Enchanted Enough, page 18
“Beck?” I asked, suddenly worried he already regretted what we’d done.
He lifted his head, his face covered with a shocked expression.
“If you say you regret what we did, I’m going to be the one who rips off your balls and shoves them down your throat.”
His tongue swept over his lips, and I felt my body tingling again. Was I really ready to go again? He was still inside of me, for God’s sake.
“Avery,” he slowly said, his eyes never leaving mine. “I forgot to put a condom on.”
For a heartbeat, I felt my body tense with panic. “Are you clean? I mean—”
“God, yes! I’ve never had sex without a condom. Never. I was so fucking caught up in you, I just forgot. I’m so sorry. It will never happen again.”
I placed my hand on the side of his face. “It’s okay. The few times I had sex, I used a condom. But I did get tested, just in case. I’m clean.”
He frowned slightly. “What about pregnancy? Are you not worried about that?”
“I’m on the pill.”
He tilted his head up to the heavens and said, “Thank you!”
I pushed my fingers through his hair and smiled. “It was my fault too, you know. We both got caught up in each other.”
Beck lifted his body and slowly withdrew from me. I missed him the moment he was gone. He leaned down and kissed me so sweetly and tenderly, I felt tears prick at the back of my eyes.
“Let’s take a shower,” he said, taking my hands and pulling me up to my knees. In one swift move, he lifted me over his shoulder and started for the bathroom.
“Beck!” I started to protest until he slapped me lightly on the ass. A soft moan slipped free, and I pressed my lips tightly together.
In the bathroom, Beck bent and set me on the floor. When he looked at me, a wicked smile was on his face. “Did you like that, princess?”
Feeling my entire body turn warm with embarrassment, I shrugged. “I’m still…sensitive down there, so it felt good when you slapped me.”
“Did it?” he asked, pulling me to him and lifting my chin so our eyes met. “I’ve never experienced making love like that before, Avery. It…it kind of scares me, if I’m being honest.”
I nodded. “I know we said this is just in the now. And I’m not saying I want a commitment from you or anything…”
Before I could keep talking, he cupped my face and kissed me. It was such a beautiful kiss that I lost the battle, and a tear slipped free. Beck drew back and leaned his forehead to mine. He used his thumb to wipe the tear away.
“Let’s not think about what tomorrow brings, okay? Let’s just enjoy each other.”
All I could do was nod. After all, I was the one who’d told him I didn’t expect anything from him. It wasn’t his fault that I’d stupidly gone and fallen for him.
Chapter Eighteen
BECK
I could feel how tense Avery had become, and I completely understood. We’d told each other a lie. Maybe it was because we’d wanted one another badly enough at the time to believe it. But now…everything changed after making love.
Reaching into the shower, I turned the water to hot, but not so hot that we couldn’t stand to be in it. I stepped in first and held my hand for Avery to take. Once we both stood under the rainwater showerhead, we sighed.
“That feels so good,” she said, dropping her face back and letting the water soak her hair completely while pellets of water dropped onto her face.
I had to fight the urge to pull her to me. One look down, and my body told me I was ready for her again. I vaguely wondered if sex with Avery felt so good because we hadn’t used a condom. It was the first time in my life I’d never used one, so I was pretty sure that had something to do with it.
Avery soaped up her body, and I tried to ignore the pull of desire. When she turned around, her eyes traveled down, and she let out a soft oh.
Looking back up at me, she grinned. “So soon? I thought it took a while?”
“Apparently not when it comes to you.”
She took a few steps toward me and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m ready if you are.”
Closing my eyes, I groaned. Sex in the shower with Avery? Yes, please.
When I lifted her up, she wrapped her legs around my waist.
“Are you sore?” I asked.
Her answer was to wiggle her body until the tip of my dick was at her entrance.
Lowering her onto me, I nearly let my knees buckle as I felt her sinking onto me.
“Oh, Beck!”
I turned and pressed her against the marble shower wall. She gasped when she felt the cold tiles, and her pussy squeezed my cock, making me moan in delight.
She reached out and held onto two bars that were affixed to the wall. I assumed they were for helping people get in and out of the shower, not for holding onto while getting fucked, but they certainly helped either way.
“Yes! More! Beck, more!” she cried as I moved into her harder and faster.
I could feel her body building; she was close. Thank fuck, because it wasn’t going to take me long to come, and I needed her to find her pleasure first.
“Beck!” she cried out. “Harder! I need it…”
I heard the strangest sound, and before I could even register what it was, I nearly dropped Avery. Luckily, I balanced us quickly and was able to get steady on my feet…just as I heard her start laughing.
“Holy shit, I almost dropped you.” When I looked up, I saw why she was laughing so hard.
She was holding one of the bars in her hand—a marble tile piece on each end.
“You ripped it out of the wall!” I said in disbelief.
Avery started laughing even harder, and I had to put her down. My eyes went from the bar in her hand to the two vacant tile spots on the wall.
“How in the hell did you rip that out of the wall?” I asked.
She doubled over, laughing harder still, and I couldn’t help it. I joined in. Reaching over to shut off the water, I stepped out first and took the bar from Avery, using my other hand to help her out. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body.
We were both still laughing, and I was pretty sure my side was about to cramp up.
“Can’t. Breathe,” Avery said between gasps of air.
I put the bar down, grabbed my own towel and wrapped it around my body. I had to sit down on the toilet, I was laughing so hard.
When we were finally able to get a hold of ourselves, I let out a long breath. “Thank God I didn’t drop you. How in the heck would I explain that to your parents?”
Avery started laughing again.
We somehow managed to dry off and headed back into the room to gather up our clothes.
“What about your wet hair? You have lunch with your mother and family today.”
Avery sat on the bed and pulled her jeans on. “I’ll blow it dry before we leave.” Her eyes met mine as I sat in the desk chair. She sighed and said, “I’m sorry about that.”
Slipping a boot on, I said, “Sorry about what? I had an amazing morning.”
She smiled. “It could have been better if we hadn’t had that little mishap.”
“Next time we’ll know to stay out of the shower.”
Avery chewed on her lip. “When will the next time be? You’re staying with Grams and Granddad, and I’m living with my parents still.”
“Did you forget I have this hotel room for another week and a half?”
She pulled her sweater over her head and made her way over to me. She straddled my lap and rested her arms on my shoulders, her fingers curling in my hair.
“And what excuse do we give to everyone? ‘Excuse me and Beck while we go to the hotel he rented so we can have sex without interruptions.’”
“We’ll think of something,” I said, kissing her on the lips. “It does sound like Stella is planning a few things for when I’m here, though. A dinner is one of them.”
Her fingers moved through my hair, her nails lightly scratching my scalp, and I swore it was making me sleepy. “I know it’s important for you to spend time with your family, but I can’t help feeling a bit jealous.”
Grinning, I pulled her arm down and took her hand in mine. Kissing the inside of her wrist, I looked up at her, watching how her eyes darkened as my tongue moved over her skin.
“We’ll find the time. I promise.”
Avery opened her mouth to say something, but my cell phone rang. “I should get that.”
She nodded and climbed off me, heading to the end of the bed to finish getting dressed. When I got to my phone, I saw it was Stella.
“Hi, Stella.”
Avery’s head whipped around to gape at me before she started to giggle.
“I hate to interrupt your time with Avery.”
I frowned. How in the hell did she know I was with Avery?
“We’re just driving around Hamilton while she shows me things.”
Avery bit her lower lip.
“Well, I forgot to mention that Merit and Lincoln are throwing a surprise welcome home dinner for Avery this evening at your uncle Brock’s house.”
I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. It was still so strange to hear that word. Uncle.
“Oh, okay.”
“Since Avery doesn’t know about it, the girls are taking her to lunch today to make her think it’s for her last birthday that we missed, since she was in France.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck. “Yes, I knew about that.”
“Well, the reason I’m calling you is that we need you to ask Avery out tonight.”
Every thought in my head stopped like they’d hit a brick wall, I asked, “What?”
She laughed. “Son, don’t play coy with me. I know your interest in Avery is far more than friendly, and don’t you deny it. A mother knows these things. Now, you’re going to ask Avery out, and tell her you’re taking her to the Bitterroot Steakhouse for dinner. That way, she’ll get dressed up. Since the two of you are…doing whatever it is you’re doing, she won’t be surprised that you’re asking her out.”
Glancing over to Avery, I saw she was watching me curiously.
“Sounds like you’ve got this all planned out.”
“I do. Now hold on. Merit, when do we want him to bring her by Brock and Lincoln’s house?”
My mouth fell open. Merit was standing there while Stella said all that?
“Merit said to bring Avery to the house by seven.”
“What about…”
“Dinner? I’ll take care of that. Just act like you’re taking her on a date, and we’ll handle the rest. You’ll need to pick her up at her house around…”
“I’d say six!” Merit called out.
My face heated. “Okay.”
“Wonderful! Now, enjoy your morning, and be sure you use some kind of protection.”
“Oh my God,” I said, dropping back into the chair. “Did you really just say that?”
“I’m not ready to be a grandmother yet!” Merit called out. I jerked my head up to see Avery sitting patiently on the bed, a sweet, clueless smile on her face.
“I’m going to hang up now.”
“See you soon!” Stella called out.
She hung up before I could even say anything else.
“What’s wrong?” Avery asked with a laugh. “Your face is white as a ghost.”
I slowly shook my head. “Either Stella and your mother have some kind of psychic power, or they’re having us followed.”
Her smile faded. “What do you mean?”
I ran my hand down my face. “Stella told me to use protection…with your mother standing right there.”
Avery quickly stood. “What? No. You misunderstood, Beck.”
Lifting my head to meet her worried gaze, I shook my head. “Your mother said she wasn’t ready to be a grandmother yet.”
“I knew it!” Avery gasped. “I knew she knew you were in my bedroom earlier this morning! That look she gave me said it all.”
Confused, I asked, “What look?”
“When Bradly made that stupid comment about me looking flushed, which totally went over my father’s head. But my mother was giving me that look.”
“That look?” I asked.
“Yes, the one that says she knows something that I don’t think she knows because she acted like she didn’t know, when she really does know.”
I shook my head. “What?”
Avery was pacing, then suddenly stopped. “Why did Stella call you?”
“Um…” I started to blink rapidly, not having any idea of what to say. “She, um…she suggested I take you out to dinner tonight, to the Rootbitter something steak place.”
“Bitterroot Steakhouse. And why?”
“She needs you dressed up.” I promptly closed my eyes and cursed. When I opened them, Avery wore a huge grin.
“It’s the surprise welcome home party, isn’t it?”
“How did you know?”
“Please, I’m the queen of surprises. If they really thought they could pull one over on me, they’re all crazy. Today’s lunch is just a way to throw me off.”
Standing, I asked, “How do you know that?”
She shrugged. “Just do. I’m starving. Do you want to grab a late breakfast, early lunch?”
“But you’re meeting with your family for lunch.”
Avery held up her phone, screen facing out. “Let’s see…it should be any second now…”
Her cell rang, and she smiled. She answered and put it on speaker. “Hey, Mom!”
“Hello, sweetheart. Are you and Beck having a nice time exploring Hamilton?”
With a wicked smile, she said, “Exploring is a good word for it. Yes. We’re enjoying ourselves a whole lot.”
I let out a soft groan and fell face first onto the bed.
“Listen, Georgiana and Morgan needed to cancel lunch today. Since it’s supposed to be a girls’ lunch, we’ve all decided to reschedule.”
“That’s okay. Beck and I will just make plans to eat lunch. He asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner tonight, so we’ll probably grab an early lunch, then have some dessert before heading home.”
I rolled onto my back and lifted up on my elbows, giving Avery a stunned look.
Merit cleared her throat. “Okay, well…it’s nice he’s asked you out to dinner.”
“It is, indeed.”
“I’ll let you get back to your morning, I just wanted to let you know about lunch today.”
“Thanks, Mom. See you soon.” She hit End and pushed the phone into her back pocket.
“How did you know she was going to call?”
“Because there’s no way my cousins can all get together for lunch, then turn around and get together again for dinner. It’s impossible.”
I stared at her. “Do you all have some kind of sixth sense or something?”
Avery laughed. “Come on, I know a place that has amazing brunch. All those orgasms have made me famished!”
Grabbing her coat, she headed to the door as I mumbled, “It’s got to be something in the water here.”
Chapter Nineteen
AVERY
The light knock on my door had me calling out, “Come in!”
My mother walked into my room and smiled as our eyes met in my vanity mirror. I wasn’t sure why it always surprised me that our eyes were exactly the same. Probably because they were such a rare color.
“How do I look for my…date?” I said with a grin. Standing, I held out my arms and spun around so my mother could take in my dress. “It’s called a Cinderella day dress.”
She drew in a breath. “Avery, it’s beautiful. From France?”
Nodding, I said, “I picked it up in a boutique in a little town outside of Paris.”
I looked down at the smoky-blue, vintage-inspired dress. It was adorned with beadwork and lace appliqués. The corset bodice was covered in small, iridescent pearls that traveled down to a flounce skirt that had a mesh overlay. The sleeves could be worn as caps or off the shoulder. I was currently wearing them off, but only for Beck’s benefit. Once we got to Brock and Lincoln’s house, I’d lift them.
“It’s beautiful, and so are you. I love how you have your hair styled.”
I’d swept my hair back into a low side pony, with the bulk of it over my left shoulder. A few delicate curls framed the right side of my face.
Reaching for the pearl earrings I’d received from my parents for my eighteenth birthday, I proceeded to put them on as my mother sat down on my bed. She looked around my room and cleared her throat.
“Are you and Emily excited about tomorrow?”
I looked at her in the mirror. Her leg was bouncing up and down.
“Yes! I still can’t thank you and Daddy enough for helping us with this, Mom. If you weren’t letting us use space in the greenhouse to get started, we wouldn’t be able to do anything for months, at least until the new greenhouse was built.”
She waved off my words. “I’m just happy to have you home and doing something you’re passionate about.”
After I put the second earring in, I turned and sat on the small vanity stool. “But Dad is giving me so much land to use for gardens.”
Smiling, she said, “This ranch is just as much yours as it is Bradly’s. Just because he’s following in your father’s footsteps, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get to do what you want with a piece of it too. Besides, the cows have plenty of grass to eat.”
I laughed. She glanced around again, and her other leg joined in on the bouncing.
I sighed. “I know you’ll say it’s too soon, but I really care about him, Mom. He tried to push me away already, saying I was too young, but that argument didn’t last long.”
She smiled. “It is a big age difference.”
“Is it? When I’m twenty-eight, he’ll be thirty-seven. When I’m thirty-eight, he’ll be forty-seven. When I’m—”
Holding up her hand, she shook her head. “I get it, I get it. I think it’s just because you’re only eighteen right now, Avery. Don’t you want to live your life a little?”
“Mom, I lived in Paris, France, for three years. I traveled all over Europe. I had men twice the age of Beck flirting with me when I was fifteen years old. I attended parties with famous people. I was at a dinner once, and Selena Gomez was there!” I laughed. “I’ve already lived more than some people will for their entire lives. And I lost my virginity to my best friend’s brother when I was seventeen.”
