Page 20 of Patio Lanterns (The Blue Canoe Cottage #1)

Rick

What had she done to him? Days ago, he’d had a perfectly fine, peaceful existence, unable to fathom anything better than the life of solitude he’d found at the cottage.

And then, Robin walked in. She not only changed the air in the room, she rearranged all his molecules.

She had opened his eyes to a spectacular universe of colours he didn’t know he’d been blind to, having wasted hundreds of worthless evenings living alone in his drab grey world. He’d woken up from a long hibernation feeling like a whole new man.

Well, part man, part lovestruck buffoon, really.

His head was filled with all sorts of romantic, candlelit scenarios that ended with him sweeping Robin off her feet.

He’d been drawn into her orbit, enticed by her celestial body and heavenly smile, but now, he was captivated by each and every one of her ethereal charms.

Everything Robin had to say the night before had shaken him up.

But she was right. There was no denying that they’d clicked.

And the uncommon connection they had really was like catching lightning in a bottle.

He’d be a fool to pass up being with her, even for just a few more precious days, because he sure as hell wasn’t getting another chance like it in this lifetime.

Women had come and gone from Rick’s life after his divorce, especially back when he was still a player in every sense of the word.

As he matured, he became more selective about his girlfriends and was content to settle into longer-lasting relationships.

Six months. A couple of years. Eight and a half years had been his longest and most recent, although that had come to an end coming up on three years ago.

He found comfort in being committed to one person at a time, even if none of those relationships were built to go the distance.

He liked the stability, the security, the trust, and, quite honestly, it was nice to take his foot off the gas and relax into the idea of being himself without the pressure to constantly impress.

With Robin, he’d been his authentic self from the beginning, and he liked that she seemed to like him for who he was. She was a breath of fresh air, free-spirited, and fun. Heaven knows he needed more Robin Pelletier in his life.

Eager to get to know her better, he wanted to ask her out.

For a real date. He hadn’t done that in years, definitely not since he’d moved to the lake, and it immediately put a flutter of nerves in his chest. Back in the day, when he had game, getting a date was never a problem.

Of course, it used to be as easy as buying a girl a drink to get her number or sending flowers to win her over.

Even if Lake Whippoorwill had a florist, which it didn’t, roses probably wouldn’t have done the trick with Robin anyway.

She didn’t strike him as a flowers kind of girl.

Speaking of Miss July, she finally came out of the store and approached the Jeep, carrying a bulging paper bag.

“Groceries?” he asked, as she handed it to him. He tucked the bag behind her seat as she hopped in.

“Oh, that’s just my mail,” she answered. She pulled the seatbelt across her body and clicked in. “And a box of condoms. They’re a gift from Mrs. Crawley, who seems to think you’re quite a randy fellow.”

“Me?” He started to laugh. “Oh, Christ. It’s got to be because I bought condoms when I stopped by earlier.”

Robin laughed too. “And I bought a new box after leaving your place yesterday. Does she really believe we’re in danger of going through two boxes before the weekend?”

“But how did she even…?”

“Guess she picked up on it when she saw us together. Oh, and she said to wrap it before you tap it.” She giggled before they burst out laughing again.

“Wait a minute,” he said, catching his breath. “Is that why she was giving me the evil eye back there? It seriously gave me the creeps.”

“When I was little, I believed Mrs. Crawley was a witch and honestly, I don’t think anyone could convince me otherwise.”

He started the ignition. “So, uh… hey, I’ve been thinking,” he said, putting the Jeep in drive, “what would you say to going out tonight?”

She flashed a smile. “You mean, like on a date?”

“Yeah, exactly like a date.” Now he was second-guessing himself. “Why? Does that sound corny?”

“I don’t think it’s corny at all,” she assured him. “I think it’s sweet.”

“You do?” He smiled as they pulled away from the store.

“Of course,” she said, reaching over and clamping her hand just above his knee. “I’d love to get to know you better.”

He grinned from ear to ear. “Great. I was thinking we’d go out and have dinner first, and then… well, maybe I’ll keep a surprise or two up my sleeve.”

“I love it,” she said, squeezing his thigh. “You are so thoughtful.”

“Give me a couple of hours to make arrangements, and I’ll text you the details later, Miss July.”

She sighed a happy sigh, matching the contentment he felt. “You’re really something, you know that?”

“Funny, I’ve been thinking the same about you,” he said, flying high as he punched down on the accelerator.

“What time are you supposed to meet Aidan at the Blue Canoe?”

He glanced at the clock on the dash. “He said to come around two-thirty, so we’ll be there a bit early,” he answered, before glancing her way. “Why?”

She raised one wicked eyebrow. “How about we take a little detour?”

He pulled off and turned onto a dead-end service road, finding a private place to park beneath the shaded cover of massive pine trees.

“I know we don’t have much time, so let’s make the most of this,” she said, pulling her t-shirt over her head. Her bulging breasts jiggled as they settled in her silky bra. As criminal as it was to see those beauties tethered, it made his mouth water just eyeing the tease of her supple bosom.

God, she was so fucking sexy. He licked his lips.

“I can’t remember the last time I went parking with a girl,” he told her, releasing his seatbelt along with the last of his restraint. “But I know it was never with a girl as hot as you.”

He needed to touch her, more than he needed air to breathe, and immediately filled each of his hands with a heaping cupful of her rounded flesh.

She fell into him, her plush lips finding a soft place to land against his.

Plunging into the depths of her hot mouth, they both moaned as their gliding tongues sensually played.

If anyone had asked him when he’d become the luckiest bastard on the planet, he’d have told them that it happened two days ago, right around suppertime.

Without breaking their kiss, she reached into his lap, quickly discovering how much she turned him on.

“Oooh, that’s some mighty Big Rick Energy right there,” she cooed, massaging his cock through the faded denim. “You wanna fuck my mouth with it?”

Staring at her full lips, moist and plump and so inviting, he groaned in the affirmative. “You know I do.”

Her tongue slid across her bottom lip, leaving it slick and shiny. “Mmm… I’m glad, because I’ve been dreaming about sucking you off since last night.”

He moved further back in his seat, giving her room to work. A gasp fell from his lips as she unzipped his jeans and reached inside, her cool fingers wrapping around his twitching heat. She gave his happy cock a few gentle tugs before working it free.

“Ohhh baby, gimme some of that,” she whimpered, lusting after the feast that awaited.

She swept her hair away from her face, holding it back with one hand as she cuffed the girthy base of his dick with the other.

He vibrated with excitement as she leaned over and lowered her mouth.

The anticipation of fully entering her hot, wet paradise sent lust slamming into his chest moments before she took him in, and he saw stars.

Her smooth, swirling tongue lavished oral attention on his cock’s meaty head as she dragged her hand up and down the shaft.

Every pulsing sensation coursing through him was as electrical as it was exquisite, stoking his desire for more of it, more of her, more of everything, as untold pleasure tremored through his body.

He had no idea what he’d done in this, or in any of his past lives, to deserve getting head this good.

Under the hypnotic spell of her caressing mouth, he reached up behind him to claw at the headrest, desperately needing something to cling to.

“Oh fuck, yes,” he rasped, as his entire world narrowed to the tight seal of her lips and the fucking miracle of her mouth.

His jaw clenched tight, and sweat tickled his brow, his heart beating wildly in his thumping chest. Succumbing to the rhythm of her hungry mouth in tandem with the velvety vice-grip of her hand jacking his length, it was like riding a runaway freight train about to jump the tracks, and he was totally getting off.

He fought to keep his eyes from closing, willing himself to watch the glorious sight of her head of curls bobbing in his lap.

He placed his hand on the back of her head, guiding her rhythm as she masterfully orchestrated his gratification.

The feel of her slippery lips rolling over his cock was getting to be too much.

Gritting his teeth, a primitive, guttural sound rumbled through him, somewhere between a demanding grunt and a pleading growl. “I’m so close.”

She eased back her frenzied rhythm, finding a new, slower cadence, yet deliberately sucking him in harder and deeper.

“Fuck, baby,” he hissed. His body short-circuited, tripping the sudden, intense power surge.

Heart hammering, mind reeling, and nerves pulled taut, he surrendered to an earthquake of pleasure that shook his entire body.

She took everything he had to give, her enthusiastic lapping and swallowing gradually giving way to gently suckling kisses before she sat up again.

She sat up. Still licking him from her lips, the corners of her mouth curled into a Cheshire grin. “Now what do you have to say for yourself, Ricky Hunter?”