The Rebound (Second Chance Flower Shop Book 2) Read online

  It relaxed her even more. He was obviously attracted to her—just as attracted as she was to him—but he was going into this with exactly the same attitude as her.

  Which meant she didn’t have to feel guilty or worried about wanting only sex.

  Searching for something to say to fill the stretch of silence, she noticed the dog was nuzzling at Ken’s thighs, seeking more attention. The dog was clearly all lab. All enthusiastically lolling tongue, long, gangly legs, and pure joie de vivre. She asked, “What’s your lab’s name?”

  “Oh. Sorry. This is Marlowe.” He made a quick hand gesture that caused the lab to snap to attention, sitting up straight and jittering visibly as if he were having to fight to hold back a tidal wave of excitement. “Marlowe, this is Madeline. Say hello to her.”

  Marlowe hefted one large paw and panted eagerly.

  Laughing, Madeline shook the dog’s paw and then stroked the soft head, which sent him into ecstatic spasms.

  “He’s not quite two,” Ken added. “He still sometimes has a hard time remembering his manners. If you give him much more attention, you’ll get a face full of tongue.”

  Still laughing, Madeline straightened up. “He’s a very good boy.”

  Marlowe clearly understood that comment and did several twirls of delight.

  Ken’s expression changed when he looked back toward her. He was very sexy at the moment—hot and rugged in his dirt and sweat. “So did you want to... do this now? Or...”

  “Now is good with me.” The truth was she was having a hard time holding herself back, now that the distraction from the dog was over.

  “I assume you want me to take a quick shower first.” He glanced down at himself. “I’m kind of a mess.”

  For just a moment she was tempted. Maybe sex with him all sweaty wouldn’t be too unpleasant. But a sudden flare of nerves made the slight delay even more tempting. “That’s probably a good idea. Just don’t take too long.”

  His eyes heated up without warning. “I’ll be quick. Just make yourself at home for a minute.”

  Before she had time to say anything else, he was striding down the hallway and into what was clearly the master bedroom. The house appeared to be three bedrooms. All on one level. The one at the end of the hall was the master.

  Not sure what else to do, Madeline wandered through the house, looking around at each room with Marlowe at her heels, ready to help or protect or kiss at a moment’s notice. The kitchen had old, flat-front cabinets and butcher-block countertops. There were a few dishes in the sink, and he’d left the coffee out this morning, but overall it was fairly clean.

  There was a small living room at the front of the house that was barely furnished. He clearly never used it. The hall bathroom hadn’t been redone anytime in the past twenty years. And the two smaller bedrooms were set up for his girls in pinks and lavenders with a lot of dolls and stuffed animals around.

  She’d just reached the master bedroom when Ken came out of a doorway in the corner. It must be a master bath, which was a nice feature and not always part of houses of this size and age. Her interest in the house faded when she got a good look at him.

  He was clean now with damp hair and not quite dry skin. He wore nothing but a towel around his waist. He had a great chest. Broad and masculine with some nice development of his abs and a scattering of brown hair. His legs were long and strong. His arms were...

  She gulped as a wave of attraction washed over her.

  Ken smiled, looking pleased and relaxed and ridiculously sexy. He walked past her to close the bedroom door on Marlowe’s enthusiastic face. “Sorry, buddy. You aren’t invited for this next part.”

  She laughed, her nervous tension softening at his easy manner and wry tone. “Poor fella. He’s not going to like me if he thinks I’m taking you away from him.”

  “He’ll like you just fine. That dog couldn’t hold a grudge to save his life. You ready for this?”

  She nodded, her stomach twisting with an intense combination of nerves and anticipation.

  “You still wanna do this?” He peered at her closely.

  She nodded again. “I do want to. Honestly, I’m a little nervous. I’ve never done something like this before. But I definitely want it.”

  “Good.” He took a step closer to her. He smelled like soap. She was acutely aware of that fact as he took her face in his hands and kissed her.

  The swell of pleasure at the touch of his lips was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. It flooded her body, from her mouth to the tips of her fingers and toes. She raised her hands to grip his shoulders as she responded to the kiss, opening her mouth to him and trying to suck his tongue into her mouth.

  His body tightened as she responded. He pulled her closer so the length of her was pressed against him. One of his hands slid down to her bottom as he leaned harder into the kiss.

  A throbbing had awakened between her legs almost immediately, and it got more intense as the embrace deepened.

  When he started walking her over to the bed, she thought of something. “Hold on,” she mumbled, trying to make herself pull away.

  He let her go immediately, stiffening visibly. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Fine. I’m not changing my mind. I just think I should probably pee before we do this.”

  He chuckled, obviously relieved. “Go right ahead. I’ve got some condoms, so I’ll dig them out while you’re in there.”

  “Perfect. Thank you.” She was glad he’d thought of it. She was in such a state that it was entirely possible that she would have jumped right into sex without a thought for basic preventative measures.

  She went to the master bathroom, which was still warm and damp from his shower. This bathroom had been fixed up much more recently than the other bathroom. It had beige and brown tile, a walk-in shower, and double sinks on the vanity. She didn’t take much time to admire it, however. She wanted to return to Ken as quickly as possible.

  When she came back out, he was standing near the nightstand. He’d put a couple of condom packets on the surface next to the lamp and clock. He turned around when she entered, and for just a moment she caught a look on his face that reflected how she felt.

  The briefest flicker of something that looked like nervousness.

  “Have you...?” She cleared her throat. “Have you done this a lot?”

  He shook his head. “It’s like I told you the other night. I haven’t dated anyone since my divorce, and I never have sex outside of a relationship. So the truth is I’ve... I’ve never done this before.”

  “Me either.”

  “But I do want this, if you want it too.”

  “I do.” She swallowed and came over to stand right in front of him. “I want it a lot.”

  “Good. Me too.”

  This conversation evidently confirmed to him that she had no doubts. He grabbed her again and this time wasn’t so careful. He dragged her into a hard kiss—one she felt in every inch of her body—and it wasn’t long before he swung her up onto the bed and moved over her to kiss her even more deeply.

  She wasn’t sure how long the kiss lasted, but it wasn’t brief. It was like it had been on Tuesday night under the stars. Slow and deep and thorough and breathtaking. Soon she was squirming with arousal, but Ken wasn’t in any hurry to get to the main event. He wasn’t even rushing to take off her clothes. He kissed her until she couldn’t see straight. Until she was moaning helplessly into his mouth. Until she was clawing at the bare skin of his back and trying to tug the towel off his hips.

  Then finally—finally—he broke the kiss and started to take off her clothes, kissing all the skin he revealed.

  This wasn’t a quick process either. It took a while until she was finally naked, and by that time she was so turned on she could feel the hot wetness between her thighs as she wound one leg around his hips.

  “Shit, baby,” he murmured as he returned to her bare breasts. “You’re so hot. So gorgeous. I never dreamed you’d want to be with me.
”

  She’d always figured she was pretty enough, but she’d never felt gorgeous before.

  Not until right now.

  She’d been making a lot of silly sounds. Gasps and mews and groans. As he suckled one of her nipples, the sound that came out was closer to a sob than anything else.

  Marlowe whined from right outside the bedroom door.

  She giggled as Ken chuckled against her breast. He was smiling as he raised his head and met her eyes.

  They grinned at each other, and she felt a tightening of affection in her chest before he returned to her nipple and completely distracted her from the unexpected feeling.

  Ken clearly believed in foreplay. More than Josh had ever given her in the entire length of their relationship. He kissed and caressed her until she was literally begging him to make her come. Then he finally moved a hand between her legs to feel her arousal.

  She couldn’t remember ever being this wet before. It was almost embarrassing. She arched up and moaned as he stroked her open and then penetrated her with two fingers.

  “Damn. You’re so hot. So wet.” His eyes were almost awed as he gazed down on her naked, writhing figure. “You want this so much.”

  “I do,” she gasped, tossing her head helplessly. “I want it... so much. Please. Please!”

  She gripped fistfuls of the bedding as he started to pump his hand, fucking her with his fingers until she came hard with a silent scream. She’d thought it was over, but he kept it up, this time pairing it with his mouth on her breast. She came again before she knew to expect it, and this time her scream wasn’t so silent.

  Marlowe gave a yap and another whimper from the hall.

  Both of them were far too into this to let the dog distract them. Madeline was panting and pink all the way down to her stomach as Ken finally removed his hand and climbed farther up her body so he could kiss her mouth. The kiss was urgent and wet and needy. She wrapped her leg around him again and finally managed to pull off the towel so she could get her hands on his tight, bare ass.

  He was hard. She could feel his erection poking into her belly. She wanted to see him, so she pushed him away enough to reach down and take his shaft in both her hands.

  He closed his eyes and moaned as she stroked him. It was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen.

  It wasn’t long before he pulled her hands away and reached for the condom packet. “We can do more of that later if you want,” he said with a half smile. “It’s been a long time for me, and I really don’t want to blow it too soon.”

  She laughed and helped him roll on the condom. Then she pulled him down between her legs. They didn’t discuss positions. For the first time, missionary felt safe and secure, and there wasn’t anything in the world that could make this hotter for her.

  He parted her legs and pushed one of her knees toward her shoulder as he slowly entered her.

  She made a squeaky sound as he filled her, stretched her. He was big, and she was tight.

  “Okay, baby?” His voice was as stretched as she felt.

  “Yeah. Good. So good.”

  He made a sound of relief as he finished his slow thrust. Then he held himself above her for a minute, breathing loudly and clearly trying to hold himself together.

  She was glad of the reprieve since she felt like the top of her head might fly off. After a minute, he kissed her gently. It was unexpectedly sweet.

  Then he started to thrust.

  She was sure he was trying for a steady rhythm, but he was too far gone. He took her hard and fast, shaking her body and the bed at the same time. It was exactly what she wanted to feel. She huffed out her pleasure as she took what he gave her, and soon she was clawing at his back again as another orgasm started to rise.

  He was grunting as he pumped. Sometimes forming words like “Yes” and “Baby” and “Fuck” and “So good.” His eyes were hot and hungry, moving from her face to her jiggling breasts. And the tension in his face and shoulders and thighs tightened until he was shaking with it.

  She knew he was close, but it didn’t matter. Because she was already there. Her body broke with the waves of pleasure. The climax shuddered through her with a series of loud, shameless sobs. Then Ken was coming too. Right after her. Bellowing out his release as his body jerked urgently.

  When they’d worked their way through the last of the spasms, Marlowe was howling outside the door, clearly believing that a horrible tragedy was happening on the other side of the door when he was unable to get in and help.

  They both laughed as Ken collapsed on top of her. She wrapped her arms around him, and they hugged for a minute, torn between amusement and the delicious aftermath of their release.

  Then he pulled off her, took care of the condom, and limped into the bathroom to clean up. She followed him as soon as she could move, peeing and pulling on her T-shirt and panties as Ken went to let Marlowe into the room.

  The dog sprinted around, investigating every nook before he’d reassured himself that there wasn’t an emergency.

  Ken led her back to the bed, and they climbed in to lie together for a while with Marlowe sprawled out exhausted on the foot of the bed.

  It was a few minutes before he seemed able to speak. His voice was hoarse when he said, “That was pretty damn amazing.”

  “Yeah,” she admitted. “I didn’t expect it to be that good.”

  He stroked her hair. Her cheek was resting on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat. After a pause, he asked in a casual tone, “So maybe you’ll want to do it again?” His voice lifted at the end, making it a question.

  “Yes. I’m pretty sure I will.” She lifted her head to smile at him. “It would be pretty stupid to only enjoy sex like that once.”

  His smile broadened. She could tell he was happy.

  And that made her happy too.

  Four

  KEN HADN’T HAD SEX since his divorce two years ago. It was a long time to go without.

  He wasn’t exactly sure why he’d waited so long. He’d certainly had opportunities. Because of his position as sheriff, women would often make themselves available to him sexually, but it felt rather skeevy to take advantage of that reality.

  He also could have gotten himself a girlfriend or another wife, but there hadn’t been anyone who’d really caught his eye.

  Until he’d started noticing Madeline last year.

  After that, he hadn’t been able to think with real interest about anyone else.

  So it had been a long time since he’d gotten release from anything except his own hand, and he could barely speak in the aftermath of the intense rush of pleasure and satisfaction.

  He hadn’t been sure what Madeline would do afterward. If she’d want to throw her clothes on and get out of there quick. But she didn’t. When he tugged her back into bed, she’d come with him willingly, and she didn’t pull away when he wrapped an arm around her.

  Her body was warm and soft. Her hair spread out over his chest. She wasn’t a particularly small woman, and she felt substantial beside him. Like he could really hold on.

  “Are you about to go to sleep?” she asked after a few minutes. Her fingers were idly rubbing against his side.

  “Not anytime soon.” He could hear the smile in his voice. Hopefully she wouldn’t read too much into it.

  She shifted so she could peer up at him. “So you don’t go to sleep right after sex?”

  “Sometimes I do. But it’s the middle of the day, and I don’t feel particularly sleepy at the moment. Why?”

  “Nothing. Just...”

  She trailed off, but Ken understood what she wasn’t saying. Josh—the selfish asshole—had probably rolled over and gone to sleep after sex all the time instead of holding her, talking to her, making her feel appreciated.

  Ken’s former annoyance with the boy had transformed over the past year into an intense dislike he never felt for anyone but genuine criminals, people who harmed others without a qualm. He couldn’t believe Josh had had Madeline—Made
line—and treated her the way he had.

  When he felt his body tightening, he forced himself to blow out the anger. He couldn’t tell Madeline what he was thinking right now. She’d think he was turning creepy and intense and make a quick getaway.

  Ken didn’t want her to go. Not yet.

  Her hand was moving slightly, still rubbing his side, and it strayed high enough to trigger a ticklish nerve under his arm. He jerked without warning or volition.

  She raised her head. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What?” She frowned at him, looking utterly scrumptious with her messy hair and heavy eyes.

  “Nothing. I’m a little ticklish.”

  “Really?” Her full lips slowly stretched into a smile. She reached for him with clear intent.

  He clamped his arm down to keep her from achieving her goal.

  Giggling, she tried again, this time faking him out by a sudden move to his other side. She got him, tickling him for a few seconds, which was long enough for him to let out a ridiculous burst of sound. Then he managed to pull her hand away, turning her onto her back, holding her down with his weight and tickling her until she squealed.

  “Okay!” she finally exclaimed. “Okay, I surrender! I won’t try to tickle you again.”

  He was hot and breathless and grinning down at her. “Promise?”

  She made a face and stuck out her tongue.

  He tried to hide his amusement and couldn’t quite do it. “Promise?” he repeated.

  “Fine. I promise.” Then she muttered under her breath as he released her. “For now.”

  “I heard that.”

  Giggling, she settled at his side again as he wrapped an arm around her. “I’m not sure I like this change that sex makes in you.”

  She was obviously teasing, but he was still curious. “What change?”

  “You’re supposed to be all easygoing and laid-back, and sex has turned you into some sort of demanding alpha male.”

  For no particular reason, he kind of liked the sound of that. “Yeah?”

  “Yes. And now you think I’ve given you a compliment when I haven’t. Just like a man to get it exactly wrong.”