Page 52 of Crave

“I didn’t just grab the leash. I said ‘yes, ma’am’ as I grabbed it. And trust me, I believed her when she said she could kick my ass.”

“Let me get this straight. You’ll fight any grown man but were scared to death of a sick, elderly woman. Is that right?” I pull her closer to my side and slide an arm across her shoulder.

“Now you know my secret.”

“That you’re scared of post-menopausal women?”

“Yup. I’m pretty sure that’s a real condition.”

“So, how did you end up owning Lady?”

“Pink Lady, but I shortened it to Lady. I’m a man, after all.” She laughs at me when I remove my arm from around her shoulder and flex my muscle. “Anyway, she passed away. Her lawyer showed up at my house and invited me to the reading of her will. It was all very official.”

“Wow. So, she left you her dog in her will. Nice.”

“And her house.”

“What?”

“She left me her house too. I rent it out. She never had any kids and all her family had passed on. Crazy, huh? We never even talked that much while I was picking up and dropping off Lady. I only told her my name once, and she never, ever called me by name. I figured she didn’t even remember it.”

“I guess she saw something in you. Something good.”

We finish walking the neighborhood with the dogs in silence. Sandy’s last words stay with me. I hope that Sandy sees something good in me as well. When we return to the house, I show her to the master bedroom and the adjoining bathroom. I leave her alone to shower while I put fresh food and water out for the dogs. I water a few plants and make my way back to the bedroom.

I consider using one of the guest bathrooms to shower but decide to join Sandy in mine. Her eyes are closed and she’s humming while wearing a ridiculously huge shower cap, but she’s still so damn sexy. I take off my clothes and when I open the shower door I stop to admire her backside. She’s above average height for a woman, but she’s lean, with long, muscular legs and a small waist. I can tell she works out by the firmness of her ass, and lack of extra body fat.

I step inside and she tenses when she feels my hands on her hips, but she soon leans into me, her back to my chest. My hands roam her flat stomach all the way up to her slick, soapy breasts.

“Can I help you, sir?”

“I hope so. It’s not every day that I find a beautiful, naked woman in my shower.” I take the washcloth from her and wash her entire body.

She reaches for my washcloth and does the same for me. I even sit down on the shower bench and let her wash my hair.

“That turns you on?” she asks as she massages my scalp. I look down at my erection and look back up at her.

“Everything you do turns me on.” She looks away shyly, seemingly uncertain of what to make of my words. I stand in front of her, and she looks at me, uncertainty in her eyes. I take her hands and place them on my hard dick. “This is what you do to me.” I stand and walk her under the water, kissing her hungrily as the water washes the shampoo out of my hair and cascades down our bodies. Her hands travel down my face and she tugs on my wet scruff.

When her eyes lock with mine, she puts her bottom lip between her teeth, biting down gently. After a beat, she looks away. As much as I know we need to talk, I also know that I need to have her again. Right now. In case this is our last time.

We dry each other quickly. She takes off the ridiculous shower cap, and I take her hand and walk her back to my bedroom. For the first time in the years that I’ve lived in this house, I want to have a woman in my bed.

Soon, my sheets are a tangled mess. Her hands are in my hair and on my shoulders as I kiss every inch of her body. I suck on the skin behind her ear, her breasts. I bite her belly, and soon I’m spreading her lips and tasting heaven.

When I feel her getting close, I stop, quickly sheath myself and slide between her slick thighs, her name a faint whisper on my tongue.

CHAPTER 16

JAKE

“Your skin’s so soft,” I whisper as I trace my fingertips up and down Sandy’s naked back. “You hungry?”

“Nope.” Her head is resting on my ribcage and her hand is slowing moving from my torso to my chest and back again. “I thought we were going to talk.”

“Talk. Right.”

Almost as if a light switch went off, Sandy went from snuggling on my side and caressing my body to business mode. She jumps off the bed, grabs her bag, and goes into the bathroom.

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