Will

“This is going to be a lot of fun, I promise,” Paige said when we arrived at her parents’ house for dinner. It was the tenth time she’d said it. I took it as a sign that my girl was actually nervous. I interlaced my fingers with hers and kissed the back of her hand.

“I know it’ll be fun,” I reassured her.

Her family welcomed us as a group. Her sisters were practically jumping up and down, and Mrs. Lamonica straight-up hugged me. Her father and brother smiled pleasantly, but they practically crushed my hand shaking it, which I recognized as the general guy code for if you mess with her, we’ll come after you. I gave Graham the exact same handshake when he joined us for Friday night dinner the first time. A handshake was worth more than a thousand warnings.

They’d set up a grill station in the backyard, and her dad was tending to steak, tuna, and salmon.

“Honey, you can’t eat steak,” Mrs. Lamonica admonished her husband once we were sitting at the table and everyone was helping themselves to food. “Have some fish. You know what the doctor said.”

“Yeah, yeah. Steak will kill you. Butter will give you a heart attack. What’s the point of living?” Mr. Lamonica shook his head, but helped himself to salmon instead. Mrs. Lamonica was fussing around everyone, Paige most, I noticed. She was also loading my plate with three portions of everything.

“Sorry, she’s just excited you’re here,” Paige muttered under her breath when her mom went to the kitchen for a fourth serving of mashed potatoes.

“Don’t sell hot air to Will,” her dad said. “Your mother is always like that.”

“I don’t mind,” I said. Mom used to do the same. She’d fuss around us at the table, making sure everyone had plenty (read: too much) of everything. I smiled at the memory. I could get used to this.

After everyone was full, we relaxed at the pool, and I had a front-row seat to experiencing Paige in “brat mode.” She’d definitely earned the nickname. She caused more trouble than even the kids. Her brother was at the edge of the pool, just dipping his feet, but Paige threw so much water at him, the guy was soaked. 

She crooked her fingers at me a few times, but even though I had swim trunks on, I didn’t trust myself anywhere near her when she was wearing that tiny bikini. I was fighting a hard-on just watching her. She was happy and relaxed, showing her nieces how to do a perfect breaststroke. Paige had gotten her period last week, and I won’t lie, it had impacted me more than I’d expected.

Her mom was sitting on the sunbed lounger next to me. We were on the wide side of the pool, adjacent to everyone else.

“You’re close to your family, Will?” she asked, just like that. Her voice was casual, but I was a damn good detective. I picked up the gist of the question.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“That’s lovely to hear.” We both looked at the pool as Paige turned her focus on her father, splashing him.

“She’s always been daddy’s girl,” Mrs. Lamonica added with affection. “She missed him so much when he was away. It was even harder than these days, where you have all this technology for video calls.”

“That must have been hard, having your husband away so often.”

“I got used to the distance, but not the danger.” She smiled sadly, pointing to the hair at her temples. “My hair turned white here in a single night. We’d heard some bad news from his deployment unit. That his unit hadn’t made it back after an attack. I tried to keep it together in front of the kids. They were young. Paige was eleven. She found me hiding in my bedroom, crying. Gave me a hug and said, ‘Momma, we’ll take care of you if something happens to Daddy. Don’t cry.’ I’m ashamed to say that there were many mornings when I could barely get out of bed. Paige would make breakfast for the other kids, make sure they had lunch packed for school. I think she learned from me to hide when crying. She’s a tough girl, my Paige.”

“She is,” I agreed. I’d sensed that in her the first time I’d seen her. She was a dreamer and a force to be reckoned with when needed, fighting for the project she believed in, determined to give it her best. She was an amazing woman, and it was a privilege to be by her side.

I knew that she wasn’t entirely comfortable with my job. Yes, she’d said she’d gotten used to it, but I also knew her well enough to catch on to the telltale signs: getting used to something wasn’t the same as liking something. I remembered how she’d reacted when she’d seen the scratch on my neck after our first night together, and wondered if that underlying fear would keep her from loving me. Was there something I could do to make this easier for her?

Paige interrupted our talk by splashing water on us, completely soaking me. When I glared at her, she shrugged. “Sorry, had to save you from Mom before she scared you away.”

“And soaking me was the only way you could save me?”

She nodded with conviction. “Absolutely.”

Mrs. Lamonica laughed. I jumped in the water and Paige half chuckled, half shrieked when I pulled her flush against me. We were alone in the pool, but everyone was on the edge, watching us. 

“You’re a naughty woman,” I whispered.

“Everyone’s watching. Nothing you can do about it,” she said smugly.

“Not right now. But we’ll be alone in a couple of hours.”

I was still holding her flush against me, and positioned my growing erection between her thighs. Her breath hitched. I inched closer. She bit her lower lip.

“What are you going to do, Detective? Withhold orgasms again?” Her voice was very low, but very sultry, and my cock stirred at her words. I cupped her cheek, making sure it looked like a loving but innocent touch, and leaned until I was close to her ear.

“I’m changing tactics.”

When I pulled back, I noticed with satisfaction that her pupils had dilated with lust. Fuck, I wanted to kiss her, pin her against the edge of the pool and spread her wide. A few hours. I just had to go through a few more hours, and then this incredible woman would be all mine. 

“You two, get a room,” Miranda called. Paige merely grinned at her sister. Remembering what her mother had said about Paige made my affection for her deepen. I wanted to make sure nothing ever brought her to tears unless they were of happiness. I hoped she’d share with me the vulnerable moments when she had them, that she’d trust me completely. How else could I take care of her?

Paige looked at me with those big, round eyes, smiling. “You’ll have to resume your sexy threats later. I think Miranda can pick up the gist of this... conversation. There is no fooling her.”

Now that I was near her, I only wanted to touch her more. I craved her. But if I didn’t want to lose the points I’d gained with her family, keeping my hands to myself was the smart thing to do.

I swam for a while, and then Mrs. Lamonica treated us to a second round of dessert. Paige and I left just after the sun set.

“So, what did you think? I saw Mom cornering you. I hope that went okay,” she asked once we were back at my place, lying on the lounger on the balcony. 

“Paige, I loved getting to know your family. Don’t fret so much.”

“Uh-huh. I’ll be patiently waiting for the delayed reaction.”

“I was thinking about something. How would you feel about taking time off for a week and going on a vacation? You’ve worked hard, you deserve some time off. And I want to have you all to myself for a week.”

She nestled into me, wiggling her toes. “I’d love that. Greg needs me for the next two weeks. We have a deadline. But after that, I’m sure I can take a week off.”

“Have you ever been to a redwood forest?”

“I’ve been once when I was little, but I’d love to see one again.”

“I’ll arrange everything,” I assured her. Then, just to tease her, added in a serious voice, “They have some of the best camping spots.”

She deflated instantly. Not laughing at her reaction took up a lot of effort. 

“We’re going to sleep in a... tent?”

“Yeah. We can make a bonfire every night.”

“But there are insects and... more insects.”

Her voice sounded almost panicked now, and I started laughing in earnest.

“Ah! You were making fun of me.” She elbowed my ribs.

“I have a nice cabin there.” She tried to elbow me again, but I blocked her and shifted on top of her.

“Little Miss Princess, aren’t we?”

She grinned. “Only caught on to that today? You’re a lousy detective.”

“Nah, today I just got the confirmation.”

“So you’re not going to subject me to tents and insects.”

“Cabin’s state of the art.”

“What kind of heating?”

“Gas. Why?”

“Damn. I was hoping to see you chop wood. Shirtless, of course.”

“There will be plenty of opportunities to see me shirtless, don’t you worry.”

She touched my chest with one finger, licking her lips. “But chopping wood would be different. I’d be hearing all those manly grunts. A girl can dream, mmm....”

“You drive me crazy when you make those sounds.”

She drew out the mmmmm, then added, “What do you want to do now?”

“Devour you,” I said seriously.

“Finally. I thought you’d haul me up against the door the second we came inside. Was afraid you’d changed your mind.”

I kissed that mouth, bringing one hand under her dress, pressing my fingers into the soft skin on her thigh. I started unbuckling my belt, then undid the top button and lowered the zipper.

When Paige realized what I was doing, goose bumps broke out on her arms. I bunched her dress up and freed my cock, rubbing the length against her panties, over her clit. She lifted her knees and the angle changed. I felt the exact moment when she soaked her panties through, and I almost exploded, knowing that I could give her so much pleasure.

I had a surprise in store for her during our vacation.