JENNIE

I was torn from a fitful sleep on the couch by pounding at the front door.

Disoriented, I stumbled around the coffee table and tried to remember where I was.

The $20,000 in cash still tucked away in my apron.

V.

Lisa.

Eleanor's first day of school.

No wonder I'd fallen prey to a nap attack.

I opened the door and found a freshly showered Lisa standing on the welcome mat. Kuma trotted inside, wagging his tail.

"Hey," I croaked.

Lisa said nothing and stepped over the threshold.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. She looked tense like she was spoiling for a fight. Well, if she'd come here for a fight, she was going to be disappointed. I was too tired to deliver one.

"How's your brother?" I ventured.

She shoved a hand through her hair. "Long recovery ahead. But he'll be okay. Get Ellie off to school this morning?"

Her brother had been shot, and still remembered to ask about Eleanor's first day. I didn't know how to reconcile that with the jerk who yelled at me in front of her own customers. If she could ever settle fully into the thoughtful grump and give up the pissed-off bad girl, she'd make some woman very lucky someday.

"Yeah," I yawned. "She slept at Leila's last night since I didn't get home until late. Leila, Jimin, and I made her send-off breakfast there. Jimin made chocolate chip pancakes even though I told him spikes in blood sugar make kids tired and unfocused at school."

I was tired and unfocused, not because of pancakes but because Lisa's edginess made me nervous.

"Uh, speaking of Jimin, I think he and Bambam might be into each other," I said, grasping for a topic that would warrant some kind of verbal reaction.

But Lisa remained silent as she prowled the tiny living room, looking much too big to belong here. She was person with a lot of feelings locked up tight. Part of me wanted to crack her open. The other part wanted to just go back to bed and forget everything for a few hours.

"Do you want some coffee? Maybe some alcohol?" I offered, following her as she moved toward the kitchen, her hands clenching into fists only to release again. Over and over again.

I didn't have any beer, and the hardest alcohol in the house was a cheap rosé I'd been planning to crack open with Sloane. But I could sacrifice it for the person whose brother had just been shot.

She picked up the pretty yellow leaf on the counter. I'd found it in the lane that morning after walking Eleanor to the bus. The temperatures still said summer, but the change to fall was inevitable.

Kuma hopped up on the couch in the living room.

"Make yourself at home," I told the dog. When I turned to face Lisa, she was closing the distance between us.

"Jennie."

Her voice was rough as it caressed the syllables of my name, and then her hands were on me, yanking me into her. Her mouth found mine, and I was lost to sensation. Drowning in desire.

Neither of us wanted to want this. Maybe that's what made it feel so damn good. One hand slid into my hair while the other pressed my lower back until I was flush against her.

"Lisa," I breathed. "This isn't what you want," I reminded her.

"It's what I need," she said before diving back into the kiss.

This wasn't the kiss from the waiting room. This was different, desperate.

I lost myself in it. Every thought tumbled out of my head until I was nothing but feeling. Her mouth was hard and demanding, just like the person. I softened under her. Welcoming her. She responded by tugging at my hair to angle my head just the way she wanted as she slanted her mouth over mine. Her tongue didn't twine or dance with mine—it battled mine into submission.

She stole my breath, my logic, every reason why this was a terrible idea.

She took them all and made them disappear.

"That's what I need, baby. I need to feel you go soft under me. Need you to let me have you."

I couldn't tell if this was dirty talk or romantic prose. Whichever side of the line her words fell on, I loved it.

Her fingers found the strap of my dress. My heartbeat skittered into high gear as she slid the fabric an inch down my shoulder, leaving my skin burning.

She needed this. Me. And I lived to be needed.

I reached for her shirt and slid my hands under the hem, finding the rigid muscle under warm skin.

For once in her life, Lisa appeared to be feeling helpful and yanked the shirt over her head with one hand. God, all that skin and muscle and ink. I dragged my nails over her chest, and she growled into my mouth.

Yes, please.

With one deft swipe, she shoved the strap of my dress off my shoulder then did the same to the other one.

"About time I find out what you've got on under these dresses," she murmured.

I sank my teeth into her lower lip and yanked hard on her belt.

I cursed myself for putting on my least sexy underwear this morning.

But at least I hadn't bothered with a bra this morning. Between unsexy undies and unshackled boobs, I figured it all evened out.

She lost her jeans at about the same moment my dress slithered down my body and pooled at my ankles.

"Goddammit, baby. I fucking knew it."

Her mouth was on my neck, nibbling and kissing its way south.

I shivered. "Knew what?"

"That you'd look like this. That you had a fuck-me body." She cupped one breast greedily.

She backed me into the fridge, and the cold metal had me yelping.

"Lisa!"

"I'd apologize, but you know I'm not the least bit sorry," she said as her tongue darted out to stroke my aching nipple.

I was no longer capable of forming words. I was no longer capable of drawing in a breath. All I could do was cup her erection through her boxer briefs and hang on for dear life. When her lips closed over my nipple and she started to suck, the back of my head hit the fridge. Those deep, decadent pulls echoed all over my body, and I had a feeling she knew it.

She didn't stop sucking as she shoved her free hand into my unsexy underwear.

We both moaned when her fingers found me.

"Knew it," she muttered again as her mouth moved to my other breast.

"Knew you'd be wet for me."

My moan turned into a cry when she parted my slit with two fingers. The woman knew what she was doing. There was no fumbling. No wasted, awkward movements. Even driven by need, every touch was magic.

"Need to feel you from the inside," she said, brushing her chin over my sensitized nipple. When her fingers thrust into me, my knees buckled.

She was too much. Too skilled. Expert-level. Professional ruiner of vaginas. And I didn't know if I could keep up. When she started moving those amazing fingers, I decided I didn't care.

Her penis flexed in my grip. I clumsily shoved her briefs down, freeing her thick shaft, and gripped it hard.

Lisa straightened on a groan and dropped her forehead to mine as we worked each other with eager hands.

"Need you in a bed," she growled as a drop of moisture leaked over my fingers.

I gripped her harder, stroked faster. "I sure hope you can get us to one because I can't walk."

"Damn, baby. Slow the fuck down," she ordered through gritted teeth.

But I wasn't listening. I was too busy matching the pump of her fingers inside me.

I gasped when she pulled out of my throbbing core. "Mean!" I hissed against her neck.

But just when my body felt desolate over the loss, she tossed me over her shoulder.

"Lisa!"

Her only acknowledgment was a resounding slap on my behind.

"Which room?" she demanded, taking the stairs two at a time.

I was dizzy with lust and vertigo. "This one," I managed. In seconds I found myself on my back in bed with the naked Lisa ranging herself over me. "Oh my God. Is this really happening?"

Whoops. I hadn't actually meant to say that out loud.

"Do not come to your senses yet," she ordered.

"No sense here. Promise."

She was too busy looking pained to be amused. I couldn't blame her after I got my first good look at her erection. It was arousing, intimidating.

A thick, purple-headed leader in the world of erect penises. I got a little dizzy when Lisa fisted it.

I hoped to God she knew how to use it. Few things were more disappointing in this life than a well-endowed person who had no clue how to use the equipment.

Apparently it wasn't time to find out though, because Lisa slid down my body, parting my legs and draping them over her shoulders.

When she pressed her face between my legs, my stomach muscles contracted so hard I worried I'd pulled something. Oh. God. Her chin was abrasive between my thighs, and I freaking loved it.

Her tongue. For being a woman of few words, her tongue was pure magic.

She paired long greedy strokes with short, shallow thrusts. In a matter of seconds, I was ready to come.

"Wait, wait, wait," I whimpered, gripping her hair.

She stopped immediately, earning serious points.

"What's wrong? You okay?" Concern warred with need in those steely blue-gray eyes.

"This is a one-time thing." I needed to say it aloud. To remind myself that this was the one and only time I was going to let Lisa Manoban make me come.

"One time," she agreed, still watching me closely. "Final offer."

"Don't talk like a game show host when your face is between my legs."

"Don't ask me to have a conversation when you were just about to come on my God damn tongue."

"Point taken," I said. My insides were actually pulsing with greedy desire. "One-time thing. Make it count."

"Then you better hang the fuck on."

It was a good thing I did as she told me because a second or two after my hands wrapped around the brass headboard, she did something magical with her tongue at the same time that she crooked her fingers inside me and my entire body imploded.

I closed so tight around her fingers I worried she was going to need an X-ray. Not worried enough to stop and check, of course. Because I was in the middle of the best orgasm of my life and I had priorities. If I had broken her fingers, she didn't seem to mind because she just kept right on licking me through my bone-shattering release.

"Still coming. I can feel you," she said on a groan.

At least, that's what I thought she said. My ears were ringing like I was in a church bell tower on Sunday morning.

"Gonna need a minute," I gasped, fighting to get oxygen into my lungs.

"Uh-uh. Making it count," she said from somewhere that sounded very far away. "Besides, I want to slide my cock in you while you're still coming."

"'Kay."

I heard the distinct crinkle of the wrapper from either a Pop-Tart or a condom. It appeared to be the latter because the wide crest of her erection was prodding at my very core.

She paused long enough to swipe her tongue over each of my breasts before rising up on her knees.

She looked like a vengeful warrior. Tattooed and muscled. Her lids heavy, chest heaving. At least I wasn't the only one having a damn good time, I realized.

It was my last coherent thought before she thrust her hips and buried that long, thick weapon of mass destruction inside me.

Our eyes locked, and her face froze in agonized pleasure and triumph as she hit the very end of me.

I didn't realize I'd spasmed up into an ab curl until she put one of those big hands on my chest and pressed me back down to the mattress.

"Relax, baby. Relax," she whispered.

I let out the breath that had been trapped in my lungs and sucked in another. She was so damn big. And she was right—I could feel the tiny little tremors working my muscles around her.

"You keep milking my dick like that, sweetheart, and this is gonna have to be a two-time thing."

"Mmmph. Good. Yes."

She grinned down at me. "So this is what it takes for you to lose that fancy vocabulary of yours."

"Ugh. Are you gonna talk all day or are you going to move?" I grumbled. The need was already building in me again. I wondered if Lisa's cock was some sort of magical wand that cast orgasm spells, rendering things like rally time and biological requirements non-existent.

"Look at me, Jennie," she said.

I did as I was told.

"Goddammit, you're beautiful. And so fucking wet for me."

And she was rock hard for me.

That's when she started to move. Slowly. Languidly. Sweat glistened on her skin. Her jaw was set. But her hips pumped like a metronome as she glided in and out of me.

It felt like heaven. But I could tell she was holding herself back, and I wanted to give her everything she needed. Wanted her to take it.

"Don't be gentle," I groaned.

"Taking my time. Deal with it."

"Lisa, if you get any more blood in that appendage, it's going to explode."

"You've got an opinion on everything. Even on how I fuck you."

"Especially on how you fuck me."

She kissed me probably just to shut me up, but I didn't care because when I hitched my hips higher, her thrusts came faster, went deeper. She was pushing me just past my comfort zone, making me take a little more than I was confident I could handle.

And damn if I didn't get off on it.

She was giving me what I needed without me having to spell it out for her and break it down. Without me having to ask. Without her saying, "maybe it's just easier if you do it yourself."

"Come back to me, Daisy."

I blinked, and Lisa's face came back into focus, hovering over me and looking serious. "You're right here when I'm inside you. Nowhere else. Got me?"

I nodded. Embarrassed that I'd nearly gotten lost inside my head. She was right. How many times had I gotten so wrapped up in my plans and lists that I missed what was right in front of me? Or in this case, inside me.

To prove I was with her, I sank my nails into her shoulders and squeezed my muscles around her shaft as she drove deep.

"That's my girl," she groaned.

What we were doing felt so good. So right.

My heels dug into those perfect ass cheeks of hers. Another orgasm was already starting to build.

It felt otherworldly good.

She felt it too. Her thrusts were harder now, less controlled, and I wanted more.

"Can't decide how I want you," she confessed through gritted teeth. "Thought about too many ways."

"You have?" I breathed, trying to sound surprised like I didn't have a regular fantasy of her banging me bent over the pool table at Honky Tonk.

She nipped at my bottom lip. "Up against a wall in my office. My hand over your mouth so no one can hear me making you come. You riding me in my truck. These perfect tits in my face so I can suck you while I fuck you. On your hands and knees looking over your shoulder while I work you from behind."

Okay, those were pretty good.

My breasts felt heavy, swollen. Every nerve ending in my body was lighting up. And those ab muscles I thought I'd torn with my first orgasm were tensing again.

"Fuck, baby. You just keep getting tighter."

I could feel every vein, every ridge, every inch of her arousal as she drove into me. Again and again, she rammed herself home. Euphoria filled my head like a fog.

Her muscles were taut under my fingers. We were both shaking. I was going to come with her inside me and never be the same again. She forced a hand between us and cupped my breast, my greedy nipple pebbling against her palm.

"Take it all, baby."

And I did, opening as wide as I could and holding on for dear life as she drove me over the edge.

She didn't ease me into the orgasm—she detonated it. It shot through me like high voltage, making me tremble from head to toe. I buried my face in her neck and screamed.

"Ah, fuck. Fuck!"

I opened my eyes to find her powering into me, eyes half-closed. All vestiges of control snapped.

I felt her erection swell inside me as she grunted on the next thrust and the next. I was still coming when she jerked inside me, letting out a guttural shout of triumph. She buried herself deep and held there. Our bodies aligned, releases synchronizing. With every wrenching pulse of her erection, my muscles gripped her tighter.

"Jennie," she growled into my neck as we rode it out together. Hearts pounding as one.