The pictures on his phone made him remarkably happy. Today, Emma had reverted back to that life-embracing young woman. Her smile lit up the screen in the photographs, and happiness sparkled in her eyes.
There was hope for her.
Which meant there was hope for him.
With the ATVs loaded, it wouldn’t be long before they were headed back. Ed took a moment to send the first two photos to Cain. He didn’t send the picture that Liam had taken. The photo made it far too apparent that he and Emma had blurred the lines of friendship.
Not entirely sure what to do with his phone since sliding it into his pocket would mean exposing it to massive amounts of mud, Ed approached the passenger side of the truck and left it on the seat. He called over the truck bed, “I assume you have a plan for how we get home without ruining your truck’s interior?”
“Yep,” Emma replied, then stripped off her top.
Across the parking lot, he saw both Liam and Mark strip down to their boxers and toss their dirt-coated clothing into a bucket that Liam then put into the trunk of his car. When both men pulled out a fresh set of clothing to change into for the ride home, Ed realized he was about to become the butt of a joke.
“Emma, how come you never told me to pack an extra set of clothing?” Ed demanded sternly.
Emma shucked off her leggings before tossing them into the truck bed. Her shirt followed suit. She tugged a loose-fitting pair of sweatpants and a baggy shirt from behind her driver’s seat. “What fun would that be?”
“Emma,” Liam called from a few parking spaces away. “You didn’t tell him to bring extra clothing?”
Grinning, Emma put on her clean clothes. “He’s ex-military. I thought he’d come prepared.”
Ed was not impressed. “Seriously?”
She pursed her lips. He figured she was trying not to laugh at his expense. “I guess you’ll have to ride home in your boxers.”
Frustrated, Ed pointed a finger at her. “I am not helping you unload the ATVs when we get to your mom’s house. No way am I even getting out of the truck.”
Apparently, that did it. The dam burst, and laughter spilled from Emma—deep, rich, honest laughter. Refusing to laugh, Ed had to look away before he got caught up in her amusement. He pulled his sweater off and then rolled his pants down his legs. As the mud dried, they were beginning to stiffen. Meanwhile, Emma’s giggles intensified.
“Happy?” he asked, tossing his clothing in to join hers.
She wiped tears away from her eyes. Behind her, he saw Liam and Mark smirking. Resting her arms on the edge of the truck, she looked him over, the smile still plastered across her face. “Immensely. You’re going to be quite the distraction on the way home.”
“I’m so glad you find this amusing. Can we go now?” The air was a little chilly for someone wearing only boxers.
“Yeah, we can go.” She turned to the other car. “Thanks so much for coming out today, guys. I’m glad we could pop Mark’s mudding virginity.”
Mark sketched a bow. “Consider my cherry popped.”
Liam waved. “It was nice to see you again, Ed. Hopefully, we’ll see you around.”
Ed had been curious about what Liam and Emma were whispering about in the woods. Perhaps they were discussing the future of Ed’s involvement with Emma. If that was the case, Ed wondered if she’d be brave enough to talk to him about it. He doubted it.
After all, he’d just dumped one woman because he wasn’t willing to commit. What made her think it’d be any different between them?
Ed waved back but didn’t bother to respond to Liam’s veiled attempt to uncover Ed’s intentions. “Good to see you again, too. Mark, nice to meet you.”
Even though he didn’t want to, they stopped at a drive-thru on the way home for burgers and fries. He refused to let her park in the fast food’s busy parking lot to eat. Instead, he made her find a deserted lot to park in. They sipped on fountain drinks and ate their greasy dinner in near silence until she spoke up. “You aren’t really mad about having to ride home in your boxer shorts, are you?”
“I’m not particularly pleased about the looks I got from the ladies working the drive-thru.” Ed took a bite of his loaded burger. Emma was enjoying hers with extra onions. He was right. There was no way she’d order a side salad as an entrée. “And there’s no way in hell I’m getting out of the truck at your mom’s house. But no, I’m not mad.”
“Good.” Emma stuffed her mouth full of fries. When she’d swallowed most of the salty potato, she said, “Although, Mom has her book club meeting on Mondays. And Cain will probably be at work.”
Since retiring from the military, Cain had gone into business with a friend. Together, they bought old pieces of furniture at farm sales, refurbished them, and sold them online for a profit.
“They have neighbors. I can’t see them reacting well when they see a black guy sneaking around your mom’s house in his boxers. They’ll call the cops.”
Emma laughed. “If Ms. Landry saw you poking around my mom’s house, she wouldn’t be calling the cops. She’d be searching for her binoculars to get a better look.”
Ed rolled his eyes. “Doubtful.”
“Oh, please. You look so sexy it’s hard for me to keep my mind focused on my food. As delicious as this burger is, there are other things I want to wrap my mouth around.”
He choked. He hadn’t been expecting her to say that and so bluntly. She hadn’t even batted an eyelash, just took another bite of her burger. Meanwhile, he was fighting off the beginnings of a boner.
“Speaking of which,” Emma started, “after I return the ATVs, is there a chance I can catch a shower at your place tonight, or am I just dropping you off and going back to my apartment?”
“After a comment like that, I’d prefer you shower with me. Besides, how else will I be able to tell if I got all the mud off?”
With a grin, she nodded. “I’ll be sure to check for you. All over.”
He was finishing the last of his fries when she started the truck. He couldn’t believe she’d finished her food before he did. She must have inhaled it.
At her mother’s house, she unloaded the four-wheelers. He felt useless sitting in the cab, but there was no way he was getting out, nearly naked, to help her. He had to remind himself she could do it on her own continuously. Soon, they were on the road again.
Once she parked in his driveway, they entered the house through the garage, passing his car along the way. Emma had grabbed their discarded clothing from the back of the truck. “Do you have a laundry tub?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Well, we can either hose these down in the shower, then toss them in the wash, or we can soak them in a laundry tub or spray them with the pressure hose. No matter what, you don’t want them going directly into your washing machine. We really should get all the excess mud off them first.”
Ed supposed it was best to get them into the washer as soon as possible, so that left out the idea of the tub. He also didn’t want to draw attention to himself in his boxers, and that’s exactly what would happen if he got out the pressure washer. So that left hosing them off in the shower.
While Ed sprayed their clothing off, Emma brushed her teeth, claiming she wanted to get rid of her onion breath. Once he started the washing machine, he adjusted Emma's shower temperature.
It wasn’t until that moment, as she stepped past him and into the stream of hot water, that he noticed it. Feminine shampoo and conditioner bottles in his shower, along with a small pink bar of soap. When had she snuck that stuff in there?
Biting his tongue, Ed turned to the sink to brush his teeth.
By the time he was finished, Emma had shampooed her hair and was working conditioner through the length of it. They switched positions so he could rinse off. Grabbing his shampoo, he poured a dollop into his palm before lathering it over his coarse, closely-trimmed hair. He scratched over his skull and massaged the suds into the skin behind his ears. Stepping into the spray, he let the bubbles wash over his shoulders and down his body, taking some of the caked-on mud with them.
He had his eyes closed against the stream of water and soap, so he jumped in surprise when Emma’s hands touched his butt. She trailed one fingertip over his left ass cheek, then up over the right. With the shampoo washed away, he turned to her. On tiptoes, she reached up to brush her lips over his. Briefly, their breaths mingled.
“Mmm, minty,” she sighed. “Can we switch?”
Her hair was clean, and she’d covered her body in soap suds. Wet, with a few small bubbles clinging to it, the pink bar of soap rested on the shower caddie. She rinsed the soap and dirt from her body, revealing the milky white skin beneath. He wanted to run his fingers over every inch of her petite body.
Picking up his moisturizing soap bar, Ed began to lather up. He was only about halfway through when Emma’s hands found his body again.
She took the soap from him. “I’ve been mudding before. I have experience getting all the dirt off. Let me help.”
They both knew it was an excuse. He was plenty capable of cleaning himself. He worked in construction. He often got dirty on the job. But he didn’t argue.
With the soap in one hand, she began massaging the foam into his skin. She touched him everywhere, sometimes with the bar of soap, other times with her frothy hands. She was soft and gentle, and his body reacted.
As her palms trailed up his thighs, his member thickened. She chided him, skirting his groin, instead paying particular attention to his hips and belly. She reached around him to clean his back and buttocks, the action bringing their bodies flush against each other. His dick was pressed against her stomach. Her breasts were pinched against his chest.
He lowered his lips to hers and feasted upon her mouth. Groaning, she pushed upward to return his kiss, her hands resting on his shoulders, her task temporarily forgotten.
Their tongues twined together until all he could think about was burying his cock deep inside her. He was about to urge her toward the shower wall, where it would be easier to hoist her up and enter her in one swift thrust, but she had other plans.
Abruptly, she pulled away. “You’re distracting me,” she claimed before going back to cleaning him.
This time, her fingers surrounded his dick. She caressed his balls, gently rubbing them in her soap-slickened hands. Her hands glided down his back, and separating his ass cheeks, she slid the soap between them before returning her labors to his groin.
She stroked him up and down with her slick fingers. The spray from the shower soaked her shoulders and cascaded down her chest. She touched him until he was panting and impatient.
He captured her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, twisting it hard, making her gasp. She edged closer to him and rubbed her body against him like an animal in heat. Wrapping an arm around her, he grabbed one firm butt cheek in his hand and hauled her against him. Giving into her body’s craving, she ground against him, spreading her legs when he prompted her to so he could slip one of his between.
The bar of soap fell to the tiled floor with a loud thud.
It seemed to pull her from the haze. She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him away. “No. You keep distracting me.” She motioned to herself. “And now I’m all soapy again.”
Ed’s eyes narrowed. Normally, she was impatient and eager to get on with her sexual activities. He wondered what game she was playing.
Bending down, she picked up the soap, gave it a rinse, and put it back on the caddie. Stepping under the spray, she rinsed off, letting the water run over her hair and down her body. She pushed the wet tresses out of the way and stepped aside.
Confused about her intentions, Ed rinsed off and kept an eye on her.
She didn’t get out of the shower.
Ed detached the handheld shower head from the wall and scrubbed away the remaining dirt, sweat, and bubbles.
Emma still lingered. “Do you feel clean?”
“Just about. You did a very thorough job.” He returned the shower head to the wall. Closing his eyes, he stepped beneath it and let the warm water pound his face one last time.
Turning around, Ed moved to step out of the shower but found his path blocked. Emma rested on her knees before him. Without any warning, she reached out and grabbed his dick.
She gave a little tug, prompting him to shuffle closer, and then her mouth closed around him.
“Emma,” he groaned, wrapping his hand in her wet hair. “God, you shouldn’t be doing this.”
In answer, she licked him from base to tip and swirled her tongue around the head before taking the majority of his length into her mouth.
With the spray still hitting his shoulders, flecks of moisture rained down on Emma. Through eyelashes thick with water, she glanced up at him, her mouth firmly fastened on his cock, and he thought it just might be the hottest damn thing he’d ever seen.
She was old enough but still young, and she certainly looked young. Her body was trim and firm. Her curves were slight but feminine. Long, lean muscles decorated her body.
“This shouldn’t be happening. But I haven’t stopped thinking about it.”
She moaned when he pushed his cock further into her mouth.
“You’re so good, so sweet.”
She snorted over that comment. Then choked on his cock. She eased off a bit, then attacked his shaft with full force. Her cheeks hollowed as she sucked him. She took him deep and cuddled his balls in her free hand. She surrounded him so fully and blew him with such expertise he thought he might explode in her mouth.
But that wasn’t enough for him.
Getting dangerously close to the edge, Ed asked her to stop. When she didn’t, he twisted his hand in her hair and pulled her away.
She probably thought it odd that he’d stop her and, sure enough, she asked, “Why?”
“Because I want to fuck you. I want to come in that pretty pussy of yours.”
Emma shifted on the floor, and he swore he saw her pupils dilate as she sat looking up at him.
With his hand still caught in her hair, he bent down, turned her face upward, and licked over her lips. “Does it make you wet when you suck my cock?”
Meekly, she replied, “Yes.”
“If I touch you right now, you’ll be nice and wet for me?”
“Yes,” she moaned against his lips.
Reaching down, he briefly cupped her right tit before dragging his fingers down her stomach. Automatically, she splayed her legs. He sought through the smattering of dark curls and separated her folds. His fingers coasted over her. She gasped when he stuffed two thick digits inside her. “Mmm, nice and wet.” Pulling away from her body, he tugged at her hair. “Up.”
When they both stood, he released her hair, took her wrist, pulled her from the shower, and headed for the bedroom.
“Towels,” she insisted, but he just kept walking.
He propelled her onto the bed. Chest billowing, he just stared at her. “Spread your legs.”
She did so without hesitation. Elbows propping her up, legs spread, she trailed her fingers along her thigh until the limb joined with her body. Her fingers lingered over her seam before she stroked over her clitoris.
His little rebel—wild child—lay before him, playing with herself.
“You’re so bad for me.”
“Yes,” she muttered. “Being bad is so much fun.”
Watching her pleasure herself, he too, took to stroking himself. If he was honest with himself, she was right. In the last week, he’d had fun. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed himself this much.
“You keep making these promises of hot, wild sex, but then you make me wait,” she pouted. With a wicked smile meant to coax him into joining her, she said, “I should have just finished you off in the shower.”
He came toward the bed then, urging her legs further apart, he settled between them and proceeded to show her what prolonged pleasure was all about.