Inside Out, page 11
“I take it they weren’t happy about the idea?”
“Not in the least.” Rome started laughing some more. “I have to tell you about my aunt Astrid.” He then proceeded to give me some background about the lady before he got to their conversation. His aunt Astrid sounded like a real firecracker. “I know damn well she was going to say porn. We all did. My mom is her medical power of attorney and the person the nursing home calls when she acts up. Imagine how embarrassed my mom was when she raised hell with the administration for taking her laptop away only to find out what had been going on.”
“I don’t understand why they couldn’t let the little lady indulge.”
“They gave her a warning when they caught her watching it in the community rooms.” I snorted. “She wasn’t wearing headphones. The final straw was when she fell asleep watching it with the sounds of grunts and groans filling the room she shared with another woman. Her roommate was so hard of hearing she didn’t know what was going on, but her family sure recognized the sounds.”
“Oh shit.” I laughed until I cried.
“There was one comment everyone except my oblivious father said to me tonight.”
“What’s that?”
“The remarked about how happy and relaxed I looked.” Rome unfolded his legs and leaned over to set his mug down on the coffee table before crawling across the couch to reach me. “Guess what they accredited the changes to?” Rome took my mug from my hand and set it on the table beside his.
“A good night’s rest?”
Rome shook his head and whispered, “They said it must be a man.”
“Should I be jealous?”
Rome caressed my bottom lip with his thumb. “Huh-uh. I think you should kiss me.”
“Yeah?” I asked, unfolding my legs to make room for Rome. “You’ve been thinking about my lips on yours?”
“And other places.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
“I feel so damn clumsy and out of practice. I think I look and sound suave, but I worry that I’m more Gilligan than James Bond.”
I couldn’t help laughing at the two choices he presented. “You’re nowhere near as clumsy as Gilligan, and I love that you’re not a player like Bond.”
“Yeah?” he asked, removing his thumb and lowering his head until his lips hovered a hairsbreadth away from mine.
“Hell yeah.” I cupped the back of his neck and pulled him the rest of the way.
Rome’s mouth against mine was like setting a lit match to a piece of dry paper, burning so hot there wouldn’t be anything left of me, not even ashes. There wasn’t anything gentle about the way we kissed each other this time—teeth clacked and tongues rasped and swirled in an erotic dance. Our bodies moved in unspoken accord to slide lower on the couch until I was on my back and Rome was between my spread thighs.
I wrapped my arms around Rome, loving the weight of him against me but needing more. I slid my hands beneath his sweater and trailed my fingers down the center of his back until I reached the waistband of his jeans. I ached to slide my hands beneath his jeans but settled for gripping his firm ass through the denim instead. Rome took my cue and began rocking his pelvis forward and back, eliciting a groan from me because the friction of our erections grinding against each other was out of this world, even if we were separated by sweatpants and jeans.
Rome stilled his hips and pulled his mouth away from mine. We were both breathing hard, sucking air into our lungs. “Is this okay?” I loved that I could make him sound so breathless. Rome’s pupils were blown, and his face was flushed with acute arousal, but he still stopped to make sure he wasn’t moving too fast for me. It only made me want him that much more.
“Those were moans for more, sexy,” I said. And if my words weren’t enough, I lifted my hips to grind my erection against his, encouraging him to start moving again. “Take this off,” I said tugging at his sweater. “I want to touch you.”
Rome rose up and whipped his sweater over his head, baring his chest to me for the first time. The man spent a lot of time in the gym to maintain his lean, muscular frame and his cut abdomen. I traced my finger over the pulse in his neck and his collarbone before flattening my palm against his chest and sliding it down over smooth skin and rigid muscle. I loved the way his happy trail tickled my palm and was eager to follow it beneath the fly of his low-riding jeans.
“Your turn,” Rome said huskily. “I need to touch you too.”
I reluctantly dropped my hand from his body but did what he asked. Rome placed both of his palms flat against my pecs and licked his lips in appreciation. My commitment to the gym had always been about my health and having energy, but the lust in his eyes made me appreciate my efforts for a whole other reason. I raised my arms and tucked my hands under my head, completely turning myself over to him.
“God, you’re beautiful,” Rome said, touching me everywhere. I gasped when his palms brushed over my nipples. I’d never realized how sensitive they were until that moment with Rome. They’d always just been there. It looked like kissing wasn’t the only thing my silver fox excelled at. Rome, hearing my sharp intake of breath, jerked his eyes up to meet mine, gauging to see if my reaction was good or bad. Liking what he saw, he returned his hands to my pecs and circled my nipples until they were painfully erect then pinched and rolled them between his thumb and forefinger.
“Unh,” I groaned, arching my back off the couch. I could feel my cock leaking and was desperate for friction or anything that would put me out of my misery and calm the surging tide of arousal. I’d had sex before, but this was…this didn’t feel like the same solar system as sex. Rome was an unknown, undiscovered planet pulling me into his orbit until being with him was all I could think about or feel. I. Needed. Him. Not just an orgasm, but one that he gave me. “More.”
A wicked smile tugged at his lips. “More what? This?” He pinched my nipples tighter. “Do you want my hands lower? Or…” Rome paused to lower his body so his head hovered over my chest. “Do you want my mouth on you instead?”
“Y-yes,” I moaned, pulling a dark chuckle from my tormentor.
“It wasn’t a yes-or-no question.” How was he even thinking? What had happened to the man who practically stuttered and stumbled when I was near. How had the roles reversed so quickly? “Which leaves me to interpret your needs.”
Rome lowered his head and made a wet pass over one nipple then the other while I fisted my hand in his hair, moaning and writhing. He continued with the little licks when what I really wanted was him to wrap his lips around my nipples and suck hard. “Rome, please?” I begged, finding my voice.
Rome’s dark chuckle created a vibration against my skin. Then he stopped teasing me and sucked one aching nipple into his mouth while rolling his tongue over the distended nub.
“God yes! More!” Rome answered by moving his mouth over to the neglected nipple and repeated the toe-curling suction slash licking maneuver. Unable to lie still beneath him a second longer, I undulated my hips, rocking my erection against his rock-hard abs. “I need… I need…”
Rome slowly released my nipple, letting his teeth lightly rasp over the sensitive nub. He repositioned his body until we were chest to chest and dick to dick. “I know, baby.”
“Less clothes.”
I saw doubt in his eyes like maybe we were moving too quick too soon, but he didn’t have to worry I would wake with regret. I’d only kick myself in the ass if I let him walk away without knowing what his face looked like during an orgasm. I’d pictured it many times, but I knew the flesh and blood reality would be so much better than any fantasy. So, I reached between our bodies and shoved my sweats and briefs below my ass to release my cock. It slapped hot, hard, and sticky against my abdomen, gaining Rome’s full attention.
“Mercy,” he said lustfully as he rose to his knees and reached for his button fly.
I placed my hands over his, halting him. “Let me.”
Ignoring my throbbing dick, I took my time sliding each button through the hole until I revealed his light gray underwear and the wet circle that said he wanted me as much as I wanted him. The smell of arousal and cum was far sexier than any cologne or body wash you could buy. I glanced up at Rome’s face and saw that he was biting his lip in anticipation. I lifted my hands to tease his nipples just as he’d teased mine, noting how rigid his body was from tension.
“I’m about to combust, Jules,” he whispered, pulling my gaze back up to meet his. “Play time is over, yeah?”
“Hell yeah.”
I tugged his jeans and underwear down over his straining erection to rest at mid-thigh, then fisted his leaking cock, stroking him as he did the same for me. I loved having his hand wrapped around my dick, working me up and down, but it wasn’t enough.
“C’mere,” I said, sounding drunk.
Rome lowered his body once more, lining up our dicks and recapturing my lips in a devastating kiss as he began shuttling his cock back and forth over mine. Our combined precum coated our dicks, making the grinding flesh sticky but oh so fucking sexy. I wouldn’t last long, but I was too far gone in lust to worry about shooting too quick.
“Ride me,” I groaned against his lips, gripping his ass to urge him to move faster and harder.
Rome shifted his body and shoved his jeans and underwear completely off, and I pushed my thighs together. Rome straddled my hips and aligned our cocks once more. He placed his arms on my shoulders for leverage while I gripped his ass to keep him close. He began to move again—faster and harder. I’d seen frotting in porn, but I’d never done it myself. I didn’t know how much I had missed out on, but then again, maybe not. Maybe Rome was the reason why all my senses were heightened.
“Almost…” I said, arching my neck as I felt my balls draw tighter against my body.
“Me too.”
Rome dropped his right hand down to pinch my nipple at the same time I slid a finger between his spread ass cheeks to circle his pucker. We went off at the same time, grunting, groaning, and covering my stomach with our combined cum. My silver fox collapsed in my arms, panting hot air against my neck while I held him tight.
“I may never recover,” he teased. “That was…” His words trailed off as his blood-deprived brain searched for the right words.
“Amazing.”
“Yep! That’s it.”
I chuckled then rolled until we lay side by side, looking into each other’s drowsy eyes. “It was better than I ever dreamed it would be,” I told him, tracing a finger over his swollen lips.
“You thought about it a lot?”
“At least twice a day.”
“Every day?”
“At least five or six days a week.”
“I’m going to research a diet that will allow me to keep up with your…um…insatiable appetites,” Rome said, but he didn’t look the least bit worried he couldn’t hang with me.
“I have a feeling you’re going to do just fine without any help from super foods.” I ran my fingers through his hair. “In all my fantasies, I never imagined one thing I learned about you tonight.”
“Uh-oh,” he said ominously. “Do I want to know?”
I tweaked his nipple playfully. “I didn’t know you matched your underwear to your shirt.”
Rome threw his head back and laughed. “I don’t. It was pure coincidence.”
I snatched my T-shirt off the floor and wiped both of our chests off before I grabbed the blanket off the back of my couch and covered us. “I want to hear about the rest of your day,” I said.
“I want to hear about yours too.”
“There were some huge revelations today,” I told him while stroking my fingers over his smooth skin. “My brother has grappled with some big decisions lately, but he finally knows what he wants for his life.” I told Rome about the conversation we’d had on the way to our grandparents’ house and then meeting Camilla and Manny. “He wasn’t just my kid brother anymore; he was this grown-ass man with a family. I’ve never seen him look so happy. That little boy has him wrapped around his chubby little finger too.”
“What about you?” Rome asked, tracing a heart on my chest. “Were you wrapped around Manny’s finger too?”
“Completely,” I admitted. Rome hummed happily in my arms. “Besides traumatizing your nieces, what else happened at dinner?”
I listened as Rome told me about the day with his family and was blown away by his openness when he talked about stopping by Peter’s grave. We talked, and we kissed long past the time we should’ve called it a night, considering we both had to be at the school by seven in the morning. I knew I wouldn’t regret the lack of sleep, and I wouldn’t even need to get a caffeine buzz first thing in the morning, because I would be high on the promise I saw in Romeo Bradley’s eyes when he kissed me goodnight.
“I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed.”
~William Shakespeare
“You can’t fix stupid.”
~Romeo Bradley
There was no denying I walked with extra pep in my step that morning nor was there doubt as to why it felt like I was floating instead of walking. Julius. I’d earned a quirked brow from Lily when I dropped Dolly off, but she didn’t ask any questions.
“By the way, your marinara sauce was the best I’ve ever had,” I said when I released Dolly from the leash before handing it to Lily.
“I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Would you like another jar? I have plenty.”
“I will graciously accept your generosity when I pick Dolly up tonight. I’d really like you to teach me how to grow the right tomatoes and make the sauce myself. I’m ruined for jarred spaghetti sauce from the store.”
“Really?” Lily asked. “I’d love to teach you this summer if that’s really what you want.”
“I do.”
After dropping off Dolly, I stopped at Books and Brew to pick up a cup of coffee and a pastry for both myself and Priscilla. She was partial to their blueberry and cream cheese Danish, and I wanted to bring her a treat to get her week started off on the right foot. Milo was working the counter and eyeing me speculatively. I gave him my order and paid for it while Maegan started making our drinks.
“That looks really good on you, Rome.”
“Thanks, this tie is my favorite,” I told Milo, although I suspected he meant the sappy grin I couldn’t wipe off my face.
“You know darn well I wasn’t talking about your yellow paisley tie.” It was said with so much derision I had to study my choice to see if it looked as bad as he implied. I loved the pastel colors in the paisley print and thought it looked sharp against the lavender shirt I’d chosen.
“What’s wrong with my tie?” I asked, scowling at him.
“Milo, we don’t insult our patrons’ clothes,” Maegan said from the espresso machine. She turned and faced me. “Your tie looks as lovely as the glow you’re wearing.”
“Mae, he was being deliberately obtuse,” Milo countered. “I guess we’ll let the man keep his secrets.”
“In this town?” Mae snorted. “Good luck with that, Rome.”
I hadn’t planned on keeping my relationship with Julius a secret; I just wasn’t willing to reveal my feelings to people I hardly knew. Did Julius want us to keep our relationship a secret? If he did, we’d have to be extraordinarily careful and have all our dates away from Blissville, and there could be no overnight stays at either of our houses. That sounded horrible to me, but I would try if it’s what he wanted. If he had a valid reason for denying us. I just wasn’t sure how long I could pull it off. It wasn’t like I expected him to hold my hand or kiss me at the school, but the thought of not being able to smile at him in the hallway or share lunch with him during our break bothered me more than it should.
“Uh-oh,” Milo said. “Mae didn’t mean to diminish your sunny disposition.”
“Me?” Maegan said, placing her hands on her hips. “You’re the one insulting his tie, so you started it.”
That quickly, the clouds parted and allowed the sun to shine bright again. I clutched my stomach and laughed at their antics. “Oh, you two are something else. I bet you kept your folks on their toes.”
“Kept?” asked an amused voice from behind me. I turned and saw a smiling older version of Maegan. “I’m Jackie Miracle, and the mother of these two hooligans. There is never a dull moment with Milo and Maegan.”
“I’m Romeo Bradley,” I said, offering my hand.
“I know who you are, Dr. Bradley,” she replied, firmly shaking my hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Likewise.”
Maegan placed a carrier with my drinks and a bag with the pastries on the counter. “Have a great day. Sorry again that we hijacked your good mood the minute you crossed the threshold.”
“You did no such thing, guys. I always feel like I’m getting free entertainment with my coffee and pastries when both of you are working behind the counter. I’ll be back for more tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow then,” Milo said with a devious smile. It looked like he was already coming up with a scheme to irritate his sister and entertain me at the same time. I had every faith he could pull it off.
“Good luck with them, Mrs. Miracle.”
“Please call me Jackie, and thank you. I’ll take all the luck I can get.”
My phone rang as soon as I settled in my car. I hadn’t started my engine yet, so the call didn’t show up on my display or ring through my speakers. I fished my phone out of my pocket and saw that Priscilla was calling me. I wasn’t late, so there was no reason for her to be busting my balls so early on a Monday morning.
“Good morning, sunshine,” I said, knowing it would rile her up.
She ignored my greeting and didn’t offer one in returned. “You better get your ass over here. We have big trouble brewing.”
“How can there be big trouble brewing already. The day hasn’t started yet.”
