LanieMy whole body was on fire for him. I spread my legs farther and slid my fingers into his hair, massaging his scalp as he rolled his tongue through my folds. The pressure of him forcing two thick fingers into my body caused me to buckle, letting go of my orgasm. The tension in my back fled as I arched and cried out his name, riding the high he offered me.“Enough,” I cried out and pushed at his shoulder.He glanced up, his lips wet, eyes wild. I could love him forever. Fuck everything else.“No. It’s enough when I say it’s enough.” He kept his eyes locked to mine and leaned down, softly licking at my swollen skin. The delicious pull on my clit as he sucked it into his mouth had my eyes rolling back in my head.“Okay. Just don’t stop.”He moved back and pressed his fingers back into me, fucking at a steady pace as he watched me. “So what is it, baby? Keep going or stop?”“I don’t know.” I gripped the sheets and groaned at the delicious tension building in my stomach. “I want you.
Andrew“Lanie?” I stretched and pulled the delicious scent of bacon deep into my lungs. “Lanie?”“In the kitchen,” she called out. Just the sound of her voice put a smile on my face, until I remembered that I conked out on the pretty young thing.“Shit,” I grumbled as I got up and put my clothes back on. After checking my watch, my blood pressure went through the roof. Nine o’clock? “Lanie. Why didn’t you wake me up? I had my first meeting an hour ago.”My mood soured further as I jumped down the hallway, trying to get my shoes on. I hit my head against the wall, and a picture of Lanie and her parents fell and shattered.“Andrew? What are you—” She stopped at the end of the hallway and pressed her fingers to her lips, looking way too cute for the mood I’d descended down into.“It’s not funny.” I knelt down and tried to clean up the broken glass, only to cut myself. “I’m late.”“Then leave that there.” She moved down the hall, her feet bare and legs on full display.“Hey.” I glanced up
AndrewI worked through lunch to make up the time I’d missed that morning, but just before two, my stomach started singing a symphony. I put it off as long as I could and eventually shut things down. It was officially a holiday. My staff were either off for the day or done by noon. I needed to get food lest I turn into a hangry monster on the lookout for someone to attack.After packing up and getting in the car, I realized that Raven would be celebrating the New Year by herself. I couldn’t let that happen. No need to pile guilt onto guilt.I ran through a fast food drive-through and got myself and Raven something to eat. Memories of her being a little girl and begging for the kid’s meal with a certain toy stilled the moment for me. She was almost grown. She’d be leaving soon to start her own life.“And I almost lost her too.” I pressed my hand to my chest, realizing that I needed to find a way to chill the fuck out where both of the women in my life were concerned.They were both you
Lanie“So. What do you think of this one?” Erica twirled around, the cute green dress she tried on fitting her perfectly.“I think we’re going to find you and Matt missing about halfway through the evening.” I wagged my eyebrows. “When are you guys going to start talking about marriage?”“Soon. We’re not in a huge hurry. We have the rest of our lives, right?” She disappeared back into the dressing room.I ran my hand over a pretty black skirt as my thoughts raced around. I didn’t have forever. The rest of Andrew’s life was forty years? Where that was a long time, marrying a guy in his fifties seemed a bit much. Reminded me too much of my parents.“Try it on. It’ll look good on you.” A saleswoman walked up and pulled the skirt from the rack. “You have a beautiful figure. This with a silky pink top? Stunning, I bet.”“Yeah?” I tried to ignore the heat rushing up my chest and coating my cheeks. “Okay. Sure. I need something for my friend’s party anyway. I’d love to impress my boyfriend w
Lanie“And this is my brother Damon. Have you guys met?” Matt pressed his hand gently to the middle of my back, walking me around the room and introducing me to his family and fellow artists at the party later that night.“I don’t think so.” I extended my hand, trying not to focus on how incredibly hot Matt’s brother was. “Wait. Maybe so?”“I think so.” He smiled and kissed my hand. “My wife Bethany is over there by the window. She’ll want to meet Erica’s best friend as well.”“Got it.” Matt walked me over to the window, and I couldn’t help but look around the crowd for Andrew. The night was getting closer and closer to being over, midnight looming in the next forty minutes or so. I’d texted him three times, but after that, I felt like I was nagging and quit.“Beth. This is Lanie. Erica’s BFF.” He smiled down at me as Bethany and I exchanged pleasantries. I’d met Kendal and Dana a few minutes before, as well as a million other people I could barely remember after shaking their hands.
AndrewThree Days LaterMy Friday started with a shitstorm of massive proportions. Lanie still hadn’t returned the message I’d left her the previous night, telling her I missed her and wanted to chat. I knew I was in the dog house, and no amount of groveling could save me.I’d forgotten all about the New Year’s Eve party.Work had been weighing heavily on me, and I was exhausted, but all I could think was that I couldn’t let Raven spend another night in the hospital alone. Sure, Jason was there, but I didn’t like that idea any more than her being alone in a sterile room, confined by hospital smells and sounds. The kid deserved more than that. It was a lose/lose situation.But that meant Lanie had rung in the New Year by herself. That wasn’t acceptable. She had every right to be pissed at me. I’d shown my cards and proven that I couldn’t uphold a promise, and I felt like shit about it. No wonder she wasn’t talking to me.I raked my fingers through my hair as I tried to push the guilt d
AndrewNo, Lanie wasn’t like that. She was Liza’s polar opposite in every way.“Why don’t you stay in town a little longer?” Liza asked. “You gave me a wonderful tour of Seattle when I was out in your neck of the woods. Let me return the favor. I can show you some wonderful little places I know you’d love.”“Uh—” I opened my mouth to tell her no. A firm no. But she steamrolled right over me.“You like seafood, right? There’s this little place not far from here that serves the most decadent oysters I’ve ever tasted. And their wine pairings?” She paused and slid off the desk to press one hand lightly to my bicep. “It will ruin all other seafood for you. I promise.”I carefully lifted her hand from my arm. “I appreciate the invitation,” I said, trying to be as respectful as possible. Liza was my client, and the business deal we were working on was still in the fragile stages. I’d miss out on a massive payout if I fucked things up between us. But I wasn’t going to be used as a plaything,
LanieAndrew had messaged me early that morning to tell me he missed me. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t think of anything worth saying. Of course, I missed him too, but I was hurt. I’d spent New Year’s Eve alone after he’d promised to show up for me.The fact that it hadn’t been that big of a surprise was bothering me almost as much as the fact that he didn’t show. I shouldn’t be able to predict my fiancé bailing on me on one of the most romantic holidays of the year. In my opinion, it was the most romantic, followed closely by Christmas and then Valentine’s. And what made it even worse was that I was the only one at the party solo. How embarrassing.As I got ready to head to the school, I tried to forget about him. While at work, I needed to focus on my job, not dwell on everything that was wrong in my relationship and host a pity party inside my head all day long. I had to prioritize.Lucky for me, the day was sunny and bright, which helped with my mood instantly.Traffic was hell, and