The Other Side of Wrong

by Christi Barth

  That was an offer Jake couldn’t resist.

  He grabbed the back of her calves, sliding her forward to notch around him. Her ankles immediately crossed just under his ass. And Jake gave in to the temptation.

  “I want you, too, Cass.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Cassidy had a bit of an out-of-body experience. Because Jake McQuinn finally had his hands on her again. His big, calloused hands that were rough in all the best ways against her bare legs. She’d gambled coming here, knowing there was probably a less than fifty percent chance that he’d accept her proposal to tour together.

  She’d thought there was a far lower chance of him accepting her other proposal.

  But she’d seen the interest kindle in his light blue eyes before he hid it behind a mask of cool indifference. She’d seen the clench of his jaw every time she touched him. So, she’d taken a chance and laid everything out. A tremendous chance, given that last time they’d been together, Jake had walked away without a backward glance from her naked body.

  But if you didn’t take a risk, you never knew if you could succeed.

  And then her mind swooped back in to her body, because Jake kissed her.

  This wasn’t a cautious how do we feel about this after not talking for six years peck. Jake’s pent-up, bottled-up lust seemed to be at the same fever pitch as hers. Because his lips took her mouth. Hard. Fast. Very much in charge. He was kissing her, and Cassidy counted herself lucky to be along for the ride.

  Being kissed by Jake McQuinn was like surfing the leading edge of a gigantic wave. No clue what would happen from second to second, but enjoying every bit of the wild excitement.

  He kissed her as though they were back in that tent in the desert. As though someone had pressed a pause button mid-make out, and now they’d pressed play. As though Jake remembered exactly how turned on he’d been six years ago, how much on edge every single one of her nerves had been.

  There was so much heart and fervor in his demanding lips. His hot breath. The fast pulse pounding against her chest, echoing her own.

  The hard throbbing where he nestled so stiff and hard against her core.

  Or maybe that was her throbbing…

  Cassidy’s reflexes kicked in. He’d surprised her. Stunned her, in fact, into motionlessness. Now she wanted to give as good as she was getting.

  She skimmed her hands down his sides to land on his butt. His tight, muscled ass that she couldn’t wait to take a bite of. For now, Cassidy settled for squeezing it, hard, before sliding her fingers up underneath the hem of Jake’s shirt.

  Touching the bare skin of his back jolted awareness like a live wire snapped along her spine. Yeah, it was September, but Cassidy was positive that didn’t account for the massive amount of heat pumping off of him.

  Every single muscle was taut and honed.

  She’d watched Jake live in concert and in videos. Playing the keyboard for Riptide wasn’t a restrained, piano recital type of experience. He threw his whole body into it. Half of the time attacking the keys, and the other half making love to them. It was a workout, and it explained a body so ripped that he could model underwear if this music thing ever fell apart.

  Then Jake’s teeth nipped at the oh-so-sensitive spot where her neck met her collarbone. Her nails dug into those rock-hard lats. Any pretense of actual thought slipped right away again like water through open fingers. Cassidy moaned. Let her head fall back. He could keep licking and sucking right there all day and she’d be perfectly happy.

  “Did you come here just to prove that I haven’t been able to shake the thought of you? To throw in my face that I still have this crazy need for you?” Jake whispered in her ear. His voice was harsh. As though he hated even asking the questions.

  Cassidy reared away from him, bracing her arms on the hood of the car. She got that he’d struggled with discovering how young she was. She got that he’d evidently beaten himself up—repeatedly—about it. But assuming she’d use his guilt to toy with him bordered on insulting. “Of course not. I don’t play games. Not in business, not with my fans, and especially not with men.”

  “Then what do you want? Tell me what you see happening next.” Jake straightened, giving her plenty of room. But his hands were clenched at his sides, and the cords on the sides of his neck stood out. “Because I’m about two more kisses away from giving up pretending that I’ve got any control where you’re concerned.”

  Oh, this was an easy one. Especially since it was clear Jake hadn’t meant to insult her. He’d only been protecting her. Protecting himself, too.

  “Stop pretending,” she ordered. And yes, Cassidy was delighted to feel the twitch of him against her core, as though his cock was about to burst through the fabric at her words.

  “You sure?”

  God, he was polite. Chivalrous, even. Most men who wined and dined her in fancy restaurants and fabulous clubs never came close to being this solicitous before trying to score with her. And here they were, in his garage, zero attempt at wooing, and Jake still took care with her.

  How sweet.

  Cassidy didn’t want sweet. She wanted heat.

  “Trust me when I say I’ve had oodles of time to think about it,” she said with a wry grin. “I’m very, very sure I want this. I want you. Right now.”

  Slowly, Jake’s hands wrapped around her calves again. All ten fingers dug in just hard enough to get her attention. To make her aware of the coiled strength she couldn’t wait for him to unleash.

  And then he did.

  Jake yanked her flush against him. Lifted one dark eyebrow paired with such a cocky promise of a smile that Cassidy wondered if she’d be able to remember her own name when he was done with her. He gave her a deep, stirring kiss that left her gasping when he broke it off. Then he curled his fingers at the top of her strapless dress and yanked the stretchy gathers of fabric down to her waist.

  The white lace of her bra was more accessory than lift-and-shape wear. It certainly didn’t hide the deep pink of her nipples from Jake. Or how stiff and erect they were from his rapt attention. He centered those big, calloused palms over them and lightly brushed circles over her nipples.

  Once. Twice. By the third time, Cassidy kicked off her shoes to dig her heels harder into Jake’s thighs.

  By the fourth time, she was begging. “More. I need more, Jake.”

  “Waiting will make it better,” he said with a lightness, a playfulness in his expression totally at odds with the grumpy man who’d first greeted her today.

  Seriously? How quickly he forgot the six freaking years since they’d last been in this position. “I think the clock’s run out for us on the whole waiting thing,” Cassidy panted. With a silent thanks to her yoga teacher, a half crunch brought her high enough to jam her hands under the waistband of his shorts. A quick wiggle of her fingers got her beneath the boxer briefs, too. Followed by a hard squeeze of his tight ass that got her exactly the results she hoped for.

  Jake stopped those teasing circles. He switched to firm kneading with one hand while his teeth plucked at her nipple through the fabric on the other breast. Pinching little bites that shot sparks of pleasure/pain through her like a starburst.

  God, it was fabulous. “You’re good at that.”

  His warm breath puffed softly across the wet, over-stimulated nipple. “Let’s just say I’m inspired to bring my A game.”

  There. That was the teasing, funny man she remembered. The angst, the guilt, the brooding was gone. Cassidy was with the super-hot musician she’d fallen for head over heels in a split second. Nice to know the part of him she’d first noticed was still the same. Because she didn’t want to have sex with a virtual stranger.

  She wanted to have sex with Jake. It seemed a sure bet now that would finally happen. Even though it seemed too good to be true after so many years fantasizing about this very moment.

  Jake hoisted her legs over his shoulders.

  Whoa. She’d never fantasized that.

  He pu
shed the skirt, already bunched at her hips, up a little higher. Gave a very disparaging look at her sheer, three hundred dollar La Perla thong. “Sorry. The dress code of this garage is explicit. No panties.” And then his thumbs separated the sides of the whisper-thin material. Jake tossed it over his shoulder, licked his lips with probably the most wanton, appreciative leer she’d ever seen, and put his mouth on her.

  Right on her.

  Unerringly. Sure, she was waxed so the field of play was pretty clear. But some guys couldn’t find her clit with a GPS, a tour guide, and a cash bribe. Jake landed right on it. The tip of his tongue flickered fast, like hummingbird wings, and a scream scraped its way out of Cassidy’s throat.

  One long finger pushed up and in. It didn’t soothe the empty ache. It just made her crave more. Luckily, after two slow pumps, Jake added another finger. Crooked the first finger a little to the side.

  Oh. Omigod. Ohhhhh.

  So that was her G-spot. Which happened to be entirely new information for Cassidy. Not to mention entirely worth the weight. Her back bowed off the car. Teeth scraped against her clit as Jake twisted his wrist and flexed.

  That was all it took. Cassidy splintered apart, no breath left to scream again.

  Jake kissed the insides of her trembling thighs. It gave her a moment to figure out how to suck in some air.

  “That was…stellar.”

  “That was the warm-up. The opening act. Ready for the headliner?”

  Oh, God. “I honestly don’t know.”

  “C’mon. You’re a superstar. You can do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “Flip over.” Except then Jake did it for her, lifting and rearranging her body as though she were as light as a rag doll. That display of sheer brute strength would’ve weakened her knees if they weren’t already jelly. Gently, he put her stomach-down, and kept a tight grip until her feet flailed a little before flattening against the ground. His wide palm caressed her ass. “God, every part of you I look at is more beautiful than the last. But this won’t work.”

  Was he having second, third, thoughts? “What? Why not?”

  “I forgot how small you are. A beautiful, bite-sized package of perfection.”

  With her head still reeling from the unexpected compliments, Jake ripped off his shirt. Then his warm shoulder butted up against her bare leg as he guided her feet back into her platform stilettos. “Yeah. Now it’ll work.”

  Now that she could see through both sets of windows, out the garage to the long hill of the driveway, Cassidy had a thought. A thought about how exposed they were. “Are you going to shut the garage door?”

  Jake started to shift away as if to do just that. Then he paused. “Do you want me to?”

  It was the suburbs. Big lawns, little drive-by traffic, and a driveway so long that she couldn’t see the street. There wasn’t much danger of anyone getting an eyeful. The mere idea that it could happen, however, made this whole coupling more exciting, more raunchy, more edge-of-the-seat unknown. More rock star.

  “Leave it open,” she said in a breathy near-whisper.

  There was a rustle as he shucked his shorts onto the hood next to her outstretched hand. It only took another moment for him to whip a condom out of the pocket.

  “Were you expecting company?” Cassidy didn’t want to be sloppy seconds. Or premature firsts. She also didn’t want to brace for some angry woman storming up the driveway. That was not a part of this waking fantasy.

  “Hell, no.” Jake ripped the foil with his teeth. “But a man who doesn’t keep a condom on him at all times is a man who’s lost all hope. It’s been a shitty couple of months. It’s never been zero condom shitty, though.”

  Elbow bent, she propped herself up enough to twist around to look at him. Fully naked, aside from the tribal tattoo ringing his biceps and the Riptide logo, with a guitar as the “t,” across his right pec. Tan and ripped and with just enough hair across his chest to be sexy. It arrowed down in a line to a penis that looked even bigger than what she’d felt rubbing against her.

  Cassidy sucked in a short, sharp breath. She considered herself very lucky at this moment.

  And Jake wasn’t even inside her yet.

  “Can I help?” she asked, reaching for the condom.

  “Hell, no,” he laughed, echoing himself. Jake rolled it on in record time, angling away from her grasp. “You did your part by showing up on my doorstep today. Any more contribution from you—aside from looking so damn fuckable—and I won’t be able to guarantee how long this’ll last.”

  “I already had the main event. I don’t need an encore. You do you. Whatever speed works.”

  Jake took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and gave her an unexpectedly serious look. “I don’t care who you’ve been with. But if that’s the takeaway you got from them? I guarantee they were boys, not men. That’s not my style. This only works if we’re both satisfied.”

  He kissed her then. Another endless, tongue-sucking, soul-stirring kiss that amazingly rebooted all of her nerves that had been powering down. A second orgasm no longer seemed out of reach.

  His hands moved to her hips. Slowly he pushed in, inch by inch. No, make that centimeter by centimeter with how slowly, carefully, purposefully he advanced. Cassidy wasn’t sure if she’d ever felt so full. This excruciatingly drawn-out pleasure made her hyper-aware of his girth. His hardness. The rough tickle of hairs as his balls made contact. Oh, and the length of him. That much was super obvious at this point.

  Finally seated all the way, Jake asked, “You okay?”

  Talk about an understatement. In a breathy voice she hardly recognized, Cassidy said, “What’s a hundred times ‘okay?’ Or ‘okay’ to the fiftieth power?”

  “We’ll call that sex-trillion.” His laughter rumbled under her skin as his belly made fleeting contact with her back. Jake reached forward to uncurl her fisted hand. He pressed her now outstretched fingers to the metal. “You’re gonna want to hang on.”

  Oh.

  He pulled out, almost as slowly. But then, the next stroke was much more forceful. Swift and purposeful. Eye-rollingly so. Knee-meltingly so. Pick any cliché for sexual penetration perfection, and Jake McQuinn eclipsed it by a mile.

  Cassidy did, indeed, need to brace herself.

  Brace against the rough onslaught of his hard thrusts inside her, the steady slap of skin against skin on her ass and thighs. Brace against the unexpected mix of careful roughness.

  Brace against the power of actually living out a fantasy…and it being better than she’d ever imagined.

  The sounds of birdsong that had been floating into the garage were completely eclipsed by Jake’s harsh grunts, her pants, and the odd squeak as her body slid back and forth along the hood. He increased the tempo, thrust after thrust after thrust. Cassidy only wished she could touch him more. Feel all those muscles bunching and tightening.

  “Lift up, beautiful,” he whispered in her ear.

  Whatever she could do to contribute to the second orgasm already coiling within her, Cassidy would happily do. And as soon as she braced on her elbows, she was rewarded by his hand closing around her breast from underneath. The tips of his fingers plucked at her nipple. He might as well have poured gasoline on the out of control fire already blazing along every nerve ending. Frantically, she cantilevered her hips to help him push even deeper inside.

  Jake’s other hand palmed her stomach before sliding down to strum her like a guitar. The man truly was multi-talented. “God, that’s so good, Jake. I’m not going to last much longer.”

  “Don’t try to,” he ordered. “This is a duet, remember? We go together. We go now.”

  Impossibly, he plunged faster, harder as all his fingers pinched at her most sensitive points.

  And Cassidy’s world imploded.

  Again.

  A long, high cry ripped from her throat as she ground her ass back against him to wring out every last drop of pleasure. His steady rhythm broke as he came with a dee
p groan. Jake hunched along her back, several small jerks giving away that he, too was trying to string out his orgasm.

  They stayed glued together by end-of-summer sweat and satisfied lethargy for several minutes. Neither spoke. Cassidy’s mouth was so dry she wasn’t sure she’d ever sing again.

  Finally, Jake pressed several open-mouthed kisses along the nape of her neck. “I’ll be right back.”

  He pulled out, palmed a caress over her ass and then stripped off the condom as he walked to the side of the garage. Cassidy rolled up onto an elbow to watch. The man moved with a loose saunter that undoubtedly meant he knew she was watching. Even though she was drained to her core, watching more than six feet of naked, muscled perfection flex in front of her almost, almost was enough to light Cassidy’s fuse again.

  When he opened the small refrigerator and grabbed waters, she rearranged her dress back into a semblance of decency. Cassidy had both shoes back on by the time he handed her an icy bottle. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” he said with a teasing glint in his blue eyes. Eyes that, like his posture and expression, were a thousand percent more relaxed than when he’d stepped out of his car. “I need specifics. The licking? The sucking? The fucking? Or just the water?”

  “Somehow I doubt your ego really needs me to answer that question.” Cassidy gratefully guzzled half the bottle. And noticed that Jake’s eyes stayed pinned to the working of her throat as she did so. “But to be clear, I meant the water.”

  “Ouch. You don’t give a man an inch, do you.”

  “No. But I’ll happily take every inch you’ll give me.” Flirting with Jake felt so easy, so good. There wasn’t any omigod we were just naked together awkwardness between them. All the tension of their previous conversation had vanished.

  “Damn, Cassidy, I’m going to need another bottle of water if you want to go again right now. Probably should run inside and grab another condom or six, too.”