Next Song I Sing (NEXT TIME AROUND)

by McDonald, Donna

  “Thank you. I’m incredibly grateful that you like me. Can I feed you now? Will you stay the night?” he asked.

  “Yes to the first. Let’s just see how the second one goes,” Chloe said.

  Jasper reached across Chloe’s body to grab the phone, hugging her close and leaning down to kiss the top of one breast as he did so. He smiled into her eyes as he asked the kitchen to send up another two dinners. No, nothing was wrong with the first ones, he assured them. They just had an emergency that had kept them from eating and now the food was cold.

  “Thank you,” he said finally, reaching across Chloe again to hang up the phone. “Hot meals will be delivered in thirty minutes. I think I’ll just stay right here until then.”

  “Are we not dressing for dinner?” Chloe asked on a giggle, reaching over to bite his lip because she was buzzing with heat for him again. She pulled back, surprised at her own level of lust, and felt a blush climbing her face. Fortunately Jasper didn’t even seem to notice how turned on she still was.

  “I have two sets of the same pajamas. I think they might fit you,” he offered.

  Chloe snorted and then gave in to laughter at his silliness. If the man was going to get offended, she would just have to deal with it when it happened. It was hard to remain on her best behavior with a man who offered her a pair of his pajamas.

  “Let me see if I understand this correctly. You want us to dress alike in matching pajamas? That’s really cute, Jasper. Do you do that sort of thing with women often?” she asked, snickering at the chagrin on his face.

  “No—never in my life,” Jasper answered, stroking Chloe’s hair, and her face, before running a caressing hand down her arm.

  He wanted to go exploring. Next time, he wanted to go very slowly over every inch of her, hold her on the edge until she was dying for release, and then make her scream—loudly. Very loudly. He even hoped someone called the front desk to complain.

  But he couldn’t really say that to Chloe, could he? No, she’d be offended. He’d have to content himself by just thinking it.

  “What I want is to keep you locked in my room and not share you at all for a week,” Jasper said with as much dignity as he could manage. “I realize that isn’t reasonable. But I don’t want you dressing in your own clothes for dinner because you might be tempted to leave. I figure if you’re wearing a pair of my pajamas, and I manage to get a second wind, I might just stand a chance of using one of those other condoms with you.”

  “Well, all you have to do is ask, Mr. Wade. I can be very inspiring when properly motivated. I could make you use the other two if I wanted tonight,” Chloe said on a laugh.

  He closed his eyes briefly and opened them again. “You’re still here. Good. That means I’m not dreaming. And you must really mean that statement because I can see the seriousness behind the teasing. I think I may be the luckiest man alive. I can never brag about it though because I’d have to kill my best friend.”

  Chloe giggled and for once didn’t chastise him over his comments about Sam. The happy look on his face was heating her up again. She needed a distraction to keep from inspiring him right now because thirty minutes was not going to be enough time for a replay. The edge was off, and she wanted more.

  “Can we eat the chocolate mousse while we’re waiting for dinner?” Chloe asked in a besieging tone, running her hands over his chest. A very nicely toned chest that did not for a moment give away his age, Chloe decided, appreciative of the effort Jasper had put out to keep himself in shape.

  Jasper pulled away from her slowly and slid from the bed. He rid himself of the condom while thoughts of using another had him twitching again. He tried without success to remember how long it had been since he’d had sex twice in one night, but he could only think of college. Surely it hadn’t been that long ago.

  Chloe smiled when she saw Jasper retrieve two sets of pajamas from a drawer. Laughing at the red plaid sets tied neatly with housekeeping ribbons, Chloe watched him slip a set on, feeling a bit sad that he was covering everything up. He was a fine looking man and the back looked as good as the front.

  “Are those silk?” Chloe asked, grinning at his nod and looking forward to using the silk to her advantage later.

  With several wicked thoughts flaming her face, Chloe slid to the edge of the bed and let Jasper amuse himself by helping her into a silken top, lingering over the buttons.

  “Mostly fits—the top two buttons won’t close,” he said, kneeling and slipping the bottoms over her feet while she giggled at him dressing her.

  They would have closed if she’d shifted her shoulders, Chloe thought, but she didn’t intend to button them if Jasper wanted them open.

  “Are you always this nice and polite?” Chloe asked.

  “No,” Jasper said, considering his answer carefully. “Polite is my default setting, but I truly want to be very nice to you. I’m competing with a bartender that I unfortunately know has more expertise with women than I do.”

  “Well thanks for letting me know that little tidbit about Sam,” Chloe said on a wicked laugh, putting a hand to Jasper’s face when his shocked expression shifted to her, making her laugh yet again. “I’m teasing and will stop immediately. Jasper, you don’t really have any competition. I’m sure Sam is nice, but he’s not you. I want you.”

  Jasper leaned his face into Chloe’s palm and kissed it hotly. “I’d truly have to kill any man who put his hands on you now that I’ve been with you. I felt the urge to chase them away before, but I think I’d actually follow through on murder now.”

  Chloe moaned and slid off the bed into his arms, straddling Jasper’s lap and sending them both flat to the floor. She held him down with his hands above his head and plundered his mouth while she rocked on his hips, their silk covered bodies rubbing in time to her motions. In less than two minutes, she was ready to rip them off to have her way.

  “Preview,” she choked, tearing her mouth away before she couldn’t, and thoroughly enjoying the dazed look in his eyes. “Word of warning, I intend to be on top next time.”

  When a knock sounded loudly at the door, Jasper pulled Chloe down hard onto his chest, trapping her tightly in his arms and making her laugh with his awkwardness in doing so. “Okay. That’s probably just food this time, but I am still not willing to risk leaving you to answer it. I’d rather we starve. So come with me and if it’s anyone other than room service, I vote we kick their ass and send them on their way.”

  “I think anyone seeing us in our matching pajamas would get the definite idea about what’s going on. Don’t waste good energy on ass kicking,” Chloe complained, rolling off him.

  Jasper stood and reached a hand down to pull her up, happy when she didn’t hesitate to let him. When Chloe was standing by his side, he smoothed her hair and ran a finger down her cleavage, which was very noticeable in the gaping shirt. “There now. That should give the staff a thrill for the night.”

  “Yeah? Well, I won’t be the only one shocking people. Your lipstick stains match your pajamas,” she told him, crossing her arms and sending her breasts straining in the top.

  Jasper sighed, forced her arms apart, and took her hand. “Come along, Chloe. Distract me later.”

  Chloe laughed and let him lead her along.

  At the door, Jasper opened it a peak, saw the silver cart and opened it wider.

  “Oh, good. It’s just dinner this time,” he said conspiratorially, loving the way Chloe giggled at his side. It meant she really wasn’t upset about Lea.

  “Is everything okay, sir?” Eddie asked, smiling at his lipstick stained boss and trying not to ogle the woman standing next to him wearing matching pajamas. No one was going to believe this one, he decided, but he was still going to enjoy getting to tell the story for weeks.

  “If that’s a hot meal, everything is fantastic. Please tell the kitchen staff that I’m sorry we wasted the first ones,” Jasper told him, guiding Chloe backwards so the cart could come inside. “Leave the dessert from th
e first dinner, Eddie. We’ve having two tonight.”

  Eddie nodded his head, working hard to keep his grin hidden as he set the table again with the hot meals, sweeping the cold food away. He hadn’t missed the fact Mr. Wade had a grip on the woman’s hand and hadn’t let go.

  When he finished the task and looked up, the woman was smiling at him with sincere pleasure. That’s when he recognized her as the singer from the lounge. It was suddenly very easy to understand why his employer was being so possessive this evening.

  “Thank you. It smells amazing,” Chloe said to him when he continued to smile.

  Eddie nodded. “My pleasure,” he told her, and it was. “If I may say so, you sing like an angel, miss. I look forward to hearing you again.”

  Chloe blushed at the compliment. “Thank you for that as well.”

  “Good evening, Mr. Wade,” he said, hurrying to leave so they could be alone.

  “Thank you, Eddie.”

  As he locked the door, Jasper grinned like kid on Christmas morning, which is what tonight felt like to him. Chloe was definitely a gift.

  “Next to the two dinners and your presence in my room, I’m guessing the red pajamas will make us infamous for several weeks. I’ve never had so much fun being the subject of gossip.”

  “Yes, but it’s always the loose woman who gets the worse reputation out of the deal. Lucky for you I’m enjoying being loose tonight. So are we eating now or you going to make me ride you to oblivion before you feed me?” Chloe asked, giggling at the stoniness of his gaze on hers.

  Without a proper retort and his head full of images of Chloe on top of him, Jasper could only motion to their feast.

  Before sitting, Chloe fetched the champagne bucket and set it on the table next to their food, watching as Jasper retrieved their glasses and refilled them.

  “Okay. We need a toast. What should we drink to?” Chloe asked, lifting her now full glass.

  “I’d like to say something charming and profound, but all I can think about is your suggestion to ride me, especially since I’ve had a preview. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to focus on food before I find out,” Jasper told her, enjoying himself immensely when Chloe blushed at what he’d said. “Well, I wondered what it was going to take to get you to show me that shy side you keep talking about having.”

  “Well, maybe I’m just less shy with you,” Chloe told him, sipping her champagne as she lifted the warming cover from her food.

  “I can’t tell you how appealing that thought is. Now hurry and eat,” Jasper told her, “but save one of the desserts. I have a good use for it later.”

  “Well, I don’t know. Does it involve eating it or playing with it?” Chloe asked, her fork of succulent chicken pausing on its way to her mouth when she saw the look on Jasper’s face.

  Jasper stared at a curious Chloe with lust and with the realization that it could very easily become much more than that for him. He was going to have to think about how much more he was feeling, but not until tomorrow. Tonight he was just going to enjoy his good fortune.

  “Well, I intend to eat every last bite of it eventually, just not out of the hotel’s serving dish,” Jasper said.

  He laughed outright at Chloe’s sigh of longing as she put down her fork. She watched him eat for a few minutes, saying nothing, and Jasper wished he knew her well enough to discern her thoughts.

  “Since I love chocolate pudding, I guess I’m staying the night to make sure I get my share of the mousse,” Chloe said finally, picking her fork back up and eating. “Plus there’s no way I’m putting my new dress back on after pudding. The drycleaners would charge me a fortune to clean it.”

  “Very practical of you, and good news for me. Now I won’t have to use my master room key later to break in and ravish you in your sleep,” Jasper told her, knowing he would no longer feel the least bit remorseful about anything it took to remain her lover.

  “To the rest of tonight then,” Chloe said, raising her glass.

  “To the rest of tonight,” Jasper agreed, touching his glass to hers.

  Chapter 17

  Early the next morning, after too much champagne and too little sleep, Chloe pulled her tired, thoroughly sore, well used, pudding-sticky body loose from a sleeping Jasper’s remarkably fierce grasp to climb out of bed. She was shocked to feel her legs wobbling as she stood.

  She crept to the bathroom for a shower, only to have Jasper break in on her five minutes later. Several inches taller than she was barefoot, he stared down at her with a glint of something predatory and very male in his eyes. Chloe swallowed, suddenly very nervous of his intentions. She suspected it wasn’t just to get clean.

  “I woke up and missed you,” he said roughly, pressing her to the wall before dropping to his knees and—Chloe absolutely had to stop thinking about what Jasper had done then. She only hoped she hadn’t awakened the people in the room next door with her moaning. And what happened at the end—well, she had never been quiet in bed, but she didn’t remember making so much noise that she had actually heard herself before.

  Telling herself it was the acoustics in the bathroom made her feel a little better, but the memory of how she’d sounded calling out still caused her to blush. Now if only she could believe no one had heard her begging for him to stop—which of course Jasper hadn’t done.

  It was much harder than Chloe had imagined it would be to don Jasper’s pajamas again and stride down the hall as she left his room with wet hair at eight in the morning. Though she only passed a few business travelers and one honeymoon couple on their way to breakfast, Chloe couldn’t help but think that what she had done with Jasper was written all over her face.

  She felt more shyness over being with him than she could remember ever feeling with a man before. In fact, this morning she couldn’t even remember being with other men. Not even Aaron, and before last night she had thought her ex-husband was the epitome of good in bed. Jasper had definitely raised the bar.

  Chloe thought briefly about calling Taylor or Emma, but what could she say to either of her friends? She was certainly not giving them enough details about Jasper to make them start fantasizing about the man. No indeed. She had no intentions of willingly sharing this one, even mentally, with any other woman.

  If she had known what Jasper was going to be like in bed before Lea had shown up, Chloe would have not played so nice with her either.

  In fact, all she could assume this morning was that either Rayonna had been terrible in bed or Jasper hadn’t really been attracted to her. He certainly seemed to have a lot of energy for a forty-five-year-old who swore he only had sex once a month for years.

  Granted, the first time with Jasper had been pleasurable but not memorable for her, but that second time—that one was for the record books. She had ridden a stoic Jasper until she had lost her mind, and then he’d rolled her over and surged into her probably a hundred times more until his control broke. At the end of it, Jasper had gripped two handfuls of her hair and convulsed for at least ten minutes on top of her.

  Her body had hit a second climax reacting to his fierce use of her.

  Then even later, sharing the pudding with Jasper had been a whole other matter.

  Surprisingly, neither of them had found release, but they had licked, tasted, and explored, learning more about each other in an hour and a half than Chloe had known was possible to do with another human being.

  Chocolate and Jasper, she had learned, were a heady combination. They had enjoyed pudding-induced foreplay that never really got finished before falling into an exhausted sleep together. Which is why the vigorous, soul-stealing morning-after shower sex with the sole remaining condom hadn’t surprised her either.

  Jasper’s knees were probably killing him now, Chloe thought, her face flushing as she padded out of the elevator and down the hall to her room. First he’d been on the shower floor doing amazing things to arouse her, then he bent his legs to get into her, sliding her whole weight up the wall with every th
rust afterwards.

  Even thinking about it now made Chloe’s face flame and her legs wobble. You’d have thought she had done all the work by how weak she was feeling. No man had ever been that motivated to be with her until Jasper Wade. She still didn’t quite know what to make of it.

  Once inside the safety of her own room, Chloe ordered breakfast sent up, comfortable in doing so only because she knew the chances of Eddie delivering it were slim, since he had worked the night shift. It had been hard enough to meet Jasper’s gaze this morning and worse after the shower they had shared.

  Chloe couldn’t imagine facing anyone else on his staff, even though most already had a good idea of what was going on by now. Gossip in any workplace always travelled fast. Chloe knew that from experience. But embarrassed as she was to face people, she had promised to meet Max for practice.

  Max, who would undoubtedly know by the time she saw him, Chloe realized, her face flaming a the thought. Max was Jasper’s brother and also one of those men who saw every woman as a creature made for sex, which was probably the biggest reason Taylor was keeping her distance.

  Too bad Chloe didn’t share that same sense of discretion about Jasper.

  “Oh God,” Chloe said out loud, face hot with shame as she looked among her clothes for something to wear to boost up her sagging confidence in the light of day.

  A gorgeous nearly naked model had appeared at Jasper’s door last night for heaven’s sake. Sure he’d sent her away, but—it was just too much to believe that a man like Jasper would always pick someone like her over someone like Lea.

  Chloe knew she was sexy, and that she always pleased her lovers in bed, but her appeal had eventually worn off with her good-looking ex-husband. It was only reasonable to wonder if it would eventually happen with the also good-looking Jasper Wade who was used to women who were rich, thin, and beautiful.

  As Chloe gathered fresh underwear, another thought hit her. She was now officially in an affair with a man who was giving her a job. There were plenty of terms for a woman doing what she was doing, but Chloe wasn’t about to admit they applied to her yet. None of the labels were “love of my life,” that much she knew for certain, regardless of what flowery compliments Jasper had bestowed on her.