Laying a Foundation: Bonus volume: Includes series prequel, The Groundbreaking (The Love Under Construction Series) (35 page)

Tony rolled them onto their sides, their bodies entangled, and stared into her face. For the first time in his life, naked and sated, still buried inside a woman, he saw love looking back at him, and he felt a peace he’d never known before take root in his chest. This was his woman, and she loved him as much as he loved her. In that bed, in that room, in that house in a tiny little mountain town, Tony Walters, who had everything a man could want, had finally found what he’d wanted most.

Real love.

“Well, Mr. Walters, was that okay?” she asked with more than a hint of satisfaction in her voice, her face on his chest, her fingers dawdling about through his chest hair and circling his nipples.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing, Ms. Wal . . . Wilkes.” He’d almost called her by his last name. Was that what he wanted? Everything was happening so fast. Should he slow it down, put on the brakes? Who the hell was he kidding? He wanted to claim her and do it fast, but common sense said to wait, at least for a little while anyway.

“I’m a satisfied customer, stud. I want more. You?”

“God, yes. Making love with you was lots of things, but I wouldn’t say okay. That nowhere near does it justice,” he announced and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ve never felt like that before in my life.”

“Me neither.” She pinched his nipple lightly.

“What about with Randy?”

“Nope.” She ran her tongue from his chin up the side of his jaw, then up to his ear, where she rimmed the ridge around the outside of his ear. He shuddered and his cock jumped. “Not even with Randy.”

He couldn’t believe it. “Seriously? In thirty years?”

“Not in thirty years. I don’t know what just happened here, but I feel, well, different somehow. Like you’ve unlocked something really deep down inside me and set it free.” She reached down and touched his cock, then wrapped her fingers around it, her hand instinctively beginning to pour the friction on. He hadn’t completely softened from the first time, and he stiffened proudly again.

“If you don’t stop that,” he growled at her, “we’ll have to do it again.”

“I’ve got news for you, big boy.” She flashed him an evil grin. “I was banking on doing it again anyway.”

At four thirty the next morning, Tony sighed and rolled off of Nikki. “Round four, precious. Or was that five – or six? I think I’m done for the night.”

Nikki giggled and curled up against him. “Surely you’re not tired?”

“And you’re not?” he groaned out sarcastically.

“Of course not!” She laughed and added, “Well, maybe just a little . . .”

He rolled back on top of her and started tickling her ribs, and she squealed and pretended to fight him off. Then he stopped and his eyes bored deep into hers with a look that warmed her heart.

She waited, but he didn’t say a word. “What?”

He smiled a dreamy smile. “I’m thinking about how much I love you and how happy I am at this very minute.” He hesitated, then asked, “Are you happy too?”

Nikki’s eyes welled and she answered in a broken whisper, “This moment, right now? It’s the absolute happiest of my life. I’m just waiting for the next moment with you, because I’m pretty sure it’s going to be even happier.”

Tony leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips, a long, sweet, warm, closed-mouth kiss that caused her heart to beat faster and stronger. It was a kiss full of roses and honey and chocolates with toffee, of hopes and plans and prayers. It told her she’d made all his dreams come true, just like he had hers.

He rolled them both back onto their sides and wrapped his arms tight around her. With her body pressed tight against him, her face tucked into his chest, and her arms around his waist, they drifted off to sleep.

God, she was hungry! Nikki checked the clock; nine thirty. Tony had made it to the other side of the king-size bed during the night, so she scooted across and spooned his back, throwing an arm across his ribcage. Reaching back, he grabbed the cheek of her ass and pulled her closer into him.

“Good morning, angel,” he said in a voice hoarse with sleep. “Get some rest?”

“Um-hum. And I’m starving.”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to see what we can do about that.” He turned to face her and kissed her on the forehead. “Oh, my god, this makes me so happy.”

“What?” A silly grin broke across her face.

“Waking up next to you. I want to do this every day from now on.”

“That would suit me just fine.” She smiled and dropped a tiny kiss on his cheek.

“Yeah? We’ll have to work toward that, if you want to.” He brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.

“I do.” Then she thought,
Would I like to say “I do” officially?
She had to admit it was becoming a very appealing idea. “I hate to think about when we go back and I can’t do this every morning.”

“Then don’t think about it right now.” Tony gave her a little kiss. “Just enjoy it. We can work on that when we get back.” He kissed her again, then sat up on the edge of the bed. “Let’s pull ourselves together and go to the pancake place in town.”

“You know I don’t eat that stuff, right?” she grunted, sitting up on her side of the bed and reaching for something, anything, to put on.

“Oh, come on – this is a special occasion. We both got laid last night!” Tony laughed, leaned across, and ruffled her hair. “Besides, you can eat anything you want for one day, can’t you? Let’s have some fun with food today, diet be damned. I love their pancakes. I bet they have a whole grain pancake you’d like, maybe some plain fruit toppings? Shower and let’s go see.” He headed for his bathroom, and Nikki watched his tight, muscular ass as he went, a shiver of sexual tension racing through her like a Kentucky thoroughbred. The ache between her legs came back, but this time it was accompanied by a soreness she hadn’t expected.

When she stood up, that soreness made itself known in a big way, at least to her. She didn’t realize she’d made a noise, but Tony called out, “You okay out there?”

“Yeah.” She must not have been very convincing because he stuck his head out his bathroom door and stared at her, frowning.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“Um, I’m kinda sore,” she groaned, walking carefully toward the bathroom.

“Really?” He chuckled. “Why?”

“New exercise routine. Must’ve gotten in a little over my head,” she snipped sarcastically, and he laughed at her. She made a face.

“Poor thing. You know what they say: If you get thrown, get right back on the horse.” He was laughing outright at that point.

“Oh, yeah, right. Thanks for the tip.” She minced her way into her bathroom and turned on the shower. When she turned around, she let out a little squeal to find Tony right behind her.

“Need help?” he asked with a sly little smirk.

“Yeah. I’m not sure I can grip the soap by myself,” she snarled, but she was grinning as she said it.

Tony pulled her into the hot water and kissed her, then began to systematically and gently wash her all over, first her face, then her hair, and then her whole body. There was nothing remotely sexual about it; it was a lover caring for the person he loved, and it made her feel cherished and adored. He watched in delight as she shaved everything. Then she turned and began the process for him, and watched him carefully wield his razor to landscape what she now thought of as hers. They took turns toweling each other off, then dressed and took off for the pancake house.

“I think I’m going to take a nap,” Nikki announced when they came back from their late breakfast. “Want to join me?”

“That, my dear, sounds like an excellent idea. I’ll get us a glass of water apiece and I’ll meet you in the bedroom.

Upstairs, Nikki peeled off to nothing but her underwear. When she turned the sheets back, she was surprised to find they’d been changed. Someone was clearly taking care of the house, but they were moving around like a ghost because she’d seen no one. She slid in and plumped her pillow.

Tony appeared and put a glass on her bedside table, then took his to the other side, shucked off his jeans and tee, and slid in beside her. He reached over and pulled her up against him, wrapping an arm around her. She cuddled up against his warmth and, within minutes, they were in dreamland.

Nikki woke to a strange sensation – something pressing into the cleft in her backside. She’d rolled over in her sleep, her back to Tony. Plus she didn’t have on her underwear; she could’ve sworn she’d left them on. Odd. She tried to place the sensation, and then realized he was pressing something against her rosette. “Is that your . . .”

“Yes,” he whispered. “How would you feel about that?”

“Condom,” she answered.

“Don’t want one. Hope you can live with that.” He waited while she thought for a second, then nodded her okay. This was about trust, and she wanted to trust him completely. She felt him shift behind her, then heard a pop as he opened a bottle of lube and poured a generous amount onto his fingers. He rimmed her opening, then pushed one finger against her muscles, and she felt the burn as it entered her tightness. After a minute, he pulled his finger out, then pushed two fingers into her. As he pushed, she pressed against him and hissed her pleasure, and he removed the two fingers and gently replaced them with three, waiting to hear her guttural approval. When he realized all three were not a challenge, he asked, “How does that feel?”

“Burns a little, but not bad. Is this what you want?” she asked, breathless with anticipation.

“Very much, baby.” He reached for a wipe to clean his hands. “You
have
done this before, right?” She nodded. “Can you handle it? I want this so much – I want to take you every way there is.”

“Anything for you, lover,” she answered with a smoldering growl. “Take whatever you want. It’s yours anyway.”

That was all the encouragement Tony needed, and hearing Nikki say those words took his erection from hard to excruciating. He pressed the head of his cock against the tight ring of muscles, and they resisted for only a second or two, then allowed him access through their grip. The velvety head of his cock slid in; Nikki felt it breech her entrance slowly and she moaned, feeling the deliciousness of the stretch. He pushed into her with purpose; she felt the burn as her passage opened to his breadth and in a hoarse whisper, she begged, “Please, baby, more lube!” Tony pulled back, leaving only the head inside her, coated his shaft generously, and glided into her again. Nikki gasped loudly as half of his cock slid into her, stretching her passage.