Chapter Five
E ver since discovering Kent rutting on top of butt-pillow girl, Penny had struggled to get out of bed first thing in the mornings. Typically, when consciousness struck her, the awareness of what her life had become was enough to rob any enthusiasm she might have had for getting up. It was easier to simply pull the covers up and go back to sleep.
This morning, though, when she opened her eyes, her first thoughts were not of the emptiness in her life, but of a certain blue-eyed sculpted package of scrumptiousness next door. Her normal lethargy must have taken a hiatus, for she was surprisingly motivated to get up and brew a pot of coffee. She felt the tiniest bit lighter. It was as though she actually… anticipated the day? She’d not anticipated anything in what seemed like forever.
Was this change in mood due to the long cry she’d allowed herself in the shower yesterday? The release she’d given herself after the shower? Or did it have something to do with sitting in the darkness flirting?
Despite chastising herself repeatedly, she could no longer think of him as a kid. He’d accomplished more than most men ever would. He was intelligent, educated, a member of an elite unit of the US military, and he had been wounded for his efforts.
As far as life experience went, he’d seen far more than she ever would.
To have accomplished all of this, he had cause to be a little cocky.
Just as she finished adding the rich grounds of coffee to the filter, a chime sounded.
She jumped. The doorbell!
She’d yet to have heard it ring since moving in. Which made sense, since she hadn’t made friends with a single person in town.
And of course, these older homes were not equipped with peepholes.
She could either pretend nobody was home or take her chances on being caught peeping through the drapes in her front room.
Curiosity got the better of her and she pulled the curtain outside.
Chaz’s mother.
Mrs. Wright caught her eye, smiling and waving enthusiastically.
Gulp.
She was feeling, um, perkier today but she hadn’t prepared herself for… this.
After fumbling with the deadbolt, she pulled the door open.
Smile, Penny. Smile. “Good morning,” she managed to say.
“Good morning, dear!” Mrs. Wright’s smile looked so much more natural than Penny’s felt.
At that thought, she began to wonder when she’d become so socially inept.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Penny.” Chaz’s mother knew her name? “It was so neighborly of you to fetch milk for me yesterday. Chaz told me how incredibly helpful you were.” The older woman then stuck her hand out in introduction. “I’m Cindy Wright. My husband Bob and I live next door and of course, you’ve already met Chaz.”
Penny took Mrs. Wright’s hand. She wasn’t quite so old after all. Definitely not a little old lady as Penny had come to think of her. No, she had a firm handshake and something of an athletic build. Now that Penny considered it, Chaz’ father had looked relatively fit as well.
Apparently, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Wright.” Realizing she’d been hiding behind the large oak door, Penny pulled it open further and stepped out. “I was happy to help.” There she was. Social Penny. Nice of her to make an appearance.
“Oh, dear, I wouldn’t bother you but since you’ve been so nice to Chaz, I thought you might be the best person to impose upon.” No! She wanted a favor? Hopefully, it involved little more than running to the store for her again.
“My husband’s mother has suffered a stroke. We just got the call this morning, and we’re going to have to drive up to Denver today. Bob’s brother says she’s stabilized but at her age… well, as much as I hate leaving Chaz right now, we really need to get up there.”
“Oh, of course!” Penny made a sympathetic face. “She’s all right though?”
Mrs. Wright clucked her tongue. “For now. But I don’t want Bob driving alone. He has a tendency to nod off sometimes… scares the hell out of me.”
Penny thought she could possibly like this woman.
“I can imagine.”
“Would it be too much trouble for you to check in on Chaz? He’s mending and all but still pretty helpless when it comes to certain things. I’d feel so much better if I knew there was help nearby if he needed it. If I had more time, I know one of his old girlfriends from high school would come watch over him but we need to get on the road.”
Penny had little doubt Mrs. Wright was not exaggerating. She was surprised, in fact, that he didn’t already have a squad of ex-cheerleaders lining up to care for him; bringing him meals, keeping him company… giving him sponge baths.
But would Penny mind looking after him?
Penny certainly didn’t mind looking at him.
“That’s no trouble.” Her ears buzzed. It would mean she would see more of him. And not while hiding behind the blinds. “I work at home, so I don’t have to be anywhere.”
“Oh, wonderful, wonderful! Maybe you could come over after you’ve had your coffee and give Chaz your phone number? He can program it into his cellular, and if he has any problems, he could call you.”
“Hold on just a minute. I’ll be right back.” Penny jogged back to the kitchen and grabbed her phone. When she came back outside, Mrs. Wright was still there. “Let me have your number, so I can let you know if anything comes up. And you can have my number, too.”
After putting Mrs. Wright’s info into her contacts, she called the number and then helped her set it up as a contact in her own.
“Oh, thank you so much, Penny! You don’t know how much better this makes me feel.” Chaz’s mother was obviously relieved. “I’ll tell Chaz you’ll be coming by later. Again, I’m so sorry to bother you with this...”
“No problem,” Penny insisted. Wow, it seemed she really was going to be rejoining civilization. “Have a good trip! And don’t worry about anything here.” She waved as Mrs. Wright walked away before shutting the door.
Coffee.
She was going to need at least three cups this morning.
And then maybe do something with her hair. Put on a little makeup.
Deodorant. Definitely deodorant.
Later, stepping into the shower, she decided she’d even shave her legs.
Why? She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but as she glided the blade up her thigh, two words repeated themselves in her mind.
Bad Penny.
Bad, bad Penny.
An hour later, Penny left her personal refuge and stepped up to the Wrights’ front door. The house felt quiet, with all the curtains pulled shut and no TV or music playing.
She knocked softly, at first, and upon receiving no answer, rapped harder.
Still, no answer.
What if he’d fallen? Or had a bad reaction to his medicine? Had she already failed Mrs. Wright by allowing something tragic to befall the local hero?
Don’t be silly, Penny.
But she needed to check on him. She’d promised.
Turning the knob, she was surprised, and yet not, to discover it had been left open. She pushed on the door and then stepped inside.
“Hello?” she called out.
“Up here,” Chaz replied.
He wasn’t dead.
That was good.
She followed the sound of his voice and climbed the stairs. “It’s me, Penny.” She felt a little uneasy just walking in but the man was injured, for heaven’s sake! “Are you decent?”
An exasperated grunt could be heard from the end of the hall but he didn’t answer.
She followed the sound to the open door and peeked inside. He was sitting on the bed wearing those same sweats.
And nothing else.
Although he seemed to be attempting to put a sock on.
A pair of athletic shoes was lined up neatly on the floor a few feet away.
He dropped his foot, still bare, and looked up. “This is fucking ridiculous!”
His hair was mussed and the bed unmade. “Did I wake you up?” She walked forward and kneeled down in front of him. “Give me those.” Of course, nobody could put socks on one handed. He obediently handed them over and relaxed.
“Going for a run?” she chided him.
“I can’t spend every waking hour in this room. I’ll go crazy…”
Penny grasped one foot in her hands and suddenly became aware of the fact that she was touching him again. Not pressing her body up against him like she had in the car but she had her hand on his smooth, naked foot… and was in his bedroom.
“Your feet are cold.” She rubbed both of her hands along his ankle, his heel, his arch, and his toes. She then stretched the sock and slid it on.
There were little specks of hair on the top of his foot and toes.
An aching, heavy feeling settled around her thighs and groin.
Holy hell, even his feet turned her on.
Taking hold of his other foot, she tried to be more aloof and efficient as she slid the sock up and over his ankle. “Where do you want to go?” He shouldn’t be trying to go anywhere.
“The kitchen.”
“You need socks for that?”
“My feet were cold,” he reminded her.
She rose from the floor and looked around. She supposed she could help him find something to eat.
And then she caught sight of the mirror on the wall.
In the clear reflection, she could see her own window perfectly.
In fact, she could see her desk, her laptop, the towel she’d thrown over the chair yesterday.
When she’d been looking in.
Oh, God.
Oh, God!
She glanced at him and the look on his face told her all she needed to know.
She had to get out of there.
No wonder he’d teased her. No wonder he’d played with her!
He knew she’d been watching him. And God help her! She’d done more than watch him.
She pivoted and made a move for the door but a strong arm grabbed her from behind.
“It’s okay, Penny. It’s no big deal.” She felt his breath by the side of her face, by her ear. It was hot, moist, trying to dismiss the fact that she’d… Oh, God!
She wanted to sob. She was mortified.
Absolutely.
Mortified.
He pulled her against him, just as he’d attempted in the store.
She’d never done anything like that in her entire life, and now to realize he’d been watching her… while she’d watched him… touching herself at the same time…
“It was hot.” His breath whispered on her skin.
As he turned her to face him, her bones, oddly enough, could no longer hold her body up. She collapsed into him, both in shame and in… something else. She covered her face with her hands. She was embarrassed and humiliated, and at a complete and utter loss. “I can’t do this,” she cried. She didn’t seem to have control of herself these days. “I don’t even know how to live anymore. I’m so s-s-s-sorry.” She was shaking.
And then she was sobbing.
For the second time in two days.
But this time, she was not alone. This time, she let her tears fall onto Chaz’ naked chest and the bandage wrapped around him.
Big gulping sobs. Pressing her into his chest, he rubbed his hand up and down her back. “Shh… it’s okay. This isn’t about butt-pillow girl, is it?”
She laughed and then sobbed again.
So much for putting makeup on.
And then his hand was in her hair.
“I don’t even know.” She barely got the words out. He was massaging her scalp and getting his fingers all tangled up in her outrageous curls.
He bent his face down closer to hers. “It was one of the hottest things I’ve ever done.” His mouth was by her eye now.
“But–,” she moaned. “But I’m so much older than you.”
His response was to grind his hips into her. “You don’t feel old to me.”
He was rock hard, pressing into her belly with just her T-shirt and his sweats between them. And now his mouth was on her skin. Licking and nipping until he found her mouth.
His tongue flicked at the crease in her lips for only a second before he thrust it in.
She couldn’t help it. Just this time. Just this man. She couldn’t help but open up for him.
He tasted so… so… so incredibly, gloriously male.
Her own hands wound up and around his neck. She wanted to wrap her legs around him, too. She wanted to climb him. She wanted to mold herself to him.
She explored along his teeth with her tongue.
She’d completely forgotten what this felt like. Kissing. Kissing because she wanted to. Because she couldn’t help herself.
Not out of duty or habit.
The heaviness between her legs turned into an ache which spread up into her breasts.
He’d untangled his hand from her hair and hitched one of her legs around his waist.
Penny tried to pull him closer.
“Ah! Oh, fuck!”
He dropped her leg and grasped his shoulder. He moved so quickly that she fell back onto the bed.
In her unbridled passion, she’d inadvertently squeezed his wounded shoulder.
She would have fled except she needed to make sure she hadn’t maimed him first.
“Penny.” He spoke between gasps of pain. “Don’t you dare run. I know that’s what you’re thinking.” He released his shoulder and stood facing her. “You are not leaving me in this condition.”
The obvious raging erection beneath his sweats begged for attention.
When would she admit to herself that she needed to break free of who she’d become? That she wanted to leave the old Penny behind and become somebody else for a little while? Somebody who took what she wanted and embraced sexual need? Lust?
With his feet braced, he stood directly in front of her, his hand in her hair again.
“You want this, Penny. Just admit it.” He pressed his hips forward, the material of those sweats brushing her face.
Without even thinking about it, she reached up and grasped his waistband.
She let her fingers dip inside and slide around to his hips.
And then she slowly…
Tugged.
Down.
When was the last time she’d done this? How many times had she done this?
She thought she could count on less than two hands the amount of times she’d given her husband head.
And less than one hand the number of times she’d wanted to.
But she wanted this. Every inch of it.
No, strike that, she needed this. She needed to take this heavy, pulsing cock into her mouth.
She released the sweats and wrapped her fingers around him.
It was hot, hard, and silky.
And grew larger before her eyes.
She glanced up. Chaz watched with a hooded gaze.
“Are you still in pain?” The grimace he made resembled his expression after she’d nearly maimed him.
He groaned and pressed himself forward. “Not my shoulder, sweetheart.”
A part of her could hardly believe she was in his room, sitting on his bed.
She was going to let her body take over. She would ignore the taunts of unworthiness for now.
Leaning forward, she flicked her tongue around the head. A bead of liquid escaped, salty, warm, slick.
Carnal, animal hunger assaulted her. She swirled her lips around the tip and then slid him into her mouth.
With her hair twisted around his hand, he rocked his hips a little. “Oh, fuck, Penny. Fuck.”
He rocked his hips forward again, this time pressing himself deeper into her mouth. She relaxed and let him slide to the back of her throat.
Her breasts ached, and she squeezed her legs together.
He pulled back and then coaxed himself deeper. She didn’t need to be coaxed. When he pulled back, she sucked.
She sucked him right back into her mouth.
Both of her hands clutched at him now. Even his ass was all muscle. She kneaded the muscles there, where she could, pressing him harder into her.
She knew she couldn’t take him all the way but she’d do her damnedest. Breathing through her nose, she relaxed and listened to his moans and the sounds of him moving in and out.
She’d never felt this way before.
Never.
She’d scoffed at women who’d claimed to like this. She’d considered it degrading, overly submissive.
A little gross.
She squeezed the small amount of flesh she could get ahold of at the bottom of his cheeks.
He pumped forward.
“Touch yourself, Penny. Touch yourself for me,” he rasped.
She was no longer wife, daughter, divorcee… She was a woman who needed one thing more than anything else.
She pulled the material of her skirt up and spread her legs.
Her panties were more than a little damp.
She rubbed her hand over the silky material in tandem to his thrusts. Her scalp was beginning to burn from his tight grip in her hair. Harder now.
Faster.
And then he pulled himself out of her mouth and was on the bed with her. “I need your help, Penny,” he said. “Get your panties off so I can get in there.” He was on his back, pulling her skirt up around her waist. Careful not to injure him again, she scrambled as elegantly as she could to comply with his demand.
And then she was straddling him. God, but she was wet and he was hard.
She lowered herself, not caring about anything else in the entire world. The house could have been on fire. They could have been in the middle of an earthquake. Hundreds of people could have been watching. All she cared about was the way this felt. The way he felt.
The fact that he was filling an emptiness she’d not even realized she had.
But oh, how she needed him in there.
Deep.
And he stretched her. She could have sworn he pushed against her womb. He was deeper than any man had ever been. She lowered herself further and gasped.
Right there.
Oh, God, right there.