Page 4 of Wicked Garden


  He steadily pumped his finger, and slid his thumb into her slit, wiggling it inside her. “Tighten your pussy muscles. Now.”

  Right when Eden squeezed, Billy pressed his thumb and his middle finger together, so she felt him stroking both walls.

  “Oh. My. God.”

  “Wild, huh?”

  “Yeah. Is that sort of what it’d feel like to have…”

  His eyes glittered. “Tell me. To have what?”

  “To be filled in both places at one time.”

  “Would you like to try that? Have a cock in your cunt and another one in your ass? At the same time?”

  “Uh. Yeah.”

  “Real? Or a facsimile?”

  “Both.”

  Billy kissed her, not a hard punishing kiss, but softly. Sweetly. He whispered, “Where is your vibrator?”

  She went utterly still. “W-w-what?”

  “Your vibrator.” His hand slipped over her sweat-slickened belly to the thatch of curls and stroked her clit. “Don’t play coy. You told me you don’t need a man to take your own pleasure. Tell me where it is.”

  It was hard to create a plausible lie when he used such sublime diversions. “Umm…What are you going to do with it?”

  “I won’t use it for double penetration right now.”

  Her brain stuck on right now. “Oh.” Eden swallowed hard. “What do you have planned?”

  Billy’s low chuckle rumbled against her breast. “Guess you’ll have to trust me to find out.” He lifted his head a fraction. “Do you trust me, Eden?”

  “I-I—”

  His pink tongue lapped shiny wet circles around her equally pink nipple. His cool breath drifted across the moistened tip and she gasped when his demanding fingers began plucking her other nipple. “Where is it?”

  “Bottom drawer in the bureau in my room,” she blurted.

  He grinned, raced out and was back in the room with the buzzing purple rubber vibrator before she felt the sting of embarrassment. “Billy, it’s not what you think—”

  “No? I think you’re sexy.” The vibrating tip teased her puckered nipples. “I think you should relax and enjoy this.” He drew circles around her breasts, zigzagging the buzzing wand down the length of her torso. “I sure as hell am.”

  Billy nipped love bites along her hips. He slipped the pointed end over her clit and held it there. “Like that?” he murmured, watching every pleasurable twitch of her body.

  Eden’s breath caught. “Too intense. Move it down.”

  The rubber shaft slipped through the wetness between her thighs, creating pulsating warmth. He traced the mouth of her sex, dipping down to press the tip into the strip of skin separating her two openings. She tensed, half-afraid, half hoping he’d just dive right in to the naughty temptation.

  But he moved the vibrator up to the wet furrow of her pussy and pushed it in.

  Her mouth opened in a cry of delight, which he seized with a bruising kiss. He rocked the buzzing shaft in and out. With his hard cock grinding into her hip and his lips controlling hers, she wanted to wallow in the feeling of utter wantonness.

  Instead, she exploded, gasping as shards of pleasure erupted. Heart racing, sweat dripping, pelvis pumping, she thrashed against the sticky mat as the most intense orgasm of her life nearly knocked her unconscious.

  At one point Eden was vaguely aware of Billy removing the vibrator and whispering soothing words, gifting her with tender kisses, prolonged caresses. He enfolded her in his arms, and whisked her off to her bed. Cool cotton sheets brushed her skin, then his firm body nestled against hers beneath the comforter.

  She closed her eyes. “Let me catch my breath, then it’ll be your turn.”

  “No hurry.” His warm breath ruffled the hair on the back of her head. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”

  Content, she snuggled into Billy’s embrace.

  And fell fast asleep.

  Chapter Six

  Eden woke up naked and alone, darkness shadowing her room. She called out a tentative, “Billy?”

  No answer. Not that she blamed him for taking off.

  She flipped the covers and shivered. Donning her chenille robe, she tiptoed into the hallway. The Tiffany-style lamp threw a pattern of rainbow colors against the wall. She double-checked the doors downstairs, but Billy had locked them before leaving. Still, she felt every bit a selfish idiot. What’d possessed her to fall asleep?

  When she’d crawled back into her bed and turned on the nightlight, she noticed the sheet of paper perched on the adjoining pillow. She grinned. Cocky man. He’d used her vibrator as a paperweight. The note read:

  Eden,

  I didn’t have the heart to wake you. Late lunch tomorrow? You pick the place.

  Billy

  PS-Tomorrow it’s your turn

  She clasped the letter to her breast. He wasn’t upset? How had she forgotten his innate sweetness? Right. She’d been so bowled over by his sexpertise; she’d forgotten Billy Buchanan was comprised of more qualities than talented fingers and a skillful mouth. Smiling, she switched off the light and returned to sleep.

  ***

  “Mr. Buchanan is here,” Shelby announced through the intercom early the next afternoon.

  Eden’s pulse spiked. She peered at the clock. Late lunch meant little interruption for the surprise she’d planned. She fluffed up her hair and smoothed the crease from her black linen mini-skirt. “Send him in.”

  The door swung open, but Billy’s handsome face was hidden behind a camcorder. He kept the camera trained on her as he folded his solid frame into the chair opposite her desk. “Today we’re in the office of Eden LaCroix, administrator for the Spearfish Community Center. Ms. LaCroix, I’d like to record your opinions on the future of this facility.”

  “What is this?”

  Billy depressed a button and rested the compact machine on his knee. “I told you I tape footage for every project.”

  “Why?”

  “Easier to find problems in case I missed something pertinent the first time around.”

  “Does that happen often? You miss something important?”

  He frowned and fiddled with the angle of the LCD screen. “Sometimes when I least expect it.”

  “And if I refuse?”

  His eyes met hers in challenge. “I’ll use my toy on someone else.”

  Hoo-boy. Her body heated, remembering his proficiency with toys last night. “Fine. Let’s get started. Don’t forget we have a lunch date and I’m starved.”

  As Billy trained his camera on Eden, he felt like he’d been split in two. The professional half calmly asked questions and appeared in perfect control. The testosterone-laden half gloated at the shine in Eden’s eyes, the high color in her cheeks, the way the lens caught every beautiful nuance of her face.

  Had his attention to her sexual pleasure last night put the extra glow in her today? Nah. He couldn’t take credit. Eden was smart, striking, determined and it showed in person as well as on tape.

  He listened as Eden rattled off the comprehensive history of the community center. She presented him a detailed list on how the city could improve and promote the community center in its present location. Some of her suggestions were unfeasible, but the majority of the ideas were reasonable.

  Billy kept his questions to a minimum and let Eden’s passion for the project speak for itself. “That should be enough for now,” he said, powering down the unit and shoving it in the carrying case.

  Eden rounded the desk, cocking a slim hip on the corner. Her short skirt rose up, showcasing an extra inch of marvelous thigh. Automatically his attention traveled higher. She rolled her shoulders back, the buttons on the sleeveless cinnamon-colored blouse stretched, exposing a creamy line of breast encased in a lacy peach bra.

  Billy’s hungry gaze met her impish glimmer.

  “Seen enough?” she murmured throatily.

  “Not nearly.” He stood and pressed closer, letting her knee brush the bulge beneath his fly.
“I wish I’d had this camera last night.”

  “Sorry I conked out.”

  Billy slid a quick glance to the closed metal blinds separating her office from the reception area. “I want to kiss you,” he said, leaning close enough to taste her sweet breath. “I need to feel your mouth on mine so I know last night wasn’t another elaborate fantasy I’d conjured up when I’m alone in my bed thinking about you.”

  “You’ve been thinking about me?”

  “For years.” Before he could erase those scant inches and fasten his mouth to hers, Eden ducked under his arm.

  “If you’ve waited that long then another few hours won’t matter. You’re not kissing me in here.” She snagged an oversized purse. “But if you’re really good, I might give you a kiss in the car on the way to lunch.” Her amused eyes zeroed in on the swelling beneath his zipper. “Probably won’t happen though, because we both know how much you enjoy being bad.”

  Billy’s response, “I’ll be good, I promise,” fell on deaf ears as she sailed out the door.

  She’d chosen an upscale Italian restaurant in a renovated turn-of-the-century warehouse showcasing exposed maroon bricks, metal beamed ceilings, original wide-planked wooden flooring with deeply weathered grooves. The structure appealed to him on a professional level. Add in old-fashioned gas lamps updated with electricity, crisp ivory linen tablecloths, pots of fresh herbs and private high-backed booths and it was charmingly romantic.

  The college-aged male waiter recited the lunch specials, warning them the kitchen was about to close. After ordering, Billy noticed Eden’s fingers nervously plucking the tablecloth.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. It’s just weird, us having lunch together.”

  “Because we’re in public?” Anyone strolling by had to look damn hard to see them, as they’d chosen a secluded booth away from the kitchen and the front door.

  “No. Because when we were younger neither of us had enough money to eat someplace this nice. And we’d rather have been…”

  Billy twined her fidgety fingers through his. “We’d rather have been making out like crazy, all hot mouths, frenzied hands and unfulfilled aches.”

  Color rose on her cheekbones. “Like last night?”

  “Regrets?”

  “None. Except for me falling asleep. I’m really sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I told you. Last night was for you.” He grinned. “I’m not worried. I’ll get mine.”

  Eden grinned back, a bit smugly, in his opinion. “Sooner than you might think.” She deflected his next question by pointing to his briefcase. “Is this a business lunch?”

  “No. But it’d appear that way to anyone who might see us eating together.”

  “Good thinking.” She settled into the cushioned leather backrest. “So, with all the stuff going on at the center, you haven’t told me about your fabulous life in Chicago.”

  Fabulous. What a laugh. “What do you want to know?”

  “The usual. Do you go to Bulls games? Do you walk along the waterfront?” She brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. “Do you and your friends heckle the hapless Cubs? Or do you prefer fine dining when you’re out on the town?”

  “Sometimes I do those things. I’ve also been known to wolf down a Chicago style pizza and a hot dog or two. But mostly, I work, so my social life is pretty pathetic. Plus, I’ve been in Canada for the last eighteen months working on an intensive restoration.”

  “Eighteen months? Isn’t that a long time to be away from home?”

  Funny, he’d never considered his condo home; he was so rarely there. He spent more time in his battered office chair than on his brand new living room couch. “I’m used to it. The majority of my projects are done in other cities.”

  “Bet you’ve been some pretty cool places?”

  “I guess. What about you?”

  “Me? I’ve never ventured from here. Spearfish has always felt like home.” Frowning, she stirred her tea. “But now with the future of the community center up in the air, it’s a little scary wondering where I’ll end up.”

  An awkward silence lingered until the waiter interrupted with their salads. Billy was determined to get the conversation back on personal ground. “I love the Black Hills. Now if I can only convince my baby sister Maggie to stick around here.”

  Eden’s fork stopped midway to her mouth. “You have a sister who lives here?”

  “Maggie lives in Rapid City. She signed on as a civilian computer programmer at Ellsworth Air Force Base a few months back. I hadn’t been able to visit her until the job in Calgary ended.”

  “You planned on coming back to South Dakota before Jim called you?”

  Here was the moment of truth. Billy fixed his gaze to hers so there’d be no misunderstanding. “Yes. Bob’s heart attack just speeded up the process. I’d intended to spend time in Spearfish long before that.”

  “Did you know… Never mind. Don’t answer.”

  “Yes. I knew you still lived here.”

  She rooted around in her salad. “Why didn’t I know you had a sister?”

  “Actually, I have two sisters. Lacy is married with two kids and works as a publicist in New York City.” He focused on the muted fresco covering the far wall. “I didn’t tell you about my family because my senior college year wasn’t an easy time for me. My mother went off the deep end after my dad’s death. Luckily, Lacy had escaped to NYU. I’d ended up here on a full scholarship and lived with my grandma, but poor Maggie was stuck with our mom.”

  He remembered the guilt, the hysterical, late-night phone calls from his frightened sister. His sister who was the same age as Eden. Talk about a wakeup call. The night when Eden doffed her dress in the motel room and stood in front of him completely naked? As much as Billy wanted her, his brain got stuck on whether his little sister was losing her virginity to a lecherous college boy in a sleazy motel after her senior prom.

  That idea literally deflated his plans and he was too embarrassed to tell Eden the truth. Instead, he’d yanked his pants up over his limp cock and vanished into the night.

  The next week college finals had started. After the last stunt his mother pulled, he’d had no choice but to leave right after exams, skipping his college graduation ceremony. As soon as he’d settled Maggie in New York with Lacy, he’d joined the Chicago firm.

  A warm, soft hand covered his. “I’m sorry. Guess I was so self-absorbed back then I didn’t see you suffered with your own family problems.”

  “Not self-absorbed, Eden. Self-conscious, maybe. Self-reliant, definitely. But you are the least self-centered person I’ve ever known.”

  The meals arrived and they ate in companionable silence. Eden sucked a fat piece of shrimp from her fork, releasing the tines a millimeter at a time, swallowing with gusto and then licked her lips.

  An image flashed of her wrapping those shiny red lips around his cock. Sucking frantically and her beautiful throat muscles working as she swallowed. The urge surfaced to sweep everything from the table, spread her wide and fuck her fast and furiously on top of it.

  The air thickened and the booth seemed to close in.

  When the waiter appeared to clear plates and detailed the dessert menu, Eden fished around in her purse, pulled out a twenty and handed it to him. “Nothing else. We won’t have to bug you and