B9 Hometown Lover Page 4

  I don't think that's a good idea.

  I remembered the way she pulled away and quickly put a space between us. Clearly, it wasn't what she wanted.

  After I stared at the ceiling for a while longer, I decided to get up and start moving for the day. I still needed to take her back home and help her finish packing everything up. Finally, I rolled myself out of bed and tugged on the flannel pajama bottoms I'd tossed off the night before when I was too hot. I decided to leave the shirt. My house was hot as hell and I didn't want to burn up while I made breakfast.

  I slipped out of my room and found Joanne up and folding the blanket neatly on the couch. She glanced up at me and stared. I blinked at her before I realized her eyes had traced my chest and were working their way down my hips rapidly. I grinned. When she caught my eye, she coughed and went back to folding.

  "Good morning."

  "Morning," I said. "How'd you sleep?"

  "Just fine," she said as she scratched her head. "So, what are we doing today? I still have things to do at my mom's place."

  "I figured I'd make us some breakfast and then we'd get started with our day." I walked over to the window and pushed aside the curtain before I whistled. "On second thought I don't think we'll be going anywhere today."

  "What? Why not?" Joanne walked over to me and stared outside before her jaw dropped. "That's a hell of a lot of snow."

  "Yeah, I don't think we're getting out of here anytime soon. Someone might need to dig us out."

  I glanced around my property. Every inch of it was covered in snow. I walked over to the front door and opened it. Snow stood almost halfway up the door and held the imprint of the door itself on it. I scratched my head.

  "Yeah, this is crazy."

  Rory ran out of my room and headfirst into the wall of snow at the door. He crashed through it and I jumped back as snow cascaded to the ground. The cold stung at my toes and I sighed as Rory stepped back and shook his head in confusion before he barked and bit at the snow.

  "You see snow every winter and you still act like this every year."

  Joanne laughed and shook her head. She walked over and ran her hand over the snow. I watched as she stared at it and softly smiled.

  "Not much snow in Vegas is there?" I asked.

  "Not at all. Desert and sand and cacti," she laughed as she pulled her hand away and dusted off the snow. She flexed her fingers. "I'd almost forgotten what it was like. The parents all go on these ski trips, but they leave the kids home with me. I haven't seen snow since I left here."

  "Then I think it's the perfect day to do nothing but sit back, relax and enjoy the snow. Remember we always used to try to be over each other's houses before a big snowstorm?"

  She grinned. "It was the best way to ensure we could hang out for a day or two and not be separated. We should watch movies and eat junk food."

  "Just like the good old days. You pick out the movie and I'll grab snacks."

  Joanne bounced and nodded. "Yes! I'm going to pick out something really sappy."

  "You're lucky you're only in town for a little while," I called. "I guess I have to be nice and give in."

  I heard her laugh as I walked into the kitchen. She always had a weakness for romances and I couldn't care less what we watched as long as I could watch it with her. I popped a huge bowl of popcorn and grabbed chips and chocolate from the pantry. Once I carried everything into the living room, Jo Jo was wrapped up in a blanket and waiting. She smiled and patted the space beside her.

  "What did you pick out?"

  "Some romance I haven't heard of yet. I hope it's good."

  "If it's bad at least I'll get to laugh," I said.

  She hit my arm. "Don't be a jerk before the movie even starts."

  I chuckled and apologized before I cozied up next to her. Once I was settled, she reached over and nicked a handful of popcorn before she pressed play. I barely watched the intro with the light upbeat music. I stared at her instead.

  Joanne hadn't changed a bit. She looked just like she had years ago and I felt a familiar tug in my chest. My hand wanted to reach out and brush the hair off of her tanned skin. My fingers wanted to trace over her flesh until I'd memorized every single inch.

  This definitely isn't the way friends think about other friends.

  As much as I wanted to stop I couldn't and the stirring in my crotch that continued to grow wouldn't let me deny my attraction. Joanne's gaze flicked over at me and I watched her inquisitive look before I trained my eyes on the TV and focused on that instead.

  The entire time that it played I found that she looked at me more than once. I was wildly aware of how close her body was to mine. I wanted to lean over and kiss her, taste her lips again like I'd been dreaming about doing since the night before happened. She leaned against my arm and I kept myself from stroking her hair.

  "That was good," she hummed once the movie ended. "I love the big gesture part of romances."

  "You do?" I asked.

  "It's amazing to see what they come up with and what they'll do to win someone's love. It always gets me."

  "You're such a sap," I sighed.

  "You say that like it's a bad thing. Besides, you're wrong. I used to be a sap. Not anymore."

  "Uh-huh because you're not fawning over a romance movie."

  I grinned as she flipped me off and laughed. That was the Jo Jo I remembered. She had always been her own feisty, crazy self and I loved that that side of her still existed.

  She stretched out and I watched the top she wore rise up her belly and show it off. I wanted to reach over and graze my fingers over her flesh, but I was pretty sure she'd think I was being odd if I did.

  "I'm starving," she moaned as she yawned and sat back up straight. "What's there to eat?"

  "I have a ton. What are you in the mood for?"

  "No idea. Let's go raid your fridge," she said as she stood up.

  The small shorts she wore showed off every little curve she had. If they were any shorter I was sure that I would have seen a butt cheek. I stood up and followed her, my eyes trained on the way she shifted her hips as she moved.

  It was intoxicating.

  When we made it into the kitchen I had to wake myself up and pay attention to what I was doing. I opened my fridge and stuck my head inside to take my mind off of those tiny clothes on her distracting body. I cleared my throat to clear my thoughts and rooted around until I started to pull things out. She leaned her chin on my back as I was stooped over and I felt heat as it rushed through my body.

  "What are you making?" She asked as she peered at the ingredients.

  "Beef Ragu."

  "Oooh I don't think I've ever had that before," she nodded and looked impressed. "Can I help?"

  "Sure. Wash your hands first."

  We both walked over to the sink and washed our hands underneath the warm water. Our hands shifted against each other and we both glanced away. We quickly dried them off and started working on cooking.

  "What do you need me to do?" She asked.

  "If you can cut the vegetables I can cut the meat and then we can get started on the cooking part."

  "Yes chef," she smiled.

  I shook my head. We worked together well in the kitchen. Usually, I was the type that liked to cook on my own. Having someone else underfoot usually just irritated me and made the cooking process longer and more stressful. Not with Joanne. She moved around the kitchen like she'd been there since I moved in and knew exactly where everything was. She only stopped to ask a question or two when she couldn't find anything. I loved that independent side of her.

  "Now what?" She asked as she carried over her veggies.

  "Now we cook."

  I pulled out a large pot and put it on the stove before I added the olive oil. We worked together to get the ingredients in before I opened a bottle of wine and added some to the pot. We covered it and I started to clean up right away.

  "You're much more organized than you used to be," Joanne grinned. "Remem
ber the morning we made pancakes and there was batter all over the kitchen?"

  I winced. "My mom was so pissed at me. I swear if looks could kill I would have been buried and gone years ago."

  "We really were a handful as kids. I guess I could see why our parents were so stressed out all of the time," she said as she frowned and took a dish from me and dried it.

  "Are you thinking about your mom?" I asked.

  She glanced up at me and nodded softly. "Is that weird? I mean all she did was make my life crazy miserable. I didn't think I missed her, but sometimes I wish we could have had a normal relationship. Now that's not possible."

  I grabbed a wine glass and poured her one full of red wine. She took it and gave me a grateful look before she sipped it and seemed to relax. I poured one for myself and wrapped an arm around her. She quickly buried her face against my body and I stroked her back and let her cry.

  "I'm okay," she said after a while as she came up for air and wiped her tears away quickly. "Being back here just brought up a lot of memories that I'd forgotten all about."

  "Maybe that's a good thing," I said quietly as I ran a thumb underneath her eye and wiped away a tear. "Maybe you needed to be reminded of home."

  We stared at each other and I felt that connection draw us closer. My eyes focused in on her lips and I desperately wanted a taste. We both jumped a little when the alarm on my phone sounded. I laughed and Joanne shook her head.

  "Okay, what's next?" She asked, ready to roll up her sleeves and get back to work.

  "Now we stir it and leave it be for a little while."

  "Easy enough," she said as she gave it a stir.

  I let her do that and put some music on my phone to help bring up her mood. I knew her mother still weighed heavily on her mind and I wanted her to have an escape. Even if it was just dancing in my kitchen. Joanne turned around as the music started and I held my hand out to her.

  "Care to dance?" I asked as I lifted a brow.

  She grinned. "You know me too well."

  Joanne took my hand and I pulled her against my body. We moved across the room to the sound of soft violins and even softer vocals. My hand ran along her side and hip. I heard the sharp intake of breath that left her lips before she pushed against me more.

  Damn, I can't stop wanting her.

  It seemed impossible, especially when we were pressed so tightly together and the world seemed to only contain the two of us. I reached up a hand and ran it over her cheek before I tilted her head up. Her eyes locked onto mine and I saw the needy look in her eyes. I was sure she could see the same in mine.

  "What are we doing?" She whispered. "I thought we agreed this was stupid."

  "I don't think it's stupid at all," I whispered back. "I know exactly what I want."

  "Peter. I—"

  I kissed her before she could say another word. She immediately clung to me and kissed me back. Her breathing came out almost in pants as she moaned against my mouth and I did the same against hers. Kissing her felt right, like it was supposed to happen… and I loved every minute of it.

  Chapter 7

  Joanne

  Is this a mistake?

  My brain felt like it was in a battle with itself as the answer switched from yes to no every second that I continued to kiss Peter back. His tongue slid into my mouth and for a minute straight I forgot how to think at all. By the time I came up for air, I was out of breath. His naked chest against my body had already been hard to deal with, now I was dying for more.

  "You know this can't be more than a one-night thing, right?" I asked him. "The last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

  "I won't get hurt," he said firmly. "I want you. I've always wanted you. One night shouldn't hurt anything. We were friends before and we'll be friends after."

  I nodded quickly.

  He was right.

  Of course he was right.

  I was overthinking things and making them more complicated than they ever needed to be. We were friends and once we parted ways we would continue to be friends.

  Peter's fingers broke me out of my self-argument. His hand pushed up underneath my shirt and his nails glided over my stomach and up to my breasts. I groaned and leaned against him. I needed to feel more of his touch, every minute of it, until I was dizzy and weak.

  "Peter," I groaned. "Let's go somewhere else."

  He nodded and finally released me just long enough to turn the stove down really low. Once he'd made sure our dinner wasn't going to burn, he dragged me out of the kitchen and down into his bedroom. His bed looked big, soft and inviting. I ran my hand over the blanket all of a sudden nervous again.

  Are we really about to do this?

  It would be crossing a line in our relationship, one that had never been crossed.

  I closed my eyes as his fingers ran over the back of my neck. His touch was so warm and inviting that I leaned into it wanting more. He ran his fingers over my throat and down to my chest. He drew them across from one shoulder to the other as I felt my body heating up.

  "What are you doing?" I whispered.

  "Admiring every inch of you. How could I not?"

  My cheeks reddened. "Now who's the sappy one," I managed to mumble out.

  He laughed and turned me around. "I'm not sappy. I just know what I have right in front of me and how much I admire looking at you."

  I started to protest, but he must have known that it was coming. Peter pushed me backward and I plopped onto the bed before he straddled my lap. He pushed me to lie on my back and leaned down before he captured my lips again.

  I squirmed against him and felt my body respond to his touch. My skin tingled with electricity as he caressed my throat with his thumb. He stopped kissing my lips and started kissing my throat. I leaned into his mouth and groaned as his warm breath made me shudder in delight. His teeth grazed over my throat and I cried out as he nipped me just right.

  Peter pushed himself up before he gripped the hem of my top and yanked it up and over my head. He tossed it to the side and lifted me up a bit before he disposed of my bra as well. It hit the floor as he stared down at my figure, his eyes hungry and lustful as he took me in.

  He gripped one of my breasts and leaned down. I watched as his tongue rolled over my nipple. Pleasure captured me from head to toe as he sucked it into his lips and his tongue flicked over it. Hard to soft. Hard to soft. He licked and sucked until he came off with a loud pop and held a slightly hazy look in his eyes.

  Peter quickly moved onto the other one and sucked it between his lips. I pushed my fingers through his hair as my back arched up against his body and I moaned freely. I needed more than just those teasing strokes and lips. I wanted it all. There'd always been a tension between us, an attraction that hadn't died down even after years of being apart.

  I moaned as Peter came back up for air and kissed me hard. His hands gripped my shorts and he pushed them down my body. I kicked them off right away and watched as he sat back and trailed the line of my panties with his fingers.

  "What are you waiting for?" I asked quietly. "Not having second thoughts are you?" I asked nervously.

  "Hell no," he answered right away. "I've been wanting this since before I can remember," he breathed. "I'm just taking it all in," he grinned.

  I felt my face grow hot all over again. The way his eyes roamed over me I could see how much he was really into it. Seeing it was always better than hearing it and I melted all over again.

  "Peter," I mumbled. "You're driving me crazy."

  "I haven't even started yet," he chuckled.

  The silly grin on his lips twisted to serious as he slowly slid my panties down my body. He watched them as they slipped down my skin before he dropped them to the side as well.

  His hands pushed my thighs apart and I held my breath as he ran a finger over my wetness and brought it to his lips. His tongue slipped out, he licked it clean and I was ready to ride him until we were both sore.

  Peter shifted in the bed and ma
neuvered until he slid his PJ pants down his hips. I watched as they slid down his muscular thighs and were kicked off impatiently. His dark boxers were tugged down next and I was greeted with his thick cock already hard and dripping for me.

  I swallowed hard.

  "Damn," I whispered.

  Peter raised a brow and grinned before he rolled onto his side. I watched one of his hands as it curled around his shaft and the other tugged me toward his waiting mouth. The moment his tongue touched my slit I shuddered and threw my head back against the bed. I was already so sensitive. After a night of thinking about him, even dreaming about him and then being pressed right up against his body I was on the edge.

  I was yanked back to reality as his tongue ran up and down my sensitive clit. My knees tried to snap closed, but he wasn't going to let that happen. He spread my legs open and dove in for more. His tongue pushed inside of me before he trailed back up and sucked until I thought I'd lose my mind.

  "P-Peter. I can't stop," I groaned.

  "Don't," he said as he glanced up at me. "Cum for me."

  I grit my teeth as he picked up speed and I pushed myself against him more. My hand gripped his hair hard and I rode his face as I felt the building pressure of the orgasm in my core. It grew until I couldn't hold back even if I wanted to and I cried out, loudly, as my hips bucked and lifted off the bed. By the time I was done, I flopped down tired and panting. Peter smiled at me, obviously proud of his good work as I shook my head.

  "Too much?" He asked.

  "Not at all. I'm perfectly fine," I lied as I still tried to catch my breath.

  "Good. Then I won’t hold back."

  I waved a hand and blew out a breath. "Please, do your worst!"

  I watched the corner of his mouth as it ticked into a quick smile. "Whatever you want."

  Peter reached over into the nightstand and snagged a condom. I watched him roll it on, almost mesmerized by the size of his cock. It jerked and pulsed in his palm and I was sure he was more than ready to get started.