She came all over her latest real-life fantasy-all over Earl the furnace repairman.
Chapter Eight.
If there was anything better in this life, Earl had never experienced it. It was Christmas Eve, his birthday, and the Fourth-of-f.u.c.king-July all wrapped up in this hot woman beneath him, moaning his name.
"Earl... oh, Earl! Oh, G.o.d. Yesss!"
She was spread wide open under him, the silky and firm surface of her thighs cradling each thrust of his hips. Her eyes were shut tight now, sealed with thick black lashes, her brow creased from the force of the pleasure.
She was his, all right. All his.
And he was going to take his time with her. He was in no hurry to finish. It was going to be a long night-a long night of making Valerie Matthews forget that she was ever lonely. A night of s.e.x so hot that it would burn away everything that had ever come before it, every man who had come before Earl, the furnace guy.
Her nails were raking across his shoulders. He lifted her b.u.t.t off the rug and pulled her even tighter to his pelvis, getting a good view of how they struggled to consume each other, how perfectly they fit together.
"Give it up, Valerie. I want you to come for me again, you hot little thing."
She began to howl, and the sound penetrated Earl"s soul. G.o.d, how he loved to make a woman howl. How he loved that instant that things got too intense, too fiery to contain, that second when she gripped him in waves of erotic contractions, when he felt her body milk him, when he melted into her, became her, felt so much love for her that he couldn"t hold it inside another second...
"G.o.d, I love you so much, Val!" He heard the words rush from his mouth as his s.e.m.e.n exploded from his body, and it didn"t matter anymore.
The game had been fun, but the reality was so much better.
Better than anything he"d ever hoped for.
"Oh, baby! I love you, too!" She sobbed underneath him, taking his seed, gripping him with arms, legs, body.
He collapsed into her, immediately rolling to his side and taking her with him, bringing her on top of his body. Then they lay still, holding on, sticking together with sweat, breathing hard. She continued to cry softly.
He stroked her back. "You okay, Val?"
She nodded her head up and down, snuggling into his chest. Then he heard her say, "What did you do, Earl? Set the thermostat to a hundred degrees or something?"
He chuckled. Maybe he had turned the furnace up a little too high after he restored the power, but the house had been a freaking meat locker!
"Just wanted to warm you up, babe."
She laughed a little into his shoulder.
Earl caressed her hair, and let the knowledge settle into him bone-deep-the woman in his arms was his whole life, the reason he was put on Earth. He would do anything to protect her and keep her safe and make her happy. Anything. And a sharp pang of guilt sliced through him.
"Did I go too far this year?" He crushed her to him as he whispered in her ear. "The tying-up thing? Forcing your head down? The words I used? Was it too much?"
She shook her head, sniffling. "I loved it, honey. It was fun."
He sighed in relief, and loosened his grip on her. Sometimes these Christmas Eves got a little out of hand, like with the Navy SEAL thing back in 2001. She nearly drowned!
It seemed that each year they raised the bar a notch, and Valerie still managed to surprise him.
She was definitely more creative, so he was happy to let her come up with the role-playing scenario each year and just give him his a.s.signment. And it always seemed that once it started, the scene took on a life of its own, and she made him crazy-every d.a.m.n time. But he never wanted to hurt her, or scare her.
He loved his wife more than anything.
"You were so hot this year, Val."
She rose up on his chest and smiled down on him. "And you were the s.e.xiest furnace repair man in the world, though you didn"t do such a convincing job with the tools. I thought you were going to hurt yourself down there."
"Yeah, but the clipboard was a nice touch, don"t you think? Did you see I even went to Ferguson"s to get a printout of our service records?"
"I noticed, honey. Very nice. And the name embroidered on the uniform-now that was impressive."
"Yeah-it was free with the three-piece set. And your dress. G.o.d, Val. I"m sorry I ripped it apart like that."
She giggled. "Seems to happen every year." She kissed his nose. "I don"t mind at all. Hey! Did you like the new lamb recipe? Did you taste the coriander?"
"Oh babe, it was great. And the tart was fabulous."
"Thank you, sweetie."
He gazed up in wonder at the most beautiful woman he had ever known, the woman he"d married four years ago tonight, the woman he"d first seen seven Christmas Eves ago at a team c.o.c.ktail party. He"d watched her work all night long, too shy to approach the beautiful caterer who smiled at everyone, had such a pretty laugh. He"d waited until the party ended and followed her to be sure she"d be safe.
She had pulled into a Gas-N-Go. He went to the next pump over and watched as she somehow managed to spew gasoline all over the side of her car. He came to her rescue, turning off the malfunctioning spigot and helping her out of her ruined coat.
Once he made sure she got home safely, she invited him in for a drink. She took a shower. He joined her.
And the rest was history.
He smiled at her now, still loving those wild, dark curls, the flushed cheeks, the large, tight nipples on those perfect b.r.e.a.s.t.s that he-wait a second.
Earl studied her closely and frowned. He raised a hand to trace her puffy areola and elongated nipple with a finger, then followed the blue vein that traveled outward across her left breast.
"Hey, babe? Could you-"
The doorbell rang in the annoying way perpetrated only by Mr. Hurley, the kook from next door.
"Mr. Hurley?" Valerie"s eyes were wide with shock. "Now?"
"Just ignore him."
Valerie pushed up from Earl"s body. "Honey, I can"t do that. Maybe there"s an emergency. You know his wife hasn"t been doing so well since she broke her hip."
Earl sighed. He supposed Valerie"s thoughtfulness was one of the things he loved most about her, but this was no time to be kind. There was a lot more s.e.x to be had.
He watched her run across the living room, and enjoyed the view immensely.
"Just a second, Mr. Hurley!" She reached into the front hall closet and threw on her raincoat, tying the belt around her waist. She tossed his coat to him.
"Put this on, honey. And hide our costumes."
Earl sighed heavily, put on the coat and picked up the clothes strewn all over the floor. When he found her thong, he chuckled to himself and stuck it in the coat pocket. He threw everything else behind a chair.
Mr. Hurley burst in the front door bearing gifts. Earl watched him kiss Valerie"s cheeks and hug her tight, then shove about six packages in her arms.
"Merry Christmas and happy anniversary, kids-hope I didn"t interrupt anything!" Mr. Hurley eyed Earl"s coat, then Valerie"s.
"Is it raining in here?" He burst out laughing. "I"ll just show myself out."
"Thank you, Mr. Hurley, and Merry Christmas."
Valerie shut the door and turned to Earl, her arms laden with presents. At that instant, with her pink cheeks, bright eyes and rumpled hair, she was so beautiful that it hurt to look at her. He loved her more than he"d ever be able to tell her.
She put the gifts on the table and walked toward him, slowly untying the sash at her waist, then opening the raincoat to reveal the only Christmas present he"d ever need. The coat fell to the floor at her feet.
"It"s gift-exchange time," she said, smiling.
"I was thinking the same thing," he said, peeling off his own coat.
Giggling, she bent down to retrieve a small box from under the tree. He joined her there, and grabbed the plain white envelope he"d topped with a gold bow.
They exchanged the items, and then sat down on the raincoat Earl spread before the hearth.
He studied the narrow oblong box in his hand. "Did you get me a pen?"
She laughed. "Nope. But before you open it, I have to ask you a question."
He took her hand in his, and bent down to kiss her knuckles. "Ask away."
"Do you really believe in everlasting love, Earl?"
He laughed. d.a.m.ned if he could remember the last time he was forced to answer the same love question twice in one night. But he squeezed her hand in rea.s.surance. "Yes, Val. I sure do."
Her smile spread wide. "Then open it."
He wasn"t all that surprised when his eyes landed on the positive pregnancy test. He was thrilled, proud, and happy-and his heart felt like it would burst-but he wasn"t shocked.
"You knew, didn"t you?" Valerie was moving into his lap.
He held her tight, pressing his lips to her warm b.r.e.a.s.t.s, kissing her cleavage. "I suspected as much. Just a few sips of wine tonight. Two dinners." He licked her nipples. "And you looked just like this when you were pregnant with Molly, Val. You got fuller, and you got this beautiful vein right here-" He dragged his tongue across the swell of her breast.
"So you"re okay with this?"
He looked up into her face. The tears welling in her eyes nearly did him in.
Earl dipped her back into his arms and cradled her, then kissed her for everything he was worth, which was quite a bit, now that he thought about it.
"I"m the luckiest man alive," he said. "It"s the best present you could give me, Val." Then he kissed her some more and ran a hand down her belly. "How far along are we?"
She smiled. "Six weeks."
He laughed. "That"s gonna be a busy time for us."
"I know it"s in the middle of the season. And if your free agency-"
"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Matthews." He nodded at the envelope in her hand and watched with joy as she opened it, read the contract, and starting screaming.
"Everything we asked for, Val," he said, knowing he was smiling like a kid. "Papa"s the newest relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox."
Once Valerie had stopped whooping, bouncing in his lap, and hugging him so tight that he could barely breathe, he rolled onto his back and took her along.
Her hot, bare skin touched his from forehead to toes in one all-body kiss.
"How long till your mom comes back with Molly?"
"About two hours, Earl."
As she kissed him so soft and sweet, his need for her intensified, burned him up. "A lot can happen in two hours, babe."
"Mmm, mmm. I know." She rubbed her body all over his. "You know what I was thinking about for next year?"
Earl laughed. The idea that his lovely, pregnant wife had already thought about next Christmas Eve made him hard, real hard.
"Let me guess, your dishwasher is on the fritz?"
"No, silly. I would never do the appliance repair concept two years in a row." Her hand snaked down the front of his body and grabbed him. He groaned.
"I thought maybe my car could break down on a deserted country road, and I"ll have to call for a tow."
"Ah-hah."
"And a big strong man with an extra-extra-large truck will come to my rescue."
"Earl"s Emergency Tow Service?" He grabbed her a.s.s, pulled her thighs apart and entered her. He felt her melt around him.
"Earl"s Emergency s.e.x Service," she gasped.
"Open twenty-four hours a day," he added.
She breathed hot into his ear. "Even on Christmas."