by Jill Downey
“Open your eyes,” he commanded.
She did as he asked; only then did he thrust inside of her. He rode her hard, plunging in and out, sweat beading his brow. Her breasts bounced, her soft pink buds inviting him to suckle. He dipped his head down while still riding her and licked her nipple. That was her undoing. He lifted his head to watch as her body convulsed with orgasm. Seeing her peak sent him over the edge, and he came inside of her as he felt her vagina pulsating against him.
They panted as they lay intertwined. He rolled off and lay beside her taking it all in…the smell of shampoo and soap mixed with sex, her soft skin, her beauty… he traced the tattoo under her collar bone with his fingertip.
“Who hurt you?” Then he kissed her there.
She wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek on the top of his head. “The last relationship ended when I caught him in bed with one of his college students. I was devastated. I had trusted him without reservation.”
“What a fool. But if he hadn’t fucked up, I wouldn’t be holding you in my arms. Fate may have had a hand. Faye, I’ve got it bad for you.” He could feel her lips curve into a smile against his head.
“You do?” she asked quietly.
He kissed her throat then propped his head on his hand staring into her languid eyes. “I want everything with you.” He skimmed his hand down the length of her…trailing slowly…down her neck… shoulder…arm…hip…thigh… then back up again. His voice was husky with longing, “You’re so soft. So beautiful.” He ran the pad of his thumb across her lips then kissed her, devouring, knowing he’d never get his fill.
His cock hardened again as she covered his chest with tiny kisses. She ran her fingertips over his nipples then stroked her palm down his toned hard belly, searing his skin. When she reached his erection, she gripped it and cupped his roundness in her other hand, gently rolling and squeezing with one hand while she slid her hand up and down his shaft with the other.
He reached between her legs and found her warm and wet. He inserted two fingers and plunged deeply, in and out while his thumb pressed against her sweet spot. She panted and rode his hand as he thrust against her grip. Their bodies reached a climax together, and he couldn’t tell if the moan had come from her or from him.
“Jess?” she whispered.
Still breathing heavy he said, “Yes?”
“What you said earlier, about wanting everything?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you mean it?” Framing his face with her hands, she studied his smoldering eyes. His mouth curved into a smile.
“Yes. What do you want?”
“You. I think I was lost the first time I hopped on the back of your bike.”
“I have you beat. You took my breath away the moment I laid eyes on you flitting around the bar and charming the pants off all of us.”
Her nose crinkled, “Really? I’d have never known…I mean you were friendly and sweet, but I didn’t have a clue that you were that interested.”
“I didn’t want you to think I was a jerk. I also had been keeping my eye on that dude at the bar. I had a bad feeling about him and so I waited around.”
“You are my gallant fearless noble…”
Laughing he said, “Stop, it’s going to my head. You ready for pizza? I thought I’d call in for a delivery.”
“Have you ever known me to turn down food?”
“Come to think of it, no.”
Jesse had given Faye one of his old tee shirts to wear and she sat cross legged on the floor in front of the TV as she waited for him to settle up with the pizza delivery guy. She took another sip of wine, noticing that her body felt like a limp rag doll. She felt a little sore between her legs, a good sore, and her nipples still tingled from his hungry mouth.
If it weren’t for that nagging voice in the back of her mind, her world would be almost perfect. She’d tell him…and soon…but not tonight. She wouldn’t ruin this moment. She couldn’t bear to see him angry right now. She wanted to hold on to this feeling for as long as she could.
He plopped down beside her with the pizza, paper plates and napkins and the bottle of wine. He refilled their glasses and raised his for a toast, “To the best date I’ve ever had with the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
She suddenly felt shy and couldn’t meet his gaze.
“Hey, is something wrong?” He asked, his brows drawn together.
“No! I just feel so tender that it hurts,” she reached for his hand and placed his palm against her heart. “Right here.”
His white teeth flashed with a wide grin. “You know how to get a guy don’t you?” He nodded his head toward the pizza, “Dig in before it gets cold.”
She grabbed a slice and took a big bite, the extra cheese dripping off the pie. “Jesse Carlisle, I am so stinking happy right now.”
Winking he said, “That is my number one goal in life. To win over your cold, cold heart.”
“Sweet talker.”
“Gimme some sugar,” he said leaning in for a kiss.
With her mouth full of pizza, she still managed to pucker up and kiss him.
“Tell me what your life was like before you bought the bar.”
“Hmm, let’s see…in college I majored in English, with a minor in fine art. Lasted until mid-junior year when I came down with a huge case of the travel bug. Dropped out and eventually, after several years of exploring the world, landed in New Zealand where I put the English to good use and started writing a travel blog. Landed a gig with a major travel magazine and did that until I moved back here.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Funny that I ended up buying a bar…pretty much on a whim. I was rudderless when I first returned to the States. Healing from my breakup, grieving, then I ran into someone who told me the place was for sale, so I went for it.” She bit her bottom lip. “Much to the dismay of my friends and family.”
Jesse listened thoughtfully, then said, “I told you I went to college, but what I didn’t tell you is that I quit my senior year.” Faye caught a brief glimpse of sadness in his eyes before he continued. “Dad had a heart attack and I came home. When I dropped out Dad was so angry with me, he could’ve chewed up nails and spit out a barbed wire fence.”
“It was important to him,” Faye said, her eye’s soft pools of warmth.
“Yeah, it became a battle of wills. He insisted I finish school and all I wanted was to take over the family construction business. Obviously, I won.”
“How is your dad now?”
“I worry about him a lot. He likes his beer, he loves all the foods he shouldn’t…bigger than life. My hero. But his heart attack was mild and after a double bypass they say he’s as good as new.”
“I’m glad. That must have been a huge shock for you and your family.”
“Taught me to never take a day for granted. You never know if it’s going to be the last time you do something. From the life altering to the mundane…last time you hug your mama, last time you wave goodbye, the last time you tie your shoes.”
Faye tenderly brushed his hair back from his forehead. “I’m glad your dad is okay. I can’t wait to meet him.”
“He’s going to love you.” He reached for the TV remote and turned it on, channel surfing. “What do you want to watch? Your choice.”
“Rom-Com for sure.”
“I knew you were going to say that.”
“I’ve been dying to see Always Be My Maybe. I heard it was really funny.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They both fell asleep halfway through the movie, wrapped in each other’s arms. Sometime during the night, Jesse woke up and picked Faye up, carrying her to bed. She barely roused as he pulled back the duvet and tucked her in. He tenderly kissed her forehead and crawled in beside her, then promptly fell back to sleep with her spooned up against him.
17
Jesse sat on the edge of the bed watching Faye’s chest gently rise and fall in sleep. Her thick las
hes rested against high cheekbones and her hair fanned out on his pillow just like he’d fantasized. He hated to wake her. All he wanted right now was to feel her smooth satiny skin writhing underneath him again.
Already showered and dressed, he had to leave to deal with some problems at the condo construction site. His vibrating cell phone had jarred him out of a deep sleep about an hour ago. He lightly caressed her cheek and her eyelids fluttered before opening sleepily.
“Hey you,” Jesse said, softly.
She smiled shyly, “Hi.” She stretched out sensuously, like a cat. “Did I oversleep?”
“No, I wanted to let you sleep in. I have to go to a job site; I’ve got some big problems. I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. I won’t be able to work at the bar today. I’m sorry.”
“I understand. How did I get to bed last night? Did you carry me?”
“Yes.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. “I’ll call you later.”
She pouted, “I don’t want you to leave.”
“You’re killing me. Believe me baby, I don’t want to go.” His finger traced the outline of her lips. “Thank you for last night.”
“It was everything,” Faye said quietly.
After Jesse left, Faye stared at the ceiling, a roller coaster of emotions flooding her senses. The ache in her chest from watching him leave was running a close second to the feeling in her belly like she’d just bungee jumped off a sheer cliff. Her entire body felt like a live wire. She touched her lips still feeling the warmth of his kiss. Lord have mercy, it was going to be a long-ass day.
Faye had called Ty and asked if he could come work for a few hours. Currently she had him busy stocking the coolers and replacing the kegs while she caught up on bookkeeping.
Ty poked his head inside her office and said, “Faye where to you want me to put the empty cases?”
She leaned back in her chair studying him. “Stack them right next to the freezer in the kitchen. Thanks. Everything all right? You seem a little down today.”
He mumbled and she had to strain to hear his reply. “Just life.”
“Girl troubles?”
He shook his head. “Naw, my mom and I had an argument.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“What good would that do?”
“Maybe my incredible wisdom will enlighten you.” Smiling, Faye added, “Sometimes just talking about something helps.”
Ty plopped down in the chair facing her desk. “I guess it can’t hurt. Mom is mad that I took this job.”
“Oh. Can I ask why?”
“A multitude of reasons…its complicated…but the one thing she made me promise is that I come clean with you about something. I hope you’ll hear me out. I was in juvie some time back. I got myself in some trouble dealing a little pot. But I’m clean now, I promise. If you hadn’t called me in on the fly, and we’d had that sit-down interview, I would’ve fessed up. The right time hasn’t come up since…and I wasn’t sorry about that.”
“I see.” Faye looked thoughtful as she tapped her pen against the desk. “I don’t need any DEAs hounding my bar. Not good for business.”
“That was a couple of years ago. I’ve kept my nose clean since. I don’t ever want to be incarcerated again. Plus, now that I’m eighteen it would be much worse. Not to mention it broke my mama’s heart. I’d never do that to her again.”
“Look, I like you Ty. If I’m going to be one-hundred-percent honest, I’ll admit that information might have influenced my decision before I had time to get to know you...but now that I have, I’m willing to give you the chance. I always trust my gut. You’re a good kid. I’d bet the bar on it.” Faye smiled.
“There’s not a chance in hell I’d get into that world again.”
“I believe you.”
“Dope.”
Faye cleared her throat, “Wrong choice of words.”
He snorted with laughter, “Right. Sorry.”
“It wouldn’t be an easy topic to bring up. I would have struggled with it too. And you’re only eighteen. Give yourself a break. And Ty? Now that tourist season is right around the corner, I could use more of your time, that is if you’re available.”
His eyes lit up. “Yes! I could use any extra hours you’re willing to throw my way.”
“Great. How are you with technology? I have a couple of big screen TVs that need to be installed. I can put them up, but can you program them?”
“Yeah, that’s easy.”
“Maybe we’ll work on that tomorrow. I’d like to expand your hours.”
“Sick!”
“And, since you’re working out so well, I’ll increase your pay to fifteen dollars an hour.”
“Wow, thanks!” His whole face changed when he smiled. He was a real showstopper when that sullen look disappeared. Lordy help the poor girl who had to protect this guy from the girls who’d be throwing themselves at his feet. He had no idea how beautiful he was. And that was a good thing.
“Ty, one more thing…thank your mom for me.”
He glanced down at the ground, “Yep.”
“Ty you know you can come to me with anything?”
“It’s all good.”
Faye had a niggling feeling he wanted to say more but he stood up, his expression now poker faced, clearly done with their heart to heart.
“I’ll be finished up with paperwork in a couple of minutes, then we can get started with organizing that storage room.”
He slipped his hands in his front pockets and left. Faye shrugged. She’d probably only imagined the brief look of doubt that had darted across his face.
18
Faye’s cell rang and she saw that it was her older brother Kyle. “Hey big brother. What’s cooking?”
“I wanted to invite you out to dinner at the Yacht club tonight. I know it’s last minute, but it’s Ella’s birthday and I thought I’d surprise her. Finn will be there, and Dad and Mom flew in unexpectedly this afternoon. Griffin’s coming too.”
“What time?”
“Around seven. You can meet us in the lounge.”
“I’ll have to close the bar, but I’ve been dead most Tuesdays anyway. I’m not too thrilled about the Mom and Dad part but maybe their attention will be on Finn, rather than on me and my bar endeavor.”
“Don’t count on it. Mom’s been driving me crazy with questions in her own particularly smothering sort of way.”
“Lovely.”
“I’ll try to run interference for you.”
“While Griffin stirs the pot,” she said, laughing.
“When do you expect to have your grand opening?”
“I’m looking at Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. I just hired a young guy named Ty to bus tables and do odd jobs around here. The construction company…well the owner himself, is moving right along on the outdoor seating area. I was actually slammed last Saturday night. Jesse stepped behind the bar and helped me serve customers. I advertised karaoke and had no idea of the crowd it would draw.”
“Jesse huh? Griffin mentioned you had some hot construction dude working for you and you made him lie to him about his identity. What’s that all about?”
“Long story and let’s just say, I’m an idiot.”
Kyle laughed, the warmth in his voice comforting and reassuring. He had always had her back while they were growing up, and with their crazy lifestyle, replete with boarding schools and nannies, she’d needed it. He’d run interference for her and Griffin more times than she could recall and had buffered them from the worst of their father and mother. Whereas her father had been cold and aloof with unrealistically high expectations, her mother, a famous French model prior to their marriage, had vacillated between her extreme preoccupation with self and smothering her children with a false sense of what mothering actually entailed.
“If it were anybody but you and Ella, I’d say no…but I’ll come.”
“Great, I miss you sis, it will be good to catch up. No gifts. We have everyt
hing we could possibly need…and then some.”
Faye’s lips twisted, “The downside of a billionaire lifestyle. I miss you too. See you at seven.”
As she hung up the phone, Ty appeared at her door holding a gorgeous vase, filled with red roses and fern cuttings. Faye’s cheeks flushed with pleasure at the surprise. He must be missing me as much as I am him. She tore open the card and inside it said Forever yours, J. And yes, she was living proof that hearts really can skip a beat… hers was racing while the butterflies in her stomach somersaulted.
Ty had a big grin on his face and said, “I’m taking notes.”
She was still breathless but managed to croak out, “Did the florist just deliver these?”
“Yep. I’m taking off if there isn’t anything else you need me to do.”
“I’m right behind you.” She rolled her eyes, “I’m meeting my dysfunctional family for dinner tonight. Fancy. I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to wear.”
“Want me to wait for you?”
“No, go.”
“Okay, see ya tomorrow.” He stood shuffling from one foot to the other, hands stuffed in his pockets, obviously with something more to say.
Faye arched her eyebrows and waited.
“Um, Faye?”
“Yes?”
“I really appreciate you giving me a chance. Most people wouldn’t have.”
Faye beamed at him, “Anytime! Have a good night and see you tomorrow.”
As Faye was locking up, the creepy customer she’d had the run in with showed up. “Sorry I’m closing tonight for a birthday party.”
“Damn, that’s too bad. Guess I’ll see you around another night. I was looking forward to that beer.”
She shifted her heavy bag to the other shoulder. “Next time you’re in, I’ll give you a beer on the house.”
A corner of his mouth lifted. “Got yourself a deal.” He winked at Faye, “Nice flowers.”
