by CORY CYR
I quickly showered, then changed into a pair of sleep shorts and a country band tank. I clipped up my hair on top of my head. I padded to the living room and saw no Jasper. He must have been in his bedroom. I sighed as I pulled the sliding door open to look outside. It was still raining, but now it was a steady downpour. The wind was stronger, causing debris to go flying in every direction. Anxiety chilled my skin as I closed the door.
“Have your last look before I set these storm barriers for the night.”
I jumped at the sound of Jasper’s voice. “God, you scared me to death. I thought you went to bed,” I said as I perused him from his bare feet to his naked chest. I swallowed at his striped gray pajama pants that sat just below his belly button. Tattoos coming alive with each lightning flash, the muscled planes of his chest, washboard abs, and powerfully built arms.
“No, I decided to follow suit and take a shower. I wanted to make sure all the barriers were secure for the night. Plus, I forgot my book.”
“Oh, did you get yourself a romance, too? How girly of you.” My voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Very amusing. Are you finished condemning me for what I felt to be a thoughtful act?”
“You’re right. I apologize. Your book is probably something manly. Well, I’m off to read my wish book.”
“Still not funny,” he said as I walked back to my room.
“Yes, it is,” I replied with a snort.
I was several chapters into said romance novel when the lights flickered one last time, then went out completely. I got out of bed and retrieved a lantern. The illumination filled the entire room. I fluffed the pillow under my head, anxious to get back to the book. Jasper had chosen a good one. It had a ton of sex right off the bat.
After seeing Jasper in nothing but his tattoos and thin PJ pants, I was having some very salacious thoughts. If that man had gained any weight, I sure as hell didn’t see where. He was as sinewy as he was tall. I had never seen a more perfect man. A more sexual man.
I hated the fact that he was trying to steer me away from him. It was too late. Since the minute he’d made me come, I wanted him. There was nothing he could say that would make me want him less. I’d never felt such wanton desires for a man. I certainly hadn’t felt this way with Maynard.
I believed Jasper when he promised to keep me safe. But I would never believe he wasn’t worthy of me. He was the glue that was keeping me together. I would have fallen apart if it weren’t for him. And I wanted to be there for him if he’d let me. Despite all his money and women, I sensed a self-inflicted loneliness. I’d told Jasper that he came across as emotionally unavailable. What I’d meant was he had put up an impenetrable wall to make sure his world stayed desolate, a place to keep out those who might care. A void of emptiness I could fill if he’d let me.
Chapter Eighteen
Jasper
It was after eleven and I’d just finished another chapter when I heard the screams. I jumped out of bed, grabbing a flashlight and running down the hall to Daisy’s room. I saw her thrashing from side to side, sweat prickling her forehead. She was having a nightmare.
I gripped her arms and pulled her against my chest. “It’s all right. Wake up, Daisy. It’s only a bad dream,” I whispered into her hair.
A flash of lightning lit the room, already illuminated by a lantern. Thunder rolled, and the wind howled. The rain sounded torrential as I laid her on the pillow.
“I’m sorry you had to witness my nightmare. I feel like a kid.” She rubbed at her eyes. “I’m okay now. You can go back to bed. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“You’ve had these before?” I asked with genuine concern.
She nodded. “Almost every night. I suspect it’s the thought of dying at Maynard’s hand.”
“Wait. How did I not know? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’ve been away at night, and it never came up in conversation.”
It suddenly dawned on me. Always thinking it was me… I was an idiot. She had been up baking late in the evenings to avoid the night terrors. “I am truly sorry, Daisy. If I had known—”
“What would you have done? You already offered me protection and had me move in. You’ve done enough. You can’t give up your nightlife to babysit me.”
“I would consider it part of my protection detail. It pains me deeply that you’ve dealt with this by yourself. I clearly misunderstood your obsession with culinary science, and for that, I do apologize,” I admitted, standing.
“Please don’t go. Stay with me until I fall back asleep,” she suddenly requested.
I sat on the edge of the bed, and she put her head in my lap. I closed my eyes, attempting to fight the inevitable. I was drawn to this woman, a moth to a burning candle. I’d fought long and hard, but to no avail. I’d always known this would happen eventually, since the moment I tasted her. Even now, I could retrieve that memory, causing my cock to stiffen as my hand reached between us to clasp a nipple between two fingers. Her sudden moan caused me to release her breast and move her head from my lap to the pillow.
“I’m so warm,” she murmured.
I removed her shirt, wetting my lips. My mouth landed instinctively on one of her breasts, suckling as if I were a thirsty man in dire need of water. I caught my reflection in Daisy’s eyes. Our lips connected with all the fire and passion I’d envisioned from the start. Her taste was an elixir I would never grow tired of.
I felt her hand touch me through my pajama pants. Between the one-of-a-kind kiss and her fingers caressing my dick, I was lost. I’d never experienced these emotions. I’d felt dead, uninspired, for years, but this tiny country-bred woman was resurrecting a part of me I never knew existed.
“Take off your pants,” she expressed as our lips broke apart.
Licking the shell of one ear and sucking on my neck, Daisy sent electric current through my entire body. Christ, I hadn’t been this turned on since I was a teenager. I’d promised I wasn’t going to fuck her, when in reality it was all I knew how to do. I’d never made love to any woman. I was an emotional abyss, which made me regretful at this moment because I had nothing of value to offer but my cock and protection.
“I’ll be back. I swear. I need to get something. Can I get you some water or sweet tea?”
“Maybe some sweet tea if it’s cold. I know we shouldn’t open the refrigerator or freezer,” she said softly.
“I have ice. I brought in an ice chest because I knew it would be sweltering. These storms never cool the temperatures. And I left the sweet tea on the counter.”
I left her spread out like a goddess, semi dressed, as I went to get condoms and our drinks. I grumbled to myself at the combination. Walking down the hall became an issue with a hard-on. I gripped my shaft and adjusted it to one side. I retrieved a box of condoms and contemplated changing pants. Pre-cum leaked from the slit, causing a silver dollar-size wet spot, but I was too sexually aroused to care. I didn’t even want to think about what I was about to do. I knew if I pondered it too much, I’d decide against it. And the truth was I wanted to do this. I wanted Daisy.
I returned with two ice-filled glasses of sweet tea and a fresh box of condoms. I put our drinks and the rubbers on the nightstand.
Her eyes grew wide when she saw the box. “So you’re really going to have sex with me?”
“That’s the plan, unless you say no. And I almost wish you would,” I said in frustration as I threaded my fingers through my hair. “I don’t know how to do anything but fuck, and, Daisy, you deserve much more than that. Just having sex will be a great disservice to you, but it’s all I know.”
“I thought you were going to take off those pants. I’m way ahead of you,” she taunted, biting her lip.
I pulled back the sheet, and there she was, naked, raw, and unbridled. I slid my hand across her stomach as I kissed her inner thigh. Daisy’s skin was pale and creamy, and it felt like silk. Her body petite yet toned. I knew she didn’t work out, so my guess was it was from working the
farm. Money never changed her. She still spent time helping her mum.
My heart swelled because she was a beauty on the outside as well as inside. And for some reason, she saw that potential in me. I hated that possibility to be a failure, not living up to her expectation of me.
I lifted my arse and pushed down my pajama pants, kicking them off.
“Seriously?” Daisy questioned as she stared.
I smiled. “You’re good for my ego, Daisy Jones.”
She huffed. “As if that would need any help. I think it’s inflated plenty. I guess I wasn’t expecting…”
“You’ve seen the size of my hands, right?”
“I thought it was feet.”
“I wear a size fourteen. Was I supposed to forewarn you? The woman I was never planning on having sex with. I thought it would be presumptuous of me to say, ‘Hey, by the way, just in case, I have an eleven-inch dick.’”
She sat up and threw back her head, laughing. “Okay, when you say it like that, I get your point. But now that it’s going to happen, maybe I won’t be as good as you’re used to. I mean, you seem to know a bunch of different things, judging from your bedroom stuff. I don’t want to let you down. I might not satisfy you.”
I sat her in my lap, crushing her into my chest. “Oh, Daisy, if you fuck like you cook, I’ll never be satisfied. I’ll always want more,” I confessed as I kissed her deeply, allowing my tongue to tangle with hers, then sucking on its tip.
I growled as her hand tried circling my girth. She dragged an index finger across the crown, gathering my wetness to make friction as she fisted me. I didn’t think it was possible, but I became thicker as she traced every vein. I let my hand fall between her legs. She was so wet that it dampened her inner thighs. I inserted a single finger, and her body became taut as I flicked her nub back and forth. I added another finger, then a third.
“I don’t want to hurt you. Was it true, what you said before, that you’ve not had many lovers? I want to make sure you’re ready for me,” I asked.
“Please. Yes,” she hissed with a nod.
I removed Daisy from my lap and sprawled her out in the bed. Grabbing a condom from its box, I ripped the foil with my teeth, never once losing sight of her eyes. Once sheathed, I studied Daisy’s expression, pushing the hair out of her face. “You can always say no. I’d get it if you wanted to decline. This will change everything. I don’t wish to lose the friendship we have, but I’m afraid I don’t know how to be more. I never thought I’d ever have a woman as a friend, but then you came into my life.”
She reached up and palmed my cheek. “You just said you didn’t know how to have the opposite sex as a friend, but you do. If we’re meant to be more, it will happen. If not, we’ll always have what we do at this moment. This right now doesn’t have to define us. It will only change things if we let it. I’ve wanted you from day one, Jasper, and I want this.”
My cock throbbed as I looked down upon her. With an arm on each side of her, I breached her opening. She let out a small whimper as I slipped in the crown, then went deeper, every stroke slow and agonizing. Because, unlike the countless others that came before her, Daisy’s pleasure was paramount. No matter how narcissistic I had always been during sex, it stopped with her.
Sweat marred my brow as I gritted my teeth. Heat coiled around us both as I felt my flesh swell and her pussy grip me tight. I pushed, pulsing with need at every inch. A moan escaped me as I filled her to capacity and slowly rocked into her. I wasn’t used to going languidly or even caring about the woman I was having sex with. Pain had always been an integral part of my pleasure. But I surrendered my own desires once inside Daisy.
I ground into her as our breathing synced. The expression on her face stole my breath as I began to thrust, each stroke bringing me closer to release. My entire body began to hum as I felt her climax rising to meet mine. Daisy arched into my shaft, clenching me as my sack tightened and my balls pulled upward. Then her face rested in my neck as her body went tight as a bow.
“Jasper…” She let out a breathy sigh.
My rhythm picked up pace as I surged between her legs. I chewed on my bottom lip, my own orgasm set free. Swallowing my groans of pleasure, I emptied into the condom.
Bodies slick with sweat, our breathing slowed to normal. I stayed still until my dick went from ultra sensitive to flaccid. I finally moved, securing the rubber by the tip.
I let out a hardy laugh as I tossed it in the trash. “Was it everything you thought it would be?” I asked jovially.
“Yes. Was it everything you hoped for?” she asked in turn.
“Yes. I knew it would be a kinder, gentler way of fucking. I always thought you’d be a missionary girl.”
Daisy looked astounded. “Wait, you thought about me? I mean, like that?”
“I am a man. I’m not blind to your charms, Daisy Jones.”
“You never asked for a different position. I’ve read the Kama Sutra. I might not have understood most of it, but it had great pictures. All you had to do was say something. I’d be willing to try anything once if you’re the teacher.”
“Wow. I’m not sure if I should be shocked or impressed. I think you’d be extremely appalled by my tastes.”
“Remember I saw your collection of sex toys. They are toys, right?”
I nodded. “That they are, but my carnal wants surpass what you found. I enjoy more than just everyday fucking.”
Daisy sat up and scooted against the headboard. “Wait, you’re not one of those masochists, are you?”
“I do enjoy slight pain combined with pleasure. But I would never hurt you. Well, unless you asked me to,” I teased.
“Not funny, Jasper. So go on. What else floats your boat?”
“I’m an arse man.”
“So tell me something I don’t know. I knew that the day we met.”
I exhaled as I laid my head across her stomach. “I enjoy anal.”
“Like up the butt? You enjoy that kind of sex?” she asked tentatively, glancing at my cock.
“It’s actually quite pleasurable for both.”
She shook her head. “Yeah, says the man with a huge cock. I almost had a heart attack when I first saw it, and you want to put that up my ass? You have lost your freaking mind.”
“Oh, sweet girl,” I said as I kissed the top of her head. I then rested my cheek on her breasts. It was comforting to hear her exhale and inhale.
“How old are you, Jasper?”
“Younger than your forty-three years.”
“How did you know I was over forty?”
“I believe Reese must have mentioned it in passing.”
“You still didn’t answer the age question,” she prompted.
“I’m twenty-nine. Does it bother you, Ms. Jones, that you’ve had your way with a much younger man?” I teased. My confession was followed by her pregnant pause.
“Oh, I knew you were younger, but I thought maybe five years, not fourteen. You must think I’m awfully naive for someone my age.”
I crawled up her body and stopped to kiss her mouth. “You are perfect the way you are. I’d be disappointed if you were as jaded as I am. Your innocence is what drew me to you. I find it immensely captivating.”
“I feel like a cradle robber.”
I let out a rather loud snort. “You look extremely youthful, and according to you, I appear in my midthirties. So I’d say we complement each other. I’m guessing your husband is older.”
“Yes. Almost fifty-five.”
My eyes grew dark and my demeanor angry as I forced Daisy to look at my face. “If he dares come near you, I surmise he will never see his next birthday.” Her body tensed as I said the words. “I will not allow anyone to hurt you. I will protect you at all costs.”
“I never meant to get you involved. I’m not even divorced yet, and I allowed this to happen. I swear I’m not the kind of woman who hops into bed with just anyone.”
“Well, technically, I jumped into your bed. It
doesn’t matter. You can’t stop fate, only detour the destined path. If there is judgment to make, I crossed that line our first night. I knew you were trouble the day we met. I just never realized how much. I have no idea where tonight leaves us or what your feelings are for me past the physical. Just know this, Daisy. You are mine, and I mean to keep you regardless of what I have to do.”
You are mine. Have I lost my mind? This woman has me all twisted. I give Reese daily lessons on how relationships are counterproductive, and here I am telling a woman she’s mine.
“Jasper, I won’t hold you to that bold statement. Your protection is enough. I don’t want you making promises you can’t keep. I knew who you were before I slept with you. I never expected more than just sex.”
“You have no idea who I really am. It entails more than a dark past—”
“It doesn’t matter. I still want you to sleep on it before you profess undying desire for me,” she said, taunting me with every word.
“Yes, agreed. This conversation is getting way too serious. Maybe we should dwell on other things. I’m all in for a shower,” I relayed, anxious to get off the current topic and my incessant diarrhea of the mouth.
“Can we use your shower?”
I’d never allowed anyone, including lovers, into my sanctuary. It served as a safe haven for when I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. As much as I was concerned with my solitude, I didn’t want to leave the comfort of the arms that held me.
“Look, I’m sorry for asking that. It’s just that when I did my little recon,” she professed, “the shower looked inviting, so I’m asking you to invite me.”
“You’d be the first. No one has ever been allowed.”
“Then I suppose I should be honored. I want you to be fulfilled. You know me and education. I love learning. So teach me.”
Chapter Nineteen
Daisy
The scariest part of my wish was Jasper granting it. The nightmare I had was long gone, replaced by what I had yearned for the most. It wasn’t just the sex, but having this man say I was his. Yeah, I knew he probably didn’t mean it. He was a man that never minced words, but I knew him well enough to know it probably was said in haste.
