All Summer Long (Fool's Gold #9)(68)



She sat up, pulling him back into the moment. Her gaze still locked with his, she pushed up and down, frantic and frenzied as she got closer and closer. Her breath came in gasps, her br**sts bounced, her skin was flushed. She was as beautiful as a pagan goddess, all light and sensation.

His climax threatened, but he held back, determined to make this as good for her as possible. He slid his right hand up her thigh, then reached his thumb between their bodies. When he found her swollen, wet clit, he rubbed it, pushing deep into her body, right to the root of it. He circled around it and on the second pass, she screamed.

She continued to move up and down, so fast she was nearly a blur. Her body shook and trembled. Deep inside, the shock waves began, squeezing him until he had no choice but to give in to her invitation. He pushed up with his hips, shoving into her even more and losing himself in the explosion of his release.

After what felt like a lifetime, she slowed. Her gaze refocused and she stared at him. The color on her cheeks deepened and he knew they had reached the critical moment of their relationship.

“Don’t,” he said, sitting up and wrapping his arms around her. “Don’t you dare. Dammit, Charlie, that was incredible. You leave me weak. Never doubt that.”

She bit her lower lip. “I’m afraid I’m too much.”

He chuckled. “Right. Because every guy wants to walk around saying, ‘Yeah, I’m dating this girl. She’s not really enough for me in bed. I like that.’”

“I don’t want to scare you.”

“Do I look scared?”

“No, but...”

He kissed her. “No buts. Just promise me we can do that again. Soon.”

She nodded and swallowed. “Why do I want to cry? I never want to cry.”

“I could bullshit you into believing it’s about the sympathetic nervous system and emotional release, but the truth is, I’m so damned good-looking, you’re weeping with gratitude.”

She leaned back her head and started to laugh. He joined in, then he rolled her onto her side and started kissing again. In the shade of a nearby tree, the two horses looked at each other and sighed. Apparently they were going to be here for a while.

* * *

“THANK YOU for joining us, Mr. Stryker,” Mayor Marsha said from her place behind her impressive desk in her office at City Hall.

“Clay, please.”

“That’s what I want to be saying,” Gladys mumbled. The other woman sat in the chair next to his.

The mayor sighed. “If we could focus on the business at hand,” she said, then pointed at Gladys. “Nothing from you. Do you hear me?”

Gladys held up her hands. “I’ll behave. I promise.”

Clay winked at her, in too good a mood to take offense.

His afternoon with Charlie had been the stuff of legends. They’d stayed another hour, making use of the second condom. This time he’d participated more, but she’d still been in charge. It was a role she was born to, he thought happily. He couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

“Clay,” the mayor said. “We’ve asked you here today because the city council has been approached by several businesses in town. People have heard about your Haycation idea and they’re intrigued.”

She handed out folders. Clay flipped his open and saw a list of restaurants, stores and recreational facilities.

“There’s some interest in product placement, coupons and theme nights,” she continued. “For example, every Thursday there could be square dancing. An instructor would teach guests, but locals could also pay a small fee and attend. Two or three of the restaurants could cater the event. The craft store in town wants to offer quilting classes. The class would be free and anyone attending would get a ten-percent off coupon at the store. That kind of thing.”

“This works with what I’ve been planning,” he said. “I like it. The more we can offer our guests, the more they’ll enjoy themselves. I want repeat business and plenty of word-of-mouth. Fool’s Gold is a unique tourist destination.”

“Exactly.” The mayor smiled at him. “We can each grow our success.”

“I’d like to see—”

“Gladys,” the mayor warned.

“Sorry.”

“I wanted to check with you, Clay,” the mayor continued, “before setting up a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce and our Business Development Council. If you’re willing, I’ll send out an email and suggest a few dates.”

“That works for me.”

“If there’s anything we can do to help, let us know.”

He wondered if any of the old ladies could scare some sense into Nate and keep him away from the teenagers in town. So far his farm manager had been behaving. But Clay didn’t know if that was because of a change of heart or if Nate was simply being more careful.

“I’m good for now,” he said.

Mayor Marsha glared at Gladys, then stood. “Excellent. I’ll be in touch.”

He shook hands with her, waved at Gladys, then left. On his way to his truck, he held on to the folder. The businesses in town believed in him. There was no way he was going to let any of them down. Fool’s Gold was his home now. He wanted to be a part of things. His Haycations were going to be a success—no matter what it took.

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