As soon as the words were out of her mouth, he kissed her. His fingers wrapped in her hair as he angled her just the right way. Without hesitation, she opened her mouth for him, the tip of her tongue teasing his.
He groaned as his free hand tugged at the towel. Without removing her lips from his, Emma shifted so the offending material could be pulled from her body. But despite her best efforts, Jace broke off from the kiss to stare at her exposed flesh.
His palms ran down her sides, traced the curve of her breasts, the dip of her waist and came to a rest on her hips. “Just like my fantasies,” he breathed.
“Your cheerleader fantasies?”
He grinned and met her eyes with his. “In my fantasies of you.” Before she could trip over herself to try to match his level of smoothness, he said, “You’d have to be holding pom-poms for this to come close to my cheerleader fantasy.”
“And in this fantasy, do you happen to be fully clothed?”
“Nope.”
She pulled at the hem of his shirt. “Then maybe we should work on that.”
He lifted his arms as she worked the shirt off and then she was free to touch his bare skin as much as she wanted. He wasn’t the only one who was having fantasies come true. She ran the edge of her fingertips over his pecs and lower as they went over his abs, one by one.
Then she pressed her palm flat against his chest and pushed him until he lay flat on his back beneath her. Emma leaned forward and covered his mouth with hers. The slow banter they’d been sharing flew out the window as he kissed her back with a sudden urgency. His hands ran up and down her back, from her shoulder blades to her ass, as though he couldn’t get enough of her, before they came around to her front and cupped her breasts, thumbs running along her nipples and sending a tiny spark of electricity shooting through her.
Impulsively, she rubbed against him, the sensation of the denim against her clit completely alien and amazing. She moaned into his mouth as her hands found his and pulled them away from her breasts. She intertwined her fingers with his and pinned him to the bed as she kissed him harder.
He seemed content enough to let her have her fun, since she knew if he wanted to, he could have her on her back in a heartbeat. She kissed him to her content, alternating between soft and sweet and deep and fierce.
When she had her fill of his lips, she trailed kisses along his jaw, the slight stubble rough against her skin. His chest rose and fell beneath her as his breathing quickened. In order to move lower, Emma was forced to release his hands as she kissed his chest, taking a moment to let her teeth gently scrape over his small, hard nipples.
He stiffened beneath her and one of his hands tangled in her hair. Not moving her away, just as though to remind her that he could. Emma nipped at his other nipple and smiled to herself as he stiffened again.
“Minx,” he breathed out as she started to go lower again.
She softly laughed against his abs, laying another soft kiss right above the fly of his jeans. “I don’t hear you complaining.” Her fingers went to the button of the jeans and she met his eyes that stared intently down at her as she undid his pants. She gripped the top of the pants and his boxers and he lifted his hips as she pulled down.
“No complaints here.”
As his rock-hard erection sprang free, Emma caught her breath. Was she really doing this? It was as if she were a stranger to herself. The Emma she knew would never strip a man down as though he was an object for her pleasure.
But this new Emma was apparently fine with it. Maybe it was the city creeping into her bones. Maybe she was just trying to take what she wanted in a slightly more healthy way than Joslyn. No matter what was happening to her, Emma couldn’t deny the rush that came along with doing something new. She glanced back up over Jace’s now naked, beautiful body. Really, as far as experimenting with pushing boundaries went, Jace was the perfect guy to try out the new and improved Emma on.
As though he picked up her strange thoughts, Jace pushed up on his elbows. “Are you okay?” he asked gently.
As an answer, Emma smiled up at him, before she leaned forward and took his cock deep into her mouth.
“Sweet Jesus,” he breathed as he fell back.
Emma was emboldened by his obvious reaction and moved faster up and down his shaft. She wrapped her fingers around the base of his cock to pick up the slack where her mouth couldn’t reach and worked him over.
His hand found her hair again and he showed her the exact rhythm he wanted, hips bucking periodically beneath her. She could hear his breaths coming faster and faster and every once in a while a moan would escape. As she felt him come closer and closer to the edge, she couldn’t help but move even more frantically over him. Right when she thought she had him at the precipice of orgasm, Jace’s fingers tightened in her hair and he pulled her off his straining erection.
As soon as her mouth was clear from his cock, Jace shot up, hands grabbing her waist and picking her up as if she weighed nothing and he tossed her on her back. For a brief moment, Jace disappeared as he bent next to the bed and picked up his jeans. Was he getting dressed?
“Hey,” she protested as she braced herself on her elbows. “I was having fun down there.”
His actions started to make sense as he pulled out the small foil packet from his back pocket. “So was I.” He grinned. “Believe me.”
She started to smile, but when he slid the condom over his length, all she could think about was how much she wanted him inside her. As soon as the condom was on, he climbed up the bed, set a hand on each of her knees and pushed her thighs apart.
She bit her bottom lip as she parted for him. A strange mix of confidence and uncertainty floated in her stomach. But any doubts quickly fell as his hands moved up to her hips.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured as he bent forward, the tip of his erection right at her core, just brushing her clit.
She gasped at the unexpectedness of the sensation. “Jace,” she breathed.
He ran the head of his cock against the tiny bundle of nerves a few more times before he adjusted himself to line up with her entrance. Emma was about ready to lose it if he didn’t enter her soon and she moved her hips up to meet him, silently asking for more.
Jace groaned as she took him just the tiniest bit into her, and with one long thrust, slid the rest of the way home.
Emma gasped as pain and pleasure mingled together. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man and Jace was, well, endowed.
Jace paused above her. “Are you all right?”
Emma took a moment to answer as the need for more outweighed any discomfort she’d initially felt. She nodded. “More,” she moaned.
But before he moved, Jace kissed her again, angling his mouth to take complete possession of hers. Emma kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Only then did Jace thrust. Emma’s head fell back, breaking their kiss. She let her eyes close and focused on the sensation of his length hitting all the right spots. It felt as though his hands were everywhere, roaming along her sides and gripping her ass as he held her down, and his thrusts grew more intense.
But she wanted that intensity. He kept pushing her closer and closer to the edge. Each movement sent another spark of pleasure through her until finally the dam broke and wave after wave of intense heat washed over her.
But even then, Jace didn’t stop. His fingers bit even harder into her hips as he pounded into her, his own body tensing and going stockstill as his orgasm crashed into him.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Both just caught their breath and held onto each other. Emma didn’t even know what to say. Did he expect her to leave now? Should she grab the clothes he offered and make a break for it?
“Stop it,” muttered Jace as he pushed himself up and off her and padded to the bathroom.
Emma pulled the comforter over her as soon as he was gone. Apparently New Emma was perfectly fine with blowjobs, but when it came to being naked after sex, she was just as prudish as Old
Emma. “Stop what?” she asked.
“Thinking,” he said. She heard the water come on and figured he was washing up.
Stop thinking. She smiled to herself. Like that was going to happen any time soon. Maybe she should take the opportunity while he was out of the room to get dressed…
But then Jace was back and crawled into the bed beside her. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against him, her back to his front. His bicep was a decidedly uncomfortable pillow, but damn if the rest of him didn’t feel fantastic against her bare skin.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he whispered into her ear.
“I was going to do a walk of shame home.” She wiggled her hips against his.
He kissed along the side of her neck, taking a moment to nip at her earlobe. “Well, that is a shame. Because I’m nowhere near done with you.”
CHAPTER TEN
Emma rolled over and blinked a few times. Wow. It hadn’t all been a dream. She really was here with Jace.
The small, frosted windows up toward the ceiling of the basement bedroom let in the tiniest amount of light that bounced off the hard planes of Jace’s face. He didn’t have his normal stern expression that seemed to always mark his features. Well, not always. He’d been quick enough to laugh with her after she’d fallen through that stupid dock. And he’d been soft and playful and gentle in bed.
Emma felt the blood rush to her face as she remembered all the things she’d done with him the night before. Had she really just had no-strings attached sex with someone she barely knew? Not that Jace was a stranger. On some level, he seemed more dependable to her than people she’d known for years. And if it was no-strings attached, should she have left after the first round?
But if she’d left then, she would’ve missed the second and third rounds. Once again, heat filled her face. Maybe she should leave before he woke up. That way they could avoid any awkwardness and could go back to their professional relationship.
Unless he’d want to do it again. Emma was totally open to the idea of more mind-blowing sex, but she didn’t really know how these things worked. It wasn’t as if she wanted a relationship. She was headed back to Georgia in a few days and didn’t think Jace was the type to settle into the slow pace of Southern life. Though even Emma had to admit that the fast-moving city was rather seductive. She’d only been there a few days and already she felt as though she’d experienced more in New York than she had in years in Georgia.
So maybe sneaking out before there was any sort of “this was nice, please leave” conversation was best. Emma took one last long look at Jace, trying to etch his peaceful sleeping form into her mind. She slowly rolled back over and pushed the covers off her, but a steel band of an arm shot out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against Jace’s warm, hard body.
“You’re sneaking out,” he whispered in her ear. His breath tickled her neck.
Emma let out a tiny giggle. “Sneaking is a strong word.”
“Either way, you’re not allowed to leave.” Jace flipped her on her back and leaned over her. “We have a lot to get done today.”
She bit her lip and looked up at him. Her heart sped up in her chest as she considered all the different positions they could get things done in. “Like what?” she asked coyly.
He cocked his head and gave her a mischievous smile. “Not that,” he said, ruining her hopes and dreams. “I was thinking maybe we could stop by the jail and see if we could convince Joslyn to talk.”
That sounded much less fun than more sex. “What’s the point? She’s just going to be a brat and ignore me. The only difference between this and high school is that the prison guards will enforce her ignoring me.”
“Jail guards.”
She lightly tapped his bicep. “Smart ass,” she muttered as she stretched beneath him.
“Come on. This will be a lot easier than searching random places around the city.”
“I know, I know, I know.” Emma wiggled underneath him, surprised at how comfortable she was around him already. But it was hard to get embarrassed over nudity when he’d seen, touched, and kissed some of her most private areas.
And the fact that he was naked too helped.
“I need to go back to Luke’s. A change of clothes would be nice.”
Jace leaned in and laid a soft kiss on her lips. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you in my shirt all day.”
And the damn blush was back. What was she supposed to say to a compliment that sweet? And he sure as hell wasn’t acting as if this was a no-strings attached relationship. “Luke will be at work by now. I can sneak in, change, and be back in no time.”
Jace pushed off her and rolled into a sitting position. “We can get breakfast and then head to Luke’s together.” He handed her the t-shirt and sweatpants they’d left on the floor the night before.
“Didn’t you have a list of ‘Brians’ to go through? I’ll just grab a muffin upstairs when I head out. We don’t need to do breakfast.” It was great that Jace was so cool about all this, but she needed a few minutes to herself. She hadn’t been a relationship, strings attached or not, for years and needed to collect her thoughts.
Not to mention the idea that he wanted to talk to Joslyn today. That required a whole different degree of mental fortitude she wasn’t sure she had at the moment. Also, the whole idea of Jace being clingy felt off to her. Him being playful in bed was one thing, but practically begging her to spend the morning with him? That didn’t seem like the reserved security consultant she’d hired.
She slid into her clothes and grabbed her phone off the dresser while Jace pulled on a pair of jeans. “Phone’s dead. Wonder how many missed calls I have from Luke.”
“I probably have a charger.”
She shook her head. “No. On the off chance Luke is home and I tell him my phone’s dead and show up with a charged phone, he’ll call bullshit.” And this way she could get out of Jace’s apartment a bit quicker.
Jace held out a plastic bag. “Did you want your clothes from yesterday, or should I just toss them?”
Emma gingerly took the bag from him. “I’m sure it’s nothing a good dry cleaning can’t handle.” She gathered the rest of her things and crossed to the door. “Want to regroup around twelve?”
Jace moved to stand in front of her. “Sounds good. I can pick you up at your cousin’s.”
Emma looked up at him and couldn’t help but smile. Even if this morning wasn’t exactly what she expected, it made her happier than she’d like to admit that she’d be seeing Jace again within a few hours.
Jace reached behind her and pulled open the door. “I’ll at least get you a coffee.”
Emma bit her lip as she made her way up the stairs. This really was a new side of him. Even though there was a huge line of customers who waited for their drinks, Jace was able to discreetly tell his order to one of the baristas.
“Cutter,” she said under his breath to him.
“Well, I happen to have this client who’s paying me way too much at the moment, so they’re getting pretty generous tips,” he whispered as he set an arm around her waist.
A few minutes later, her light latte and some disgusting green drink was ready for them. Oh good Lord, she’d forgotten that Jace was a health nut. And then she remembered exactly how little she knew about the man she’d just spent the night with.
“I should be going.” She pulled away. “See you soon.”
“Let me know when your phone is back up,” he said as she headed out to the street. As she hailed a cab, she could feel his eyes on her. All through the ride back to Luke’s, she tried to shake off the disconcerting feeling that something was wrong. Emma ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back in the cracked interior of the cab. Maybe she was just reading too much into this. Of course Jace was being nice and super attentive. They’d just slept together. Nothing to worry about or suspect.
The cab pulled up to the building and Emma hopped out after she tipped the driver. As
she nodded at the doorman and made her way to the elevators, she pushed all her worry out of her mind. Even if Jace was clingy or acting strangely, he was allowed to. After this week, she’d probably never see him again. He’d made that clear last night and that worked perfectly for her. She’d just have to fit as much great sex into the next few days as possible, because she didn’t know whether it was thinkable to go her entire life without having a repeat of last night.
She smiled to herself as the elevator opened to Luke’s penthouse apartment. Emma didn’t know what had gotten into her, but she kind of liked this new, carefree version of herself.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Emma froze at the unexpected voice. Damn it. It was almost ten in the morning. What was Luke doing home? She slowly turned to face where he was spread out in the living room sitting on the sofa, the coffee table covered with various papers and his laptop. “I didn’t expect you to be here,” she said, avoiding his question.
“My cousin doesn’t come home and doesn’t answer any of my messages. You’re lucky I didn’t call the cops on you.” He pushed himself up to stand.
Emma shook her head and started for her room. “There you go again, thinking I need to get permission from you before I do things.”
Before she got far, Luke crossed to stand in front of her. “Hey. You’re my guest, okay? It’s my responsibility to—”
“To what? Make sure the city doesn’t swallow little old me whole? I can handle myself, Luke. I have been for years.”
“So I don’t deserve any explanation? It’s not like I’m locking you in your room, Emma. You’re family and I was worried about you.”
Emma took a deep breath and clenched her fists. As frustrating as Luke could be, he had a point. She was his guest and even if she had the right to stay out all night, she should’ve let him know she was okay. Even if he was going to totally judge her once she came clean. “You’re right. I do owe you an explanation. As you know, I’ve been looking into Joslyn’s life a bit. I hired a sort of private investigator to help me and last night I spent the night at his place.” There. Now he knew the truth and she could get on with her life.
Trusting The Boss Page 11
