eighteen
rutledge
My heart pounded, racing a mile a minute, threatening to crack my bones. A twisting ache settled in my gut, bile rose to the back of my throat. A sheen of sweat covered my numb body. I knew what was about to happen. I tried to run, but my feet wouldn’t move. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I saw them moving toward me… hands. Just a hair’s breadth away from my neck.
My eyes popped open, my body tense, sweat beaded on my forehead, my heart pounding faster than in my dream. Without moving, my eyes scanned my surroundings. Light pastels came into view, pictures containing beach scenes were scattered on the walls. The faint smell of something sweet filled my senses.
It was the warm body that was curled into me, her back to my front, our fingers laced together at her stomach that had my body easing. Then a whole other fucking feeling crawled through my body.
I never slept with a woman.
Well, I’ve fucked them, but never lay in a bed and actually slept with any of them.
Apparently, I could be one of those guys with Peyton Morgan.
Sleep had never come easy to me and most nights I threw back a few shots of Jack to help me. And when sleep did find me, the nightmares came flooding in causing me to catch only a few hours of rest throughout the night.
Her breathing was steady, and I slowly began to move from her. She took a deep heavy breath and stirred. She turned her head and looked me directly in the eyes. It was so slight, but I felt her pull into herself before she whispered softly, “Hey.”
My arm around her waist, I pulled her back flush against my front. “Hey,” I whispered in her ear.
She wasn’t tense or nervous now, as she sank into me. Her body melted into mine and the warmth between us quickly turned to heat.
“What do you say we jump in the shower?” My voice was low and full of want.
Her eyes met mine and I saw the answer in them. A little smile touched her lips. “I’ve never showered with a man.”
“Then let’s remedy that.” I smiled.
I was going to ruin this woman. Ruin her for every guy that might come after me. That thought caused a knot to form in my stomach. But I had to ignore it because I knew it was true. There would be a guy that would put a ring on her finger one day. I just had to keep reminding myself it wasn’t going to be me.
Swiftly, I wrapped my arms around her waist, twisted, and brought her to the other side of the bed.
She cried out, “Rutledge.” Her feigned outrage turned into a fit of giggles. I kept going and brought her to her feet, lighthearted turned into something more as the giggles died in her throat.
“Get undressed,” I ordered her before walking into the bathroom, determined to get the shower going. When I returned, she was naked, her bottom lip between her teeth, and a slight flush of pink covering her body.
So fucking perfect.
“Peaches, you need to stop this shy act when you’re with me, ʼcause you’re gonna be fucking naked a lot.”
She tilted her head, her face scrunched with confusion. “Peaches?”
I began to undress as I explained, “You smell like peaches.”
Her eyes narrowed, her hands even went to her hips. “I do not smell like peaches, I smell like pears and cinnamon.”
I grinned and pulled my boxer briefs down my legs. “Babe, you smell like fucking peaches.”
“I can—” That was as far as she got. Her silence had me glancing up. Her focus was on my cock. Her eyes wide, her tongue darting out to lick her lips.
“Jesus,” I grated out. “You keep fucking looking at my cock that way it might wind up in a place you ain’t ready for.” I winked at her.
Her expression was priceless because there was surprise, uncertainty and a whole fuck ton of want in it. She definitely ignored what I said and with far less conviction, her focus never leaving my cock, she said, “I can show you the bottle. It’s pears, not peaches.” I wanted to grin, even aroused she was giving me sass.
Inwardly, I laughed but kept at her. Because in reality, I didn’t give a fuck what the scent really was, it smelled like peaches to me. Peaches were sweet, juicy and when touched, soft. She’d be peaches no matter what the fuck she said.
“You can have the damn manufacturer come down here and show me the fucking process, it still smells like fucking peaches.” I told her. When the room got silent for a second, I heard a faint vibrating sound coming from my bag.
“Shit,” I mumbled as I grabbed my cell from my bag, saw Smitty was video calling me, tagged a t-shirt and threw it to Peyton.
“Put this on. Now,” I ordered and quickly answered the call.
“Hey, I was—”
Smitty’s face, even in the small screen was pissed as fuck when he cut me off. “Boy, where in the fuck have you been? I’ve been calling, texting and was about to get the swat team—”
“Slow down, old man, I’m good.” I held the phone away and scanned my body.
“Jesus Christ, boy,” Smitty rumbled. “I didn’t need to see that shit.”
I laughed because getting on Smitty’s nerves was something I found very amusing.
I explained, “I had to come to Ogg’s Point.” I glanced over to Peyton to see if she had my tee on and when I saw she had, my eyes stayed to her. I never let a woman wear my clothes. And there she stood, lip caught between her teeth, a sign of her nervousness, looking fucking adorable in my old ratty Corona t-shirt.
“Boy!” Smitty’s voice called.
My words were caught in my throat, so I just turned the phone her way.
“Oh,” Smitty drawled. “Hello, my dear.”
I held the cell pointed at Peyton, still staring at her.
Her eyes drifted to the screen before a smile touched her lips. She moved a little closer before she said, “Hi.”
“I am to assume you’re the young lady buying Mary’s house?”
I watched her, a small smile on her lips, her hair messy from sleep, her face soft. I was so fucked. It was then I realized I didn’t have any fucking rare disease taking over my body. I wasn’t dying or any shit like that. No. I was falling for a woman. I was fucking falling for Peyton Morgan.
She took another step toward my phone. “I am, yes. I’m Peyton and you are?”
Smitty let out one of his throaty laughs before he told her, “Besides Rut’s babysitter, I’m Smitty Groves, also known as the runner of his business.”
“Hey!” I turned the phone toward me. “Fuck off old man.” I laughed.
“Next time you take off, I’d appreciate a text.” His voice was hard and stern.
I nodded. “Got it. You know where I am if you need me.”
“I do.” Then the screen went black, but before it did, he gave me a knowing smirk.
I looked over to Peyton and she had a smile on her face.
I started toward her. “What’s the smile for?”
She didn’t answer right away. Maybe she was taken aback that I was standing there bare ass naked having a video phone conversation. I had caught her out of the corner of my eye, soft green eyes scanning my body. But something I was learning about her, that whatever was going on in her head right now wasn’t the silly banter I was growing used to. She studied me and the longer she looked, the softer her expression grew. I almost asked her to spill it when she said, “He loves you.”
When I reached her, I grabbed the t-shirt at the hem and pulled up, causing her arms to rise when the shirt came off.
“I know he does.” I lay a brief kiss to her parted lips and asked, “Why does that surprise you? Do you not think I can be loved?”
She touched my face, but it was the look in her eyes that was like taking a punch to the gut. “On the contrary. I wasn’t sure you knew you were loved. I’m happy to know I was wrong.”
I didn’t answer her as I bent at the knees, lifted her up by her bare ass, taking her mouth as I walked us to the bathroom.
Ending the kiss with a few light kisses to her puffy lips, I asked, “You gotta use the toilet?”
Uncomfortable, her gaze moved down before she said, “No.”
Not saying anything, I opened the glass shower door and put our connected bodies under the warm spray of water. She closed her eyes as the water cascaded down her back. She tilted her head back and I watched as her brown hair grew darker. Once she was done, I put her on her feet, holding her steady to get her bearings before letting go. I reached for the small bottle, read the label and smiled at her.
She had a look, a ‘I told you so look’ before she said, “I told you it was pears and cinnamon.”
I uncapped the bottle, squirted some in my hands, mumbling, “Pear, cinnamon, peaches, it’s all the fucking same.”
“It’s not the…” Whatever else she intended to say died on her lips when I turned her and started to lather the sweet smell into her hair.
Her head tilted slightly back and a small moan fell from her lips. The gentle look on her face had me thinking of the night before. I acted impulsively, snatching clothes out of drawers I likely left open, and quickly threw shit into my bag. The ride felt like it took days, but I had been determined to get to her. The need had been so fucking strong; it took me out of character. It was like I wasn’t the same fucking person as I drove into the night. I even blared my music louder than I usually did in an attempt to mute the voices in my head that were shouting, what the fuck are you doing? But even as I passed exit after exit, a persistent voice in my head told me to take every one that I passed, and still I kept going. I couldn’t even tell you how fast I was going, but I knew when I hit Ogg’s Point exit, it was in record time. Flying through the empty streets, I came to a screeching halt in front of Swan Point Inn, ran up the stone walkway and made it to the porch before a woman stopped me and asked if she could help me. I only answered with Peyton Morgan. She then told me she saw her leave just moments before, heading right.
I knew.
I knew exactly where I could find her.
Taking the steps three at a time, I heard the woman’s voice, slightly laced with question when she said, “Rutledge Raines, is that you?” But I ignored her as I jumped back in my truck heading to the only place I wanted to be. Or the only person I needed to be with. When I saw her gazing out at the water, my chest tightened. At first, I thought I was having a fucking heart attack. It was nothing like the tightness I usually felt out of anger, fear, and the demons that haunted me. This was something different, and even though the tightness constricted my heart, it soothed it in a way I couldn’t explain.
A soft moan falling from her lips had me shaking my head and bringing me back to the moment. The sound reminded me of early this morning. How amazing her pussy felt wrapped around my cock. The sounds I drew from deep within her. The way her hands gripped my shoulders in ecstasy. Her screaming my name was like music to my ears, and something I planned for her to do, and often.
With all the emotions I’d been battling, when I sunk my cock into her, getting the first feelings of the silkiness of her pussy, my eyes closed relishing the moment. I’d never done that before with another woman. Never stopped to savor the moment.
And that had me fucking scared.
“Rinse,” I demanded and maybe a little too harshly when I saw her body tense, and the doubt that swept her face before she moved from my reach and ran her hands through her hair.
I rotated, took a deep breath and snatched another small bottle labeled body wash from the inset in the tile wall. “This what you use?”
She turned to me, eyed the bottle, her focus too intense for the question, before she answered, “Yeah.”
I nodded, made a gesture with my hand for her to turn again. There was the slight hesitation before she did as ordered; I eyed the washcloth. But when I watched the water and what little shampoo was left at the ends of her hair trail down her back and into the crack of her ass, I decided to use my hands. After I had a sufficient amount of liquid, I rubbed my hands together and started at her shoulders. They went tense before relaxing just as a sweet moan fell again from those plump lips. I kneaded them, eyeing her full ass the whole time, wondering if she had ever been fucked there. Soapy hands moved down her back, gliding over the swells of her cheeks, her body stilling for a brief second before giving into my touch. When I slipped a hand between her ass cheeks, teased her tight hole and the way her body tensed like I’d never felt before, I had my answer.
I moved my hands to her front, pulling her back flush against my front, pressing my stiff cock against her. It was slight, but I felt her push her ass into it. A smile formed on my lips, I bent my head and kissed the top of hers, and fuck, she smelled like peaches.
“Peaches,” I whispered as my hands came up from her waist and cupped her breasts. Index finger and thumb rolling her hard nipple between them.
Her back arched, causing her ass to push harder against my throbbing cock. Groaning, I asked, “Feel good?”
I knew it felt good, even before she replied on a ragged breath, “Yes.”
Leaving my left hand in place, I trailed my right down her belly, where I felt the slight pull inward when I held my hand there.
“Don’t do that,” I said firmly.
She didn’t answer with words, but I felt her body obey when she let out a breath and her belly extended. I kept moving. The silk of her skin melding with the smooth lather of soap. My mouth moved to her neck, where I started laying light kisses. My hand reached the light dusting of hair, I kept going, and when my index and middle finger slid into her folds, I squeezed them together, trapping her clit between my fingers and putting pressure there. Wiggling them together, she wasn’t really standing on her own anymore, as her body leaned into me. I felt her breathing turn labored. My dick rock solid and aching as she put more pressure on it.
I released her clit, and slipped both fingers inside her. Swirling them around, feeling every soft crevice of her cunt, I moved my left hand down and started working the still nub.
Moving my mouth to her ear, I hoarsely whispered, “You gonna come for me?”
Her hips moved into my touch, her fingers digging into my arms when she replied huskily, “Yes.”
I muttered against the wet skin of her shoulder, “Good girl.” I sank my teeth into the flesh. She yelped, and it was then I felt the first tightening of her walls grip my fingers.
She let out a heavy breathy moan before saying, “Oh my God.”
I didn’t let up as her pussy convulsed around my fingers, her body went slack and her juices ran down my hand mixing with the warm water. Releasing my fingers, I let my left arm wrap around her waist, holding her tight to me. It took every fiber of my being not to raise my right hand and taste her on my fingers.
I figured I’d save that for later.
“Rinse,” I ordered, and started washing my own hair and body.
Her glazed eyes drifted to my still hard cock, and I saw the uncertainty laying there. It was all the confirmation I needed to know that she was very inexperienced. So, to make her feel comfortable I didn’t make eye contact with her, just washed my body like I was showering alone and not with the sweet piece of ass that I just made come with my fingers.
Fuck, it wasn’t easy, but I did it.
And, as I took fleeting glances her way while we dried, it was the innocence that floated over her features. The timid way she ran the towel between her legs. The flush of pink resting upon her creamy skin, that I put there, that had me stalking the short distance between us. Snatching her up around her back and underneath her knees, I took long strides to the bed. Tossing her onto the messy sheets, she squealed, but this time when her eyes met mine, she knew there was no joking.
I was hungry.
And what I wanted to eat was lying before me.
Her hesitant eyes watched as I grabbed her ankles and dragged her down the bed until her ass was on the edge. I dropped to my knees on the floor, roughly spread her legs and buried my face between her thighs.
Her scent invaded me, intoxicated me. A growl ripped from my throat. My tongue drove deep in her cunt, swirling it, getting every taste of her.
“So fucking sweet,” I grumbled.
She started whimpering with need, hands gripping the floral comforter. And that only added fuel to the fire lying deep within me. My mouth latched onto her clit, plunging two fingers inside her tight channel, I sucked her nub deeply in my mouth.
Her legs trembled, even as she groaned, “Yes!”
Knowing I was giving her pleasure she had probably never experienced, intensified the moment. Her body began to wiggle as her feet dug into the mattress. She tried to move away from me. Moving my arms around the outside of her thighs, I tightly gripped her waist, pulling her back down.
“Do not move,” I ordered firmly.
All I got was a throaty exhale before I went back to eating the pussy I knew I’d crave forever.
Ramming my fingers deeper in her wet cunt and hooking them, I lay a hand above her pelvic bone and put pressure there knowing it was only going to intensify the sensations I was drawing out of her.
A broken moan escaped from her throat when she said, “Oh God.”
Noticing the swell of her clit in my mouth, I knew she was close. Running my tongue in slow teasing circles around it, her thighs closed, holding my head in place. Her legs began to shake, her head moving back and forth, heavy moans and groans filling the thick air in the room.
The first throb of her pussy clenched my fingers, I removed them and sunk my tongue in her cunt. I moved my thumb to her clit, and instead of slow teasing circles, I put pressure to it, wiggling it back and forth. And that was all she needed before she screamed my name, her hands letting go of the material to grip my hair, her feet coming off the mattress, as she came in my mouth.
Slightly moving my head back, I watched as her pussy throbbed and pulsated in front of me, and as I watched the juices escape, I licked every sweet drop she had to offer.