Can't Forget You

by Rachel Lacey

  “Sure I can’t convince you to stay in?” He slid his hands inside her blouse, encountering the lacy surprise she was hiding. “Fuck. Me.”

  She grabbed his hands before they could explore any further. “No peeking. You can unwrap your present when we get home.”

  “You’re my present?” The expression on his face was tortured. “You can’t do that to me, Jess. You’ve got to at least let me have a peek.”

  “Nope.” She grabbed her purse and led the way to the front door, turning to wink at him over her shoulder. “I’m going to let you fantasize about it until we get back here later tonight.”

  * * *

  Mark leaned back in his chair, stuffed full of beer and wings, happier and more content than he could remember feeling…pretty much ever. And he had Jess to thank. All of these guys really, but even after he’d started working with Ethan and Ryan, he’d still felt empty and restless until Jess came back into his life. He still got twitchy from time to time—probably always would—but the more time he spent with Jess, the more right it felt.

  She squeezed his hand under the table, looking so goddamn gorgeous it was all he could do not to haul her into his lap and kiss her senseless right here in the middle of the restaurant.

  “So this is the big one for you, huh, old man?” Ryan tipped his beer in Mark’s direction.

  “Who are you calling old?” Mark asked. He was the youngest of the three of them, and they all knew it.

  “You walked right into that one,” Emma agreed with a grin, ribbing her husband.

  “I’m loving my thirties so far,” Ryan said, slinging an arm around Emma’s shoulders. “Never been happier.”

  “Same,” Ethan said, leaning in to give Gabby a kiss.

  Trent—Ryan’s teenage brother—made a gagging sound from the end of the table. “Don’t kid yourselves, you guys are all old.”

  This sent the entire table into a round of laughter.

  “Thirty’s no big deal,” Mark said, shrugging. Truthfully, he’d never been all that hung up about age, and while thirty did seem like a milestone, he didn’t mind it.

  “Here, here.” Ethan lifted his beer mug in the air for a toast.

  “I don’t know.” Jess gave him a teasing look. “I’m glad I have a few years before I cross over to the dark side.”

  “Ooh.” Ryan laughed, elbowing Mark in the ribs. “Your girlfriend’s feisty tonight.”

  Mark glared at him. “You’re just pissy because you’re the oldest. Wait until we’re back here in a few years, cheering for you when you turn forty.”

  Ryan jeered at him good-naturedly. “Yo, we’ve got nine years before that celebration, and who knows how many kids will be at the table by then? Can’t fuckin’ wait.”

  “Me either,” Emma said, giving her husband a kiss.

  It was strange to think about. Mark had once been so sure he’d stay in the Army until they shipped him home in a flag-draped coffin. But now…well, the thought of sitting around the table with these guys and their kids in nine years sounded pretty damn okay.

  Even better if Jess was still beside him.

  They kept talking long after the table had been cleared, laughing and joking and reminiscing about their adolescent misadventures. Hell of a thing, having all these people around who’d known him since he was a kid. Felt an awful lot like what he imagined family might be like.

  Jess bent over to reach for something in her purse, revealing a flash of red lace beneath her top that set Mark’s blood on fire. He’d copped a feel of that lace earlier, and whatever she was wearing under her jeans tonight was killing him in the best possible way. He could hardly wait to get his hands on her later. He was going to get to know every inch of that lace in intimate detail…

  “How’s construction coming?” Emma asked Jess.

  “They’re starting to look like cabins,” she said, a sparkle coming into her eyes. “It’s coming along really well.”

  “Well, you can reserve the best one for us sometime next fall when we’re ready for our first night away from the baby.” Emma rubbed a hand over her belly affectionately.

  “Oh yeah?” Ryan gave her an amused smile. “And who’s going to watch her for us while we spend the night in a spa cabin?”

  “Me,” Gabby said, practically bouncing in her chair.

  “Say what now?” Ethan raised his eyebrows.

  “I volunteered us to watch Lily while they take a night off,” Gabby told him.

  “Uh.” Ethan looked slightly horrified at the thought.

  Mark laughed under his breath at the look on his buddy’s face.

  “So, the baby fever has hit, huh?” Jess winked at Gabby.

  Gabby blushed. “Maybe a little.”

  Baby fever? Mark had never heard the term before, but he thought he could guess what it meant. Was this something women talked about? Getting married and then lusting after babies? Did Jess want that too?

  He glanced at her. She was whispering something in Gabby’s ear, and they were both giggling. Marriage. Babies. They weren’t things Mark had ever thought about. Not things he’d wanted or imagined for himself.

  But he wanted Jess, wanted her more than anything in the world, and the idea of his ring on her finger or their baby in her arms didn’t exactly send him into a cold sweat. In fact, it felt like something he might want…someday.

  He lifted his beer and took a long drink. This milestone birthday must be going to his head.

  “You’re quiet tonight,” Jess murmured in his ear. “Still thinking about your present?”

  Hell. He’d actually forgotten about it for a few minutes with all the talk of babies, but now…“Yes.”

  “I think I’m ready to be unwrapped.”

  He stood, his chair scraping loudly over the tile floors as everyone at the table turned to look at him. “Ah, we’re heading out.”

  Jess watched him with an amused smirk on her face. Emma leaned across the table to whisper something in her ear, and Jess nodded, still smiling. Fuck it. He didn’t even care if they were gossiping about his sex life.

  He just needed to get Jess home and in his bed. Now.

  She stood, grabbed her purse, and followed him out. “Gee, in a bit of a hurry, are we?”

  “Yes.” He grabbed her hand and strode down the street toward where they’d parked.

  “You do realize they’re going to tease you about this for, well…forever.” She still looked amused…and aroused.

  “Don’t care.” He pushed her up against the side of the SUV and kissed her, seizing the opportunity to explore the lacy thing beneath her clothes a little more intimately. It was delicate and soft and feminine. “I love my present so damn much.”

  Jess blinked up at him from those big, brown eyes.

  She’d told him she was his present.

  And he hadn’t meant to say…

  Or had he? Hell, he didn’t even know. He bent his head and kissed her again, until they were both panting, his dick straining against the front of his jeans.

  “We should go home now,” she whispered.

  “That’s a definite.” He unwound himself from her reluctantly, giving her one last kiss before he unlocked the SUV and climbed inside.

  Jess climbed into the passenger seat, her hair mussed, lips swollen from his kisses. Absolutely gorgeous.

  “My place or yours?” he asked.

  “Mine. I have dessert for you.” She grinned, and he didn’t even care if she meant that literally or not. “Should we stop at your place on the way and get Bear?”

  “Maybe Trent can keep her tonight.” He pulled onto Main Street, hell-bent on getting her home and naked as quickly as possible.

  “That’s silly,” Jess said. “We’re right here. Go get her.”

  Mark gave her a look.

  She rolled her eyes. “You can lock her out of the bedroom if you want.”

  “Fine.” He swung a left and pulled into his spot in front of the condo building. Leaving Jess in the car, he jo
gged up the stairs to retrieve Bear, who was overjoyed at the prospect. “Any attempt at cock-blocking tonight and it’ll be the last time you sleep over at Jess’s. Got it?”

  Bear wagged her tail, jogging down the steps beside him.

  “Hey, Bear.” Jess turned in her seat to greet the dog after he’d loaded her into the car. “Have you seriously not bought her a collar and leash yet?”

  “Been meaning to.” He pulled back onto Main Street, headed for Jess’s house.

  “She’d follow you anywhere.” Jess was still turned sideways in her seat, kissing and petting Bear.

  And damned if he wasn’t jealous. Of his dog. He shook his head at himself. Absolutely ridiculous. Ten minutes later, he pulled into Jess’s driveway. He hustled her toward the front door as Bear trotted along beside them.

  “She’s staying in the living room for now,” he said as he stepped Jess backward into her bedroom and closed the door behind them.

  “Fair enough.” She went up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Happy birthday.”

  He kissed her, slow and deep and thorough. And this time, when he reached for her top, she made no move to stop him. He lifted it over her head, revealing the red bra beneath. Or at least he supposed it was a bra, but this was more like a scrap of red lace, and it was connected to her panties, or whatever else she wore beneath those jeans, and it was sexy as fuck.

  He palmed her breasts, skimming his thumbs over the pink buds of her nipples. They beaded beneath his touch, pressing into that red lace. He drew her in against him as he slid his hands inside her jeans, exploring what lay beneath.

  More lace. And not much of it.

  “You approve?” she asked, breathless.

  “Hell yes.” He unbuttoned her jeans, and she kicked them off, baring the lace in its entirety.

  “Your turn,” she whispered, helping him out of his clothes.

  Then he was naked, and Jess was in nothing but red lace, and he couldn’t keep his hands off her. They kissed while he touched every inch of that lace, paying special attention to the narrow strip between her legs where she burned so hot for him. He pushed it aside, stroking her with his fingers.

  Jess gasped. “No…wait. You first on your birthday.”

  “Baby, I’ll enjoy it even more if I get to watch you come first.” He thrust two fingers inside her, letting her pleasure fuel his as she panted in his arms.

  “If you insist,” she whispered, her eyes shut, hips still moving against his hand.

  “I do.” He kissed her, drinking her in while he stroked her toward her release. She was so fucking spectacular. He allowed the lace of her lingerie to scrape over the sensitive head of his dick, driving him out of his mind with pleasure. He thrust in rhythm with his fingers, harder, faster.

  Her hips rocked against his, fueling his need as he pumped his fingers inside her. Jess was mumbling incoherently, her eyes closed, cheeks flushed. He pressed his thumb against her clit, letting her ride him right over the edge, and boy, did she.

  She bucked against him, and he held her tight, completely lost to her pleasure.

  “Wow,” she panted, resting her head on his shoulder. She stayed like that for several seconds while he held her. Then she lifted her head. “Now it’s your turn, Birthday Boy.”

  She pushed him back onto the bed, looking like a goddess above him in that red lace. A harsh groan escaped him as she kissed her way down his chest, stopping just short of his aching cock. He held his breath.

  And then she took him in her mouth.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Jessica lay sprawled in bed with Mark, boneless and completely blissed out. He had definitely enjoyed her lacy lingerie, and once he’d finally taken her out of it, they’d had even more fun. Now they lay together, arms and legs entwined, the sheet tangled around them. “Ready for dessert?” she asked.

  He cracked open an eye and peeked up at her. “That wasn’t dessert?”

  She shook her head. “I got you a cake.”

  “Yeah?”

  She nodded. When was the last time he’d had cake on his birthday? “Chocolate.”

  He grinned. “My favorite.”

  “Want to eat it in bed?”

  “Hell yes, I do.” He lay back, all naked and satisfied and so masculine she was practically drooling at the sight.

  “Don’t move a muscle.” She slipped his shirt over her head, breathing in his scent as she left the bedroom and walked to the kitchen. Bear hopped off the couch and came trotting over, tail wagging. “Sorry we’ve been ignoring you,” she told the dog. “I’ll convince him to let you in later, okay?”

  With Bear at her heels, she walked to the pantry and pulled out a serving tray. She set the cake on it, along with two small plates, forks, and a serving knife. Balancing it all on the tray, she headed back toward the bedroom.

  Mark climbed out of bed to shut the door behind her, leaving Bear in the hallway. The dog whined.

  “Aww, she’s lonely,” Jessica said.

  “She’ll survive.” He looked down at the cake on the platter. “All that for us?”

  “Just us. Go nuts.” She grinned as she set the platter down on the end of the bed.

  Mark sat beside her. He picked up the serving knife and cut two enormous wedges of cake, putting one on each plate. He handed one to her and leaned back in bed with the other plate in his hand. “Looks good.”

  “It’s from the bakery.” She eyed the huge piece of cake on her plate.

  Mark took a big bite. “Oh yeah. It’s good.”

  She scooted over next to him and took a bite of her own. Flavor exploded on her tongue, rich and chocolaty. “Yum.”

  True to his word, Mark devoured his slice and went in for seconds. She picked at her slice, but she still didn’t have much of an appetite and honestly chocolate cake had never been her thing. She much preferred apple pie, but it was more than worth it to see Mark enjoying his cake so much.

  “Not hungry?” he asked as she set her plate aside.

  She shook her head. “Only a few days left on the antibiotics.”

  “You’ve lost weight.” His gaze dropped to her hips.

  She tugged self-consciously at his oversized shirt that she wore, nodding.

  “You know I like you the same no matter how you look,” Mark said, “but I kind of miss your curves.”

  A smile tugged at her lips. “Then you’d better feed me lots of cake once I finish these antibiotics.”

  “That is a definite ‘can do.’” He leaned in to kiss her, still sitting there gloriously naked in the bed, holding a plate of half-eaten cake.

  “You look really hot right now,” she murmured against his lips.

  “That so?” He set his plate aside and tugged her into his lap. He kissed her again, slow and deep, as rich and decadent as the chocolate cake he’d just finished. They kissed, touching and groping until her body was burning up with need.

  When Mark pushed inside her, he made love to her with the newfound freedom she’d unleashed in him. No more holding back. He took her completely—wild and passionate and intense. Afterward, they lay together, holding on to each other and panting for breath.

  “Thank you,” Mark said in that low, gruff tone he used right after sex. “I don’t have a lot of experience with birthday celebrations, but I can’t imagine anything topping this one.”

  Oh, Mark. She had it so bad for this man. “I hope this is the first of many great ones for you.” And she hoped she would be there with him to celebrate every single one of them.

  * * *

  Mark woke to the sound of his cell phone ringing, momentarily disoriented until the swirling purple light from Jess’s lava lamp reminded him where he was. And the absolutely fucking amazing birthday she’d given him.

  He squinted at the screen on his cell phone. Why was Ethan calling him at four o’clock in the morning? A prickle of unease ran between his shoulder blades. He grabbed the phone and headed for the hall so he wouldn’t disturb Jes
s, connecting the call as he pulled the door shut behind him.

  “Off-the-Grid’s on fire,” Ethan said.

  “What?” Mark straightened, instantly awake and alert.

  “The fire department just called. The building is on fire.” Ethan paused, his voice taut and rough. “I don’t know how bad yet. I’m on my way there now.”

  “I’ll meet you there.” Mark turned and went back into the bedroom, reaching for his jeans where they lay on the floor.

  “Who was that?” Jess asked sleepily from the bed. “Everything okay?”

  “There’s a fire at Off-the-Grid.”

  She sat up, the sheet clutched against her chest. “Oh my God! What? How?”

  “I don’t know. I’m heading over to meet Ethan and Ryan.” He finished dressing and sat on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes.

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “Stay in bed.” He leaned back to give her a kiss. “If too many of us are there, we’ll only get in the fire department’s way. I’ll call.”

  She looked uncertain. “Okay. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

  “I will.” He gave her another kiss and headed for the door.

  Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up to Off-the-Grid. Couldn’t miss it tonight. The street was completely blocked with emergency vehicles, illuminating the night with red flashing lights. He pulled over behind Ethan’s Jeep on the side of the road. Up ahead, he could see Ethan and Ryan standing behind the nearest fire truck.

  He strode toward them.

  “Looks like an electrical fire,” Ethan said when he reached them. “It’s mostly out now.”

  Mark looked at the little white house that served as their office building, dwarfed now by the fire trucks surrounding it. Smoke rose from the rear of the building, but no flames were visible. “How much damage?”

  Ryan was shaking his head. “Too soon to say. I’ll get on the phone with our insurance company as soon as they open to get a claim started.”

  “Bad fucking news either way,” Ethan said, staring at the house.

  Mark knew it was true. They’d only been in business a year, had just started turning a profit. And now, with the added expense of the mortgage on the new land, this was the worst time for something like this to happen.