Sparks Fly! A Divine Creek July 4th Family Reunion (17 page)

Rose Marie rolled, and by her breathing he could tell she was awake and probably needing a diaper change. He switched off the monitor and went to the crib and lowered the rail.

“Hey, sugar. Got wet undies?”

“Dada.” She smiled at him and made sweet baby sounds as he laid her down and changed her diaper quietly. With her little baby fists she rubbed her sleepy eyes and yawned as he snapped her lightweight sleeper closed again and lifted her into his arms. Recalling Wes and Evan’s earlier announcement about Rosemary expecting their baby, Ethan remembered the day Grace had told them she was pregnant. One of the happiest days of his life.

His baby girl rested her little tousled head against his shoulder as he took a seat in the rocking chair and hummed a lullaby to her. He smiled as she looked up at him, yawned again, and closed her little gray-green eyes. Adam might’ve fathered her, but she had all three of her daddies wrapped securely around her little fingers, just like her mama.

Ethan rested his head against the rocker and smiled in the dim room.

Yeah, life’s good.

* * * *

Jayne was certain she was going to be a zombie the next morning. It had been a long day, but for her it had flown by in a blur. She regretted that it would end soon and knew she wouldn’t sleep a wink once her head finally hit her pillow.

Buck and Chad had long since left The Dancing Pony with the beauty queen lodged between them. It had given Jayne pause whenever the woman had walked up to the table and started talking to Seth. She was undeniably gorgeous, but Seth had seemed to pay her no mind until he’d finally risen from their table and come to claim her from Buck.

“Would you like a drink?” Seth asked as they moved slowly on the dance floor.

“No, I think I’m done.” Wanting to keep her wits about her, she’d only had one mixed drink earlier in the evening and drank sodas the rest of the night. She’d noticed Seth had only had a couple of beers and then switched to sodas when she did. Since he was driving her home she appreciated that.

The last of their friends had already departed, with the exception of Lily, Del, and Clay Cook, who looked like they were readying to leave as well. She smiled when Lily waved at her and made the “call me” signal with her thumb and pinkie. Lily was a recent addition to the group like Jayne was.

As “Dancing Away With My Heart” by Lady Antebellum ended, Seth gently kissed the top of her head. He led her back to their table and held her chair as she sat and then took the seat next to her.

Continuing their conversation from earlier, Jayne said, “Since you’ve come to Divine, how has your business been? Do you stay busy?”

Seth nodded. “Yes, in the tattoo business, word of mouth is the best advertising. I’ve got a lot of new customers and Divine is a nice town. I’ve felt very welcome.”

Jayne chuckled. “Yeah. Same here. I had the job lined up before I moved here, and Grace and her bunch adopted me from practically the moment I arrived.”

Seth had serious facial features, so his sudden smile nearly addled her. “Yeah. They do that, don’t they?” She wanted to see him smile some more.

Jayne could here Grace’s voice in her head.
Seize the day, baby! You’ve earned the right.

Feeling brave, Jayne turned to him and asked, “Have you ever tattooed someone like…me?”

Seth tilted his head, and his eyes roamed over her face with a look of slight confusion. “Like you…how?”

Clasping her hands and trapping them between her knees, she scrunched up her shoulders. “Atypical for having a tattoo.”

Seth nodded. “Sure. I tattooed one of Divine’s elected officials and his wife last month and they were both in their seventies. That’s pretty atypical.”

Jayne was fairly sure her eyes bulged as she popped her hand over her mouth. “Woody and Charlene Porter had you tattoo them?”

Seth grimaced. “Crap. I thought my hint was vague enough that you wouldn’t know who I was talking about but clear enough to reassure you. Yeah, they did. Really nice people, too.”

“Okay, question then. How did Charlene take it?”

“She did great. Woody got his first and then she had hers done. They said it was something they’d always talked about doing but being in public life they’d never wanted to risk people gossiping about it. Woody told me he figured if he’d reached that age and was close to retiring, he could do whatever the hell he pleased.” Seth punctuated the last word with a nod, like he respected the local justice of the peace and his wife for it. Jayne was curious but out of respect didn’t ask where or what they had gotten tattooed.

“Do…do you think you’d be interested in tattooing
me
?”

Jayne watched his stoic face carefully and couldn’t pinpoint his emotions. “That depends on what you want done.”

Jayne sat back and looked up at him. “Actually, I hadn’t given it much thought. I think I assumed you’d tell me no because I don’t look like I could handle the pain.”

Believe me, I can.

He laid his hand open, palm facing up, on the table as though asking her to lay her forearm in it, which she did without hesitation. He brushed her short shirt sleeve up to her shoulder and then drew a couple of fingertips down her tender inner arm. His gaze was on her arm, and she was grateful he didn’t seem to notice the blush that was enflaming her cheeks or the fact that her nipples hardened visibly. His gentle touch sent a hot wave of awareness blazing through her core like an inferno, centering in her clit so that she could barely focus when he spoke.

“Because of your profession, I’d never agree to tattoo your arms or anything that might show beneath your work clothes. I think that your beautiful, creamy-white skin would be the ultimate canvas to work on.” He glanced up at her, his blue eyes looking so deep into hers that she thought he might be able to read her mind and know how aroused she was. “I’d design a tattoo for you that was one-of-a-kind and I’d never duplicate it on anyone else.”

She couldn’t stop her chin from trembling as she reacted to his words. His tone and his expression were so serious, but the heat in his eyes left her breathless and on the verge of a small orgasm.

“Really? You would?”

Seth nodded. “If you’d promise to hold very still for me, I’d make it a work of art like you’ve never seen before. I’m very good at what I do.” He eased back, trailing his fingers to her hand as though he realized he was being a bit intense. “Sorry, I take my work seriously.”

Jayne grasped his hand. “Don’t apologize. I’ve seen Lily’s and her men’s tattoos and some of the others. It’s the reason I asked you. I’ll do it.”

“You will?” His blue eyes locked with hers, the barest hint of vulnerability showing before it disappeared. A smile slowly spread across his lips, as though he wasn’t sure it belonged there, and she smiled back. “Good. It’s getting late. Would you like me to take you home now?”

No
.

“Yes, I probably should get some rest.”

Right, because I haven’t had enough of that to last me a lifetime.

Outside of the nightclub, he helped her with the helmet and braided her long hair one last time. She hoped it wasn’t
the
last time. She enjoyed the ride across the small town of Divine as the warm wind blew past them on the quiet residential streets. He pulled into her driveway and quickly cut the ignition on his bike. She appreciated that he was considerate of her neighbors. Seth climbed from the bike and removed his helmet.

She remained on the bike while he helped her with the helmet, and she noticed his smile as he released her braid and ran his fingers through her hair one last time. Recalling a comment he’d made earlier in the day, a thought occurred to her. “I have a question.”

“Sure,” he said as he returned her helmet to the saddlebag.

“At the parade, when I asked you about wearing sandals while I rode behind you, you mentioned that you had another solution, but that I’d be fine if I kept my feet on the footrests. What did you mean, you had another solution?”

An undeniably sexy smile crossed his handsome face in the moonlight, and he hesitated for only a second while he assisted her from the bike. “If you were my girlfriend, I’d slip those little sandals from your feet and stick them in the saddlebags. I’d have you wrap your pretty, long legs around my hips and let you ride like that, with your feet between my legs.”

She gulped audibly.
Well, you had to go and ask now, didn’t you?

“Oh.”

Seth gazed at her through eyes cast in shadow and moved a little closer. “But we’d have to be a bit better acquainted for that, wouldn’t we?”

“Uh-huh…” she intoned as he came closer still.

Oh, God. He’s gonna kiss me! Get a grip. You’re thirty-eight. You’ve been kissed before, ninny. It’s not like he’s gonna make love to you here on the driveway.

“Although, I hope I get the privilege someday.” His lips were a hairsbreadth away, and she could feel his warm breath.

Oh, Lord, me too!

“Uh-huh, maybe, yes.”

Stop thinking.

His lips gently pressed against hers, sending a thrill from there straight to her nipples and her clit. Her pussy lips swelled with alarming speed and her body ached for him.

She returned the kiss and parted her lips, allowing his tongue access, and he enclosed her body in his arms as he tilted his head and deepened their kiss. He tasted of breath mints and his own natural essence, and she sent a prayer of thanks heavenward that he’d offered her the roll of mints at the club.

Beautiful man.

He tightened his hold, and her T-shirt rode up in the back as he held her and his hot fingertips slid across her bare lower back. A moan escaped her when she felt the steely ridge of his erection against her abdomen, and her cunt responded with a spasm of need.

Much too soon, he released her and sounded a little breathless when he asked, “Can I have your number?” Jayne nodded. “I’d like to see you again. I’ll call you. We can also talk about your tattoo.”

“I’d like that. I…I enjoyed today very much,” she whispered as he tucked her hair behind her ear. He entered her cell phone number in his phone and then slid it into his back pocket. He surprised her by kissing her again, this time so tenderly with just the barest flick of his tongue against the underside of her upper lip.

“I enjoyed spending it with you too, Jayne. I’ll talk to you soon.” He pulled his helmet back on, climbed on the bike, and looked at her with a hint of a smile as she nodded affirmatively.

She fished her house key from her pocket, and he started the motorcycle and then watched as she went to her front door and unlocked it, then stood in the open doorway. She watched him drive away with one parting wave of his hand.

Once inside, she took a shower which did nothing to abate the arousal still vibrating in her body. She got out her precious blank book, picked up her favorite pen, and began writing. A laptop computer would’ve been easier, but she preferred putting her thoughts on the page by hand.

The sun was rising in the eastern sky outside her window when she finally set both aside with a yawn. She rose from the comfy recliner and greeted the morning with a stretch and ran her fingers through her hair. She’d never felt so vibrant or alive. The house was still dark as she shuffled through to her bedroom.

Standing by her bed, she slipped from her pajamas and did something she’d never done before. She climbed between her soft sheets completely nude, her body humming with happiness and arousal. Writing hadn’t abated her need at all, but had actually increased it. With wanton fantasies of Seth Carter making love to her, she brought herself to a moaning, blissful orgasm. As she drifted toward sweet dreams, she wondered if the dawn heralded the beginning of a new, exciting chapter in her life.

THE END

I live in South Central Texas, writing the type of novel I love to read: more erotic and edgy than the mainstream, with plenty of sweet romance mixed in. I write erotic romances exclusively for Siren Publishing, under their Everlasting imprint. My love of romantic fiction began as a teenager when my mom gave me copies of Kathleen Woodiwiss’s
“The Flame and the Flower”
and Bertrice Small’s
“Skye O’Malley.”
To this day I’m pretty sure that was her idea of the “birds and the bees” talk.

My husband and I met in a scenario very much like the ones I’ve written about. He was the alpha hero who stepped in when this “damsel in distress” needed rescuing from a nefarious pervert. It’s no wonder I went on to write erotic romance when I had him to inspire me. My favorite type of hero is the gentle, lovable giant, but readers will discover a variety of heroes and alphas in my novels, from nearly perfect to very flawed. I hope readers relate to my heroines and the challenges and dilemmas they face head-on.

I love to chat with readers on Facebook. When I actually remember to post my articles, I like to talk about my books and whatever else comes to mind at
When One is Not Enough
, a ménage romance author’s group blog, and my own blog,
The Divine Tease
. I’m also a regular participant at Righteous Perverts Live Chats every Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. (CST) at
www.righteousperverts.com
. When not pounding on my keyboard, I’m usually busy corralling my kids or loving on my smokin’ hot husband, who thankfully loves to cook.