Tailwind (Love By Design Book 4) Read online

  “Can you do that?” whispered Winnie, who stopped me with her gentle hand touching my forearm. It nearly made me groan right there in the office.

  “Let’s go for a walk.” I slipped my hand down between us and wrapped my fingers up in her palm, pulling her along with me. I could feel the calluses on her skin under my fingertips, and she squeezed her hand in mine, making me focus on walking instead of looking for a stoop I could back her into and kiss her in.

  We walked down the block to a vegan café I liked to visit at least once a week. I opened the door, and with my hand on Winnie’s back, I ushered her inside.

  “I haven’t been here before,” she murmured, looking up at the menu behind the register and brightly dreadlock haired college student.

  “They have great grilled veggie kabobs and quinoa,” I whispered against her neck, dipping in close to her. Her skin tasted like lemonade in summer, sweet and tangy.

  “I can’t believe you just made quinoa sound sexual.” Winnie’s smirk brightened up her face, and I realized how much I wanted her beneath me so I could demonstrate something sexual. It must have been Kristen’s interruption and pervy behavior, prompting my own downward spiral. I regretted leaving the office and wondered if making out on my desk would have been a better option instead.

  “We could start with the gluten free blueberry muffin.” I slipped a lock of her hair behind the shell of her ear and watched her eyes flutter shut.

  “Doctor, you’re making my muffin wet.” The unexpected dirty talk got a rise out of me and was going to get me arrested when I saw Evan, my sister’s fuck buddy step inside the café behind us.

  Clearing my throat, I said, “You’re not allergic to nuts, are you?”

  She narrowed her eyes, a smile playing on her pink lips. “Is that a trick question?”

  I didn’t think Winnie was so I decided to order and get us the hell out of there as quick as possible before I really did get myself arrested for something like indecent exposure.

  “We’ll have two organic fair trade Gold Beach coffees with steamed almond milk.”

  The kid behind the counter with the flashy name tag identifying him as Jacques gave cups to his co-worker, a blue-haired girl named Monet, and we shuffled to the end to wait. Evan ordered a sandwich and some bakery items to go before leaving.

  Monet placed the coffees in front of us, and I took them both to a velvet loveseat in the back of the shop. I waited for Winnie to sit before boxing her in on the seat built for two.

  “Cozy,” she murmured, taking the coffee I held out to her, sipping it cautiously.

  “I like their coffee here.”

  “Yeah, this is definitely better than the other place I first tried. Although I had the dogs and they spilled half of it all over me. That was the day I met you.” She nudged me with her shoulder playfully.

  Jacques put a plate down in front of us. “Try it, on the house.”

  “Flourless chocolate cake.” The layers of cake looked dusted with milk and dark chocolate, and we both looked at each other and the single fork Jacques left us with.

  “Trying to seduce me?” Winnie quipped.

  “Is it working?” I held out the single fork to her as an offering, letting her have the first bite. She took the cake between her lips, licking around her mouth slowly.

  “It’s a start.” She dipped the fork back into the cake before feeding me a piece of it. Flavor deep and rich mixed with my sip of the coffee infused plenty of inappropriate thoughts in my mind. “You’ve got a…” She took her finger and rubbed a piece of cake from my mouth. I let my tongue sneak out to touch her finger.

  “Hmm, come closer.” I pulled her to me, taking her coffee to place it on the table.

  “Chase.” It was a husky whisper. Half whimper and groan from Winnie when she said my name. My hand traveled back to her neck, tracing the line of her spine into the messy bun of hair on her head.

  “I’m kissing you.” My eyes darted between her clear almond ones and her parted lips with sweet chocolate breath.

  “Asking or telling?” I shouldn’t have paused. I should have gone for it, but lesson learned.

  “How’s the cake?” Jacques the little shit was standing there grinning. I leaned my forehead into Winnie’s, feeling my frustration on edge.

  “Delicious, but I need another taste to fully decide.” Winnie grabbed my face, devouring my lips and my open eyes watched Jacques’ demeanor go from smartass to shock and maybe a little embarrassment by Winnie’s bold move. I let my eyes close, savoring her softness melt into me. Kissing Winnie was tasting a mocha latte for the first time, infused with caffeine and chocolate, a sugary rush that pushed you dangerously over the edge. The hunger for more didn’t stop with the tease of coffee or her sweet lips under mine.

  “I’ll, uh, get you more cake.” Jacques scurried away, and I pulled Winnie onto my lap, letting everything outside of us melt into the background. I heard the jingle of the store bell and watched Evan from my periphery leave, stepping inside his patrol car. Thankfully, he wouldn’t be asking me about my sister today.

  14

  Winnie

  “Come on, Winsome Gray, I’m taking you home.” Chase cupped his hands around my flushed face and dumped me off his lap onto the mini sofa that looked older than me with its well-worn velvet fabric and shiny threadbare spots along the armrests. Chipped vintage gold gilding on the edges left smooth and obviously well-loved wood underneath.

  “Chase?” I resisted his gentle tug, a little shocked standing still inside the weirdly decorated organic café.

  “Unless you want to go back to your place?”

  “Really? Right now?” My hand covered my chest, feeling my heartbeat racing wildly out of control and out of habit to calm myself I let my hand slip, covering my heart, massaging the aching place. Chase’s eye looked down, watching my hand rub back and forth, but I could tell he was eyeing up my breasts, damn him. If he wasn’t an ass man, I’d guess he was all about the boobs.

  “You, uh, want to give it any more thought?” He nodded to my hand, which I moved lightning fast. I did think for a moment about the dogs and hair filled guest room I was occupying. If we went back to Chase’s we wouldn’t have to deal with barking, jumping, licking beasts of prey. Yeah, his idea was definitely better.

  I stopped short for a second musing, what if he’s got like thirty cats? I shook off the terrible thought. “No, let’s go before I convince myself this is a bad idea.”

  Chase continued lumbering steps forward, and I tried to keep up with him skipping behind. “Wait, the coffee!” I shouted, going back and grabbing our cups. The kiss was amazing, better than amazing, and I lost myself in the moment of his lips against mine breathing in caffeinated air between the two of us. I hadn’t had decent coffee since I left Manhattan. I wasn’t about to leave this java behind.

  “Bad idea my ass.” Before I could protest Chase picked me up, dumping me over his shoulder and walking in the direction of his car parked on the street in front of the vet office. “Hold that coffee.” He balanced me over him as I held the coffee out, praying I didn’t dump the dark brew down his back.

  “You are such a…such a…” Caveman came to mind with his one-handed hold and a hand creeping over to cup my butt, squeezing a cheek and making me squirm. “Stop that!” I squeaked, but he didn’t, and I didn’t wiggle away any more than I settled down over his shoulder.

  “Hey, Chase!” His friend Hunter saw us walking by, stopping to chat like a girl over his shoulder was a normal occurrence.

  “You can say it, you can scream it later too,” he said loud enough for only my ears to hear him.

  “Arrrgh!”

  “Here, let me help you with that.” Hunter helped himself to one of the coffees I was holding, taking a taste of it. He smiled, savoring it, and I whimpered, knowing I was one caffeinated drink down.

  “I got the permit. I’ll see you Saturday.” Chase waved him off casually.

  “Cool. I’ll, uh…just
take this one for Damien since I’m on my way back to a job.” Hunter snatched my last remaining coffee and before I could move it from reach he’d swiped it from me and held it up to give me a jaunty little salute.

  “Thanks for the coffee, always good seeing you, and meeting you, Winnie.”

  “Grrr!”

  “I’ll get you caffeinated, babe.” Chase laughed, bouncing me over his shoulder, but I was still trying to see around his hulking body, wondering where Hunter went with our coffees in tow.

  “Can’t we at least get real coffee, and not fake innuendo coffee?” I whimpered all hot and bothered.

  “No, Winnie. Get in the car.” He blocked me in, and I knew it was a lost cause, but the whine in my voice came out anyway.

  “I really liked that coffee. It was the closest thing to Starbucks at home.”

  “I’ve got whole roasted Gold Beach beans at home. I’ll grind them up for you after.”

  “Promise?” I looked up at him, letting my eyes water for effect. His face crinkled and he shook his head.

  “I’m a vet, those puppy eyes don’t work on me, Win.” Chase opened the car door, getting me inside and buckled in. I was pouting, but with the promise of possible sex and coffee, I couldn’t not get in the car with him.

  We pulled up to a nice sized house in a neighborhood somewhere in between my aunt’s house and his mother’s. It was a mix between new construction and existing homes that looked loved and manicured with flowers and green lawns. The shed he was discussing with Hunter sat off to the side of the driveway in a gray dilapidated mess. It was the only thing that looked off on his property and maybe the neighborhood.

  “Huh.”

  “Let me give you a tour.” Chase opened my car door and walked me up the front steps and inside. As soon as he shut the door, he whirled me around.

  “Tour?” I asked.

  “Kisses?” he replied.

  “Coffee?” I begged.

  “Sex!” We said it at the same time, and Chase took my hand, bringing me to a room in the back of the house. We passed the living room, big TV, open-floor plan and leather couches all in neutral colors and a kitchen that looked like it had more than enough counter space for sex and waffles. Those were thoughts for later…God, I hoped he had a waffle maker.

  Down a hallway and into a bedroom made up of dark wood, white and gray bedding. It was modern rustic, but manly and appealing. Even though we were obviously the only occupants of the house, Chase shut the door, leaving us inside the room. If a vacuum could have sucked out all the air and filled it with lust and tension that was exactly what happened. I hadn’t had sex in a good long while and everything suddenly clenched and cramped, making me aware of how wet I was for him. My dry spell had obviously been replaced with the monsoon season waiting to get things started.

  “Come here.”

  I walked backward until my legs hit the back of the bed on the raised mattress, and I shook my head no. He sighed and crooked his finger at me, willing me to comply.

  “You come here.” I crooked my finger this time and pulled my top off, exposing my bra clad chest.

  “Unfair advantage.”

  “How so?” I queried.

  He smirked and rested his hands on his hips.

  “Because I’m liable to do anything you ask me to.”

  “Mmm.” I let the sound slip out as he walked over to me in three long steps.

  “Now, where were we?”

  “I think you were about to use some positive reinforcement by making me coffee?”

  “I was thinking we could scrimmage. You can be skins and I can be shirts, but I’m willing to negotiate.”

  Teasing him, I let my fingers trace the edging of my bra. “So no coffee then?” I watched his eyes bulge and dilate.

  “Coffee later. You now.” Chase lifted me up by my hips and dumped me back on the bed. He reached for my pants, tugging them down as I scooted back toward the headboard.

  “Such a caveman.” I snorted.

  He shrugged and then pounced.

  “Blame biology.”

  “So now animal instinct is your excuse?”

  He tapped his head with his finger.

  “Can’t help the primitive brain functions.”

  I rose up and snapped my bra off. I was completely naked and feeling shy because Chase was still fully clothed. I didn’t expect us to get here so quickly, but here we were.

  “Less science, more sexy time,” I mumbled shyly.

  Chase unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it from his dress pants, draping it neatly over a decorative chair instead of on the floor. He pulled his stretched white undershirt off one-handed in a classic move that was sure to have me gushing on his comforter if he didn’t hurry up. He undid his belt and the top button, dropping his pants and tight boxers to the floor. I didn’t know how or when he got his socks and shoes off, stepping out of his neat little pile of discarded clothes, and I pushed the thought aside.

  “Is this your put up or shut up face?” he asked, crawling up the bed with not a stitch of clothing or shame on him.

  “Something like that.” My mouth dried up any other response I might have had when his warm body dropped down onto mine, covering me with a heat nobody had business generating without permits from NASA.

  Chase looked me over slowly like he was deciding where to start first. I wiggled underneath him, feeling the light hair on his legs brush against my smooth ones.

  “I knew you were trouble, but there was something about you.”

  “Was it the fainting or the yoga pants?”

  “I can’t resist a woman who gets weak in the knees.”

  He made me smile when I least expected it. He wasn’t cocky, but he was definitely cocksure. “Ego too.”

  “What’s the matter, city girl? Too much man for you?” Chase had a way of being ridiculous and pulling me further under his magnetism that lacked the typical arrogant asshole slant I had been previously used to in the city boys who wasted my time and my trust fund.

  “Shut up, Chase.”

  “Mmm, I thought so.” He leaned in to kiss me and all senses left me. I wasn’t a naïve young woman. I’d had my fair share of bed partners and maybe dipped in the lady pond once or twice on a dare, but Chase was a completely different animal.

  For one thing, he was big, resting his body on top of me. The light teasing touches of his hands roaming over my body ignited sparks like the fireworks from the night before only they didn’t fizzle. Instead everything about him created this slow burn that threatened to make me combust, and I was afraid this was that point of no return for my heart.

  “You’re tense, Winnie.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Okay, then you’re over thinking something.”

  “I just…it’s kind of been a while and it wasn’t very good before.” My bravado was gone, zilch, zero as if I never had it to begin with.

  “Trust me,” he said, and I did. Chase shifted himself over me and my thighs spread evenly, letting him rest against my center. The thick head of his cock rested on my belly and pre-cum dotted the top, leaving a trail of his arousal over my middle. My usual self was muted, watching his every move with interest.

  “You know, the first time I saw you, I wondered what a fancy girl like you was doing in my town.”

  I huffed thinking about how the argument with my family ended and the decision was made to ship me out of the city for the summer.

  “I was being punished and sent up here to pet sit.”

  “I know and it was probably the most adorable thing to see you change colors quicker than leaves in autumn.”

  “Chase Calloway, are you waxing poetic or tying to get in my pants again?”

  “Girl, I’m about to slide home and you’re worried about pants? Come on now.” He laughed, sliding the head of his swollen cock against my slit, getting himself wet rubbing between my pussy lips driving me crazy.

  “Condom?” I asked, and he nodded, pulling away for a moment, causi
ng me to shudder with a chill. He reached over to the nightstand and pulled out a strip of condoms. I grabbed one from the bunch and tore it open. Chase pumped his cock into a hard rod, and I fitted the top over the head, pinching it slightly before rolling it down in one smooth stroke. We made a good team, he and I.

  “God, your hands feel good. I wonder what else feels good.” He pushed my hands away and rolled me onto my back, shifting my legs into position.

  His eyes locked with mine for a second before he slowly pushed forward, filling me up oh so unhurriedly in a torturous stroke that stretched me to the hilt. Chase was big, and as ready as I was for him I still felt the full pressure of him bottoming out in my center. Our eyes never left each other except for the occasional blink, and Chase quietly thrust in and out of me with a reverence no one had ever taken with me before. He panted with his mouth open rocking back and forth into me slowly. It was sweet, tender, and completely unexpected.

  “Chase.” I was panting to catch my breath as the orgasm built, and my legs shook to keep it at bay just a little longer. Chase didn’t relent, pumping faster and the shaking of my legs became the cracking fissures in my heart for a man I barely knew.

  His breath was hot against my neck as he rested his forehead on my shoulder. Lips kissed the delicate bones of my shoulder and neck before sucking the skin sharply and whispering harshly in my ear, “Let go, Winsome.” And I did. I flew like a baby bird taking flight for the first time in my life as I careened against the blinding sun into the sky, testing my limits…

  15

  Chase

  Winnie snored into my pillows nested under the blankets. The curve of her pale shoulder peeked up from the covers and I wanted to peel the layers away indulging in her softness. Last night was… well it was something unexpected. I didn’t think being with her would be that heavy a combination of want and wanting some more all over again.