“What?” I whispered.
“The hot tub’s nice and warm.”
I was dressed in a bathing suit with a cover-up tied around my waist. Basically, just a scarf that I tied in a knot on my hip, I slipped it off, dropping it to my ankles before urging Justin toward the couch and easing him down. His thighs tensed as I fell to my knees and forced his legs apart, his eyebrows lifting as a soft moan formed in his throat.
I brushed my hands across his thighs, pushing gently up the inside of his shorts and reaching for the elastic waistband. I eased them down around his ankles, his erection already hard and thick against his belly.
“For today,” I whispered. “For putting up with my ridiculous lack of coordination. And my horrendous potty mouth.”
His thighs trembled as I kissed my way up, stroking his tight balls before I reached the top of his thick shaft. His hands threaded through my hair, gently tugging as I slid him between my lips.
“I’m loving just about everything about your mouth right now,” he uttered, his eyes closing through his shifting breath. His head fell back into the plushness of the sofa, his hands gently squeezing my temples while I licked the underneath of his hard dick and moved back up, slipping my tongue into the tiny slit.
He breathed, “Christ, Hartley.”
His hands reached for my cheeks, caressing the sides of my face while his slick length slid in and out of my mouth.
“God, that feels amazing,” he murmured.
I hummed against the thick width of his erection, pulling him deeper into my throat.
“Come here.” He eased me up, pushing the side of my bathing suit bottom to the side and reaching inside my wet sex, making me shudder with need, even though I wanted to give him the best blow job he’d ever had. He added a second finger and pushed in deeper.
I groaned, watching his blue eyes heat up.
“That’s it, baby. Let me make you feel good now.” He reached for my bathing suit bottom and eased it down.
“Get on top of me. Ride my cock, sweet thing.”
I climbed on top of his thighs, straddling him. With a slow lift of my hips, I reached for his hard, thick shaft and eased it inside me. My knees came up and rested beside his hips, pushing against him as he filled me with his amazing hardness.
Every inch of his erection filled me. With a rock of my hips, I pushed up against him with my swollen clit. He took my hips, easing me slowly up and then dragging me back down onto his glorious body, thoughts of the day fading as I plummeted into senselessness.
“God, I love you,” he whispered. His eyes were so blue. So heated. He swiped at the emotional tears that mindlessly rolled down my cheeks, as the love I felt for him deepened even more.
I was becoming utterly dependent on him. Completely at his mercy.
“Why are you crying, baby?”
I didn’t know why. I was just as perplexed by this as he was. How everything had happened so fast. There was no build-up to our relationship. No getting to know each other first. No teasing or working toward sex. We’d made love the first day … and never looked away again. With Bruce, it had always been one way. No plans for the future. No expectations. With Justin, I wanted. I had hope. The effect he had on my body was minor. It wasn’t what mattered the most. It was what he infused in my heart that was most significant.
My breath was uneven as I pushed my body against his.
Again.
And again.
“Touch me, JT.”
His hand shifted, circling my clit with his finger as I tenderly rocked against his strong body. I clamped my muscles, wanting deep. Deeper. Striving to be one.
“Your clit is so swollen,” he whispered. I groaned, clinging to his shoulders, my feet tightly wrapped around his back and curling into the sofa.
“Fuck, I love it when you’re this way.”
His jaw tightened. I loved him so much right now. I eased up off him, reaching for his moistened length and sitting back down, easing him slowly and gently into my back hole. I was so wet and turned on, I didn’t think we needed lube. He gently pushed inside me as I lowered down.
“Fuck, Hartley.”
Slowly, he moved in and out of me, his hands caressing my cheeks and moving down over my breasts.
“Rub your clit, baby.”
My hand slid relentlessly over my throbbing peak, while his huge cock moved leisurely in and out of my ass.
His voice was so low. So effortlessly seductive.
“Hartley. Look at me.”
Everything behind my eyes and south of my belly exploded as I felt him gush semen inside me.
Everything would be different now. Maybe it was just the high altitude or the incredible beauty of this place. Or maybe even seeing Justin ski and snowboard like a professional when I could barely get off the lift. Or God, maybe it was the simple fact that I was just tired. I didn’t know what it was … but it was something.
And it was big.
Our lives would never be the same again after this trip.
Chapter Forty-One
Hartley
Christmas in only three days, time had flown by. It was hard to believe nearly a month had passed since our ski trip. What was cool about my job was that the clinic closed for two weeks during the holidays. The answering service still took calls in case of emergencies, but two weeks off was gonna rock.
My mom was coming for the holiday. I hadn’t seen her since James died, but she’d called a couple of times and seemed to be coping. We were all going to share Christmas Day at Jackson’s condo. No idea how all this was going to work out, especially knowing how Justin and Jacks felt about each other, hard feelings or not, it was happening.
Somehow, I knew we would all cope. As odd as it seemed, a visit to the Mystery Room and trip to Aspen with Justin had changed my entire perspective. I felt confident and secure. I felt different. My outlook on everything was unlike any other time in my life. The feeling was indescribable.
Even though I couldn’t cook worth a shit, I’d looked up lots of recipes, plus Justin was an excellent cook. He was going to fix his so-called famous mustard-encrusted tenderloin and according to him, I could figure out everything else. Actually excited about it, I picked up a silly apron with Kiss the Hot Chef across the front. He hadn’t seen it yet and I highly doubted he’d wear it, but we would just see about that. I was pretty convincing where Justin was concerned, although he’d never admit to it. I prayed the awful migraines would stay hidden through the holidays. I’d sensed the lingering scent of weed more than usual, so I knew he was getting headaches. But of course, he tried hiding them from me.
Luna and I were going Christmas shopping today and having a girl’s day out. My first experience at trying one of the famous coconut margaritas the office girls raved about, I stared into the delicious frozen concoction with a slight suspicion I probably shouldn’t drink more than one, or maybe any at all. Not entirely sure of anything yet, Aspen left me with a strong feeling I hadn’t been able to shake off. I wasn’t going to get too worked up about it yet. Not until I was sure I wasn’t imagining things. I sent off a quick text, my response being immediate.
I love you, JT. See you this evening. BTW, what’s a girl supposed to get a hot millionaire sex god for Christmas?
How about a move-out notice to your apartment?
I stared into my cell phone, reading and rereading his response.
“Why are you so emotional, Hartley? Come on. Drink up.” Luna rolled her eyes as I swiped the onset of unwarranted salty tears from my cheeks. This was the second time Justin had mentioned moving in, and I wanted to more than anything. Already used to cuddling up against his warm nude body at nights, I had trouble sleeping any other way. My own apartment didn’t even feel like home. Not unless he was there with me.
My growing concerns over the last few days were suddenly starting to bring on a sick feeling in the deep pit of my belly. I’d never gone to get my Depo injection. With so much going on, I’d simply forgotten, w
hich I knew was irresponsible and completely unacceptable. Weeks had passed and my period still hadn’t come. That wasn’t out of the ordinary, but something told me this time wasn’t due to female issues. I hoped my hunch was wrong.
I wanted to at least get part of the drink I knew I’d love on any other day, down without it coming right back up and setting off a monumental red flag. Luna and I were really close, but damn was she nosy.
“I don’t know why I’m like this. The holidays just do a number on me. Silly, isn’t it?”
When our hunky server returned with a bowl of spicy queso and a container of flour tortillas, I held the straw to my mouth, pretending to drink some of the margarita I knew I wasn’t going to be able to swallow. Luna was ogling at the twenty-something year-old waiter’s ass, while all I could do was think about Justin. His smell. The way his voice deepened when he whispered in my ear. The sound of his sexy, exotic-skinned cowboy boots tapping against the floor as he walked. And that ass. The incredible feel of his hard-as-rock, muscular butt, along with the sexy moans he let out every time I urged him against me even tighter with my fingers embedded in his skin while we were having incredible, boiling-hot sex.
I’d like that, too, JT.
I sent off one last text, knowing in my heart that now wasn’t the right time to give notice.
“You don’t like it, do you?” Luna rolled up a tortilla filled with cheesy queso, as my appetite continued diminishing while my nerves grew even more.
“No. Really, I do. It’s delicious. I’m just feeling a little off kilter today. PMS probably.” Or not.
Lethargically biting into a tortilla, Luna stared at me. The salty butter I’d spread on top was melted and dripped out the end onto my plate. It tasted heavenly. Thank freaking God. I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to be able to eat anything at all, which would have Luna’s mind spinning like a top with more suspicion that I suspected she already had. And I wasn’t ready to talk to her about my notion just yet. Tex-Mex was definitely going to be another one of my weekly staples, right alongside my beloved Whataburger. Jesus, this tasted good.
We’d finished our meal thirty minutes later, and I tightened the shoulder strap of my purse, pulling it against my chest as we stepped through the restaurant’s front door.
“Nothing like Christmas shopping for a hot millionaire.” A tipsy Luna thread her arm through mine.
“Where to first?” she smiled. Fuck, I didn’t know. What did anybody get a man who already had everything he could possibly want?
I did have one little thing in mind.
Chapter Forty-Two
Hartley
Today was December 25th, Christmas Day, and still the weather was bright and sunny outside with a temperature warm enough to wear pretty much anything I chose. Texas weather was the strangest thing. I was dressed in black leggings tucked into brown cowboy boots Justin insisted on buying me that, at first, I told myself I couldn’t possibly wear. But now I found these pointed-toed shit kickers totally cute. I’d found a tunic-type sleeveless sweater at Macy’s that had black and brown vertical stripes, and topped it with a bright red scarf around my neck. I insisted on spending last night at my own apartment so I could wrap Justin’s gift. He hadn’t been too crazy about the idea, but he had work anyway, so I spent the evening at home alone watching reruns of my dad’s favorite, All in The Family. I thought about surprising Justin at work, but the mere thought of seeing Sam didn’t sound all that appealing. I just didn’t like her now. She’d been with my man. Touched him in ways I didn’t want anybody else doing. Had his amazing mouth all over her body in ways I couldn’t stand thinking about.
Mom was staying with Jacks, working on chocolate chip coconut cookies and her famous bourbon pecan pies. I hadn’t seen her yet and I’d awoken feeling a little out of sorts about the entire day. Thankfully, Justin was a very people-type person and I knew he’d do just fine in what was probably going to be an awkward situation. He had to be that way with the business he ran, but honestly, I couldn’t understand how he could be comfortable spending the day with my mother. Hell, spending the day with Jacks! They couldn’t stand each other. It was going to be an interesting Christmas for sure.
I needed to go through the pile of unopened mail I’d neglected. With spending so much time at Justin’s condo, there was probably something in all this that required my attention. My electricity bill for starters. Nothing like coming home to an apartment with no power in the good old Texas heat, which could change to cold sleet in a matter of hours. I was starting to have a strange respect for the crazy Texas weather patterns.
My phone rang with ‘Mr. One Fine Ass’ on the screen.
“Hey, baby.” It was nearly 10 AM and I’d expected his call an hour ago.
“Good morning, sweet thing.” His voice seemed a little anxious. “Sorry. I got tied up on the phone this morning. I’m ten minutes from your apartment.”
“Hurry. I miss you.” There was an immediate light tap on my front door as I slipped my cell phone into the new brown Coach bag I’d splurged on at the outlet. The outlet malls in Texas were outstanding. I had a feeling I understood just a little how an addict felt. My physiological need for cute purses and shoes were similar to a substance abuse. I’d spend my last dollar on a hot bag or sexy pair of strappy sandals even if my refrigerator was down to outdated eggs and butter. My present collection taking up one entire side of my closet, I couldn’t stop adding to it even if I tried. Maybe I needed professional help.
I peeked through the small peep hole in my front door, only to see a blur.
“JT!” Stretched out against the door with both bulging arms on either side, my amazing sex god stood in front of me decked out in his normal skin-hugging jeans with an untucked, navy-blue button-down shirt and dark brown boots in some kind of rare-looking leather. They looked new.
“Ten minutes, huh?” I pushed my body against his, his arms immediately reaching for my waist as he sealed his lips over mine. His breath was fresh, his cologne enticing and musky, along with the natural scent he always radiated. That was the smell I liked best.
“God, I missed you in my bed. I need you beside me every night. I even missed your damn cold feet.” His erection flexed against the tight denim of his jeans.
“JT, we can’t. I’ll be all messy and then we’ll get to Jackson’s late. He’ll know exactly why we weren’t on time.” Heat pricked my skin, moving downward into my sex as his hard length ground against me.
“Are you worried about the infamous DA smelling sex all over the both of us? Knowing I just spilled cum inside his baby sister?” He smiled against my neck. Jesus, I loved it when he did that.
“Justin!”
“Fuck time, Hartley. Fuck your brother’s suspicions. I can assure you he isn’t a person to judge.” His arms surrounded me, his fingers trailing down my back and over the top of my stretchy leggings as I blew out the deep sigh I’d tried miserably holding back. His boot pushed the apartment door shut and he lifted me into his arms, kissing me like we hadn’t seen each other in days.
“I love you, baby,” I whispered. “And I promise I’ll make it up to you later.” He lowered me to the ground, adjusting the metal rod behind his jeans.
“Yes … you will,” he mumbled.
“We’re gonna be late as crap. I want to give you your Christmas present first.” I reached for the small package on the sofa table.
“Okay, this is just a little somethin’ somethin’. It’s kinda lame. Okay, it’s a lot lame, but I looked for a real gift. And I gave up! What could I possibly find that you don’t already have? A country? A trip to the moon? You make it hard on a girl.” I leaned over, kissing his amazing smile-covered lips.
“You’ve given me every somethin’ somethin’ I never had, sweet thing. Things I didn’t know I wanted … or needed. Look at these cute little freckles. They don’t have these on the moon.” He kissed a trail from one side of my cheek to the next, his eyes partially shut. I loved him so much right no
w.
“Okay. Here. Open it. And don’t laugh. I mean it.” I handed him the small gift.
He slowly removed the five by seven inches of wrapping paper, his eyes widening with surprise as the last piece of silver ribbon trickled to the ground. His forefinger brushed the glass of the picture frame as he stared at the class photo for a long minute.
“It’s stupid. I know, JT. It’s just one of my favorite pictures … and I couldn’t think of anything else to give you.”
His eyes penetrated mine. He cupped my cheek with his free hand. “I love this, Hartley. There’s nothing lame or stupid about it.” He swallowed hard, emotion that I could only wonder about behind his eyes. The long slow kiss he gave me was all the assurance I needed to know my gift had been the right one. His body finally eased up.
“Your gift is in my shirt pocket. “He leaned over just enough that I could see the edge of something. I reached for the gift. He pulled back.
“So anxious. How about this first?” He touched his lips with his finger and I leaned over and kissed him. He handed me the box.
It was a key to his apartment. I held up the piece of silver-colored metal, unsure how to respond. With my suspicion, right now moving in with Justin was the last thing I intended on doing. If I was pregnant, I was pretty confident it would be the last thing on his mind either.
Chapter Forty-Three
Hartley
The tiny stick in my hand showed a plus sign.
I was pregnant.
Wait! I was pregnant!
Fuck and hell. Fuck and hell.
I swear I knew it the night it happened. And in all the places to make a baby, I was confident it had happened in the damn Mystery Room. But somehow this last week, I thought maybe, just maybe, it was just more of my romantic fantasizing, or the fact that I’d never been regular. But it wasn’t. It was ugly reality. Staring me straight in the eye.
Justin wouldn’t want this. We’d barely had time to experience anything yet. Only days ago, we’d shared our first Christmas together. Plus, unless something had changed, I had a deep suspicion he didn’t want children.
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