By Private Invitation

by Stephanie Julian

  He felt the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the restless movements of her body. She wanted to press even closer but he held her steady, enjoying the slight burn as she pulled harder on his hair.

  Finally, with a not-so-gentle nip, which made her shudder, he released her breasts and began to string kisses across her abdomen.

  Her hands skated across his shoulders, then her fingernails dug into his skin as he slid a hand between her legs again.

  He brushed against her hard little clit, eliciting a cry from her that made his heart thunder. Her hips thrust forward, the little patch of curls on her mound brushing against his lower chest and making him crazy.

  Faster. He had to go faster.

  With his jeans still clinging to his hips, he grabbed for his wallet in his back pocket. Setting it next to him, he used his free hand to shuck out of his jeans then released her altogether to lay back on the chaise.

  Standing beside him, Annabelle watched him with the sharp eyes of a cat. Her gaze traveled the length of his body. Like hot candle wax, heat dripped all over his body, sharp and stinging, but erotic as all hell.

  She stared at the condom in his hand for several agonizing seconds before reaching for it, her expression almost fatalistic. But the heat in her eyes scalded him.

  “You know,” she said as she ripped open the packet, so slowly Jared wanted to grab it and do it himself, “I would have been perfectly happy if I’d never seen you again.”

  He spoke through gritted teeth as she reached for his cock, held it away from his body and rolled the condom into place. “I had to see you again. You’ve haunted me.”

  Okay, maybe that was a little too honest. He froze for a brief second, but the sweet smile that barely curved her lips made him forget he’d said anything.

  “Good answer, Jared. Very good answer.” In one sleek movement, she straddled the chaise, her knees on either side of his hips, and positioned herself over him. Gripping him in one hand, she guided him to her and sank onto him in a moment of perfect bliss.

  His hips thrust up to meet hers and he sank as far into her as he could get. Her tight sheath gripped him like a fist, pulsing around him, egging on his climax.

  He felt it building in his balls but forced it back as he reached for her hips to hold her steady, to keep her from going too fast.

  “Slow down, baby. I don’t want this to be over before we really get going.”

  Her expression glazed with passion, she stared down into his eyes as she continued to lift and lower her body over his. “And I don’t have the time to let you play. I shouldn’t have let you start this but I couldn’t…I couldn’t not…”

  She never finished. Instead, she covered his hands with her own and drew them up her body to her breasts. She molded them to those plump curves, her eyes closing as he squeezed them, his thumbs caressing the hard tips.

  Her deep moan made his balls tighten even more.

  Then, as if she couldn’t stand it anymore, she moaned and her eyes drifted closed. Her back arched, thrusting her breasts into his hands. He let his gaze drop to watch his fingers pinch those pointed rosy nipples.

  Goddamn, she had beautiful breasts, the kind a man should worship. He thought about sitting up so he could get his mouth on them again but didn’t want to disturb her.

  She rode him so deliberately, so achingly slowly, as if she were testing him. Testing his control. And this was a test he would pass.

  Even though, as he watched her curls bounce on her bare shoulders and the slight curve on her lips, his caveman instinct began to rear its head.

  He wanted to make her beg.

  Releasing her breasts, he let his hands drift down her sides to her hips. Her skin slid against his like silk on steel. Without warning, he braced her with his hands on her hips and thrust upward. She gasped, her eyes widening and locking with his.

  “Jared.”

  “Did I hurt you, Belle?”

  “Oh, God, no.” She sighed. “Do it again.”

  He did, several times, until her lips curved into an outright smile.

  Flat on his back, Jared watched her, his hands caressing her breasts, making her arch into his hands.

  She maintained eye contact as she worked him in and out of her body, her green gaze slumberous and hypnotizing. Every movement pushed him closer to the edge of his control.

  But he wanted her to break first; he needed her to.

  Releasing one breast, he stroked down her body until he had his hand poised just above her mound.

  Her breath caught in her throat and she froze in mid-thrust, waiting.

  Holding on by a thread, his heart beating like a racehorse, he finally pressed his thumb over her clit and started to work it.

  Her sheath clenched around him as her eyes closed, her head fell back, and she sank down onto him. The wet lips of her pussy met the root of his cock, her moisture seeping onto to his balls.

  “Now, baby,” he said. “I want to feel you come on my cock. Right now.”

  It seemed she’d only needed his permission. Her body shuddered around him, her orgasm a flurry of contractions that built in intensity.

  Without warning, he sat up. The motion brought her clitoris hard against the base of his penis, and she cried out, her fingernails stinging his shoulders.

  Jared rode out the need to come, counting backward from one hundred by sevens until he felt her internal spasms fading.

  As their harsh breathing resounded through the room, she let her head drop onto his shoulder. He let her rest, enjoying the feel of her surrounding him, the warmth of her.

  When she sighed, her body growing heavier on him, he moved just enough to let her know it wasn’t over.

  She moaned, and he thrust harder, but the position started to take its toll on his back.

  In one fluid movement, he swung his legs to the side, still imbedded within her, then rolled until she was on her back on the chaise.

  Raising her legs to clasp him around the waist, she opened herself wider, letting him ease deeper. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he fought back his own orgasm. He felt it gathering in his balls, boiling in his blood, and he forced it back, shoved it down.

  Too soon. Not yet.

  He froze, fingers digging into her hips. When he finally had himself under enough control to open his eyes, he found Annabelle smiling at him.

  Then she moved. More like wriggled.

  Jared groaned, his head dropping into the curve of her shoulder and neck. He put his mouth over the delicate spot where they met and bit down just enough to make her gasp. She tightened her sheath around his cock.

  She turned her head, her lips brushing against his earlobe, raising gooseflesh over his entire body.

  “Come on, Jared,” she whispered. “Move. I want you to. I dare you to. You know you want to. I want to feel you moving inside me.”

  His body took up the challenge his mind tried to ignore. He moved. And then he couldn’t stop. The need for her, the feel of her, swamped him in a rush of pleasure so sharp, it took his breath away.

  His hips pistoned against hers, his cock shuttling in and out, the friction with each thrust heightening the sensation.

  Until he felt his balls tighten to the point of pain and he came, his body and mind exploding in a pure adrenaline rush of sensation.

  Nine

  Still trying to catch her breath, Annabelle clung to Jared’s naked shoulders.

  In the back of her mind, she heard a little voice screaming, “You idiot! What the hell were you thinking?”

  Well, that was pretty obvious, wasn’t it? She hadn’t been thinking. Or she never would have let him fuck her senseless.

  No, that wasn’t right. She hadn’t “let” him. She’d wholeheartedly participated in their mind-blowing sex.

  In her shop. Right before the interview that could push her career to the next level.

  She felt a groan building in her chest, cushioned against Jared’s.

  Jesus, I’m crazy. Crazy about him.
No. Absolutely not.

  She refused to believe that. Sure, he was great in bed…or on a chaise, as the case may be.

  But that didn’t explain why she’d practically devoured the guy.

  Holy hell, the sex had been explosive. Amazing.

  She still felt him lodged inside her, and she tightened around him just thinking about it.

  Above her, Jared groaned and nuzzled his nose against her shoulder.

  She had to get up. She had to get him out of here before Carmen Moran showed up.

  “Jared.”

  Sprawled on top of her, the man gave no indication he heard her. His warm breath blew against her neck, raising goose bumps. The heat of his body along hers made her want to close her eyes and drift in a post-coital haze.

  But she couldn’t. She gave his shoulders a shake, trying not to admire the sleek, hard muscles under all that silky skin.

  “Jared, we need to get up.”

  His arms tightened around her, as if he knew she was going to try to get away.

  “No, we don’t.” His voice rumbled out of his chest, fresh arousal zinging through her veins.

  God, she had to get the man out of here before she lost what few brain cells she had left and boffed him again.

  God, was she deliberately trying to sabotage her meeting?

  That made her pause before she mentally shook her head. No, that wasn’t true.

  “Yes, we do.” She pushed against his shoulders and this time he moved, barely enough so he could see her.

  His eyes were slits of sky blue as he stared down at her.

  “Hey, babe. You okay?”

  No, she wasn’t okay. She was so screwed. “What time is it?”

  He frowned but grabbed his pants to look at his phone.

  “Quarter of ten. You have somewhere you have to be?”

  She sighed in relief. She still had fifteen minutes—

  The bell over the front door rang.

  Her mind blanked and a terrifying darkness yawned at the edges of her consciousness.

  “Hello, Annabelle,” Teddy Walters called, his voice strangely deeper than normal. “There’s someone here to see you.”

  Oh, my God.

  “Oh, my God.”

  With a shove, she pushed Jared off her and scrambled to her feet. Jared hit the floor with a loud thump, and she scowled down at him as she looked for her clothes.

  “Be quiet,” she said. “They’ll hear you.”

  Jared lifted an eyebrow at her as he stood, brushing off that perfectly formed, naked ass. “Just let me pull on my pants and I’ll get rid of—”

  “Oh, my God, no.” Her heart skipped a beat as she pulled on her underwear. She wanted to yell at him but she had to keep her voice to a whisper. She heard Teddy and a voice that could only be female talking in the main shop area. “Don’t even think about it, Jared. Just stay here.”

  Where the hell was her skirt and shirt? She spied her bra under the chaise and dragged it on as hysterical laughter wanted to erupt along with an impending sense of doom.

  “Belle, what—”

  “Damn it, Jared.”

  “Just be quiet.”

  She shot him a glare meant to shut him up, but her addled brain got caught on the sheer animal magnetism of his body. Could the man be any sexier than he looked right now, standing naked among her erotic collection? He resembled a piece of art himself, even with his cock spent and his watch the only thing on his body.

  “Annabelle?” Teddy called again. “Are you here?”

  She gasped and grabbed the first thing within reach—Jared’s jeans. She tossed them at him, uncaring when they caught him in the face.

  Her blouse. Her coat. She needed to find them. Right now.

  Her skirt was within reach and she pulled that on. Her coat was by the door. Screw it.

  Doom sounded with every approaching footstep.

  Behind her, she heard clothing rustle, the metallic snick of a zipper, then Jared slipped her blouse up her arms.

  His warm hands caught her shoulders and turned her so he could button the placket of her shirt.

  “You were expecting someone?”

  With her brain still numb, she merely nodded as she shoved her top into her skirt and fumbled for her shoes. She couldn’t do anything about her hair but finger-comb it and hope to hell it didn’t look too bad.

  Now, if she could just get Jared to stay hidden.

  She nearly squealed in shock as he moved toward the door to the front room but caught herself before any sound emerged.

  Oh, my God, she was going to kill—

  “Jared?” A female voice she didn’t recognize called out as Jared disappeared from her sight and into full view of Teddy and whoever he’d brought into the shop. “What are you doing here?”

  “Carmen! Hey, nice to see you. How have you been?”

  “Fine, I’ve been fine. How are your parents?”

  Her mouth dropped open as realization shot through her when they carried on a short conversation.

  Jared knew Carmen Moran.

  Well, of course he did. He collected art. It wasn’t much of a stretch to believe he’d dealt with Carmen Moran at some point.

  “I take it you’re here to see Annabelle?”

  Jared’s question jolted her into action.

  Shit, she needed to get out there now.

  Stopping in front of the display case, she checked her reflection as best she could before scooping her jacket off the floor and quickly buttoning it.

  With one last finger-comb through her hair, Annabelle pasted on a smile, stuck out her chin, and headed out into the fray.

  Two hours later, Annabelle’s temples throbbed and she swore her face was going to permanently freeze into this smile.

  “Thank you again for taking the time to come out here, Ms. Moran. I appreciate it.”

  The other woman smiled as she pulled on her overcoat and grabbed her Coach tote, holding Annabelle’s carefully crafted resume. “I very much enjoyed meeting you and I’ll be in touch soon.”

  Probably with a “Thank you, but no thanks.”

  As Annabelle closed the door behind the woman, she smiled pleasantly and waved until Carmen started her car and drove away.

  Then she released a long, pent-up sigh and wilted back against the door.

  Cold air seeped into her back, making her shiver in reaction.

  “Well, that sucked.”

  Carmen Moran probably thought she was an idiot. She’d sounded like an idiot.

  All that preparation blown to hell.

  And nothing she could do about it now.

  Pushing away from the door, she headed for the counter and realized the pin was no longer there.

  Drawing in a quick breath, she hurried behind the counter, thinking maybe it had dropped behind.

  “Looking for this?”

  Annabelle shot straight up, gasping when she saw Jared standing in front of the door. He must have let himself in just a second ago.

  In his outstretched hand, he held the pin. “I didn’t think you’d want it lying unprotected on the counter so I picked it up. How’d your interview go?”

  Her mouth firmed and her cheeks heated with anger. “I need you to go, Jared. Tell your grandmother I want her to have the pin and just go.”

  “No. We have unfinished business.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned back against a display case, his face a cool mask.

  “No, we don’t.” She spoke carefully, as if she was afraid she’d let her anger get the better of her. “You need to go.”

  Jared wasn’t going anywhere. God, she was gorgeous when she was angry, even with her beautiful mouth pursed in a straight line. But he saw tears in her eyes and that made his stomach churn.

  Damn it, one of these days he’d put a smile on this woman’s face that would stick.

  He shook his head, knowing it would anger her even more, but there was no way he was leaving.

  Walking over to her, he set the pin on
the counter between them. “Why don’t we go somewhere and talk? Do you live upstairs or is there somewhere else we can go? We need to talk, Annabelle.”

  She shook her head again and pointed at the front door. “You need to leave.”

  “Sorry, not happening.” Letting his gaze roam the shop, he looked for the stairs to the second floor. He knew she lived above the shop and she wasn’t going to get rid of him so easily.

  “Jared, what— Oh, no. Don’t you dare go up those steps.”

  As he blatantly ignored her, he heard Annabelle huff and the sound of her angry stomps on the stairs behind him.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “You need a drink. Got any alcohol in this place?”

  He reached the top and found himself in her living room. The décor had the look and feel of a romantic country inn with lots of floral fabrics, chunky wood tables, and overstuffed furniture. It felt comfortable. Like home.

  Well, not his home, but it certainly fit Annabelle.

  A little eclectic, a little traditional, the red velvet accent pillows on the couch added a hint of sensuality.

  Beyond the living room, he spied the kitchen through an open door and headed for it.

  Behind him, he heard Annabelle reach the top of the stairs.

  “I do not want a drink.” The strength was returning to her voice. “It’s barely noon, for heaven’s sake. I want you to leave. If you don’t, I’m calling the cops.”

  He reached the kitchen, which didn’t have any windows big enough for her to push him through, so he stopped in the doorway and smiled at her. “Honey, you don’t really want to do that. Besides, I’ve got a proposition for you.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “A proposition? What the hell are you talking about?”

  He turned to reach for her refrigerator. “You look a little uncomfortable in that suit, hon. Why don’t you go get changed, then we’ll talk.”

  He hadn’t been lying to her. He did have a proposition. Just not of a sexual nature.

  With the great-sex buzz still zinging through his body, even after he’d spent two hours waiting in his car for Carmen to leave, he had to be careful not to overtip his hand and have Belle physically toss him out. She was upset and angry and he didn’t want to make it worse by grinning like a fool. He had no doubt she’d try to eject him if she decided she wanted him gone.