Getting the Goods Read online

  “Say no more.” I breathe in deeply. “Apple pie is my favorite.”

  16

  Gabriella

  I’m cleaning off the last bit of crumbs from the table, exhaustion setting in.

  Three kids can take a lot of you, that’s for damn sure. This is why I’m only having one. I mean, at least, I hope that I’m having one. I wouldn’t change the way that I spent today, because I had an absolute blast with Conner’s niece and nephews. But I’m definitely tired.

  “Hey.” Conner’s voice snaps me out of my trance, and as I turn around, I suck in air.

  He’s fresh out of the shower and leaning against the doorway, just staring at me. I blink as my eyes travel over him, and suddenly, I’m not so tired anymore. Just the sight of him ignites something inside of me, something that I feel has never been turned on this way before. Of course, it’s only because I’ve never seen a man so gorgeous, but still. The feeling makes me dizzy.

  His hair is still wet, and small beads of water run down his bare chest. My eyes travel down to his firm stomach, focusing on the V the travels down, far past where his shorts meet his skin.

  “How are you feeling?”

  I blink at him in confusion, before finally sighing.

  “Much better. Thanks for letting me off the hook today. Spending time here was exactly what I needed.”

  “Was that all that you needed today?”

  He moves towards me, and my blood freezes in my veins. I thought that it was all that I needed today, but now, with him moving towards me, with his gorgeous eyes dilated, I’m not so sure. He stops right in front of me, before taking the towel out of my hand and tossing it on the counter.

  “I missed you today, baby.” He reaches up and runs a lock of my hair through his hands. “I missed you a lot.”

  “You, you what?”

  He missed me? Why would he be missing me?

  But, the truth remains. A part of me did miss him too, and I was pretty happy when he finally walked through the door.

  It’s only because you need his body.

  That is all that it is, right? It has to be.

  “Today was awful, Gabs. The only thing that got me through the day with my family was knowing that I was coming home to you.”

  Coming home to you.

  Four little words, that seem to inspire so much. He leans his forehead against mine, and takes a ragged breath, before finally placing one hand underneath my bottom, and lifting me onto the table. My legs spread, making room for him as he presses his body against mine, and my head tilts back as his lips claim me. They barely brush against mine at first, but them, his hand braces the back of my neck, and my mouth opens for him. He kisses me long and slowly.

  The first time that we did this…well, wait. I don’t exactly remember much about the first time, but I do remember the second. And that time, he kissed me hard, like he couldn’t wait another second to claim me. This time, it’s different. He’s taking his time and kissing me slowly and sweetly as though he is savoring every drop of me. It causes a lot of unwelcome emotions to erupt in side of me.

  “Baby,” he whispers into my mouth, before lifting me into his arms.

  “As much as I want to fuck you on this table, I need more than that tonight, alright? I want you in my bed. I want to take my time with you and explore every inch of your body. With my hands and with my mouth. Tell me that you want that too.”

  “Yes,” I whisper, without zero amount of hesitation. “I want that, Conner.”

  “Good.” He wraps his arms around me tightly and carries me towards his bedroom. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

  Once we enter his bedroom, he puts me back onto my feet for just a moment. As he stands in front of me, he stares down at me, his finger gently tracing the curves of my face, before trailing along my lips. His eyes are soft on mine as his fingers finally trail down towards the hem of my shirt, before he tugs upwards, lifting it over my head. He swallows hard as his eyes leave mine and begin to focus on my skin. They dilate slightly, as his hands dip into the waistband of my yoga pants, before he pulls them down. His hands trail along my thighs, igniting a fire inside of me, as he pulls my pants off of me and tosses them to the side.

  I’m standing there before him, luckily, wearing a pretty pair of panties with a matching bra thanks to Maria’s last-minute packing, as he continues to stare at me, before his lips finally press against my skin. His tongue glides along my thigh, before his lips take over, and he begins to kiss my bare skin. He pauses for just a second over my core, where he again presses his lips once, before moving up my body. His hands join in, as they caress my breasts, before moving to the small of my back. He pulls my body against his, as he lifts me gently, before laying me on the bed.

  “You’re so beautiful, baby,” he whispers in my ear before leaning over me and moving his lips down my neck. “You’re the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

  Hardly, I’m sure of that. But I allow myself to get lost in his words, because honestly, I’m in such a Conner induced trance that I’m pretty sure I would believe just about anything that he says right now. He mutters something else as he unclasps my bra and pulls it off of me. I’m officially gone, totally lost inside of my head, when his hands move back to my breasts at the same time that his wet mouth does.

  I cry out for him, as his hands move frantically all over me.

  “Fuck,” he mutters, as his name leaves my lips.

  “Fuck, baby. I wanted to take this slow, but I don’t know if I can.”

  My panties are pulled off of me, and his mouth crashes onto my core. My legs are thrust over his shoulders as he spreads me wide with his hand, and his tongue slides inside of me. Between his teeth nibbling on my clit, the ragged breaths leaving his mouth, and his tongue darting along my folds, I can’t even begin to control myself. My hips thrust against him as my legs grip his shoulders hard. My hands are digging into the blankets as my mouth cries out for more.

  I’m so damn close that I feel like my entire body could spontaneously combust right now. Every time this man puts his hands on my body, this is the end result. I’m not complaining, by any stretch, but usually I can at least keep myself somewhat together during sex. With Conner, I’m a complete and utter mess of need.

  As his finger slides inside of me, at the same time that his teeth again nip at me, I lose it. Suddenly, I’m completely outside of my body, spinning around in space, watching from the outside as this gorgeous man pleasures my body, while on his knees before me.

  It’s a fucking incredibly hot sight.

  I’m still not back to earth by the time that he rises, grabbing his engorged erection in his hand and tugging once, before positioning himself at my entrance. Without any warning at all, he slides inside of me, stretching me wide as he goes.

  The second that he’s inside of me, I explode all over again, losing myself all around him, as he cries out my name and begins to move.

  “Jesus,” he growls. “I love making you come, baby. I love it when you come all over me.”

  I can’t even speak, in fact, I can’t even form a single thought. He continues to move inside of me, grunting and growling the entire time, as the headboard smacks hard into the wall. My name leaves his lips in a continued chant, right before I feel him pulse, and then, he follows me down.

  As if my body isn’t already wound tightly enough, the second that I feel him releasing inside of me, my body somehow manages to do it all over again.

  By the time that it’s over, I’m gasping for air, and dripping in sweat,

  “Tell me more about your childhood,” Conner asks me, as he continues to stroke my neck.

  I swear, I’m in heaven, right here, inside of this huge jacuzzi tub with him. After several rounds of earth shattering sex, he got out of bed and drew us a bath. We’ve now been lazily laying in the water for at least an hour, and for about the last fifteen minutes, he’s been rubbing my neck.

  It’s pretty much the
best feeling ever.

  “There’s not really much to tell. I grew up in the suburbs, my dad worked while my mom stayed home and raised us kids. Us kids, meaning my younger sister and younger brother. I played soccer as a kid and then again in high school and for one year of college. I tore my ACL my freshman year, so my dreams of being a soccer superstar went down the drain at that point. I graduated in the top of my class at Illinois State, which is how I received my scholarship for graduate studies at Harvard, where I attended online.”

  “Alright, that’s all pretty basic. Having your mom home growing up must have been really great.”

  “It was,” I sigh. “Donna Martin is one amazing lady. She loved being a mom, I mean, she still does. But when we were little, she always made sure that we knew how happy we made her.”

  Conner smiles wistfully at me.

  “Once we all started school, she became the classroom mom. She came on every field trip with us and was always just a phone call away. She was the type of mom to have freshly baked cookies coming out of the oven for us after school. She’s really great, and I was really lucky to have her so much when I was little.”

  “Are you guys still close?”

  “Yes.” I nod. “Very. Although, lately, I’ve been trying to avoid her, because she doesn’t really agree with my, um, plan.”

  “Wait,” he pulls back from me and spins me around to face him. “You told your mother about this? About what we’re doing?”

  “God no,” I snort. “Donna would have a heart attack if she knew that I was sleeping with a random man, trying to get knocked up. Donna doesn’t agree with the sperm bank. She thinks that I should just marry David Acterhoff and have his baby.”

  “David Acterhoff?”

  “Yes.” I shudder. Just the thought of getting busy with David makes me sick to my stomach. He is my mothers’ best friend’s’ son, and he has had a crush on me since kindergarten. He was a weird kid who turned into a super creepy man.

  I’d rather be the crazy cat lady than to do the nasty with him.

  “Is he an ex-boyfriend or something?”

  “Ew!” I shudder again. “No way. He is a complete creep, who happens to be my mom’s friend’s son. I would rather catch syphilis from a one-night stand than to let him lay a single finger on me.”

  “If he’s so creepy, then why does your mom want you to be with him?”

  I shrug.

  “I don’t know. I think that she senses my desperation and is just trying to help. She knows that David can give me the basics of what I need, and what she thinks that I want. But I’ll never be that desperate.”

  “Besides a baby, what does your mom think that you want?”

  I lean back against Conner, and he wraps his arms around me. As I rest my head in the crook of his neck, and feel his strong arms holding me tight, I almost can’t say the words. Honestly, it was something that I wanted when I was younger, and always assumed that I would have, but life had other plans. Not that I’m sad about being a business woman, who earns a good living and is able to pay all of my own bills.

  But the primitive part of me does still realize how important some things are.

  “She thinks that I wanted to be a stay at home parent, like she was. She thinks that I want a family, in the traditional sense. She knows that David can give that to me, as he is financially successful and wants just that. The problem is, I would rather get gang banged by a group of chickens than to have to touch David in that way. A girl has to have standards.”

  Conner bursts out laughing, before shaking his head.

  “You are definitely an original, Gabriella. The things that you say sometimes,” he snorts. “You just managed to talk about syphilis and getting gang banged by chickens with a straight face. I love your sense of humor.”

  I love…

  Wow. What is happening to me? Why am I a bit disappointed that he didn’t finish that with I love you?

  Of course, he doesn’t love me. We’re totally using each other here, and most importantly, I don’t even like the guy.

  What is my damn problem?

  It’s just the scene that has been set, that’s all. It’s the sweet way that he fucked me earlier, and now, the way that he’s holding me in a bathtub. That’s what causing me to lose my grip on reality here.

  He’s making me like him. Letting me see that there is a softer side to the arrogant man that he normally portrays.

  That’s what’s messing with my head. He’s still the same guy, and I need to remind myself of that. First, I need some space.

  “I think that I should probably head for bed. We have a big day tomorrow.”

  Tomorrow, I will be forced to be around his family tomorrow, as the pre-party starts then. Conner’s already told me about the many family members arriving tomorrow, and how I will be expected to perform as the loving and doting girlfriend. I will follow up my performance the following day, at his parent’s anniversary party, and then, poof.

  We will be back to normal and on our way home, and hopefully I will have a bun in the oven.

  “Wait,” Conner pulls be back against him and looks at me questioningly.

  “Did I say something to upset you? Your whole demeanor just changed, like that.” He snaps his fingers.

  “No, of course not,” I lie. “I think that the day has just finally caught up with me. I’m exhausted.”

  “Alright.” he nods, before standing up in the tub and stepping out, before reaching down for my hand. My eyes lock on my favorite part of him, and suddenly, all rational thoughts go out the window.

  I need to go to bed, really, I do. Except, he’s right there, totally naked and in front of me, and I have yet to have the pleasure of wrapping my lips around him.

  As if he reads my mind, his eyes darken. I lean forward, my bottom half still in the tub, watching him intently as he reaches behind him, holding on tightly to the counter top.

  I can’t do this from this angle, but dammit all, I want to.

  So, as quickly as I can, I hop out of the tub and sink to my knees in front of him.

  A hiss leaves his mouth as I wrap mine around his length, before licking the tip, and letting him slide deeply inside.

  “Oh, fuck,” he groans, jerking his hips slightly. “Baby,” he hisses again, “That feels so damn good.”

  I don’t respond. Instead, I begin to devour him, letting my body ignite as the soft grunts and groans leave his mouth.

  He’s rocking his hips against my face, steadily fucking my mouth, as his whole body tenses.

  “No,” he growls and grabs me around waist, swinging me to my feet and setting me on the vanity. He jerks my legs open and slams inside of me, causing me to cry out as my orgasm rocks through my body, intensifying as I feel him do the same.

  We’re both panting as he leans against me and presses his forehead to mine.

  “As much as I wanted to watch you swallow me down, we can’t be playing like that. Every release, every fucking drop of me goes in here.”

  His hand rests against my belly, before sliding out of me.

  He bends over, and presses his lips to my stomach, kissing it several times and flashing me a grin.

  “I kind of love baby making.”

  I kind of love you.

  17

  Conner

  “Are you feeling ok?” I lean in and whisper in Gabriella’s ear, making her blush.

  “Yes. I’m sore in places that I shouldn’t be, and a tad bit sleepy, but other than that, I’m feeling just fine.”

  I pull her back into me and rest my chin on her head. She relaxes against me, making every damn thing feel right in the world.

  As my hands clasp across her stomach, I pause.

  “Do you think that if you took a test right now, you would know?”

  “A test, as in, a pregnancy test?”

  I nod.

  “Well, yeah. I gave you a lot of baby batter between last night and this morning. Something should definitely be cooking in t
here.”

  “I don’t think that it works like that. Maria already scheduled an appointment for me in her office in two weeks. She’s going to draw blood work then. She said that would read a bit faster than a urine test would.”

  “Oh.”

  I stop myself before asking her if I can come with her to her appointment. That’s crossing a line that’s already been drawn in the sand.

  All of this, every last moment, is nothing more than a deal. A business agreement, and feelings can never be mixed with business.

  She’s putting on a show for my family, and I’m fucking her at night.

  Nothing more, and nothing less.

  Yet, things seem to have changed between us, and to be honest, the change is for the better. Of course, it could just be me feeling this way. I can’t really tell with her. One moment, I see something flash in her eyes for me, and the next, she’s right back to cracking jokes about me being an arrogant prick.

  I can’t keep up.

  All that I know is that my feelings have changed for her, even if hers haven’t. And while I already know that I can’t pursue my feelings, they are there, none the less.

  “Conner?”

  A voice snaps me out of my trance, and my head turns towards it at the same time that Gabriella’s does.

  “Sarah.”

  Gabriella sits up, moving her body off of mine, as I rise to my feet.

  “Oh, Conner.” Sarah throws her arms around my neck and squeezes me. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “Yeah, you too.”

  Sarah looks great, just as beautiful as ever, in her ivory silk dress that clings to all of her curves. Her hair is the same dark auburn that I remember, although, it’s much longer than it was the last time that I saw her. It now hangs in waves down her shoulders, causing a sharp contrast against her light skin and dress.

  “My goodness. I didn’t think that it was possible for you to be any more handsome, yet, look at you. You are quite the sight, Conner Andrews.”

  “Well, thanks, Sarah. You look beautiful yourself.”

  “Oh, you devil.” She grins wickedly at me before swatting my chest. “You always knew exactly what to say to make a lady blush.”