Justified

by Jay Crownover

  The look in Casey’s eyes promised he could put out fires, no problem.

  As if on cue, the fire in the pit suddenly went out, making Jessica gasp.

  “Must be ten o’clock,” Casey said. “That means the pool is closed.”

  Oh dear. Jessica looked back at the pool. Carmen and Hope were both out, wrapping themselves in towels. There was nobody else around.

  “The lights and pit are on a timer,” Casey added. “That’s why the fire went out.”

  “Not out entirely,” she muttered. Then she put her hand to her mouth, because she hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

  Casey gently pulled her hand away. “Let’s see what we can do about that,” he said, bringing his lips to hers.

  Chapter Eight

  Her lips. God, even better than he remembered. In some ways, he was reliving the past—this was Jess, his Jess—but he was also navigating new territory. New delicious territory.

  This was grown-up Jess. And grown-up Jess knew how to kiss.

  She pressed her breasts into his chest, and he ran his hand down her back, mapping all the womanly curves and planes of her body. When he got to her hip, she twisted to give him better access, and he slipped his hand beneath to cup her nice, round ass.

  She responded with a moan that nearly made him come undone.

  He was impossibly hard. What he had going on couldn’t be referred to as wood. It was more like granite. And speaking of undone, she had his tie off. He didn’t even know when that had happened. Her fingers traveled the trail of his shirt’s buttons.

  She sighed against his lips. “We’re in public.”

  Did she mean We’re in public so we need to stop or We’re in public and I’m seriously turned on?

  She pulled away and gazed at him. There was just a sliver of a moon, but it lit up her eyes.

  “We’re probably doing a little more than we should out here. Somebody might see us,” she said.

  They hadn’t done nearly enough.

  Casey glanced around. “It’s pretty dark out. They’d have to walk right up on us.”

  Jess licked her plump lips, already swollen from kissing. Her chest rose and fell quickly, but she wasn’t quite breathless. And Casey wanted her breathless.

  “But someone might do that,” Jess said. “Walk right up on us.”

  Casey shifted nervously. He was the sheriff. Having sex in a public place probably wasn’t the smartest idea he’d ever had. Jessica definitely brought out something wild in him, but his days of living on the wild side were over.

  “Let’s go to your room,” he suggested. “That seems like a better plan.”

  Jessica had his shirt unbuttoned and was staring at his chest. It was probably a bit broader and more muscled than when he was a skinny kid in high school, and it definitely had more hair.

  “Jess, did you hear me? Your room?”

  She looked back to his eyes with a sheepish little grin on her face. He couldn’t know for sure in the dim lighting, but he suspected she was blushing. She sighed deeply. “Actually, that won’t work. I’m not traveling alone.”

  Ah. He should have guessed that with the Porsche. “Carmen?”

  “Yes,” Jess said. Casey followed her gaze to the second floor of the hotel, where a balcony light was on. The other rooms were dark. While the restaurant did a booming business with travelers and locals alike, the hotel didn’t see much activity during the off-season.

  He wasn’t going to let this opportunity get away. But they couldn’t keep making out by the fire pit. It had been a blissfully long time since a Long Family scandal, and Casey would like to continue that streak.

  His place was up in the hills, only about fifteen minutes away, but he suspected if Jess had time to think about things, she’d cool off. Hell, if he had time to think about things…

  Nah. He wasn’t going to cool off. If anything, he was heating up even more.

  He scanned the area. There was a patch of cedar trees, but they wouldn’t provide enough cover. And besides, he and Jess weren’t going to bang on the ground like animals.

  He glanced at Jess. She was biting her bottom lip and eyeing his chest and looking every bit as if she was all in for banging on the ground like animals.

  A loud humming sound started up as the pool pump kicked in. The pump and other equipment were concealed behind a wooden fence surrounded by shrubbery. You had to go through a little gate to get in there; Casey knew this because he’d once been called out to investigate a violent racoon. Such was life as a small-town county sheriff.

  The enclosed area was roomy enough to hold a chaise lounge, of which there were plenty by the pool.

  Jess saw where he was looking.

  “What’s behind the fence?”

  “Pool equipment.”

  “We couldn’t—”

  Oh yes, they could. Casey jumped up and walked to the pool. He picked out a sturdy chaise lounge, hoisted it up, and carried it past the fire pit to the gate that led inside the small fenced-in area.

  Jessica hurried over. “What do you think we’re going to do on that?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe we’ll lounge? Look at the stars? Make out like fiends?”

  “What if somebody is watching us right now?”

  There wasn’t a soul around. “Even if someone were looking from one of the windows, they couldn’t possibly see anything other than shadows, and besides, we’re about to be hidden by this nifty fence.”

  “You sound pretty sure about that.”

  He extended a hand. “Come on, Jess. Let’s do something wild.”

  * * *

  Casey Long stood in the shadows with his shirt open, looking dangerous as hell and holding out a hand. How many times had Jessica dreamed of feeling his touch again? She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was dreaming.

  Nothing could come of a hookup with Casey. Jessica would be back at her crazy life in Houston on Monday, and she and Casey would probably never talk to each other again. But for now…

  “Okay,” she blurted.

  It had been a long time since she’d done anything that could be considered even remotely wild or risky.

  Casey gently pulled her in and closed the gate behind them. She went straight into his arms and pressed against him. God, she loved the feel of him. So tall—he’d always been tall—but now he was also big. She rose on her toes and kissed him, eliciting a sexy groan that was louder than the hum of the pool equipment.

  “Shit, Jess,” he said against her lips. “You taste so good.”

  He abandoned her lips and went down her jaw to her neck, licking the sensitive skin behind her ear. “I want to taste all of you,” he whispered. “Every inch.”

  Jessica’s breath hitched. Was he talking about what she thought he was? The one time they’d been together had been sweet, but they’d both been inexperienced. She hadn’t even known about that particular activity, much less experienced it.

  Casey’s hands roamed beneath her T-shirt as he kissed her neck. Her knees were so weak they probably wouldn’t hold her up much longer.

  As if sensing her imminent collapse, Casey steered her toward the chaise lounge. “Sit,” he ordered, with a low and raspy voice.

  Jessica followed instructions, and Casey pressed the back of the chair all the way down. Then he stood over her, running his hands through his hair and gazing down as if she were a feast and he couldn’t decide where to start.

  “You’ve filled out a little,” she said, staring at his chest.

  “So have you,” he replied, staring at hers.

  His eyes shone with lust, which Jessica greatly appreciated. But she’d done a little more than fill out. She was thirty and although she was in good shape, her body reflected the years. She didn’t have saggy old-lady boobs, but they weren’t exactly perky anymore, either. She wanted to tell Casey he’d missed her best years, but her best years had been spent working, going to school, and taking care of her mom and Hope.

  Everybody had missed her
best years, including her.

  Casey took his shirt off, dropping it to the ground. Ho. Lee. Cow.

  The man looked like a Greek god. Broad, chiseled chest with way more hair than she remembered. Hard, sculpted abs. Her fingers itched to explore.

  “Your turn,” he said, sitting on the chaise next to her. The chair creaked and sank into the grass.

  Insecurity crept in. “I don’t know that I want to take anything all the way off. We might need to make a run for it.”

  “I’ll accept that for now,” he said, running his hand beneath her shirt, up her belly, and between her breasts, and dragging her T-shirt with it. “But next time, everything is coming off.”

  Next time? Was he really thinking there would be a—

  Her thought was interrupted by Casey lifting her bra up over her breasts, not even bothering to unclasp it. He let out a shuddering sigh as he stared. “God, woman. You’re gorgeous.”

  Before Jessica could say a word, Casey bent over and covered a nipple with his warm mouth.

  That was it. She was gone. Run for it? Ha! If anyone walked up on them now, Jessica wouldn’t even know it.

  Casey’s hand trailed up her leg to the inside of her thigh. When had she opened her legs? Probably as soon as she’d felt his lips on her breast. She panted embarrassingly as his fingers traced ticklish patterns on her skin.

  The jean cutoffs were pretty short. Shorter than a woman Jessica’s age should wear them, but right now they were coming in handy, as Casey had no trouble slipping his fingers inside the denim. He brushed her panties, and she moaned and arched her back. The combination of what his fingers were doing and what his lips were doing was almost too much.

  Casey lifted his head and watched her while still working magic with his fingers. “Can I—”

  He was talking to her. She’d seen his mouth move, but it was so freaking hard to hold her focus. “Can you what?” she gasped.

  “Can I…”

  “Hm?”

  “Jess, I want inside you.”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Please.”

  His finger slipped inside. Followed quickly by another. And then his mouth was on hers, forceful, but not crushing, and he was exploring—with tongue and fingers—slowly and intentionally, as if he had all the time in the world.

  Jessica thought she might lose her mind. She wasn’t in the mood for a Sunday drive. She was excited. Starved. Impatient. And he was torturing her. It was delicious torture, but still torture.

  She ran her hands down Casey’s back and gripped his very firm butt in an encouraging way. He responded and ground against her, harder and faster, as if he’d picked up on her sense of urgency. One of his legs was over hers, the other one was—where was the other one? Probably on the ground. The chaise simply wasn’t big enough for the both of them.

  Casey kissed her neck. Sucked on it. When was the last time Jessica had petted and made out with someone? She reached between them and felt the hard length of him. He whimpered into her neck and rubbed himself frantically against her as the chaise lounge squeaked and squawked.

  They were both hot and sweaty and panting like animals, and this was…fun.

  She hadn’t felt this excited, crazy, and free since the last time she’d made out with Casey Long.

  Casey stopped moving and slowly pulled his hand away. The only sound was the humming of the pool pump and their haggard breathing.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I told you I wanted to taste you. All of you.”

  She watched as he brought his fingers to his mouth, licked them, and then closed his eyes as if he’d just tasted heaven.

  Oh boy. That was hot. And she knew what was coming next. Or at least she hoped she did. She unbuttoned her shorts and slid down the zipper. Then she raised her hips, and Casey pulled off the shorts, along with her panties, in one fell swoop. No time for modesty now. Jessica’s hormones were in the pilot’s seat, and they were going full throttle.

  Without even a hint of hesitancy, Casey hoisted her legs up and over the armrests of the chaise. “Still pretty flexible, I see,” he said with a grin.

  Jessica gasped as the cool night air kissed her sensitive flesh, and then Casey kissed it too.

  Goose bumps. Tingling. Humming.

  Was it the pool pump? Or was it her?

  “Oh, Casey…”

  It was definitely her.

  Casey moaned in answer and continued what he was doing. Plus a few other things with his fingers. Like pinching her nipples.

  “So good,” he mumbled against her. The vibration of his voice almost did her in. “So.” He licked her lightly. “Damn.” He licked her again. “Good.” He thrust his tongue inside her, and that was all it took.

  Fireworks exploded behind Jessica’s eyes as her body spasmed. Her toes curled. Her fingers tingled. She’d thought women who described their orgasms in that way were exaggerating. But it turned out, she’d been having inferior orgasms.

  Casey held her in a gentle suction until she couldn’t take it anymore. She gently pushed his face away, and he rose above her, gazing into her eyes.

  “Was that okay?”

  She nearly laughed. “Better than okay. You’ve learned some new tricks.”

  “Would you like to see some more?”

  “What else have you got up your sleeve?”

  Casey rose to his knees and unbuckled his belt. “Actually, it’s in my pants.”

  Chapter Nine

  Casey couldn’t believe this was happening. What had started off as him heading to his great-aunt’s funeral had ended with him crouched behind a fence and shrubbery having sex with the literal woman of his dreams. One who happened to be an ex-cheerleader. And judging by the position her legs were currently in, she could still do the splits.

  He was doing several things he could be arrested for, including destruction of property, because there wasn’t any way the chaise lounge would survive the night.

  It was by far the best day he’d had in a long time. Possibly in forever.

  “Do you have a condom?” Jessica asked.

  Shit. The question had the effect of a dart piercing a balloon. He patted his pockets even though he knew he didn’t have one. “I don’t think—”

  Jessica snapped her legs shut.

  “Jesus. Hold on. Don’t do anything hasty.”

  He looked around helplessly, dick out like a flagpole, as if a condom would materialize out of thin air.

  “Do you have one, or not?” Jess asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Oh no! Are you serious?”

  “I didn’t think to grab one on my way to my great-aunt’s funeral.”

  Jess sat up. Pulled her bra back down over her delicious, bouncy breasts. She was shutting down the party, and Casey didn’t blame her one bit. How could he? But he was still mighty frustrated and damn near ready to explode.

  His hands shook as he leaned over and snagged her shorts with the panties inside and tossed them to her.

  “Thanks,” she said, standing up and slipping them on. “I’m sorry—”

  “Don’t apologize, Jess. I’m glad you had the wherewithal to think about protection. I was, well, you know. Out of my ever-loving mind.” And he still was. It was pretty obvious too, since he was standing there with his dick out, although it had definitely lost some of its enthusiasm. He started to zip up.

  “Don’t do that,” Jess said, licking her lips. “There are other ways to have fun.”

  Casey raised an eyebrow and stopped zipping.

  Jessica sat on the chaise, and its legs gave out. She grunted as she bounced on her butt.

  Casey snorted. And then Jess started to giggle. It rolled through him and tickled his ribs as he fought off the urge to join in.

  “Come here,” she said, rising to her knees and still smiling.

  “Jess, you don’t have to do this,” Casey said. “I’m fine. I’ve had a great time. Really.”

  Getting her off had been way more
than a great time. He really didn’t need to do anything more.

  Jessica smirked at his hardening dick, which begged to disagree. She crooked a finger. “You’re giving yourself away.”

  Casey took a step toward her—the lady had given him an order and he wasn’t about to disappoint her—but over the humming of the pump and the pounding of his pulse in his head, he thought he heard footsteps.

  Dammit. He put a finger to his lips while shoving his dick in his pants.

  Sure enough, someone was coming. Casey looked over his shoulder to see Tyler Murphy peering over the top of the fence.

  “Hey, Sheriff Long, is everything okay?”

  Tyler was a busboy for the restaurant. He was also Casey’s neighbor’s kid. “Yeah, Tyler. Everything’s fine.”

  He glanced back at Jess. She was wild-eyed and putting herself back together while trying to back into the shadows.

  “Be careful, Jess—”

  Too late. Jessica stepped back and tripped on the broken chaise lounge. Casey lunged and caught her, and when their eyes met, she started to giggle again.

  Casey got an idea.

  “This young lady has had a bit too much to drink. I heard her wandering around back here.” He looked intently at Jess. “Feeling better now, ma’am?”

  Jessica crossed her arms and faked a hiccup. “Yes, Sheriff,” she slurred. “Much better.”

  None of that explained why Casey wasn’t wearing a shirt, and Tyler didn’t look 100 percent convinced. But what the hell was the kid doing back here anyway? Casey sniffed in the boy’s direction and picked up the faint, skunky odor of marijuana. “Did you come out here to check on the pump?” he asked. “Because that’s a weird chore for a busboy.”

  Even in the dark, Casey could see the whites of Tyler’s eyes as he caught on to the position he was in. The kid probably came out here regularly to toke up. If Casey felt like looking, he was pretty sure he’d be able to find telltale signs of previous activity. He wouldn’t be surprised if there were stems and papers scattered about.

  Tyler seemed to come to the same conclusion. “Uh, I was just out here collecting cups and shit—uh, sorry—from around the pool and I thought I heard—”