by Dani Wade
With a quick sweep of her gaze, she took in the dim bedroom with dark furniture and smoky walls before Royce arranged her on the comforter on her knees, facing him as he stood beside the bed. The soft moonlight from the bedroom windows revealed his outline, but the details of his expression were now lost to her. Once more he traced the edges of the clothes she had left before slipping his hands beneath the silk of her panties to cup her rear.
His touch was firm, with just enough concession to her softness. Pulling her close, he rubbed his fully clothed body against her. The fact that he was covered while she was practically naked left her feeling decadent. The pressure of his erection excited her. Her body went wet in anticipation.
Again, that firm grip guided her down until she lay on the bed. His mouth devoured hers, teeth nipping her lips, tongue delving inside to stroke against hers.
She lost herself in the sensations.
Then, somehow, his mouth was sucking at her naked breast, pulling cries from her straining lungs. He worked one nipple, then the other until they were tight and hard. Electrical pulses streaked through her. She lifted her pelvis against him, more than ready for some relief from the driving urges inside her body.
Deftly, Royce rose to his knees. His dress shirt was gone in seconds. He opened his pants to reveal the very thing she needed in this moment. He put on protection quickly, efficiently. Then, with a snap of his wrist, he broke through her panties. All barriers were gone. Finally his body covered hers.
She could feel the rub of his suit pants against the insides of her thighs as his body searched for her opening. His fingers spread her wide, coating her with her own moisture to ease the way. Then they teased her, drawing out her cries of desperation.
Not soon enough, he entered her. She struggled for a moment to accommodate him. The pressure was exquisite. One lift of her hips and he slid inside.
There was no more waiting, no more savoring. They were both too desperate.
She clutched at his ribs as he pistoned into her, demanding her response. Indulging his own. Her cries mingled with his groans in the darkness.
All too soon, she needed more. Needed his utmost. She dug her nails into his buttocks, urging him to give her everything.
Then the exquisite pressure burst. The world turned white in a shower of stars. But the best part of it all was knowing that he followed her.
Twelve
Royce woke to movement on the other side of the bed. He opened his eyes. Though there weren’t any lights on, he could see Jasmine walk around the end of the bed and out the door to the hallway. It was 1:30 a.m.
The normal debate he’d expect to have with himself never occurred. He simply acknowledged that he had no desire for Jasmine to leave. Getting up, he took a few seconds to pull on a pair of boxers—more for her comfort than his. Then he followed her to the living room.
He located her in one corner near the window by the light of her phone. She seemed to be reading from the screen. As he got closer, he could see that she’d pulled on her slip. Just the thought of that silky material over her naked skin sent him spinning.
Now he knew how someone could become addicted after just one hit.
“Everything okay?” he asked softly, hoping not to scare her.
She only jumped a little. Then she shook her head. “Yeah. I was just checking in.”
The silence hung between them for a minute, but for Royce it wasn’t the usual awkwardness that came with this situation. Though he could honestly say he’d never been in this situation before. He’d never fallen asleep next to any of the few women he’d bothered to let distract him enough from work to get to sex. Now he couldn’t think of anything he wanted more than for Jasmine to spend the rest of the night.
That should have had him freaking out, but he wasn’t going to analyze why it didn’t.
“Need to go?” he finally asked.
Jasmine hesitated. If he’d been in her situation, he would have, too. Honestly, there was no way she could possibly imagine him wanting her to stay. After all, look at his past behavior.
Covering the few steps left between them, Royce let his body act on instinct. He reached out and cupped the cool skin of her upper arms. Then he rubbed up and down, aiming to warm her. But also to fulfill his own craving to simply touch her.
She stared up at him in the dark. Beneath his touch she shivered, then she shook her head.
For him, the answer was simple. “Then come back to bed.”
When they got back to the bed, that first touch of skin on skin exhilarated him. He rolled over her, covering her cool body with his warmth. Savoring the gasp of air that signaled her surrender.
Royce moaned against her neck, opening his mouth to feel her pulse against his tongue. Her taste was unique, almost floral, but sweet, too. His body responded by hardening, and he reached for her. Holy smokes.
“You are like a gourmet meal for me alone.”
Jasmine arched against him. He breathed her in, nipping her ear and burying his hands in her hair. This time he savored her touch, too. The feel of her palms grazing down his sides. The light scrape of her nails across his ass. The softness of her lips beneath his.
Her legs slid apart, making a home for him between them. He rubbed himself against her most sensitive spot, wanting to shout because she was so wet for him.
Lifting himself a little, he regretted the space he had to create, if only for a moment. Quickly he covered himself with a condom, then worked his way inside of her. So tight. Incredibly hot. There was no way he could wait.
He was overcome with an instinct to imprint her with his scent, his touch, in case she ever thought she could walk away. Where the possessive urges came from, he had no idea. They were unique to Jasmine. He couldn’t resist.
As he gave his first long, slow thrust, he rubbed his body up hers. Never had full body contact felt so good. He felt her slick skin, alert nipples, harsh breath. Most of all, the clasp of her around him.
He anchored his hands in her hair. Then he started to thrust in earnest. The strain in his thighs, the twist of his hips, didn’t seem to be enough. Her nimble legs encircled his hips, urging him to thrust harder. Faster.
He attuned his senses to her body’s responses. Not just her breath and the lift of her hips, but the subtle clutch of her muscles around his hardness. He nurtured every hint of ecstasy until she called his name in the darkness. They worked together until Royce thought his heart would explode. But he couldn’t let go until she did.
Shifting his angle, he ground against the soft cushion of her mound with his pelvis. Her breath caught. Her neck arched. Her hold on him tightened. Then there was the extra force that threw her over the edge.
Her incredible cries filled his ears as her body clamped down hard and milked him dry. There was no denying the demand for him to join her.
Now or ever again.
* * *
“I haven’t seen you in three days,” Royce pointed out. With some men, the reminder would have been a whine. With him, it was a simple logical statement. Until he got to the question. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
In this instance, the complications were all on Jasmine’s side. Not Royce’s. Most men would have been trying to find ways to keep a woman at arm’s length. Not this time.
Much to her surprise.
She wanted to sigh as she glanced over the planner on the desk before her. She wished it wasn’t overflowing with Willow’s classes, Ivy’s job and blocks of time that she really needed a sitter for Rosie. Facts were facts. She should have known life would interfere with the blissful two weeks she’d spent exploring the incredibly sensual side of Royce Brazier—but she couldn’t keep business and her personal life separate forever.
She’d never been good at juggling.
But business wasn’t even t
he right word. What she and Royce were doing in the luxurious bedroom of his penthouse had nothing to do with business. Still, she was doing her best to keep him and her family far away from each other. Royce had made it clear he wasn’t in the market for a family. She was a single woman with a small child. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was daddy hunting.
For a man like him, the title of daddy would never be an option.
“I just can’t get away tonight.” The planner clearly showed that Willow had a night class to teach. And Ivy had called to say she would probably be working late that night. Auntie was recovering nicely, but her abilities and stamina with a small child were limited. This left Jasmine between a rock and...well, a very lonely, needy place.
Royce hesitated for only a moment. “Would your family object to me dropping by?”
“Why would you?”
Silence greeted her unexpected question, but only for a moment. Just long enough for her to feel mortified.
“Believe it or not, Jasmine,” Royce said, without any of the angry heat she would have expected, “I do enjoy more about you than just the sex.”
Jasmine almost choked.
“And they have met me before,” he reminded her.
Not as a potential suitor. At least, in her eyes. This visit just might confirm what her family was expecting...except Jasmine knew her liaison with Royce could never live up to the romantic fantasy they would build in their minds.
When she finally answered, her voice sounded small. “It just didn’t occur to me you would want to come by.”
“Jasmine.” His voice deepened, almost a reflection of the turmoil rumbling around inside of her. “I’m finding, to my surprise, that I’ll take you any way I can get you.”
Royce always was one to tell the truth, whether the other person wanted to hear it or not. The sheer enormity of his confession shut her up quick. They agreed on a time for him to drop by.
The bewilderment and need in his voice were still eliciting tremors later that evening as she waited for him to arrive. Mostly because they echoed her own feelings.
She found her attachment to Royce too close for comfort. Her craving for him only grew each time they were together. She wanted to bounce ideas off him at odd times. She even wished she could spar with him on occasion. Talking to him. Cooking with him. Making love with him. He never failed to stimulate her in some way—in all the ways that mattered.
But he wasn’t a family man—had no desire to ever be one. So her need for him to be more than he could offer scared her more than anything.
Her hands still shook as she opened the door that evening. It should have been a scene from a romantic movie—a handsome man on her doorstep with blooming trees filling the background behind him as the sun set. Instead, it could have been the boogeyman at her door, if her feelings of trepidation were to be believed.
“Hey,” she greeted him, her voice hushed.
“Hey, yourself.” He matched his tone to hers as he glanced behind her. “Are we having a secret liaison on your doorstep or is there something I need to know?”
That would have been funny if she hadn’t actually been keeping her family in the dark as much as possible since that night two weeks ago. Still, she tried for an amused grin, ignoring her nerves.
“No. Auntie and Rosie fell asleep.”
Letting him in, she gestured toward the entrance to the family room, where Auntie could be seen lying propped up with lots of pillows on the couch. Rosie reclined against her, pacifier in place, blanket snuggled close. There was a cartoon on the TV turned to a low volume.
“They were watching television together. But Rosie seems to have caught Auntie’s tendency to take cat naps now that she’s having to rest her leg so much.”
Royce studied the sleeping pair, though Jasmine couldn’t read his expression. “She looks peaceful.”
She assumed he meant Rosie. “She’s a good baby. I’m very, very lucky.”
He turned back. “So am I, hopefully.”
Jasmine raised an eyebrow. “Trust me. There’s not enough time for sex.”
Royce quickly smothered a laugh. “I guessed that much. But is a proper hello too much to ask for?”
Jasmine’s cheeks burned. Shame on her for accusing him of only having sex on the brain.
Leading the way to the kitchen at the back of the house, she busied herself putting coffee on to perk. Anything to give her blush a chance to subside. She’d learned that Royce was an avid coffee drinker. Caffeine didn’t seem to faze him. He drank it at all hours of the day—not that he slept much, anyway.
Only after the task had distracted her from her embarrassment did she cross the room and kiss him. It was a little more than a peck, but not much more before she pulled back. “How was your day?”
Dang it. Though she’d asked him that before, in this setting it took on a different connotation. More of a “How was your day, dear?” connotation.
“The Jeffersons have received my proposal.” He grimaced, staring off into space for a moment. That tiny frown between his brows when he focused on something was unexpectedly sexy. “I hope they find everything in order.”
“How can they not, with all the hard work you and your assistant put into this? And the masquerade will be fabulous. You’re definitely gonna be noticed.”
Even though she doubted he needed one, she gave him a hug. Her entire family were huggers. It served as greeting, comfort, reassurance, encouragement, celebration—like a language all its own. She and Ivy had talked at length about the difficulties of being a hugger in a business setting. It was a hard habit to shut off.
Finally, she leaned back to look at him. “Besides, I got good news today.”
“What’s that?” His voice had gone husky, warning her he was losing interest in business and moving on to far more interesting topics.
She couldn’t help but smile. As much as she knew she shouldn’t—she loved the effect she had on him. “I received an invite to the Sunday Salon yesterday. We attend on the fifteenth.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be there with bells on, as my mama used to say.” She couldn’t help but notice that, even though the words were right, his eyes were trained on her lips.
“That would make a memorable fashion statement,” she murmured, just before his lips found hers.
They’d just reached the gasping-and-fumbling-with-clothes stage when Jasmine heard a whimper from the other room. She stiffened.
Pulling back, Royce straightened his tie, then took a deep breath. “I’ll just fix myself a cup of coffee,” he said.
Leaving him to fend for himself, Jasmine rushed to the living room where Auntie was still snoring softly and Rosie was rubbing her eyes.
After picking the baby up and soothing her with a soft swaying motion for a moment, Jasmine headed back to the kitchen, not wanting to disturb the older woman’s rest. Auntie hadn’t slept well since her fall. Simply finding a comfortable way to sit or lie down could be a challenge on the bad days.
As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, Jasmine ran into another problem. Rosie stiffened a moment when she noticed the unidentified male in the room. But it didn’t bother her for long.
Jasmine was in the process of saying, “You remember Mr. Royce, don’t you?” when the little girl threw her whole body forward in a swan dive. Right in Royce’s direction. The move was so unexpected that Jasmine wasn’t able to get a good grasp. Rosie would have slipped from her arms if Royce hadn’t stepped forward and caught Rosie.
Jasmine didn’t know if it had been instinct for him, but it saved her daughter from what could have been a nasty tumble to the tile floor.
As soon as she’d caught her breath, Jasmine exclaimed, “Oh, goodness. I don’t know how that happened.” Her panicked mind replayed the child’s jump for Royce over an
d over.
“No problem,” he said, sounding far calmer than she felt. He immediately righted the baby and positioned her in his arms as if it were something he did on a daily basis.
All Jasmine could do was blink and breathe.
Rosie, the little stinker, ignored the drama she’d caused her mama and immediately began to babble at her captive audience. Royce’s colorful tie seemed to fascinate her. And Jasmine could swear the baby was actually flirting as she glanced up at Royce’s face and bestowed a big, gummy grin on him.
It might have been funny if it was anyone but Royce. The man who wanted nothing to do with family.
“Here. I’ll take her,” Jasmine offered with a step forward.
“It’s fine,” he assured her.
Unsure what else to do, she waved toward the table. “Have a seat.”
As he settled them in at the dining room table, Jasmine brought his forgotten coffee from the counter. She stood next to them for a moment, fascinated and embarrassed by her daughter’s animated behavior—and Royce’s ability to take it all in stride. When had this happened?
Before she could get a handle on the scene before her, Jasmine was mortified to hear her sister Ivy say from behind her, “Well, isn’t this the perfect picture of domesticity?”
Thirteen
This was not how Royce had planned to spend his evening. Very few men would complain about being surrounded by a roomful of beautiful Southern women, being served delicious home cooking—and Royce wasn’t going to be the one to start.
He’d simply planned to spend it with Jasmine. Alone. Preferably naked.
It took considerable self-control not to watch her every move with a hungry gaze, though baby Rosie’s attachment to him had dampened his ardor significantly, as had the avid speculation on the other women’s faces. He wasn’t sure what was up with the little squirt, but she’d apparently decided Royce was her one and only adult tonight. She wasn’t having it any other way. Any time Jasmine or her sisters tried to hold Rosie or move her away from him, big tears flooded her little eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
