Interlude

by D. Kelly

  He busts out laughing. “Absolutely. The only man I want your eyes on is me, and I promise I’ll give you the same courtesy.”

  “Uh-huh. What about women? Will the same rules apply?

  He pushes me back onto the couch and climbs on top of me. “Move in with me.”

  “Where did that come from? I’m just teasing, you know that, right?”

  “I know I’m crazy about you, FB is crazy about you, and you spend more nights in my bed than you do your own. Plus, if you ever worry about me looking at someone else when you climb into bed with me at night, you’ll know you don’t have anything to fear.” The sparkle in his eyes is spectacular.

  “Can I think about it?”

  “Of course, as long as you promise you will.”

  “I promise. So when do I get my surprise?”

  His eyes sparkle even brighter. “How about we shower, feed FB, then I take you to breakfast? Surprise afterward?”

  I toss my arms around his neck. “Do you mean I get to spend the entire afternoon with you?”

  “How about the next twenty-four hours? You’re off today, and Sasha said she would cover for me at the bar.”

  “That sounds amazing.”

  Allie and I got a later start than I wanted, but I’m not in a big rush. After a round of shower sex and an extended shower to wash off the sex, we finally went to get food. As soon as we got back to the house, FB was in her arms. My cat has a new favorite person, but it’s hard to be mad at him when she’s my favorite person too.

  She looks around the house as if taking it all in with new eyes. My house isn’t anything special—two bedrooms, two bathrooms—but it’s mine and it’s all I need.

  “Is everything okay?”

  Allie spins around and faces me with that pretty, pink flush to her cheeks. “Yeah, just thinking.”

  “Good thoughts?”

  Nodding, she answers, “I think so. You need more pictures on your walls. In fact, you need any kind of art on your walls. What gives? Your office has more personality.”

  “I never properly unpacked. I have boxes and boxes of photographs in the garage, but I do have this.” I pull a framed photo of the two of us from Christmas out of the drawer in the coffee table. “You might like it.”

  She puts FB on the floor and gasps as she takes it from my outstretched hand. “Jordan, why did you have this hidden?”

  “Amelia gave it to me before I left the beach house. She said Noah wanted me to have it, that he had a feeling it would be important to me.”

  I take a deep breath. Thinking about Noah still hurts, and knowing he saw what Allie meant to me back then sort of rocked me to my core.

  “Jordan, are you okay?” She steps closer and rests her hand on my arm.

  “I’m fine, just thinking about Noah. I put it away because I wanted to bring it out if you agreed to move in. That was kind of our first date.”

  “I don’t know about that. You didn’t ask me on a date.”

  “No, I took it one step further and let you meet my family on a holiday. You have no idea how big of a step that was for me.”

  “Then why did you?”

  I place a kiss on her forehead and tilt her head, locking my gaze on her. “Because I didn’t want you to be alone. For some strange reason, the thought of spending Christmas with you was the best gift I could think of giving myself.”

  “That’s so sweet,” she murmurs as my lips cover hers.

  “I can be sweet when someone is important to me.”

  “Good, because as much as I love cocky Jordan, sweet Jordan is pretty amazing. Now, can we feed FB so I can have my surprise?” Her blue eyes sparkle brightly.

  “Do you like surprises?”

  Allie bounces up and down on her toes. “I freaking love surprises. Well, the good ones.”

  I hope she likes this one.

  “Feed poor FB. Can’t you hear him meowing because he’s starving? Then we’ll go.”

  “Eep! And that cat is not starving, he’s spoiled. He probably eats that dry food he turns his nose up at while we’re not here and then banks on his second meal being the good food.”

  “Yup, he’s a smart cat. He knows what he likes.”

  On the way to the bar, Allie can’t sit still. It makes me nervous because I’m afraid this isn’t the kind of surprise she’s going to like. The sun is beginning to go down, but there’s still enough light for what she needs to see.

  As we pull up to the building, she sucks in a breath. “Oh my God. Jordan, it’s white! I thought it wasn’t due for a couple of years?”

  “It’s not, but I figured we needed a change around here.”

  “Is this my surprise?” She doesn’t sound disappointed, just curious.

  I pull around to the side of the building and park near the far end of the wall. “Nope, we have to get out for that.”

  She hops out quickly and spins in a circle. I get out of the car, take her hand, and lead her around the backside of the building.

  “Close your eyes,” I tell her before we round the corner completely. “Keep them closed until directed otherwise. I’ve got you, Allie, but you have to trust me.”

  “I trust you, Jordan.”

  We walk back to the middle of the lot, and I turn her toward the building as I stand behind her. My heart pounds with nervous energy and I feel sick to my stomach. It’s now or never. I pull her close and whisper in her ear, “Open your eyes, Allie.”

  She clutches my hand that’s wrapped around her waist and then flips around in my arms. “Is this real?”

  I nod, but she shakes her head. “This is the best surprise ever, but only if you say it. Words on a building are nice, but I want to hear them from your mouth.”

  “I love you, Allie. I have never in my life loved anyone the way I love you. I’m not typically the grand gesture kind of guy, but Noah was. Losing him has inspired me to try to be truer to myself. I wanted to tell you last night, but I already had this set up and didn’t want to blow the surprise, which wouldn’t have been an issue if I hadn’t fallen asleep and given you reason to doubt me in the first place.”

  She places a finger against my lips. “You’re rambling, but all I want right now is for you to kiss me and then say it again.”

  She clutches on to me, and I pull her in close and lower my mouth to hers. As our tongues meet, I hope she can feel my love. We kiss slowly as if we’ve never kissed before. When we finally part, it’s almost dark.

  “I love you, Allie.” I brush away the tears streaking down her cheeks. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Everything is perfect. I’m not sure why you love me or how you decided I’m worthy of your love, since you don’t give it often, but I am so honored you’re choosing to share yourself with me. I would love to move in with you, if the offer still stands.”

  I lift her and spin her around, and as she throws back her head and laughs, I can’t imagine life getting any better.

  “Come on, we need to go inside for a few minutes. Sasha wants to know how you liked my grand declaration of love.”

  I take her hand and we start walking, but she stops me. “Just so you know, hearing you say the words means more than any grand gesture. I know how precious those words are to you, J. I promise to guard your heart, along with mine, every step of the way.”

  I know she means that with every fiber of her being. “Thank you.”

  As we walk into the bar, Sasha let’s out a loud “Whoop!”

  “She’s so embarrassing,” Allie grumbles into my shoulder.

  “Well, she is your best friend.”

  Allie elbows me in the side. “Pretty sure she’s yours too.”

  “Yes, but I’m used to her. You’ve been away too long. You have to readjust.”

  Sasha places a beer on the counter for me and a vodka tonic for Allie. “Damn straight she was gone too long, but she’s here for good now that she’s stolen your heart!”

>   I turn to Allie. “Were you thinking about going back?” We’ve never talked about her going home again.

  “Not a chance in hell. This is my home now. By the way, Sasha, I’m moving out.”

  Sasha leans in close and kisses Allie on the cheek. “I love you, girl, but my pussy is cheering right now. You’ve got no idea how freaky my sex life really is.”

  Allie practically spits her drink out in Sasha’s face but manages to choke it down. I pat her on the back as she coughs. She leans over and whispers in my ear, “I’ve heard a lot of freaky shit already. Should I be worried?”

  Sasha has made her way back to the other end of the bar.

  “Nah, she’s got everything under control. The girl wants what she wants. You can’t fault her for that.”

  “Jordan, there were three guys in my apartment the other day. Three.”

  I don’t like that image, but I’ll talk to Sasha about that later. In the meantime, I give Allie the most neutral expression I can and mess with her. “Well, technically she does have a hole for each of them.”

  “Jordan Weston, I can’t believe you just said that about your best friend. Damn, you know more about her sex life than I do. Is that her kind of kink?”

  I shrug. “You need to talk to your friend about that. I’m more interested in figuring out what your kink is, Allie Cat.”

  “I don’t think I have any,” she whispers.

  I lean closer to her. “Baby, I bet we’d be in a good place to figure out your kink if I cleared this bar right now and spread you open so I could feast on that pretty little pussy of yours all night. Maybe I’ll leave the door unlocked so if someone happened to walk in, they could see how fucking hot you look when you come.”

  Her cheeks turn bright-red, and her eyes glaze over with lust. “You’re bad, Jordan.”

  I place my hand on her thigh and squeeze. “You know there’s a club my brothers and I have a membership to. It’s called The Scene and they have some nights that are closed to the public. We could get a private room with a view, watch others get their freak on, or we could get our freak on and let others watch us. Test your voyeuristic side, Allie. You have to sign an NDA to get in, so you wouldn’t have to worry about being seen there.”

  She presses her thighs together and licks her lips. “Can we go home? I’m a bit needy right now.”

  “Fuck yeah, we can.”

  Hearing her say “home” brings out something primal inside me.

  Waking up the next morning with Allie in my arms is everything I hoped it would be. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt this content.

  “Good morning,” I murmur against the back of her head.

  “Mm, indeed. Good morning.”

  She pushes her ass against my cock, and I groan. “Careful, tiger, I might think you’re offering up something new.”

  She laces her fingers through mine and pulls them to her lips. “Maybe I wouldn’t be opposed to trying something new, if you’re gentle.”

  Fucking hell, this girl is going to be the death of me.

  “I’ll be whatever you want me to be, whenever you need it. If you want it rough, I’ll fuck you until you’re screaming for mercy. If you want me to make love to you, I’ll push you to unbelievable highs until we fall apart together. And if you want me to take your ass, damn … I’ll be as gentle as I can possibly be.”

  She flips over in my arms and catches my bottom lip between her teeth. “What if I want to uh … play with your ass?”

  Ah, she wants to get personal. She might regret asking this in a minute. “Then you can open the second drawer of the nightstand and grab the lube and a toy of your choosing.”

  She gasps, but it’s an excited one. “You’d let me?”

  “Hell yeah, and it would be so fucking hot. I told you I’d teach you anything you want to know, but I’m pretty uninhibited sexually. There isn’t much I won’t try at least once, especially if you want to try it. If something turns you on, you can pretty much guarantee it’s going to turn me on as well.”

  She scoots away from me and hangs off the bed while pulling open the drawer. I’ve got a perfect view of her ass. “J, you’ve got a lot of stuff in here. Is this all …”

  “Mine? Yup.”

  “And you use it all yourself? I mean, there isn’t anything, um … well, you know.”

  She’s so fucking cute. “No, I have never used any of it with Tyler or anyone else. I’m just a bit of a freak.”

  She rolls back over and kisses me hard. “You’re not a freak, but just the thought of you getting yourself off with that stuff … damn. You’re going to have to let me watch. After all, if you’re going to be a good teacher, I need to see a demonstration.”

  “Move in with me.”

  She laughs against my lips. “I thought that was a given.”

  “Today. Right now. Let’s get dressed and go pick up your stuff at Sasha’s.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Why not? We’ve got all day and I’ve got a truck. I want you here every night, and I’d like us to start working the same schedules as much as possible.”

  The look on her face is hesitant.

  “Hey, it’s not so I can keep tabs on you. I sleep much better with you in my arms. Haven’t you noticed my nightmares seem to be decreasing? I’ve had them for twenty years, Allie, and it’s only since you’ve taken up space in my heart that they’re going away.”

  “Okay, let’s do it.”

  The instant we walk into her apartment, it’s evident something is wrong.

  “Thank God you’re here!” Sasha says as we walk in the door.

  “What’s up, Sash? You seem freaked out.”

  “That’s because I am, Jordan. Don’t you guys answer your phones?”

  We pull our phones from our pockets and power them on at the same time.

  “Sorry, Sasha,” Allie says. “We were a bit selfish last night and shut them down.”

  “Look, Evan was here this morning. He looked like shit, Allie, and he said he has to talk to you. He was very insistent. He was rambling about damage control and the senator and said for you to call him.”

  Allie brushes her off without batting an eyelash. “Evan can want until the cows come home. I have no interest in calling or seeing him. If he shows up again, tell him I moved.”

  A slow smile spreads across Sasha’s face. “I can do that. I was honestly a bit freaked out you’d succumb to his wishes.”

  I’m not happy that this prick is looking for her. She may not be concerned about what he’s after, but I am.

  “Evan doesn’t hold any power over me anymore. He lost that when I caught him fucking his intern. I haven’t loved him in a long time, and my heart is most definitely not his for the taking or bartering or whatever the hell it is he wants.”

  “You caught him fucking someone else?” I ask in total disbelief.

  “Yeah, it sucked.”

  “Is that why you kept worrying you’d walk in on Ty and me?”

  “Maybe?” she answers softly.

  I pull her into my arms. “Never, Allie. That will never happen.”

  “I know that now. I’m going to go start packing.”

  She heads into her room, and I turn to Sasha. “If he shows up again, he’s going to be lucky to walk away.”

  “There’s the man I love. Evan is a tool. He’d piss his pants just looking at you.”

  “Good. Now, we have something else to talk about. What are you doing bringing three guys back to your apartment at once? I thought we talked about this, Sasha. It’s not safe. Do I need to put one of Sawyer’s guards at your door?”

  She groans. “No, dad. I promise, Jordan, it was completely safe, and it was a one-time deal. You know I don’t take risks like that, and Allie was never in any danger. I’d never put her in a compromising position.”

  I kiss the top of her head before going to help Allie. “I’m always here, Sasha, and so is Allie. We only
want you safe. We’re not trying to put a damper your lifestyle.”

  “Good, because we’d have an issue if you were.”

  As I head in to help Allie pack, I can’t stop thinking of Evan and what he could possibly want with my girl.

  It didn’t take us very long to pack my things and move them back to Jordan’s house. All the furniture was Sasha’s, so it was mostly clothes and a few odds and ends. It still feels surreal—like everything is moving fast but I’ve been here almost a year now. It wasn’t long after I got here that Jordan and I started becoming something other than friends.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jordan going from his bedroom into the guest room a few times in a row. “Whatcha’ doin’?”

  “Making room for your stuff. I’m assuming you’d like some drawers?” His cocky grin is undeniably sexy.

  “That’s very sweet of you. I could’ve helped.”

  He kisses me as he walks past with a stack of sweatshirts. “We didn’t get much sleep last night, and we’ve got a long night ahead of us. I thought you could use the rest.”

  “Now you’re being silly. If we both pitch in, it will be finished in half the time, and then we can both take a nap before work.”

  He nuzzles my neck when he comes back and pulls me close. “It’s already done. Unpack when you’re ready. Empty drawers are yours. Unlike my brothers, I don’t need a walk-in closet to hold all my shit. I’m a pretty simple man, if you haven’t noticed.”

  His sharp inhale after the word “brothers” tells me the pain is going to be with him for the rest of his life. I’m sure losing Noah has taken him right back to the trauma of losing the rest of his family.

  “I have what I need for today, and we’re off tomorrow. I’ll unpack then. Let’s nap. But we have to sleep, J. No funny business, or I’m going to be a grump to your customers tonight.”

  Jordan leads me to the bed and cuddles up behind me. “We can sleep, and if we wake up well-rested and still have time, we can mess around before work.”

  “Mm, sounds like a plan.”

  We’re only about ten minutes late getting to the bar. We took a joint shower and squeezed some fun time in while we were in there. How did I make it twenty-seven years without understanding the perks of shower sex?