Taste of Lacey (16 page)

* * * *

Darkness had settled, and they were fresh out of the shower. Rye sat propped against her tufted headboard, rubbing citrusy lotion into Lacey’s soft skin. She purred like a kitten as he massaged her battered breasts, playing more than he soothed.

“I think you’ve put on enough lotion, don’t you?”

Not deterred, he kept rubbing and teasing. “Nope. Not nearly enough.”

She laughed out loud. “I think I’ve spoiled you.”

“Not nearly enough.”

“Your mother called me yesterday.”

“I know. What’d you say?” he murmured as he lathered the fragrant balm on her breasts.

She shrugged. “What could I say? We’ll be having dinner with them the second Friday of next month when Jensen comes home. She’s excited about seeing the new couple.”

“I’m sure she and my baby sister are plotting.”

“I don’t mind. I haven’t seen Jensen since Christmas. So what do you think about it?”

“What? About having dinner at my parents’? What’s there to think about? We’ll go; we’ll eat. Then we’ll come back home,”

She rolled her eyes. “You are such a guy. Did it occur to you that it will be a little different because they know we’re doing things together now?”

His chest rumbled with his laughter. “Here we go again. If you mean they’ll know we fuck, then yes, and the sooner we eat, the sooner we can leave and get to it.”

“Rye!” she screamed as she punched his shoulder. “You are so uncouth.”

“Why beat around the bush? That’s what I’ll have on my mind. And I’m hoping this time around will be less tense than lunch at your parents’.”

“That wasn’t my fault. Blame that on my spoiled mother and my outspoken granny.” Then she continued, her voice lower. “You realize that’s exactly four weeks from today, when the pill kicks in, right?” She hid a smile when she felt him stiffen behind her. His grip on her breasts tightened.

“Ah, hell. Can we reschedule with Mom?”

“Nope. Your sister will only be home for the weekend, and she has plans with her friends for Saturday.

“We’re not going. We can see Jensen anytime,” he finished with a growl.

“Rye! She’s your only sister!”

He placed his hand under the sheets and then cupped the heat between her legs. “And this is my pussy, and I’m the only thing I want coming between me and it then.”

“It’s your parents. We have to go.”

“No, we don’t. It’s just that simple.”

“You’re not making this any easier.” Sparks shot through her at his hot declaration and from the delicious suction of his mouth on her sensitive neck. It didn’t help when he pressed the heel of his palm against her energized clit. She was ready and willing to take him, even if she wasn’t able.

“Rye,” she protested. “You’re lighting a fire, and you know we can’t play.”

Moving his mouth farther down, he concentrated on the area between her neck and shoulder, causing her to shiver. “We’re adults. We can do whatever we want,” he countered as he rotated his palm over her rigid bud, at the same time rubbing his heavy erection in the crease of her butt.

“Rye,” she moaned to admonish him, but it only relayed her torment. Closing her eyes, she leaned back and luxuriated in the erotic sensation of his hand against her.

“In fact,” he said in a rough voice, “I can keep touching you here until you come. And you won’t be able to blame me for messing up the sheets. Come for me, baby.”

As soon as the command left his mouth, Lacey exploded into tiny little pieces. She lifted and then ground her needy sex against his marauding fingers as wave after wave of hot pleasure rocked her to the core.

In the aftermath of her explosion, she closed her eyes but opened them when she heard the low groan he tried to stifle.
Poor baby
. He always took care of her, yet he was still suffering. Well, it was a good thing she loved performing the newfound skill guaranteed to take care of his problem.

Chapter Eighteen

She awoke to a six a.m. call from Rye.

“Hi, you.” She smiled, still sleepy as she stretched in the bed. “Are you at the airport?”

“Yes, but my flight was delayed because of the rainstorms there in Atlanta. Please be careful when you go out today; the roads are slick, and you and other female drivers will be out in force.”

“I think you’re trying to be sweet, so I’m not even going to trip at the insult.”

His voice lowered to a rumbling baritone. “The pill became effective today, right?”

“You remembered, huh?”

“Hell yeah, and if I was there, I’d already be deep diving with no skin.”

Just like that, the area between her legs grew damp and needy. “I’m ready too.”

“You’d better be. I have to do wrap-up reports at the office once I get there, but I plan to see you well before we’re expected at my parents’.”

“Ryder Jackson McKay. You are not going to do me in a drive-by right before we have to leave for dinner with your parents. Forget it.”

“Lacey Marie Bishop. When I come to pick you up, if we even have ten minutes to spare, I will have my pussy,” he informed her in a tight, husky tone that brooked no argument. Then she heard a dial tone.

“Well, all right, then,” she muttered to the air. If they only had five minutes to spare, she’d give him his pussy, but she wouldn’t tell his arrogant behind. He’d been in Pittsburgh for three days, so she was about to go crazy missing him. Such was her life. Not that she’d change a thing about the past wondrous month as his girlfriend.

After a quick breakfast, she checked in with Monica at the Thymes and started on the multitude of errands she needed to run. Not only was it her and Rye’s first night without condoms, it was their first dinner as a couple with his family. She was as nervous as hell and needed to look and feel her best.

She placed food and supply orders online before driving across town for her weekly mani-pedi. During a late lunch with Ally and Lisa, Ally had no qualms about violating doctor-patient privilege as she ribbed Lacey about her upcoming condom-free night amid Lisa’s unconcealed looks of disgust. Finally, Lacey landed at Marguerite’s, the boutique where she indulged her love of all things cotton.

“Lacey, my dear, you look positively radiant!” The boutique owner’s greeting was in a French accent Lacey had yet to determine was genuine or not. For all she knew, the flamboyant proprietor could have come straight out of DeKalb County, Georgia. “What brings you in today?”

“I need a few bra and panty sets as well as a dozen sets of sheets,” Lacey rushed out.

“Did you say dozen?” Marguerite asked, her eyebrows raised.

“Yes.” Lacey refused to satisfy Marguerite’s obvious curiosity about the large order. What could she say?
My boyfriend has a habit of ripping my panties off to get to my pussy faster, so I need more underwear. Plus we’re ditching condoms, and I’m a neat freak who needs more sheets because I won’t be able to wash them as fast as Rye will try to mess them up.
She didn’t think so.

“Any particular color?” the proprietor asked as she keyed information into the computer.

“At this point, I’m desperate enough to take anything you have,” Lacey replied.

“The system is showing I have some of the things you need, but have a seat or browse around, and I’ll double-check the inventory in the back,” Marguerite said before breezing away.

Lacey turned to look at the new-arrivals section and ran smack into another customer. “I’m sorry; I wasn’t paying attention,” she started.

“No problem.” The gorgeous blonde smiled. Then her brow knitted together. “Aren’t you Lacey? Kyle’s sister?”

Lacey gave a polite smile even as she groaned on the inside. She wasn’t in the mood to reminisce with one of her brother’s castoffs. She was surprised to know Kyle had stepped out with a white girl, but that was his business. “Yes, I’m Kyle’s sister.”

The girl’s face lit up. “I thought so. I see Kyle all the time, but I remember you from Hanover’s annual banquet a couple of years ago. I work in the engineering department with Rye McKay,” she said as she extended her hand. “Natalie Hanover.”

Lacey didn’t remember Natalie, but she smiled as she shook the girl’s hand. “My family and I have attended several company events over the years when Rye was honored or received an award.”

“Well, that’s been pretty much a given lately. He is a tremendous leader, and he’s taking the engineering department to a new level. My father is so proud of him.” Hero worship more than apparent on Natalie’s face.

“He works hard to be the best,” Lacey commented.

“So true. When my father was breathing down my neck for me to decide which career field I wanted to pursue, it only took one summer interning with Rye for me to make up my mind. I received my engineering degree two years ago.”

Lacey did her best to keep a straight face, but she knew where this was heading. Natalie wasn’t one of Kyle’s exes; she was another member of Rye’s fan club. Since Marguerite had yet to return, Lacey became audience by default as the girl sang the praises of her mentor. Lacey didn’t pay too much attention until Natalie leaned closer and whispered in a “girl-to-girl” voice.

“You’ve known Rye for a long time, haven’t you?” Natalie asked with a lascivious gleam in her eyes.

Lacey gave a reluctant nod, although her instincts told her to run fast and far away from this woman and this conversation.

“I’ve heard Rye is a wild man in bed. Can you imagine all that power and masculinity coming at you at one time?”

“Hmm,” Lacey murmured. In the words of Marvin Gaye, she could be the first to testify to Rye’s abilities. It made her a little sick to know the gossip was spot-on.

Natalie continued as if she were talking to her very best friend about the weather. “We’re going to New York for an engineering conference soon, and between you and me, I’m pulling out all the stops to see Rye’s bedroom talents firsthand. I simply had to order new lingerie, and when Marguerite called to say it was here, I dropped what I was doing to come pick it up. After I’m done with Rye, he won’t know what hit him. My dad will be excited to have the star of his company as his future son-in-law.”

Lacey snapped out of her daze. “You think this will lead to marriage?”

“Why not? I’ve wanted Rye for years, and I plan to make sure he wants me too. Plus it would be a good career move for him; my daddy owns the company, after all.”

It was all Lacey could do to keep calm. Natalie’s nonchalance was reminiscent of a person never denied anything. After having to deal with all types of clients—important people, and people who thought they were important—Lacey had learned to keep a neutral facial expression no matter the subject of a conversation, like right now. It wasn’t exactly common knowledge that she and Rye were together, but it would never occur to this spoiled brat it was a possibility. No, since Lacey wore a darker hue than Rye’s typical woman, she was not considered a threat. Lacey pasted on a plastic smile, but she was ready to fight someone for the first time in her life.

Just in time, Marguerite whirred to a stop beside Lacey. “Oh, there you are. Come with me, and we’ll go over your order,” she said and directed Lacey to the cashier area.

As always, Lacey was grateful for the personal attention given at the boutique, but never more than right then. Marguerite didn’t know it, but she’d saved Natalie from receiving some information she probably didn’t want to hear, and a beat down on top of it.

“Okay. We have several sets of the lingerie on hand.” Marguerite paused and smiled. It was unheard of that anyone would have such a narrow back size paired with a large cup size in stock, especially in Lacey’s beloved cotton fabric. Whereas satin and lace made most other women feel sexy, organic material did it for Lacey. Now Rye preferred it too.

“We have five of the queen sheets available for you to take today, and I’ll have the others delivered next week. Will that work?”

“Of course. I’m impressed you have any of it,” Lacey revealed with a smile.

As Marguerite preened with the compliment, Lacey fished her credit card from her wallet to settle the bill.

“No need for that, dahling. A substantial credit has already been applied to your account.”

“What? I haven’t established an account here,” Lacey replied, stunned.

Marguerite looked at the computer screen again. “Yes, we have a card on file from a Mr. McKay.”

Lacey was astounded. Then she was mad at Rye for having the audacity to arrange payment for something without talking to her first. Next she was embarrassed because she was sure Marguerite knew what would be happening on those very fine sheets. Finally she was a little turned on because she also knew what would happen on those sheets, and because of Rye’s thoughtfulness.

“Well, I guess that’s settled,” she said and displayed a thousand-watt smile.

“You’re all set.” Marguerite handed Lacey the two designer bags containing her items. “Look for your delivery soon, and congratulations, dahling.”

Lacey gave her a questioning look.

“That young man of yours is as fine as they come,” Marguerite said in a down-home voice and finished with a sly wink.

“He was here?” She gasped. She’d assumed Paula must have called with the information. It was shocking to know Rye had handled it himself.

“In the flesh. And what a gorgeous specimen he is,” Marguerite drawled, her foreign accent thick again.

Lacey was so taken aback she barely lifted a hand to acknowledge Natalie’s good-bye as she walked out the door.

Rye was picking her up for dinner at the McKays, so she didn’t have much time to waste. As soon as she walked into the brownstone, she stored her new purchases before showering. The whole conversation with Natalie still bothered her, but she couldn’t dwell on it right now.

Chapter Nineteen

As a neighbor and sister of Rye’s best friend, visiting with Rye’s parents would be a relaxed occasion. Preparing for dinner with them as Rye’s girlfriend was akin to looking forward to a nonmedicated root canal. A few months ago, she was the girl next door; now she was the black girl who opened her legs on demand to their son. She could see where they might look at her differently.