by Pamela Clare
Jess rubbed against the erection pressing between her legs and heard Tanner groan.
“Upstairs,” she panted between kisses.
Breathing hard, Tanner pulled back, touched his forehead to hers with his eyes closed.
“Okay, yeah. Definitely the bedroom. But I’m slowing this train down. We’ve been doing this fast and hard for months and tonight I’m taking my time.”
“Speaking of time…you’re wasting it standing here talking.”
Tanner grinned before he gave her one last deep kiss and set her down. “After you,” he gestured toward the stairs and she backed up, watching him as he followed. God, he was gorgeous. His dark eyes were bright with desire, with lust. An incredible feeling of power came over her as she made her way upstairs. She wouldn’t think about tomorrow or court. She’d spend the rest of the night concentrating on Tanner.
At the top of the stairs, she started walking backwards again, wanted to keep her eyes on him for as long as possible. He was such a predator the way he stalked her. There was no way he was going to go slow. They hadn’t had sex in three days…one of their longer periods since their quickies began, because they were at the whim of a busy household.
“What’s the smile about?” he asked, a slow grin curving his lips.
She hadn’t realized she was smiling. “You. Thinking you’re going to go slow.” To make things interesting, she grabbed the waistband of her leggings and pulled them off. She had to stop for a second to get them over the ankle monitor, but then she was moving again, taunting him with bare legs. “Nope, I don’t see slow in our future.”
“You don’t think I can take my time?” he asked, following her into the bedroom.
“I think you’d like to, but you won’t be able to.”
He kicked the door closed without looking at it, then reached behind him and locked it.
A shiver of excitement raced down her back. She lifted the edges of her big sweater.
“Stop,” he told her. “That’s my job.”
Chills prickled her arms and heat flashed up her center. “Then you’re slacking off, dude.”
He moved toward her. “Is that so?”
She smiled and took a step back to taunt him more, but he lunged, grabbed her around the waist, spun and pinned her against the wall in a full body press. The kicker…maybe the moment she fell more deeply in love with him, was when she felt his arm behind her again, his hand searching for molding, making sure he wouldn’t hurt her.
Instead of diving in for a hungry kiss, Tanner watched her, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Are you paying close attention?” he whispered. Then slowly, so slowly, he leaned in, slanted his mouth over hers and destroyed her with the softest, sweetest kiss. His lips molded to hers as his tongue slowly explored her. It was heaven. It was perfect. It was what she’d always wanted. Knowing this might be her last night with this man, she gave him everything she had, everything she was.
Jess wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him. She never realized he had moved until she felt the bed at her back as he laid her down and ended up half way on her. “When are you going to take this sweater off me?” she muttered. “I’m hot.”
“I noticed,” he answered roughly as he nibbled his way across her jaw. “I’m gonna get you hotter.” He traced his tongue around her ear and Jess nearly shot off the bed. His hand eased up her bare thigh, moving higher, promising more, teasing until he continued and lingered right under her breast.
She moaned in frustration and he chuckled. She tried to shift his hand higher, but he caught both her hands and locked them over her head, staring down at her with victory in his eyes. He moved against her so she felt his erection over her clit. “Tanner,” she moaned. “Take off your stupid clothes. And my stupid clothes.”
He chuckled again. One-handed, he lifted her sweater to uncover her breasts. She still wore her bra, but he didn’t seem too worried. He kissed around the lace. Then through the lace. He tongued the stiff peak of her nipple before gently sucking it. His hot tongue stroked her over and over. God, it was torture of the best kind. Finally, he unsnapped the front closure of her bra and peeled back the cups, exposing her to the cool room air.
“You have the prettiest breasts,” he whispered as he gave her other nipple the same treatment.
She was used to hard and fast, not this slow, tender assault. This reminded her of that first full night together. But this was different. Better. Because he wasn’t a stranger. He was the man she loved. A man she could confide in, share her secrets with. He left no part of her untouched.
Jess got a hand free and managed to pull off her sweater. Tanner seemed too engrossed in kissing her breasts to notice. She watched as he devoured her, fascinated at the devotion he showered her with. Her nipples were plump, wet, red. Her breasts engorged and aching. It was too much. Not enough. Jess grabbed his head and forced him up as she leaned forward and took his mouth. She loved his kiss. Loved the way he sank into her with every stroke of his tongue. Somehow she rolled him over and lost her bra. Now to get rid of his clothes and her underwear.
She lifted his shirt. “Off,” she muttered as she exposed the hot skin and hard muscled chest that always made her wet. He sat up, helped her get it over his head and she reached for the button on his jeans. He was everywhere at once, his lips on her jaw, her neck, his hands on her skin.
In a flash, he flipped her on her back. “Oh, no you don’t,” he breathed. “Nice try. But tonight, we’re doing this my way.” He palmed her head and proceeded to kiss her slowly. Deeply. He took her mouth with the same devotion as her breasts. His tongue played against hers in a sensual game of give and take, stroking inside her mouth, sending sparks zipping through her extremities. God, he was turning her inside out and outside in.
In two short minutes he had her panting, grasping, begging for him.
He seemed truly pleased by it all.
Oh yeah. He had her right where he wanted her.
Underneath him and begging.
But she had a point. He did need to lose his clothes and her little white lace panties. In a minute. Right now he wanted to keep kissing her. He wanted to feel her tongue against his as she moaned into his mouth, wanted her nails digging into his skin as she arched against his body. He pulled back, gave them both a minute to breathe as he trailed kisses down her neck. She lifted into him, offering everything. Emotion constricted his chest. The way she gave herself made him feel whole. Made him feel worthy.
With one hand, Tanner unbuttoned his jeans. It took a little longer to get the zipper down with his hard-on pressed against it so tightly.
“Stay,” he ordered softly. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.” In one quick motion he levered himself to the side of the bed and quickly got rid of his boots and socks. He lifted to take off his jeans and felt Jess behind him, her lips on his shoulders, her hands on his biceps.
“Thought I told you to stay put,” he rumbled. But he loved that she had to touch him. Loved how she’d taken his cue and finally slowed down.
“I couldn’t help myself,” she whispered in his ear. “You’re better than chocolate.” The picture of her licking him like candy sent a fresh surge of blood to his groin. She traced her tongue around the shell and made his cock even harder. “Here, let me help you with those.” She knelt next to him on the bed and pushed his jeans and boxer briefs farther down his legs. “Mmm,” she purred and dropped her head in his lap quicker than he could stop her.
Stop her? Was he nuts? Why stop something so fuckingly, erotically great as having her go down on him. He hissed in a breath as she took him in her mouth and his hands threaded through her hair. She obviously enjoyed giving him pleasure. He’d had seven years less than most people and if she was trying to make up for any lost time, then she was well on her way. She gave him so much and he had so little to offer. She gave him her body with all her heart and soul. With her mouth, tongue and hands. God, how had he forgotten how unbelievably fantastic it was?
But this sideways angle of hers gave this blowjob a whole new feel. She was killing him with pleasure and although he loved it, he wanted this night to be for her.
Tanner stroked his hand down her back as she continued to suck him and the answer to this particular dilemma—if he could call a fantastic blowjob a dilemma—came to him in a flash.
Forgetting about his jeans, he leaned back on the bed and gave her total access to the area she seemed most interested in. As she redoubled her efforts to blow his mind, Tanner eased the lower half of her body over his head and settled her exactly where he wanted her.
Sixty-nine. A position he’d always heard about, but never had the chance to explore. Until now.
Jess moaned on his cock as he moved the lace aside and licked into her. It was highly intimate. Enormously erotic. Something he wouldn’t have wanted to do with just any woman. The realization had Tanner working harder to make her come. He wanted her on the edge. He wanted her to know that he’d do anything for her. But really…the panties had to go. Damn if he was going to take the time to push them down her legs. With a quick snap, he ripped the thin barrier to shreds and tossed them away. Much better.
She’d gotten way ahead of him on the pleasure scale, and sweat streamed off him as her hot mouth continued to suck his rigid cock. This whole experience was so much like the first night, but so different. Jess’s desperation before had come from helplessness, from fear. This thing between them now was fueled by emotion. Love. At least love on his part. Whether she admitted it or not, he believed to his soul that she felt the same way. He didn’t see how she could do what she was doing if she didn’t feel the same. Tanner fought pleasure with pleasure. He used his fingers and tongue to take her to the edge. He had her so close to coming that she lost her rhythm as she moved over him.
Oh, she was close, so close, but he didn’t want her to come this way. He wanted to watch her eyes, kiss her lips. He wanted to bury himself inside her and show her he was the one and only man for her, no matter how long it took before they could be together.
With a growl, he hauled her up and tossed her toward the pillows. In seconds, he lost the rest of his clothes and moved on top of her.
It took every ounce of control he possessed to slow things down again. As he covered her, his erection pressed snugly against her wet entrance, he watched her. That same foreign emotion crashed in on him a second time as he brushed his lips over hers. She moaned and grabbed his ass, tried to bring him more fully inside her. Tanner pushed a fraction. Enough to make her feel the invasion. Still he kissed her. Slowly. Deeply. With every kiss he sank more fully into her. He took his time. For every inch inside her, he withdrew and started over until he had her mindless. He couldn’t take much more as he rode a wave of electric heat, skated on the edge of completion.
The smell of sex surrounded them. Her little cries shredded his control further. With another growl, Tanner thrust inside of her, filled her completely as he filled himself emotionally. Jess cried out as he moved on top of her, pumping, pushing, and she met him each time.
His mouth crashed down on hers. The intimacy struck him head-on and with another plunge she broke apart. Every muscle froze as her body clenched around him. A groan rumbled in his chest as he stroked into her hard and his own release jetted inside her.
It was monumental. Colossal. It was the most amazing thing he’d ever experienced. Being with her couldn’t compare to anything else in his life. She was as essential as his next breath. She was his freedom.
Breathing hard, he collapsed on top of her. He would’ve moved, but Jess wrapped her arms around his back and held tight. She seemed content to take his weight. After a minute, Tanner shifted to his side and kept her close, kept them connected. He brushed his lips over hers in the gentlest of caresses.
How would he manage without her? It was a crazy thought. One too devastating to think about, so he held her close and breathed her in.
Silence stretched between them as Tanner brushed his palms over her damp skin. Just like before, they were on a clock and his chances of forever with her dwindled with every passing minute.
“I missed you,” he whispered. “I missed the feel of you, the taste of you.” His mouth closed over hers. Their quickies hadn’t involved oral sex. There hadn’t been time for each of them to take a turn and he’d been hell-bent on making sure they both got what they needed.
As she opened for him, as her tongue met his in another soft kiss he forgot everything but the way she touched him. Not just with her hands and mouth, but with her spirit.
Before he had a chance to do anything, Jess pushed him back, straddled him. As she nibbled on his neck, alternately biting and licking, he grew harder inside her.
“I don’t want to sleep tonight,” she breathed near his ear. “I don’t want to miss a minute.” She was thinking about tomorrow. About going to prison where she’d have nothing but time to catch up on her sleep.
Tanner framed her face in his hands. His eyes stung but he forced a smile that reeked of pure sex. “I hadn’t planned on letting you.” He slid his hands down her sides, cupped her ass and brought her more snugly against him. He took respite in the soft haven of her body as they moved together slowly. Seconds turned into minutes that turned into hours. Jess dozed next to him a couple of times, but it never lasted long as his fingers or mouth played over her skin. He’d been so good all night, keeping his emotion under wraps, but finally, near the break of dawn, he couldn’t keep the words in any longer. He said them so softly, he didn’t think she heard him.
“I love you.”
She froze in his arms. “Don’t,” she said, clearly panicked.
“Why? It’s true. I love you, Jess. No matter what happens today, doesn’t change how I feel about you.” He tightened his grip on her, pulled her close.
“We talked about this,” she said, gently stroking the stubble on his jaw. “You’re not—”
He shushed her with his lips. “When are you going to learn you can’t tell me what to do?” he asked quietly. “You can’t tell me how or what I feel. You can’t tell me how to live my life.” He kissed her again. “I love you. No matter what happens today, we’ll deal with it.”
Tears brimmed her eyes as she pulled out of his grasp. “No.” She shook her head and fear trounced the soft emotion beating in his chest. “You have to live your life.” She found her robe on the hook behind the door and slipped it on. “I won’t last if I think you are waiting for me.” She implored him with desperate eyes. “Please, Tanner, please. Live a full life. That’s what I want for you.” The first rays of sunlight streamed into the room and Jess walked into the bathroom and shut the door, locking him—and everything he felt for her—out in the cold.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Daylight hadn’t broken when Jay gave Terry a soft kiss and pulled out of her warm body. Sweat nearly glued their skin together. He rolled onto his side. She was unnaturally quiet. Not surprising considering the day ahead. Their normal sexual banter had disappeared and in its place was silent need, wordless caresses that filled the terrifying void of the day to come. They’d always turned to each other in crisis. Emotionally and physically. This situation was no different. They needed the comfort the other provided with the intimacy that had kept their marriage so strong throughout twenty-four years.
Terry turned into him, her face shiny with perspiration, the usual light in her eyes dimmed with worry. “What will we do?” If Jess is found guilty.
He didn’t need the clarification. Jay stroked some damp hair off her cheek. “I’ll appeal.”
“They’ll take her away though. Today. What will we do then?”
“We’ll survive. We’ll visit as much as we can. We’ll send her care packages. We’ll explore every possible legal avenue.” He shook his head, at a loss as to how to comfort his wife when he had the same concerns.
Sighing, she absently stroked his thigh as she digested his honest answer. “Do you think Jess is okay this morning?” she asked
after a few minutes.
Jay still didn’t quite believe they’d left her alone with Tanner all night. What if he’d convinced her to run away? An irrational part of him actually hoped for that; the side of him that couldn’t stand the idea of his daughter being locked up, but that action would only make matters worse. Much worse. Nevertheless, he’d been torn leaving Jess on what was possibly her last night as a free woman. But Terry had insisted. Without being specific—because she knew he couldn’t think of his daughter being intimate with a man—she’d apparently been aware of the relationship between Jess and Tanner. He’d seen no sign of it himself. His daughter was discreet to say the least. Terry too, hadn’t seen anything incriminating either, but from that night three months ago when everyone had gotten home late, Terry had known. “Call it mother’s intuition,” she’d said. One look at Jess and Tanner had told the whole story. They’d managed to stay together since. Jay couldn’t figure out when they found time together and purposely chose not to think about it.
Jess was an adult and deserved to have an adult relationship with a man. Jay didn’t really have a problem with Tanner either, but Tanner closed himself off sometimes, mostly when it came time to talk about his family. Jay hugged Terry closer. If Tanner couldn’t communicate, then Jay didn’t see the man having a lasting relationship with anyone and the last thing he wanted was more heartache for Jess.
“I love you, you know,” Terry whispered.
Looking into her eyes, Jay nodded. “Yeah. I know. I love you too.”
Terry kissed him and rubbed her wicked hand high between his thighs, sending very obvious messages to his semi-hard dick. “Again?” he asked. They hadn’t had sex four times in one night in a long time.
