by Beth Michele
My lips tilt up against her skin. “I have no intention of stopping.”
Until the elevator doors open and the sight of the penthouse sobers me right up. “What the… Jesus, Chaz,” I mutter, reluctantly pulling away from Lily and walking farther inside. He’s been here only half a day and it’s as if a storm has blown through. Beer bottles litter the coffee table, takeout containers sit empty on the kitchen island, and music booms from high volume speakers that hardly get any use. Already my place feels…lived in, and as much as I dislike his clothes hanging over the dining room chair and the monstrosity encasing his movie collection, it no longer looks like a museum.
“Wow. This place is so…big,” Lily finishes, as if that’s the only word she could summon. I suppose sterile and cold might be offensive, however true. “I like the tall windows,” she comments, as if pulling a scarf out of a magician’s hat, reaching for positivity.
There isn’t much to say.
That is, until Chaz enters the living room, shirtless.
“Hey, what’s up, bro—oh, we have company.”
“Yes, we do.” From the side, I see Lily moving her body to the rhythm.
“I love Adam Levine’s music,” she says, and my eyes rove, unable to look away from the sway of her hips.
“He’s the bomb-ass, isn’t he?”
My gaze snaps to Chaz. “The bomb-ass, Chaz? Really?”
“Yeah, she knows what I mean, and you might too if your head was in anything else besides The New York Times.” He pads across the room, still shirtless. “You must be Lily, right? I’m Chaz, Jace’s big brother.”
“Yes. Glad to meet you.” Lily reaches out to shake Chaz’s hand while simultaneously inflating his ego. “And yes, Adam Levine is the bomb.”
“Adam Levine.” That’s where my sentence begins and ends. Because if you want to know how the Dow plummeted 634 points, I’m your man. If you want to captivate a room with numbers and statistics, you come to me—but this conversation? I’m like a fish out of water.
With two words, Lily throws me back in. “Maroon 5.” She tosses me a sweet smile and I’m helpless to it, answering the question in my head and, in essence, saving me.
“Right. That’s right. Yeah, he’s good.” I try to sound cool.
Chaz laughs, the bastard. He’s laughing at me. “Ah, my brother. He’s funny, isn’t he?”
Lily nods, coming over to stand beside me. “He is,” she agrees, her tone void of mocking. I grin down at her and she knocks her shoulder against mine. Then she’s back to looking at Chaz, who is shirtless. “I saw them in concert at Madison Square Garden a few years ago. So amazing. By the way, I like your tattoo.” She stares at the lettering across his ribs and, while he’s explaining what it symbolizes, I’m jogging across the room to get him a shirt.
I throw it his way when I return. “Here you go.”
“This one’s dirty,” he says, bunching it in his hand.
“That’s nice.” I glare with amusement. “Put it on.”
“Fine, but you’re gonna have to tone that shit down since I’m staying here now.”
“What shit is that?” I ask, my brows taking a deep dive.
He runs a hand through his long, surfer-blond hair. “That bossy shit.” His lips pull up into a smirk. “It doesn’t work for me.”
“Good thing my sole aim in life is to please you,” I counter in a bored tone.
Lily laughs. “You are most definitely brothers.”
“That we are, Lily. That we are,” Chaz says. “And as much of a pain in the ass as he is, I wouldn’t trade him.”
“I’m the pain in the ass?”
“Only a mild one,” he says, and I chuckle. Just when I start to soften, he directs his gaze to Lily’s chest and my Tarzan instinct rears its ugly head. I’m about to interject my wrath when he saves himself. “I paint, therefore I am. I like that.”
“Thanks,” she responds, an abundance of pride stuffed into that one word.
“What do you paint?” he asks, finally sliding the shirt over his head.
“Mostly abstracts and landscapes, although I might be branching out a bit,” she explains with a lilt to her voice.
I glance over. “Really?”
“Yup,” is her only response, and I jot down a mental reminder to inquire about it. “So how about a tour?”
“Absolutely.” I offer her my arm and she links us together.
Chaz stares like he doesn’t recognize me, like I’m a foreign entity. To be fair, it makes sense. I don’t know that he’s ever seen me crazy about a woman. “Have fun, kids.”
As we steer past him and cross the living room, I pause. “Chaz,” I call over my shoulder. “Those beer bottles are empty, right?”
“Yeah.”
I jerk my chin toward the kitchen. “Empty things can be put in the recycling.”
He grins. “Yes, they can be.” Then he takes himself over to the sofa and makes himself comfortable.
My brother living here? This is going to be something else.
We’re barely out of earshot when he laugh-shouts, “Don’t forget to show her the shower.”
Lily glances at me as we stroll down the hall. “Your brother is interesting.”
“That’s one way to put it,” I retort, yanking her into the first room we pass, slamming the door then backing her up against it. Her purse tumbles to the floor as my body cages her in, hands on either side of her head—for the moment.
“I thought I was getting a tour,” she says, breathless with surprise.
“You are.” My lips curl up a bit. “This is my bedroom, and that ends our tour for today.”
She snorts. “Not much of a host, are you?”
“I don’t know about that,” I murmur, sliding a hand behind her neck and bringing her mouth closer to mine, kissing her once, twice. “You might get preferential treatment.” I angle her head, tonguing the shell of her ear. “I feel like I haven’t kissed you in days, touched you in weeks.” That isn’t the case, but it doesn’t matter. I’m starved for her, evident in my sharp intakes of breath, my nose against her skin. I sound like an animal, wild and untamed. “I need you, Lily. I need you so much.”
“I’m yours,” she breathes, folding her arms around my neck, nipping at my lower lip then soothing the sting with her tongue. That small bite has me pushing into her. I’ve been hard and ready since we stepped onto the elevator, since she told me she wanted to suck me off. I need something else right now, though: her sweet cunt against my lips, the taste of her arousal as it slides down my throat. Only then will I sink deep inside her, bury myself beneath her skin.
My hands glide down to grip the undersides of her thighs, lifting until she wraps her legs around my waist. All the while she’s giving me her lips, her tongue, her heat. Her mouth is warm and delicious as I sample every corner, nothing to mask her unique flavor.
Distracted by her taste and the feel of her in my arms, I attempt to navigate toward the bed but come up short. My back hits the corner of the mattress and we tumble to the carpet, Lily on top of me. A minute later, Chaz raps on the door.
“You guys okay in there? Nobody’s dead, right?”
“Go away, Chaz,” I shout through a deep rumble of laughter. Lily is practically snorting into my neck, and when she sits up, tears are streaming down her cheeks.
“We are completely out of the running for any sort of porn, you realize that, right?” She collapses against my chest, unable to control her amusement.
“I don’t know. I think my cock is porn-worthy,” I spout, attempting to sound serious but failing miserably.
She braces her hands on the carpet to push herself up. “I can’t say with any clarity.” Her laughter trails off, eyes lowering to the obvious bulge in my jeans. She rolls her hips and my dick rejoices. “I haven’t had enough interaction to be sure.”
I place my hands on either side of her waist. “I’m pretty certain I can put any doubts you might have to rest. But first I want you to do s
omething for me.”
“Yes?”
“Take off your shirt,” I demand, going straight for what I want. “And let your hair down.”
“So bossy, Mr. Harlow.”
“Only when I want something, Miss Conrad.” She hesitates as if to challenge me, but I decide it’s time for a little reminder. ‘“All things sexual’—that ring any bells?”
Her attempt at a stern response falls short. “Playing dirty, are you?”
“Always.”
The last thing I see are those sultry green eyes before she lifts her shirt up and away, breasts I dream about spilling over cups of black lace, nipples peeking through sheer fabric, begging to be sucked.
“The bra, too.”
Lily tips her head, a Cheshire grin on her lips as she does what I ask. The straps slide down her arms and I swallow roughly, because this woman appeals to me on so many levels. She pulls the band from her hair, freeing all those dark, luscious waves, and I’m done for.
“Jesus, Lily. You are so fucking pretty…all that porcelain skin, those pert nipples. The things I dream about doing to you…”
A blush rises high on her cheekbones. Lily Conrad is a conundrum. Here she is, full breasts exposed, gaze teasing and wanton, and yet she’s blushing—and I’m turned on. I’m fucking mad with it.
I remove one hand from her waist and wiggle a finger. “C’mere.”
She drops an arm to the carpet and lowers herself. Every inch brings her floral scent wafting under my nose, her hard nipples within reach of my desperate lips. When she’s close enough, I squeeze her breast and close my mouth around the hard tip. Swirl my tongue to the sound of her moans, to the feel of her grinding shamelessly against my growing erection.
“Jace, Jace, Jace…”
She can’t stop whimpering my name, and I can’t stop loving the way it sounds coming from her lips. “Sweetheart,” I mumble against her softness, leaving one nipple to pleasure the other, using teeth and tongue to torment the sensitive skin.
“You’re going to make me—”
She cries out her pleasure in short pants, limbs trembling, the heat of her core somehow reaching my groin. Beneath all that heavy denim, I know she’s soaked. It drives me, the thought of her wet and spread open, and I release her nipple.
“I want you on your back,” is the only warning I give before flipping us over. She doesn’t protest, still coming down from her orgasm as I slide off her sneakers. Still quiet as I unzip her jeans and peel them from her legs, taking a second to admire the black lace panties before I dispose of them as well.
Without me having to ask, she opens herself up. “Wider,” I demand, my eyes on her sex, watching her become more swollen with every command. “I can smell you,” I rasp, voice heavy with a lust I can’t control.
Then I dive in, head first, my face pressed against her, eating her out like the starved man that I am. Like her pussy holds all the secrets to the universe, and I intend to uncover every last one.
I spread her pink lips apart, tonguing her slick seam. Over and over, flicking at the swollen bud and licking into her until she’s thrusting against my face, until my lips, cheeks, and chin are all covered in her. My fingers hover at the edge of her entrance before pushing inside, curling deep to reach that sensitive spot and propelling her to buck against my hand.
“I can’t…too much—”
“You can,” I coax. A fierce desperation drives me and I speed up the rhythm of my tongue and fingers, wanting to drain every ounce of pleasure from her body.
“Oh, oh…”
“Yes, sweetheart, I want it all. Let go.”
The pad of my thumb against her clit is all it takes to push her over the edge. Dark eyelashes flutter against flushed skin, lips open on the softest moan. Her legs shudder as she releases into my mouth, and I keep going, drinking from her sweetness until her breathing slows and her body quiets. Once I know she’s sated, I rid myself of all obstructions, including the jeans and boxers holding back my massive erection. Her eyes stretch wide at the sight of my thickness, at the dark veins running along the length.
“Do you want this, Lily?”
“Yes, please,” she utters with such relief and the ghost of a sexy smile. “I thought you were trying to deprive me.”
“Never.” I reach into the nightstand to retrieve a condom. “There will be no depriving you of anything.” Then I take my cock in hand and give it a couple of tugs. “Certainly not this.”
My words come out teasing, but there’s nothing playful about the feeling gnawing at my chest. I’d give her the world if she’d only ask—but she won’t, because that’s not who she is. This, though… She seems to trust me with her body, and I wonder if she’d ever trust me with her heart.
“Jace, please.”
Her soft words focus me. Once I’ve rolled the condom onto my painful length, I fall to my knees and position myself at her entrance, soaking the latex-covered tip in her wetness before pushing inside her tight walls. She feels incredible. Slow, I tell myself. I need to go slow. Between her musk scenting the air, that sensual body spread out before me, and her taste all over my tongue, this might be over before it begins.
I exhale a jagged breath as I fill every inch of her, long, measured strokes that take me deep inside her core. Christ, if she isn’t the best thing I’ve ever felt in my entire life. “You okay?” My words are choppy, broken up by heavy breathing and the pistoning of my hips.
She nods, glazed-over eyes dropping to our connection, to my thick arousal as it slides in and out of her delicate flesh. I’m already holding on by the thinnest of threads, but hearing her breathy pants, seeing her peaked nipples, I’m a live wire ready to snap. “Fuck, Lily. Being inside you is—”
“I know,” she murmurs, glancing up at me in wonder. Something passes between us, but before I can identify it, it’s gone, leaving me with the strange need to rub at my chest. “Fuck me,” she moans, a perfect diversion that takes us further away from the moment. She brings her knees up and I anchor my hands under her thighs, angling my hips and pumping into her at a steady pace. Sweat pools along ridges of muscle, the slapping of our skin punctuating the silence. High above her like this, I have no choice but to look at her, and her at me. It’s more intimate somehow, and I wonder what she sees.
“I’m so deep, sweetheart. Fuck…”
And I’m close—too damn close—but I need her to go first.
“So…good…” she moans, and I remove my hand from her leg, finding her sensitive pink bud and tracing circles with my thumb. Within seconds, she’s clenching around me and whimpering my name, spasms of pleasure racking her body.
I thrust once, twice more, the pressure building in my groin and twisting at the base of my spine. On a loud groan, my balls draw up tight and my orgasm spills into her as I continue to fuck through it. When I have nothing left, I cover her body with mine, worshipping her lips with soft, tender kisses. She smiles against my mouth.
“That was pretty wow, like fireworks wow.”
“I think you’re pretty wow,” I pant back, and she laughs the compliment off, showing me she doesn’t know what the hell to do with it, but that’s okay. I’m willing to give her an out—for now. “Rethinking the porn comment, are you?”
A cute little snort. “Absolutely,” she says, wiggling underneath me. “We’re kinda sticky, huh?”
I brush my lips under her jaw. “I happen to like sticky.” A kiss to her neck. “And wet.” Another kiss. “And slippery, for that matter.”
She glides her finger across my cheek. “I don’t have any complaints.”
“Good.” I kiss the tip of her nose before rolling off of her and disposing of the condom. “I have an idea, and it involves a shower.”
“The shower?” she says, leaning up on her elbows, disheveled waves framing her face and making her look sexier than ever. My phone buzzes from inside my jeans and I lift them off the floor to fish it out.
“Hold please.”
Wi
th her watching me, rosy-cheeked and freshly fucked, it’s nearly impossible to focus on the long string of emails Ron sent me…until I see the subject matter and urgency, which make me realize I’ve been a little distracted—more than a little.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to join you.” I look up, tapping the phone against my palm. “I’ve got to take care of a few things in the office.”
She wrinkles her nose. “You’re going back to the office again…on a Saturday?”
“No rest for the billionaire,” I joke with the airy confidence of a man who knows he can make his woman laugh, my chest filling when she does. “I’m only going across the hall, though,” I add. “Home office.”
Lily appears thoughtful. “I’m so glad I negotiated with Alec when I started this job, so that, with two of us supporting him, weekends were mine.” Her shrug is carefree. “He wasn’t thrilled, but that was the only way I would’ve taken the job, and he knew it.”
“Not surprising in the least.” I wink. “And good for you for standing your ground.” I glance toward the door, hesitating. The last thing I want to do is leave her right now, especially after what we just shared. I reach down and offer my hand to help her up. “I won’t be long.” Then I cup her cheek, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. “You’ll find everything you need in the bathroom.”
“Everything except you.” She sends me a flirty smile, sauntering away and taking with her the scent, the body, and the woman I can’t get enough of.
The bathroom door closes and I groan, happy she can’t hear my heightened level of frustration. I focus back on my phone, scrolling through Ron’s emails more thoroughly before throwing on a clean shirt and a pair of lounge pants.
Somehow I bump right into Chaz on the other side of the door. Five thousand square feet of living space and yet here he is. Not only that, he’s holding a full plate of lasagna—the lasagna I intended to eat.
“Well, well. He emerges.” Chaz shovels a forkful into his mouth, talking around it. “Weren’t you wearing…” He tries to wiggle his brows. “Something else before?”
“I’m glad you’re getting so much enjoyment out of this.”
“You got to cut me some slack here, bro,” he says, drumming his fork against the plate. “I’m not used to seeing you like this.”
