Hoping for Forever (The Lottery Winners Book 1) Read online

  He laughed. “We need to walk,” he told her, stepping out of her arms and taking her hand. “This could get out of hand quickly.”

  She laughed. “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”

  Mick didn’t answer that, thinking she didn’t understand what she was saying. But he definitely loved being with her like this.

  “Come on. Let’s go down to the lake and talk.”

  He locked up the garage and then took her hand, leading her down to the lake, listening to her talk about her self-discoveries. He loved her voice and was impressed with her mental ruminations. He agreed with many of her issues, but wondered if things would ever change.

  “You’re trembling,” he commented.

  Scarlett shivered again and knew that he felt that. “I know.”

  “Are you cold?” he asked, moving behind her and wrapping his arms around her to warm her up.

  “I’m not, but I like this,” she said, then smiled when he kissed her shoulder. “Mick…”

  “We should be heading back,” he said at the same moment.

  She turned and looked up into his dark eyes. “I don’t want to go back,” she whispered, understanding exactly what she wanted. “I want to stay here.”

  She saw the heat in his eyes, and she also recognized the moment when he would turn her down. “Scarlett, we…”

  Quickly, before he could finish that sentence, she spun around. “Before you say anything, I just want…” she stopped and looked up at him, her fingers heating up as they rested on the hard planes of his chest.

  “What?” he asked gently, pulling her closer. She settled against him, feeling every part of him. Even that part that scared her and fascinated her. “This,” she whispered and kissed him.

  Brushing her lips against his slightly, she wasn’t exactly sure how to kiss as well as Mick, but she was more than willing to figure it out. Until Mick, she hadn’t known that she wasn’t experienced at this. In high school, she’d kissed her boyfriend, but only small pecks, mere brushes of their lips when they said hello or goodbye. But after the shared kisses with Mick, she knew a bit more about how to kiss a man. Or perhaps she only knew how to kiss a woman, but she was willing to turn Mick’s technique back onto him and see how things went.

  As soon as she nibbled on his lip, he groaned and Scarlett knew that she’d done it right. But the more he moaned, the more she enjoyed kissing him. She alternated between brushing her lips across his and nibbling. He was participating, but she could feel the tension in his muscles and knew that he was trying to hold back.

  Scarlett didn’t want him to hold back. Mick had shown her how to free her mind. Now she wanted to know how to free her body. Moving closer, she pressed her body against his, feeling all of him and just experimenting a bit on what felt good to her, assuming that it would feel good to him as well.

  But as soon as she started shifting her breasts against his chest, things changed. Mick was no longer able to hold back and, in a flash, she was laying on the grass, his arms pulling her closer.

  “Scarlett, this is dangerous,” he warned, but then his head dipped and he nuzzled her neck, sending shock waves throughout her whole body.

  “I know. I like it,” she whispered back, afraid of speaking too loudly. Loud noises might…stop what was happening and she didn’t want to stop. She couldn’t stop!

  “We can’t…”

  “Just a little more,” she urged, grabbing his shoulders when he started to pull away.

  She could barely see his face in the dim light from the moon, but she could feel the strain in his muscles, the indecision in his body.

  “A little more,” he promised, then lowered both of them to the soft ground.

  She felt his hand slide underneath her sweater and she arched into his hand, loving the way the rough pads of his fingertips scraped slightly against her skin. When his hand cupped her breast, she was shocked at how good that felt and pressed her hand over his own, encouraging him.

  Scarlett had no idea of the small sounds she was making, but Mick knew and he couldn’t seem to stop himself, loving the way she whimpered and gasped when he touched her. His fingers found her nipple through the thick fabric of her bra and pinched slightly. He smiled when he felt her body shudder and covered her mouth to silence her cry of delight.

  Moving to her side, he teased and tormented her nipples through the material of her sweater, but the way her hips were rolling, he was having a hard time remembering that they couldn’t do more. He didn’t have any protection with him and wasn’t even sure where to get something to keep her from becoming pregnant.

  But they couldn’t have sex! Mick knew they couldn’t go all the way. Even this was flirting with danger, he thought. Although, he didn’t take his hand away. In fact, his fingers adeptly released the hooks at her back, then came around to investigate the treasures underneath that heavy bra once again.

  “Take it off,” she urged.

  “No,” he argued right back. “We can’t, Scarlett.”

  When he heard her soft laugh, Mick knew that he was in deep trouble. Sure enough, a moment later, she pushed away from him and sat up. He tried to speak, but she lifted her sweater up and over her head. Mick stared in wonder at Scarlett’s soft, full breasts, bare to the world.

  She was beautiful.

  He couldn’t stop from reaching out and touching, cupping the fullness of her breast. She lifted her hands, holding his wrists in place, almost as if she thought he would come to his senses and pull away. He might have laughed at that possibility but he’d stopped thinking.

  Lowering his head, he kissed one pink tip, loving the way it felt under his lips. “You taste good, Scarlett,” he groaned. Taking off his own shirt, he laid it down on the grass behind her, then lowered her gently to the ground once more.

  With every ounce of what was left of his control, he kissed her breasts, teased and gently tormented her with his mouth and his hands. Very carefully, he unsnapped the button on her pants and slipped his hand down lower. Finding her wet and eager for him just about blew his mind, but then she gasped and he couldn’t pull away. Not now. Not with her like this! He lifted his head, looking down at her closed eyes, her lips were parted as he pressed his finger into her wet heat. When he did that, her eyes popped open and he smiled.

  “Just relax. I won’t hurt you,” he promised.

  Moving his finger in and out, his palm pressing gently against that nubbin, he slowly brought her closer and closer. He knew the exact moment when she exploded over that cliff and kissed her, absorbing her cries into his mouth. She relaxed and he gentled his fingers, slowing carefully but still trying to get the whole release for her.

  When she grabbed his wrist, he knew that it was over and he stopped, gently pulling away but still watching her. She was the most incredibly beautiful, passionate woman he’d ever had in his arms. And in that moment, he knew that he loved her.

  Scarlett sighed, feeling like every cell in her body was tingling. When her eyes fluttered open, it was to see Mick looking down at her with a triumphant smile.

  “Thank you!” she said, then laughed. “Sorry, that seems so inadequate!” Then she sat up and hugged him. “That was beautiful! I never knew anything could be so special!” she gushed, but then pulled back, looking down at his body. “But…you didn’t…?”

  “I’m fine,” he told her, catching her hands when she started to touch him.

  She stilled, but didn’t pull back. “You’re not fine,” she argued, then realized what she’d just said. “Okay, well,” her eyes took in his muscular chest, “you’re extremely fine, but…”

  “Scarlett, we have to go,” he said, trying to be firm about leaving but she just looked so curious.

  “We don’t,” she argued. “Mick, please let me do this for you. Isn’t there some way that I can…reciprocate?” she asked, moving her hands to his chest and letting her fingers slide down, carefully exploring his muscles. “I mean, it’s only fair that you did it to me. Are you re
ally going to deny me the same pleasure?”

  He groaned, closing his eyes to stop himself from looking at her still-bare breasts or the way her pants remained unbuttoned. He hadn’t taken her pants off, needing something to slow down the ache inside of him.

  With her words though, he knew that his control was at the breaking point. “Scarlett, we need to get you back to your room before Ms. Burgess finds out that you snuck out.”

  He knew he was in trouble when her cute pink tongue licked her lips.

  “I’ll be back in time. We still have a bit more time before curfew,” she dismissed the worry, and her hands slid lower on his chest. “Just tell me what to do.”

  His hands reached out, wrapping around her delicate wrists, but then he looked into her eyes and realized he couldn’t stop her. She looked so eager, so earnest. And adorable. He suspected that she didn’t realize that she was still mostly naked, but he wasn’t about to tell her.

  So instead of pulling her hands away, he leaned back against the rough bark of the tree and pressed her palms flat against his chest. “Just…touch me however you like.”

  He could barely stand it, feeling her soft fingers against his skin. But because she looked so eager, so earnest, he let her touch him. He loved how she explored all of him, although when her fingers dipped lower, he grabbed her wrists again.

  She looked up into his eyes. “Please let me, Mick!”

  He held her for a long moment, her fingers hovering over his painful erection and, in the end, he couldn’t deny her. Releasing her wrists, he watched as her pale fingers fumbled with the buttons of his jeans. When she opened the material, his erection sprang free from his boxers and he groaned as he watched her fingers wrap around him.

  “Like this?” she asked, running her fingers up and down, exploring as much as she was trying to torment him.

  “Like this,” he said and wrapped her fingers around his erection, showing her how he liked it. “Just…” he closed his eyes, trying to endure the way she was touching him without embarrassing himself, “Yeah. Just like that!” he choked out.

  Her fingers tightened around him and his own hands formed fists by his side. He wasn’t going to release his control, he vowed silently. He’d just let her touch him and explore him. But when she touched him like that, tightening her fingers, he lost his ability to control anything, much less his response to her soft hands. Fumbling quickly, he grabbed the handkerchief he kept in his back pocket, then groaned as her fingers tightened even more, moving faster and…

  “Scarlett!” he growled, one hand reaching for hers, intending to stop her, but she kissed him at that point and he was lost. He couldn’t hold back a moment longer and his climax came over him faster and harder than anything he’d ever experienced.

  When he opened his eyes, he fully expected her to be shocked and horrified. But all he saw on her beautiful face was a soft, happy smile.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” he grumbled, pulling her hand away and cleaning up with the handkerchief.

  Her grin widened. “I loved it,” she informed him.

  Shaking his head, he stood up, pulling her up as well. He picked up her sweater and her bra, helping her put both back on…more because he just liked touching her but also because…well, because he didn’t want this night to end. He wanted to take her back to his place and make love to her properly. But he only had a small room over the gas station at Henson’s. It was barely big enough for himself, there was no way he could bring her back there.

  “Come on. You mentioned something about a ten o’clock bed check,” he reminded her softly. This was his woman, he thought. He wasn’t sure how, but he was going to find a way to make her his wife. Forever!

  Chapter 9

  Scarlett woke the following morning feeling as if the sun were brighter and the sky more blue than ever. It was actually raining, but that didn’t matter. Life was amazing and…she was in love. Yes, Scarlett acknowledged that she was in love with Mick Munroe! She had no idea how he felt about her, but she suspected that he felt the same way.

  Walking down the stairs that morning, she greeted her sorority sisters with a bright smile, eager to get to class and, hopefully, see Mick again this morning. She was only slightly embarrassed about their activities last night, but she needed to see him, to see the look in his eyes.

  What she wasn’t expecting was her parents standing in the foyer of her sorority house.

  “Mom? Dad?” she gushed, rushing over to them and kissing each with a hug. “What are you doing here?”

  Her mother smiled. “We missed you honey. And your father has been working overtime over the past few weeks, so we,” she leaned down, “had a bit of extra money,” she finished in a whisper, as if their financial status was something to be ashamed of. “So we decided to take the day off and come visit you. Can you come out for breakfast with us?”

  Scarlett was thrilled. “I’d love to!” she said. Looping her arms through both of theirs, she led them outside. She couldn’t believe the timing of their visit, thinking that this was the perfect opportunity to tell them about Mick. She blushed only slightly, thinking about last night, but she still felt happy and light about her secret feelings for Mick.

  They went to one of the diners in town, sitting down in one of the booths.

  “Mom, Dad,” she started off, pushing the menu aside now that they were alone, “I hope you have a bit of time this morning, because I’d really love to introduce you to a man that I’ve been interested in for a while.”

  Marsha Jefferson smiled gently. “Yes, we’re very aware of your romance with Thomas Kincaid, dear,” she replied and patted Scarlett’s hand. “We thoroughly approve.”

  Her father nodded his head. “Yes. He’s a good man with a solid future.”

  Scarlett shook her head. “No. I’m not in love with Thomas. He’s nice and all, but…”

  “Scarlett, we know all about Thomas,” Bennet Jefferson, her father, said with a light chuckle. “He came to see me the other night. He asked for your hand in marriage.” He laughed at Scarlett’s shocked expression. “I know, I should have kept quiet about everything. But he was just such a nice young man. He explained how he could provide for you and his future plans to be a lawyer.”

  “A lawyer!” Scarlett’s mother gushed. “How wonderful is that?”

  “We’re so proud of you, Scarlett,” her father finished. “Of course, I gave Mr. Kincaid my blessing and he showed me the ring he will give you after he proposes. It’s lovely.”

  “I was so impressed!” Marsha said, placing a hand over her chest as she shook her head. “You’re set for life, dear. He’s a good man and quite a catch, from what I’ve heard!”

  Scarlett snapped out of her horrified shock, shaking her head. “No. I’m not in love with Thomas,” she explained firmly. “It’s Mick. Mick Munroe.”

  Her parents stared at her from the other side of the table, not sure what to say.

  “Who is Mr. Munroe?” her father finally asked.

  Scarlett smiled, eager to tell her parents all about the wonderful man. “He’s going to be a brilliant writer!” she told them. “Well, actually, he’s already a brilliant writer. But he’ll be a famous author soon. He’s finishing up his novel.” She told her parents about how she’d met Mick and, as they ate their breakfast, she explained about his novel, how much she’d read of it so far and how their literature professor had already promised to submit the book to a publisher. “So he has a wonderful future as well. And I love Mick. I truly love him with all my heart.”

  Scarlett was almost finished with her eggs and bacon while her parents had barely touched their breakfast.

  “A writer?” her mother repeated with a strangled voice. “But he’s not published already?”

  Scarlett shook her head. “No. But it’s just a matter of time. He works on the manuscript every night after work.”

  “And were does he work?” her father asked.

  “Oh, he’s a mechanic. He can fi
x just about anything in a car. He just…knows how to fix things.”

  “A mechanic?” her father repeated, obviously not impressed.

  Scarlett nodded eagerly. “Will you meet him? Do you have time or do you need to head home soon? If you need to head home, I don’t mind. I haven’t spoken to Mick about a future together. Right now, we mostly just discuss literature and debate a lot.” She smiled, thinking about last night, but she didn’t tell her parents about that!

  “A garage mechanic?” her mother choked, going pale.

  “What’s his family like?”

  Scarlett’s head tipped slightly. “I don’t know. We haven’t really discussed his family.” She laughed. “Of course, I’ve told him all about both of you, but he hasn’t really mentioned a family.” She looked at her parents. “It doesn’t really matter though. I’m sure his parents are good people.”

  She looked down, missing the look that her mother and father shared with one another. Her mother sighed. “I’m sure he’s a nice gentleman.”

  They finished breakfast and Scarlett tried to get her parents to stay for another few hours, just long enough to meet Mick. She told them that he was working this morning but would be in class later and they could meet him then.

  But her parents insisted that they needed to be on their way. “I’ll see you in a few weeks when I come home for break, okay?” she asked.

  “Yes, it will be very nice, dear,” her mother agreed. A few moments later, they climbed back into their car and drove off, Scarlett waving to them until they were out of sight.

  Chapter 10

  “You have a visitor!” Mitzy announced as she burst into the room. “Your parents are back!”

  Scarlett blinked, not sure why they would be back so soon. “I just had breakfast with them. They said they had to head home.” She slid her books off her lap and straightened her skirt. It was another full skirt, one that she’d helped her mother make. The cut was excellent even if the material might not be as high quality as some of the other sorority sisters wore. Even so, she straightened the cardigan and smoothed down the front of the skirt even as she walked down the stairs to greet her parents.