“Not tonight,” Seth answered with a shake of his head. Shooting her a teasing look, he said, “Too bad Amelia didn’t make a run to Mansfield’s to pick up some cookies. They have the best recipe I’ve ever tasted.”
“Oh, they’re closed indefinitely. I stopped by there yesterday to get the donuts, and ended up having to get them from the grocery.”
With a discordant note, Jax abruptly stopped playing, looking directly at her for the first time since she came out. “Closed? They’re never closed unless it’s Sunday.”
“Apparently the owner passed away. The lady I talked to said the granddaughter was co
ming back to town, but they weren’t sure if she’d re-open the store, or sell it and leave again. What was her name? Penny? Poppy?” Frowning, she thought back over the conversation she had with the elderly lady yesterday morning. “No, Piper! The granddaughter’s name is Piper.”
Jax suddenly stood, the screech of his chair against the wood making Amelia jump. Startled, she watched him stalk into the house. Even from the porch, she could hear the stomping of his feet as he went upstairs.
“Did I say something wrong?” she asked, looking back and forth between Seth and Ian. Seth looked clueless, helplessly shrugging, but Ian shook his head, a grim expression on his face.
“No, it was nothing you said. Don’t worry about it. He’ll be okay.”
She wasn’t sure that was the truth, but she said nothing as they all sat in silence. Seth reached over and took her hand, squeezing tight and giving her a reassuring smile when she glanced over. Moments later, the fast, heavy beat of drums split the air, the sound unrelenting and furious, making her jump in surprise. Though she couldn’t see anything beyond the roof of the porch, she still cast a concerned look upward, understanding that it was Jax pounding the drums.
She couldn’t say why, or how she knew, but the beat of the drums held sorrow, and helpless fury, and her heart felt sad as she realized Jax was playing what he was feeling.
“Let’s go in and check on the casserole,” Seth said quietly. She was barely able to hear him over the beat of the drums, but she nodded, standing as he did and walking inside. It seemed that even when she wasn’t making an obvious fool of herself, she was still sticking her foot in her mouth.
There was no way she could have predicted Jax’s reaction to what she said. And she didn’t know if it was the news of Mansfield’s closing, the death of the owner, or the granddaughter coming back that provoked that reaction, but she supposed it didn’t matter. Regardless of what caused it, she wished with all her heart that she’d kept her mouth shut.
They walked into the kitchen, and she had barely finished shutting the oven door when Seth spun her around and pushed her back against the counter, crushing his mouth to hers. Blood instantly boiling, Amelia moaned as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, arching her back and pressing into him.
She was completely into it until he ran his hand up her side and cupped her breast. Pulling her mouth away, she grabbed his hand. “What are you doing?” she hissed. “We’re in the kitchen. Anyone could walk in and catch us.”
Shooting a quick look around, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the pantry, flicking on the overhead light. “There. No one will come in and see us in here.”
Unable to help her laugh, Amelia shook her head. “They could still hear us.”
“So be quiet,” Seth replied with a wink. “Although I realize that’s a tall order, when I’m pleasuring you.”
Rolling her eyes, she laughed again, but it cut off abruptly as he sealed his mouth to hers. Thrusting his tongue inside, he dueled it with hers, and she reached behind him, fisting his shirt in her hands. His hand crept under her shirt and slid up her side to her breast, and this time she moaned softly, encouraging him.
Letting go of his shirt with one hand, she trailed it over his chest, down past the waistband of his jeans to his hard cock. She rubbed lightly before squeezing through the material of his pants, and he bit down on her bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth with a groan.
Pulling his lips from hers, he found her ear, circling the lobe with his tongue before he breathed, “Playing dirty, hmmm? Two can play that game.”
Pulling away, he popped the button of her jeans and shoved them down, urging her to step out of them. Once she was clear, he grabbed handfuls of her ass and lifted her, setting her back down on a solid shelf. She waited for him to unfasten his own jeans, but he surprised her by dropping to his knees, throwing her legs over his shoulders, and planting his mouth on her center.
Letting out a squeak, she instinctively tried to close her legs as she pushed at his head, but he wouldn’t be budged. But her mortification swiftly turned to pleasure and desire as his tongue swept inside and found her clit.
Goodness, the sensations were far better, and more intense, than she could have imagined, and she stopped fighting him. Her hips undulated in time with the strokes of his tongue, and she ran her fingers through his hair, gripping the strands tightly as he played.
It took far less time than she imagined it could for her to come, and she pulled his hair with one hand while she slapped the other to her mouth, trying to muffle her cries. When he finally pulled back, she was dazed, her body shaken, and totally spent.
At least she thought she was, until he unsnapped his jeans and lowered the zipper. Suddenly getting a second wind, she sat up, watching as he shoved his jeans down. Taking himself in hand, he came in close and rubbed his cock through her folds before lining himself up and pushing home.
Eyes rolling back in her head as pleasure streaked through her body, she felt him grab her thighs and pull out before quickly slamming back home. She moaned, moving her hips to meet his.
“Shhhh. You don’t want the others to hear, remember?” he reminded, voice strained and shaky.
Bloody hell. Clenching her jaw shut, she clutched his shoulders as he pounded into her, the force of his thrusts rattling the cans of food on the shelf next to her. Pleasure spiked through her again as he hit a spot just right, and she clamped her teeth onto his shoulder as she came again, body convulsing.
With a quiet curse, Seth jerked against her as his own orgasm hit him, his pulsing warmth coating her insides. When he finally stilled, they were both breathing heavy, and she could feel rivulets of perspiration snaking down her spine.
Pulling away with a grin, Seth said, “See? No one walked in on us. You worried for nothing.”