Only for You (Sugar Lake Book 2) Read online

  “How can I miss you this much?” he said between kisses. “How can I want you this much?”

  Every kiss was hotter than the last, and when she went up on her toes, locking her hands behind his neck, he lifted her into his arms.

  “I love how strong you are,” she said as he carried her across the porch. “I think you should carry me everywhere.”

  She pressed her soft lips to every inch of his face as he opened the door and stepped inside. He turned toward the living room, stopping at the threshold when he saw sheets draped over the furniture.

  Holding his shoulders, she kissed him again, and his thoughts spun away. Her mouth was hot and eager, and she felt like heaven in his arms. It took all his focus to pry his mouth away long enough to say, “Fort?”

  “Kitchen.”

  He smothered her with another steamy kiss and followed the sound of music into the kitchen.

  “What is it about us and your kitchen?” He set her on the counter and brought her up to the edge, going straight for her neck.

  “I don’t know,” she panted out, grasping at his back. “But I like you in my kitchen.”

  She leaned into him, and he greedily claimed her mouth, touching her everywhere at once. When he brushed the sides of her breasts, she made a sexy, needful sound. Her hot little hands grabbed his ass, holding him tight against her center.

  Cradling her face in his hands, he was drunk on her, and he knew he was in trouble. This was dangerous territory. Her son was right upstairs, and he was on the verge of taking everything he wanted. “I can’t get enough of you, Bridgette.”

  The music competed with the sounds of their eager kisses and heated whispers.

  “I like you hungry for me,” she said with a challenge in her eyes.

  He kissed her again, deep and sensual, slowing them down long enough for him to try to regain control. The song “Wanna Make You Love Me” came on the radio, and as the artist sang about wanting to buy a rose for the woman he loved, and be a better man for her, they were the exact sentiments he was feeling. He’d been determined not to be in this position, and for more than a decade he had maintained his steadfast belief in not getting involved. And in the span of a few days, Bridgette had broken right through every barrier. He should walk out that front door and never look back, but his body took control, and he lifted her off the counter and set her bare feet on the floor. She was so petite, so feminine and tempting, he wanted to wrap her up in a golden ribbon and protect her. But as she wound her arms around his neck and their bodies moved seamlessly from heated kisses to sensual dancing, he wanted more of this. More of her.

  His hands sailed along the curve of her spine as their hips moved to a beat all their own. “I want to take you out on a real date, and I don’t want to exclude Louie. We’ll take him, too. But at some point I want to treat you like you deserve to be treated.”

  “You’re dancing with me in my kitchen. This is the most romantic thing I’ve done in years.”

  “You haven’t seen romance yet.” He kissed her again, and she laughed. “Careful, beautiful. You’ll hurt my ego, laughing at my kisses.”

  She pressed her lips to the center of his chest, sending heat racing south. “I adore your kisses. I laughed because Aurelia was here earlier.”

  “Here we go.” He knew his affinity for romance would get out sooner or later, but he’d been hoping for later.

  “I’m trying to picture you reading romance.”

  “How about you picture me reading your body instead?” He lifted her up again, and she laughed as he sank down to a chair with her straddling his lap.

  “Do you actually like romance novels?” she asked. “Or do you have a stack that you write in, pretending the authors sign them, then give them out to unsuspecting single moms to get nookie points?”

  He laughed. “Maybe I should try that.”

  She scowled.

  “I don’t usually give women the time of day. You’re an exception to my every rule.” He gathered her hair in one hand, hooked a finger in the collar of her sweatshirt, and pulled it aside, placing kisses along her shoulder. “I’ve seen horrible things. I like to keep things light between assignments.” He tugged her collar down and pressed a kiss to the center of her breastbone. “No fake autographs. Just a need to disappear into something that ends with a happily ever after.” Something I can never have.

  “An escape,” she said breathlessly.

  He lifted the hem of her sweatshirt, tugged the cup of her bra down, brushed his mouth over her nipple until it pebbled, and took it in his mouth. She arched forward, clutching his head and writhing against his cock as he licked and sucked.

  “Bodhi—”

  The heated whisper brought his eyes up to hers.

  “Don’t stop,” she pleaded.

  He pushed his fingers beneath the fringe of her shorts, stroking her through her damp panties, and a groan tore from his lungs. He pushed her panties aside and sank his fingers into her tight heat.

  She clawed at his skin, pleas pouring from her lungs like demands. “Harder. There. Bodhi—”

  He claimed her mouth, swallowing her cries as she gave herself over to him completely. He slowed their kisses, competing with the frantic clenching of her sex, holding her at the peak, and enjoying every second of driving her out of her mind. They kissed until she went limp.

  “Bodhi.” She snuggled against his neck. “I’ve lost count, but I think I owe you a few orgasms.”

  He kissed her cheek, chuckling. “Babe, you don’t owe me anything.”

  “If you were with a girl without a child, you could be in her bed right now.”

  “If I were with a girl, I’d be in jail. Don’t you get it? I don’t do this. I’m not the kind of guy who goes after single women to get off for a night.” He touched his forehead to hers. “I want you, Bridgette. I like who you are with your son. You’re protective, and loving, and you made a fort that took over your entire living room without making him clean it up before bedtime. You have your priorities straight, and at thirty-four, that’s much more attractive to me than a quick roll on the mattress with someone who’ll be in another guy’s bed the next night.”

  “And knowing that makes you very hard to resist.” She pressed her lips to his. “Do you think we can do this? I know people date without commitments all the time, but they don’t have little boys around twenty-four-seven. I don’t think we should let him see us holding hands or anything.”

  He nodded, hoping like hell he could keep up his half of the bargain. “We’ll be careful.”

  She closed her eyes, resting her cheek on his shoulder, and he soaked in their closeness. As much as he hated to leave, he knew he had to. “I’d better go. If I don’t, I’m going to kiss you again, and then I’ll never leave.”

  “I wish you could stay,” she whispered.

  His chest constricted. He knew she was just swept up in the moment, making it that much more difficult for him to rein in his own rampant desires.

  “I know you can’t, but . . .” She gazed into his eyes, and a world of longing stared back at him. “I would never wish Louie wasn’t with me, but I’d give anything to have a whole night alone with you.”

  “We’ll make plans when Louie’s all better.” He kissed her tenderly. “Louie’s your here, now, and forever. He needs to come first.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  BRIDGETTE SLEPT THROUGH the alarm Monday morning, sending her into a panic. She raced through her shower and getting Louie’s breakfast ready. Louie spilled cereal all over his clothes, and all over Jeter, which caused a torrent of tears.

  “It’s okay, honey. You run upstairs and get changed, and I’ll get him cleaned right up.” As her little man hurried up the stairs, she washed the stuffed animal in the sink, trying to picture Bodhi’s reaction to this morning’s mayhem. His morning chaos probably consisted of which to do first—turn on the coffeemaker or let Dahlia outside.

  A knock sounded at the door, and she hurried to answer
it, but Louie got there first. Her insides melted at the sight of Bodhi crouched in front of her boy with their foreheads almost touching. Louie had changed into a long-sleeved T-shirt with YANKEES emblazoned across the chest, a pair of shorts, and his favorite old, one-size-too-small blue rain boots he refused to throw away. He put his arms around Bodhi’s neck, and Bodhi rose to his feet, scooping up Louie with one arm and holding an empty mug in the other hand. Bodhi’s gaze trailed down Bridgette’s pink sweater, over her white miniskirt, all the way down to her strappy white sandals. An appreciative smile broke through his serious expression.

  “Morning, beautif—Bridgette. I just came by to borrow some sugar and heard about the cereal tragedy.”

  His presence was like the calm at the eye of her morning storm. Just what I needed. “It was only a little spill. But Jeter’s all cleaned up. Grandma Roxie can put him in the dryer when she picks up Louie.”

  “See that?” Bodhi said to her little boy, who was beaming at his new buddy. “Your mom’s got your back.”

  “What does that mean?” Louie asked, absently tracing the line of Bodhi’s scruff with his finger.

  “It means she loves you, and she’s always watching out for you. Think she’ll mind lending me some sugar for my coffee?”

  “Nope.” Louie wiggled out of his arms. “We have a huge bag of sugar in the pantry.”

  “Honey, run up and get your backpack with all the things you want to bring to Grandma and Grandpa’s while I get Bodhi some sugar, okay?”

  Louie darted up the stairs. Bridgette tugged Bodhi into the kitchen and around the corner, out of the line of vision from the hallway in case Louie came down. Bodhi backed her up against the wall, taking advantage of every second, and kissed her breathless.

  “I didn’t expect to get two seconds alone with you.” His mouth came down over hers again, sending gusts of heat swirling through her.

  At the sound of Louie’s footsteps on the stairs, Bodhi pushed back, while she tried to remain erect on Jell-O legs.

  “Did you get your sugar?” Louie asked.

  “I did, little dude, and it was even sweeter than I’d hoped.”

  Louie smiled up at Bodhi and said, “Mommy has your back, too.”

  Bodhi’s eyes darkened. He ran a hand through his hair and gave Louie a serious nod. One glance at the enticing bulge in his jeans told Bridgette she wasn’t the only one still reeling from their kisses.

  “SO, YOU’RE FUCK buddies?” Piper followed Bridgette to the back of the flower shop late Monday afternoon as Bridgette prepared to meet with a couple to discuss floral arrangements for their wedding.

  “Do you see any hard hats in here? How about being a little less crude?” Piper had come directly from a job site. Clearly her mind was still stuck in man-mode.

  Bridgette pulled several thick binders from a shelf and carried them to the table by the windows, thinking about being in Bodhi’s arms last night.

  “Sorry, Bridge. I forget you’ve been brainwashed by years of mommying. I do love that he came over and left with an empty mug.”

  “He might have left with an empty mug, but he did not leave running on empty.”

  Piper touched her arm, stopping her from fidgeting with the binders. “Seriously. Do I need to worry about you?”

  “Why? We’re not even sleeping together yet.” Although she wanted to be. She headed toward the back of the store and grabbed a bouquet for the table. “I can handle this, Piper, and I’ll be careful with Louie. He won’t know there’s anything more than friendship between us.”

  “I joke about you getting down and dirty, but in all seriousness, are you sure you can do this without getting attached?” Piper arched a finely manicured brow. “The guy lives next door, which means easy access to nighttime rendezvous, and he cleaned puke off the floor of your car. That’s got to do something to your mommy hormones.”

  Bridgette set the vase on the table. “Isn’t it crazy that I can get turned on by a guy cleaning up puke? That was truly one of the hottest things he could have done.”

  “Yeah. Gross. I think I might wait until I’m totally over hot sex to have kids.”

  “What makes you think you’ll ever get over hot sex?” She looked at her tough-as-nails sister, knowing that beneath her steel armor was a sensitive soul. But it would take a hell of a tough man to break through her barriers. Bodhi had come off the same way, but he wasn’t completely encased in a brick silo, as Aurelia had thought. Bodhi and I aren’t that different after all. Her mind traveled back to Jerry, who had been very different from Bodhi.

  “Why do you look like you’re doing algebra in your head?” Piper asked.

  Bridgette shrugged. “Just thinking how different Bodhi is from Jerry. Jerry was like my male counterpart. We were both wild. We never planned or thought things through. We just did whatever we wanted, around his touring schedule, of course. And he was always smiling and joking. Bodhi’s careful and he’s always thinking ahead, worrying over things. And his smiles come few and far between, like secrets I don’t want to miss.”

  “And . . . ?” Piper flipped open a binder and began leafing through it.

  “I don’t know. It’s just interesting that I’ve only ever felt completely swept up in two men, and they’re complete opposites. And yet I feel like I was as similar to Jerry as I am to Bodhi, which is even weirder.”

  “Well, baby sister. Maybe that says more about you than them. Are you sure you can handle this? There’s a lot of analyzing going on in that pretty little head of yours.”

  “Pfft. This is a piece of cake compared to dealing with a colicky baby or two-year-old tantrums. Sex with no commitments? I’ve totally got this. That’s my thing, remember?” She was a big, fat liar. She’d been a wild child, going to too many parties, drinking with her friends, staying out all night, though she’d never slept around. But Willow was the only one who knew the truth about that part of her life. Piper took what she wanted, when she wanted it, without her emotions getting in the way. Maybe if she could convince Piper she could handle it, she could convince herself, too.

  Piper smirked. “That was your thing, years ago. It hasn’t been your thing for a very long time. Not that I don’t think you deserve it. I just don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “Not a chance.” Bridgette put her hands on her hips, meeting Piper’s concerned gaze. “We put all our cards on the table. I know he’s leaving in a couple of weeks, and he knows I can’t put Louie at risk of getting attached.”

  “Getting attached to what?” Willow asked as she came through the archway carrying a bakery box.

  “Hey, Will,” Piper said. “What’s in the box?”

  “Zane and I are going to a dinner meeting in the city about his screenplay.” She opened the box. “I’m bringing these, but I have way too many. Take one.”

  Bridgette and Piper each grabbed a pastry.

  “So . . . ?” Willow asked. “Attached?”

  Piper turned an expectant gaze on Bridgette.

  “Me and Bodhi,” Bridgette answered. She’d filled in Willow before work about her talk with Bodhi. “She’s worried I can’t handle the friends-with-benefits thing.”

  “I sucked at it, obviously.” Willow waved her engagement ring. “But Bridge has great willpower, and she has her priorities straight. She’s careful. She’s definitely got this. I was thinking, since you don’t really have any time alone with Bodhi to take advantage of the neighborly things he is so generously offering, Zane and I would be happy to babysit. This coming weekend is crazy at the bakery, and the Peach Festival is next weekend, but maybe one day in between?”

  Excitement whipped through Bridgette. Louie was feeling better this morning, and Roxie had taken him to the park to run off some energy. Bridgette had actually considered opening the shop late and showing up at Bodhi’s house to seduce him. But sanity had taken over, and she’d come in to work like a responsible adult. Adulting sucked sometimes.

  “I’d give anything for a night with Bodhi
without worrying about being interrupted,” Bridgette admitted. “I feel like we’re teenagers dodging our parents, making out in fits and spurts. I don’t need a lot of freedom. All I want is one night to fall asleep in his arms and wake up with him in the morning. Does that make me a terrible mother?”

  “It makes you a twentysomething woman. But if I were in your position, I’d want one night to attack him,” Piper said. “You can cuddle when Louie’s watching television.”

  Bridgette rolled her eyes. If only it were that easy. “No, I can’t. Louie’s never seen me with a man.” She’d been up half the night worrying over how to handle things around Louie. Could she keep her lips to herself around him when Bodhi was with them?

  “None of us have since you moved back home,” Piper reminded her.

  “Yes, but you guys are adults. You’re pulling for me to enjoy myself. Louie’s impressionable. If he thinks Bodhi and I are a couple, it’ll make it harder for him when Bodhi leaves.”

  Willow and Piper exchanged a look that Bridgette read too easily.

  “You can fool a kid, but what about you?” Piper asked.

  Oh, the tangled web of lies she was weaving. “I’m a mother. I can handle anything.”

  BODHI FINISHED PAINTING the trim in the upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms Monday evening, cleaned up, and went for a run. It was after nine when he got back. Louie hadn’t called on his walkie-talkie, and Bodhi imagined the newness of the gift had worn off. He could kick himself for not asking for Bridgette’s phone number. After barging in unannounced that morning, he decided against showing up again this evening. But she was like a drug, and he wanted his next hit.

  Badly.

  He took a shower, and his phone rang as he dried off. Shira’s name flashed on the screen. He tugged on his briefs and answered.

  “Hey, you.”

  “Hi. How’s life in Sweetwater? Do you miss the incessant noise of the city yet?”

  “Not even a little. What’s happening with you?”