If a bicycle had a penis and eyes pleading for a blow
job, the whole ordeal would be just like riding a bike.
It’s one of those things a person never forgets how to
do, no matter how much time has passed. But Bryn Harper
hadn’t had sex with a living, breathing man in nearly two
and a half years. The only sex she’d had involved rubber
and vibrating replicas of manliness. So being in this
position—nearly naked as she stepped into her dimly lit
bedroom—felt far more difficult than pedaling around on
two wheels.

“Hey.” Bryn managed a coy smile as she stood in the
doorway connecting her bathroom to her bedroom.

“Wow. You look gorgeous,” Eli said, alleviating some of
her anxiety.

She fidgeted with the lace hem of her see-through
chemise. “Thanks.”

Bryn had been sort of dating Eli for a couple of months,
and it was finally time to do the deed. She’d chosen him
as her get-back-on-the-bike guy. Cute and polite, well
mannered, with a smokin’ hot bod. He’d help her get it
over with, make the fear go away.

They’d been friends for a while, having met at their
kids’ school during Field Day. They’d bonded while
serving hot dogs to ravenous elementary students. Casual
coffees turned into dinner every other week. He was a
nice guy to hang out with and he understood what she
wanted—light and casual. Attempting to find love again
was on her list, but not right now. Not yet. It was still
too soon.

Bryn took a deep breath as she left the safety of her
bathroom and stepped into the bedroom, illuminated by a
half dozen candles. She kneeled on the bed and crawled to
him, hoping it looked way sexier than it felt.

Eli’s ravenous gaze ripped off her transparent outfit and
devoured her body. Wonder how long it’s been for him? He
looked pretty damn hungry. He’d been divorced almost as
long as Bryn had been widowed. But surely he had dated in
that time. Divorcés were usually back on the bike much
faster than widowed riders—the anger-bang, revenge sex.

Bryn would never forget the day her doorbell rang and she
ran to answer it, three-year-old Cammie on her hip, her
hair a mess, never expecting to find what she did. As
soon as she saw the uniformed soldier on her porch, she
knew. Her husband would never come home again.

After Johnny died, all Bryn had wanted to do was curl up
in bed with her three kids and hold them close. She’d
stayed there for days, maybe even weeks. And when she
finally came out, life was measured one hour at a time.
If she could make it that far without crying, that was
progress. Then it was two hours, then three. When she’d
made it a whole twelve hours, she’d rejoined society and
gone back to work. Her kids needed some kind of normalcy
after weeks of seeing her a bawling mess of misery.

But that’s as far as the normalcy in her life went. The
only things that mattered were her store and the kids.
Finding a companion—love—had been the furthest thing from
her mind.

But here she was, two and a half years later, and it was
getting really hard to be a single mom, especially to
growing boys. Jaxson and Zachary needed a man in their
lives, one they could relate to. Grandpa wasn’t really
cutting it. Dating Eli was part one in giving her family
what it needed.

And Bryn needed a man in her life, too. Not for financial
support, protection, and overall dependency, but for
companionship and, yeah, sex. Lots of sex. A real, live
man to hold her, taste her, and caress her body. Dildos
and vibrators were fun, but they didn’t whisper sweet
nothings and dirty talk in her ear or press feather-light
kisses along her spine.

Bryn focused on Eli, and damn, he looked good lying
there. She scanned his seminaked body. For a guy in his
late thirties, he had a fine physique. Mounded pecs and
sculpted biceps, muscular thighs that made her yearn to
be between them. No six-pack, but she wasn’t exactly
model shape, either. Her eyes traveled south to his black
boxer briefs, where a tent was already forming. Phew!
There was a halfway-hard penis waiting for her, and the
flow of moisture between her thighs told her she was more
than ready for it. It gave her the courage to keep moving
forward.

He sat up and pulled her toward him, kissing her far more
passionately than they’d kissed before. Until this point,
it had only been mini kisses after dinner on her porch,
the kids peeking out the front window. But tonight they
were blocks away at her parents’ house. No giggles. No
interruptions.

Eli pressed her body to the bed with his and trailed a
kiss across her neck to her earlobe. Bryn giggled. So
much for no giggles.

“I’m sorry. That’s my ticklish spot.”

“It’s okay.” Eli smiled at her. He had a really nice
smile. And eyes. He raised one eyebrow, his lips curling
into a sinister grin. “I want to taste all your ticklish
spots.”

That sounds fun. Bryn’s hunger was most definitely back.
She lost her giggles and pulled his lips back to hers,
raking her hands down his back, hesitating at the band of
his underwear. This was it. A smidgen of fear crept back
in, but she squashed it, reminding herself how much
better an orgasm felt when performed by someone other
than herself, or a vibrator, even the Ultra Vibe with its
clit stimulator and rotating pleasure beads.

Time to get that body completely naked. As Bryn reached
her hands inside the elastic, the phone rang. Intent on
ignoring it, she rubbed down his smooth ass. A soft
murmur emanated from Eli’s throat and he moved his lips
to her chest, peeling the lace away from her breast
before smothering it with his warmth.?The answering
machine clicked on and echoed through the house. “Bryn,
honey, it’s Mom. I just have a quick question about one
of the kids. Call me when you get in.”

There was no better mood killer than the sound of her
mother’s voice.

Eli stopped suckling and looked up at her. “Wanna call
her?”

“No. She raised me and my brothers. She can manage.” Bryn
pushed the underwear down exposing his firm behind, and
he dove back into her breasts, taking her back to
paradise.

But her cell phone started ringing on the nightstand next
to her head. Is she trying to beaver block me?

“You better get that,” Eli said, laughing, as he pulled
away from her nipple once again.

“You sure?”

“I’m a dad. I know how it goes. And you won’t be able to
relax until it’s out of your head.”

He was right. Bryn tucked her boob back in and reached
for the phone. She couldn’t talk to her mother with it
hanging out.

“What’s up,” she asked, hoping her mother would sense her
irritation.

“Cammie had a few too many pieces of candy. You can blame
your father for that. Should I give her an antacid or
something?”

Did she forget how to be a mother? “That’s fine.” “Okay.
I just wanted to make sure.”

“Thanks, but for the rest of tonight, if there’s no
significant blood loss, don’t call, ’kay?”

“So . . . you’re with that Eli guy tonight?”

“Yeah. We’re kinda in the middle of something right now.
So I’m gonna let you go.”

“Oh. Well . . . have fun then.”?“That’s the plan.”?Bryn
wondered if her mother had called on purpose.

She’d made no attempt to hide the fact she thought it was
too soon for Bryn to start dating. In her mother’s eyes,
a widowed woman should stay in mourning for the rest of
her life.

“Good night.”

“Good night.” Bryn pulled the phone from her ear, ready
to press end.

“Oh, Bryn, wait a minute.”?What now? She brought the
phone back. “Yes?”?“What time are you picking the kids up
tomorrow? Dad
has a doctor’s appointment at eleven fifteen. He’s
finally having that bunion looked at.”

Did she seriously just mention a bunion while Bryn had a
mostly naked man lying on her lace-clad body? “I’ll be
there in plenty of time. I’m hanging up now.” She quickly
ended the call and tossed the phone onto the nightstand.

“Finally,” she said, and wrapped her arms back around
Eli’s neck.

“Is it just me, or did that conversation take an hour?”
“So not just you. Felt like forever.”

“Let’s not waste any more time then.” The sexy smile was
back.

Eli reached behind as he pressed his lips to hers and
unhooked her bra, freeing her breasts from the scratchy
lace, tossing it to the floor. Oh, that felt nice. Bryn
forgot how wonderful it was to feel a powerful chest
pressing against her naked breasts, nipples rubbing on
manly chest hairs.

But he only let her enjoy it a few moments before leaving
her to move south, his lips kissing a trail down her
stomach. Could he be heading downtown already? This
wasn’t happening. She couldn’t be lucky enough to get
that right away.

As his tongue made circles around her belly button, she
anticipated where it would be next. Some women relaxed
with massages, but not Bryn. Give her some pussy licking
any day. It was complete bliss, the perfect way to
unwind. And Johnny had been so good at it.

Johnny.

Bryn tried to keep her eyes closed and concentrate on the
fabulous things Eli was doing, but they popped open
anyway, focusing on the ten-by-thirteen photo on her
bedroom wall. Her and Johnny on their wedding day, gazing
into each other eyes. It had been taken not even thirty
minutes after they’d vowed to love each other until the
end of time.

And here she was lying on the bed they’d shared, letting
another man pleasure her and take her places only Johnny
ever had.

“You have to stop,” Bryn said, tapping Eli’s shoulder.
His head popped up, pulling his lips from a spot just
below her belly button. “Is everything okay? Am I doing
something wrong?”

Poor guy. He looked so insecure. Maybe he’d been as
nervous about their encounter as she had. “It’s good . .
. great. I’m just not as ready as I thought.”

He crawled up to her and brought the comforter with him.
He lay down and covered them, holding her to him. “Is
there anything I can do?”

“This right here. Thank you.”