Hoping for Forever (The Lottery Winners Book 1) Page 7

  “I love that!” she groaned, but figured he already knew it since she was pressing against him like a hussy. Scarlett didn’t care! She loved feeling his hands against her body, knew that he loved it too and, even better, this wasn’t wrong. It was an expression of their feelings for each other. That was never wrong!

  “Do you like this?” he asked as he slid his hands down her waist, then around to her back. Scarlett shivered as sensation ran through her whole body.

  “Yes!” she moaned, arching her back.

  “And this?” His hands moved lower, pressing his groin against her bottom.

  “I love it all, Mick,” she whispered. But she was tired of being tormented. Pressing back against him, she shifted, feeling his erection against her bottom, and smiling when she heard his hiss.

  “Scarlett!” he groaned and spun her around. Right into his arms, kissing her and all of the gentleness was gone. His mouth ravaged hers and she whimpered even as her arms wrapped around his neck, trying to press her body more tightly against his. “You’re going to pay for that,” he whispered against her lips.

  She smiled. “I hope so!”

  With a growl, he lifted her up and placed her in the middle of his bed. When he stood there, staring down at her, she lifted up on her elbows. “What are you going to do now?” she challenged.

  He laughed, shaking his head. “Shouldn’t you be nervous right now?”

  Scarlett rolled her eyes. “You’re one of the most gentle men I’ve ever known, Mick. And no, I’m not nervous because I’m so turned on. In fact, I really wish that you would hurry things up a bit.”

  He chuckled, but even so, he reached for the button on her slacks. “Hurry up, eh?” he teased, sliding the zipper down. “Maybe I’ll just take things a bit slower,” he lowered his head and kissing the pale skin of her stomach. The zipper inched lower and lower and he kissed each inch of skin he revealed. When the zipper was all the way down and her virginal white underwear was revealed, he looked up to find her still watching him.

  “Don’t stop,” she pleaded.

  “Oh, I’m not stopping,” he replied and slipped his fingers into her slacks and underwear, tugging both down, dropping them over a chair. “Not stopping now or ever.”

  He took her foot and slid his fingers along her calf. Up and down, just caressing her as if he had all the time in the world. “Mick!” she gasped, trying to pull her foot away because…it tickled and made her want to…do unladylike things!

  “Relax,” he soothed, but his fingers moved higher, sliding along the back of her thigh. He rested her ankle on his shoulder, freeing up his hands. “I like this.”

  “I don’t!” she groaned, trying to pull her leg away, but his strong hand held it in place.

  “You’re not getting away from me, Scarlett,” he teased. “Stop trying.”

  She laughed, but then his hand slid along her inner thigh and she held her breath, praying that he’d do that thing with his fingers. Just like he’d done last night.

  To tempt him, she moved her legs open. Just enough.

  “More,” he demanded, his eyes glued to her core.

  She held her breath, startled by his command. But this was Mick and she wanted to please him. So she opened her legs more.

  “Damn, Scarlett. You’re beautiful!” he murmured, entranced by her innocent beauty. One finger slid into her heat and she sighed even as she lifted her hips, enticing his finger deeper into her body. “Do that again,” he ordered.

  Feeling him like this, Scarlett was too far gone to fight him. All she could do was follow his commands and lift her hips to meet his fingers. A moment later, she felt something warm and her eyes popped open. Seeing his head there, she gasped and tried to pull away once again, but he anticipated that move, his hands holding her hips firmly in place. When she realized that he wasn’t letting her shift away from him, she focused on what he was doing. And…good grief!

  “Mick! I’m going to…” She stopped when his tongue caressed that nub. A moment later, she screamed as her body shuddered with a climax so amazing, she was unaware of grabbing hold of his hair as she held his head in place.

  When it was over, she sighed, her pleasure intense and her body replete!

  “That was amazing!” she told him.

  Mick moved higher, kissing along her stomach again. “Do you want to keep going? We can stop right now.”

  Her fingers were still in his hair, but soothing this time. “No. Please? I don’t want to stop. But if you…”

  She couldn’t finish since he was kissing her again. When he stood up, he heard her sound of protest and smiled. “Stay just like that,” he told her, his fingers unsnapping his jeans and pushing the denim and his boxers away. He shoved them aside with much less care than he’d given her clothing, then climbed onto the bed.

  Looking down at her, he saw that her breasts were still flushed from her recent orgasm and he couldn’t believe that she was here, in his bed. “I love you, Scarlett,” he told her.

  “I love you too,” she replied, smiling as her fingers fluttered along his arms. He felt her fingers explore his muscles and thought about telling her to stop. He was right on the edge already. But her fingers were so soft, so silky, he didn’t really want her to stop.

  He shifted to the right, grabbing the condoms he’d purchased just in case something like this happened. Tearing one open, he rolled it down while she continued to stroke his arms and chest.

  When he moved back, he lifted her legs so they were wrapped around his waist. “Now, what were you saying about stopping?” he teased.

  She laughed, just as he’d intended. But as she chuckled, he lowered his head and captured her nipple again, teasing the tender bud with his tongue. He also loved the sounds she made, sort of like a growl and a gasp combined.

  He teased her nipples until she couldn’t take it any longer, then he grabbed her hands, moving between her legs. “Look at me,” he ordered when he pressed himself into her wet heat.

  She opened her eyes, her lips soft and swollen as she stared up at him. Slowly, gently, he pressed deeper into her body, watching her eyes for signs that he was hurting her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, pulling out, then gently pressing in again.

  “Yes!” she sighed, arching into him so that she could take more of him. “Don’t stop!” she gasped.

  “Tell me if it starts to hurt,” he urged.

  “I will. Just…keep going.”

  He chuckled, but had to shake his head to relieve some of the lust. It didn’t work, not when she was doing that shifting thing with her hips and clutching him tightly with her inner muscles.

  Slowly, gently, he thrust into her, and pulled out, careful to make sure that he wasn’t hurting her. When he reached that point where he could feel the resistance, he lowered his head, kissing her as he thrust through her barrier. He felt her stiffen for a moment, but then her body melted into his.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, beaming up at him. “I’m not a virgin any longer,” she laughed, then lifted her hips.

  Mick groaned, thinking she was the most beautiful woman in the world. “No. You’re my fiancée,” he said.

  He felt her muscles tighten around him and he thrust a bit deeper. Moving in and out, he watched her features, trying to find the best way to bring her back to that pinnacle again. When he knew she was close, he reached down and pressed his thumb against that nub, helping her over. Only when she screamed and arched against him did he release his control and find his own orgasm, bringing them both to that point together.

  When he felt her thighs tighten, he knew that she was all the way there and thrust harder. Faster, wanting to prolong her pleasure as long as possible.

  When it was all over, he collapsed down on top of her, rolling to his side and taking her with him, still intimately connected because…well, he just didn’t want to relinquish that connection to Scarlett. He wanted to be just like this with her for the rest of his life!

 
; Chapter 11

  Scarlett sighed happily as she snuggled closer to Mick. “That was beautiful,” she whispered, feeling as if they were in a secret cave where no one could hurt them. He’d just come back from the bathroom, then pulled her back into his arms. It wasn’t true, she knew. The time was inching closer to when she needed to be back at her sorority house for bed check, but she didn’t really care.

  “I agree,” he pressed a kiss to her forehead as his hand skimmed down her back. “You know you have to marry me now,” he teased.

  Scarlett froze. His words were so close to what she’d been hoping to hear that she could barely think straight. Turning, she twisted around so she could see his face. “Don’t joke about things like that, Mick.”

  “Is marrying me funny?” he asked

  Scarlett suddenly realized that he was just as still. “No,” she promised. “It isn’t funny at all.”

  “Then answer the question, Scarlett.”

  She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I don’t believe I heard a question.”

  He rolled over, pressing his leg between hers. “Scarlett Jefferson, will you marry me?” he asked gently but with a gruffness to his voice that told her he was perfectly serious.

  “Yes!” she gasped. “Yes! I will absolutely marry you, Mick Munroe!” Laughing, she threw her arms around his neck. “Yes!”

  He chuckled as she planted kisses all over his face. But then he stopped her, pinning her down and taking the kiss where he wanted it to go.

  The clock was ticking and he pulled back before things could get too out of hand. “I have to get you home,” he reminded her and stood up. “Come on, Scarlett, we need to hurry.”

  He turned on the shower and then shoved her in as soon as the water was warm. They had only fifteen minutes to get back to her sorority house in time and that was pushing it.

  She showered and dressed quickly, then took Mick’s hand as they rushed out of his apartment. But right before they started for the road, he stopped her. “Stay here for just a moment,” he disappeared into the mechanic’s shop. He appeared moments later and took her hand, sliding something over her ring finger. “There. Now it’s official.” He pulled her into his arms for a brief kiss. “I’ll get you a better ring as soon as I can, but I want my ring on your finger, Scarlett. I want you to wake up tomorrow and know that you are going to be my wife.”

  Scarlett looked down at the washer that he’d slid onto her finger, her throat choking up. It was just a steel washer and she had no idea what part of a car this one had come off of, but it was her engagement ring. And she loved it! Yeah, it was just a corny gesture, but it meant so much to her, she had to blink rapidly to fight the tears.

  “Come on. We’re going to have to hot foot it to get you back in time,” he urged and grabbed her other hand, pulling her along behind him. Together, they raced through the streets, laughing as they hurried through bushes to make short cuts.

  It was five minutes before ten o’clock when they raced onto the front porch of the sorority house, both of them out of breath. Mick took both of her hands, wanting very much to kiss her but the porch light was bright and he didn’t want to get her into trouble or damage her reputation.

  “I love you,” she whispered, squeezing his fingers.

  “I love you too. I’ll speak to your father this weekend, okay?”

  Her smile brightened and a bubble of happiness burst inside of her. “Thank you!”

  The door to the sorority house opened and Ms. Burgess looked out, a disapproving look on her already dour expression.

  “I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” Mick promised. He squeezed her fingers again, knowing that the gesture was really the only way he could convey how deeply he felt towards her.

  But Scarlett was finished with rules. Rushing into his arms, she lifted up and kissed him, then hurried inside, ignoring the disapproval emanating from her dorm mother.

  Mick chuckled even as the door slammed shut on him. He looked around, seeing the world in a whole new way.

  Fifteen minutes later, he stepped into his tiny apartment and sat down at his typewriter. He was an engaged man, he realized. He needed to ensure that his woman had a house. And the only way to do that was to finish his novel and get it published.

  That night, his fingers flew over the keys and the words poured onto the pages. He got very little sleep, his fingers grew numb from typing, and his eyes gritty from focusing on the words too intensely, but he didn’t care.

  When he saw Scarlett the following morning, she rushed up to him and took his hand. He saw a gold chain around her neck and wondered about it, but when she pulled it out, he saw the steel washer strung on it. “I didn’t want to take it off, but it didn’t really fit all that well,” she admitted.

  He laughed, then they walked into class together.

  The rest of the week was just as magical. Scarlett snuck up to his apartment every night after class, telling her friends she was going to study. As soon as the door closed on the rest of the world, he would take her into his arms and make love to her until they were too exhausted to move. Then they would lay in bed together and talk about their hopes and dreams for the future. After dropping her off at her sorority house each night, properly at ten o’clock and with just a polite kiss as Ms. Burgess looked on, Mick would then go back to his apartment and work for several more hours. The novel was coming along even better than he’d thought.

  That weekend, he caught the bus into the city. He had some money saved up and he pulled it out of the coffee tin he’d been stuffing it into. Once in the city, he looked around and found a jewelry store. The prices for a diamond ring were higher than he’d thought, but he finally found one that he could afford. It was just a small chip of a diamond, but he promised himself to get her a bigger one once he had more money.

  He couldn’t wait to talk to Scarlett that night, slipping that ring onto her finger before making love to her. Yeah, he was a bit embarrassed that he couldn’t afford a bigger ring, but he knew that he would give her a good life.

  As soon as he stepped down from the bus stop, he knew something was wrong. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he looked around, trying to identify the danger.

  Nothing struck him as being off though. He walked back to the gas station, knowing that Barney had given him time off to get Scarlett a proper ring. But as soon as he rounded the corner, he saw Barney in the doorway to the mechanic’s area and his stomach muscles tightened. The expression on his boss’ face was…grim.

  Since Mick was back earlier than he’d told Barney, he knew the man wasn’t upset about the time off. So what…

  That’s when he spotted the car. It was parked over by the other cars waiting to be fixed, but the woman standing primly next to the vehicle warned him that this wasn’t going to be a conversation about a busted radiator or worn out timing belt.

  “Mr. Munroe?” the prim woman asked. She looked just like Scarlett, he realized. Older, but just as beautiful and just as perfectly dressed. Now he understood where Scarlett got her sense of style. The woman was dressed in the latest fashions but the effect was ruined by the pursed lips and worried scowl.

  “Yes, ma’am. Mrs. Jefferson?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m Scarlett’s mother,” she didn’t offer her hand.

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

  She tilted her head as if she were royalty. “Is there a place where we might talk privately?” she asked.

  “Of course,” and he led her behind the gas station to the picnic table. He realized that he’d kissed Scarlett here just last week.

  “How can I help you?”

  The woman looked at the worn wood of the picnic table and didn’t bother to sit. Looking up at him, she forced a smile. “You love my daughter.”

  Mick relaxed slightly. “I do. Very much, ma’am.”

  She looked up at him for a long moment. “Every parent works hard to provide for their offspring. A mother bear teaches her cubs to f
ish so they have enough to eat. She teaches the cubs to climb trees to get out of danger.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he agreed politely, not sure where this was going.

  “As a mother, I work as a seamstress.” That was a surprise. She pulled her gloves off and showed Mick her hands. They were rough with calluses and some of them were red where they had previously bled. “I sew beautiful clothes for other women. My eyesight is deteriorating and my back aches every moment of my life because I’m hunched over a sewing machine, sometimes for twenty hours a day, so that I can make beautiful clothes for someone else.” She slipped her gloves back on. “Whenever possible, I make clothes for Scarlett so that she can look and feel as if she is worthy of someone good and strong. Someone capable of providing for her future and caring for her.”

  Mick finally understood. “I love your daughter, Ms. Jefferson,” he stated firmly. “I will provide for her future.”

  “Will you?” she asked, then looked behind her at the gas station. When she turned back to him, he read the disbelief on her face. “How? With that book that you hope to get published? How many people out there are dying to write a novel, Mr. Munroe?”

  He didn’t have an answer for her. “I can support her,” he asserted instead.

  The woman looked at him sadly. “My daughter has a chance to marry Thomas Kincaid, Mr. Munroe. Do you know the Kincaid family?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest, furious now. “I’ve met Tom,” he replied, using the man’s nickname, which he knew the other guy never used. Pompous ass!

  “Mr. Kincaid will be a brilliant lawyer. His family is wealthy. If Mr. Kincaid fails, which is doubtful, he has a family, a support system to fall back on.” She paused. “Do you have a support system to fall back upon in the event of a dire emergency, Mr. Munroe?”