Bayou Dreaming (Butterfly Bayou 3)

He thrust up, joining their bodies and sending a thrill of pure bliss through him.

“Yes, I definitely like that.” She tightened around him, drawing him in deeper. “You should do that a lot.”

He meant to do it as often as he could. He surged inside her again and then he wasn’t thinking of anything except how good it felt to be connected to her. Heat overwhelmed him and he found a rhythm that had her moaning. When she went over the edge, she took him with her. He went careening, losing himself in her.

He pressed her into the bed as he started to come down from the high of the orgasm, pleasure giving way to comfort and warmth.

“I like that,” she whispered. “I liked that quite a lot. I like you, Zep.”

He held her close. It would have to do.

For now.* * ** * *

Roxie watched as Daisy ran around and around Harry Jefferys’s big German shepherd on the back porch of the Butterfly Bayou Bed and Breakfast. The dog named Shep simply watched with almost amused indulgence as the puppy barked and jumped and then chased a bug. The whole time her tail wagged as though her joy couldn’t possibly be contained and needed an outlet.

Roxie was falling madly in love with that dog.

She had to make sure she wasn’t doing the same with Zep Guidry.

It was hours after he’d made love to her. She couldn’t call it anything else. What they’d done in that bed for most of the afternoon had been making love. After that first time, they’d lain in bed and talked about nothing in particular. He’d told her some stories about his childhood, and she’d talked about what it had been like to be a cop in New York. He’d laid his head on her chest and listened to her while his hands had moved over her body.

Then he’d made love to her again.

It had been hard to get out of bed and get ready for the dinner at the B and B with her parents.

She glanced over to where he stood next to Harry at the barbecue. He was smiling at his brother-in-law, a beer in his hand and the late-evening light shining down on him.

He looked so right here. This was his natural home. He fit in with the lifestyle. Laid-back, concentrating on family and friends instead of climbing a ladder he wasn’t sure where it went to.

What did Zep want out of life?

“He’s real cute.” Shawna stared at the padded chair next to Roxanne.

They were by the pool in the outdoor living area that included a backyard kitchen and plenty of dining space. The pool was lagoon style and had a slide she was sure Luc had fun with. She hadn’t been out here since the pool had been finished. Of course, she’d barely been out here at all. She worked and slept and occasionally had a beer with the guys. Lather, rinse, repeat.

“Yeah, he is,” she replied because Shawna was talking about Zep. Or maybe Harry. “They both are.”

Shawna was wearing a far too short dress, but she managed to sit with perfect grace. “Yeah, they are, but I was talking about your guy. I’m surprised he is your guy. He’s not your usual type.”

“Turns out my usual type is asshole.” Not that she’d dated a ton. She’d had a couple of boyfriends in high school and then she’d gone into the military. When she’d come out on the other side, she’d dated very little, and when Joel showed up, he’d made sense to her.

Zep didn’t make a lick of sense. Not even one. He wasn’t her type at all. She liked serious. She liked ambitious.

She didn’t go out with men who spent their time drinking and partying with friends. She didn’t date men who danced the night away and charmed everyone in their path.

“Oh, yeah, that’s what Brian says about your ex. I knew Joel was terrible the minute I met him. He’s one of those cops who’s only worried about his career.”

She was surprised Brian wasn’t all Team Joel. “Some people say Brian is, too.”

Shawna shrugged one shoulder. “Mostly, but I can handle that. I could have told you it wouldn’t work for you. Brian can definitely pay more attention to moving up than doing a good job, but I’ve found a lot of men treat careers that way. He’s doing it for us, though. For our future. It’s a future I want, so it’s okay. Like your mom and dad.”

It was odd. Shawna had been around for a long time but Roxie had never sat down and had a talk with the woman. It just went to show her that she shouldn’t judge a book by its fairly shallow-looking cover. “My mom was concerned with my father’s career. Supporting him was kind of her career. That’s what Brian’s going to want.”