Crazy Beautiful: a Redemption novel

by Prince, Jessica

  “Yeah. She told me you were in a mood, so I decided to come by a little early to see if I could cheer you up.”

  My fingers spasmed involuntarily against her hips as sexy images of her spread out on my desk filtered through my mind. “Oh yeah? And how did you figure you’d do that?”

  She hummed, lifting her gaze to the ceiling as she tapped her chin in mock thought. “I don’t know. Maybe an early afternoon make-out session in your office?”

  Christ, she really was something else. My need for her suddenly became too overwhelming to ignore. Shifting my hands, I gripped her waist and lifted her up, resting her ass on the smooth, waxed surface of my desk. Rolling my chair forward, I toyed with the hem of her skirt, slowly pushing it higher up her creamy thighs.

  Her chest rose on a deep inhale, those pretty pink lips parted on a sigh, and her eyes darkened with lust.

  “I have something better in mind.”

  “Oh yeah?” she asked on a shallow pant. “What’s that?”

  I couldn’t wait another fucking second. Slipping one hand beneath her dress, I spoke curtly, ordering, “Spread your legs as wide as you can.” She did as I commanded, and I pushed the skirt the rest of the way up, revealing a pair of the sexiest pale peach lace panties I’d ever seen. “Are you wet, baby?”

  “Yes.”

  I could smell her arousal, and leaned in closer, filling my lungs with that heady scent. “Jesus, Poppy. I get hard just thinking about you. Do you get turned on thinking about me?”

  “All the time,” she answered on a gasp, her legs beginning to tremble beneath my palms. “I’m turned on all the time. It’s a constant distraction.”

  “I know the feeling,” I grunted, my mouth beginning to water.

  Her head fell to the side as my hands traveled higher. “It’s a wonder I get anything done.”

  “Tell me about it. Take now for instance. I don’t think I’ll be able to accomplish a goddamn thing until I’ve tasted you.”

  “Jase,” she said on a jagged whisper. “We shouldn’t. Someone could walk in.”

  She might have objected, but there was no determination in her words. “Then you better be quiet.” With that, I bent forward, shoving the lace aside to reveal her perfect, swollen pussy, already dripping for me. My tongue peeked out, trailing up her slit with a barely-there brush. That small taste was enough to make me an addict for life. She sucked in a sharp gasp at the feather-light contact. “Quiet, baby,” I commanded, lifting only my eyes to look up at her.

  I went in for another lick, this one harder, more purposeful. I wanted her taste coating my tongue. I wanted her to feel me there and lose all control. She let out a heavy breath, spreading her knees as wide as they would go. With a groan of approval, I dove in, losing myself in Poppy in a way that nothing else mattered but her.

  I drove my tongue deep, burying it inside her as far as it could before pulling back and lapping at her wet folds. Her breathing grew choppy as she began to undulate on my desk, grabbing hold of my hair to pull me closer and rock against my face.

  She was more intoxicating than any high out there, and as I shifted between fucking her with my tongue and flicked her clit, I began to feel drunk.

  My cock throbbed. I could feel the slickness of the pre-cum leaking from the head, but this was all about her. Getting her off, making her as addicted to me as I was to her. This was about giving her something no other man had and firmly imbedding myself so far beneath her skin she’d never be able to dig me out.

  “Shit, Jase,” she whispered, her pants turning into needy little whimpers. “I’m close, honey.”

  Using my fingers, I spread her lips wide and began fucking her with my tongue relentlessly as I circled that tiny nub with my thumb. A second later, her thighs clamped around my head, the muscles locking up, and her back bowed as she came with a long, low hum.

  Her arousal flooded my face as I continued eating at her until every last bit of her release drifted away. Her body jerked when I gave her one last swipe before sitting up and wiping the evidence of her orgasm from my lips with the back of my hand.

  “Mmm.” I gave her a satisfied grin. “You’re better than anything I could’ve had for lunch. Maybe I should bring you to the office with me every day.”

  Poppy’s chest trembled on tiny laugh. “I’m not sure I can walk after that.”

  Grabbing her behind the neck, I pulled her down and slammed my lips against hers in a harsh, bruising kiss. “Then my job here is done. Better get going before Wynn storms in here looking for her shopping buddy.”

  Her eyes went big as she looked down that the erection tenting the front of my pants. “But . . . what about you?”

  “Delayed gratification is highly underrated, trust me,” I answered, nipping at that full bottom lip. Reaching down, I cupped my dick and gave it a squeeze. “When I get back tonight, I’m gonna spend hours fucking you so hard the people across town will be able to hear you scream my name.”

  Her eyes glazed over, her tongue coming out to brush over the flesh I’d just bitten before she murmured, “I’ll look forward to that.”

  I helped her off the desk, holding her steady as she righted the skirt of her dress. After one last quick kiss, she grabbed her purse and started for the door, but paused as soon as her hand wrapped around the knob. “Oh, Jase?”

  “Yeah, sweetheart?”

  “Don’t forget those glasses when you leave for home.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Poppy

  I’d been a bundle of nerves since waking up earlier that morning.

  For the past week, Jase had been in a foul mood due to the impending charity gala we had to attend, meanwhile I’d been looking forward to getting fancied up in my pretty new dress and going to a glitzy hotel where they’d serve top-shelf booze and expensive food. But mostly, I was excited to be able to accompany my husband to an event where he’d be recognized as the new CEO of Hyland Steel. He’d been working so hard since coming into the position, and he deserved the recognition.

  Plus, there was the added bonus of Wynn being there as well, and I knew she’d be able to make even the stuffiest event fun. Wynn brought the party with her wherever she went.

  But in spite of my earlier excitement, now that the day had finally arrived, I was riddled with anxiety. So much so that I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the awesomeness of flying first class for the first time ever.

  It didn’t help matters that Jase seemed to grow more tense with each hour that ticked by. He’d been unusually quite during the flight and the car ride to his apartment. I’d tried my best to lighten the mood, initiating conversation or telling jokes, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t pull him out of his funk.

  He’d occasionally give me a smile, but each one was stiff and didn’t come near his eyes. He might have been holding my hand or wrapping an arm around me to keep me pressed against him, but mentally, he was distant, his mind traveling off to somewhere else completely.

  The closest I’d come to getting a reaction from him was when we crossed the threshold into his condo earlier.

  “Wow,” I’d breathed, stepping into Jase’s old home. “This is, um . . .” I trailed off, looking around curiously. I finally understood why it was he hadn’t wanted to take anything from here with him on his move to Redemption. First of all, there wasn’t much filling the cavernous space, and second, what little there was gave the space the same feel you’d get walking into a museum, not someone’s house. The whole place was cold, sending a shiver up my spine. It took a while for me to find a word that was politically correct enough that, hopefully, it wouldn’t offend. “Classy.”

  His head fell back on a loud, booming laugh that echoed off the expensive tile floors, and for the first time that day, I’d breathed a sigh of relief at having finally glimpsed the man I’d come to know over the past several weeks.

  “So I take it you don’t like the place,” he said, looking at me with a warm smile.

  I felt my nose scrunch as
I made a face and shook my head. “It’s not really my style. I prefer—”

  “Comfortable? Warm? Homey?”

  My chest shook on a giggle. “Yeah. All of those things.”

  “Well, Flower, this place is definitely lacking all of that. Fortunately, we’re flying back tomorrow, so we won’t be stuck here too long.”

  His shoulders sagged, as if just saying that was a comfort, like he needed the reminder that being here wasn’t permanent.

  Wanting to soothe him, to wash away the tension locking his frame tight, I moved in, wrapping my arms around his waist and giving him a squeeze. “Hey, it’s not so bad. I mean there is a bed, right? Why don’t we see about breaking that puppy in?” I offered a teasing wink, hoping to earn myself another laugh. Unfortunately, my suggestive tone didn’t quite hit the mark. Instead of pouncing like he normally would, he gazed down at me with a smile that didn’t hold any of its usual luster.

  “Wish I could take you up on that offer, sweetheart, but I have to head in to the office for a bit. There are some things I need to handle before tonight.”

  He stepped out of my embrace, looking around at anything but me as he moved backward toward the door. “There should be food in the fridge. Go ahead and make yourself at home. I’ll be back before its time to go.”

  “Wait . . . you’re leaving?”

  “Hopefully it won’t be too long. If you need anything, just call my cell.”

  Then he was gone. The door closed on his departing figure, the soft snick of the latch catching as loud as a gunshot blast in the lifeless space.

  With a resigned sigh, I grabbed the handle of my carryon suitcase and started toward the hall just off the kitchen. He’d said to make myself at home, but I wasn’t sure that was possible. I was too worried about doing anything that could tarnish the sterile quality of my surroundings. God forbid I scuffed or smudged something, or worse, broke something that cost a freaking fortune.

  Even the minimal furniture looked too high end for me to risk kicking back and relaxing a bit.

  I’d never been in a place so uninviting before, and now I was stuck here all alone for God only knew how long.

  Sure enough, Jase had a bed. It had to have been double the size of the one we shared back home and looked like it would feel like lying on a cloud. It was the only thing in the whole godforsaken place that looked comfy, and as tempting as the thought of curling up in it and taking a nap was, I decided on a long, hot shower instead.

  If I thought his bed was impressive, I was blown away by the en suite.

  The glass-enclosed shower stall had five heads . . . five, and one long tile bench, but, as nice as it was, that wasn’t what caught my attention.

  I didn’t know tubs as big as Jase’s existed until that very second. The massive clawfoot tub called out to me, tempting me to take a steamy bubble bath while I still had time. Of course, a man like Jase didn’t have bubble bath gel, so I had to settle for a regular bath, but that was fine with me. Turning on the tap, I held my fingers under the steady stream until the water heated up to my liking, then I bent to plug the drain and moved back into the bedroom while it filled.

  I’d just finished removing my dress for tonight and hanging it in the closet when my cell began ringing inside my purse.

  I pulled it out and smiled at Farah’s grinning face on the screen. “Hey, hon. How’s everything going? You haven’t burned the place down yet, have you?”

  When I’d asked Farah earlier that week if she and Cannon were coming to the event, she’d curled her lip and quickly refused. But, being the friend she was, she offered to keep an eye on the inn for me while Jase and I were gone.

  It would have been nicer to have her with us at something like this, but I appreciated the help all the same.

  Jase’s ad had gone out, and while there had been a surprising number of applicants, I quickly discovered I was super picky when it came to hiring someone to help at the inn. I needed to make sure who I hired was just right, so I was holding out for that one perfect fit, much to Jase’s dismay.

  Fortunately, I had great friends who’d always have my back in a crunch, such as this.

  “It was only a teensy little fire,” she said into my ear. “Nothing to get twisted up about. I put it out with only minimal damage.”

  “You’re funny,” I deadpanned, balancing the phone between my shoulder and ear so I could twist my hair into a knot at the top of my head.

  “Everything here is just fine, babe. Nothing to worry about. How are you guys doing? Have you seen his apartment yet? I’m dying to know what you think.”

  “Yeah. I’m here now, actually. And it’s . . .”

  “I know!” she cried as soon as I trailed off. “It’s horrible, right? That place gave me a damn chill every time I walked inside. I can’t believe he lived there as long as he did.”

  “I know what you mean.” I let out a weary sigh, moving into the bathroom and taking a seat on the edge of the tub as it filled. “I really don’t like this place. It feels so . . . I don’t know, impersonal, I guess? And Jase has been weird ever since we got on the plane.”

  Concern clung to her words as she asked, “What do you mean?”

  “He’s been really closed off,” I told her. I couldn’t go into more detail, explaining how he’d rebuffed my advances, because I hadn’t confessed to her or Shane that our relationship had changed to that extent.

  They were the only ones I’d trusted with the truth of the marriage being fake, and I worried that if I told them Jase and I were having sex, the cozy little bubble we’d been living in for the past month would burst, and the real world would come pouring in, ruining everything.

  “He hasn’t been himself all day. He hardly said a word to me the whole trip, then he bailed almost as soon as he got the door unlocked, saying there was something he needed to take care of at work.”

  “Wait. So he just left you there? All by yourself?”

  “Yep. I swear, he lit out of here like his ass was on fire, Farah. The thing is, he never once mentioned needing to go to the office to me until we got here.”

  “I’m sorry, honey. I’m sure it’ll all be fine. Jase has always hated stuff like this, and it’s the first time he’s going to be seen at an event hosted by the company as the CEO since our father was let go. I’m sure he’s just feeling the pressure.”

  I gave that some thought as I reached down and trailed my fingers along the water, creating little ripples across the surface. “Yeah. I’m sure you’re right. But speaking of, I should probably let you go. I have a bath calling my name, and I want to soak that plane ride off before I have to start getting ready.

  “All right, but I’m here if you need anything, okay? All you have to do is call me. You’ll be home tomorrow and everything will be back to normal.”

  “Thanks, sweetie. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  I disconnected the call, scrolled to one of my favorite playlists, and set the phone on the bathroom counter as I undressed and climbed into the tub.

  Sinking into the hot water, I exhaled deeply, hoping that a nice, long soak would wash away some of the uneasiness I was feeling.

  And that the Jase I’d come to know and care about would return to normal before he got back.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jase

  Navigating the rental car through the familiar streets toward my old building, my heart was beating against my breastbone so hard it was a wonder it hadn’t burst through. I’d gone to see my old investigator, only to be told Geoffrey and Margo Hyland were back in Connecticut, making a big fuss about the gala tonight.

  I’d put in a call to Henry Davis, only to be sent to voicemail by his assistant three times before I finally lost it on her, demanding she put me through or start looking for another job.

  I’d finally gotten hold of him on the fourth attempt. “What the fuck is this I’m hearing about my parents being at the event tonight?”

  His heavy sigh resonated through the phone, lea
ching beneath my skin. “Our backs were against a wall, Jase. Things have been smooth sailing since you took over, but all it takes is word getting out about what he did, and the shareholders will revolt. How would it look if the predecessor wasn’t there tonight to officially welcome his only son into his new role as CEO?”

  I’d lost my shit after that. It took a couple hours of driving around aimlessly before I was calm enough go back to the apartment.

  The moment I pushed through the front door, the soft, subtle strains of music filled the space. “Poppy?”

  “Back here,” she called.

  I headed down the hall toward the bedroom, speaking the whole way. “Pack your shit, Flower. We’re going back to Redemption tonight. Fuck the gala—”

  The words in my mouth dried up as soon as I stepped into the doorway and got a good look at my wife from behind. The navy dress she was wearing hugged every single one of her goddamn curves, clinging to her like a second skin from her chest, all the way down to her mid-thigh where it flared out just slightly. Her long hair hung in loose, fiery curls, draped over one shoulder, held in place by a shiny, decorative clip behind her ear. The tiny sleeves that hugged the balls of her shoulders were made of a sheer blue lace that wrapped all the way around the back of her neck to form the top part of a big diamond cutout from the base of her neck to just past her shoulder blades.

  The back took my breath away, but when she spun around, my knees nearly gave out. The neckline came down in a V revealing the length of her collar bones and a tantalizing hint of cleavage. But it was her face that left me speechless.

  Those stunning blue eyes were done up with a smoky shadow that made the color look like shimmering crystals against a dark backdrop. Her cheeks were dusted with bronze and her lips were painted in a soft nude. She was the most beautiful fucking woman I’d ever laid eyes on.