Chapter Eighty-Five

Setting her grocery sacks on the counter, she listened for just a minute.  It was blessedly quiet.  Quieter than it had been all week.  She had forgotten just how much noise a teenager could make.  Especially a teenaged girl with two friends hanging out with her.  Not that it bothered her, but it was nice to have the quiet for a change.  It wouldn’t last long, but she would savor it while she had it.

She put away the few things she had bought to make dinner and poured herself a glass of lemonade.  She glanced out the window and spotted Ava sunning herself by the pool.  She had her headphones on, that explained the quiet.  Stephanie leaned against the counter. 

It had been a good week so far.  Richie had been tied up for a few days with appointments and meetings that couldn’t be done by phone or email.  The dentist and eye doctor had been on his calendar for today.  She smiled and finished her lemonade, they always said they were normal guys.  This week showed that to her in spades.  Doctor, dentist, mechanic, bank, the little things that she had never imagined him doing, he was doing.  He even took the garbage out two nights ago. 

With a last glance out the window and a little laugh, she pushed herself away from the counter and headed for the stairs.  She was going to put on her swimsuit and join Ava.  It was a beautiful day and lazing on a lounge chair by the pool sounded like the perfect way to spend the afternoon.

She was just tying the straps of her bikini top when she felt an extra set of hands on hers, long fingers tangling with hers.  She looked up and smiled, meeting Richie’s warm brown gaze in the mirror.  “Hi there.  When did you get back?”

He smiled back, “just a few minutes ago.”  After spying Ava outside with her headphones on, he went in search of his woman, intent on taking advantage of a few minutes alone.  His eyes took a trip down to her toes and back up to her face.  “Nice suit.”

The modest two piece had a blue tropical print bottom and a black halter style top, the straps of which had the same tropical print as the bottom.  “Thanks.  I wasn’t sure about it when I saw it online,” she looked at herself in the mirror, “but I like it.”

He nodded and stilled her hands when she tried to finish tying the top.  “What are you doing?”

Their eyes met again.  “I was going to join Ava by the pool.  You gonna put your trunks on and come out?”

Keeping his eyes on hers, he untangled his fingers from hers, lowering her hands to her sides, letting the ties of her suit dangle down, brushing against her thighs.  Then he lowered his head and trailed his lips across the ball of her shoulder.  “She doesn’t know I’m home yet,” his teeth scraped across her skin, “she doesn’t know we’re up here.” 

Her eyes slid shut and she tilted her head, letting his lips continue their journey up her neck.  Oh God.  They hadn’t had sex since he’d gotten back.  She hadn’t felt comfortable being intimate with him with Ava in the house.  Which was ridiculous considering the size of the house and the amount of hallway between his room and hers.  She had the distinct feeling that that was about to change. 

He gripped the ties of her top and gave a gentle tug.  The bikini top slid down, the seam chafing across her already straining nipples.  The sensation shot straight through her and gathered low in her belly.  He slid his free hand around and settled it low on her stomach, his fingertips dipping into the bottom of her suit, pressing against her lightly, his thumb brushing lightly back and forth just under her belly button.

She dropped her head back against his shoulder, the onslaught of sensation almost too much.  She shuddered as he dragged the seam of her suit against her taut nipples again and his fingers slid lower, past the slight pooch of her lower belly, his long middle finger scraping lightly along her delicate skin and into the slight bit of hair.

“Rich…” she wasn’t even sure what she was trying to say.

He pushed her hair out of the way and sucked at the delicate skin below her ear.  “I need you, sweetheart.”  He hadn’t protested, much, when she told him she wouldn’t have sex with him with Ava in the house.  She’d sleep with him in the most basic sense of the word, but that was as far as she would go.  He figured it was only a few days then they’d have a whole month together to get as freaky as they wanted to.  He could handle a few days abstinence.  So, he hadn’t pushed her, he wasn’t going to force himself on her, but now, he was starting to go a little stir crazy.  And really, what was a man supposed to do when a beautiful woman, who slept in next to nothing, crawled into his bed and curled right up next to him?  Just how much self-restraint was he supposed to have?  Especially after the eyeful he got of her coming out of the shower this morning.  He wasn’t Superman for fuck’s sake.

Taking her hand, he drew it between them, settling it on his rapidly rising cock.  “I’ve been half hard for you since this morning.”  He hissed out a breath when she tightened her grip and stroked him up and down.  “You are making me crazy.”

Keeping her grip on him, she looked at him over her shoulder, the fire in his eyes had her wanting to do anything for him.  “What are you waiting for?”

His eyebrows rose in surprise, he thought for sure he’d get shot down.  “You sure?”

She nodded and stroked him once more, “let’s go, darlin’.”

With a wicked grin he turned her away from the mirror and placed her hands on the end of the bed.  A quick tug had her bikini bottoms around her ankles, “spread your legs, sweetheart.”

She did as she was told and looked behind her in time to watch him pull off his shirt and dig in the night table drawer for a condom.  “Hurry.”

Moving behind her, he grasped her hips, “I’m right here, Sweetheart.”  He flexed his hips and buried himself inside her.  Closing his eyes he swore against the sheer pleasure of being with her this way.  She was so responsive to him and it always amazed him how right it felt with her.  Right in a way it had never felt with anyone else. 

They moved together in a furious rhythm, pushing and pulling, giving and taking.  He slipped his hand between them, finding that throbbing knot of nerves and teasing it mercilessly.  He wanted her with him all the way to the finish.  His release caught him unaware, her name a harsh cry from his lips as he pumped into her.  Distantly he felt her shudder around him, heard his name fall from her lips as she collapsed under him. 

Curled behind her on the bed he stroked her arm, her hip, anywhere he could reach.  “You okay?”  His breathing was still harsh around the edges.

She nodded her head, “oh yeah.”

His fingers danced along her arm again, “where’s your splint?”

She lazily opened her eyes “over there” she nodded toward the chair where her clothes were.  “I didn’t want a weird tan line from it.”

Gently, he rolled her onto her back.  Slumberous, witchy eyes looked up at him.  He kissed her lightly and started to rise.  “Just be careful with that wrist.  You don’t want to re-injure it.” 

He had just closed the door to the en suite when a knock came on the bedroom door.  “Steph, are you in there?”

She jumped up, pulled her bikini bottoms back up to where they belong and hastily rearranged her top.  “Come on in Ava.”

The girl looked miserable when she poked her head in the door.

“Are you all right, sweetie?” 

Ava’s blonde hair shrouded her face as she shook her head and one arm rested low on her belly.  “No, not really.”

Stephanie crossed the room and took a good look at the girl.  “Have you taken anything?”

Again with a head shake, “I don’t have anything.  It’s early and I wasn’t prepared.”

Richie picked that point to come out of the bathroom.  He took one look at his daughter and his brow furrowed in worry.  “What’s the matter, baby girl?”

Ava looked at Stephanie and Stephanie looked at Richie, “uh, girl stuff, Rich.” 

He grimaced.  “Sorry I asked.”  He still lived in the land of denial where his daughter would always be five, wearing frilly pink dresses and pigtails in her hair.  He glanced warily at Stephanie, “can you help her?”  Heather normally handled this kind of stuff, not him.

She nodded and wrapped her arm around Ava’s shoulder, “why don’t you go down to your room.  I’ve got something that will help and I’ll be right along.

“Okay” she replied.  “And thanks.”

Stephanie gave her a sympathetic smile.  “Anytime, sweetie.”

She crossed the room and rummaged in her suitcase and toiletry bag, coming up with a hot water bottle and a bottle of Midol.  She turned to Richie, “do you have a heating pad?”  Just in case Ava didn’t want the hot water bottle, she still had something to fall back on.

Richie went into the bathroom and dug in a cabinet, handing her the heating pad.  Before she could turn to leave he grasped her wrist.  “Thanks, Sweetheart.”

She pressed a kiss to his cheek, “it’s the least I could do after the way she helped me out a few weeks ago.”  Grabbing her wrap off the bed as she headed to the door, she paused and looked back at Richie, “see you downstairs in a few.”

Watching her leave, Richie started thinking that it was time to nudge this relationship along to something a bit more permanent.