Not My Type: Rhiannon Ch. 04

Joe looked confused. "Where else would it fit?"

I opened my mouth to argue but thought better of it. "Never mind," I sighed. I tried a smile out on him, and his answered grin made the churning in my stomach subside slightly. "Take me home?"

"Sure thing, Darling."

I followed Joe back to the cottage in my car, and each mile I put between me and the city seemed to lift a little weight from my chest, so that by the time I pulled into our laneway behind his nasty old truck, I swore I felt a small tickle of excitement.

Joe must have spent the remainder of the previous day cleaning and airing out the cottage because most of the musty smell had disappeared. A brisk sea breeze blew in the open windows and already some of his personal belongings were scattered about. There were fresh sheets on the bed and all but two of the dresser drawers thrown open waiting for my things.

"I left you most of the closet too," Joe admitted sheepishly as he carried the last of my suitcases in and dumped them on the neatly made bed. "Figured you'd need as much space as you could get."

"Oh, Joe," I sighed. There really didn't seem to be much else to say to that and we fell to unpacking my things in silence. Things were comfortably quiet between the two of us until Joe stumbled upon the suitcase with my lingerie in it.

I was busy folding jeans and sweaters and didn't notice what he was doing until the complete lack of movement from the other side of the room caught my eye. I looked up to see Joe standing motionless over an open suitcase, out of which spilled quite a few dollars worth of satin, silk, and lace.

I laughed, it was pretty much all I could do. Most of my things had been bought overseas, since there wasn't really a good source for that quality of lingerie on the Island. I didn't wear the frivolous stuff often, but I loved having it. It made special occasions even more so. It saddened me to think most of it wouldn't fit soon.

Joe plunged his hands into the sea of luxurious fabrics and chuckled. "You are somethin' else darlin'." He pulled out a bright red lace thong and grinned. "Please tell me you're planning on wearing this soon."

I giggled and tossed a balled up sweater at him. "There's a matching bra in there somewhere too."

With a mischievous snigger Joe started rummaging until he pulled out a skimpy demi-cup bra of the same bright red lace. His groan said almost as much as the lusty glint in his eyes.

"I didn't know you were a lingerie man," I teased, watching as he absentmindedly stroked the delicate material. "I would have pegged you for more of a hockey-sweater-and-nothing-else sort of guy."

"Darlin' if there's a garter belt and stockings to go with this I'm yours forever," Joe said gruffly. The look on his face was enigmatic and I couldn't tell if he was kidding or not. I reached across the bed to the open suitcase and pulled at an exposed length of red elastic. The garter tangled in with a few other tiny panties on it's way up, but there was little doubt as to what it was. Joe's eyes darkened and he growled low in his throat.

"You're wearin' that for me tonight," he said huskily. It wasn't a question but I didn't mind. I pushed the suitcase of lingerie to the floor and crawled across the bed, garter in hand.

"If you like," I whispered. The air grew dense between us and it made me dizzy with want. My heart raced in my chest. It amazed me how quickly things changed between us, almost as if our lust was a light switch which could be turned on at a moment's notice.

When Joe spoke the words came out slow and thick. "You are the sexiest woman I've ever known." He reached for me, wrapping his hands around my waist, drawing me closer. Even through my t-shirt I felt how hot his skin was, how strong his grip could be. "And you're gonna wear each and every one of those little pieces of lace for me."

The steadiness of his gaze held me enthralled. He'd morphed back into sexy, intense Joe—so different from quiet, shy Joe. I selfishly wondered how many women had been privileged to see this side of him. Not many, I suspected, and it made me strangely happy that I was one.

"I'll wear it now if you want," I whispered. My voice wobbled a little, caught on the heavy lump of excitement in my throat.

Joe considered my suggestion for a moment and chuckled low in his chest. His hands strayed up the back of my t-shirt, pulling the fabric up, exposing my skin to the cool sea breeze cutting through the cottage. I shivered. He laughed again. Goosebumps trailed after the teasing touch of his fingers; my knees weakened against the mattress.

"Why don't we just see what you got on today," Joe said hoarsely. "No point in taking it off and getting dressed again just to please me."

"You're so practical," I giggled as his hands met the lace band of the bra I was wearing. I put my arms around his neck, leaning closer to brush a kiss against his mouth. Joe traced the swirling pattern of lace along my sides before brushing gently at the underside of my breasts. I groaned into the kiss.

"Feels pretty," Joe laughed. He nipped teasingly at my bottom lip. "I bet it looks even better."

I leaned back and pulled my t-shirt off in one swift motion. Joe's tanned hands were dark against the white of the bra. He mapped out the edge of the fabric, his touch feather light where flesh met lace. My breath came out in rapid, rasping gusts.

"You are so beautiful," Joe said in a husky whisper. He kissed me again, with a little more insistence than before. My nipples hardened beneath the lace of my bra and Joe brushed lightly against them. We both moaned. I wiggled, wanting Joe to hurry up, to touch me with more than just a teasing sweep I barely felt, but he didn't seem to be in any hurry.

"I wanna make love to you all afternoon," Joe murmured as his mouth moved from mine to the line of my jaw. His path of kisses led to my ear. He bunched up the heavy curtain of my hair and kissed my neck, chuckling each time a shiver wracked my body.

Everything was dizziness and pleasure. My hands flexed uselessly against the solid heat of Joe's chest. Vaguely I felt as if I should touch him back, but there didn't seem to be any connection between my fingers and my brain. There wasn't anything but the slow, sucking slide of Joe's mouth against my neck and the gasping sounds he tore from my lungs.

His work-roughened hands were oddly gentle over my skin as his fingers trailed down my spine to the waist-band of my shorts. Joe tickled teasingly at the exposed edge of my panties where my shorts rode a little lower, tugging at the lace, laughing as the fabric of my panties chafed against the dampness between my legs.

"They match the bra?" Joe asked in a whisper. He nipped at my earlobe and I nodded weakly.

"Of course," I murmured as he tugged playfully at my panties again. I squirmed, desperate for more. Everything throbbed and ached wonderfully. "Mind you, they're not as naughty as the red..."

Joe shrugged before reaching around to fumble with the fly of my shorts. "I like the white," he groaned. "It's angelic."

My snort of laughter was unladylike. "I'm no angel, Joe."

Joe pulled my shorts off my hips slowly, his sapphire gaze dark as the white lace underneath was revealed. When his hands reached back to trace the line of the thong to the crack of my ass he chuckled thickly. "No, you sure ain't."

"I wish I was," I whispered as Joe lowered me to the bed. The sheets were cool against my back and Joe's constant trail of caresses against the lace of my bra and panties made my head spin. The fabric muffled each touch and made me desperate for more.

"If you were darlin', you wouldn't own that lovely suitcase of surprises," Joe teased.

He kissed me with vigor, his tongue finding every corner of my mouth. My mind flitted back to the other surprises hiding in the lingerie suitcase and I wondered what Joe would make of them. I hadn't brought my entire collection, but I could hardly go anywhere without my favourite vibrator. Out of sheer curiosity I'd packed a pair of restraints too. I wasn't sure if it was Joe's sort of thing, but I was dying to find out.

"Besides," Joe said softly as he broke the kiss to look down at me with bright blue eyes. "I like you just the way you are."

I smiled and reached up to run my hands through Joe's short auburn hair. It was thick and soft with a bit of a wave to it; hair any woman would kill for. He purred as I flexed my fingernails against his scalp.

"I like you too," I whispered.

"Like," Joe paused and there was an enigmatic smile on his face. "That's not a bad start."

I arched an eyebrow as Joe chuckled. He leaned in to kiss me softly.

"Anything else you'd like darlin'?"

I grinned. "I'd like you to take your clothes off," I teased. "And then I'd like you to make love to me."

Joe's hand closed possessively over my lace-clad breast. He squeezed gently. His chest rested against my arm and I could feel how quickly his heart was beating. It matched my own.

"I'd like to do that," he murmured and then his mouth claimed mine again and nothing more was said.

~*~

"How tall are you?" Joe asked, his voice husky with sleep. My hand lay resting on his chest and he entwined his fingers through mine and gave them a comforting little squeeze. We were both floating on a lazy, post-coital cloud and it made it hard to move.

"Five-foot-nine, in my socks. Why? How tall are you?"

"Six-four," Joe mumbled. I could feel him rubbing his fingers against the cool smoothness of my engagement ring, another strangely comforting gesture. "I was just wondering how tall our kids would be."

I sat up. "Kids? Plural? Kids with an 's'? As in more than one?" My heart was beating much too quickly. I looked down at him with what had to be shock.

Joe chuckled before he reached up to brush his fingers against my bottom lip. The sensation made my insides jump. "Don't tell me you want just one, Rhi? I can't imagine being an only child, it'd be too lonely."

I slumped back down beside Joe and let myself laugh.

"It was," I confessed. "I wouldn't wish that childhood on anyone. But who says our baby has to have brothers and sisters anyway? She'll have cousins galore eventually."

Joe shook his head. "Cousins just ain't the same thing as brothers and sisters. My brothers and sisters are the best part of my life. Can't imagine life without them."

I couldn't reply. It wasn't just that I had no point of reference for what he was saying, it was that Joe had given thought to our baby. What she might look like, how tall she would be, what sort of older sister she'd be someday. A veil of tears threatened to spring up but I fought to keep them down.

"You know," Joe said sleepily when the silence had stretched on a little too long. "You always call the baby 'she' and 'her'... do you know if it's a girl already?"

I shook my head, bumping Joe's chin and we both laughed. "I guess you could say it's just a hunch. I won't know for a while—if I want to know, that is. Do you want to know before the baby is born whether it's a girl or a boy?"

Joe kissed my forehead and I looked up to see him close his eyes, a contented smile on his face. "Nah," he sighed sleepily. "Doesn't matter to me one way or th' other if it's a boy or a girl. I'd kinda like a girl though, so I'll follow your hunch on that. And why would I want to know if it's a boy or a girl before the baby's born? Isn't that like knowing what you're gonna get for Christmas beforehand? Where's the fun in that?"

I giggled. "Well, I guess some people like to know ahead of time, so they can paint the baby's room and buy all the right coloured clothing, you know little frilly pink dresses or little blue denim overalls, stuff like that.."

"Some people are too uptight. What's it matter what colour the baby's clothes are as long as she's got all her fingers and toes?"

"And what if she doesn't?" I asked in a whisper. It had been one of those fears crowded at the back of my brain since the day I'd found out I was going to be a mother and it surprised me to hear it voiced aloud. I hadn't expected myself to admit that to anyone.

Joe opened his eyes; his sapphire gaze was both serious and gentle. "Darlin', then we'll just love her all the more for her missing parts."

I cried then.

Joe said nothing. He pulled me into the circle of his arms and let me cry all my fears into the warmth of his neck until I felt light, drained of them. He didn't say anything, didn't spout out all those meaningless platitudes that any other person would automatically resort to. He just let me cry until the ache in my lungs subsided enough that I fell asleep.

~*~

The ringing noise woke me instantly. Joe stirred beside me, still asleep. The afternoon sun had settled below the bluff, throwing our little cottage in the cove into dusky darkness. We must have slept for a few hours, longer than I'd meant to at any rate.

"Wassat?" Joe muttered. He tossed a thick arm over his eyes and grunted unhappily.

"My cell phone," I said, slipping from between the warm sheets. I tried to pretend Joe didn't watch my naked progress into the main room to find my handbag. But the greediness of his gaze was flattering. The little extra swish in my hips just might have been for his benefit.

I dug about in my bag until I found my phone and flipped it open without even checking to see who's number flashed up on the screen.

"Rhi!" Lilly's cheerful voice came scratchily through, proving phone reception wasn't great in the cove. "Where are you? It's Sunday. You said you were coming to dinner! Adam's cooking for us. Adele's already here!"

Shit. "Already?" I echoed, frantically trying to muster my wits. I'd forgotten all about the dinner invite Lilly had extended over drinks Friday night, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings and tell her that. "I'm sorry," I lied quickly. "I thought maybe we'd be eating later."

"It's five and we're just going to start into hors d'ouvres. Are you still coming?"

I looked over my shoulder at the languid, large, naked form of Lilly's brother rising from the rumpled sheets of our bed.

"Yeah, yeah I'm still planning on coming," I stuttered. I tried frantically to think. I didn't want to just ditch Joe, not if I was going to dinner at his own sister's house, but I wasn't sure he'd been invited. If he had, he'd failed to mention it.

Lilly babbled on about bacon-wrapped scallops and white asparagus spears and some other nonsense I hardly understood. Joe came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me before bending down, moving aside the tangle of my hair and kissing my neck.

"Uh, Lil," I spat out, interrupting her mid-sentence. Joe made his way to my ear and I felt myself losing the ability to put together coherent thought. "Do you think I could bring someone with me?"

"S-sure," Lilly said quickly. "Shouldn't be a problem. There's plenty to eat."

"Thanks," I sighed. I swatted at Joe with my free hand, but he just chuckled and took the abuse.

"You're with a guy!" Lilly exclaimed, laughing. "Oh Rhi, I'm sorry to interrupt!" She giggled again. I was struck immediately at what a change that was from the old Lilly, the one who would have blushed and stammered and more than likely changed the subject. Obviously Adam had a good effect on her. "Is this a new one?"

"Uh..." I paused, uncertain. "Not exactly."

Joe cupped my right breast in his wide hand, squeezing gently. I bit back a moan.

"R-really," Lilly drawled with a giggle. "An old one came crawling back huh?" I tried to correct her, but words didn't come. Joe was exerting a pleasant sort of pressure on my nipple and my tongue felt thick in my mouth.

A man's voice rumbled in the background, joining the musical trill of Lilly's laughter into the phone. "Adam says he can push dinner back to 6:30 and wants to know if that'll give you two enough time to get cleaned up and dressed?"

"6:30 will be just fine," I gasped, trying to twist of out Joe's teasing embrace. I felt his cock beginning to harden against my ass as I struggled to free myself but that wasn't helping manners any. I managed to whirl about and give him a dirty look. Joe just grinned.

"Do I know this one?" Lilly prompted, laughing again.

"You could say that," I replied, trying not to laugh as Joe came at me again with a lusty grin.

"Gonna drop any hints Rhi? Or should I just plan on being surprised when you two arrive?" Lilly asked. I heard Adam laughing in the background and I couldn't help but wonder if he'd guessed before her. He didn't strike me as the type who missed much.

I hesitated. It was the perfect opening in two ways. I could just leave it for the moment when Lil opened her door to find me and her brother standing there together. Still I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt from the last time I'd surprised her like that. At least if I warned her it would give her time to prepare. Or to refuse to see me.

"It's Joe," I spat out quickly before I could change my mind. My stomach did somersaults and I held my breath.

"Oh," Lilly replied. There was an awkward moment of silence. "Well." She cleared her throat. Joe must have sensed something was wrong by the look on my face because he took a step back and looked worried too.

"Well," Lilly repeated with a little sigh. "You tell Joe that I made Angel Food Cake for dessert, from Mom's recipe. It's his favourite, although mine's probably not as good as hers."

"I'm sure your Angel Food Cake is just lovely," I responded automatically. Joe's bright blue eyes lit up. He grinned before he headed towards the bedroom and started digging around for clothes. "Thanks Lilly," I sighed with relief.

It took her a moment to respond, and I got the impression she was choosing her words carefully.

"No problem, Rhiannon. After all, everyone deserves a second chance."

to be continued...