I Know Better (By Your Side Series Book 1)

by A. P. Watson

  “I’m going to need you to explain.”

  I shifted nervously on the couch, my gaze dropping to the floor. This wasn’t the direction I expected our conversation to take. “Not all my customers were assholes. A few were really nice and actually attractive too.” As quickly as it disappeared, my confidence resurfaced from somewhere deep inside. “Sometimes when I was on stage, I felt like Salome recreating the Dance of the Seven Veils. Those men would stare at me like I was the most beautiful woman in the entire world, and I alone held the key to their happiness. Dancing could be just as liberating as it was subjugating.”

  “Lucky bastards.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been to clubs. Hell, I’ve had lap dances that made me so hard I could barely stand it, but watching you dance was something else entirely.” As his gaze locked onto mine once more, I watched his composure weaken. Licking his lips, he eliminated the space separating us. “Would you dance for me?”

  My heart seized at his question. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Repeat your question.”

  “Dance for me.” His words were meant as a command, but the tone of his voice sounded like a plea.

  “You don’t even have a pole.” I was incapable of refusing him, so I focused on the obvious instead. Without saying a word, he took my hand in his and led me to the guest bedroom. To my surprise, the bed had been replaced with a ten-foot pole. “What the hell?”

  “I bought it Monday after I watched you dance.”

  “I don’t even have the proper clothes.”

  “Here.” He handed me a pair of black shorts, matching lace top, and black heels that were just short of seven inches tall.

  What was going on? He asked me to come over because he wanted to talk. I’d assumed about us, but he hadn’t even mentioned our friendship agreement. David believed Jacks loved me. But it also took Jacks a very long time to trust people. I wanted more than friendship from him, but at least our current relationship came with explicit rules. The territory we were about to venture into was completely foreign to both of us. And once we crossed the one line defining our current situation, there would be no turning back. “Are you sure this is what you want?” I asked uncertainly.

  “Yes.”

  “Jacks, what are we doing?”

  “Change before I lose my nerve,” he begged.

  Incapable of denying his request, I dressed quickly. When I emerged from the bathroom, I looked like a sex bomb in stilettos. I knew as soon as the music started, I wouldn’t be able to stop. But I felt more exhilarated and excited than I did during all those nights I danced at The Peel. He dragged an armchair from the corner, positioning it in front of the pole. Taking a deep breath, I knelt on the floor next to the pole. This dance might very well break me.

  “What song did you have in mind?” Jackson didn’t reply, but after hearing the first few notes of “Talk Show Host,” my body’s reaction was instantaneous. I slithered across the floor slowly, swaying my ass in the air as he appraised me hungrily. Each movement I made was deliciously deliberate, and when my hips undulated in perfect time with the music, he leaned forward in his seat. Just like the other night, his focus remained fixated on me. Every turn and body roll had him riveted, and when I slowly slid into the splits, our eyes connected. Desire burned in the depths of his dark irises. His body called out to me, seemingly begging for my attention. Our eye contact didn’t break, even as I rolled from my knees, slowly standing in the opening between his legs. Rough hands grasped my hips, pulling me on top of his lap. I flipped my hair, grinding my hips against his crotch. “Tell me the truth,” I breathed. My back arched as I leaned away from him, the tips of my fingers toying with the edge of my top. “Why did you ask me to dance for you?”

  “Because when I watched you dance the other night, my mind was occupied by only one thought.” His hands made their way up my back, forcing me closer. “I was wishing I belonged to you. And at the same time, I hoped you felt the same way about me.”

  “Do you want to know?”

  “Yes.” His voice was barely audible, and yet it was teeming with need.

  “I’ve wanted you from the moment we met,” I whispered.

  His mouth broke into a mischievous grin, and I was instantly reminded of our first date. “Keep dancing.”

  I turned to lean my back against his chest, pressing my ass harder into his lap. His fingers dug into my thighs to press our bodies together. The pace of my heart increased with every second I was on top of him. “Like this?”

  “Just like that,” he breathed. I never stopped moving, even when he began planting kisses on my neck and shoulders. “Is this what you look like when you fuck?”

  “Do you want to find out?” I asked seductively.

  “Turn around,” he commanded, his voice husky.

  I obeyed his order, wrapping my legs around his waist to steady myself. As our gazes locked once again, I needed to know why he suddenly wanted to cross the boundary he was so adamant to erect between us. “Why do you want to touch me now?”

  “I’ve wanted to touch you from the first time we met.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I didn’t want to ruin this. What I have with you is perfect, and I don’t want to lose you.”

  I took his face in my hands, lightly rubbing his cheeks. “I’m not going anywhere, Jacks.”

  “From our first meeting, I’ve been completely taken with you. I wanted you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone, but I didn’t act on those feelings because I had to keep you in my life. I knew as soon as I slept with you, you’d leave. You needed a one-night stand. I couldn’t give that to you though because I wanted to be around you every night, not just one.” His fingers ran along the length of my spine. Our lips were just breaths away. When he kissed my jaw, I was done for. “I’ll give you whatever you want. If all you want is one night, then take it.”

  “All I want is you.”

  When his lips finally touched mine, I’d never felt anything so intense in my life. My fingers clawed at his shirt, frantically trying to unfasten the buttons. With his muscles on display for my viewing, the urge to taste him overwhelmed me. My mouth slid over the skin from his chest to his neck. The strings of my top were untied, and he pulled it over my head before tossing it to the floor. Unable to take his time with the panties, he ripped through the thin lace, leaving the remainder of my body exposed. “I swear, I could look at you all day.”

  Every second that passed without him inside me was torture. I tugged at the button on his slacks, pushing them down as he stood. My fingers became tangled in his hair in an attempt to pull him closer. His hands squeezed my ass in response, suspending me in midair. The frigid metal of the pole chilled my back as he pinned me against it. I felt like any minute now I was going to wake up from this dream. My closest friend was about to fuck me against a pole, and I was going to let it happen . . . I needed it to happen.

  “Jacks, if you don’t—” I began, the words dissipating before I could utter them. If I mentioned stopping, would he heed my suggestion?

  “I’m not stopping. I couldn’t even if I tried.” Anticipation mounted, surging through my veins until I couldn’t take any more. He slid two fingers inside me, gently twisting and stroking. “God, you’re dripping wet.”

  I pulled his hand from between my legs and to my mouth, licking his fingers clean. “I need to feel you.”

  He kissed me again, but this time his lips lingered against mine like he didn’t want it to end.

  “Look at me.” I found his gaze once more, staring into his eyes as if my life depended on it. When he thrust himself inside me, I thought my body was going to rip apart at the seams. My hands grasped the pole, lowering my back until it was parallel to the floor. Each time he pushed into me, metal pierced my shoulder. The simultaneous juxtaposition of pleasure and pain was intoxicating. Pressure increased in the pit of my stomach, our rhythm increasing with each thrust of his hi
ps.

  “Oh my God!” I cried out in ecstasy.

  I sucked in ragged breaths, my body suddenly needing and craving more. The feel of him inside of me was unlike anything I’d ever known. My back arched, my impending orgasm igniting every bit of my flesh.

  Just as I was about to find my release, he stopped. “I’m sorry, Wren.” His hands moved beneath my back, supporting my weight. A small part of my brain mocked me. It knew this was too good to be true.

  I tried to set my feet on the ground, but Jacks’s grasp prevented me. “It’s okay. I’ll just get my stuff and go,” I quickly said, embarrassed I even let things go this far.

  His brows drew together, confusion masking his features. “I don’t want you to go, that’s not why I stopped,” he gasped.

  “Then why did you?” I questioned, my voice nothing more than a breath.

  “Because I was about to come, and I couldn’t let our first time together end that fast.” With my legs still wrapped around his waist, he sidestepped the trail of clothes we had left and entered the hallway. He headed in the direction of his bedroom, his lips carving a path down the side of my neck. “Believe me, I’m never letting you go.”

  We collapsed on his bed, our bodies desperate to reunite. He hovered over me, wasting no time as he thrust himself into me. “Oh.” I moaned the word, the sound trailing from my lips as I dug my fingernails into the flesh of his back.

  “You feel so good,” he panted.

  “So, do you.”

  He increased our pace, pushing harder, faster. All my senses were overloaded by his presence. Our lips repeatedly met, moving together in perfect unison. All I could see, touch, taste, smell, and hear was him, and I didn’t want it any other way. Wanting to go deeper, he set my leg on top of his shoulder while he moved above me. I grabbed the heel of my shoe, stretching my leg down until it was even with my head.

  “I’m fucking you while you do the splits.” His mouth broke into a mischievous grin. “I’ve never seen anything so damn sexy in my life. I bet I could bend you into all sorts of positions.”

  I returned his smile. “Oh, you most definitely can.”

  Ecstasy radiated through my core from our steady cadence. Jacks lifted me higher every time he rocked his hips into mine.

  His tongue massaged the side of my neck, his teeth lightly nipping my skin. The effect was intoxicating, and I moaned as he did it again. “Are you close?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good.”

  Once again, pressure built between my legs. The wait for it to be unleashed was agonizing, and I screamed for more. Just when the feeling became too intense, I plummeted off the cliff. Waves of euphoria filled my body for what felt like hours, and the sensation of my orgasm consumed my entire being. Jacks pushed inside me one last time before finding his own release. He collapsed on top of me, our bodies completely spent.

  I took his face in my hands, gently pressing my lips to his. “How could you possibly think I’d just want one night of that?”

  “I have no idea. That was—”

  “Incredible?”

  “Yeah.” He stared at me, his eyes studying every feature of my face. “I’ve never felt—”

  “Me neither,” I said. He peppered kisses across my chest, his mouth lingering against my skin. “I just want you to know, I have absolutely no intentions of getting out of this bed for the whole weekend.”

  “Good, because I have no intentions of letting you leave.”

  Jacks pulled back the covers on his bed, burying us beneath the duvet. “Can I tell you something?” I asked, grabbing his arms to slide them around my waist.

  “Haven’t you learned by now that I’m completely at your disposal?”

  I glanced at him over my shoulder, a smile lighting up my face. “Do you want to know what my birthday wish was?”

  “Yes.”

  “I wished for you.”

  Fingertips danced along the length of my spine. My body curved into the touch, yearning for more. “And do you feel like your wish has come true?”

  “Yes. For the first time in as long as I can remember, things feel right.”

  “Same for me.” His fingers continued their path, rounding the side of my hip. “Are you hungry?”

  “Did you really just ask me that?”

  He laughed, his hand relinquishing its hold on my thigh. “I’ll warm up the takeout, and we can eat in bed.”

  “Okay. I’m going to take a quick shower.”

  “Fuck, if you’re getting in the shower, I am too,” he said, mischievously. I squealed as he scooped me off the bed, carrying me into the bathroom. After setting me on top of the counter by the sink, Jacks started the shower and allowed the water to heat up. My fingers combed through my hair to straighten out the mess, but the task proved impossible. “You’ve got some serious sex hair.”

  “I know.” I laughed, trying to untangle a few knots. “What the hell did you do to my hair?”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you complaining when we were messing it up.”

  “Baby, you will never hear me complain about what we were doing.” I laid the Southern accent on extra thick, knowing how much he enjoyed my sass.

  “Your accent kills me,” he groaned.

  “It does?”

  “You know it does.”

  “Little ol’ me?” I jumped off the counter, making my way to the enormous tiled shower. I curled my finger inward, motioning for him to follow me.

  “At this point, I’ve accepted the fact that you’ll be the end of me.”

  I stood beneath the steady stream of water. When he got close enough, I flung my arms around his neck and melted into him. “Don’t worry. You know I’ll always bring you back.”

  chapter eighteen

  midnight hours

  EATING TAKEOUT IN JACKS’S bed turned out to be heaven on Earth. We feasted on eggplant parmesan and chicken marsala while finishing the rest of the wine bottle we’d opened earlier. I pulled on one of his button-up shirts, nestling myself beneath the duvet. Jacks pulled me to him, and my head automatically moved to rest on his chest.

  “Are you working next weekend?” he asked.

  “No, why?”

  “Will you go somewhere with me?”

  “Of course,” I replied instantly. “Where?”

  “My boss is organizing a party to celebrate the finalization of the acquisition I’ve been working on. There will be dinner, dancing, and drinking.”

  “My three favorite things.”

  “I know big gatherings aren’t your thing, but Terayn and Ryan will be there too.”

  I laughed. My fingers lightly traced the grooves of his abdomen. “If you’re going to be there, then I want to be there.”

  “Really?”

  “Haven’t you realized by now that your charm worked on me? An hour ago, I was naked in your bed.”

  “Not everyone is as nice as you are.” He tipped my chin upward, drawing our mouths closer together.

  “Well, I suppose we can’t all live in the light.”

  “As long as I get to live in yours, that’s fine by me,” he breathed.

  I kissed his lips, sliding my hands up his chest to curl around his neck. His fingers unfastened the buttons on my shirt, easing the garment off my shoulders and causing my skin to become flush against his. Heat radiated from his flesh, enveloping every inch of mine. The ravenous blaze we’d surrendered to before subsided, leaving behind smoldering embers. All notions of urgency had been replaced by a slow and constant burn. Jacks took his time tracing every line of my body. The depths of his irises displayed a distinct and utter need.

  We didn’t speak because words seemed incapable of relaying what we wanted to say. I straddled his lap, my hands entwining themselves in his hair while he continued his appraisal of my form. His touch was unlike anything I’d ever known. There was a transcendental, almost spiritual nature to it as if he were worshipping my very existence. Incapable of resisting any longer, I bent fo
rward, pressing my mouth to his. From the first time we met, I dreamed of moments like this, but the reality proved even better than I imagined.

  My hips rocked back and forth, rolling me closer as we continued to kiss. Rough hands grasped my waist, flipping me onto my back. Jacks pushed inside me so slowly, I thought the agony of wanting him would never end. He pulled out again, only to slide inside at the same steady rhythm. Our pace never increased. It didn’t need to because I could already feel myself coming undone. This wasn’t the rush of lust, it was deeper than that. It was the need to know another person with every fiber of your being. A moan escaped my lips as he moved his own to the side of my neck. At that moment, we stopped being two entities. Instead, we were a singular being, moving in perfect synchronicity. And even though I’d never experienced anything this intense before, I could still recognize what Jacks was doing . . . he was making love to me.

  Each slow thrust pushed me higher. Pleasure practically hummed through my veins, the sensation consuming every ounce of recognition my brain still possessed. My fingers dug into his back, holding onto him as if my life depended on it.

  “Oh my God. Please, don’t stop,” I begged.

  “Are you—?” His breath warmed the side of my neck as he spoke.

  “Uh huh.”

  “What do you need me to do?” he asked.

  “Exactly what you’re doing.”

  “Okay.”

  Euphoria blossomed deep inside of me as the intensity grew each second, he continued. The feeling came slowly at first, rapidly building as I tumbled over the edge into an abyss of pure ecstasy. Jacks followed my lead, his entire body tensing as he succumbed to his release.

  Our breath came in quick gasps, and my lungs demanded air. Unable to help myself, I began to laugh.

  Instantly, Jacks propped himself up, hovering over me as he stared at my face. “You’re laughing?”

  “Obviously.”

  “At me?”

  My hands cradled his face, gently caressing the line of his jaw. “I’m laughing because that was the best I’ve ever felt in my entire life.”