Lark Lake Lodge

Chapter Fourteen

Ending Dry Spells and Breaking Records

An electric tingling in the nipple of my right breast woke me a couple of hours later. Harlan’s hand had snuck under my pajama top and was doing a fine job at stoking my fire. He ground his hips into my ass. Judging from the delicious pressure of his erection, he was well-rested and ready to go.

Stretching my arms high over my head, I arched my back, which forced my breast more firmly into his hand and my ass flush against his hardness. It was a cat-like yes, please . He groaned into my ear and his fingers slid down my belly to the waistband of my pajama bottoms. My breathing became shallow as I excitedly anticipated the feeling of him stroking me.

It was only when his hand slid into my pants that I remembered I wasn’t wearing any underwear. After my shower the night before, I couldn’t bear to put my undies I’d been wearing all day back on, so I went commando in my fancy jammies. Harlan’s groan proved him very pleased to discover this as his finger traced along the seam of my sex.

His lips dragged along my neck as he dipped his middle finger into my wetness and slid it up to begin tracing gentle circles over my clit. My breath hitched. The tip of his finger glided easily over my soaked and swollen bundle of nerves. I let out a breathy sigh as my hand searched behind me, stroking its way up his thigh and over the hard bulge in his jeans. Moaning, he ground into my palm but never lost focus in the job at hand, so to speak.

Everything about Harlan and the way he touched me was uncannily intuitive. The press of his finger as his circling sped up, grew firmer in exactly the way I needed for the tingling in my heated flesh to build into waves of hot, euphoric sensation.

How was it possible for a guy who’d been out of the game for as long as he had to be such a crack shot at making me orgasm? Panting, I cupped his cock through his pants as I started to climb. My thigh quivered and I began to let out these sort of mewling moans I’d never heard myself make before.

He nudged me onto my back and shifted his hand. He slid a finger inside me and continued stroking with his thumb.

“God, you’re beautiful.” He pressed his lips to mine briefly and then kissed his way down to my breasts, over my pajama top. He quickly located my puckered nipples and started nibbling them through the soft cotton fabric.

Dear sweet Jesus.

“Oh God…oh Harlan,” I cried. My release was seconds away and I was almost scared at how intense I knew it would be.

“That’s it. Come on baby,” he murmured into my nipple.

The rumble of his deep voice against me and his loving encouragements sent me over the edge. I let out a long ooooh as I exploded, sparkling stars bursting behind my tightly closed eyes while my hips rose off the bed. I pulsed around his finger as waves of ecstasy rolled over me. His stroking slowed and he peppered my cheeks, neck and forehead with short, soft kisses. My eyes remained closed as though I was afraid when they opened it all would have been a lovely dream.

A pang of guilt briefly rattled in my chest. In the delicious chaos of my massive orgasm, I’d completely abandoned my post. My hand that was once grinding on his hardness lay limp on the bed beside me, just like the rest of my pleasure-drunk body.

He cupped my sex as the heavenly pulses there began to wane. His hand was warm and grounding after the near out-of-body experience he’d given me. A puff of his breath hit my cheek as he leaned closer. I opened my eyes and fell in love on the spot. The soft, adoring fascination in his pale blue irises filled me with elation comparable to winning the lottery, finding a genie in a bottle, and being crowned Queen of the Universe all in one day.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. And I want to make you make those squeaks and sighs over and over.”

Before he could kiss me, I said, “Okay, deal.” I held my hand up for him to shake. He laughed, shook hands and then softly pressed his lips to mine.

In the midst of our kiss, I decided it was time to get back to my abandoned post and put my hands all over him. Plus, my curiosity about his ink and how he looked with his shirt off bordered on obsession. I pushed at his shoulder until he fell back on the bed. I swung a leg over and saddled over his hips, running my hands over his white undershirt.

There was something outrageously sexy about a guy in his undershirt. I ran my hands up his chest, over his shoulders and down his arms. My fingers slowly dragged along his arms as he let out a long exhale, his eyes darkening. With a touch so light it tickled my fingertips, I traced along his tattoos. Well, at least the ones that were showing. On his left bicep, peeking out from under his short sleeve were the words Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.

“ Slaughterhouse Five ,“ he said, his eyes fixed on my touch.

“Oh, I love Vonnegut.”

“Got that right after my divorce. The fights at the end of it all were pretty much a war, so I figured it was fitting. I was pretty jaded back then.”

My fingers slid down to his forearm where he had a Venn diagram. At the center, where all the circles met, there was the number 42. The three circles were labeled life , universe , and everything .

“A little tribute to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy .“ His low rumbling voice made heat pool in my belly and my nipples tightened.

How novel and wonderful to be with a man who so loved reading that he permanently marked his body with quotes and images from his favorite books. Rob had a green Michigan State “S” on his shoulder and I don’t think he ever cracked a single book voluntarily, even when he was at State.

Along his other forearm was a winding dragon. “That’s Smaug from The Hobbit. I love that book.”

I took a self-guided tour of the rest of the ink on his arms—which included Tock the Watchdog from The Phantom Tollbooth ; an ornate blue and silver shield behind a majestic raven representing his status as a Ravenclaw; and a Bukowski quote. Of course he had a Bukowski quote. It was pretty much a given that a guy who loves to read would have a thing for Bukowski.

The art on his body was like a guidebook. It told me everything about who he was, what interested him, and what he valued. It even showed a bit of his sense of humor. I found it fascinating that for years, everyone in his little town thought him such a mystery. If they’d only bothered to look at his arms, it was all written there .

“Take off your shirt. I want to see the rest,” I said. In all honesty, I wasn’t solely talking about his tattoos at that point.

He grinned and obliged. As the T-shirt slid up his torso, I was careful not to let my drool spill out of my mouth. Everything about this man was so damn manly . His chest was muscular, but not gym-five-days-a-week cut. He earned his muscles hauling giant bags of dog food, maintaining his property, and never loafing in front of the TV. There was a sprinkling of dark hair across his pecs that had started to go salt and pepper. It was mad sexy .

Considering how many tattoos he had on his arms, I was surprised to see only one on his chest, but it was so damn full of emotion and meaning, it deserved pride of place. He had a tattoo heart over his actual heart and below, in swirling script was the name Doodle. That’s what he called Shannon and I was moved even before I read the quote written on the heart itself.

If there ever comes a day where we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever. I gently ran my fingers over it and let out a sigh.

“It’s from Winnie the Pooh. Shannon loved Pooh when she was little.”

I traced the heart with my finger. My chest ached thinking about how hard it must have been for him. For a man who lived to care for and protect the people that mattered to him, the pain of having Shannon suddenly taken away must have been debilitating.

“Okay, your turn,” he said, surprising me by reaching for the hem of my pajama top.

While I’d been ready to take a detour into unpacking Harlan’s past pain, he definitely wasn’t. He wore a devilish grin as he peeled my shirt off.

I wasn’t as self-conscious sitting topless and on display straddling him as I would have thought. Since I’d only been with one man for the last decade, it would make sense for me to be a nervous wreck. But Harlan’s gaze was full of worship. His half-lidded bedroom eyes and flushed cheeks unquestionably conveyed he liked what he saw, fading bug bites notwithstanding.

I stretched out, lying breasts to chest and gave him a kiss. His hands slid over my sides and caressed up and down my back. The feeling of my bare skin pressed to his, the play of his lips on mine, and his warm hands running along my back had me in sensory overload. I lingered that way only a moment, but eventually sat back up. He looked at me with a wrinkled brow and pursed lips, as if to say, That was great! Don’t stop.

He’d been so selfless and keyed into my pleasure that I wanted to return the favor. After popping open the button on his jeans, I slid down to sit on his thighs and pulled his zipper down. Taking hold of his waistband, I pulled his pants over his hips. His plaid boxers made me smile. Of course he had old-school drawers. He was a stubborn, old-ways-are-best kind of guy even in his choice of underwear.

“I have to say,” I said as I ran my hand over his plaid-covered, hardened length. “What you did back there…” I gestured to the other side of the bed. “That was some magical business. It was the best orgasm of my life, hands down.”

His breath hitched at my touch, then he smiled. “That just rose to the top of the list of my life’s greatest achievements. Glad to be of service.”

His breathing started to speed up as I continued to drag my palm up and down over his underwear. “I’ve got a list of my own to check off,” I said, pulling the waistband down and freeing his long, thick cock.

Wrapping my fingers around him, I began to stroke. His head fell back on the pillows.

“Oh wow. Oh God…we can’t do this for long. I’m already too close. ”

I took his words into consideration but was having too much fun to stop. His beautiful face was even more striking when it was scrunched up with arousal. I tightened my grip a little and started to bend down to run my tongue along his length, but I felt a hand on my shoulder and stopped short.

“Woman, you’re killing me. If you put your mouth on me, it’s a wrap. Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve done this?”

I popped up like a jack-in-the-box. “Oh I forgot! You didn’t say possum when I asked. So, three years, right?”

He shook his head and used his thumb to indicate the number was higher.

“Four?”

He shook his head again.

“How long?”

“Six.”

“Six years ?“ How on earth could such a beautiful body be so egregiously neglected? I was flattered he considered me worth breaking such a streak.

He nodded. “I had some hook-ups after my divorce, but I quickly learned that uncomplicated casual sex is tough to pull off in a small town. I’m not really the casual type, anyway.”

My smile spread slowly across my face. “No. You’re not.” I slid my arms around his neck and kissed him, lying back down so our chests pressed together again. His hands grasped my hips, pulling me down into his grinding hardness as we kissed.

“Okay, take your pants off. I can’t stand another second of this. Please. I’m gonna die,” he said breathlessly against my lips.

Okay. If you insist.

Once I rolled off of him, we both shucked off our pants. Before he could roll on top of me, I got back in the saddle and took him in hand. I couldn’t resist getting a couple more strokes in.

“Jesus. Are you trying to kill me? Hang on a sec,” he said .

Without moving out from under me, he reached over the side of the bed and grabbed his jeans. He fished around in his back pocket and pulled out a string of foil-covered condoms. He pulled one off at the perforation and handed it to me.

“I know it was a little presumptuous of me to bring these, and it’s probably overkill, considering your…situation, but better safe than sorry, huh?”

Oh my God. He doesn’t know the real story. Now who’s hiding stuff?

Guilt simmered hotly in my stomach. I should have told him long before this moment. He had no idea my childlessness was all a lot more complicated than he thought. But it certainly wasn’t the time to get into the finer points of why I’d never conceived, and if he was willing to use protection, I wasn’t going to talk him out of it. I tore the foil and threw the wrapping on the nightstand, then went about the task of rolling the condom on him and clearing my head of my troubled past.

Poised above him, I took a deep breath and placed the tip of him inside me, then slowly slid down his length. Our collective moans were like a sinful choir. I placed my hands on his chest, one of them over his heart tattoo, and began to rock slowly. His palms slid up my thighs and around to cup my ass, pulling me downward so he could meet my thrusts. The combination of the warm, dizzying feel of him slipping deeply in and out and the beauty of his pleasure-drunk eyes gazing at me with heated awe, made my breath catch and my body temperature skyrocket.

How was it possible to feel so connected to someone I’d only known for a few weeks? The only explanation for the way he felt perfectly formed to fit me had to be that reincarnation was real and we’d banged throughout the ages. Either that, or the concept of soulmates was an actual thing. Whatever it was that made us such an ideal fit, I didn’t care. I’d never experienced such delightful fullness and I’d definitely never been with someone so skilled .

His face contorted, as though the pleasure was so intense it registered on his face as pain. I felt a burst of something in my chest, possibly pride. I’d inspired this godlike man to this intense level of feeling.

His warm palms shifted from my ass to cup my breasts. The tickle of his rough skin along my nipples sent fluttering jolts straight to where we were joined. One of his hands roamed downward, over my belly. His thumb circled my clit as I continued to ride him.

Again, foreign sounds emerged from me. Harlan had unlocked a secret wildcat inside of me, and she sure loved to vocalize. As the heavenly friction began to intensify, I was surprised at how quickly I was once again climbing to my release. Never in my life had I come twice in one night. Even one orgasm was a miracle. But there was no doubt about it. Harlan was going to make me come again.

Bless the man.

“Oh God…oh God,” I moaned, picking up the pace.

“You feel incredible. So beautiful,” he rasped breathlessly

At that point I was so blissed out, I’d basically forgotten how to speak English. “I…mmm…oh Harlan…”

“Kiss me.” His voice was desperate and full of achingly sweet longing. I obliged immediately.

When our mouths met, he moaned into our kiss, and I was done for. I tore my lips from his and let out a yelp. My body shook all over. His arms flew around me and he thrust up into me as waves of euphoria pounded through me.

Before I could catch my breath, he flipped us both over so I was on my back and began to grind his hips in earnest. “I can’t stop. I’m sorry. It’s too good,” he grunted as he pounded into me.

I was so unaccustomed to such sweetness. This was what it was like to be with a grownup, someone considerate in bed. He wanted to give me a second to recover before he chased his own release, but he was too swept up and actually apologized .

“Oh God, don’t be sorry. And definitely don’t stop,” I said.

He gave a crooked smile and picked up his pace. His breath sawed and his hands tightened on my hips.

“Oh God, you feel so good.” His voice was wild and raw. There was no question he was close.

I craned my neck and started to kiss him along his beard and up to his ear. “Come for me, Harlan,” I whispered and then gave his earlobe a nibble.

That did it. His grip on my hips was like iron as he gave a hard thrust and froze like a stone statue between my legs. He let out a feral growl, muscles locked. An electric shudder ran through him before he collapsed on me. His boneless weight on me was fantastic. My arms wrapped around him, and I swelled with pride for having given him his first intercourse-related release in the better part of a decade. And while I didn’t want to presume I was the best he’d ever had, I think I did a pretty damn good job.

He confirmed my hopes when he rolled off me and onto his back, still panting.

“Holy shit. Wow. That was somehow a million times better than I imagined it would be. Which is saying a lot, because what I imagined was otherworldly.” He peeled off the condom and knotted it, dropping it on his crumpled jeans on the floor.

“You imagined us like that?”

“Oh, come on,” he said, propping himself up on his side. “Of course I did. You always complain about my staring. What do you think I was doing all that time I was looking at you? My head was full of filthy thoughts.” He gave me a light kiss.

“No way!” I exclaimed. “You stare too much. There was no way you were doing that every time.”

“Wasn’t I? You have no idea how much I’ve wanted you.”

While my overly susceptible heart fluttered at the thought, it seemed pretty far-fetched to me that this Adonis spent all those long conversational pauses undressing me with his eyes. I threw back the covers and rose from the bed .

“I don’t believe you,” I said, making my way to the bathroom. As much as I wanted to lie there intertwined, I wasn’t about to let the unmitigated joy of this day turn into an avoidable UTI.

Thinking of Harlan as the monk-turned-sex-god made me wonder, “How is it that you’ve been celibate so long, but you’re a tornado in bed? I don’t get it.”

“Well, it’s not like I was a virgin,” he laughed. “Plus, I told you. I read everything. I had a long phase of reading erotica. I still pick it up from time to time. Next best thing to the real thing when you live alone in the woods.”

“Well, I’m glad I got to be the real thing,” I said, returning to the bedroom and standing next to the bed. “You unlocked another achievement by the way.”

“Oh really? What’s that?” He took my hand and pulled me down beside him. I slid under the covers and laid my head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around my back and gently dragged his fingers up and down my dewy skin.

“Two orgasms in one night. That’s new,” I said, regretting it the second it came out of my mouth. It didn’t sound so pitiful in my head, but his stormy expression, all knitted brows and pulsing jaw muscles, made me feel like I’d settled for the bare minimum for way too long.

“Seriously? That asshole!” He exhaled deeply, letting go of his burst of Rob rage. “Well, my dear, the night is young. In fact, it’s not even night yet. So, I have plenty of time to smash that record to pieces.”