensations as I claimed her mouth in a kiss. It was rough, but she didn’t shy away from it. In fact, her tongue slipped between my lips wrestling with my own.

  I stripped her of her dress, and she reached around to unhook her bra. I palmed her breasts as they were freed, rubbing my thumbs over her hardened nipples. She gasped into my mouth, and I broke the kiss, trailing my lips down her neck, tasting her smooth skin.

  Marie had already removed my button-up shirt, ripping it open and sending buttons flying in every direction. Her warm hands traced my abs, the feather-light touch sending a shiver down my spine.

  “Lewis,” she moaned my name softly into my ear. “I need this. I need you.”

  My erection twitched behind my zipper at her words. The needy quality of her voice was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. Pulling away from her neck, I moved my mouth to her chest, worshipping her breasts one at a time with my tongue. Marie arched her back, as her fingers went to my hair, tugging at the short strands.

  “Lay back on the bed,” I said, when I was down lavishing her chest.

  I stood as she complied, unbuckling my pants and pushing them down my legs with my boxers. My erection sprang free, aching with the desire to be buried inside her already. A thought occurred to me.

  “Do you have any condoms?”

  “Yeah, they’re in the nightstand. Hang on.”

  I heard a drawer open and close. I expected her to hand the condom to me, but, instead, her hand touched my stomach before trailing down and gripping my member. I shuddered at the feeling of her touching my most sensitive skin. Then, she rolled the condom on for me.

  My eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough to make out the outline of her body using the faint glow of the numbers on her alarm clock. So, when she’d laid back down, I crawled back onto the bed. Hovering over her legs, I used my palm to trail up her thigh. Marie laid still but moaned when I cupped her sex through her panties.

  “You’re so wet for me already,” I said approvingly. “I fucking love it, but I can’t take you until I have a taste.”

  I ripped the panties from her body, tossing them aside. Marie spread her legs wide for me, allowing enough room for even my broad shoulders to fit between her silky thighs. I reached beneath her, grabbing the round globes of her pert ass as I buried my face into her center and feasted.

  I knew that Marie was trying not to make too much noise and wake her grandmother, but as I licked up her center, she moaned my name loudly. I smirked against her wet flesh, loving that I was able to make her lose control like that.

  She was so responsive to my efforts as I lic
ked and sucked, it was easy to know what she liked. As I focused my attention on her clit, her legs began to shake on either side of me. I inserted a finger and she began to moan over and over. I knew she was close to the edge. So close…

  I pulled away before she got there. Marie let out a choked sound of outrage, but, before she got a word out, I lined my erection up at her entrance and entered her in one smooth thrust.

  She responded with a massive, quivering orgasm. Her fingers dug into my biceps, almost hurting, but also giving me the satisfaction of knowing exactly how much pleasure she was in. It couldn’t be contained.

  “That’s right, baby,” I murmured, as I started pumping myself in and out of her. “Come on my cock.”

  I didn’t know if it was the rhythm of my thrusting or my dirty language that did it, but she cried out as she came again. Or maybe it was a resurgence of the first one. I couldn’t tell, but I could feel her wall convulsing around me, bringing me closer to my own climax way too soon. I wanted this to last longer, to draw this pleasure for both of us, but it was too good, too hot. I started pumping my hips in a frenzied manner. I didn’t even feel in control of my own body.

  “Yes, yes, yes.” Marie’s voice was hoarse now, but she couldn’t seem to keep quiet. Her legs wrapped around my hips, and the new angle allowed me to penetrate her even deeper than before.

  That did it. I buried my face into the pillow beside her head as my orgasm slammed into me, to stifle the incoherent sounds of pleasure that escaped.

  I spilled my seed into the condom as I held her body tight to my own. My legs felt weak, and I couldn’t catch my breath.

  It was the best sex I’d ever had. Even better than our first time, because I knew her now. I had no idea how much that would matter, but it blew my mind.

  Rolling to the side, I pulled out of her and laid on my back. Marie curled into my side and placed a soft, sweet kiss on my scruffy cheek. My heart stuttered. After all of that, it was her simple gesture of affection that I knew would linger in my mind in the days to come. I knew it meant something. This was more than great sex, and I was going to seize it.