Love So Right (The Lawson Brothers #7) Read online

  She lifted her chin, barely brushing her lips against his, but it was as if lightning struck her. Her nipples hardened and her thighs clenched. “I would feel like that was the right thing for us to do.”

  With his free hand, he cupped the side of her face and kissed her. Full on, without hesitation, he kissed her. And it was the best kiss she’d ever been given.

  His lips were soft but firm as they moved in sync with hers. He didn’t try to shove his tongue down her throat. Instead, he took his time feasting on her mouth, playing at the corners and teasing her bottom lip.

  She was the one to open up for him, the one to lick the seam of his mouth and explore every inch. When he groaned, she smiled, then moaned when he returned the favor and tangled his tongue with hers.

  “We need to go,” he said between kisses.

  She nodded. They started walking to his apartment, stopping every so often so they could steal more kisses. It took twice as long to get there, but she was so turned on and sure of herself she didn’t care. He didn’t seem to either.

  They tore at each other’s clothes, chasing after their hands with their mouths. He found every sensitive place on her body without even touching her most intimate parts.

  Her head fell back as he nibbled on her ear, his breath sounding harsh.

  “You sure about this?” he asked, grabbing her hips and lifting her to him.

  She nodded, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. “Very sure.” The crisp hair on his chest tickled her skin as her nipples scraped against it. “You have protection, right?”

  “I have everything we need. You can stay the weekend with me.”

  Fear pinged in her chest, but she pushed it away and focused on his cock sliding against her clit. “Give me lots of orgasms and I’ll stay as long as you want.”

  “That sounds like a challenge.” He laid her on his bed and stared at her. “Damn, you’re beautiful.” Then he grabbed her ankle, bringing it to his mouth, and began to work his way up to her inner thigh. “Taste good, too.”

  When his head dipped between her thighs and he parted her with his thumbs, she arched her back, breathless for his tongue and mouth. Preston didn’t disappoint, and he didn’t tease her either.

  He gave and he gave, sucking on her clit like his life depended on it. He slipped a finger inside of her and then another, pushing her even closer to the edge.

  She moaned his name loudly, and that seemed to spur him on. He lightly scrapped his teeth against her swollen clit and, just like that, she shattered.

  She burned.

  She died from feeling so good that she didn’t want to come back to life.

  While she came back to reality, he grabbed a condom from his nightstand and put it on, then crawled up the bed and lifted her leg to hook over his arm before slowly, oh so slowly, sinking inside of her.

  “I was right about you,” he said, his blue eyes practically glowing. “You do feel like Heaven.”

  “So do you,” she said, wriggling her hips to send him deeper.

  His eyes closed, his lashes dark arcs along his cheeks. “Not going to last long if you keep doing that.”

  “Then it’s a good thing you have everything we need for me to stay the weekend.”

  He opened his eyes. “I’m holding you to that, Apple.”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  With a sexy smile, he began to move, slowly thrusting in and out of her. He sought her mouth, so she gave it to him, kissing him as she clutched at his shoulders and spread her thighs wider.

  A groan rumbled from his chest and he picked up his pace, but he still went just as deep. He grabbed one of her hips, planting his other arm on the mattress beside her, while she kept her legs right where he’d put them. The angle was so good, so right, that moving even an inch either way was unthinkable.

  “You with me, baby?” he asked, his voice husky with desire.

  “I think so.”

  “Tell me what I need to do.”

  She wanted to swoon. “Let me touch myself. I promise to stay right where you put me though.”

  “Damn,” he muttered, letting go of her so he could raise up a little. “How’s this?”

  She touched her clit, rubbing it firmly. “Amazing.”

  “Oh hell,” he cursed, his hips jerking against her.

  “Feels as good as you do, moving inside of me,” she said.

  He leaned up even more, his gaze fixed on her fingers. “That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. You keep doing that. I’ll keep this up for as long as you need.”

  She closed her eyes against the stars that appeared, determined to keep him inside her for as long as possible. “Might be a while.”

  “So that’s how it’s going to be.” He slipped his hand under her ass, his fingers teasing her between her cheeks. “I’ll help you out, Ms. McCoy.”

  Her eyes flew open as he sank his cock deep. She bit her lip, but couldn’t stop the tremors that racked her body or the moan that followed.

  “That’s it. Just like that.” He stiffened above her, his face contorting as he lowered his head and groaned her name. His cock jumped and pulsed as he came, and she loved every second of it.

  Pulling him down to her, she captured his mouth in a kiss, not meant to enflame but to thank. He smiled against her lips, whispered how he needed to finish taking care of her, and moved. She winced a little when he pulled out, watching as he headed toward the bathroom.

  Contrary to what everyone thought about her, she actually hadn’t been with anyone in years. She found that her heart had a mind of its own when it came to love and sex. It had a hard time separating the two, so after the third time she was rejected by a man moving on to be with another, she simply stopped sleeping with anyone, and just let everyone think what they wanted.

  It was much, much easier and less messier that way.

  Preston entered the bedroom again, a cloth in his hand and a tender smile on his face. Her heart flipped in her chest. He was so caring... so loving and—

  Oh no.

  It was happening again. She was falling, but they... weren’t a couple. He wanted to be her friend and her lover. A grown-up, more palatable version of friends with benefits.

  The cloth was warm and damp as he moved it over her body and then between her legs. “Want me to run a bath for you?”

  “No.”

  “Hungry?”

  “Maybe a little.”

  He grinned, obviously happy to do something other than talk to her. Or maybe she was projecting because she didn’t want to have a conversation. “If you’ll give me some time to recover, I’ll make dinner for us.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” To her horror, he slid in bed beside her, maneuvering them until they were under the covers and pulling her into his arms. He brushed a kiss against her temple. “We’re still good friends, right?”

  And if that didn’t confirm her worst fears, she didn’t know what would.

  “The very best,” she replied cheerfully.

  He yawned and kissed the top of her head. “Might be longer than I thought to recover from you, sweetheart.”

  “Take all the time you need,” she said, wondering how she would get out of the mess she just made. “We have the whole weekend.”

  Or she could enjoy spending time with him tonight and walk away tomorrow.

  Chapter Seven

  Preston woke up and looked at the clock, shocked at the time. It had been eight hours since he’d first brought Apple home with him, and now the sun was shining in the windows. He could still taste her on his lips. Could still feel her breasts as they pressed against him, the soft skin of her firm thighs as she straddled his legs and rode him—now that had been hot as hell.

  They’d fallen asleep not too long after that, once he’d made good on his promise to cook her dinner. They’d eaten spaghetti in bed, something that had never occurred to him to do.

  “Are you sure you won’t mind if I get sauce on your sheets?”
Apple asked, her eyes sparkling as she ate another bite.

  “I’m kinda hoping you get some on your boobs, so I can lick it off.”

  Her nose wrinkled. “You are such a guy.” She dragged her finger through the sauce on her plate, and then drew a line from the top of her breast to one rosy nipple. “Oops.”

  Without wasting time, he leaned forward and cleaned every bit off her, then spent a few minutes worshipping her nipples.

  He grinned at the memory, even as his morning wood saluted him.

  Then again, maybe he was out of the loop when it came to sexy things to do with a girlfriend. It had been a long time since he had one... years since he’d actually had sex. She’d probably never believe him, but once he knew she was the one for him, he’d simply stopped dating, said no to any offers of a good time that came his way, and made it his mission to redeem his reputation.

  Maybe he should tell her that.

  Yeah, he really should. She needed to know how much he thought of her.

  Reaching for her, he rolled over to find her side empty and nearly cold to the touch. Only her scent lingered on the pillow.

  He sat up. “Apple?”

  There was no answer, so he got out of bed to find her, but not only were her clothes gone... but so was she.

  “What the fuck,” he muttered, grabbing his phone. No text or voice mail from her. Not even a missed call. He ran a hand through his hair, wondering what he’d done to make her leave.

  Had he said something wrong? Did he suck in bed?

  “Yeah, right.” Even he was cocky and confident enough to know that he was damn good in bed... and they’d been fantastic together.

  She’d come multiple times. Beautifully.

  No mistaking how hard her nipples were, how wet she’d gotten, or how pink her skin turned each time. Hard to fake a natural reaction to the introduction of oxytocin to the body that orgasms produced.

  Taking a chance that she got unexpectedly called into work, he texted Apple.

  Preston: If you’re up for breakfast, I can cook a mean omelet.

  She didn’t answer right away. In fact, she didn’t answer him until well after lunch. By that time, he’d eaten, showered, and gotten dressed for the day.

  Apple: I’m really busy. Thanks for the offer.

  “That’s it?” He stared at the screen, but nothing else came through from her. “What the hell, Apple?”

  He grabbed his keys and baseball cap, then headed down to his truck, intent on doing whatever he could at Whiskey Hollow to take his mind off Apple until he felt calm enough to speak to her.

  Except he was calm.

  He was known for being coolheaded in tense situations. This was no different. Except it was entirely different because this situation had everything to do with her.

  Parking his truck in the back, he headed inside, pausing long enough to take the trash that had been left outside to the dumpster.

  Elijah greeted him a minute later as he was washing his hands. “You’re not supposed to come until six.”

  “Change of plans.”

  Elijah studied him for a minute. “By you or by your date?”

  “Not by me, that’s for sure.” He grabbed a couple of paper towels, dried his hands, and crumpled them up so he could shoot free throws into the trash can.

  “Date didn’t go well, I take it.”

  Preston looked at his cousin. “Actually, it was one of the best dates we’ve... I’ve ever had.”

  “But she doesn’t feel that way?”

  Even though he hated telling anyone his personal business, he had to talk to someone. He ran a hand through his hair. “She... went home early.”

  “Did she say why?”

  “Nope. I have no idea what I did, or what I didn’t do, to make her feel like she had to leave early either.”

  Elijah scratched his jaw. “Is it really important to you to know her reasoning?”

  He gave his cousin a look, then brushed past him and moved to the hallway. “What do you think?”

  “Call my sister-in-law.”

  “You think Lemon is going to talk to me, especially if she thinks I’ve done Apple wrong?”

  “No idea. I figure if it’s important, you’ll do whatever you can to fix it.”

  “That’s my plan, but I needed to get over myself first.”

  Elijah laughed. “Even better plan.”

  “I used to think I was chill, but you’ve got me beat.” Preston rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you have Lemon’s number?”

  “It’s on the family Facebook page. Mason created a document and uploaded it to the files section.”

  “Does anyone still use it?” He generally avoided social media except to promote the bar.

  “Mason does, so he can point out fake news. In his case, everything is fake news, no matter what. He’s not a fan of the media or politicians.”

  “He’s not a fan of people.”

  “I don’t know,” Elijah said. “I think he enjoys being this way now. It’s sort of his thing. I can’t see Skylar tolerating that kind of straight-up grumpy ass behavior for very long.”

  “Me either. He’s probably different with her, though.”

  “Probably, but she’s not the type to put up with him being that way to other people.”

  “That’s because she actually likes people,” Preston said with a laugh. “Amazing how opposites attract.”

  “Even more amazing how opposites make it work.”

  “You’re so full of advice today. Can’t wait for you to have to follow it.”

  Elijah grinned. “I’m actually looking forward to it.”

  “There’s always an odd one in every family.”

  *

  Preston waited ten minutes before he called Lemon, sure the entire time her phone rang that she wouldn’t take his call.

  “Hello?”

  Son of a gun. Now he was sure she was going to bless him out. “Lemon? This is Preston... Lawson. Tristan’s cousin.”

  “I know who you are.”

  Yep, this was going straight downhill. “Have you talked to Apple lately?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did she... uh, seem unhappy?”

  “Actually, she seemed distracted and tense. I said it was time for her to finally take that vacation to Jamaica, to stay at the Blue Waters Resort. Lord knows she’s been putting it off forever.”

  “She did? You did?”

  “Sometimes, we just need to get away from it all so we can think clearly.”

  “On that, I agree with you. Was there anything Apple said that gave you a hint as to why she was distracted and tense?”

  Lemon sighed thickly. “I don’t think it’s my place to get involved in Apple’s relationships, but in your case, I’ll make an exception. I think you spooked her. I think you’ve turned her world inside out and upside down, and she doesn’t know which way to go. She’s been burned, badly, in the past, and while I don’t know a lot about her dating life, like Cherry does, I know enough to hedge my bets on what scares her.”

  “And that would be?” he asked, even though he already had an inkling as to what her answer was going to be.

  “You scare her, Preston.”

  Ding. Ding. Ding. And he was the winner of exactly shit for being right. He felt like shit, too. “That wasn’t my intention, Lemon. I care for you sister.”

  “Don’t mistake what I’m saying. You scare her in the best way possible. She doesn’t know how to manage you and she’s thrilled, but she won’t tell you that. Besides, Apple doesn’t get worked up over nothing... or men she couldn’t give a rat’s tail about.”

  What other men? Shit, it was none of his damn business, and he was related to one of those stupid men from her past. She’d set him straight on that front, though, and he believed her. “When will she be back?”

  “No idea. She left about two hours ago to stay at the Blue Waters Resort, down in Jamaica.”

  “Yeah, I know where she’s staying...” He wa
s an idiot. Lemon was giving him all the information he needed to go to Apple and make things right. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t break her heart, Preston, and don’t let her break yours,” Lemon said.

  “I’ll do my level best.” He hung up the phone, sat down at the desk in the office he shared with Elijah, and pulled up flights to Jamaica while he booked a room at the Blue Waters Resort.

  “Eli,” he called out. “I’ve decided to take that paid vacation.”

  “Excellent,” was Elijah’s muffled response from the other room.

  “Starting today.”

  “Go get your woman.”

  With a smile, Preston shook his head, muttering, “Seriously... does anything bother him?”

  Elijah stuck his head in the office. “Nope.”

  Chapter Eight

  Clear skies, blue water, and a spot right on the beach while waiters served drinks should have been Apple’s version of Heaven on earth.

  It would have been if she wasn’t so miserable and feeling guilty. Not even the drink of the day, a banana and coconut rum concoction, could make her feel better. A full day had passed since she’d texted him back that she was busy, but he hadn’t tried to contact her since. The wind gusted, nearly knocking off her hat, but she shoved it down further on her head and adjusted her sunglasses.

  Taking another long sip of her drink, she stared out at the ocean while kayakers paddled over the waves and families played in the surf. Directly in front of her, half-a-dozen couples played a game where the object was to get in the most ridiculous position possible to throw a raw egg for their partner to catch.

  Gah.

  That was the last thing she wanted to see. The last thing she wanted to be reminded about... because she could be having fun like that. Well, not raw-egg-throwing fun, but fun nonetheless with Preston.

  Like eating spaghetti in bed, for instance.

  That had been fun. Preston licking sauce off her skin had been erotic fun.

  “Yet, you ruined it by leaving without saying a word,” she muttered to herself.

  “I wouldn’t say you ruined it. Hurt my ego, yeah... but I’m a big boy and I can get over it.”

  Apple started so hard she dropped her drink in the sand. Preston bent over, picking up the glass and passing it to one of the waiters. “Can we have two more of these?”