by Ward, Tamryn
It was clear she wanted more from him than one fuck. Maybe she was afraid to tell him. Maybe she was too proud. Didn’t matter. She wanted this. And she would have it. She would have anything she wanted from this point forward--until the moment he had to say goodbye.
To hell with the consequences.
To hell with trying to be the hero and do the right thing.
All that mattered was Jennifer. What she wanted. What she needed. There was nothing else.
Not even his debt to Samael mattered anymore.
Twenty
Completely overtaken, Jenn stood frozen for a handful of racing heartbeats.
Aeron was…
He was…kissing her!
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
Aeron wanted her.
If he wanted her, he could have her.
Yesterday.
Today.
As many tomorrows as he wanted.
To hell with her heart. If it broke, it broke.
Still kissing her, he spun her around and smashed her back against the wall. Oh, how wonderful that felt, to be trapped between the wall and his big, hot body. She whimpered and clasped two fists full of his hair. Within seconds she was so hot she was writhing against him. An ache pounded between her legs.
He wedged a thigh there, between her legs. The pressure felt so good. She couldn’t help rocking her hips back and forth. But the friction only made things worse.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he muttered as he broke the kiss. He licked a tingly path down one side of her neck.
She tipped her head to the side. “Me too.”
“No.” He caught her face between his hands and looked in her eyes. “I mean, I can’t stop. Not for one single second. You are all I think about. When I’m awake. When I’m asleep. I tried to stop. Oh, God, how I tried. I begged. I prayed. Nothing worked.”
Her heart twisted at the emotion she heard in his voice. No guy had ever said anything like that to her. Not even Bobby when he’d said he loved her. “Aeron.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. He’s going to make me leave. I don’t think I can go.” He kissed her again. The kiss was a ferocious possession. His hands slid down her sides and around to her butt. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Forgive me,” he muttered as he carried her through the kitchen. “Tell me you can forgive me,” he pleaded.
She smoothed his mussed hair back from his face. “I forgive you.”
He carried her upstairs. At the top of the staircase, he asked, “Logan?”
She heard the water running in the bathroom. “Still in the shower.”
“Good.” Her bedroom door was ajar. He kicked it open, and then, after hurrying through it, slammed it shut behind him. He set her on her feet and she reached to lock it. Standing behind her, he barely gave her time to twist the lock. He yanked her shirt over her head. Then he reached around, pressing his body against her back, covered her breasts with his hands and kissed her neck.
One side of her body flamed. The other became instantly coated with goose bumps.
How she loved him like this, powerful, masculine, knowing exactly what he wanted and taking it. She was thrilled, swept up in the need his firm, sure strokes was kindling in her body. All thought flew from her brain. She could only feel, taste, smell.
Her eyelids slowly sank. She didn’t need to see anything. All the pleasure was in the other senses. The pressure of his hands against her aching breasts. The scent of his skin filling her nose. The soft sound of his kisses as he made his way down her neck. The thud of her heartbeat in her ear.
His pelvis pushed against her ass, the hard lump in his pants making her blood simmer. Surrendering, she flattened her hands against the wall.
I am yours, her body said. Do what you wish.
His hands slid down her torso, stopping at the waist of her yoga pants. He yanked them down. Over her hips. Lower, down her thighs. They fell at her feet. Her panties came next. Then her bra.
He turned her around. “Damn,” he muttered.
Trembling as she stood before him, she blinked open her eyes, witnessing a look of absolute wonder on his face. Her heart took flight. “I’m yours, Aeron. Only yours. For today, if that’s all we can have. For an hour. For one minute. I don’t care.”
He practically tore his clothes off. As he undressed, she walked to the bed. Before she settled down, she grabbed the condoms.
He was on top of her within seconds. Clothes off. Condom on. He stretched his legs out, his hips resting on her pelvis, his thighs wedged between hers. His upper body was angled up, his weight supported on his strong, thick arms. “Tell me to stop, Jennifer. Please, tell me to stop.”
“No. I’m yours. Whether you want me to be or not. I. Am. Yours.” She raked her fingernails down his back. “Please, Aeron. Make the burning stop.”
His hips lifted. His erection found her slit. In one smooth stroke he filled her.
She nearly cried from the relief. He filled her so perfectly.
He kissed her everywhere he could reach as his thick rod glided in and out, stroking her where she ached the worst. She clung to him, relishing every smell, every sound, every touch and kiss. This wasn’t sex. It was something far deeper, far more meaningful. Aeron wasn’t just screwing her. He was worshipping her. And she was worshipping him.
Touches. Caresses. Kisses.
Their bodies worked together in perfect harmony, as if one. And, as one, they soared toward climax, reaching the peak together. They kissed as the heat overtook them. Tongues stroking and mouths swallowing the screams of release. When the intense waves crashing through them eased to pleasant tingles, Aeron pulled out, discarded the used condom, and pulled her into his arms. They lay there, still breathing heavily, still tingling from head to toe. Both of them smiling.
Jenn had never felt so happy. She hoped this moment would last forever, for the rest of her life.
But she knew it wouldn’t.
“How much longer do you have?” she whispered.
“Four days.”
Four days. Only four.
So few.
Her insides knotted.
So few!
He promised, “I won’t leave you until then. Not for one minute. If it has to be this way, if I must leave, I want to spend every second I have with you. We’ve lost so much time already.”
Snuggling closer, she whispered, “We’ll make it count. We’ll make the most of every moment. For both our sakes.”
* * * * *
That night Logan was happy. He slept with Cojack cradled in his arms.
And that night Jenn was happy, too. She slept cradled in Aeron’s arms.
In the morning, she made sure Logan had eaten breakfast, had his clothes on right, and was wearing a coat, hat, boots, and gloves. She also made sure he had his lunch and homework before he dashed out the front door. Once Logan’s little wiry body was out of sight, Jenn went on a hunting mission to find Aeron. She found him in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled too good to be coming from anyplace in her house. She hadn’t eaten yet. She’d been too busy chasing Logan around. Her stomach let her know it was time to rectify that situation.
Trying not to drool—produced not just because of the delicious smell—she hurried up to Aeron’s broad back, slid her arms around his waist, and pressed her body to his. “Whatever you’re cooking, it smells absolutely scrumptious. Is it…pie?” She inhaled deeply, drawing in the scents of Aeron’s soap, cinnamon, and pumpkin. “It smells like pumpkin pie.”
“Not quite. But close.” He swiveled around, a spoon in his hand. “Want to taste?”
“Sure. What is it?” She smacked her lips.
“Pumpkin pie oatmeal.”
“Oatmeal?” Her eyes dropped to the spoon. She saw oats. She saw orange stuff. And some lumps of something. It didn’t look as appetizing as it smelled. She grimaced.
She wasn’t a huge fan of oatmeal in the first pl
ace. Oatmeal was bland and pasty and blah.
“Trust me,” he said, poking the spoon at her mouth.
Reluctantly, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth. The spoon slid in and an explosion of flavor erupted in her mouth. Cinnamon, pumpkin, pecans.
That was not oatmeal.
It was not bland and pasty and blah.
The strangest sound came from her throat.
“Good?” he asked, chuckling.
“Ohmygod,” she said. “Good? No. Not good. Amazing. Like, it should be a dessert, not breakfast.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Looking very pleased with her response, he kissed the tip of her nose. “Now, go sit. I’ll bring you a bowl and we’ll eat and make plans for the rest of the day.”
“Yes, sir.” She loved his take-charge attitude. After refilling her coffee cup, she sat and watched him spoon some of the oatmeal-pumpkin sin into two bowls and bring them over to the table.
He placed one in front of her then sat and dug into his. “What’s on the agenda today?” he asked before filling his mouth with the sloppy cereal.
“Mmmm. I don’t know. I say we do something fun. Something I wouldn’t normally do.” She scooped up some cereal and slid the spoon into her mouth. The second spoonful was better than the first.
“What about work?” Aeron asked.
“I just published a book. It’s doing okay. I can afford to take a few days off. I want this time to be ours.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Smiling, he spooned another load of oatmeal into his mouth. “Gotta say, this stuff is pretty damn good.” He swallowed. “So what do you want to do today?”
“I have no idea.” She licked her lips.
“Okay. What if I surprise you, then? Do you trust me?”
“I don’t normally like surprises.” She glanced down at what had been an amazing surprise. “But…sure. Okay.”
“Excellent.” His grin turned devilish. “First, a shower. And then, we have some fun. Just the two of us.”
“We have to be home in time for Logan,” she reminded him.
He glanced at the clock on the microwave oven. “No problem. I’ll make sure we’re home in plenty of time.” His eyes twinkled as he shoveled two heaping spoons full of cereal into his mouth.
She couldn’t help giggling. “Wow, in a hurry?”
“Yes. I can’t wait to get in the shower.” He swallowed then crammed more cereal in his mouth.
“The shower?” she echoed, bewildered. She’d never met anyone who got that excited about showering.
His smile turned wicked as he stood. “Well, we need to conserve water.” Moving so quickly, she didn’t realize what he was doing until it was too late, he pulled out her chair and scooped her up. She squealed and laughed while he bounded up the stairs with her in his arms and made a beeline for the bathroom. By the time she was steady on her feet, he had the water running and was licking his lips, staring at her expectantly. “Can’t shower with your clothes on. Do you need some help?”
Her face blazed. She started to pull up her top but evidently he changed his mind, hauled her to him and then, while his tongue made her forget where she was, stepped under the stream.
Warm water pelted her head, running down her face and body as his tongue slid into her mouth. With her eyes closed, it was like being kissed in the middle of a gentle rainstorm on a tropical island somewhere far, far away. The scents of coconut and flowers added to the illusion.
It was magical. It was wonderful. It was a moment she didn’t want to end.
He kissed her as if his life depended upon it, his hands cupping her face, holding her in place while his mouth conquered hers. Quickly she became breathless and warm, dizzy. She looped her arms around his shoulders, but within seconds her arms were being lifted as he pulled her waterlogged shirt up over her head.
“I have to see you. I have to hold you. I have to kiss you.” Looking down at her with wonder in his eyes, he smoothed her hair back out of her face. “I wish we could rewind time and go back to the moment we met. I wouldn’t have wasted a single second.”
“It’s okay. We have today. We have tomorrow.”
He blinked several times, nodded. “Yes,” he said softly. “Tomorrow.” He let the tip of his index finger trail down the center of her abdomen, his gaze following its path. “I’ll burn the memories of today and tomorrow into my mind forever.” He slid a hand around the back of her head and curled it into a fist, gripping her hair. Kissing her again, he tugged gently. The tingle from the tension on her scalp added another sensation to the almost overwhelming mix. She was becoming lost.
Lost in pleasure.
Lost in need.
Lost in…him.
Somehow, she had no idea when, the rest of her clothes were removed. And his. And then they were nude, wet skin gliding across wet skin, warm bodies writhing and sliding and caressing. Fragrant soap bubbles ran down their legs as they explored and washed and massaged. He even washed her hair, his hands strong and yet so gentle. And when they were clean, he sat down in the tub, coaxing her to straddle him. She lowered herself onto him and, with his hands helping lift her, she rode the storm of her need. Tension built. Heat simmered. The room filled with the cries of their pleasure. And when they reached climax together, she clung to him and cried, so happy and grateful to finally know what it meant to be in love, and to be loved.
Then, sated and content, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. “That was a great way to start our day.”
“Mmmmm. That’s just the beginning.” Sounding a little sleepy, Aeron gave her bottom a soft smack. “Let’s get going. As fun as it would be to stay in here all day, I have other things planned. I don’t think you’re going to want to miss them.”
She gave him a quick kiss on the nose. “Ohhh, I love the sound of that.”
“Love?” he echoed, brow lifted.
Her heart did a somersault in her chest.
Yes, love. She was in love with Aeron. Madly in love with him. Desperately in love with him. But did she have the courage to tell him that?
Something big and hard got stuck in her throat. She opened her mouth to tell him how she felt, but the big lump got in the way.
Nothing came out.
Twenty-one
So little time. They had so little time left.
One second was gone. Just like that. He’d blinked and lost it.
He couldn’t lose another, though he wouldn’t mind making love again. Damn, that had been amazing. He could spend every minute they had left just losing himself in her. But he couldn’t be so selfish. He had to do something for her, besides make her scream his name over and over.
He knew exactly what he would do.
Moving quickly, he carried her out to her bedroom, plopped her on the bed, and, after giving her a kiss, or two, or a dozen, he told her to get dressed then hurried to do the same. Of course, he was done a lot quicker than she was. So while he waited, he burned some nervous energy by making sure Cojack was all set then cleaning up the kitchen so they wouldn’t have to do it later. She came down, looking absolutely beautiful, wearing a blue sweater than made her skin look like fine porcelain and a pair of jeans that made him rethink his plans for the day.
“Am I dressed okay?” she asked, blinking long, sooty eyelashes at him.
“You look so good, I don’t know if I want to take you anywhere.”
“Well, thanks. But I meant am I dressed appropriately for whatever you have planned? It’s pretty cold outside today. If we’re going to be outside—“
“You’re dressed perfectly.”
Her smile brightened as she noticed the kitchen. “You cleaned up?”
“I didn’t want to have to do it later.”
She shook her head. “Where have you been all my life?”
“Waiting for you.” He grabbed her, tugging her toward him. He had to have just one kiss. Only one. His mouth found hers. Oh damn. She tasted so good. Maybe two kisses. Or three.
>
She stopped him after maybe five or six. He’d lost count. “I’m getting a little dizzy. Either we need to sit down, or we need to stop that.”
He couldn’t help it. He sighed. Long and hard. His pants were too snug, thanks to her kisses. He was uncomfortable too, but not dizzy. Still, she was right. It was time to stop. “Okay.”
She left his side to zip on her brown leather boots. They were sexy. He liked them. A lot. But her coat…it was sad. Ragged and missing a button. Old. Everyone should have a good coat, a warm, well-made coat. Especially his Jennifer. “Where are we headed first?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise.” He stomped into his ugly old boots and shrugged into his ski jacket. Then he took her hand in his as they went outside. The porch steps were slippery. He didn’t want her to fall.
Okay, he held her hand just because he wanted to.
He escorted her to his car and got it started then scraped the snow and frost off the windows while the defroster blew warm air on the inside of the windshield. He peered inside as he worked, marveling at the fact that such a beautiful, intelligent, caring woman was sitting in his car, looking at him as if he was the most amazing man in the universe. What had he done to deserve this?
His insides twisted. It was going to be hell saying goodbye to her. He had no idea how he was going to do it. He doubted he was strong enough.
When he got in the car, he tried his best to hide his worry about that behind a big smile. Concentrate on now, he reminded himself. That was all he could do. It was all anyone could do. Tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed to anyone, not Jennifer. Not Logan. Not even him.
Concentrate on now. On making this the best day Jennifer has ever had.
As he pulled up to a traffic light, he glanced at Jennifer. “Tell me, if you could have anything in the world, what would it be?”
Jennifer’s glittering eyes dimmed.
Damn. He’d asked the wrong thing.
“I would have my mom and dad back.”
He’d hoped to make her wish come true. That was one wish he couldn’t give her. “I’m sorry about your mom and dad.”
