When his thumbs hook into his waistband, I rise up onto my elbows. For ages, I’ve listened to my friends’ raving testimonials about the majestic Kingston dick. Now, I’m about to witness it firsthand. My anticipation is pinging through the roof. And Eli doesn’t disappoint.
He drops his pants.
I drop my jaw.
He smirks at my stunned expression. "Last chance to back out, Jessa." His massive paw strokes down his massive shaft. "This dick is not for the faint of heart."
Lust taking over from self-control, I eagerly loop an arm around his thigh and urge him toward the bed. I'm virtually panting. "Get over here."
Laughing, he collapses next to me and kisses me again. “Got a condom?” he asks breathlessly.
I lean over to my side table and dig up a box from under my panties. I hand it to him.
He examines the twelve-pack of XL super-thin, extra-sensation condoms with a hiked brow. He gives me a why-the-hell-do-you-have-all-these-condoms? look.
I give him a you-know-as-well-as-I-do-that-we-were-gonna-fuck-eventually look.
He smirks, fists his cock and gets down to the business of wrappin’ it up.
Then, he’s back on top of me. With one controlled thrust, he enters me halfway. I grip his biceps, tremoring beneath him. He leans down and puts his mouth on mine before sliding all the way in.
He swallows the shuddering breath struggling to escape me and he begins to work, moving in and out of me in deep, confident thrusts. I lose myself in the kiss, my ankles locked behind his back as I lift my hips, again and again in rhythm with his thrusts.
I don’t know what any of this means. I don’t know if tomorrow, he’ll wake up and pretend that none of this happened, that none of this matters, but right here, in this moment, I need him.
And as the inferno grows in my belly and the tremors start sneaking up my spine, I cling to him tight. “I’m…oh, yes. I’m coming, Eli.”
His grip on my waist tightens. His thrusts grow reckless. “My god, Jessa.” He fucks me so hard. “My god, I’m coming, too.”
I feel his cock spasm inside me just as starburst galaxies explode in my head. My eyes lock on his face, on his raptured expression. This gorgeous man awash in pleasure, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Shockwaves run through me and I shake as they gradually subside.
Eli’s not done with me yet. He collapses next to me and pulls me onto his chest. He kisses me into another frenzy and, five minutes later, I’m riding him hard, pulling my own hair, climaxing again.
Then we lie next to each other, limp, depleted, grinning from ear-to-ear. Eli glances over at me, looking more blissed out than I’ve ever seen him. “You okay?”
I bite back my smile, nodding because I’m too breathless for words.
He kisses me deep again. Then he tenderly cups my face. “Was that good for you, Firefly?”
I smile and lay my hand over his, my heart beating triple time. “Incredible. It was incredible.”
And amazing. And extraordinary. And un-fucking-believable.
“Yeah, it really was.” He smiles at me, then he kisses my palm. Next thing I know, he’s rolling out of bed.
Immediately, my heart deflates. He’s leaving?
He seems to read my expression from the end of the bed where he’s removing the condom and pulling his pants back on. “I-I don’t want Callie to...”
“Yeah, of course.” I paste on a smile to hide my disappointment. I pull the sheets up over my naked body and I’m not sure how to feel.
Of course he’s leaving. His little girl is in the next room. What would Callie think if she sees us stumbling out of bed together tomorrow morning?
He pauses at the door and looks at me. “I mean it, Jessa. Tonight was incredible. You were incredible.”
I blush so hot I’m sure I have smoke coming out of my pores. “Good night, Eli.”
He grins. “Good night.” He pivots to leave.
When I try to turn over, I can already feel a deep burn in my thigh muscles. I groan into my pillow. “I’m gonna be sore as shit tomorrow.”
I hear Eli call out from over by the doorway. “You gonna need a sick day? Or can I expect you up, bright and early and fresh as a daisy for work in the morning?” There’s a smirk in his voice.
“Stop gloating, Eli! Nobody likes a showoff?” I roll onto my back and fling the pillow at him. He chuckles.
When the door closes behind him, I tug my blanket up to my chin, clench my thighs and close my eyes. I’m cheesing so hard. It just won’t quit. I fall asleep with a big, ol’ smile on my face.
39
Jessa
My left foot is blue and trembling as it emerges from the bucket of ice water, a plastic ring with a fake rhinestone gripped between my numb, claw-like toes.
“I win! I win!” I shriek in the face of my opponents, flinging my arms up as I drop the ring onto the floor next to my bounty—another half dozen baubles I just finished digging out of the frigid water.
I shoot up to my feet to do my victory dance but because my sole is wet and numb, I end up slipping on the Portuguese tile floor. I land on my ass with a crack.
The tipsy women crowding the room go up in hysterical laughter. “Whatever, jealous bitches!” I sneer.
Iris shakes her head and mutters, “Bridal showers are weird…”
She’s not wrong.
It’s Sunday afternoon and we’re at Iris’s greenhouse on the Kingston Family farm. Jude bought the greenhouse from Walker last year when he and Iris decided to go halfsies on a flower shop. Long story.
Anyway, today the small glass structure has been transformed into a beautiful floral-scented tea room with hanging vines, lush ferns, vibrant begonias…and drunk ladies.
This is supposed to be Penny’s bridal shower, a small but classy affair. But Alexia ‘accidentally’ dropped an entire bottle of vodka into the fruit punch and now, everyone’s inhibitions have been smashed to shit.
Penny said she wanted to keep her pre-wedding celebrations simple. She’s more interested in the happily-ever-after part with Walker and her babies than she is with all the fuss that goes with planning a big wedding. She made it clear that this is as close to a bachelorette blow-out as we’re going to get. So we’re making the most of it.
“For heaven’s sake, Jessa. Get your ass up.” My sister extends a hand to me, emitting a boisterous laugh. With her help, I hobble up to my feet. “You’re such a lightweight. You really can’t hold your liquor.” She turns to Iris and Penny. “Let me escort this drunk madamoiselle to the washroom to get herself together.”
Our friends both decide that they might as well tag along in case Lexi needs reinforcements.
I’m carefree and snickering as we go off across the lawn in the direction of the family guesthouse. I don’t drink much, but when I do, I sometimes get a bit…messy. My limbs feel tingly, my eyes go glassy and I can’t seem to shut the hell up.
“I just love weddings,” I slur as we enter the lobby bathroom and position ourselves in front of the mirror above the sink. “They make me all happy inside.”
Iris checks the bottom of the two toilet stalls. They’re both occupied. Now, she’s dancing around from one foot to the next as she waits for one to free up.
“Stand still.” Alexia positions me in front of the sink and produces her makeup kit. Then, I’m being assaulted by brushes and glosses and coverup sticks.
“And I’ve always dreamed of having a big one.” I sigh dreamily.
“A big what?” Penny leans close to the mirror, freshening up her lipstick. She’s the only one who’s completely sober, given that she’s still breastfeeding.
“A big wedding, silly.” I tipsy-giggle. “With all the bells and whistles. Maybe even a horse-drawn carriage.”
Drunk as I am, I remember to drape my hair just so, to cover the mottled skin on my neck. Yeah, Eli left teeth marks. I spent all of five minutes attempting to obscure it with a thick blanket of foundation and concealer before
rushing out the door but I feel like the bright lights of this bathroom only accentuate it. In any case, no-one has mentioned it so far and I’d like to keep it that way.
I drone on. “My sister spent our entire childhood teasing me for my unrealistic, starry-eyed notions. But I don’t mind. I’m a firm believer that everyone deserves their special day.” When Lexi rolls her eyes, I point an accusing finger at her. “Don’t look at me like that. You never thought you’d get yours, and look at you now—happily married to Crescent Harbor royalty.”
Penny grabs the hairbrush Alexia just finished using on my hair. When the bride-to-be leans toward the mirror, her observant eyes catch on me. “Um…Jessa, is that a…a hickey on your neck?”
My eyes pop wide. One hand flies to my throat. I’m sure I look like a shock-faced emoji right now.
Iris gasps and Penny chuckles.
My sister flashes me a scandalized look. Her voice drops low. “Jessa?! Have you been gettin’ it on with your boss? I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Jude told me he thought something was going on with the two of you!” Iris squeals.
“Walker heard it from Cannon,” Penny adds on with a nod.
“It’s not like that.” I defend lamely but no-one seems convinced. “It’s not like…like we’re having a torrid affair. Last night was a one-time thing. It didn’t even mean anything. And I…I don’t even know if it’ll happen again. It’s probably not going to happen again.” I ramble on.
All three of the girls break out into cackling hysteria.
“W-what?” I ask in confusion.
Wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, Iris lays a hand on my shoulder. “Hun, you’ll learn soon enough. There’s no ‘one-time thing’ with a Kingston man. Once you’re hooked, you’re hooked.”
Right then, a bathroom stall swings open. Diana Kingston merrily prances out with an innocent look on her face. My eyes go even wider. My cheeks are feverishly hot. Eli’s mother heard all that?!
All the girls fall silent with guilty looks on their faces.
“Carry on with your conversation, ladies. Never mind me.” Diana is wearing a face-bursting grin as she wedges herself next to Penny at the sink. “I didn’t hear anything.”
After a few long seconds of silence, Diana shuts off the pipe and reaches for a paper towel.
She just can’t help herself. “It’s true, though,” she whispers. “There’s no such thing as a one-time thing with a Kingston man. As the woman sitting at the top of the family tree, I would know.” She waggles her brows.
Again, the girls break out laughing. The tension in the room is gone.
Mrs. Kingston loops an arm through mine. “Come on, girls. Let’s go.”
The five of us exit the washroom and journey across the grass back to the bridal shower.
In a few weeks, Penny and Walker will be getting married right here on the farm, on the lush lawn right outside their cabin. I could easily see myself getting married here, too. It would really be the perfect setting, surrounded by trees on one side, with a clear open view of the rolling fields on the other. All that’s missing is a groom.
Eli enters my mind, sporting his full beard and a sexy dark suit. It takes me a minute to realize that Mrs. Kingston is speaking—about that son of hers, in particular.
Oops. Probably shouldn’t daydream about the brutish man in front of his sweet mother.
I rejoin the conversation just in time to hear Diana say, “Well I, for one, am fully in support of you and Eli ‘getting to know each other’. Especially if that means he’ll start playing nice with his brothers.”
Iris nods vigorously. “Jude said he refused to go out for drinks,” she complains.
“Walker’s scared he won’t show up to the wedding,” Penny tells her future mother-in-law with a frown.
Diana speaks sagely. “Eli will come around. Now that he has love in his life, it’s only a matter of time.”
“Love?!” I skid on the lawn and my drunk ass is on it’s way down. Thankfully, Diana helps me regain my balance. “Guys, Eli and I aren’t in a relationship. And I definitely don’t have any control over his behavior. Yes, my boss and I had one hot night of passion together but I don’t really think this is the beginning of a fairytale love story…do I?”
“Oh, but you do.” Penny smiles knowingly. “Walker used to be the grumpiest thing to walk this earth. Love softened him right up.”
“This is not like you and Walker,” I say, forcing down the hopeful patter in my heart.
Penny ignores me and continues. “We tried our hardest to fight our feelings for each other until eventually, our love was just too strong. We couldn’t hold back anymore.”
“But your situation is different,” I say. “You and Walker were already best friends—you actually liked each other. Then life smacked you upside the head and finally forced you together when Walker offered to help you get pregnant.”
Lexi chuffs. “What about Cannon and me? We couldn’t stand each other when we met. The man practically blackmailed me into a fake wedding. And lord knows, I spent the first few weeks of our married life wanting to throttle him. But now, nothing can come between me and bae.” She winks at Diana.
Iris nods along. “Same. Jude and I hated each other all throughout college and it wasn’t until he became my roommate last year that we eventually started to explore our feelings.”
“The point is, anything can happen.” Diana wears an optimistic grin as we step back into the party.
I let the women’s words percolate in my head as we weave through the planters of orange sun star flowers and red begonias. I want so badly for Eli to be the one. But I’m scared. I’m not sure if I’m willing to risk my heart, betting on him.
It’s a good thing I’m getting a new job soon. I have to get that job. Because I’m officially falling in love with my boss and I know that if I continue to work for him, I’ll end up having my heart broken in a spectacular way.
The other girls disperse but Diana maintains her grip on my arm. “Come dear. Let’s sober you up with a cup of tea.”
We head to the serving station in the corner of the greenhouse and Mrs. Kingston gets busy, fixing me a hot drink.
“I know he’s just going through a rough patch right now,” she’s saying, “but I love that boy. A mother worries, you know. I worry about what’s next in his future.” She pauses to hand me a steaming cup of ginger-lavender tea. “You wouldn’t believe how smart Eli was as a child. He always made me look at his grades in private, because he was embarrassed to make straight A’s.”
“You’re kidding. Why would he be embarrassed about that?” I ask with a laugh before lifting the cup to my lips.
She smiles, getting a faraway look in her eyes. “Well, when you have three rowdy brothers, they tend to torment you about everything. They would tease him mercilessly about how much of a good boy he was.”
“He was a good boy?” I question.
“The best,” Diana confirms with a proud smile.
The girls start cheering and my eyes go across the room to where Lexi is spinning in a dizzying circle as the other women drape bathroom tissue around her body.
One of Penny’s former coworkers from her bartending days declares that they’re designing wedding dresses out of toilet paper. Fun times.
When Diana turns back to piling some cucumber sandwiches onto a plate, she’s somber again. “I knew, even when Eli was in elementary school that he wanted to be a part of the family business,” she continues. “He just had a knack for the type of focus and leadership he needed to succeed there.” She sets down her plate on the pristine white table cloth and gazes out the window. A lot is weighing on this mama right now; I can see it in the wistful glint in her eyes. “Eli must be so heartbroken that he isn’t working there now. I don’t know what else to do. I just wish he’d set his pride aside and accept Cannon’s offer.”
I recall the tense conversation those two Kingston brothers had on the porch a few weeks a
go. Their loud, harsh words seemed to seep in through the walls of the house.
“I think…,” I start, wondering how much I should share. I really shouldn’t get involved in Eli’s personal matters. But then again, Mrs. Kingston is my friend, too. She’s almost like a second mom to me. And right now, she needs some clarity on what’s going on with her enigmatic son.
Also, we’re both kinda drunk.
“I think it must be hard for him to come back and see that everything’s changed. Everyone’s moved on without him.”
Mrs. Kingston sends a smile my way, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “You just might be right, dear.”
My heart melts a little when I think about all the pain Eli has gone through. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that he has feelings, too. Especially since he’s so detached and angry all the time. There are just so many layers to the man who sleeps in the basement each night, one staircase away from my bed.
Oh, how I’d like to peel away a few of those layers…
I don’t get a chance to ponder that line of thought any more because now Penny’s aunt, Miss Lucille is pinning an oversized picture of Walker’s face to the wall. Meanwhile, Iris is handing out paper moustaches around the room and explaining the rules of the next game.
A smile sneaks across Diana’s lips. “Come on, Jess. It’s time to go play ‘Pin the Mustache on the Groom’.” She snickers. “I’m sure Walker would be thrilled about that.”
I echo her laughter. “Let’s do this!”
40
Eli
It’s just after 9:00 and I’m sitting in the unlit kitchen, nervous as fuck, when I hear the front door click open.
Jessa’s high heels echo quietly throughout the house as she makes her way through the dark. Her footsteps stutter in the doorway when she sees me sitting at the island. “Hi…” She smiles softly.
My gut hardens up into a concrete fist. She’s so freaking pretty. “Hi…” I reply, some invisible force pulling me up to my feet.
That airy, luminous smile of hers radiates in the shadows of the room as she approaches, a foil-covered paper plate in hand. “I can’t believe how late it is,” she says in a whisper.
Mister Bossy (Bad Boys in Love Book 4) Page 20
