Give Up On Me

by Tressie Lockwood

  Matt watched his brother for a reaction as Janae stuttered behind him. Kyler straightened, looking every inch down his nose at both Matt and Janae. “She took money to go away, didn’t she? Why shouldn’t she be nervous when I catch the two of you kissing?”

  “But you brought her back.”

  He knew Kyler well enough that he could never back his brother in a corner. “Yes, so? Janae knows how Margaret and I feel. Her fears are her own, not ones I placed on her. Don’t go jumping to conclusions.”

  Matt wouldn’t get anything more than Kyler wanted to share. He turned to face Janae and rubbed her arms. “You don’t have to fear either of them. I’ll protect you.”

  She shook off his hands and moved away. “I can take care of myself, but I appreciate the sentiment. The way you acted just now, I realize I shouldn’t even have come here. Get ready. I’m taking you to lunch.”

  He grinned. “A date, huh?”

  “It’s lunch. You haven’t been out much, so I thought I’d give you a treat. I’ll call it off if you get grabby. Keep that in mind.”

  “I don’t make any promises.”

  “Matt!” Her beautiful lips tightened, and he grinned. The day had just gotten a thousand times brighter, and the pain in his thigh might as well be a pinprick.

  “All right. I’ll behave,” he said.

  “Good.”

  Matt looked at Kyler. “You were just leaving, weren’t you?”

  Kyler hesitated and glanced from him to Janae. After a minute he nodded and moved toward the door. “Remember what I said, Matt.”

  “Likewise.”

  “Consider going to see Margaret. She misses you, and the only time she got to see you was when you were in a coma and just after you woke up. That’s not fair to her.”

  Matt said nothing, and Kyler admitted defeat and left them alone. After shutting the door, Matt joined Janae in the living room. She sat gingerly on the edge of the couch as if she were uncomfortable. Up until today she refused to visit his home. Instead, she met him at his physical therapy appointments and spent only as much time with him as his session lasted. He of course had booked longer sessions just to keep her close. To have her show up at his house today was a great surprise, and it gave him ideas.

  Matt took in her appearance, a denim mini-skirt that showed off her sexy chocolate legs, and a blouse, which accentuated the fullness of her breasts. His cock hardened, and all he could think about was getting her out of the clothes. “You had a reason for coming to my house today,” he said from the living room doorway. “What is it?”

  She glanced up at him and then away. Sure enough, she was nervous about something. His gut tightened.

  “Janae?”

  “You’re all better.”

  “Mostly,” he agreed and shifted his weight off the leg with the aching thigh.

  “You don’t need my help much anymore.”

  “No.”

  She blinked at him in surprise.

  He pushed off from the doorframe and approached her. “I don’t need your help physically or mentally. Well, not physical in the sense of therapy. I can think of another type of physical ‘help’ you could give.”

  “Okay.”

  He started. “What?”

  She stood slowly, and she raised her hands to his sides. Awareness overtook him, and his gaze was drawn to her cleavage. The soft round peaks called for his touch. Janae slid her flattened palms around to his chest and higher until her fingertips brushed his nipples through his shirt. Aching desire arrested him, and he breathed hard through his nose.

  “You came here to make love with me?” he asked to clarify.

  “Yes.”

  She wasn’t looking at him, and he didn’t like it because he couldn’t read her thoughts. “Janae, look at me.”

  “Are you going to deny me, Matt?”

  “Not in this lifetime, but I am curious about the decision when you were so angry the other day after I kissed you. And just now too at the door.”

  “Just now took me by surprise, and I didn’t appreciate your presumption.”

  He laughed. “No, you’d rather make a move on me first.”

  “I’m not that petty. No, I just…” She hesitated and then looked up at him. “Can’t we skip the conversation and the questions as to why and get down to business?”

  “Far be it for me to refuse a lady’s request, especially when it means my pleasure.” He swept her hair aside and stroked her cheek with a thumb. Damn it, she was so beautiful he felt like he would come long before they removed their clothes. Four years felt like an eternity to go without holding her.

  Matt took one of her hands and led her to the stairs and up to his bedroom. On the second landing, she moved ahead of him, and he got a great view of her sexy ass. He stared at it, and enjoyed the natural sway of her hips and the grace with which she carried herself. When she glanced back at him, he didn’t hide the fact that he’d been looking. She raised one eyebrow and looked down to find the front of his pants tented.

  “You didn’t expect anything else, did you?” he asked.

  She offered a small smile. “No.”

  Beside his bed, Matt stopped her and moved to unbutton her blouse. He pulled the two sides apart and dragged down her bra so he could free her breasts. Her nipples were puckered and taut, and he plucked them with his thumbs and forefingers.

  “It’s been so long, honey,” he whispered.

  “Don’t,” she said. “Don’t call me honey.”

  Disappointment hit him hard. He saw her desire but sensed her sadness. Why, when he offered her the world? Couldn’t she understand how far he would go for her? Was his approach wrong? He couldn’t pretend to be like men who didn’t care about the women in their lives. To play that role meant deliberately hurting her, and he refused to do it.

  “Your body is incredible, Janae.” He leaned down and took one nipple into to his mouth. Sucking gently, he drew her closer and ran a hand over her ass. Her soft moan drove his lust higher, and he drew back. “Take them off. Let me look at you until I can get enough.”

  “Is that even possible?” She allowed her blouse to slip off her shoulders and drop to the floor. He stared in anticipation as she undid her bra and let it fall as well. While she worked on the skirt’s button, he thumbed her nipple again. Keeping his hands to himself was too challenging.

  The skirt joined the rest of her clothes on the floor, but before she could slide out of the panties, he cupped her pussy through the thin material. Her lips were swollen and he imagined moist with her juices.

  Janae’s lips parted, and her head went back as her lashes fluttered closed. He took in every detail, even down to how she curled her fingers in her palms as if she tried to resist his touch.

  Stretch marks, he noted on both sides of her belly. Had she been bigger during the time they were apart? Her hips were wider, and her thighs thicker. Didn’t matter.

  No, it matters. She’s killing me with this body.

  Matt hooked a finger inside the waistband of her panties and dragged it downward. Janae’s soft mound came into view, and he caressed her dark skin. In his pants, his dick twitched. He needed her.

  “Take them off,” he said.

  She obeyed, and now she stood naked before him. Matt drank her in, taking his time.

  “I’m not like I was four years ago.”

  “No,” he agreed.

  He wondered if he would annoy her if he asked her to lie on the bed with her legs open so he could get a good view of her pussy. Or maybe she’d bend over for him as she faced away. A man loved to look, and Matt could lose track of time studying Janae’s body.

  “Well, damn, aren’t you going to say if it turns you off?”

  “If what turns me off?”

  “My body.”

  He didn’t understand the ridiculous question. After unbuttoning his pants and lowering his zipper, he pulled his cock free so she could see what reaction he had in seeing her naked. “Does this look like your
body turns me off?”

  Matt stroked his erection from base to tip. He was hard as steel and swollen thick. Precome beaded the tip, and he caught it with a fingertip and offered her some. She met his gaze with a beguiling one of her own and sucked his finger between her lips. Oh yeah, she had him lock, stock, and barrel.

  Forget about looking. He dropped to his knees and shouldered her legs apart. Just a quick taste, and he’d undress. He slid his tongue over her slit and parted it to push deep into her. Janae grasped both sides of his head, crying out in pleasure. Her come coated his tongue, and he swallowed and then went after ore. She was already so wet, and he hadn’t gone near her clit yet.

  Matt grasped her hips and drove her toward his mouth. He ate her out, relishing her flavor and loving her juices. She whimpered and moaned above him, pleading with him. He had never felt so good pleasuring a woman. Standing to his feet he raised her up and tossed her on the bed before following her down. He clamped onto her clit and sucked hard. She screamed and squirmed, and he felt her wetness on his chin.

  “Mm, honey, you’re going to feed me some more?” He stuck two fingers inside her and worked them in and out as he flicked his tongue over her clit.

  “Yes, Matt, yes! Don’t stop.”

  He added a third finger and thrust them in and out of her at clipped pace. While he tormented her bud, he reached up to squeeze her breast. Plucking at the nipple and playing with her clit with fingers inside her drove her wild. Matt knew her body. He knew how to bring her to the edge, ease up, and then take her to great heights again. By the time he brought her fully to orgasm, she was shaking and calling out his name.

  He climbed off the bed and shed the rest of his clothing. When he was poised over her again, he raised her knees. Matt leaned back a little so he could watch as her pussy opened to him. Come dripped down from her channel, and he wrestled between licking it up and getting his cock inside her. His twitching shaft won the toss up, and he thrust deep into her heat.

  “Janae, what are you doing to me, honey?” He fell over her, catching himself with a hand beside her head. If he didn’t hold still, he’d release too soon. He waited, his shaft throbbing. This was where he belonged, buried inside the woman he loved.

  Matt arched his hips and thrust deeper. The tip of his cock touched her cervix. He was careful not to hurt her, but he took with full force what belonged to him. She dug her fingernails into his sides and raised her knees higher. He stared into her face, mesmerized by the ecstasy he saw there.

  Matt preferred her to look at him while he took her, but Janae had always closed her eyes without realizing it. She raised her chin, her teeth clenched. He leaned down to lick the pulse at her throat and then nipped the skin gently.

  “Matt, it feels so good. You always fill me so good.”

  He kissed every inch of her graceful neck and moved to an earlobe to nibble there. “My cock was made for your pussy. This is where it belongs, taking you, making you come. You’re going to come for me, aren’t you, honey?”

  She whimpered again, and Matt almost let go. He’d wanted to give her another orgasm before his first, but he couldn’t hold it.

  “Oh, hell, honey, I’m going to—”

  His dick pulsed as he pumped come into her heat. She reached a hand between them and massaged her clit. He took in the sight with relish as the last of his orgasm faded away. When she screamed through the second orgasm, he trapped her hand between them to claim her lips. The day was young. They had lots more catching up to do—all in bed.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Janae lay in bed next to Matt and watched him sleep. He lay on his back naked because the covers had fallen on the floor at some point. She hadn’t felt like reaching down to get them, and Matt seemed not to care. He had thrown his heavy arm over her waist and dragged her back to his chest, but she managed to wiggle out of his grasp.

  Get up, and get out of here, Janae. You did what you came to do.

  She bit her lip, unable to take her gaze off him. In the moonlight shining through the window, she made out the scars, a few on his chest, and a bad one on his side. Her fingers itched to trace the marks just to touch him. She’d told herself she would sleep with him once, and then it was over. Getting Matt to let her go of his own free will and to forget about her was a dismal failure.

  Janae started to rise, but she delayed again. One small kiss, not enough to wake him up. She leaned over and touched her lips to his warm skin. Breathing in his scent, she recalled how they’d made love for a few hours. They’d rested a bit, recovered, and went at it. Every muscle in her body ached, but it was a good, satisfying ache. He’d looked at her like he didn’t even see her stretch marks and how she had gained two dress sizes, the slender figure long gone.

  Go, she thought, and tears sprang to her eyes. Did she have to give him up again? Of course. She didn’t need to ask herself the question. Sniffing, she rose and tiptoed around to Matt’s side of the bed. She made sure she gathered all of her clothes and left his room, pulling the door shut behind her.

  Dressed, she started down the steps only to have her cell phone ring. She almost dropped the thing over the railing as she fumbled to silence it before it woke Matt. Now that she thought of it, she recalled the phone ringing at least twice while she and Matt were hot and heavy.

  She checked the time. Crap, two in the morning. The display on her cell phone said Kyler, and her stomach dropped. One day back in the states, and he had pushed for her to get a cell phone again so he could “stay in touch regarding Matt.”

  “Why is he calling so late?” she grumbled as she reached the first floor. She knew why. “Hello?”

  “I’m wondering why you’re not at your apartment right now.”

  “And I’m wondering why the hell you’re calling me at two in the morning.”

  “The agreement was for you not to sleep with my brother. You couldn’t keep your legs shut, could you?”

  “Fuck you,” she snapped and winced as her voice rose too loud. She looked toward Matt’s closed door and moved away from the stairs. “Last time I checked, I was grown, and I don’t have to answer to you regarding my personal life.”

  “You do when it comes to my brother.”

  “I kept our agreement when I moved to Spain. You’re the one that asked me to come back and spend time with Matt. If your dumbass plan backfired, that’s your problem not mine.”

  “Do you imagine we’re powerless just because it’s been four years, and your father’s company is doing well?”

  She pressed a hand to her mouth and struggled not to panic. Kyler was bluffing. She didn’t have to give in to his bullying anymore. Something inside wanted to fight him, hell to kick him in the balls. At the same time, when she thought of his and his grandmother’s money and power, it felt like a crushing weight. Was it so bad if her dad lost his company? Maybe he could take a firmer step in controlling things like sell it and retire.

  “Are you there, Janae?” Kyler asked.

  “I didn’t plan on staying.”

  “You’re saying my brother made you stay?”

  “No.” She tried to get dressed while holding the phone between her shoulder and cheek. “I’m saying I was just leaving, but I’m not going away again.”

  “Why don’t you come into my office tomorrow so we can talk about it.”

  “I’m not doing that either.” She almost choked on her tears. Why was she crying? She’d just stood up to him, but it didn’t mean this was over. The burden renewed and weighed her down. She couldn’t take it. Not too long ago she had told Matt she didn’t love him as much as he loved her, but truthfully she loved him beyond reason. She couldn’t do it again. She couldn’t start over and not see him.

  A tiny sob escaped her, and she squeezed a hand over her mouth.

  “Janae.”

  “Janae.”

  She let out a small scream. Both men said her name at the same time, sounding so similar, but it was Matt’s sudden voice that startled her. “Matt, wha
t are you doing awake?”

  He stood on the stairs, and he hadn’t bothered to put on anything. The man had no shame. “Who are you talking to at this time of night?”

  “Nobody!” She was a wreck. If he came over to her, he’d see her tears, but her voice had come out high-pitched and shaky.

  “Tell him it’s your dad,” Kyler said in her ear.

  She shook her head.

  “No, what?” Matt said. He walked toward her. She backed up. The dim light from the moon illuminated his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. “Why are you spooked, honey?”

  She moaned. Kyler had surely heard the endearment. He swore in her ear. Matt reached her, but she stabbed the disconnect button on the phone. He tugged it from her weakened grip. She thought he would check the call log to see who she’d been talking to, but he set the phone on the hall table.

  “What’s going on, Janae? Talk to me.” He drew her closer to him and rubbed her back. “You’re shaking.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You are. Right now you’re scaring me. I want to respect your privacy, but whoever was on that phone made you cry. That’s not acceptable at any time, but at two in the morning, it’s worse.”

  She pulled from his arms and started around him. “I have to go.”

  “You’re not going anywhere until we talk.”

  “Matt, don’t be stubborn.”

  “It’s late. You can stay the rest of the night, and in the morning, we’ll talk.”

  “No.”

  “Janae.”

  “Look, we can’t be together, okay? Just let it go. I made a mistake coming here.” She stepped to the side to go around him. He blocked her path.

  “You’re not going to stand there and pretend what we shared upstairs didn’t mean anything. You’re not the kind of woman who’s into a one night stand.”

  “Maybe I am.”

  He stared her down, and she looked away.

  “I made a big mistake, Matt.”

  “Tell me you don’t love me.”

  Her gaze flew to his. She expected to see hurt or even desperation, but his face was cast in shadow.