“Correct. My parents got it right the first time.”
“Same here.”
“I know. You told me.” Sydney lifted her glass. “To only children who never learned how to share their toys.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
“Close to your parents?” Sydney asked.
“Unfortunately, no,” Jessica said. “Mine were killed in a car accident when I was nine. I lived with my grandparents until I went to college.”
Realization dawned on Sydney then. “So that’s part of why you were so close to your grandmother. She raised you.”
Jessica nodded once. “Pretty much. And Henry here”—she jerked her chin in the bar owner’s direction—“was my grandfather’s best friend from the service. So he had a hand in it all as well.”
Pieces were falling into place now and Sydney found Jessica growing even more interesting as they talked. “You were brought up by people a generation older than your parents.”
“I was. I’m kind of an old soul because of it.” Jessica finished her drink, gave Henry the signal for refills.
“Where’d you go to school?”
“I got a business degree from Syracuse University, then came back here. I wasn’t going to stay. I had big plans to work in New York City. But I went back to working at the shelter, like I had pretty much my entire life, and I just…really got into it. And once I had my degree, Grandma started to step back, gave me more and more responsibility, started leaving decisions up to me. She was a terrible businesswoman.” Jessica laughed. “She loved the animals and knew everything about them, but the books and the numbers and the donations used to make her eyes glaze over, so I started to take that part over. I learned the ins and outs of the shelter and the animals from my grandmother. I came to Henry for questions about running a business.”
“And your big plans for New York City?”
Jessica shrugged as Henry placed two fresh drinks in front of them and took the markers away with a wink. “Plans change. That’s the thing about life.”
“The thing about life is that plans change?” Sydney furrowed her brow.
Jessica chuckled. “No, the thing about life is that you don’t always know. Yeah, plans change. Sometimes. Sometimes, they don’t, but…sometimes when they do, it’s the right thing.”
“Deep.” Sydney teased, winking at Jessica.
Jessica bumped her with a shoulder. “Don’t mock me. I am wise beyond my years. An old soul, remember?”
“I believe that.”
“I’m just saying.” Jessica’s gaze met hers, held, and her voice took on a more serious tone. “Plans change.”
Sydney blinked at her and it was as if the rest of the bar just faded away. All the sound, all the people, everything. Gone. It was Jessica and Sydney and the space between them. That was it. What is happening here? Sydney’s mind posed the question, but she had no answers. Or she did, but refused to examine them. “I want to be alone with you,” she heard herself say. Quietly. Pleadingly. Full of promise. And desire.
Jessica made no verbal response, but her head bobbed up and down in an enthusiastic nod. She signaled to Henry for the check.
Henry took his sweet time sauntering over to them and Sydney clenched her teeth tightly in frustration. “You want something to eat?” he asked, his eyes on Jessica.
“No, thanks. Just the check,” Jessica told him.
“You sure? Javier made an amazing gazpacho today.”
“I think we’re good.” Jessica did a much more admirable job of being patient than Sydney ever would have.
“It’s really good,” Henry said, and Sydney noticed his eyes never met hers. “Cool and delicious. Got a little kick to it, just the way you like it.”
If Sydney hadn’t known to look for it, she’d have missed the zap of warning that flashed across Jessica’s eyes. Henry saw it as well, and Sydney chuckled internally, making a note never to mess with Jessica when she was not up for being messed with. “Just the check, Henry. Please.”
His jaw set, Henry gave one nod and his eyes brushed Sydney’s as he turned to the cash register. When Sydney looked at Jessica, she rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
Out on the sidewalk, Sydney blew out a loud breath. “Wow. He did not want you to leave with me.”
“He’s the closest thing I have to a father figure,” Jessica said, and her voice was light, but Sydney could sense the tiny sheen of defensiveness for Henry. “He’s just looking out for me. He promised my grandma.”
“I can accept that,” Sydney said, and she meant it. “I wish I had somebody looking out for me with that kind of loyalty.”
Jessica turned to look at her, her blue eyes subdued in the dim light of the street. “Your dad?”
Sydney waved a dismissive hand. “He and my mom are busy. They have a lot going on. They don’t pay a lot of attention to my life.” She could feel Jessica’s eyes on her, even as she looked off down the street. She stretched her neck, rolled her shoulders, felt uncomfortable. And then Jessica’s mouth was right next to her ear, her breath causing a ripple of arousal as it brushed her ear.
“Come to my place and I’ll pay a lot of attention to you.”
What woman in her right mind would say no to that?
*
Every fiber of her being was screaming at her that this was a bad idea, that Sydney wasn’t going to hang around for long, that she’d just end up hurting her, but Jessica didn’t listen. She didn’t care. All she cared about was getting her hands on Sydney Taylor. Like, now. They climbed the flight of stairs in silence and she slid her key into the lock, alarmingly aware of the heat of Sydney’s body behind her, painfully aware of how close she was, disturbingly aware of every little thing she wanted to do to her. Absently, she wondered if they’d even make it to the bedroom.
The door barely closed behind them when Sydney was on her, grabbing her with those beautiful hands, turning her around, coming at her with those full, sensuous lips. Jessica’s back hit the door and she let out a small “oof” as Sydney’s mouth crushed against hers. This kiss. Oh, my God, this kiss. Jessica admitted to herself then that she’d been thinking about, hoping for, waiting to experience this kiss all damn day. She’d ignored the thought, pretended not to notice it. But it had been there. All day. Any time Sydney had come near her, pointed out a direction or offered a suggestion, Jessica’s heart rate kicked up and her stomach had tightened. She’d ignored it, but… Now, Sydney’s hands were everywhere. Her mouth was everything. Jessica was quite certain she could kiss Sydney Taylor for the rest of her life and be perfectly happy.
How had this happened?
A war went on inside Jessica’s mind. An epic battle. Logic versus pleasure. Business versus pleasure. Using her head versus pleasure. And pleasure was winning. In every fight and in a big, big way, pleasure was winning, because her body responded to Sydney like it hadn’t in a very long time. Her blood rushed through her veins, all of it heading south. Her head was light, forcing any serious thought to the outskirts to be dealt with later. Her hands moved like they had minds of their own, skimming along Sydney’s curves, burrowing under fabric to find hot, bare skin, scratching against it, squeezing it. Any time she was able to wring a moan or a gasp from Sydney, she gave herself a mental point and searched for another way to do so. And they hadn’t even made it out of the foyer yet.
As if reading her thoughts, Sydney managed to ask, “Couch? Bed? Anything?”
Their foreheads touching as they breathed raggedly, Jessica chuckled. “I have both.”
“Thank God. Take me to one of them. Now.”
The demanding tone sent an erotic chill dancing along Jessica’s spine as she slid her hand down Sydney’s arm, grasped her hand, and whispered, “Come with me.” Thanking the Universe she’d come home first and fed the cats so they weren’t making nuisances of themselves now, she tugged Sydney to the stairs. This was not going to happen on a couch. No way.
Jessica rarely made her bed in the morning, but s
he’d made it today. Another stroke of luck from the Universe, as she led Sydney into a neat and tidy bedroom, wondering in a split second what she thought of the colors, the décor, the art on the walls. But it was made clear pretty quickly that Sydney was noticing none of those things. Her hands were on Jessica again, cupping her face and kissing her so deeply, Jessica whimpered. When the backs of her knees hit the edge of her bed, she sat abruptly, looking up at the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen.
They hadn’t turned on the lamp. There was only moonlight, streaming through the open blinds and tinting the ivory room a sensuous blue. Sydney was gorgeous, still in her work clothes, her white button-down top open at the throat, open far enough to pull Jessica’s eyes, even as she tried to resist. Jessica reached up from her sitting position, grasped the placket, began to unbutton.
“I’ve wanted to do this all day,” she said, working the buttons.
“You have not,” Sydney said, not stopping her.
“Oh, yes. I have.”
Sydney looked down, watched Jessica’s hands, and that alone was such a turn-on Jessica thought she might explode. One by one, as slowly as she could force herself to go, Jessica worked, and when she reached the last button, opened Sydney’s blouse, pushed the sides apart, exposing the light pink bra lined with lace. Pink. Good God. Pink.
Before she could form any more coherent thought, Sydney took her face in both hands and kissed her again. With gusto. Jessica slid her hands up Sydney’s torso, skimmed over her breasts, and pushed the fabric off her shoulders. Sydney let go of Jessica’s face, wrenched their mouths apart, and shook her arms out of the sleeves. She stood there in front of Jessica in her dress pants and bra and Jessica was positive she’d never seen a sexier sight in her entire life.
“You’re so beautiful,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving Sydney’s.
Sydney smiled and knelt down in front of her. Warm hands caressed Jessica’s bare legs, up and down in a slow, lazy motion and while Sydney’s gaze held hers, she lifted Jessica’s right leg and removed her shoe. The other leg followed, and then Sydney straightened up on her knees so she and Jessica were nearly face to face. Jessica could feel Sydney’s fingertips trail up the backs of her legs to her knees, stroke the backs for what wasn’t nearly long enough, then Sydney’s hands capped each knee and slowly pushed them apart. Jessica could feel every move Sydney’s hands made, but she couldn’t take her eyes from that sensuous mouth until Sydney leaned forward and kissed her again. And then everything moved into sensation. Jessica’s eyes were closed, but she could feel everything. Sydney’s soft lips against her own, Sydney’s tongue pressing into her mouth, Sydney’s hands sliding up the sides of her thighs, taking the fabric of her dress with them. Jessica dug her fingers into Sydney’s dark hair, feeling the thick softness, smelling the scent of peaches or mangoes maybe. She made a small gasping sound as Sydney’s hands found her center, one fingertip stroking her through her bikinis.
“Oh, my God,” Sydney whispered, their lips mere millimeters apart. “You’re so wet.”
Jessica felt her face flush. “Your fault. It’s what you do to me.”
Sydney’s finger continued to move, very slowly, up and down along Jessica’s center, the only movement the two of them made aside from the hitch in Jessica’s breath, which was growing more ragged by the second. The searing eye contact between them only made it that much more intense, and Jessica was surprised to hear herself whimper—a sound that tugged one corner of Sydney’s mouth up and caused her to arch an eyebrow. Without taking her eyes from Jessica’s, she slid her hands around to Jessica’s hips, curled her fingers around the waistband of the bikinis, and gave them a tug.
“Give me these,” she commanded in a nearly inaudible whisper.
Her hands flat on the mattress, Jessica pushed her body up, lifting her hips and allowing Sydney to slid the fabric down her legs and off. Their gazes never wavered from each other the whole time, and Jessica marveled at the intensity of it. She didn’t have time to marvel long, though, as Sydney captured her mouth once again, this time pushing into her until she lay back on the bed. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Jessica wondered how she’d gone from holding all the cards on this date to having every ounce of control stripped gently from her without her even realizing it. How had that happened? She wondered for a moment, but then all thought was chased from her mind as Sydney’s alarmingly adept fingers were again stroking through the wet, hot folds of flesh between her legs and unrecognizable sounds were being pulled from her throat.
When Sydney pulled back from her face, Jessica was shocked to see how very dark with arousal those gorgeous blue-green eyes had become. At that moment, she realized she might be having a similar effect on Sydney as the one Sydney was having on her. Taking that thought and running with it, she grabbed Sydney’s face with both hands and kissed her like her life depended on it. When Sydney wrenched their mouths apart moments later, she was breathing as raggedly as Jessica had been.
“Wait,” she huffed out. “Just…wait. My God.”
Jessica grinned. “Just trying to give as good as I was getting.” It was not lost on either of them that Jessica’s lungs were working overtime as well.
Sydney looked at her and her face grew serious again. Jessica couldn’t remember ever having looked at a woman and known—without the tiniest sliver of doubt—that the woman wanted her more than anything else in the world in that moment. That’s exactly how Sydney Taylor was looking at her right now. And without another word, Sydney flipped the skirt of Jessica’s dress up and buried her face between Jessica’s legs. No warning. No preamble. Just a relentlessly determined mouth on the very core of her being.
Jessica cried out a strangled sound she’d never heard herself make before as it felt like every nerve ending in her body stood at attention, waiting for Sydney’s command. Suddenly, they were back to sensation. Jessica couldn’t pinpoint anything, but she could feel it all. She had no idea what was Sydney’s tongue, her lips, her fingers. She only knew that her body was being owned—touched, tasted, stroked, higher and higher until she was sure her limbs would simply melt, that she’d spin off into oblivion, never to be seen again. And despite expecting it, the orgasm somehow took her by complete surprise, ripping through her body like a tsunami, wiping out every part of her until she was left wasted, a quivering mass of flesh on the bed, still nearly fully dressed, unable to remember her own name.
“Oh, my God,” she managed, her arm thrown over her eyes. “Oh, my God.”
Sydney moved, but Jessica didn’t have the energy to lift her arm and look. And then Sydney’s voice was closer, and she whispered, “Again,” and Jessica’s arousal cranked up a dozen notches unexpectedly just from the commanding tone of that one word.
Sydney didn’t give her much time to warm to the idea, as her fingers were suddenly pushing inside and finding a rhythm, and it was like Jessica’s body had completely disconnected from her brain, taking charge, moving with Sydney’s hand, no thought or bargaining required. Just lust. Stretching her neck up, she caught Sydney’s mouth with her own, kissed her for all she was worth, and before she had time to think, a second orgasm grabbed her with both hands, lifted her off the bed, and wrung her like a dishrag, squeezing every last bit of pleasure from her before dropping her back to the mattress in a heap of utter, wiped out exhaustion.
Jessica had no idea how much time had passed while she tried her best to recover, but when she opened her eyes, Sydney was kneeling above her, the smile on her face so smug it was almost comical. Jessica grinned for a moment, touched her fingers to Sydney’s swollen lips before the grin slid away to be replaced by a much more sensual expression, if her train of thought was any indicator. She pushed herself to a sitting position, forcing Sydney to stand, and without a word, she reached up, unsnapped the front clasp of Sydney’s bra, and took a nipple into her mouth.
Firmly.
Sydney gasped and Jessica could feel the fingers of both hands digging into her hair,
holding her head in place. “God,” Sydney said softly, and Jessica felt her back arch slightly, pushing her breast into Jessica’s mouth farther. Jessica moved from one breast to the other, loving the surprising size of them. When her mouth was on one, her fingers toyed with the nipple of the other, back and forth, until Sydney could barely keep still…exactly the reaction Jessica had hoped for.
As wonderfully explosive and surprising as her double orgasm had been, Jessica was determined to draw this out. She wasn’t going to push Sydney, wasn’t going to force her over the edge. She was going to savor her, pull her along gently so that she didn’t see the edge, wasn’t even aware she was close to it, until she’d slipped over.
At least, that was the plan.
And she stuck to it as she lavished attention on each ample breast. Stuck to it as her palms ran over the smooth plane of Sydney’s back, her nails lightly scratching, causing Sydney to drop her head back and hiss in a breath. Stuck to it as she moved around to the front and unfastened the fly on Sydney’s pants, dropping them to the floor around her ankles. She stuck to the plan right up until the moment she slipped her fingers into Sydney’s bikinis and felt just how drenched she actually was.
The plan dissolved like a sugar cube in a cup of hot coffee.
With a moan of desire and a growl of want, Jessica reversed their positions, spinning Sydney around so she landed on her back on the bed, and a small squeak of surprise popped out of her mouth. Before she could say anything else, though, Jessica silenced her with a crushing kiss as she pushed her fingers through the hot slickness waiting between Sydney’s thighs.
Jessica quickly found a rhythm with her fingers even as she ran her tongue along the side of Sydney’s gorgeous neck, licked a shoulder, lightly bit down on a nipple. Sydney was vocal, and Jessica found it to be such a turn-on, she thought she might erupt in flames right there on the bed. Every demanding “more,” every satisfied “yes,” and every whimpered “please,” just pushed Jessica’s own arousal higher, made her work harder, concentrate more, drove her to be closer, deeper, until Sydney finally crested with a stunned, high-pitched whisper of, “Oh, God, Jessica…” that devolved into a ragged cry of release. Hips came up off the bed, her neck strained as she arched her head back, squeezed her eyes shut, and Jessica winced as Sydney clenched a handful of her hair, but it was an exquisite pain and worth it for a view that Jessica was certain was the most beautifully erotic sight she’d ever witnessed.
Dare to Stay (Puppy Love Romances Book 3) Page 20
