Keeping Her Close: A Slow Burn Standalone

by Casey Diam

  “I’m going to go freshen up and change into something more comfortable,” Jordan said, walking up behind his chair and running her hands down his chest as she kissed his jaw.

  “Mmm, come here.” Spinning his chair around, he pulled her onto his lap and placed a smooch on her lips. “What’s your schedule like tomorrow?”

  “I have a full day, I believe. Richie has been filling my calendar since I went away this weekend. I have a breakfast meeting at nine. Photoshoot at eleven. Lunch with my website guy. And that’s all I remember; I left my phone in the living room.”

  His jaws tightened. “Who’s Richie? And why are you working with all these dudes?”

  “Because they’re my go-to guys, and they’re awesome,” Jordan said. “I’ve told you about Richie before. He’s my friend, but he’s also my personal assistant.”

  How could he tell her he was her go-to guy from now on? “Well, now that we’re together, you’re going to have to start taking our schedule into consideration.” He held up his phone and tapped the calendar app. “Let’s see . . . we have the theater on Thursday at seven, Andrew and Sarah’s engagement party Saturday night. Also, I have a charity event in two weeks, and I’d love it if you were my date.”

  A message popped up on his phone.

  Tina: I need your cock, can I come by?

  “I’m going to leave you to your messages while I head to the bathroom, if that’s okay,” Jordan said. “Or should I ask who Tina is?”

  Fuck.

  Sliding his hand behind her neck, he crushed a possessive kiss to her lips. “No matter who messages me, know that I only want you. Soon everyone will know I’m yours. But until then, we can’t let meaningless shit like this come between us again.” He nuzzled her neck. “And please make yourself at home. Do whatever you’d do at your place. Walk around naked . . .”

  She shook her head, standing and picking up their leftovers from the desk. “You wish.”

  A few minutes later he found her in the bathroom, brushing her teeth in a pink camisole and shorts, her hair in a high bun and her glasses on. His dick grew rigid in a split second. He couldn’t believe she’d had her glasses with her the whole time. Walking up behind her, he pressed his erection into her as he ran his hands up her sides. And when she bent over the sink, he fell into a cloud of ecstasy. A thousand fantasies streamed through his mind as he gripped her hips, remembering this as one of the many places he’d checklisted. To his surprise, Jordan rotated her hips in a circular motion, teasing him even more. When he looked up, honey eyes peered at him in the mirror.

  He licked his lips. “And you said I was trouble.”

  Leaning forward, he covered her full breasts with his hands. She wasn’t wearing a bra, so he could feel the softness of her skin against the thin fabric. Pulling her torso up against his body, he felt her relax into his chest while looking at him in the mirror. He leveled his fingers over her nipples before giving them a gentle tweak. She tried to pretend she was immune to his touch, but he saw it all in the rise and fall of her chest, the way she pushed back into him, and best of all, the look in her eyes. This look was his now.

  He kissed down the side of her neck, and she inhaled. “We’re going to have so many fun nights,” he told her.

  “Good. I like having fun with you.” Jordan smiled, taking a towel from the counter to dry her hands.

  Turning to him, she pushed his T-shirt up over his chest before he helped her by removing it. “It’s interesting that you wore a T-shirt tonight, now that we can have each other and all.” She wrapped her hands around his neck and placed kisses over his chest. “I’ve wanted you for a while, and now that I’ve had a taste of you, it’s become a dire need, Brandon. I thought I was going to go crazy not being able to touch you all day today. Am I scaring you yet?”

  “No.” He laughed, taking her hand and kissing the middle of her palm. “You’ve been my every desire since I met you. Trust me when I say I feel the same way. I don’t know how I kept my hands off you for so long. But, Jordan . . .” He frowned, making sure she could see he was serious. “Please tell me if something makes you uncomfortable. I don’t want to remind you of your ex.”

  “You don’t.”

  Relieved, he squeezed her ass and gave her a gentle slap on one of the cheeks. He thought about reminding her of the third condition as it drifted through his mind, but then thoughts of what had happened the night before—and Kelly—entered his mind. Shit. He needed to tell her. But he didn’t want to see her unhappy again. There was always tomorrow. The only thing he wanted to give her for the rest of the night was pleasure.

  Scooping her into his arms, he brought her to the edge of his bed where he lay her down and kissed her until she moaned and murmured, “I need you.”

  He’d never tire of hearing that.

  He slipped his fingers into her shorts, his cock aching when he felt how ready she was for him. He brought his fingers up to her lips.

  “Open your mouth.” She obeyed, and he stuck a wet finger inside. “Now suck.”

  He just about ejaculated when he felt the suction of his finger being pulled into her mouth. Pressing his lips to hers, he nibbled and pulled her lip between his. Sliding his tongue inside to taste her, he took everything she was willing to give. Greedy with need, he was about to flip her over and fuck her, but when he glided his hand beneath her camisole and squeezed her breast, she breathed, “Can I fulfill the third condition now?”

  Anticipation elevated his lust so high, he wouldn’t be surprised if he came instantly when she touched him. With a deep breath, he released her. Jordan slid off the bed to the floor on her knees and trailed kisses across his abdomen before pulling his pants down. She groped his package through the material before yanking on his boxer briefs. The heavy force of his erection sprung out, almost whacking her in the face, but she just bit her lip and smiled like she’d been waiting for this moment her whole life. She didn’t even use her hands, just aligned her mouth with the tip and took a few inches of him in before sucking hard—not what he’d expected.

  The intoxicating pleasure from her mouth hoisted him into a dreamlike state, and he was ready to explode, watching as she tried to take him deeper. He cupped her face and withdrew himself from her mouth.

  “That’s enough, beautiful. I’m planning to fuck you all night. I’m not ready to come in this pretty little mouth. There’s time for that. And the lights are staying on this time, because I’m planning to watch you come over and over again, in my mouth, on my cock . . .” She snuck one more lick beneath the head of his cock before she crawled onto the bed.

  “You little devil, I see where this is going,” he said, practically ripping her clothes off. Crossing her legs, he lifted them in the air and pushed them to her stomach, so he could lap at her sweet juices from behind.

  “You have a mirror in your ceiling,” Jordan uttered.

  He groaned, letting her feel the vibrations on her sex. He’d eaten a lot of women, but this one was fucking delectable beyond measure. “Do you like it?”

  She moaned. “I do. Your taste is sensational . . . pun intended.”

  He grinned and lifted his head. “Did I tell you how much I like you?”

  She shook her head, and he uncrossed her legs and spread them. “A lot.”

  With her velvety pussy exposed for his viewing, he slipped his finger into her pool of moisture, teasing the pleasure out of her before shoving his aching cock inside. After savoring the instant relief of being buried in her warmth, he plunged deeper and harder until her face transformed, her moans bouncing off the walls in his room. He rolled over the next minute so she was on top, giving him full access to her body. His hands roamed while he kissed her. Now that he knew what movements sent her over the edge, he would take full advantage. He grabbed her ass, kneading it each time he drove into her, and as her moans turned into pants, he sucked a nipple into his mouth, rolling the other between his fingers until she somersaulted into another shaking climax.

&nb
sp; He kept her in the same position, because he wasn’t giving in until she came once more for him. He gripped her body to his chest and continued to slam his hips up into her, filling her responsive cunt with every inch of his cock. She twisted in his tight grip and cried out as her sex quivered around his shaft, vibrating and clenching him into his own release.

  Holy shit.

  “That was . . . wow,” Jordan drawled a little while later, her limp, warm body still hugging his.

  “I know,” Brandon said, breathing hard and wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

  He was experienced, but what was happening with Jordan was different—as if his body had been in sync with hers from the start. He pulled out of her warmth, and as she slid to the side of his body, he kissed the corner of her sweet lips.

  “It’s all because your body is so responsive.”

  “To you,” she said, curling onto him and nestling her head on his chest. “Being exclusive was a good call. No one else gets to have you. You’re all mine.”

  “Ditto.”

  Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he looked to the mirror in the ceiling, noting how well their bodies fit together. When she raised her head to kiss his neck, all he could think was how he could fall for this girl. And for a split second, all was right with the world.

  But as he commanded the lights off in the bedroom and removed himself from Jordan’s trusting arms, guilt consumed each step he took to the bathroom.

  Why was it so hard to tell the woman in his bed, whom he’d grown so fond of, that he may have gotten her pregnant?

  Although that would be extreme.

  She could be on birth control. These days just about every mother and their daughter were on birth control.

  Damn, Jordan, I hope you’re one of those daughters. If not, I’m so sorry.

  Jordan pulled on a pair of leggings and a loose-fitting top and grabbed a fresh cup of coffee from the kitchen before heading out to her patio. It’d been days since she’d hung out in her apartment. Because apparently, a few kisses was all it took for Brandon to persuade her to spend every night at his place. They’d been completely inseparable since his birthday. She’d even begun to think it was time to tell their friends, but the last thing she wanted was to be inaccurate.

  So she’d left work early to sort through her feelings without Brandon’s sexy distractions.

  Over the past week, her hope had been restored. She didn’t know if it was because she’d confided in Brandon about everything or because he knew how to take care of her so well. Yesterday, she’d joined him at a museum for lunch, where he’d held her hand as they walked and talked, enjoying each other’s company and love for art. The night before that, she’d accompanied him and his friends to a musical at the theatre, and whenever it was possible to touch each other without their friends noticing, they indulged—she holding his arm when they walked through a crowd, him grazing a finger over her thigh when sitting next to her.

  This morning he’d left her alone in his bed before even roosters would crow, and she already missed him. He hadn’t been there showering her with kisses and cuddling her close when she’d woken up, which he’d been doing for days now. Sarah and Andrew’s engagement party was only a few hours away, and she and Brandon would again have to keep their hands off each other until everyone left.

  She sighed.

  She was ready to come out of the dark with him. He’d been good to her, and she had a feeling this time was different. He was more open, and she trusted him, but an engagement party wasn’t the place to deliver the good news. Gosh. She grinned. People would probably act like she and Brandon were the ones engaged, not Sarah and Andrew. But tomorrow, they could tell everyone.

  The neighbor’s kids rode around on bikes, chasing each other, and she smiled at what used to make her sad. Now she could envision the kids being hers one day. Just not anytime soon.

  She’d gotten on the pill a few days ago—not that she planned to have unprotected sex until she knew Brandon was clean, but she wasn’t ready for the pregnancy kind of oops in her life again. Her next pregnancy would be planned; she would be in love, or married even.

  Drinking her coffee, she pictured the whole thing until Brandon’s salacious grin popped into her mind. Smiling, she pulled her phone out.

  He’d been so cautious and sympathetic with her, but she was ready for more now. Nervously, she pressed the keys on her phone.

  Jordan: I want you to fuck me hard tonight. And Brandon, hard. Make me forget?

  She hoped he’d read between the lines to see what she was really asking.

  A few hours later, he sent her a smiley-face emoticon, which made her smile but also frown a little inside. She needed to feel what rough sex was like with Brandon, but also forget what it had been like with Todd. Immediately, she wondered what she was even asking of him. It was wrong, she shouldn’t have—

  Brandon: It’ll be my pleasure, beautiful. Busy day. I can’t wait to see you.

  “Jordan, yay! I’m so glad you’re here!” Sarah cheered, running to embrace her as she walked into Brandon’s now-festive house. “I love your outfit! You know what? You should be designing my wedding dress. I’m serious. Think about it.”

  Jordan had on what looked to be a sleeveless cocktail dress, but was actually a coordinated two-piece set. Specifically, a black and pink banded crop top with a high-waisted skirt, exposing a small part of her abdomen in the front and stopping a few inches above her knees.

  “Thanks, but look at you!”

  Sarah was dressed in an emerald cocktail dress, her hair now jet black, not the purple ombré Jordan had gotten used to seeing.

  “You didn’t tell me you were dyeing your hair.”

  Sarah clasped her hands together. “I know. It was an on-the-spot decision. Now people won’t look at me like I’m a freak. Anyway, the DJ is already setting up, but I could use your help over here. I’ve been trying to put these decorations on the wall. Maybe you can reach; you’re a few inches taller than me.”

  A chair was positioned next to the wall, surrounded by different-sized gold bubbles it seemed Sarah was trying to stick around the Congratulations Sarah and Andrew sign. Jordan kicked off her heels at the foot of the chair and managed to climb up. She took one of the bubbles and stretched to stick it above the sign, but she wasn’t tall enough either. At the feeling of being watched, she paused and surrendered to the awakening butterflies.

  Sarah’s next statement confirmed her instincts.

  “Brandon! We could use your help over here, if you’d stop looking at Jordan like she’s dessert.”

  Jordan turned, and without even looking at Brandon, her face heated. Examining her tight skirt, she curled a finger at the side of her mouth, mumbling, “Hmm . . . how did I get up here again?”

  “I think that’s why I’m here.” Brandon walked to the chair, raised his hands to her waist, and lifted her down. To hide the stupid grin on her face, and maybe just to push his limits a bit, she bent down to put her shoes on, her rear end smack in front of him. At the sound of a distinctive inhale, she smiled.

  “Sarah, you know what?” Brandon said. “This is your party. You don’t have to lift a finger. Jordan and I have this covered.”

  He was trying to get her alone, but she also imagined the text message she’d sent earlier was on his mind.

  “No way. I want to help. Besides, decorating is the best part of not hiring an event planner. Oh, Stephanie is coming, by the way. And she said you haven’t called her. So please don’t be a dick to her while she’s here.”

  No, Sarah. Not touchy-feely Stephanie, Jordan mentally whined. She didn’t care if women like Tina texted Brandon, because he was home with her. But when Stephanie was here in person, and ready to sink her fingers into him, how was she supposed to keep up her he’s-just-my-friend front?

  She and Brandon stayed apart for the rest of the evening, mostly because she was chatting with Richie and Adrianna, but also because being in his v
icinity was way too tantalizing.

  “Oh, and who is that?” Richie asked at one point, looking toward Brandon. “He is on my breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all over again list.”

  Adrianna and Richie, being two peas in a pod, were calling dibs on who they wanted to sleep with.

  “Oh no, that one’s off limits,” Adrianna muttered. “Jordan has dibs.”

  Richie wrapped an arm around Jordan’s shoulders. “Ah, what? Jordan, tell me you haven’t been holding out on me. I want all the deets, starting with the size of his cock.”

  Jordan groaned. “Adrianna, quit gossiping. There aren’t any details to share.” She caught Brandon looking over like he knew they were talking about him. Seeming annoyed, his jaw tensed as he looked away. She had explained her platonic friendship with Richie, but she could tell he was uncomfortable with it. Her heart clenched at the thought of upsetting him.

  A little while later, Jordan spotted Stephanie talking to Brandon, her tiny body inches from his, and a finger curling into a belt loop on the front of his slacks. Jordan frowned, her heart dropping into her stomach.

  Feeling less like the goddess she’d been at the beginning of the night, she finished the remains of her champagne and excused herself to the bathroom.

  Leaning her hands against the counter, she stared at her reflection. Not even a minute later, her head spun to the sound of the door closing. She’d let herself into Brandon’s personal bathroom since it was private and off limits to the crowd. But as she watched Brandon’s fingers push the lock to close, and then move to switch on the fan, her heart raced. He couldn’t possibly think she’d have sex with him right now?

  “Remove your underwear. We’ll talk later. Right now, I need to fuck you.”

  Something was different, a hardness in his demeanor she’d never seen before—like he was upset with her. But why? She hadn’t done anything. Too intimidated to meet his gaze, she followed his instructions, dropping the black lace on the counter and smoothing down her skirt. Her eyes followed him in the mirror as he walked toward her, his white shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, the hem tucked neatly into his pants. He stopped behind her, and she swallowed, confused and speechless as he pulled her hips into his groin. Her dismay drained at the feel of his thick erection enticing her to come out and play. Inhaling a long breath, she let it out slowly. Because even with the running fan and the resounding music on the other side of the wall, the air in the room preserved its stillness. He stepped away from her, and she felt a sudden chill at the loss.