He wrote down no basics and turned toward her.

  “What else? Come on, give it to me.”

  Verity nibbled on her lip. “I want it to be exciting. The recipes to be gripping, but also at the same time, not scary to do.”

  Hector started to write as Verity began talking.

  The moment the flow hit her, she couldn’t stop shooting out ideas, and he wrote each and every single one down until there was no room for it on the board.

  He’d already finished his beer, started a second, and he grabbed one of his mini pizzas to take a seat.

  “I think more than anything, I want this to be a cookbook for my mother. She would have … she would have wanted to be here for this,” Verity said.

  “So do that. Put pictures inside it. Make it personal. You could turn it into your journal or something like that. I bet that would be an amazing cookbook.” He gave her shoulder a nudge.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “Don’t thank me. Thank the process. This is how I get shit done when I struggle. I block everything else out, and just take time with me and my problems.”

  “I bet you’re a pretty good boss.”

  “I try. I’m great, actually. There’s no point in denying it.”

  She burst out laughing. They both leaned back on his sofa, their heads turned toward each other.

  He cupped her face, running his thumb across her bottom lip. “I have no idea what is happening to me, and I can’t seem to stop it.”

  “Then don’t.”

  Hector leaned in close, and he brushed his lips across hers. She released a little moan, and so he did it again. She responded, kissing him back, and he sank his fingers into the back of her hair. Verity took the lead as she moved closer.

  Neither of them was holding their beer anymore, and she straddled his lap. The dress she wore split open, and he put his hands on her thighs, lifting it, sliding around toward the back, and cupping her ass. The panties she wore were flimsy, and he snapped them off her easily.

  He pressed his palm between her spread thighs and stroked her soaking wet cunt. After plunging two fingers inside her, he pulled them out and drew them toward her clit, sliding them back and forth, watching her as she seemed to go a little crazy at the lightest of touches. She was so responsive.

  Verity grabbed his belt, and he helped her to work it open and push down the boxer briefs, which for some bizarre reason he decided to wear.

  With his cock out, Verity moved over him, and he held his dick ready, feeling her tight cunt slowly sink onto his length. When he was in deep enough, he grabbed her hips and slammed her back down on his cock.

  They both groaned.

  Her hands went back to his shoulders, holding on to him for dear life, and he fucked her hard, making her take his cock deeper than before, working her over his length.

  “Take your tits out. Let me see them.”

  She gasped but worked the straps of her dress down her body until the bodice fell beneath her tits, and there they were.

  “Feed me one,” he said.

  With his grip still on her hips, he worked her pussy over his dick. Verity cupped one of her tits and held it up to his face, and he latched on to it, staring into her blue eyes as he sucked the hard bud into his mouth.

  Verity cried out, writhing on his cock as he fucked her.

  He let go of her tit and immediately wanted the other, which he demanded. She gave it to him, and he sucked that one too, feeling a spike in his balls as he was close to release.

  He held her in place, thrusting up hard and fast, pulling her down, making her take his cock as he fucked her, and taking her to the next level of pleasure.

  Hector pressed his face against her tits and came, biting down on the one curve as he relaxed, letting his release flood her body. No condom again, but he wasn’t going to start using them now. He had this impulse, this desire, to get Verity pregnant.

  Neither of them planned to stay here, and he needed an excuse to keep her because the very thought of letting her go was like a death sentence, and he didn’t understand it.

  ****

  Verity didn’t know what it was that Hector did, but it worked. From that night onward, she was so focused on creating recipes. She still took the time to teach Hector, but all her spare time went to creating new recipes.

  Every other day, she had no choice but to go to the grocery store, and Hector was always there, ready to take her. He also became her taste tester, which he didn’t seem to mind. She somehow managed to keep her rules of not staying over, and Hector always made it hard for her to not want to break her own rules.

  By the third week after Hector’s help, she finally had the introduction and at least twenty recipes ready. All of them had been properly tested, and Hector had approved them all. She didn’t know if he was just being nice, but once her cookbook was done, she would send a few recipes out to testers she trusted to get their opinion as well.

  “So, I wanted to ask you something,” Hector said, coming up behind her as she brought her lentil dahl back up to a simmer.

  “Sure.”

  He put his hands on her waist. Each time he touched her, she found it impossible to think. This was what Hector did to her. He made it hard for her to do anything else.

  “Sean wants to come by for a visit.”

  “That’s great.”

  “I was wondering if you could help me cook a meal for him,” he said.

  Verity pulled the spoon out of her dahl, gave it a small whack on the side, and turned toward him. “Of course. What’s the matter?”

  “I … did you ever have a crush on Sean?”

  “Don’t be silly.”

  “No? Because you didn’t have a crush on me, and now you’re saying you didn’t have a crush on Sean. Who did you have a crush on?” he asked.

  “You want to know who I had a crush on back when I was a kid in high school?” she asked.

  “I never saw you with anyone. You didn’t seem to make your feelings obvious.”

  “Hector, high school was over ten years ago. Why does this bother you?”

  “I’m curious is all. Everyone had crushes on everyone.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Not me.”

  “You didn’t?”

  “Nope. I hated guys back then. Especially in a romantic way.”

  “Did you have a crush on girls?”

  She shook her head. “No. I didn’t have a crush on anyone because my dad had just broken my mother’s heart, and to be honest, all guys were just … wrong. They were weird, and it stayed that way for a long time.”

  “You never had a boyfriend?”

  Verity laughed. “Of course I’ve had boyfriends. I wasn’t a virgin the first time we were together.”

  “I guess I’m trying to know more about you.”

  She sighed. “Why?”

  “Aren’t you curious about me?” he asked.

  She tilted her head to the side. “Sometimes.”

  “Well, ask me anything you want. I’m an open book.” He held his hands open.

  “Fine, have you ever had a girlfriend?” she asked.

  He winced. “One that doesn’t make me sound like a total asshole.”

  “No, I like this game a lot. I think we should keep on playing it.”

  “You’re doing this to tease me now, aren’t you?” he asked.

  She raised her brow. “I don’t know, Hector, what do you think? If you want to ask me a bunch of questions, then you’re going to have to answer some yourself.”

  “Fine. I have never had a real girlfriend. I’ve never had the time. The women—” He stopped, knowing there was no delicate way to say this. “The women I was with in the past knew the score. They knew I wasn’t the marrying kind.”

  She nodded her head. “Okay. I figured as much.”

  “You did that to torture me.”

  “No, I was curious if I was right about you.”

  “I’ve never found the right woman who I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

  That shouldn’t hurt but it did, a little. She was used to wearing a mask, so she didn’t let it show. “Ask your questions.”

  “How many boyfriends have you had?” he asked.

  “Two.”

  “Only two?”

  She shrugged. “I take dating very seriously. I don’t believe in just jumping into bed with the first man I see. I like to take my time.”

  “So I’m the exception?” Hector asked.

  “I’m not really sure what is going on with us. I never … I’ve never … sex is something that I need to be comfortable with someone, and what we have, it’s…”

  “Amazing? Great? The best sex you ever had?” he asked.

  “It is pretty amazing,” she said. “It is a new feeling for me.” She wasn’t going to admit that she was a little unnerved by how fast their relationship was moving either. The sex was incredible. She had never felt so satisfied and fulfilled.

  Hector was just incredible, but she feared if she told him that, then she wouldn’t hear the end of it, and well, she didn’t need him to get a bigger head than he already had.

  “What has been your greatest achievement of life so far?” she asked.

  “That’s an easy one. The day Sean and I opened the doors of our company, and we already had a hundred employees. Greatest feeling ever. You?”

  Verity had to think for a few minutes. “Getting my cookbook deal. The only problem is that it’s tinged with a bit of sadness. I know my mom would have gotten a kick out of it. We’d have celebrated too. Some wine, maybe? I would’ve cooked us both an amazing meal. I try to avoid eating out.” She sighed. “I’m not sure I like this game.”

  Hector took her hands. “What is the one thing you’d like me to do to you?”

  “You do plenty.”

  “You don’t have any fantasies?” He kissed her knuckles, and she sighed, cupping his face.

  “No, I don’t. I like what we have. It’s fun.”

  “Do you have any limits?” Hector asked.

  Verity frowned. “Is this where you want the conversation to go?” She turned back to her stove and flicked the heat off. The dahl was ready.

  She reached for a couple of bowls, serving them both a generous portion.

  Turning back toward Hector, she put the bowl in front of him and opened the drawer for a couple of spoons. With them in the bowls, she picked them up and carried them toward her living room.

  Cutie was curled up in the spare chair she never used.

  Sitting on the sofa, she handed Hector a bowl.

  “Are you like a secret dominant?” she asked.

  “No. I’m not. I’m not into tying people up or whips and chains. However, tying you up and having my way with you, that sounds like a lot of fun.”

  “You’re right, it does. Do we need a safeword?” she asked.

  “A simple no would work.”

  Verity chuckled as he scrunched up his nose.

  “What do you think about starting a family?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it.” She sighed, eating a spoonful of dahl. “I think when I was a kid, I imagined getting married to some kind of handsome prince. I used to want to have a marriage like my parents. Then I got older and realized that marriages could be one big fat lie, and then I never wanted to get married.”

  “And now?”

  “I don’t know what I do want. Marriage and kids seem so … scary. Don’t they to you?”

  “I didn’t think I wanted kids or to get married, but I am thinking about them a lot now.”

  “I know, right.” Verity frowned. She had noticed that since moving in and working on her cookbook, it was all she seemed to think about. The future. What she wasn’t going to admit to Hector was that she had fantasies about it with him. Yeah, the bully from her past featured in her present and future plans. She imagined him in a beautiful wedding tuxedo, waiting for her down the aisle. She even thought about what it would mean to be pregnant with his kid.

  Every now and then, she’d look in the mirror, putting her hands on her stomach, wondering if their crazy sexual roulette had created a baby. It wasn’t like they were careful. They rarely were.

  She always intended to use condoms. There was a box of them in her room, and she knew Hector had them, but the moment he touched her, all thoughts went out of her mind. All she wanted was his cock inside her, fucking her, taking her.

  It was crazy.

  Insane.

  So very fucking stupid.

  She didn’t even have the first clue where it was all coming from. It made no sense to her.

  What did scare her a little bit was that she wasn’t repulsed by the idea of having it all with Hector Carter.

  Chapter Seven

  “You are actually nervous,” Verity said.

  Hector looked in the oven for the hundredth time to make sure his pie wasn’t catching. Sean loved a pie, and to make sure Verity could eat with them, he’d been sure to use all vegetables and vegan-friendly products. Of course, Verity had also been here assisting him.

  Now she looked so fucking gorgeous. She’d left him alone for ten minutes to go and change. She returned wearing this sexy red summer dress that seemed to mold to her tits like a second skin, pushing them together and showcasing her hot cleavage that made him want to rest his head against it and kiss.

  In fact, Verity just made him want to fuck her. There was no logic to his thinking.

  With Sean arriving soon, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to make it last. He also needed to get Sean alone so he could warn his friend not to say anything as to why he needed to be on this vacation in the first place.

  “I’m not nervous. I just … I want this to go great.”

  “And it will. You’ve got to stop stressing out. Did you know it will give you wrinkles?” Verity said, flicking her long hair over her shoulder.

  He imagined her naked, on her knees, her perfect ass staring at him as he pounded her pussy. Her hair wrapped around his fist as he took her hard and fast.

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “You’re a guy, so I’m guessing you’d have that sexy older man vibe with wrinkles.” She sighed.

  “You’re now jealous of older me.”

  “Not at all. However, if it makes you feel any better, I’m not wearing any panties under this dress. That should help to distract you.”

  “Verity, that is so not fucking fair.” It was sexy as fuck, and now all he wanted to do was take her harder than before.

  She smiled, and her gaze traveled down to his growing erection.

  “It is very much fair.” She stepped closer to him. “Because I am wet for you.”

  The doorbell rang.

  He slammed his lips down on hers, sinking his fingers into her hair. This kiss wasn’t nice, it wasn’t gentle. It was rough, and he didn’t care. He needed her like he needed air.

  “Your ass tonight is mine,” he said.

  Breaking from the kiss, he made his way to his front door.

  Verity hadn’t followed him, and Sean was there, complete with a suitcase in hand. His best friend had let him know he would be staying for a couple of days. It wasn’t ideal, but he wasn’t going to kick his best friend to the curb. Being around his neighbor had brought forward the guilt he felt for all those years of ignoring him in school.

  “Hey, man, damn, you are looking good,” Sean said.

  Hector shook his hand and pulled him in close. “Do not say a word as to why I am here.”

  “What?”

  “Verity is here, and I don’t want her to know.” He pulled back and Sean frowned.

  “You haven’t told her?”

  “She doesn’t need to know.”

  “Shit, Hector, that isn’t good.”

  “Sean, oh, my God. Is that really you?” Verity asked.

  Hector widened his eyes and shook his head. He couldn’t tell for certain if Sean was going to let out the news that he was … not in the best of health. Well, he was, but the doctor had warned him to avoid stress and hard work.

  “Wow, Verity, Hector told me you were stunning, but I didn’t realize how much.”

  He watched as the two hugged, and Hector didn’t want to see another man’s hands on his woman. “Yeah, yeah, she is fantastic.” He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back against him.

  Verity let out a little giggle, snuggling up against him.

  Sean frowned a little. “Are you two a couple?”

  She tilted her head back to look at him.

  “We don’t know what we are. We haven’t put any kind of label on it.”

  Silence fell between them, and Verity was the one to break it. “You’re being rude to your guest, Hector. He has a bag. Don’t you want to show him to his room?”

  “I can get it,” Sean said. “I don’t want him carrying my bag.”

  Hector grabbed the bag from him. “I can carry your bag. Don’t be so weird. Come on, I’ve got the spare room made up.”

  Verity had helped him pick out some sheets for the bed. The spare bedroom had been unmade, and he’d left it because he didn’t think anyone would be keeping him company, but he clearly had been wrong.

  Sean followed him upstairs, and he moved toward the spare room, dropping the case on the floor beside the bed.

  “What’s going on?” Sean asked.

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “According to our calls, she was teaching you, and you were kind of stalking her. What I just saw downstairs is a lot more than that.”

  “I don’t have time to tell you everything that’s going on. Get settled in. I’ve got some beers waiting.”

  “Hector, dammit. What aren’t you telling me?” Sean asked.

  “I like her … a lot. That’s what I’m not telling you. I really like her. I can see a future with her, and it fucking scares me. You wanna know what is happening, I am falling in love with that woman, and I don’t need you screwing this up for me.”

  “I would never do that. The doctor said—”

  “The doctor said I was in the peak of health, I just … I was at risk of a heart attack.”

  “You collapsed.”

 

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