Come, My Love

by Fran Lee

  * * * * *

  Jack stood by the bar, not really paying much attention to Bill and Wes as they told stories about the good old days and the women they’d enjoyed while they’d been the school’s hot jocks. He’d heard the same old stories four or five times since arriving an hour ago, and he knew that most of it was just bullshit. He shook his head and once again scanned the crowded ballroom with its multitude of hastily set-up portable tables, which were practically groaning under the weight of food and drink, leaving barely a twenty-foot square for dancing. The small dance floor was a squeeze. He hadn’t seen so many familiar faces in one place since graduation.

  “Yo, Jack Gerrard! Great to see you again, man!” An unfamiliar face grinned up at him and when he blinked questioningly down at the man, the guy blushed and tried to remind him of how they knew one another, obviously trying to impress the woman who was clinging to his meaty arm. He took pity on the man after a few tense moments and smiled.

  “Sure…been a long time, hasn’t it?” He signed an autograph for the excited blonde woman, then turned his attention back to the heavy crowd, searching for the only one person he was interested in seeing tonight. He couldn’t even taste the low-ball glass of iced tea he held. He opted for tea because it looked as if he held a glass of bourbon on the rocks and folks didn’t keep plying him with booze all night. He forced himself to take a sip and swung his gaze toward the entry again. And he almost lost hold of the glass.

  The vision that stood in the doorway looking nervously around seemed almost ready to bolt for safety…and he had no intention of allowing that to happen. He moved forward on auto-pilot, not willing to let her vanish from his sight.

  The place was a total crush. She almost didn’t release her fox jacket when the young woman at the coat check tried to take it from her, which resulted in a comical tug of war for a moment until Fran realized she was making a spectacle of herself. She flushed and thanked the bewildered-looking woman, tucking the coat check into her miniscule handbag. She covered her nervousness by re-checking the bag’s contents. Two tissues—check. Lipstick—check. ID—check. Small roll of twenties—check. Small roll of tens for tips—check. Keys—check. Condoms—check.

  She drew a shaking breath and snapped the bag closed, looping it negligently over her shoulder by its slender, sparkly chain. She nervously touched the brand new platinum and champagne diamond choker she’d purchased earlier that afternoon, and her fingers moved to reassure herself that the matching earrings remained firmly attached. Her feet ached already in the four-inch strappy Manolo Blahniks she’d bought in Chicago before flying out here. But she would rather walk on daggers than wear low heels with this delicious Bliss Harper creation. And it certainly felt as if that were what she was walking on. Damn! It had been years since she’d abused her feet so!

  The fact that she stood a strapping six-foot-three in her glittery, gemstone-studded shoes didn’t help her sudden rush of self-consciousness. She practically towered over most of the men who eyed her with lascivious intent. A gurgle of panicky laughter almost emerged and she forced herself to stand erect and puff out her chest with false bravado. Doing so nearly caused two men who were walking past her to fall over their own feet, bringing another hysterical giggle to the surface.

  Then she felt a hand on her elbow and she jerked her head to stare into the leering face of Faris Devlin. “Well, well, well…if it isn’t Franny Jamison.” His hand on her bare arm made her want to wipe her skin off with one of her tissues, but she managed to keep from cringing away from him.

  “Devlin. I heard you got married.” Her voice was credibly calm. She gently extricated her elbow from his grasp and noted where his eyes were roving.

  His dark eyes lifted to her face once again and he whistled softly. “Shit, Franny, you sure clean up nice.”

  She carefully swallowed her gag reflex. Devlin had always been one of her most vocal detractors, and despite that handsome face and hot body she couldn’t stand the sight of him. She was about to excuse herself and walk away when Kelli Anne stepped possessively up beside the man and slid her arm through his loosely crooked elbow. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled pleasantly at the woman.

  “Hello, Kelli Anne. Congratulations on your recent marriage.” She realized with an inner laugh that the woman didn’t even recognize her.

  Kelli Anne preened a bit and leaned in to plant a light kiss on Devlin’s cheek. “Yes, we were just married last month. Do I know you?” The supercilious stare directed at her made Fran want to snort with laughter.

  “Not really. But everyone knows who you are. You look stunning.” The woman smiled beatifically and snuggled against Devlin’s side, forcing him to wrap an arm around her. Fran realized that the woman actually believed she was so special she didn’t have to acknowledge a compliment.

  Devlin lifted one dark brow calculatingly, ignored his wife and asked, “Are you here alone?”

  Fran opened her mouth to change the subject and nearly jumped out of her skin when a strong arm wrapped possessively around her waist. Jack Gerrard’s deep voice replied, “No.”

  Kelli Anne stared at Jack thoughtfully, then her gaze slid back to Fran. After a moment those catlike blue eyes widened in recognition, then slid from Fran’s hair to her feet and back. With a twitch of her lips she said in a droll tone, “Well…you’ve sure come up in the world, Franny. Or should I say Fat Fanny?”

  The arm at her waist tightened but she stood her ground and smiled down at the diminutive blonde. “My friends just call me Fran.” She spoke without rancor and was astonished to find that she didn’t feel any of the animosity she’d expected to feel seeing the woman who’d coined that nickname back in high school.

  “Well then, I’ll just call you…Fanny.” Kelli Anne’s smile was little more than a sneer.

  Smiling down at the woman, Fran shrugged. “Whatever.”

  Devlin glanced at Jack where he stood slightly behind her right shoulder, and he laughed loudly enough for it to be heard by everyone within twenty feet. “Hell, Jack, if I’d known Fanny cleaned up that well I’d have given her a go myself. Tell me…is she anywhere near as good in bed as Kelli Anne?”

  Kelli Anne shrieked and Fran nearly swallowed her tongue as Jack moved so fast that he was a blur. One second she was standing beside him, then suddenly she was behind him as a well-placed right fist snapped out and caught Devlin solidly in the face, flinging him backward across a table filled with drinks and food. Shocked people scrambled to safety as the bleeding man floundered to right himself.

  “I’d suggest you stay right there, Devlin, unless you want me to put you on your ass again.” Jack’s voice was low and menacing. Fran quivered with pride and shock.

  Another first! A man fighting for my honor! Reputation. Whatever.

  It just felt so damn good.

  Without a backward glance her hero turned and surrounded her in arms that made her feel dainty and protected. Even in heels she had to look up to meet those angry blue eyes.

  “You okay, baby?” His fingertips gently brushed a flyaway strand of hair back from her cheek. She could feel every eye in the place on her as she smoothed her dress nervously.

  “I’m way better than Devlin.” She smiled weakly and closed her eyes as Jack’s warm mouth cut off her words and the crowd began to clap. Her senses whirled. Big, strong hands slid over her back and ass and he dragged her hips flush to his.

  O.M.G. He was kissing her as if he meant it…in front of the entire class of ’02! When he drew back and leaned his forehead against hers she could feel the hot flush that filled her cheeks and neckline. She could also feel the thick, hard ridge pressed so deliciously against her belly. Swallowing hard, she whispered huskily, “You know, Jack, I’ve never seen your restaurant.”

  He smiled slowly. “It’s just down the block. It’s closed because everyone’s over here.”

  “Um…I’d truly love to see the legendary Goal Posts. Too bad it’s closed. It would be so much nicer than eating
in a crowd.” The hand on her left ass cheek squeezed gently and she heard his breath hitch.

  “Well then, I happen to know the owner personally. I’ll see if I can wangle a private, cozy dinner for two.”

  Chapter Seven

  It was a beautiful night, and normally the walk would have been pleasant, but the shoes were nearly killing her with every painful step. Jack must have noticed her wincing and limping, because he stopped and looked down at her feet, glittering like Christmas trees in her expensive designer shoes. “Those things make your feet look totally edible, baby, but they weren’t built for romantic walks on city sidewalks.” His low growl barely registered before he pulled her close and swung her off her aching feet and into those corded arms once again.

  Thank you, Manolo Blahnik!

  Sighing with a mixture of relief and shivery anticipation, she wrapped her arms around his wide shoulders and buried her lips in the warm skin of his throat. “You smell delicious, Jack Gerrard.”

  “So do you.” His voice was a rumble beneath her cheek.

  “I’m not wearing perfume.” She sighed, lifting her head to glance at his face in the light of the street lamp they passed beneath.

  “I know.” His lips curved wickedly.

  “Then how…?”

  “I love the scent of you, Fran. That hot, delicious fragrance of jasmine shower gel and woman. I could pick you out of a crowd at fifty paces with my eyes closed.”

  Too shocked to make any sort of response, she shivered as he closed his eyes and drew a deep breath through his nostrils as if inhaling her essence. He drew her tighter against his chest and buried his lips in her hair as he walked the last few yards to the darkened façade of the closed restaurant.

  He didn’t seem to want to set her on her feet for long enough to unlock the door, as he said quietly, “My keys are in my right pants pocket. Get them out, will you?”

  Obeying with trembling fingers, she managed to get the key into the lock and it flicked open. After he stepped into the cool, dark interior of the spacious restaurant, he shoved the door shut and relocked it. He carried her into the main dining room and gently lowered her feet to the lush green carpet. His hands remained on her waist as she turned to stare at the area, lit by emergency lights only, giving it a soft, romantic glow.

  “My God, Jack…this is beautiful!” she whispered. She’d expected to see a flashy, sports-oriented fast-food place with vinyl booths and maybe even a cheesy-looking set of fake goal posts, but the muted golds and greens of the lush leather booths and hardwood tables and plush carpeting reflected WIU’s colors, rather than the brash reds and whites of the Kansas City Chiefs’ logos. The only things that smacked of his football career were the team photo from WIU’s championship year and the retired jersey hanging over the entry to the darkened lounge. “It’s gorgeous!”

  She felt his fingers gently squeeze her waist and as he drew her back against his body she could feel his growing arousal against the crease of her ass cheeks. A shiver traveled along every nerve in her body as his lean hands slid from her waist up to cup and caress her breasts. His voice was a rasp of desire. “No bra? I wonder…will there be no panties either?”

  Her wicked thoughts when dressing had left her wearing the deliciously soft dress…and nothing beneath it but a lace and satin thong. And said thong was wet with her warm cream as she leaned back into him and whimpered softly.

  Her heart pounded erratically in her chest as his hands slipped to the side tie of the wraparound dress and, as he loosened it, allowing it to fall away from her bare breasts, she let out a little gasp of need.

  “Sweet mother of God…” he rasped as his hands covered her full breasts, and his thumbs stroked the aching, puffy nipples. He slipped the fox jacket off her and a moment later she was standing in nothing but her wet thong, thigh-high nylons, her brand new jewelry and those damn sexy high heels.

  His hands captured her wrists to keep her from covering her breasts with her hands and he turned her to face him. Sapphire eyes gleamed in the low light and his heated expression was shadowed.

  He slid slowly to his knees on the thick carpet before her and his lips trailed over her ribs and down over her navel as his fingers slipped under the elastic at her generous hips and it snapped under the pressure of his gentle tug. She gave a gasp of shock as he pressed open-mouthed, licking kisses down her belly to the neatly trimmed, tiny triangle of hair that didn’t extend over her nether lips. His inhaled hiss of pleasure told her that he liked her bare pussy.

  Her fingers threaded desperately into his golden hair to keep her from falling over and losing control of her legs. She moaned as he gently spread the folds of her labia apart and ran his searching tongue along her cleft, pausing to give her throbbing little knot of nerves a delicious tug as he sucked it between his lips.

  “Oh God, Jack!” she cried as an instant, incredible orgasm exploded through her, and her fingers clutched his hair as she nearly sank to the floor. He didn’t seem to care that she’d just had that amazing orgasm, as he continued to tease her clit with his lips and to dip his tongue into her folds, his hands shifting to clamp her where she stood. He seemed to realize that she was barely able to stand on her feet. Unable to speak because her breaths came in short, gasping pants, she closed her eyes and prayed that she wouldn’t simply collapse onto the carpet.

  After what seemed like an eternity but was more likely just a few seconds, his voice vibrated her clit as he said roughly, “Sit down, baby.”

  Easy enough. Her legs refused to hold her upright for even a second longer and she sank to her knees with a little yelp of surprise at finding that his legs were between her thighs and he had, somewhere along the line, unzipped his dress slacks, freeing his amazingly erect cock. It was propped against her belly and she met his dark blue gaze with a little whimper of fear as she realized that it was far too big to fit inside her.

  “Um…Jack…” she said, her voice tight, “that is way too big to fit.”

  “I won’t hurt you, sweet thing.”

  “I…I’ve never… I mean… Oh God, this is so embarrassing.” She buried her face in her hands and shook her head.

  Jack almost shouted with joy as he realized that his hot little seductress was nowhere near as experienced as she pretended to be. In fact she had absolutely no experience if she thought his cock wouldn’t fit. Her words were the sweetest he’d ever heard.

  He calmed his rush of lust and placed his hands on either side of her face, tipping her head up to gaze into her eyes. Her blush made him want to eat her alive. “Nothing to be embarrassed over, baby. Just let me love you, and if you want to try, I promise you it will fit.”

  He gently kissed her, doing his best to control the white-hot shot of lust that almost made him forget she was, amazingly, still untouched. He gently deepened the kiss, soothing her fears. He slid his hands slowly down her throat to her shoulders, then trailed his fingertips down over her deliciously swollen breasts, tweaking the nipples with his fingers and enjoying the shudder of desire that went through her. He felt the hot cream wetting his thighs and knew she was as eager for him as he was for her, despite her fears, as his hands continued their gentle exploration.

  Sweet Lord, but she was so beautiful, so delicious beneath his hands. He skimmed his palms over her lush ass and then up her back to caress her shoulders. He was just thinking that her timidity was easing when he realized with a jolt that his shirt was open and she was tugging it off over his head. His cock stiffened against her soft belly and she gave a little laugh as she realized that his French cuffs were holding his shirt on his wrists like manacles. Bemused by her laughter, he lifted his head and smiled at her as she worked on getting the cufflinks out of the holes.

  “Hell, Jack. At least you could have worn something that was easier to get off you!” she whispered huskily, and he couldn’t suppress his own laughter. He tugged the sleeves off and allowed her to finish removing his tuxedo pants and the silk boxers he wore beneath them. When she
’d flung the pants back over her shoulder and stared down at his almost painfully erect cock with those wide brown eyes, he could almost feel her gaze touching him. Then she looked down at his feet, with one gleaming shoe on, the other shoe missing, probably stuck inside the pants leg of his tux, and she burst into gales of laughter.

  He took instant advantage of her merriment, sitting up and pulling her hard to his chest, crushing her ample breasts against the hard muscles. The feel of her wet pussy cradling his rigid cock was almost enough to make him come without even being touched. He groaned as he took her lips hungrily, his tongue sweeping into her hot, sweet mouth as she opened to his heated exploration. When he felt her hands on his cock he almost lost it.

  He levered up onto his knees and laid her back on the lush, soft nap of the carpet, right in the middle of the dining area of Jack Gerrard’s Goal Posts, and he lowered his body to press hers gently back until he stretched out over her lush curves, his cock nudging the cleft that hid her clit. Her little cry of delight was almost enough to set him afire. When he lifted his mouth from hers, she gasped, “Jack… God, I want to feel you inside me!”

  He kissed her again, hot and hard, then he rose to his knees and reached for his pants. He found the little silver packets and turned back to find her fishing three similar packets from her miniscule gold bag. They stared at each other for a moment before they both burst into laughter.

  “How many did you think we’d need?” he whispered as he grinned down into her red face.

  “I had no idea. But I think six will probably do for now.”

  He watched her tear open one of her packets and his mouth went dry as he watched her eying the rolled-up condom and his swollen shaft. “Want some help?” he grated as she put the condom over the wide, flat tip of his cock and glanced up into his eyes.