“Just drop it, Cass. I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, fine. Just hear me out. That chick is crazy. She’s Jesse’s ex-girlfriend. Ignore anything she tells you.”
Scoffing at Cassie’s response, Cori made it to the bar. She found her drink and downed it before her sister caught up. Cassie looked as though she wanted to say more, but Ally had joined them. She crowned Cassie with a party hat then handed her the sparkling juice that matched the one in her hand.
“Jonah was just here a second ago. He said the guys are wrapping up and they’ll be here in a minute. We have twenty minutes before midnight.”
“Good. They need to hurry up. I can’t believe it’s taking this long.”
As the best friends continued to chat, Cori spotted Nora and Jamie talking. Both were oblivious to anything else but their conversation and the drink in their hands. Cori thought about ordering another, but the longer she sat there, the more she thought about Maggie’s words.
Everything she told her had to be a lie. If Jesse needed someone to be his girlfriend, why would he have to pay for it? He had plenty of women who wanted to fill the role. She learned that the hard way the day she was mobbed outside the radio station.
While they hadn’t worked much over the last few days, she had organized his schedule and answered the majority of his calls. He worked her as an assistant and introduced her as such. Why go to all that trouble if he needed someone to date?
A wave of nausea hit just as her temples began throbbing. The music blared around her, making her headache worse. Maybe it was just the thoughts tumbling through her mind.
She couldn’t deny that she’d been in a vulnerable state when Jesse found her in Miami. She hadn’t recovered from the argument with her father, nor was she speaking to her mother or sister. After he showed up at her dorm room offering her a job, she thought he had saved her from working as an escort. That wouldn’t be the case if what Maggie said were true. It meant he’d hired her to be the same damn thing.
God, all she wanted to do right now was escape.
Sliding off the stool, she grabbed her handbag, double-checked the room key was inside, then searched for the elevator. Just before she stepped away, Cassie called out to her.
“Cori, where are you going?”
“To my room. I don’t belong here.”
She didn’t miss the confusion on her sister’s face as she walked away. Hopefully, Cassie wouldn’t follow her again. The mere thought had Cori pushing through the crowd, fighting her way to the elevator. The longer she was there, the more out of place she felt. Coming here had been a mistake.
So had taking the job with Jesse.
Chapter 20
Jesse hadn’t missed the way Cori darted through the crowd as he approached the bar or the stressed expression on Cassie’s face when she saw him. She regarded her sister a final time before she stood and greeted him.
“Is something wrong with Cori?”
Cassie’s shoulder’s slumped. “I don’t know what’s going on for sure. I noticed her coming back from the restroom earlier when Maggie stopped her.”
A chill ran down Jesse’s spine as his heart kicked up a notch. “You’ve got to be kidding. What the hell did she say to Cori?”
Shrugging, Cassie shook her head. “She wouldn’t tell me. By the time I reached them, Maggie didn’t stick around. I tried to warn Cori what a crazy bitch Maggie is, but I’m not sure she listened. Whatever she said to my sister, it wasn’t good.”
That was an understatement.
“Fuck,” he grumbled the words as he pushed away from the bar. “I better go talk to Cori. Knowing Maggie, she’s filled her head full of lies.”
Cassie agreed just as Theo walked up behind her. The frown on his face spoke of his curiosity over their conversation. His wife would have to fill him in. Jesse had to reach Cori.
He spotted her near the elevator. Thankfully, a large group had just entered. There didn’t appear to be enough room, which explained why she waved them on and remained outside the doors.
Good. He had a few minutes to catch up to her.
Pushing his way through the crowd, he made swift strides toward the elevator. It didn’t take him long to get through the mob of people. He had to dodge a few women who asked him for his autograph. All he could mutter is later as he brushed past them.
When he broke through the crowd, Cori was facing the elevator. She didn’t see him approach, but the moment he cleared his throat, her back straightened.
“Cori, where are you going?”
“To the suite. I’m not feeling well. You can stay though. Don’t leave on my account.”
With each word she spoke, he waited for her to look at him, but it never happened. The longer he stared at her back, the more he realized the truth. Maggie had struck again. Whatever she’d told Cori had messed with her. It was the only explanation.
When would that damn woman get out of his life? He couldn’t take Maggie’s shit anymore. She was the reason he hadn’t pursued a new relationship. Now that Cori was in his life, he wanted her to stay. He’d be damned if he allowed Maggie to fuck this up for him.
“I know Maggie spoke with you after my performance. What did she say?”
This time, she didn’t respond. She remained in the same rigid stance with her back to him. Her silence was like a knife slicing through him. It had to stop.
“Please talk to me.” He touched her shoulder, ready to turn her around, but she shrugged him off and stepped forward. Her profile came into view long enough for him to catch a glimpse of her face. In that brief instant, he saw the moisture in her eyes. It ripped him in two.
Refusing to accept her silence, he grabbed her arm this time, urging her to turn around. She resisted at first but finally gave in. Still, she wouldn’t look at him.
“What happened?”
“I know the truth, Jesse. Your ex-girlfriend told me everything.”
“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
Cori shook her head and glanced at the ceiling. “Maggie told me the real reason you hired me. She took pleasure in telling me how the whole industry knows I’m not your assistant. I’m your girlfriend-for-hire.”
The Great Lakes in the middle of winter couldn’t feel as cold as the chill spreading over Jesse. This was not the way he imagined the information coming out. The worst part of all, none of it was true, at least not the part about why he hired her. Maggie was hell-bent on ruining his life. Still, he couldn’t blame all of this on her. He should have been honest with Cori.
Yet knowing she believed Maggie over him . . . That hurt the most.
“It’s a lie. Yes, my manager and agent suggested it, but I told them no way.”
Her nostrils flared as she shook her head. “I can’t believe I almost bought into all of this. You pretended to save me from the dangers of being an escort, but isn’t that what you hired me to be? A fake girlfriend is no different than an escort.”
“Cori, listen to me. Maggie is spreading rumors. It’s what she does. For what it’s worth, I can take you to speak with Josh and Joel. They’ll confirm that after I hired you to be my assistant, I made sure they knew the truth. Don’t let Maggie do this to us.”
For an instant, the contempt she felt for him seemed to disappear. He hoped it was because he was getting through to her. Perhaps he could convince her if she knew the truth. It was time to tell her how he felt.
“What we’ve shared over the last few days has been real. I care about you, Cori.”
As he reached for her face, the elevator signaled its arrival. The doors parted a second later. Only a few people exited the car, leaving it empty, but it didn’t remain that way. Cori darted inside.
By the time he realized what she was doing, he had enough time to step into the car before the doors closed behind him. She’d been too busy getting her keycard from her handbag that she didn’t notice him enter. Her face fell when she realized he was standing next to her.
“You’ve known me a hell of a lot longer than Maggie. How can you believe her lies over me?”
“I don’t know what to think, Jesse. I want to believe you, but . . . This is about more than Maggie or anything she said. I’m so out of my league right now.”
“What are you talking about?”
Cori squirmed under his gaze. She couldn’t hold it and focused on the wall behind him. “You’re going to be famous, Jesse. You’re almost at the top, and I’m way down here at the bottom.”
As she made a swift motion with her hand, lowering it from her head to her waist, he shook his head. He took a few more steps until he had her cornered at the back of the elevator. “You’re wrong.”
“No, I’m not. All of this was a mistake. I’m not good enough to be in your world.”
That was it. Jesse wouldn’t listen to this nonsense any longer.
Worrying she would try to leave, he inserted the keycard into the slot for the private floor where their suite was located. Once the elevator chimed and began its descent, he tucked the card into his back pocket. Then, he decreased the space between them.
He held her face in his hands and leaned closer. “If you’re not good enough to be in this world I live in then neither am I. We’re more alike than you think, Cori. Besides, I don’t give a rat’s ass what anyone else thinks. Only one opinion matters to me. Yours.”
“But Maggie—”
“Fuck her,” Jesse gritted the words. “I don’t care what she says or does. I care about you.”
He wanted to say more, but he knew he’d be wasting his breath. The best way to prove his point was to show her. He could not ruin this.
Lowering his head, he leaned in until his mouth covered hers. He kissed her with all the desperation eating him alive. It must have been enough to convince her of the truth because it was only a moment later that she worked her hands up his chest and pulled off his long-sleeved shirt.
Her nails glided up the back of his arms. He was so caught up in the feel of her body, in the urgency of her kiss, that he didn’t realize she was removing his t-shirt. He eased back long enough to grip the sides and finish removing it.
As soon as he did, he held her gaze. One delicate sweep of his fingers across her cheek had her breathing harder. This was his only shot at making things right.
“Wh—why, Jesse?” Cori stammered as she spoke. “Why me? I’m nothing special.”
“You are to me. You know me, Cori, the real me. I don’t have to put on an act for you because you like me the way I am, and . . . I’ve wanted you for so fucking long, I can’t remember when I started.”
It was more than that. The want. The need. The desire. Cori was everything he wanted in a woman. Losing her wasn’t an option anymore, but he couldn’t tell her that. She’d think he was crazy. Maybe he was. Hell, he knew he was, especially now that a particular idea was rolling through his mind. He knew how to make sure she was his. It was risky but the only chance he had.
Fuck it. He was taking it.
Scooping her body into his arms, he pulled her against him and spun around until the stainless steel wall cooled his back. She moaned as he fisted her hair and pulled her back to his mouth. Her breath beat against his face, mingling with his.
Everything about her sent him further over the edge. He’d reached the point of no return, not that he’d want to go back—on his decision, to his ex, to his past. Everything else was behind him. Cori was his future.
Sliding partially down the wall, he lowered his body enough to caress her thighs. He trailed his lips down her neck, scraping her skin with his teeth. He had the notion of biting her and marking her as his so the rest of the world would know. No other man dare touch her without facing his wrath.
Heavy breathing filled the elevator as he worked his hands up her legs and cupped her ass. By the time the brakes engaged and the car slowed, he lifted Cori into his arms. When the doors opened, he was relieved to see that no one was waiting to board the elevator.
Once Cori’s legs wrapped around his waist, he left the car in his wake. He didn’t make it halfway down the hall before he was pressing her against the wall and rolling his hips into hers. She cried out as labored breaths racked her body.
They were only a few feet away from the door to their suite, but he wasn’t sure if they were going to make it. If it weren’t for his fear of someone walking into the hall, he’d fuck her right there.
She deserved better than a cheap screw against the wall of a hotel hallway, no matter how tempting it was. He didn’t want anyone else having the privilege of seeing her beautiful body. Besides, what he planned would take all night.
When they made it to the door, he fumbled with his jeans, locating the keycard in his back pocket. He didn’t want to pull away to look at the door. Instead, he felt his way toward the slot and stuck the key inside.
A burst of warmer air greeted his skin the moment he carried her inside. He kicked the door closed just as her feet hit the floor. Then it was on. A slow dance of desire began as they moved about the suite, shedding clothes with each turn of their bodies.
He guided her toward the bedroom as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. The tension in her body eased, and a soft moan vibrated his lips. It made his cock pulse. He couldn’t wait to hear the sounds she made when he was deep inside her.
His mind went blank after that point. He barely remembered backing Cori toward the bed, lifting her naked body onto the mattress, or wedging his body between her legs. Yet there she lay, writhing underneath him, arching her back as her tits pressed against his chest.
“Cori,” he whispered as he lowered his mouth and captured her nipple between his lips. Her moaning grew louder as he swirled it in his mouth, nipping it just hard enough to make her hips buck. “I want to fuck you, Cori. I want to be so deep inside your perfect little pussy.”
Her hips rose toward his. “Please, Jesse. Oh, God, please don’t make me wait any longer.”
Flicking her other nipple with his tongue, he moved his hips slowly, teasing her slit. He could feel how wet she was. The tip of his cock slid against her, teasing her clit as he sucked her nipple harder. This time, when she bucked against him, his tip slipped inside.
Cori gasped and gripped his upper arms. Each breath she blew back in his face smelled like pineapples—sweet and citrusy—probably from her drink. He didn’t mind in the least. It just increased his craving for her.
It would only take one hard push to be fully inside her. Yet he couldn’t do it. Not yet. Not until he knew for sure.
“Cori. Is this what you really want? Am I what you want?”
Big brown eyes met his. Though hooded with desire, he didn’t miss the spark deep within them. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. Please, Jesse. I want to feel you inside me.”
It was long overdue. They’d almost reached this point once before at the cabin. That moment had been ruined by a knock on the door. There was no way in hell he was letting that happen this time. If anyone showed up, they could bang on the door until it caved in. It wouldn’t stop him from getting what he wanted most. Cori was his tonight, and if he were lucky, there would be more nights to follow.
The pressure was intense. There was no denying it. Jesse couldn’t help but grunt as he pushed further into Cori. He ignored the piercing pain of her nails digging into his skin and focused on the way she pulsed around him. Fuck, she was tight.
His body covered hers, pressing it to the bed as he used his elbows to support his weight. He wanted to be close to her, to look into her eyes as he drove his cock in and out. Then he could see her face, could see the expressions it held when she came for him.
The more she moved beneath him, the harder it was to hold back. It made his dick throb and thicken more than it was. Cori felt it too. It wasn’t just the way she tightened around him. It was the way her lashes fluttered.
He tugged her bottom lip with
his teeth and kissed her. Then he whispered against her lips. “Don’t close your eyes. I want to look at you.” He pulled out slowly. “I want you looking at me.” He drove back in. “I want to hear your voice and see every inch of your face as you take me.”
One roll of his hips and she cried out again. No words passed over her lips. Nothing but sensual moans left her mouth.
Her body relaxed, allowing him to plunge deeper with the next thrust. She whimpered this time, especially when he focused on her clit. He rubbed his body against it and held himself in the deepest part of her.
More cries filled the room. It made him swell to the point his skin was taut and sensitive. The wet warmth surrounding him pulsed, or maybe it was the blood flowing through his cock. He swore he could burst any second.
As he pulled out quickly, Cori whispered his name. Everything about her was affecting him. He had to regain control, but she made it hard. The way she stared up at him, the small crease between her brow, the way her lips opened as she moaned again. It did more than affect his body. It spoke to his soul.
Gripping her shoulders, her nipples brushed against his chest before he pressed against her. Then he drove back inside her. Hard. Deep. Filling her to the hilt.
Her pussy pulsed around him as she worked her hips in circles, taking every inch he had to give. When he felt his tip hitting that infamous spot every man aimed to find, her body began to twitch.
“Jesse . . . Oh, God. Right there.”
He sucked in a deep breath as she grabbed his ass and held him inside. Her legs widened, giving him full access. It didn’t stop her from working her hips, grinding against him, covering him with her sweet juice. The more she moved, the harder her breaths became.
Her body came to life. Short thrusts kept him deep, just like she wanted. His tip kept hitting her sweet little center. The cries leaving her mouth proved how close she was to coming. That thought alone had him pumping his hips, taking her pussy over and over as he felt her tightening around him.
A second later, her body froze. Her mouth gaped, but no sound escaped. He gazed into her eyes, noting the way they watered. Then the crease in her brow deepened.
Colliding With You Page 20
