“Are you sure they don’t need you at the bar tonight?”
April’s eyes settled on Van’s back, as he kneeled in front of the hearth, stoking the fire with his iron poker, as swirling embers floated around him. Summertime never called for a fire, unless one was outside with a stick and a marshmallow, camping beneath the stars, but she’d been in the mood for one tonight. The weather was pleasant, but the air was cool, uncharacteristically so for the season, and as she sat wrapped in a thick quilt Van had rustled up from his closet, she couldn’t help but admire the way he’d hopped to it the second she indicated she wanted a fire.
“I think they’ll survive without me for one night,” he chuckled, reaching for another log and adding it into the flames carefully. “I mean, if they can’t, I hired a bunch of idiots.”
She pressed her lips together to keep from commenting that a few of his staff were idiots. Now that she was dating the owner of Cedar Lodge, April was more of a permanent fixture at the remodeled bar. Over the last month, she’d gotten to know some of the staff better. She liked the bartenders best with their snarky attitudes and their intolerance to bullshit. The shooter girls and the bouncers were at the bottom of her list for a variety of reasons, and the waitresses hovered somewhere in the middle depending on the night. Everyone knew who she was now, and she hadn’t paid for a single drink or appetizer yet.
April was also aware, however, that the gossip mill continued to churn now that she and Van made more public appearances together, and she could almost imagine the rumors floating around about them. Set to be brother and sister—by marriage, not by blood—in just a month. Their relationship was probably the talk of the town, stealing the thunder from her mom and James’s impending nuptials.
Good. James didn’t deserve any extra attention; he had both the good and bad kind already anyway.
When he was done building the fire up, Van carefully placed the iron poker back where it belonged then rejoined her on the couch. She sidled up to him happily, content to be snuggled against his chest with his arm thrown across her almost possessively.
“Any potential buyers today?” he asked, his voice a low rumble as he stroked her back. She sighed heavily, memories of the open house at her mom’s apartment dragging her good mood back down to the depths. It hadn’t been a terrible day by any means, but she’d spent most of it catering to people who were clearly just there to snoop around Renee O’Hara’s apartment, not to make any offers.
“I’ll talk to the real estate agent tomorrow,” April muttered, though she already knew the answer to that particular question. “I don’t think she’s pricing it high enough, personally.”
“Don’t forget where you are.” She tilted her head up to study his face in the soft glow of the fire. “Cascade Falls doesn’t really warrant ridiculous prices.”
“Well, she could still go higher. We put a lot of work into that damn apartment.”
“We certainly did…” Van fisted his hand in her hair and gently tugged her head back to expose her neck. She shuddered, as he ran his lips along it, her skin prickling with excitement. “A lot of hard, sweaty work.”
His mouth worked its way across her neck, pausing here and there to nip at her flesh or lick the spot just below her ear that made her shiver. With nothing more than a few simple caresses, he had her weak for him, desperate for more than his exploratory touches with his lips. But he held her in place, his grip firm across her body, his hand still fisted in her hair, and all she could do was wait helplessly in his arms, swallowing down her soft moans, not wanting him to know just how much he affected her.
Eventually, he worked his way up to her face, and by then just about every inch of her body was bristling with anticipation. Van had the unique ability to get her flustered with nothing more than a look, so it shouldn’t have surprised her that he could make her panties damp simply by kissing her neck. Once he was close enough, she managed to grab at the back of his head and drag him down for a heated kiss. Their mouths opened as soon as they touched, tongues swirling around one another, as they deepened the kiss. Now, she let her moans fly, and with each one she made, whether loud or breathy, she felt Van’s cock twitch and harden against her. He loved hearing her—he’d told her before. Listening to her come was something he compared to a symphony, and she’d yet to disappoint him thus far.
Wanting to take a little of the in-charge attitude for herself, April wormed out of his grasp and climbed onto his lap, her legs wrapped around his muscular body. Unable to help herself, she ground her hips against him, his quickly hardening cock brushing her through their clothes, sending shivers through her body.
“You think you can tease me?” he asked, his voice husky and tinged with need. April leaned back and nibbled her lower lip—then gave an innocent shrug.
“Haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.”
She let out a giggle, as he dragged her back in for another searing kiss, his tongue thrusting into her mouth with such passion that she almost came on the spot. When he kissed her, he seemed to kiss all of her, even if his mouth never left her lips. She went to grind her hips again, enjoying the way he groaned when she did it, but this time Van took hold of her hips and set his own pace, thrusting his hips up against her body, as he ground her hips against him. April wrapped her arms around his thick shoulders, lost in the sensation. Had it not been for their clothes, they would have been happily fucking already.
Taking his hint when his fingers brushed the bottom of her t-shirt, April leaned back and let him yank the fabric over her head. He tossed the shirt aside, then she let his eyes wander her body like she was a spectacular piece of living art. Unable to go more than a few moments without him touching her, she grabbed his large hand and placed it over her breast. He cupped her with the one hand, as the other went to undo the bra clasp behind her. Soon enough the thin material joined her t-shirt somewhere on the floor, hopefully not too near to the fire.
“You’re fucking beautiful,” Van hissed, his eyes roving her body again. April leaned back and placed her hands on his knees for balance, thrusting her chest out with a smirk. With previous partners, she’d always been quick to jump to sex, preferring not to linger in the foreplay stage for too long. With Van, however, she wanted him to touch her; his touches alone could work her into a frenzy.
Nibbling her lower lip, she watched, as he trailed his fingers over her abdomen, her muscles clenching whenever his touch turned ticklish. He cupped both of her breasts fully, his thumbs swiping over her erect nipples, drawing another moan from her. Without a word, Van leaned forward and wrapped his mouth around one of the pinkish buds, sucking hard as she gasped. The use of his teeth was a new, but not unwelcome, addition. She threaded her fingers through his hair, as he kneaded her breast before switching his mouth over and licking the sensitive bud so gently that it sent a jolt of pleasure straight from her nipple to her pussy, and she ground her hips against him in response.
Pressing against her more firmly, Van managed to shift them around so that she was on her back, her legs still wrapped around him. She went down happily, her head tilting back as her legs widened to give him more access to her. Through the fabric of her shorts, Van rubbed her aching pussy, massaging it until she started to grind her hips in rhythm with his movements—that was when he stopped and straightened up.
“Now who’s the tease?” April pouted, sticking out her lower lip at him. He smirked and crawled up her body, catching that plump lip between his teeth and tugging. She let out a little squeal, the pain mingling with the twitches of pleasure radiating out from the crux of her thighs.
Lifting her hips, she helped him get her shorts and underwear off, and only then did he drag off his shirt and toss it aside. April leaned back to ogle him, always appreciative of the rippling tautness of his body, the toned muscles something that obviously came naturally to him. Van didn’t need to go the gym to get the body he had; hard work around the bar and staying fit enough to comfortably wrestle his massive motorcycle seemed to be enough. He was an impressive man, but not an intimidating one. While his abdomen and arms were deliciously muscular, the thickness extending to his shoulders, too, his legs were nothing more than average. A little toned, yes. Definitely not out of shape by any means. Attainable. As much as she appreciated his killer body, she appreciated the few flaws, too. It made her jiggly thighs and slight tummy pouch seem less noticeable when he wasn’t a total Adonis.
Although in April’s eyes, Van Palmer was pretty damn close.
With the fire warming the room, she splayed herself open for him, practically grabbing his hand and shoving it where she wanted it when he continued to tease her by drawing shapes across her skin with his fingertip, always getting close to her slick opening, then wandering away again.
“Someone’s impatient,” he said, rubbing his palm over her clit at last, and April let out a soft moan in response. Smirking, Van continued to rub the little bud, as her skin erupted in excited little goose bumps—until finally he wandered farther south. She bit her lower lip, holding back a cry when he plunged two fingers into her. They met little resistance, her pussy so wet with need that she was barely a few pumps away from coming all over his hand. Her skin flushed with both satisfaction and embarrassment that it took so little on his part to send her tumbling over the edge of that familiar pleasurable cliff.
Although she was seeing stars, her limbs limp and a little useless for a few moments, she wasn’t about to forget about him. Sitting up as best she could, April attacked his pants with gusto, popping open the button and slipping her hand beneath the fabric. She found Van hard and ready for her, and he groaned when she smeared the dampness on the tip of his cock all the way down, pumping her hand at the base a few times, pleased with the way he thrived under her attention, too.
April adored watching his face whenever she worshipped his cock, be it by hand or by mouth. Giving blow jobs had always felt a little dirty in the past, like she was required to do it rather than actually wanting to. However, with Van, she loved the way his lips pulled back into a small smile and the way his cheeks twitched as she had her way with him. The blazing lust in his eyes was also a little too good to ignore, and there’d been times where she dropped to her knees and sucked him off without wanting a thing in return, getting her satisfaction instead from the way he adored her touch.
Tonight, however, wasn’t going to be one of those nights; she could see it in his eyes. Occasionally, he was content to let her pleasure him and be done with it, but Van was a giver, a man who shared his pleasure tenfold with whomever he was with. She loved that about him.
Pushing her away finally, his cock practically pulsing, Van gripped her by her hips and flipped her over onto her stomach. April hit the couch with a giggle, arching her hips up to him, her skin flushed with anticipation. Saying nothing, she heard Van push his pants and boxers down. He then gripped her hips and thrust into her, filling her with that huge cock of his, as she groaned noisily into the couch cushion.
“Oh, fuck,” he hissed, his fingertips digging into her skin, as he stayed perfectly still for a moment, her body adjusting to the very welcome and much needed intrusion. He started up slowly, barely pulling out of her before pushing back in, and April turned her head to the side, taking short, gasping breaths. The lingering sensations from her orgasm intensified, as he took her, his rhythm growing sharper and faster quickly, as if he just couldn’t hold himself back for long.
She understood the feeling very well. From her position on all fours, her cheek to the couch cushion, there wasn’t much for her to do but enjoy the ride. His hips slammed into hers harshly, balls occasionally slapping her clit, and she whimpered his name when he stopped. They were both panting, her body tingling with a beautiful combination of pain and pleasure. Pain from the way he fucked her, slamming into her over and over again, and pleasure from… well, that one was obvious.
When she glanced up at him, his eyes were closed, his hands resting on her ass, and when he opened his eyes again, he spanked her—hard. She yelped, her eyes narrowing at him. However, she was soon helpless putty in his hands again, as he started thrusting into her, smacking her ass a little lighter this time, but frequent enough to leave the skin warm and tinged red from contact. Then, as if to reward her for enduring the little spanking session, Van reached around and found her clit, massaging it as he ground against her. She almost collapsed right then and there, but his arm under her braced her against his hard body. She continued to let him run the show until she was screaming through her second orgasm, more powerful than the first.
“I’m going to make you come again before the night is over,” he whispered in her ear. Leaning over her as he moved from her clit to her breasts, he pinched a nipple between two fingers as his thrusts grew sharper again. She gave an incoherent response to the promise, slowly sliding down so that she was flat on the couch. Van sprawled on top of her, as he pounded into her. He kept her legs together, his cock buried deep inside, and covered her mouth with his hand. The other kneaded her breast until he spilled himself inside of her with one last harsh thrust.
Her body hummed with pleasure, heart pounding in her chest, as Van slowly pulled himself out of her. The couch dipped when he settled at the far end, outstretched and grinning like an idiot. As soon as she saw him, she couldn’t help but smile herself. However, before she could cuddle up to him like she wanted to, April excused herself to quickly freshen up in the bathroom. Once she was cleaned up in the most basic sense, she wandered back to the couch in front of the fireplace, moving at a leisurely pace, enjoying the way Van’s eyes followed the sway of her naked hips in the glow of the firelight.
The cuddled together for some time afterward, watching the fire work its way through all the logs Van had added, eventually losing its brightness. By then, April had almost fallen asleep in his arms, totally relaxed as he played with her hair or rubbed her back.
“Shower?” he said suddenly, which made her glance up and raise her eyebrows. Just the mere thought of it had gotten him hard again, and April nodded a little too enthusiastically. She let out a little laugh, as he helped her to her feet and then dragged her through the little cottage to the bathroom at the rear of the master suite, both of them ready to start all over again before the water was even warm.