Page 48 of Silver Player

“I’d recognize that backside anywhere.”

“Mrs. Pritchard!” I shriek, believing she means the firm globes I haven’t had my hands on yet.

“I spanked that hide more than once for his misbehavior in my classroom.” She chuckles. “But if I had known of spankings like this.” She shakes the book at me. “I might have reconsidered.”

I don’t know whether to be appalled at her admission or titter with giggles at her raunchy sense of teacher-student infatuation. I take a second to glance at the book she holds in her hand. If she had only recommended books like that to Billy Harrington, he might have loved to read. Then again, he seems like a practical man—meaning he’d prefer to practice the activities in that novel rather than read about them.

Me, too, I internally sigh. Only, the one person I want to practice with is Billy, and he’s already practiced with half the women in this town.

+ + +

True to his word, Billy returns just before closing time, like a minute before I’m ready to approach the door and turn the lock deciding it’s been a day of torture. Will he return? Will he not? Metaphorical daisy petals litter my floor.

He enters, pulls the toggle for the open sign to click off, and leans his back against the glass. “I’m back,” he warns in a quiet teasing voice, and I giggle with nerves. “Lights?” He tips his chin, and I turn for the panel of switches behind me. I flick most of them off, minus one column of low-lit bulbs leading to my office. There’s a switch in the back hallway for the final overhead lights. As I lead the way to my office, my heart racing with nerves, two hands cover my shoulders and shift me between bookshelves once again. It’s almost déjà vu except we are in the final row.

“Why here?” I ask instead of the question I should be asking, which is what are you doing?

“I want to finish what we started, where we started.”

“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. We should think of Sadie.” I place a hand on his chest and feel his heart racing through his shirt.

“What about Sadie?” His brows pinch as he leans forward and kisses the corner of my lips. My eyes close at the tenderness.

“This…” I point back and forth between us. “This could get messy.”

“It won’t. Player, remember?” He pats his chest, and my heart clenches a bit, but he’s right. We don’t need to define emotions or label ourselves. “We keep it casual. Nothing complicated.”

“We have to assure we remain a united front.” I add to his conditions. “For Sadie.”

“Oh, I want our fronts to unite.”

With those words, his hand cups the back of my neck, and his mouth presses over mine with a little less force and a little more care than earlier. I’m instantly lost to his lips, spiraling downward once again as he slowly lowers us to the floor.

“I’m going to kiss you until you realize there’s something between us.” That sounds like a definition when he just declared us casual, but I’m too wrapped up with his mouth and his hands coasting over my body. I moan into his mouth as his knee spreads my thighs, returning us to the position from earlier. My skirt rides up to the top of my legs as Billy nudges forward, pressing into the heat of my center. He breaks the kiss a moment and glances at our position.

“Red, again?” he questions, and my brows pinch. “The first night I had dinner with you, you told me you were wearing red underwear. Is it a matching set?” His eyes draw up to my breasts which are covered in a red T-shirt to go with the fall motif skirt I’m wearing. His hand comes to the hem of my tee and lifts, holding the material so he can gape inside. A smile crosses his lips. “Yep.” The bra and undies match. What can I say? I like coordinating undergarments. Apparently, he approves as well, but he doesn’t reach for a heavy breast, aching with the desire to be caressed. He returns to kissing me until I’m moving my hips and rubbing myself against his knee again, the thickness causing a friction that sets butterflies to flight in my lower belly.

I’m so close, but I just can’t get over the edge, and Billy’s hand moves down my hip, tugging upward the last bits of material from my skirt. His fingers slip under the elastic at my hip and slide torturously down the inside of my underwear, skimming the backs of his fingers over my skin. I’m conscious of the puffy bulge at my hip bone. I’m not the heavier woman I was. I’m a healthier woman, but I’m still not all smooth and tight. I break the kiss, but Billy doesn’t complain. His eyes watch his hidden fingers until he slips between my legs and meets slickness.

“Darlin’.” His eyes leap up to my face, surprised by the heat, and I blush. “Can’t be nothing if you’re this wet.” His pretty eyes sparkle. He’s damn pleased with how I’m responding to him, and there’s no denying it. I can’t deny it. I won’t deny…oh. A thick finger enters me, and my back bows off the floor.

“That’s it, love,” he says, and my insides flutter at the endearment. My hips rock as his finger draws a too-quick orgasm. That’s it? That was too fast, I want to yell. My body has betrayed me with a few strokes of his finger, and I’d scream if I wasn’t worried Sadie would hear me upstairs. The thought is an instant buzzkill, and then a soft ping tingles from the front of the store.

“Bells,” I whisper, my voice lost as I’m still suppressing the shout.

“Again, darlin’?” He chuckles, but I grip his wrist and tug his fingers from me. I rush to sit upward as I hear the sound a second time. My head tilts toward the front of the store, and I glance in that direction although I can’t see anything from the floor.

“No, the front door,” I whisper, returning my eyes to him. “Did you lock it?” Did I hear the click of metal when he entered, or was I too enthralled by his return?

“Of course, I locked it.” He pauses. “I think.”

“The bells are my front door,” I hush-whisper, suddenly concerned someone is inside the store with us. Billy rocks back on his ankles and then stands. He disappears from the aisle while I straighten my clothing and help myself up. This is mortifying. I’ve just had a too-fast orgasm on my bookstore floor, and we’ve been interrupted again.

“Oh fuck,” Billy grumbles as I hastily approach the entrance to find the cash register drawer open and empty. Billy turns to me, wide-eyed and concerned. “You’ve been robbed, Roxie.”

19

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