by Ally Decker
"I can buy my own—" Tara started before the rest of the words truly registered, but Jeremy shook his head, tightening his grip for a second.
"I know you can. But I can, too, and I want to. It's about seeing you and when I can't come to you, I want to be able to see you anyway, whenever we want." He leaned in for a quick kiss. "I'm not suggesting I'll pay for everything. Let me handle the travel, though, please."
Tara looked at him for a long moment, only now realizing what he said. He had a plan, one that could actually work and that didn't take her away from her entire life. Quite the opposite, really. He was going to be the one staying in New York when he could. The least she could do was travel to him when he couldn't.
She smiled and put her hands on the both sides of his neck. If they were trembling a bit, they both pretended not to notice.
Time to jump, she told herself, staring into the same blue eyes she'd instantly fallen for last year.
"Fine," she told him. "Thank you."
His smile blossomed at that and he pulled her against his chest. "Sweetheart," he said in a low voice, "it's my pleasure."
"Hopefully not just yours."
She chuckled at her own joke, and then started to laugh, overwhelmed. She'd gotten drunk last night because she'd thought there was no way to get what she wanted, and she'd spent the week—hell, the last few months—thinking the camp was going to be the end of her relationship with Jeremy. And now they were planning their future and it actually seemed possible.
"What is it?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair.
"Nothing, I'm just—" She kissed him, unable to stop herself any longer. "I'm glad."
He grinned against her lips. "I'm glad, too. We'll make it work."
She knew there were still things to talk about, to consider, but right now she just wanted to focus on the fact that it was possible at all. They could rehash more of the whats and hows later on, now she wanted to focus on whys.
She pushed him towards the bed and followed him when he fell onto the mattress, bracketing his hips as she settled there. She ran her hands up his stomach and chest to his shoulders, and leaned into another kiss before pulling back and dragging the t-shirt off of him. That led them to undressing the rest of the way and a short while later they resumed their position naked. She rolled her hips, smiling as she could feel his growing erection between her legs.
"You want to ride me?" he asked, reaching out to brush hair from her face and then pull her close until he could push his tongue into her mouth, making it impossible for her to answer.
It was an obvious yes, anyway. They both knew it. She loved to do it like this, loved to look down and see him watching her. She could usually tell what he was feeling, too. She could read the heat in his eyes making them almost dark when he was focused on their pleasure and getting closer to coming, the laughter in the brightness of his gaze when they were joking, the lines smoothing out around his eyes when he was being careful and soft.
There was something new in his eyes now, or maybe it was like a combination of all the other looks, she wasn't sure. She loved it, though. When she was leaning close to him, her hair falling around their faces and sheltering them, it made her feel like they were the only ones who mattered. Like they had something special, something just for them, that no one else had access to.
She felt seen and understood, and cherished for who she was, and her hopeless heart couldn't help it anymore. She was ready to burst with all the emotions, so she tried to convey them in her kiss. She licked into his mouth and hoped it could tell him everything she wasn't ready to put into words.
And maybe he heard her, because he answered with his own ferocious kiss. It turned softer after a while as he ran his hands all over her body, stopping in places he knew were sensitive and driving all kinds of noises out of her.
They both sighed into the other's mouth when she took him inside her, slamming down hard until he was all the way in. The sensations made her shudder and she tightened around him, making him groan and grip her hips harder. She set up a hard, fast rhythm, since something inside her pushed her for more and faster, and deeper. She got lost in it, raking her hands over his chest as she threw her head back and just let herself feel him, inside her, under her, filling her to the fullest and still trying for more.
The orgasm slammed into her hard, and she gasped loudly, shaking as she fell forward onto Jeremy's chest when her muscles gave up on her. He kept fucking her, pushing his hips up once, twice, the third time, and then he came as well, with a breathed out curse on his lips.
Tara didn't want to move. She wouldn't, even if her muscles cooperated. Lying here like this, with Jeremy under her and running his hands lazily over her back and ass, was a perfect way to spend an eternity, as far as she was concerned.
After a while, they did have to move, but Jeremy simply rolled them onto their sides. He slipped out of her, which left her feeling empty until he distracted her by leaving soft kisses all over her face. Then he moved to her neck and licked and nipped at her skin until she pushed him away with a laugh.
He dropped his head onto the pillow and smiled at her, tracing small circles over her hip with his thumb. She smiled back, resting her hand over his chest, dragging her fingers lightly over the soft hair there.
Then her stomach rumbled loudly, making Jeremy shake with laughter and Tara hid her face in the pillow.
"Shut up," she mumbled.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, amusement still evident in his voice. He pressed a kiss to her head and sat up. "Breakfast for two, coming up."
He put the tray on the bed between them and she sat up, resting against the headboard. She realized she was starving, as she tended to be the morning after she drank more than advisable. It had just slipped her mind.
He refilled her coffee cup and poured one for himself before they dug into their pancakes. They ate in comfortable silence for a while, until Tara's gaze fell onto the suitcases in the corner.
"So," she started, not sure if she wanted to break the bubble, but she needed to know more about his plan. "When you said you can stay in New York for most of the next few months, what does that mean, exactly?"
Jeremy looked at her with a smile. "Well, I've made some initial inquiries into a short-term rental in hopes that our conversation would go well. Nothing is signed yet, but I have two or three that I liked. I would have to go back to LA tomorrow for a few days to pack and handle urgent things, but then I'm free to go. If I'm lucky, I'll be in New York next Monday, if not, perhaps next Friday. But no longer than that," he added, picking his coffee again. "After that, I haven't worked things out. Although I'd like to go see a certain Broadway show, so I think that leads us to another talk we should have."
Tara was still reeling from the fact that Jeremy would be in New York in about a week's time for an extended stay, so it took her a second to figure out what he meant.
Oh. Her heart sped up again.
"I don't want to hide anymore," he said, looking down at his cup before meeting her gaze. "I know it's not easy to be in the public eye, and I won't lie to you and say you'd be spared that for some reason. I try to be discreet and I value my privacy, but if they can get a photo of me with groceries, they will get a photo of us at some point, too."
She looked down at her lap. She didn't want her face to show up on the gossip sites or in the magazines. But she also didn't want to hide anymore, didn't want to pretend she wasn't as deep as she was. In the end, a few photos and some Internet trolls were a small price to pay for a real shot at a relationship with Jeremy.
"I don't like it, but I will deal," she told him. "I don't want to hide either, not from my friends and family, or yours." She offered him a small smile. "And I can get you in to see that show you've mentioned once or twice. I have my ways."
His shoulder sagged as she started talking, and he laughed at the end, leaning in for a light kiss. "I'm very interested in your ways," he said with a tease in his voice and she snorted
, shaking her head.
"Let's finish up and go do something, it's our last day."
He leaned in for another kiss. "Our last day here," he corrected her and they both grinned at the other.
Tara didn't even try to stop her heart from flipping over.
***
That night, they wanted to spend some time on the deck and hoped to get there before any other couple would, so they sneaked out early from the dinner and headed towards the lake. With everyone still eating, the deck was empty, so they walked up to the end of it, wooden planks creaking under them, and sat down at the edge.
It was dark, since the sun was long gone, and the stars were visible above them. The lanterns on the beach didn't reach the end of the deck, probably on purpose, so there could be a bit more privacy and a better view at the night sky. Whatever the reason, Tara was glad for it, since it wasn't often that she got to see the stars, especially so many of them.
She tried to recognize the few constellations she was vaguely familiar with, but she couldn't find more than the Northern Star and the Big Dipper. Jeremy did a little better and he showed her a few more, but after a while they fell silent, just admiring the view. Tara was leaning against his side and he had his arm over her back, and it felt like a perfect date. She smiled to herself. Could it count as their first date? Probably not, but she didn't care. It was the first one after she truly let herself believe that the two of them could work. Not as a one-night stand, not as a booty call or occasional hookup, but a real, committed couple.
She breathed in and out, inhaling the smell of the lake, the forest, and the man next to her. She let herself be happy.
EPILOGUE
A few months later
Jeremy turned from watching the crowd through the tinted window to see Tara doing the same on the other side of the backseat. Her eyebrows were raised and she was gripping her fingers on her lap tight enough to whiten her knuckles.
He reached out and covered her hands with his.
"It's not that scary," he told her, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.
She turned to him. "For you, maybe. You've been to a hundred of those."
"Slight exaggeration," he said with a quirked smile, but it was enough for her to stop torturing her fingers and put her hand in his. He pulled it up to his lips to drop a kiss on her knuckles. "You're going to be fine. I'll be with you every step of the way and I'll only stop to talk to the reporters I have to talk to."
"I'm more worried about them wanting to talk to me." She glanced towards the window and then quickly back to him.
"'I'm glad to be here', 'I can't wait to see the movie', 'Thank you, your dress is lovely, too', 'Jeremy's character is my favorite, of course', 'Jeremy's the smartest, the most beautiful man I have ever—"
"Okay, okay," she cut him off with a laugh. "I get it. Be excited about the movie, be excited about you, and don't make an inappropriate jokes when asked whom I'm wearing."
"Oh, you can make jokes, just don't look at them like they're the scum of the earth."
"It's a stupid question."
"I know, sweetheart, I know."
The driver let them know they were two cars out from the entrance, and Jeremy checked his tie to make sure it was fine. At least Tara's irritation towards the press brought her out of focusing on her nerves.
He turned to her and gave her a premiere-ready smile. "Come on, it will be fine."
She rolled her eyes at him but nodded. She rubbed her lips together when the car paused.
"I'll be right there," he said, dropping a kiss to her cheek and leaving the car to the cacophony of noise. People were screaming, cameras were flashing, and the ushers were trying to direct him without seeming like they were ordering him around. He waved to the fans on the other side of the street, but didn't walk up to them, eager to get around the car and get to Tara.
He reached the door on her side and the driver opened them at his nod.
Jeremy leaned in and offered her his hand. "Here we go, come on," he encouraged quietly and she sent him a look that promised revenge later on, but the moment she exited the car, she was all smiles. God, I love you, he thought, dropping a kiss on her hand without thinking.
Her smile softened when she looked at him, and she let herself be led through the red carpet. There was no trace of her earlier nerves now, as they worked their way through, pausing for a few interviews and greeting a few cast members they bumped into on the press line. She maintained her smile throughout the whole thing, but it never felt overtly fake, which was impressive. She answered the typical questions easily, thankfully avoiding the dreaded dress questions. She was pleasantly surprised twice, when the reporter asked about her Broadway show and the popularity of it, and she answered readily before turning the whole thing back to Jeremy and the movie.
She acted like she'd been doing this for years, and he didn't understand why she'd been so scared.
"I'm taking you to every premiere now, no take backs," he murmured to her as they finally made it inside the movie theater.
"Well, you've got one out of two right," she told him with a smile he didn't know how to read.
"One of—" No take backs. "Oh." He grinned and saw her answering him in kind. "Good. I agree."
No take backs indeed.
###
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ABOUT ALLY
I'm a writer who fell in love with New York City…
So now I write books about love in New York City.
(most of the time)
Sign up for my newsletter to get info about new books, special offers, and other cool stuff:
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You can also find me on my website: www.allydecker.com
ALLY'S OTHER BOOKS
New York City Fixers
In the Spotlight (prequel)
By Your Rules
By Your Side
By Your Heart
Books in Camp Firefly Falls universe
Falling For the Best Man
Sleeping With the Movie Star
Copyright 2018 Ally Decker
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All person(s) depicted on the cover are model(s) used for illustrative purposes only.
***
Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features mentioned are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement in using any of these terms.
Queen of His Daydreams
(Camp Firefly Falls #23)
By Lisa Hughey
Thursday night
You can never go back. But why would anyone want to?
Raul Ramos Jr., RJ, to his friends and business associates, headed toward the last place he wanted to be. Camp Firefly Falls, the former summer camp for kids turned summer camp for adults, was not the venue he'd had in mind for this year's company-wide meetings to discuss and plan the future.
For running his first corporate retreat as CEO of Ramos Classic Auto Restoration, he'd wanted someplace more businesslike and with a more serious atmosphere. Something that conveyed gravitas and importance and seriousness.
He wanted to make an impression on the employees. Many had known him since he was a kid. And now he was in charge. After a couple of very public and costly missteps, he needed to prove that he was worthy of the job his cousin had given to him. Gaining his employees' respect was his number one goal for the weekend.
But he also had to accommodate his cousin and his sister, so here he was. Improvise, Adapt, Overcome. He'd done followed his motto. Reluctan
tly. So here he was.
RJ was personally managing the weekend. As the Pinecone Lodge came into view, his brain stumbled again.
Because, of course, his mind went back to last year, when they'd combined their retreat with another company to assess how Ramos CAR and London Automotive employees would work together and whether a merger between the two companies made sense.
It hadn't gone well. It wasn't that he hadn't had fun last summer—his heart jerked a little at the memories of the extremely good time he'd had with Sherry…something or other, an employee of London Automotive.
RJ had begun the afternoon trying to keep her busy and away from his wealthy cousin, and ended it very inappropriately in her bed.
But that was back when he'd had a few lapses in judgement and a hell of a lot more confidence. He'd been cocky, yes. Secure in his appeal and down to have a good time, even if his choice of partner had been somewhat improper. That might have even made it a bit more fun. A bit more exciting.
At least back then he'd known why a woman was coming on to him. He'd been young. Athletic. Fun.
He was still young and athletic, but he could no longer vouch for fun.
Unfortunately, these days he pretty much assumed there was an ulterior motive behind any female interest in him. And it sucked.
He'd lost his mojo.
The only women he trusted at this point were his mother, and his sister, Zinnia, who was a freaking pain in his ass.
His sister had pushed hard for the retreat to be here. He had a hard time saying no to her. So had Diego. So here they were, arriving at Camp Firefly Falls the night before the retreat started.
