by P. Stormcrow
Luna’s hand flew to her neck. Jacob frowned and lowered his head to whisper in her ear. “Don’t cover it up. Wear it with pride, Luna.” With more reluctance than he would have liked, she dropped her hand. It would be something he’d have to work on with her if they entered into a contract.
“We should play a game!” Cassie was lounging on the other side of the firepit, resting her head in Darryl’s lap.
“What do you have in mind?” August asked, wariness in his eyes. By now, many of the remaining guests had gone off for walks or were sitting a bit away. The only ones left were him and Luna, Lani and August and Darryl and Cassie.
The grin on Cassie’s face did not bode well for any of them. “Why, truth or dare, of course!”
“Cassie.” Darryl growled a warning, leaning over her.
Rather than being intimidated, she pouted up at him then grinned when Lani laughed.
“Sure, why not?”
“All right, is everyone in?”
“I’m in,” Luna offered.
Surprised, Jacob turned to admire Luna and re-evaluated his internal nickname for her. His little mouse was not a mouse anymore. Or perhaps she just had no idea what she was getting herself into. With a chuckle, he turned toward Cassie. “Sure.”
They were all in.
“Okay, birthday girl first!” Cassie clapped her hands together in glee. Jacob chuckled, wondering how that girl always got what she wanted.
“All right. Hmm-m, let’s see.” Lani’s eyes danced with mischief as they swept around the loose circle they made. “Darryl.”
He grumbled under his breath and nodded once in acknowledgment. “Truth. I don’t trust you.”
A peal of laughter, from more than just Lani herself. “Oh, Darryl, I can’t help it if you make it so easy. Fine. An easy one to start. What’s one kink you’ve been wanting to try that you haven’t yet?”
With a sigh, Darryl rubbed his face and Cassie shifted to give him a kiss on his knee in sympathy.
“Taser,” he admitted. “I’ve been thinking about talking to Colin, to get some tips from him.”
Cassie’s hand shot up. “I volunteer as tribute!” she quipped. Jacob chuckled and heard a soft laugh from Luna. It had very different connotations than the original quote used in The Hunger Games books and movies, but it was good to know that they were all pop culture nerds here.
Darryl caught Cassie’s hand and nipped at her finger, which produced a squeal from her. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Then Darryl appeared to give a moment’s thought before he said, “Jacob.”
Things were about to get interesting. With a lift of a brow, he turned to Darryl and straightened. “Truth.”
He could almost see the disappointment on his friend’s face. Darryl hardened his features with determination, and in response, Jacob only eased back with a nonchalant shrug. Challenge accepted.
“Okay, you two, this isn’t a staring contest. Get on with it!” Lani’s voice, accompanied by stifled giggles, cut through the silence.
“Fine. So what drew you to Luna?”
It was not the question Jacob had expected, but judging from his friend’s now self-satisfied smug expression, Darryl must have thought he had caught him off guard. Far from it. Instead, Jacob looked down on the woman nestled against him, noting the way she was now trying to bury her face against his side to hide. It was endearing, and it tugged at him that she was trying to find safety in his arms. How much more I can make her squirm?
“Well, that’s easier than I expected.” Watching Darryl’s face fall was almost as good as watching Luna torn between hiding and peeking at him, curious about his answer. “Let’s see. First it was her curiosity about everything, but also how she’s shy about it. But then there’s that big independent brain, as well, behind all the adorableness.”
By then, Luna was shifting this way and that on the sand, red as a tomato, Lani was giggling, Cassie was making googly eyes and Darryl was scowling. Even August was looking on with a raised brow.
“Moving on,” Luna muttered under her breath.
With a chuckle, Jacob pressed a light kiss on top of her head. “Yes, dear. Okay… August, truth or dare?”
August pushed his glasses up along the ridge of his nose. Until now, he had remained quiet but there was a slight upturn at the corner of his lips. “Dare.”
“Really?” Luna pushed off from him, leaning forward instead.
It seemed to be enough to distract her from her embarrassment, but the way she had fidgeted had been delightful. He couldn’t wait to see how else he could make her do so tonight.
“Hmm-m.” Pretending to think, he traced light circles on one of Luna’s bare shoulders, loving the way she shivered at his touch. Her sensitivity was going to make things even more fun. “Okay. I dare you to add ‘in bed’ to the end of everything you say until the end of the game.”
Next to him, Luna burst out into giggles while August only humphed and adjusted his glasses again.
“Oh, good one.” Cassie grinned and offered him a thumbs-up sign, which he acknowledged with a slight dip of his head. Coming from the always-serious August, the dare should keep things comical.
“Fine, in bed.”
It drew laughter from everyone and August’s ears pinkened.
“Lani, truth or dare…in bed,” August said.
“Yes, dolly?” The queen of the party tilted her head back to look at them all with languid grace. “Hmm-m… Truth, I suppose.”
“What are your most sensitive parts…in bed?”
The girls giggled again and Jacob couldn’t help but snicker. He had picked a good dare.
Lani pouted and shook her head. “Now that’s cheating.”
“Merely using the game to my advantage, Ma’am, in bed.”
“Fair enough. I can respect that. I would say, besides the usual places, ears and neck.” The answer came without hesitation. Out of all of them, Lani was the most comfortable speaking about her sexual preferences, practicing what she preached. “Luna, truth or dare?”
Jacob felt Luna stiffen, her breath quickening as she bit her lower lip for a moment. “I’ll regret this but”—her chest rose as she drew in a deeper breath—“dare me.”
Not sure if her answer disappointed him as, like August, he had hoped to use the opportunity to learn more about Luna, Jacob grew all-the-more conflicted at Lani’s next words.
“I dare you to give Jacob a lap dance.”
“What?” Luna spluttered, while Lani just looked on her, composed and calm.
“I… But…” Still trying to form a sentence, Luna flapped her hands in the air.
“Come on, Luna. I think Jacob is waiting…in bed.” Damn… August was using his dare to his advantage again.
Luna snapped her mouth shut, and she glared at both of them before rising to her feet and turning to face him. “Fine. Only because I never back down from a challenge.”
Jacob was resisting grinning like a kid in a candy store but remained at ease as he leaned back to admire the view. The fact that Luna did not attempt to get out of the dare impressed him, and he more than looked forward to the performance until he noticed the way she was chewing her lower lip raw. He sat back up, reached out to take both her hands in his and began rubbing slow circles on the backs of them with his thumbs. “Eyes on me, sweetheart. Ignore all of them. I’ve got you.”
With a slight nod, Luna closed her eyes. After a moment, Jacob discovered why as she began to hum. She must have paused to find the right song in her head to dance to. Her hips began to sway and when her eyes opened again, he saw only himself reflected in the startling blue. It was as if the dare had removed her inhibitions.
As she drew nearer toward him, her movements grew bolder. Every few beats, she would bend her knees, circling her lower body wide before she would straighten her legs again. She let go of one of his hands to spin around, repeating the hypnotic movement, which only resulted in an ample front-row-seat view of the way her ass would shake. Luna, toss
ing a look over her shoulder, spun around once more and took another step closer until she could straddle his lap.
She laid one hand on his shoulder and snaked the other around to run through his hair. As she trailed her fingers down to stroke his neck, she began rolling her hips, ending with rising off him, only to grind down again. He wasn’t sure where this side of her came from, but it was a side he was very interested in exploring. Before him was a woman who understood and celebrated her own sensuality.
A soft moan escaped his lips and his cock hardened in his swim trunks. By then, Luna had switched tactics, shifting closer to grind hard against him, her rolling movements growing smaller and smaller until she was resting, pushing up against him. Her heat and dampness were obvious and it took all his control to not just sweep her off her feet and insist on them leaving right then and there.
“Oh my… It got rather warm here.” Lani breathed out the words and, glancing over Luna’s shoulder, he saw her fanning herself.
“He’s one lucky guy,” Cassie murmured—and he couldn’t agree more.
Luna was still sitting on his lap but now she had buried her face in his shoulder. He raised a hand to pet her hair. “You okay, sweetheart?”
He felt more than saw her nod but could just make out her muffled words. “I don’t think I can look at any of them yet.”
With a small laugh, he wrapped his arms around her and kept stroking her hair. “All right, sweetheart, but it’s your turn to ask.”
She only shook her head.
“Want me to take your turn?”
A nod.
“Okay.”
The game continued on, with Jacob holding Luna for a good while longer before she could detach herself enough to settle back next to him. No one commented on her embarrassment and she relaxed once more. The game kept things just on the side of naughty, but it also gave Jacob time to recover from what was one of the sexiest dares he’d ever had the pleasure to experience. He made a mental note to thank Lani one day. Maybe.
As evening turned to night, the fire faded to embers, and a chill settled in. They remained to help pack up, then there were no more reasons to wait any longer.
It was time.
Chapter Twenty
It was one thing to have it happen spontaneously, or even on a dare, but quite another when it was prearranged. Luna had agreed to Jacob’s suggestion that they return to her place right away rather than his. It made sense. If things didn’t work out, he could just take his car and leave.
Somehow, Luna doubted that it wouldn’t work out, judging by how wet she was—at least as long as she didn’t go into panic mode or her libido didn’t take a dive again for no reason. Doubts and nerves stiffened her posture and she picked at a loose thread from her T-shirt.
Jacob’s hand enveloped hers.
“Luna, relax.”
Easy for him to say. He must have done this a thousand times.
He gave her hand a squeeze then shifted to rub the pad of his thumb in slow soothing circles over the back of her hand, much like he had when Lani had dared her to give the lap dance.
“Talk to me.” Although he kept his eyes on the road, Luna was well aware that he could sense every line of tension in her body. She had long stopped trying to hide it.
“I…” Luna swallowed, struggling to find the right words. “I’m worried. Things are… I want it to work out but I haven’t had a great history with sex.”
“How so?” His thumb never ceased its movements but she thought maybe she heard a note of disbelief in his voice.
“I just… It…” She’d never had to admit it, not out loud, but Jacob deserved to know. “I don’t have a great sex drive. It takes a lot to make me…come.” There, she’d said it! Oh God, I said it. He was going to leave as soon as he dropped her off. They were nearing her place too. Maybe she should just walk the rest of the way home.
“Luna.” With little warning, Jacob pulled over to the side of the road then put the car in Park. Luna’s heart pounded, wondering if he was going to kick her out of the car now. Was he angry? Nothing about what she knew of him so far would have hinted he would be—or that he would be so cruel.
He cupped her cheek, forcing her to face him.
“Luna, sweetheart, do you trust me?”
Surprised by his question, she nodded.
“Good.” The smile that spread across his face was tender and sweet. “Then trust me. Trust me enough to make you feel good, to allow you to let go of your worries. Whatever happens happens, and however your body reacts, it’s a part of a woman I’m very attracted to, so just let me take care of you tonight.”
There was no other way to describe the effect his words had on her. Everything in her melted and her entire body relaxed as knots unwound themselves. Her lips parted as she exhaled.
“That’s better,” he whispered. He began to stroke her cheek. “Remember… No matter what happens, you will always be in control. At your word, we can stop everything—no harm, no foul. It doesn’t mean we don’t try again later if you want. It doesn’t mean I’ll be angry or upset with you. Do you understand?”
Jacob had given her enough reading on that topic to last a lifetime. It was one of the first things they had covered. She nodded again.
“Good, so tell me your safeword.”
“Um…the traffic light system?” It was a common one. “Red for stop, yellow for unsure and green for go?”
Jacob nodded. Even in the dark, their faces illuminated only by streetlights, Luna recognized the crooked grin that followed. “Except if things are going really well, I’d prefer my name instead.”
The comment was enough to break the tension and build up a whole new kind. Luna flushed and felt a shot of pure lust straight to her core. As if sensing the change in her, Jacob leaned forward. He didn’t wait for permission but pressed a soft, almost teasing kiss on her lips, flicking his tongue to lick her lower lip.
Luna moaned, and it was as if the sound was all he needed to proceed. He ran his hand down to her neck as he deepened his kiss, lightly scraping a nail at the likely fading bite mark. The sounds that spilled from her lips grew louder and she arched her back.
Her body’s encouragement must have worked. He took the invitation and moved farther down, cupping her breast. He shifted to pin her wrist down as he pulled away from the kiss, watching her as he, with infinite slowness, began rubbing her nipple through her clothes in those same maddening slow circles.
The effect was instantaneous. She bucked from the seat with a loud groan then whimpered as he withdrew.
More. She wanted…no, needed more.
“We need to get back to your place now or I’m going to take you right here.” There was a slight growl to his voice and Luna sucked in a breath.
Jacob didn’t exactly drive the rest of the way like a demon but it was pretty close. By the time they were at the apartment, the butterflies in her stomach had returned, but more with anticipation as she unlocked the door. And when they entered, Jacob reached to take her hand before she could flick the light switch on. “Take me to your bedroom,” he whispered in the dark, sending shivers down Luna’s spine.
Not trusting her voice, she gave a slight nod and began to make her way there, tugging Jacob to follow. On purpose, she kept her pace even and measured, challenging herself to not look so damn eager.
The hall to her room had never seemed longer, despite the smallness of her apartment.
As she opened the door, a soft, warm light from a bedside lamp she always kept on flooded into the hall and she paused, drawing a deep breath to ready herself. Jacob let go of her hand and stepped through first, surveying the room before giving a slight nod.
“Come here, sweetheart.” He extended a hand toward her.
Him standing there in the middle of her bedroom was almost surreal. She stepped to him. That morning she had made sure fresh sheets were on the bed, already half-turned down. The scent of lavender, just a hint, permeated the air. Her closet door was cl
osed to hide the mess in it, though that meant the mirrored doors would show everything happening on the bed. Her cheeks heated at the thought.
“Luna.” There was a slight note of impatience in Jacob’s voice that drew her attention back to him.
“Sorry,” she muttered, only to see his eyes flicker toward those mirrors.
“Sh-h-h.” Jacob drew her to him, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug even as a hand rubbed her back. As her body melted into his under his ministrations, he began pressing small kisses, first on her forehead, then on her cheek before placing another one, more heated, on her mouth. She parted her lips and tangled her tongue with his as she slid her hands underneath his shirt to trace the muscles at last.
Instead of letting her continue, he withdrew from the kiss, reaching to grasp both of her wrists to pull them away from him. “No, sweetheart…not yet.” He undid the rest of the buttons of his shirt but left it on, giving tantalizing glimpses as he backed up to sit on the edge of her bed. “Take your clothes off for me,” he crooned.
What she really wanted was to run to him and pull the damn shirt off, to explore the contours of his body. But fully in the throes of the scene now, she remained rooted to her spot, beginning to tug her T-shirt over her head. Before they had left the beach, she had exchanged her swimsuit for one of the black lacy sets she had bought at the mall and only the unpadded bra remained on her upper body. When she saw his eyes darken and heard his sharp intake of breath, she sent a silent thank you to Cassie.
He rose once more, as if unwilling to only sit back and watch any longer. He caressed her shoulders, stroking while leaving fire in their wake before he trailed his fingers down to trace the edge of the lace. “Did you dress for me, little one?” His tone delved deeper, taking on a more commanding quality than his normal easygoingness.
“Yes. I… Do you like it?” Her voice felt small, hesitant.
“It pleases me.”
She caught his eyes flickering toward the mirror and her gaze followed. The image was seared into her brain, his body towering over hers, his warmer skin tones contrasting against her pale one. Her body was flushed, the red traveling all the way down as she swallowed hard. At this rate, those lace panties would be straight up destroyed.
