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LATER THAT WEEK, ON Saturday evening, Summer walked into Lincoln’s bar, feeling self-conscious and just a little excited.
Lincoln’s week off had ended yesterday, so he was back at work this evening. He’d suggested that she should stop by the bar tonight to see him. When she’d assumed he was teasing and responded accordingly, he’d made it clear he was serious.
He really wanted her to stop by.
And the truth was she wanted to see him too. She’d gotten used to spending her evenings with him for the past week, and she didn’t like that he was suddenly gone for so many hours at night.
In order to preserve her sense of self-sufficiency, she’d come up with a good excuse. Mrs. Wilson had returned from France today, tanned and relaxed and overflowing with herb and lavender concoctions to gift her family and friends with. She’d blithely given Summer and Lincoln a quaint newlywed basket filled with herbal sachets, lavender spray for the bridal bed, and scented oil intended for sensual pleasure.
Summer had thanked Mrs. Wilson profusely when she’d received the basket since it was fresh and pretty. But when she’d started to dig into the contents of the basket, her eyes had bugged out of her head.
Surely Mrs. Wilson hadn’t actually paid attention to the specific items included. A mother wasn’t likely to give sensual massage oil to her son and daughter-in-law. She’d probably just seen the word “newlywed” and thought it was pretty and so had gotten it for them.
After her initial shock, Summer had started to giggle, and she hadn’t been able to stop.
So she returned the items to the little basket and put the basket back into the gift bag and then carried it with her to the bar so she could see Lincoln’s face as he opened it.
Because she’d grown up in Green Valley and the town was a particularly insular community, Summer saw people she knew whenever she went out. Tonight was no exception. She saw a few of her former classmates as soon as she entered the bar, so she stopped to chat with them for a minute.
She glanced over a couple of times toward Lincoln, who was pouring out beers for a large group of young guys who must have just arrived. He’d obviously spotted Summer. He wasn’t looking at her, but his mouth had turned up in a familiar little smirk.
Like he was pleased with himself for getting her to come visit him.
Summer wasn’t as annoyed by the smirk as she should have been. In fact, it filled her with a possessive kind of excitement. Like that smug, handsome man behind the bar was hers.
He was her husband. Legally, officially, her husband. They were both wearing rings to prove it.
When she finished talking, she went over to the bar and took an empty stool, putting the gift bag on the counter and waiting until Lincoln was done with the guys.
It only took a minute for him to saunter over to her. He leaned over the bar to kiss her. It was probably just to confirm their role as a newly married couple, but it made her blush anyway.
“You want something different to drink this evening?” he asked her. “What about an amaretto sour?”
“Yeah, that would be good. I haven’t had one of those for a while.”
“What’s in the bag?”
“That’s for us from your mom. Wait until you see it.”
His eyes narrowed on her mischievous expression. “I guess this is going to be good. Give me just a minute.”
He made her drink and then a couple of cosmos for two women who’d just come in. Then there was a lull, so he came back over and opened the bag.
He pulled out the basket, his eyes laughing and curious. Summer waited with held breath as he pulled one item after another out of the carefully displayed arrangement. “Oh perfect. This is just like her.” He held a sachet up to his nose and reared back quickly at the scent. “What are we supposed to do with these things?”
“Put them in our drawers to make our underwear smell nice.”
“I don’t want my underwear to smell like a spice rack. She’s out of her mind. What is this?” He pulled out the oil.
Summer waited, her mouth twitching just slightly.
“Oh my fucking God,” he breathed, his eyes widening as he read the label of the bottle.
“Very thoughtful of her, wasn’t it? She must want to spice up our sex life with lavender and cinnamon-scented sensual massages.”
Lincoln made a choking sound. Then he put down the bottle and burst into laughter. People around them turned to look, but no one appeared surprised. They were married, after all. It must seem natural that they’d be laughing together.
“She couldn’t possibly have known that was in here,” he said.
“I hope not. I know she’s not any sort of prude, but I can’t imagine her giving that oil to her son.”
“I don’t think I’ll mention it to her.”
“Definitely not. No need to embarrass her. It was a nice thought, I suppose, especially since she definitely must suspect that our marriage isn’t exactly...”
“Yeah. She knows.” Lincoln’s expression quieted a bit as he continued, “But she’s seen people get married for much worse reasons. Green Valley folks marry for money and business connections and to get around inheritance prohibitions all the time.”
“I know.” Summer did know. She’d always suspected that their friends Lance and Savannah had gotten married because of a provision in Lance’s grandmother’s will. She didn’t know specifics, but she’d heard plenty of rumors. It was their business, and it had clearly worked out well for them. The two were obviously completely in love now.
People in Green Valley did things that would have seemed crazy in a different place. Money always changed the way people made life decisions.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” Lincoln said in a different tone, turning to look at a group who was entering the bar. “Hang out for a while.”
“Why?”
“Because I like having you here.” He slanted her a flirtatious look. “And it gives me something good to look at.”
She rolled her eyes at him.
He leaned over and murmured in her ear, “And if you stay up late enough, we can try out that massage oil after I get off.”
***
SHE WENT HOME AFTER a couple of hours and hung out with Carter and Mrs. Wilson, who were watching TV in the media room. She didn’t go up to her room until almost midnight, and when she got there, she decided to take a bath.
So she had a long, relaxing soak in the tub with a candle and a glass of wine. Then she changed into a little nightgown and climbed into Lincoln’s bed.
No reason not to wait for him there.
She fell asleep but woke up again when she felt him climb into bed beside her.
Smiling, she scooted over toward him, pressing herself against his warm body. It didn’t take long for her to realize he was naked. “What?” She blinked and pulled the covers down to verify what she’d felt. She hadn’t been very deeply asleep, and Lincoln’s familiar, sexy presence in bed had woken her all the way up.
He chuckled and pulled her into a loose hug. “What, what?”
“Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”
“Figured it would save us time later. You were planning to take my clothes off eventually, weren’t you?”
She kissed his chest. Then his neck. Then his mouth. “Probably. But no reason for you to be presumptuous about it.”
“But presumptuousness is one of my strongest qualities.” He smelled clean. He’d obviously taken a quick shower after work.
“Hmm. That’s true. You really shouldn’t be rewarded for that particular quality.” She ran her hands up and down his body, delighting in the firm, rippling contours and flat planes of his form and finally ending on his erection, which was already mostly hard.
He sucked in a sharp breath and shifted his hips slightly as she stroked him. “That feels kind of like reward to me.”
“Does it?” She moved one of her hands down so she could massage his balls, delighted when he moaned in naked pleasure.
“Fuck, yeah. If you’re trying to punish me for my presumptuousness, I might suggest a different strategy.”
“I’m not really into punishment, if you want to know the truth.”
“I know you’re not,” he murmured thickly, gently brushing her hair back behind her shoulder so it wasn’t blocking her face. “You’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever known.” His face twisted as she intensified her intimate massage.
She was getting really turned on by his responsiveness to her, how easily she was turning him on. And her heart was doing something else from his words. Something just as strong.
She moved one hand to caress his belly as she lightened her touch to a brush of her fingers up and down his shaft. She leaned down to kiss his neck, trailing her mouth down to one of his nipples.
“Fuck, baby, I love how you touch me. I love—” He broke off with a gasp when she lowered her head even farther to lick a line up the underside of his erection. His hips bucked off the bed as she sucked hard on the tip.
She was grinning when she let him slip from her mouth, but she didn’t have a chance to gloat about her victory for long. His expression shifted to something hot and feral as he grabbed her and flipped them both over.
He started on her body, tugging off her nightgown and then kissing and caressing her the way she had him. Soon she was just as shamelessly turned on as he was, writhing beneath him and begging for him to make her come.
Once he’d gotten her into the state he wanted her, he turned her over onto her hands and knees and fucked her vigorously from behind. He made her come repeatedly, and it was so intense that she had to hide her face in a pillow so she wouldn’t be heard outside the room.
She’d never been loud in bed. Not until she’d had sex with Lincoln. It was almost embarrassing how completely he could make her let go.
When they’d both had enough, he’d turned her over onto her back and positioned them so her legs were wrapped high around his back. They rocked together slowly, kissing a lot, completely wrapped up in each other. Lincoln was beyond words now, but his eyes were speaking. He was with her. All the way.
Summer had never felt so close to another person.
Not once in her life.
Lincoln took his time, but he finally came—hard and almost desperate as the spasms of release shuddered through him. It took him a while to recover afterward, so Summer found the energy to take care of the condom and go to the bathroom to pee and clean up.
She returned to bed, pleased when Lincoln pulled her over to snuggle beside him.
“We forgot to use the sensual massage oil,” she said after a few minutes.
He gave a huff of what sounded like exhausted amusement. “We sure did. Just as well. Not sure I want my bed smelling like all that stuff.”
“If you check out your underwear drawer, you’ll find I put all the sachets in there, so your underwear should smell particularly good tomorrow.”
“You did not,” he said slowly.
Summer giggled.
He stroked her hair with a chuckle. “You shouldn’t tease your husband like that.”
“What? You tease me all the time!”
“That’s a husband’s prerogative.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. If you have a husband’s prerogative to tease me, then I have a wife’s prerogative to tease you.” Something about the words sounded significant. Like she was staking a claim on him. And she wasn’t sure she was in the position to do that even though she wanted to. So she added in a different tone, “Anyway, you were teasing me long before we were married.”
“That’s true.” His hand was still lightly running down the length of her loose hair. “Maybe I thought you needed it.”
“Why would I need it?”
“Because you never really had a family to tease you. And for a while Carter was your only real friend. He always treated you like you were delicate. Like you were made of glass. I knew you were stronger than that. So maybe I wanted to do something to provoke you.”
She lifted her head since she was genuinely interested in what he was saying—and also very touched. “Really? What did you want to provoke me to do?”
“Show me who you really are. How strong you really are. You’ve always hid it from the world. And I wanted to see it.”
She checked his face in the mostly dim light of the room, and she could see that he was serious. He was telling her the truth. Her cheeks burned because it felt like he was seeing deep inside her, all the way to her soul. She nuzzled his neck, partly to hide her face from him. “And what do you think now that you see it?”
Her hair had moved with her new position, so now he was rubbing her bare back. “I think it’s the biggest victory of my life.”
She had to check his expression again to make sure he wasn’t teasing. He smiled at her but not with irony. She hid her face again.
He laughed softly as he kept rubbing her back.
It felt like he might say something else. Something that would change things. Something that might terrify her.
But when he spoke again, it was casually. “So what did you do with the rest of the evening?”
Summer was both relieved and disappointed by the loss of the moment before. She managed to answer naturally enough. “I hung out with Carter and your mom. Just watching TV.”
“How did Carter seem?”
“Better. More like himself. It still feels like there’s some distance between us that wasn’t there before, but he’s definitely better than he was. Have you talked to him?”
“Just about business stuff and everyday stuff. Nothing deep.”
“So you still don’t know what happened to make him lose it last weekend?”
“No. And I guess you don’t either.”
“No, I don’t. I wish I did. It’s got to be big to push Carter into something like that. I really feel like we need to know what it is so we can help him if he has to deal with it again.”
“He’ll tell us eventually.”
“Will he? He’s not really much of a sharer. At least he never shared stuff easily with me. Deep, personal stuff, I mean.”
“He never shared much with me either. He’s pretty reserved. But I think he’ll tell us when he’s ready. Even things he tries to hold back will come out eventually.” He sighed and shifted slightly, like he’d remembered something he didn’t want to.
“What are you thinking of?” she asked, idly fondling one of his biceps.
“A big fight we had several years ago. He was trying to hide from himself how mad he was at me, but it came out eventually.”
“What did you do?”
Lincoln grew still. Didn’t answer.
“Is it the thing that he owes you for?”
“Yes.”
“What is it? What did you do?” She felt urgent—like she really wanted to know whatever bad thing Lincoln had done to Carter that made him owe him so much—but she kept her voice casual because it felt like Lincoln would clam up if she pushed too hard.
“It’s a long, ugly story. You don’t really need to know it.”
“But I want to know it. I can’t believe something so big happened to Carter and he never told me about it.”
“I asked him not to.”
“Why did you do that?” She lifted her head to frown down at Lincoln in confusion.
He licked his lips. Glanced away. “Because I didn’t want you to know. I’m not proud of it. And I don’t want you to know.”
“So you’re not going to tell me even now?”
He met her eyes again, and for a moment she thought he would relent. But then he shook his head. “No. I know how much you love Carter, and I don’t want you to hate me for hurting him.” When she started to object, he added quickly, “I didn’t mean to hurt him. I never meant to hurt Carter. But I did just the same. And I really don’t want you to start hating me again.”
“I don’t think I would hate you. That was in the past. You’ve changed. And I don’t think I would hate you now.”
He kissed her cheek. Then her mouth. Then the curve of her neck. “I’m not going to risk it.”
She gave up arguing. Carter had refused to tell her, and now Lincoln was too. Maybe she’d find out eventually, but it was obviously a secret between the two of them, and it didn’t seem respectful to pry.
Things were good right now. She could enjoy being with Lincoln. Things were improving with Carter. And maybe things could get even better later on.
She’d had incredible sex tonight—better than she’d known she was capable of having—and her body was still deliciously sated from all the orgasms Lincoln had given her. She felt close to him emotionally too. He was still holding her against him even as his eyes closed and his body relaxed.
She was ready to sleep. And for right now she was allowed to sleep with her husband.
And something about what he’d said to her earlier rang true. She felt stronger—more herself—now than she’d been before she’d married him.
She wasn’t going to get uptight about the things she didn’t know.
***
A WEEK AFTER THAT, Summer woke up and didn’t know if she was in her bed or Lincoln’s. Since they’d been spending every night together now, she was getting used to waking up with him, but sometimes they spent the night in her room and sometimes in his.
She raised her head and blinked around, realizing that they were in her room. He’d worked a late shift at the bar last night, and so she’d been asleep when he’d gotten in. She’d woken up when he climbed into her bed.
She’d thought he’d wanted sex, so she’d tried some sleepy kissing. On other nights after his shift, it hadn’t taken her long to wake up. He’d kissed her back but then had settled her at his side and told her to go back to sleep. She had. So they hadn’t had sex at all last night.
There were certain challenges in being in a sexual relationship with a man who worked entirely different hours than her.
Today was Saturday morning, which was why her alarm hadn’t gone off. Pleased with that realization, she relaxed back into the bed, turning her head to see Lincoln sprawled out beside her.
He always got hot at night. She considered that a good thing since she could snuggle up against him at any hour of the night and instantly get warm. But if he got too hot, he would push her away from him in his sleep and then push down the covers.
He must have gotten hot sometime during the night. The covers were down at his thighs, and he’d rolled all the way to the edge of the bed. Basically as far from her as he could get.
She giggled stupidly at the way he was practically clinging to the side of the bed.
She’d had a really good two weeks since they’d returned from Atlantic City. Far better than she would have expected when she’d first realized she was going to marry Lincoln Wilson.
The sex was good. Really good. Lincoln was attentive and creative and evidently an overachiever when it came to the bedroom. One silly part of her wanted to brag to the rest of the world about the fantastic sex she was having with him, but they’d been keeping it a secret.
Carter had mostly gone back to his regular self. He went into the office and didn’t get drunk and hung out with his friends and went out on the occasional date. But it still felt like he was holding something back from her, and that was the only real worry that diminished her enjoyment of the past twelve days.
She settled back under the covers and managed to doze off lightly, but she wasn’t sound asleep enough to not feel when Lincoln’s body shifted the mattress. Peering out of squinted eyelids, she tried to discreetly observe him. He was lying on his back, idly scratching his chest.
Without warning, he turned his head toward her and said, “Hoping to catch me doing something embarrassing?”
She huffed. “How did you know I was awake?”
“I have a sixth sense.”
“Well, it’s a pretty creepy sixth sense. You always know when I’m in the room too—even if your back is to me. Like when I found you in the library. That day. You know.”
“Of course I know that day.” He reached out and rubbed her cheek with his knuckles. “I made you so mad you slapped me and then threw up.”
“I didn’t just throw up because I was mad at you. I’d also had a really bad headache all day.”
His expression was soft. Slightly thoughtful. Definitely fond. She’d never dreamed Lincoln would look at her in that particular way. “Did you?”
“Yes, I did. No matter what your ego dictates, you aren’t so important that you can make me sick with just a few mean words.”
“It was more than a few mean words. I was terrible to you.”
“You were also telling me the truth. I think... It doesn’t make it right. I mean, you were a huge dick and you should definitely feel bad about it. But I think I needed to hear what you said to me that day. I think it helped me.”
“Really?” His eyes were way too green—too vivid to be real—in the morning light.
“Yes, really. I’d been holding on to a lot of silly daydreams. I outgrew them long ago, but I was still holding on for some reason. I needed to let them go.” She cleared her throat as she realized how vulnerable she was making herself. “They weren’t... they weren’t me anymore.”
“No,” he murmured, his fingers still playing gently with the hair falling over her cheek. “They weren’t. You’re way too good—too beautiful and strong and smart and sexy and incredible—to spend your life waiting for a certain man to notice you, especially when that man is as blind as my brother.”
“I don’t think I was throwing my life away though. I’ve done a lot. I’ve had a good life. I didn’t let any lingering daydreams hold me back. I don’t think I was that stupid.”
“You weren’t stupid at all.” His voice was as hushed as hers was, as if someone might be able to overhear them. “But you couldn’t see anyone but him. For a long time you couldn’t see anyone but him.”
The conversation was getting too intimate, too intense. It was making her head buzz and her breath quicken. With a vague hope of breaking the tension, she teased him. “Is that your way of indicating that you wanted to have sex with me before now and I was never interested?”
He laughed, but his expression didn’t falter. He was cupping her cheek now. Like it was precious. “I’ve wanted to have sex with you for a very long time, but that wasn’t what I meant. I meant you had your heart on reserve. For him. And you deserve better than that.”
She nodded, acknowledging the truth to his words and also the sincerity with which he spoke them. “Thank you.” Then, because nerves were quickly swallowing up her excitement, she added in a different tone, “So how long have you wanted to have sex with me?”
His tone and expression changed too, transforming back into his typical teasing irony. “You don’t want to know the answer to that question.”
“Why not? Would it creep me out? You weren’t lusting for me back in high school, were you?”
“Give me a little credit. I might have noticed your body a few times, but that was pure natural instinct I wasn’t in control of. I wasn’t creeping on you.”
“What did you notice about my body?” She was feeling better now. This kind of interaction was familiar. Fun. Safe. It didn’t threaten to swallow her whole.
“Well.” He rolled over so he was propped above her. He carefully pulled down the covers to expose her wrinkled gown. “I noticed your legs when you wore those shorts.”
“What shorts?”
“You know what shorts.”
She did know, and she couldn’t help but giggle with pleasure.
“And you had a bad habit of wearing tops that showed off these.” He brushed his fingertips over her breasts through the cotton of her gown. “It was highly disturbing to my equilibrium since you were supposed to be just my brother’s pesky little friend.”
“Oh. I didn’t think you noticed me at all, except to make fun of me.”
“I did notice. The truth is I’d always liked you and thought you deserved a lot more attention than you got. You were always hiding in corners. It bothered me.”
“I was not hiding in corners!”
“Yes, you were. In fact, I’m pretty sure I found you in a few corners over the years.”
He was right. Both about her staying away from the center of attention and about his happening upon her when she was lurking on the outskirts. Every time he had, he’d said something to annoy her, and she’d returned to hang out with her friends to get away from him.
“But I never wanted more than that from you. Not until you were back from college. Because then you were suddenly all grown up and even more gorgeous than ever. And still hiding in corners.”
“I was not!” She glared but without much heat. “If you really wanted to have sex with me, then you went about it with entirely the wrong strategy. You could have been nice to me, you know.”
He snorted. “Right. Because you’d be likely to jump into bed with Carter’s brother, just because he was nice to you.”
She thought about that and concluded he was right. “No. I wouldn’t have. I never would have had sex with you if we hadn’t been stuck in this weird situation.”
“That’s what I thought.” He didn’t look surprised or upset or disturbed by her comment. He looked slightly amused and slightly resigned.
“But if I hadn’t been stuck in this weird situation, I would have missed out on something incredibly good. So things worked out pretty damn good as far as I’m concerned.”
He smiled and moved farther over her so he could lean down and kiss her. “I think so too.”
They kissed for a while until she became aware of a pressing issue that needed to be dealt with before they went any further. She pushed him away gently and, at his frown, explained, “I’ve got to run to the bathroom before we do anything. I’m not a fan of sex while needing to pee.”
He laughed and rolled off her. She could feel him watching her as she got off the bed and walked to the bathroom. When she returned, he was still smiling, his eyes soft and fond as they rested on her face.
“What?” she demanded, torn between fluttery sentiment and self-consciousness.
“I don’t know what that question is in reference to.” Despite his dry tone, his expression was still that heart-stopping tender one as he rolled over her again.
“That question is in reference to your staring at me that way.”
“What way?” He brushed little kisses all over her face and down to her neck.
She giggled because it felt so good—inside and out. “You know what way. You’re supposed to be all cool and sarcastic. You’re not supposed to look like that.”
He was looking more like that than ever as he lifted his head to gaze down at her. “You still haven’t explained the nature of the look you’re taking issue with,” he murmured before kissing her again.
She returned the kiss with enthusiasm, but then he broke it with an expression that made it clear he was waiting for an answer. “I don’t want to explain,” she admitted, tucking her head after feeling her cheeks warm.
He turned her head so she was meeting his eyes again. “Why not?”
“Because what if I’m wrong? That would be very embarrassing.”
He chuckled and nuzzled her neck. His voice was muffled, but she heard him say, “You’re not wrong.”
The admission filled her chest and spread out into the rest of her body. She hugged him to her tightly, and they stayed like that for a couple of minutes.
When she finally started shifting beneath him, she felt his erection through his pants jutting against her thigh. She parted her legs to make room for his body and loosened her arms so he could prop himself back up above her.
They smiled at each other rather stupidly for a few seconds before he kissed her again, more intentionally this time. It wasn’t long before it deepened into more than kissing. She was rocking up into him shamelessly when he unexpectedly flipped them over so that she was on top of him.
It was skillfully done. She didn’t have a chance to feel awkward or off-balance. She squealed in surprise when he moved them, but before the squeal was finished, she was already sprawled out on top of him.
“Feeling lazy this morning?” she asked, kissing a line down his neck toward his chest because it was laid out beneath her so irresistibly.
“Yep. Thought you could do most of the work.”
“That’s not very gentlemanly.”
“Hey, whoever claimed I was a gentleman? I’m a dick, remember. You said so yourself. Plus I’ve only had a few hours of sleep.”
She was using her lips to tease his nipples in turn. “Poor victimized Lincoln. Forced to have sex at eight thirty on a Saturday morning.”
His hands were running up and down her back and bottom with delicious entitlement. “It’s a burden. My wife is a real taskmaster.”
“Your wife is the one doing all the work here, so what exactly are you complaining about?”
He chuckled and took her face in his hands, holding it for a moment before letting his palms slide down to her neck. “I’m not complaining about a thing. My wife is the best thing to ever happen to me.”
Her heart leaped. Her blood leaped. Everything inside her leaped. Parting her lips slightly, she searched his face. She saw a familiar dry humor there as if he were laughing at himself a little. Did that mean he didn’t mean what he said?
He chuckled as he lowered his hands to her hips. “You think this marriage hasn’t been good to me? You think finding sex this good is easy?”
Oh. That was what he was talking about.
She quickly convinced herself there was nothing to be disappointed about, so she was able to reply in a matching teasing tone. “I thought you were some sort of sex god who had sex like this all the time.”
“Not all the time.” He pulled her back down into a kiss and murmured against her lips. “Almost never.”
She smiled since that was nice to hear. And it was safer than that uproar of emotion she’d almost indulged. The kiss deepened until they were both urgent and grinding against each other.
They broke the kiss so he could pull her gown off over her head. Then he took her breasts in his hands and fondled them until she was arching back and moaning uninhibitedly.
When he finally dropped his hands, she was so aroused she couldn’t wait any longer. She lifted up so she could tug down his pants. He raised his hips to help her, and it didn’t take long for her to yank them over his feet and drop them onto the floor.
She took his full erection in her hands and stroked the length of him until he couldn’t keep his hips still. His hot green eyes were moving hungrily between her face and bare breasts as she caressed him. She massaged his balls and then lowered her face to his groin, licking a line up the underside of his shaft before taking him full in her mouth.
He choked on an exclamation and closed his eyes, tossing his head a couple of times in naked pleasure.
It was hard not to let that go to her head.
She sucked him off for a minute, but she was too aroused to take him all the way to orgasm at the moment. Letting him slip from her mouth, she rearranged her body so she was astride him.
He opened his eyes and moved a hand down to hold himself in position as she sheathed him with her body.
They’d stopped using condoms earlier in the week because they were both healthy, they weren’t sleeping with anyone else, and she was on birth control.
“Oh fuck, Summer,” he breathed thickly. His fingers were gripping the soft flesh of her ass. “Oh fuck.”
She adjusted positions, trying to find the angle that felt the best and made it easiest for her to move. She wasn’t normally an on-top person, but Lincoln made every position easy and sexy. She had no idea how he did it. But any position that made his face look like that was something she wanted to try.
When she got comfortable, she started to lever up with her hips so she could ride him. She moved slow and steady at first, enjoying the stimulation and the look in Lincoln’s eyes as he watched her move above him. He would sometimes play with her nipples. And sometimes rub her clit. And sometimes hold on to her neck with a possessive touch that was incredibly sexy.
When an orgasm tightened inside her, she picked up her speed, bouncing over him urgently so her breasts shook and thighs burned. She knew she was making a lot of embarrassing sounds of effort and pleasure, but she didn’t even care.
She needed this. Needed it. And she was almost there.
“That’s right, baby,” Lincoln muttered, his eyes still devouring her. “Fuck me hard. Take it all. Don’t hold anything back.”
She wasn’t holding anything back, and she’d never known she was capable of it before. She choked and sobbed out her pleasure as the climax finally peaked. She shook through the spasms, and Lincoln gave a muffled shout as her inner walls clamped down around him.
She was panting and grinning like a fool, enjoying the shudders of her orgasm, when Lincoln flipped them back over. He lifted one of her knees and pushed it up toward her shoulder before he started to fuck her the way she’d been fucking him. Just as hard and fast and vigorous. Just as uninhibitedly.
She moaned because it felt so good. The rough friction inside her. The sight of Lincoln’s damp, ardent face above her. The rawness of what they were doing together. She wasn’t expecting to come again, but she did, crying out as the pleasure rose up unexpectedly.
Then he was coming too with a loud bellow, his features twisting dramatically in a way that showed palpably how good he was feeling.
He collapsed on top of her when he’d ridden out the last of his spasms, ducking his head in the crook of her neck and gasping for air.
She held on to him with her arms and her legs. She wasn’t about to let him go.
“You’re incredible, baby,” he mumbled against her throat.
She giggled. She couldn’t help it. “You too.” She stroked his messy hair. It was thick and soft and felt so good against her palms. “Of course now I’m exhausted, and we haven’t even gotten out of bed yet.”
“Well, there’s no hurry, is there? It’s Saturday morning. Do you have any plans today?” He lifted his head.
She smiled at him rather sappily. “I’ve got no plans at all today.”
“Good.” He rolled them over onto their sides so he could wrap his arms around her. “So let’s stay in bed as long as we can.”
She had no objections to that plan, but she was a bit worried at how she was feeling. Way too soft. Way too possessive. Way too much like their relationship could be something other than it was.
And so far, despite some fond looks and sweet comments, the only specific things said about their relationship was that what they had was nothing but sex.
That was fine. She wasn’t going to turn down something so good.
But she also didn’t want to come out of this marriage, yearning for a man she couldn’t have.
So, with a bone-deep instinct of self-preservation, she pulled herself out of his embrace. “I’ve got to clean up a bit before we go back to sleep. I’m all spermy.” She found her gown and pulled it over her head before she stood up.
“Spermy?” He rolled over with a look of mock indignation. “You’re calling it spermy?”
“Well? What else do you want me to call it? That you’ve graciously endowed me with your precious seed?”
He laughed warmly, his eyes caressing her even though her cheeks were blazing hot, her hair was a mess, and her gown was wrinkled and still hiked up on her hips. “I think we can do better than spermy.”
Despite her attempt at emotional distance, she giggled at that. “You work on a better term while I go and clean up from all the sperminess.”
She heard him chuckling from the bed as she made her way to the bathroom. She stayed in there longer than she needed.
Emotional distance was getting harder and harder.
***
THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON, Summer found Carter in the media room. That was what they called the mansion’s windowless room with the huge TV.
He was watching a sports network, but a quick glance proved it was just commentary and not the exciting part of a game, so she came in and flopped down beside him.
She’d seen him fairly regularly since they were living in the same house, but it felt like she hadn’t really talked to him all week.
She missed him.
He didn’t feel as much like her best friend anymore, and she wanted that to change.
Change back to what it used to be.
He glanced over at her with raised eyebrows.
“Just wanted to hang out,” she explained to his unspoken question. “I’m bored.”
“You’re never bored.”
He was right. She wasn’t the kind of person who ever got bored. She was always able to find something to do to amuse herself—even if it was just reading or binge-watching TV. “Well, I’m restless or something, and I wanted to hang out with you. Is something wrong with that?”
“No. You just don’t do it as much anymore.” He didn’t look angry or bitter or even sad. Just vaguely resigned.
“Well, whose fault is that? You’re the one who withdrew, Carter. Don’t act like I’m the one who’s done it.”
For a moment she thought he might get annoyed and just leave, but he didn’t. He slumped back against the couch and muttered, “Yeah. I guess. I’m sorry.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“What’s to talk about? Something has changed. You know it has.”
“Yes, but why can’t it change back? If you’d just let me know what’s been bothering you, I’m sure we can deal with it. We’ve always dealt with stuff before.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her over so she was leaning against him. It was an affectionate, companionable gesture that made her throat ache.
She snuggled against him happily. “So what is it?” she asked. “What’s been bothering you, Carter? I miss you.”
“I miss you too,” he murmured, nuzzling her hair in a way that surprised her. It was like he was smelling her hair.
She tilted her face up to check his expression, but she didn’t get the chance. A sound from the doorway surprised them.
Lincoln was standing in the doorway, watching them. He was wearing his running clothes, and he’d obviously just finished his run. It was in the forties outside, but he was sweating and windblown. He looked strange. Stiff. Weirdly frozen.
Summer’s stomach twisted, although she didn’t know why. “Hey. Did you have a good run?”
“Yeah. It was fine.” He sounded just as strange as he looked.
Summer wanted to pull away from Carter—out of his arm—but there was no reason for her to feel that way. She’d been friends with Carter a lot longer than she’d been anything to Lincoln, and she wasn’t going to hurt his feelings by suddenly withdrawing. “I guess you’ve got to go into work soon.” She was trying to sound as natural as possible. At least she was trying, which was more than either of the men were doing.
“Yeah. I do.” He waited for another several seconds, staring as if he were expecting something.
She didn’t know what to do, so she didn’t do anything.
He turned around and left.
When he was well away from the room, Summer said softly, “Well, that was weird.”
“No, it wasn’t.” It was the first thing Carter had said since Lincoln appeared.
“What do you mean it wasn’t weird? Didn’t you see him?”
“Of course I saw him. I’m just saying it wasn’t weird. Perfectly natural, really.”
“What does that mean?” She gazed up at Carter with wide eyes, both confused and wary about what he was about to say.
“You can’t be that blind, Summer. He didn’t like seeing us sitting this way.”
“What? Why would he care—?”
“He’s into you, Summer. You’ve got to see it too. He’s into you.”
Ridiculously, her heart burst into excited flutters. The feeling spread up into her throat and then up far enough to warm her cheeks. “He’s not—”
“Yes, he is. He’s not even trying to hide it. He’s never been one to keep his feelings to himself. He’s into you. Don’t tell me he hasn’t tried to do something about it. It’s not like him to hold back.”
She gulped, trying to figure out what to say. “It’s... it’s not like that between us.”
“If that’s true, then it’s because of you and not because of him. He’s definitely into you. If you want to know what’s come between us, all you need to do is look in his direction.”
Summer straightened up. “That’s not fair, Carter. Lincoln has done nothing but try to help you. I know things are strained between you from the past, but he hasn’t done anything wrong since your father’s will was read. Everything he’s doing is to help you—because you asked him to. You can’t blame him.”
Carter leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “I know. It would be nice to blame him, but I can’t. I’m the one to blame. I brought this on myself.”
“What did you bring on yourself, Carter? Please talk to me. Everything is going like you planned it, isn’t it?”
“No. Not at all.”
“What is it? What’s wrong?” She reached over to touch his sleeve.
He opened his eyes, and she thought he was going to admit it at last. But once again, he pulled whatever it was back. “It’s fine, Summer. It’s all fine. Lincoln is doing what he said he would with the company. He keeps trying to give me advice when he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but he’s not pushing his way. It’s all fine.”
“What advice?”
“Oh, just stuff about our business strategy after the acquisition goes through. He thinks I’m being too aggressive, and he won’t shut up about it.”
“What does he want to do instead?”
“He wants to move more slowly. Test the market before we redo all the properties.”
She replied slowly, carefully, “Well, that doesn’t sound like a terrible idea.”
“It’s not a terrible idea, but it’s not the best idea. I’m the one who’s poured himself into this company for the past decade. He hasn’t done a thing. Just gotten the whole thing dropped into his lap last month. I think I might know a little more than him about our business and the hotel market.”
He sounded so hurt that she stroked his shoulder and arm. “Of course you do. I didn’t mean to question you. I just meant that Lincoln is probably trying to help. He’s trying to be involved. That’s not a bad thing, is it?”
“I guess. I’d feel better about it if I thought he was doing it because he cared about me.”
“Of course he cares about you. Why else would he be helping this way?”
Carter gave her a significant look.
“Oh, come on now, Carter. Don’t take it too far. He’s never even mentioned any of this to me. He’s not doing it because he’s trying to impress me or something.”
“I don’t think that’s what he’s doing.”
“Then what?”
Carter’s brown eyes were strained and sad. “He’s doing it because he’s trying to be better. Do better. And I guarantee this urge to better himself is not because of me.”
Summer’s cheeks burned even more. She raised her hand to her chest because the flutters were completely out of control. “I... I don’t think it’s...”
“Well, you’re wrong.” He shook his head and muttered, almost to himself, “It’s just like him. To come along and get involved at exactly the worst time.”
“Why is it the worst time?”
Carter didn’t answer. He wasn’t like Lincoln. He always kept his deepest feelings to himself.
***
THIRTY MINUTES LATER, Summer wandered upstairs to her room since Carter had gotten involved in the sports show and obviously wasn’t in the mood for talking anymore.
She walked over to the door that connected to Lincoln’s room. It was halfway open. They never shut it anymore.
Summer felt jittery after what Carter had said about Lincoln. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was right.
She tapped on the door and called out, “Lincoln?”
“Yeah.” His voice came from his closet.
She stepped into the room as he emerged wearing black trousers and carrying a long-sleeved gray shirt. He pulled it over his head as she watched.
“What’s up?” he asked, arching his dark eyebrows.
“Just checking on you.” The words sounded lame to her own ears, but she didn’t know what else to say.
“Why do I need to be checked on?” Then, defying his intentionally casual tone, he added, “You and Carter looked very cozy down there.”
“I was trying to be his friend. Something’s wrong with him, and he still won’t say what it is.”
“I’m beginning to suspect.” He sounded cool. A lot cooler than he’d been with her in a long time.
“What do you suspect?”
“It’s not really my thing to say.” He opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of black socks, sitting down on the edge of the bed to pull them on.
She went to sit next to him. “Why are you acting like this, Lincoln? I thought... I thought things were going well with us.”
He slanted her a look that was searching, urgent. She didn’t understand it.
“Weren’t they?” she asked hoarsely. “Going well?”
“I thought so.”
“So what’s the matter? Aren’t I allowed to have this thing with you and also be Carter’s friend?”
The tension suddenly blew out of him like a popped balloon. He made a throaty sound and pulled her into a hug, right there as they sat on the edge of the bed. “Of course you are, baby.”
She hugged him back, more relieved than she should have been. She mumbled against his shoulder, “So then what’s the problem?”
“There is no problem. Just for a minute it looked like you might want to have a thing with Carter too, and I wouldn’t be okay with that.”
She pulled back and stared at him in astonishment. “You’re not serious?”
“About what?”
“Carter is my friend. Just my friend.”
“And not too long ago you wanted him for something more.”
“But that was before. I told you. I don’t feel that way anymore. I’ve long since outgrown it. I’m not going back.” She was telling him the truth as openly as she knew how to do. It made her scared and vulnerable, but it felt important to do so. “Don’t you believe me?”
There was a long moment as he scanned her face like he was looking desperately for the truth of her words. Then he nodded and kissed her hard and brief. “Yes. I believe you.”
Relaxing, she leaned against him. He kept his arms around her but more loosely this time.
“Carter suspects,” she said after a minute.
“What does he suspect?”
“About us. Well, actually, he suspects about you. He thinks you’re into me.”
He nuzzled her neck. It was the sweetest thing. “Well, he’s not wrong.”
“Should we tell him? I’m starting to feel kind of guilty about hiding this thing from him.”
“What would you tell him?”
She hesitated. “I don’t even know.”
“If you don’t know what you’d tell him, it’s probably best to wait until you do. But I’ll leave it with you.”
“So you don’t want to tell him?”
“I don’t know. I’m just not sure it’s worth hurting him if this thing is only going to last as long as our marriage.”
She straightened up, his words slicing through her chest like a blade. “Is it?”
“Is what?”
“Is it going to end with our marriage?”
They stared at each other for a long time, tension palpable—shuddering in the air between them. Then Lincoln finally shook his head. “I don’t know, Summer. I don’t know any more than you do.”
She nodded, relieved that they’d at least gotten the unspoken questions out in the open. They didn’t have to have all the answers right now. At least they seemed to be on the same page. “Okay. Then let’s not tell him yet. Not until we know this is... something.”
He nodded.
To change the subject, Summer said, “Carter said you’d been talking to him some about the business.”
“He probably didn’t say it so politely. Did he say I was interfering? Getting on his nerves?”
“Something like that.”
He sighed as he pulled on his shoes. “I know I’m no expert, but it makes more sense to move slowly. He’s going to blow all your money in no time and end up in the red again.”
“Maybe. But isn’t it possible he knows what he’s doing? He’s been doing this for a long time now.”
Lincoln’s expression changed. Hardened slightly. “And I haven’t? So I don’t know what I’m talking about? Now you sound like him.”
“I’m not criticizing. I’m just trying to see both sides.”
“But you’re not really. You’re seeing his side.” He stood up, sounding and looking bitter in a way she hadn’t seen in a really long time. “Honestly, I’m not sure why I expected anything else.”
“Lincoln!” The word came out as almost a sob. “It’s not like—”
“It’s exactly like that, and I’m an idiot for hoping for anything different.” His mouth set in something resembling a sneer. “Story of my life.”
“Stop it.” She stood up and hurried toward him, reaching out to take his arm. “Stop being like that. If you’d just talk about—”
“There’s nothing to talk about. I understand perfectly. And I’ve got to go to work.” He pulled out of her grip and started to leave the room.
“Lincoln, wait!”
He didn’t wait. He kept striding away from her until he was out of sight.
She stood and stared at his retreating back for a minute until she couldn’t stand it anymore. This wasn’t like the Lincoln she’d come to know. This was like the old Lincoln—the one she’d thought was gone for good.
She ran after him, down the hall and then the stairs. She made it to the landing just as he was opening the door that led to the large garage. “Lincoln, wait! Don’t just leave!”
He did leave. He ignored her. And he was out the door before she could stop him.
She stared at the closed door for a long time until she realized there was someone else in the hall.
Carter. Watching her quietly.
She didn’t understand his expression at all.
He reached out a hand toward her in invitation.
She went over to take it, letting him lead her back to the media room to spend the evening with him.
***
SUMMER ENDED UP HAVING a decent evening, although she couldn’t completely rid her mind of the argument with Lincoln. When she went to bed, she was upset about it all over again, and she couldn’t go to sleep.
He was working. He wouldn’t be back until late. She needed to go to sleep and deal with it in the morning.
But she couldn’t sleep. The distraction that Carter had provided was completely gone now, and all she could do was toss and turn and brood about Lincoln.
It was almost two when she heard his bedroom door open and saw light from the hallway. The connecting door was wide open.
She lay stiffly in bed and waited to see if he’d come see her. He usually did even if it was just to give her a sleepy kiss.
Tonight he didn’t come. She heard him walk to the bathroom. Heard the door click. Heard the faint sound of the toilet. Then the shower. He wasn’t in there long. Just taking a quick shower to wash off hours spent in the bar. A few more minutes passed, during which she imagined he was brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed.
It was only then, after that, she saw his figure silhouetted in the doorway. He was standing there, looking in on her. She waited. Didn’t move.
He didn’t say anything.
After a few minutes, he turned around and went to his own bed.
And that was the last straw. She rolled out of bed and stomped across the room and into his.
“Summer?” he asked softly. He’d climbed under the covers and raised his upper body halfway when he realized she was there. “What are you doing?”
“Asshole,” she gritted out, crawling into his bed beside him.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“I wasn’t asleep. And if you’d bothered to come closer, you would have known it. The least you could do after acting like a jerk is apologize.”
Incongruously, it sounded like he was smiling in the dark. “I am sorry. I’m really sorry. I was an asshole. I never should have put you in the position of choosing between me and your best friend.”
“No. You shouldn’t. But that wasn’t the big deal. The big deal was walking out before we even talked about it. In what world is that appropriate behavior?”
“In no world. It’s appropriate behavior in no world. But I’m a dick, remember? That’s the kind of thing I’ve always done.” He’d turned on his side to face her, but he wasn’t touching her. “So there’s no reason for you to forgive me.”
“Well, I do,” she grumbled.
“What?”
“I do. Forgive you. If you’re really sorry and you promise to work on not doing it again. I forgive you.”
“Baby?” The question was faint, hoarse.
“I forgive you.”
“Why?”
“Because I get it. It’s a really hard situation. For you as much as me. I get it. Just don’t walk out in the middle of a fight again.”
He made a throaty sound and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her. “Okay. I won’t. I’m sorry.”
She burrowed against his warm body, smelling soap and a faint trace of whiskey and Lincoln. “Good.”
He brushed a few kisses into her hair. “I thought I’d lost you. I thought that was it for us.”
“That’s because you’re stupid. Haven’t you ever been in a relationship before?”
“A real one? No. I haven’t.”
“Oh. I guess that explains the stupidity.” She was smiling too now. Rather foolishly. She didn’t care. She hugged him to her. “Now, I’m tired, and I have to go to work tomorrow, so I’m going to go to sleep.”
He kissed her again. Her neck this time. His arms loosened just enough for her to get comfortable. “Sounds good to me.”