Complicating (Preston's Mill Book 3) Read online

  Was hard.

  She could feel his arousal in the bulge he kept grinding against her.

  “You sure you want to do this, angel,” he murmured thickly, pulling out of the kiss to nibble a delicious line down her throat.

  “Yeah.” She arched against him in helpless pleasure. “Oh yeah. Please.”

  “You’re not too drunk?”

  “I’m a little drunk,” she admitted. “But not too drunk to know what I want. I’ve never wanted anything more.”

  It was true. It was absolutely true.

  She might be buzzing from the alcohol, but her mind was still working. This was a choice she was making, and it was exactly what she wanted.

  “Damn, I’m glad to hear that.” His hands were all over her now, stroking up and down the curves of her body.

  She’d always wished she wasn’t quite so curvy so she could look more like the stylish girls her age, but he seemed to appreciate her body. He couldn’t stop touching it, and the fire in his eyes kept burning even hotter as he gazed at her.

  Then they were kissing again, and he was walking her over to a console table against a wall. When her ass hit the edge of it, she gave a little “oof” at the impact.

  She was so aroused she was throbbing with it, and she kept lifting one of her legs, trying to wrap it around him so she could get more pressure where she needed it.

  He helped her by pushing up her skirt and then lifting her up to prop her on the table. She wrapped her legs around him eagerly and gave herself over to the feelings.

  By now, he’d managed to unzip her dress and pull her breasts out of her bra. He lowered his head to nip at them, causing her to cry out at the intense jolts of pleasure. In their position, he couldn’t do much more than that, and both of them were too far gone to take the time anyway.

  He slipped a hand inside her underwear so he could finger her, and she whimpered and rocked her hips in response.

  “You like that?” he murmured hoarsely.

  “Oh God, yeah! Keep touching me like that. Just like that.”

  “Damn, you’re hot when you’re turned on. Who knew such a little angel could let go like this? You’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  She experienced the oddest sort of pride—that she was that kind of woman, that she was capable of being so wild and spontaneous. And sexy.

  She’d never dreamed it was possible for her.

  He kept moving his fingers inside her until the pleasure coiled up and broke unexpectedly. She cried out loudly as she came, trapped between the wall and his body, propped up on the table.

  “There you go, angel,” he was murmuring, his eyes devouring her face and body. “There you go. So good. Damn, that was gorgeous.”

  Her body throbbed in satisfaction as he finally removed his hand.

  “Do you have a condom?” she asked, her groggy mind managing to land on one reality she didn’t want to forget.

  “Yeah.” He reached into his back pocket.

  She wondered if he always carried condoms around with him.

  She wondered if most men did.

  She’d only had one boyfriend—the guy she’d dated all through college and had briefly been engaged to—and he’d never had condoms available at a moment’s notice.

  But maybe some guys did.

  She was infinitely grateful for it now as they both worked on undoing his pants and rolling on the condom. His erection was big and hard, and she couldn’t wait to feel it inside her.

  He adjusted their bodies so he could enter her, and she wrapped her legs around him tightly as he sank in.

  Both of them groaned at the penetration.

  “Jesus,” he hissed through his teeth, holding on to her ass tightly. “Jesus, you feel so good.”

  He felt good too. Better than anything.

  She wriggled as her body relaxed around him and started to need even more.

  He levered his hips and pushed into her with a short, hard thrust.

  She cried out, dropping her head back as the sensations slammed into her.

  “Like that?” he asked, his body so tight it was almost shuddering.

  “Yeah. Yeah. More. I need more.”

  He took her like that, propped up on the table with her legs wrapped around him, and she’d never known it was possible to feel so sexy and uninhibited. She tried to keep her voice down since there were people all over the building, but she couldn’t stay quiet. Every time he pushed into her, a helpless sound of pleasure escaped her lips.

  When she felt the sensations start to tighten into another orgasm, she started to urge him on. “Harder. Faster. More. Please more.”

  He was taking her hard now, almost roughly, and he was grunting with a primal passion as he thrust.

  She bit down on her bottom lip hard as a climax ripped through her, causing her to shake and shudder. Then he was coming too, letting out a long, low exclamation that sounded like, “angel” as he let himself go.

  And all of it felt good. Amazing. Exactly what she wanted.

  Until she started to come down from her climax and realized she’d just had sex with a stranger at a wedding reception.

  His name was Carter, but that was all she knew about him.

  She wasn’t this sort of person.

  She felt weird and achy as she unwound her legs and he pulled out of her.

  “Damn, what a mess,” he muttered as he started to take care of the condom.

  She was wet between her legs. Really wet. And it seemed to emphasize that maybe she hadn’t really thought things through as much as she’d believed.

  Carter was looking down at the condom as she readjusted her panties and smoothed down her dress.

  She was suddenly terrified. The heated fog was lifting in her mind, and she had no idea what she’d been thinking.

  Her legs were sore. She was sore inside. Her whole body was sore.

  She gasped and hurried toward the door, wanting only to be alone so she could think.

  “Angel, wait—” Carter began.

  She didn’t wait. “Sorry,” she said, swinging open the door. “I’ve got to go.”

  And with that, she ran down the hall.

  Two

  It wasn’t often that Carter took a Saturday off, but he was feeling restless and figured today was as good a time as any. The weather was beautiful, and between the mild temperatures and the clear blue sky, he knew it was the perfect day to take the bike out for a long ride.

  Owning a motorcycle had started out as a hobby. Now it was his livelihood too, since he owned a garage with a growing reputation. Business was booming, and it was probably the one career you could have where your customers completely understood if you took a day off to ride.

  Opting to take the back roads outside of Norfolk, he didn’t have any particular destination in mind.

  At least… he thought he didn’t.

  When he read the Welcome to Preston sign on the side of the road, he knew he had been lying to himself.

  A month ago he had come to town for his buddy Chris’s wedding and had one of the hottest encounters of his life. For a month he’d tried to convince himself that it had just been a good time and move on. But he couldn’t. For some reason the sexy redhead continued to haunt his dreams and star in every one of his fantasies.

  She’d left without giving him her number or even her last name, so Carter was at an extreme disadvantage in trying to find her. Maybe that was why he’d come this way. A snort of disgust came out before he could stop it. What was he supposed to do, drive around the small town and hope he’d spot Daisy walking down the street with her fiery red hair and her hot curves?

  It would certainly be convenient.

  Improbable, but convenient.

  He pulled into the first parking lot he came to—which happened to be a deli—and he took a minute to figure out what he should do. Short of standing on a street corner and calling out her name, his options were limited.

  But he could call Chris.
<
br />   Maybe…

  Scratching his chin, he decided to grab himself something to drink and see if Chris and Heather were home. He knew they were back from their honeymoon—Chris had texted him a week ago about maybe getting together to do some fishing—but that didn’t necessarily mean they were in town on a beautiful day like today.

  “Never know unless I try,” he murmured as he climbed off the bike. First order of business was something to drink. Normally, he packed something to bring with him, but today he’d been willing to see where the road took him.

  And clearly it wanted to take him to Daisy.

  Walking into the deli, he got a couple of strange looks. He was used to it. He was tall, he had a bit of a beard right now, and he was wearing a fair amount of black leather. In a small town like Preston’s Mill, Carter knew he stood out. With a mental shrug, he purchased a large bottle of water and went back out to his bike.

  He downed almost the entire bottle in one long pull and then took a minute to take in his surroundings. Small towns were never a big draw for him and not just because of his business, but because he loved having something to do all the time. Living in the city allowed for that. There was never a shortage of someplace to go and something new to see. Chris claimed he had always loved it here in Preston, but for the life of him, Carter couldn’t figure out why.

  Looking to the left, he could see one end of the main street. All four buildings. And to his right, another five or six.

  And that was it.

  Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone and hit Send on Chris’s number.

  “Hey, Carter,” Chris said when he answered. “This is a surprise. What’s up?”

  Smiling, Carter felt a little of the tension he was feeling start to ease. “I was out for a ride and found myself in your neck of the woods.”

  “Seriously?” Chris laughed. “How the hell did that happen?”

  “Beats me. I thought I’d go someplace interesting and yet… here I am. Anyway, I’m parked here outside your town deli and wanted to see if you were around.”

  “Yeah, absolutely. Heather’s over at her dad’s doing a little cooking for him, and I was just hanging out watching TV. Come on over, and I’ll have a cold one waiting for you.”

  “Just one, man. I still have to drive back.”

  “No worries. See ya in a few.”

  Carter knew the way to Chris and Heather’s building. He’d only been there once or twice, but it wasn’t hard to find. Not in a town this small.

  Five minutes later, he was parked and walking into the building. He passed an elderly woman on the stairs, and she kind of sniffed at him and made some sort of tsking sound. Yeah, the senior citizens definitely didn’t like the leather look. And he’d bet good money if he took off his jacket and she saw his tattoos, she’d like him even less.

  With a shrug, he kept on going until he got to Chris’s door and knocked.

  Before Carter had opened his shop, he’d done a stint in construction, and it was how he and Chris had met. They’d bonded pretty quickly over their love of a good beer and good pizza. Not the greatest friendship story, but it still made them laugh when they talked about it. People were always waiting for the punch line—or rather, the connection that really made them click, but there was really nothing more to it than two guys who enjoyed their work and enjoyed a good beer after it was done.

  Chris opened the door. “What? No pizza?”

  Laughing, Carter gave him the typical bro hug as he walked in. “Kind of difficult to balance while on the bike.”

  “Then lucky for you I just happened to have one delivered.”

  “Great minds,” Carter said. “I was just thinking about that myself.” Chris handed him a beer, and they sat on the sofa. He looked over at the ugly orange recliner sitting in the corner. “Seriously? Heather hasn’t made you get rid of that thing yet?”

  Chris laughed again. “It was touch and go for a while, but in the end she realized how important Flo is to me.”

  “You have problems, dude. Like serious mental problems.”

  “Would you get rid of your bike if your girlfriend asked you to?” Chris asked with raised eyebrows.

  “My bike? Never. But you can’t compare the masterpiece that is my Harley to… Flo.”

  Chris gasped dramatically. “You wound me. Flo and I have had a lot of good times together.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure she’s enjoyed all your one-handed activities,” Carter mocked before taking a pull of his beer.

  “Very funny. So what’s going on with you? What are you doing off on a Saturday?”

  “Too beautiful out to be inside. I just… I don’t know… I felt the need to get out on the road and ride.” He took another drink, and his mind wandered until he was picturing Daisy on the back of his bike, her red hair blowing in the wind, those soft, silky legs wrapped around him…

  “It’s nice how you can take the time off to do that. Heather and I were going to try to go to the lake today, but her dad hasn’t been feeling well and she wanted to go over and make some meals for him for the week so he wouldn’t have to worry about cooking.”

  Carter nodded. “So married life seems to agree with you. You’re sounding very… domesticated. Good for you.”

  “I don’t know if I’d say domesticated,” Chris said with a low laugh. “Kind of makes me sound like I was living like a wild animal before.”

  “Weren’t you?”

  “Hardly. Anyway… Yes. Married life is good. Really good. We just got back a bunch of wedding pictures, and tomorrow we’re supposed to go through them and pick what we want for our official photo album.” He shook his head. “Who knew this was a thing? Stuff like that? That’s the downside of married life.”

  “Dude, if that’s the only downside, then I’d say you have it pretty good.”

  Chris stood and walked over to the kitchen table and came back with a small box. “Don’t I know it.” He opened the lid and pulled out a stack of pictures. “There are even some with you in them. Granted, you’re in the background because you never did like having your picture taken, but you’re in a few.”

  It took a minute, but Chris pulled out several pictures and handed them to Carter. And sure enough, in the background, were him and Daisy. He stared at it for a long moment.

  “I saw you talking with her the day of the wedding but never got to come over and formally introduce you,” Chris was saying. “Daisy’s new to the building, and she and Heather really hit it off.”

  “So,” Carter began gruffly and then cleared his throat. “So you don’t know her all that well?”

  Chris shook his head. “She’s fairly quiet. Keeps to herself. Works at the library.”

  Somehow that last one really surprised Carter. “She’s a librarian? Really?”

  Chris nodded. “Personally, I didn’t realize there was a need for a library anymore with everyone getting their books and information online, but apparently they’re still a thing. And we even have one here in Preston.”

  Carter thought of his options and snuck a glance at his watch. It was after two. Chances were that the library wasn’t open all day on a Saturday—if it was even open at all. Dammit. It would have been the perfect way for him to go and see her. Talk to her. Maybe ask her out to dinner.

  He continued to look through the pictures as Chris talked about some of the things that happened at the wedding and all the stuff newlyweds want to share with everyone. Funny, he never envisioned having this kind of conversation with Chris.

  Or anyone really.

  A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Chris got up and claimed it was probably their pizza. That was fine. Carter was more interested in looking at the picture in his hands. With a quick glance over his shoulder, he noted how Chris was talking to the delivery guy. It gave him a minute to really study the picture. It was a photo of people dancing, but in the background, was him sitting very close to Daisy. She was smiling, he was smiling, and if he closed his eyes, he cou
ld almost smell her perfume.

  Placing the photo on the coffee table, he turned his attention back to Chris when he sat back down.

  They ate and they laughed, and an hour later Carter knew he needed to get on the road if he was going to get home before dark. Not that he minded driving at night, but he wasn’t as familiar with all the back roads here, and he’d rather be safe than sorry.

  Plus, knowing what he knew now about Daisy, he was interested in getting home and maybe looking her up online and seeing what he could find out.

  “I need to head out,” he said as he stood and stretched. “I appreciate the pizza and the beer though. It was good to see you.”

  “You’ll need to come for dinner sometime when Heather’s home. Trust me, she cooks one hell of a meal, and it’s better than this pizza.”

  “I would hope so because this was not the greatest.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know. You can get way better in the city,” Chris said mildly. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”

  “Well, maybe you should come and see me once in a while, and I’ll prove it.”

  “Maybe I will.”

  And before it became a pissing contest, they shared another bro hug, and Carter was out the door. He was halfway down the stairs when he heard someone say, “Are you sure you have that okay, Mrs. Berry? I can carry it for you.”

  That voice.

  He knew that voice.

  Although the last time he heard it, it was saying, Harder. Faster. More. Please more.

  Yeah, that part was burned into his brain.

  Carter froze and waited. Was she coming up? Going down? He wasn’t sure which way to turn, which way to go. Then he heard footsteps coming his way, and he prayed it wasn’t the elderly woman from earlier. He stood on the landing and caught a glimpse of red hair.

  Thank you, God.

  It was obvious she could sense him because her steps faltered before she was even in full view. Carter moved so he could see her, and his gut clenched hard.