by Lisa Wells
“It’s the perfect tie to wear to a night-of-sex party.”
“Night-of-sex party? I like the sound of that. And in case you’re worried, I’m not one of those stupid girls who gets great sex and love all confused with one another. One I believe in—the other I don’t.” Why she added that, she wasn’t sure. Unless it was to remind herself of her self-inflicted rules, and she needed to hear them out loud in order for them to click.
His brows knitted. “You should believe in both.”
“Says the man who doesn’t want anything to do with love?”
“I believe in the emotion.” He stepped into her space. Their toes touching. “My mom and dad had true love. She never remarried after his death.” He leaned down and placed a whispery kiss on her shoulder. “Love exists.”
Adeline laughed. Mostly to cover up her sudden desire to prove to him that she was the one he could trust. She took a small step back. The only reason to prove that would be if she were falling in love with him. Which wasn’t okay. If she gave him her heart now, she’d be a total liar. Three minutes ago she promised him she wouldn’t. She reached out and ran a fingertip down his chest. “Let’s get the party started.”
She yelped when he swept her up in his arms and strode purposefully down the hall, not stopping until he sat her on the edge of his bed.
He slid his fingers under the elastic edge of her bra until he reached the back, where he unsnapped it with ease. Then he brought his fingers forward, tugging the bra loose as he did so.
She held her arms out so he could pull the flimsy garment all the way off. Then she leaned back on her elbows, his tie nestled between her breasts.
He stared, as if he’d never seen such a sight. Of course he had, but it made her feel special nonetheless. “Cat got your tongue,” she teased.
“Rosy pink,” he said.
She cocked her head. “What?”
“I’ve been wondering for a long time what color your nipples would be. God.”
The wonder in his voice made her nervous. The way he was staring so intently made her nervous. Her being nervous made her nervous. Wow. The guy knew how to make a mostly-naked woman feel like a Rembrandt.
He walked to his nightstand and took out two condoms.
…
Jack put his fingers underneath the edge of her panties and tugged them down, kissing the smooth skin he uncovered. He edged back so he could remove them over her feet. “You’re perfect.”
“You’re not shabby yourself.” She scooted back until she had her feet propped on the edge of the bed.
“Spread your knees,” he ordered silkily.
As she did, he crawled onto the bed, and she moved farther back. When she stopped moving, he leaned down and kissed her mound.
A small “oh” escaped her lips.
He chuckled before exploring her with his tongue, savoring her taste. A combination of sin and sunshine. Sort of like her.
Her hands grasped his head, and she tugged on his hair. He didn’t relent, basking in the tiny sounds she made each time he dragged his tongue up the center of her. Her moans grew louder as the pressure he used grew more intense with each lick. The way she gyrated up, broadcasting her needs, drove him crazy. He moved his hands under her ass and squeezed.
She yanked hard on his hair. “Come up here. I’m only good for one orgasm.”
He paused. Was that true? Or had she never had the right man helping her to achieve more than one? There was only one way to find out. “Not yet.” His lick grew harder and faster. God, she tasted so wonderful. He squeezed her ass hard and flicked her sweet spot with his tongue.
“Damn it,” she moaned.
He felt her tense and grow rigid before she cried out and pushed up against his tongue while holding his head in place with her hands. He felt her body spasm, and it wasn’t until he heard a raspy “stop” that he let up on the charge.
He stood so he could see all of her. Her eyes were closed, and she was panting. A rosy blush covered her body. He grabbed a condom and tore it open.
She opened her eyes. “Wait,” she said when he started to roll it on. She sat up on the edge of the bed. She ran her palms up his chest, over his shoulders, down his arms, and then back up his chest, stopping at his nipples. She dragged a finger across them. And then leaned in and flicked them with her tongue.
He groaned when her lips suckled one while her fingers pinched the other. He moved between her thighs.
She pulled back. “Lay down.”
He did and watched in wonder as she straddled his legs, watched in anticipation as she scooted back, his tie dangling between her breasts, watched in awe as she leaned down and rubbed the length of him with the silk tie before taking him in her mouth. The feel of her wet mouth taking all of him in nearly undid his control. “Slow down, babe.”
She slid her lips up his cock, releasing him after what seemed like days. “Remember, it’s okay to come quick when a girl is giving you a blow job,” she said with a wink. Reminding him of their dinner conversation.
“But as much as I want to come in your mouth, I want the first time to be inside of you.”
“Are you sure?” she husked, before going back down on him.
Her hands fondled his balls and her finger stroked in just the right spot to cause him to forget to live, let alone say yes. The suction of her lips grew tighter as she moved up and down at the perfect angle for all of him to glide in and out of her incredible mouth.
When he couldn’t stand it anymore, he dragged her away, forcing her to stop. He flipped her over on her back, shoved the condom on, and slammed into her wet, ready body like a man on the verge of losing his mind.
She raised her legs and wrapped them around him, squeezing. He pumped in and out of her, watching her face and the way her hands gripped the sheets.
“Faster,” she breathed, looking at him in wonder.
He did until her body tensed and her legs squeezed hard.
“I didn’t think—”
“Look at me.” He didn’t slow down on his assault of her body while he waited for her to obey his command. “I want to see the color of your eyes when you come.”
She opened her eyes, and he stared into them. A summer-night blue.
When she went rigid and screamed out, he closed his own eyes and let the contraction of her muscles against him send him into his own release. An orgasm like none other.
He collapsed to the side of her and tugged her into the crook of his arms. “My God, a man could be ruined for any other if he spent much time doing that with you.”
She wiggled out of his arms and leaned up. “That’s never happened to me before.”
He couldn’t help the goofy grin that stretched his lips. “Then you haven’t been with the right man.”
She sat up and inched away from him.
“Where are you going?” Before he could react, she was off the bed and headed to the door.
“To my bedroom.”
He sat up. “But I’m not done. We’ve only just begun. Spend the night with me. I promise, you can have more than two orgasms in a night.”
She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I don’t do sleepovers.”
He grinned. God, he grinned a lot around her. “Then we won’t sleep.”
She slipped the tie over her head and looped it around the door handle. “We just broke our no-sex rule. I’m afraid if I stay, I may break some of the others. And neither one of us wants that to happen.”
He watched her walk away. Her perfect ass red from his hands. His heart jumped and sighed and collapsed.
Love’s funny. It just hits you out of the blue…
Chapter Twenty-One
Jack Foster wasn’t used to having emotions he couldn’t compartmentalize. No. And he didn’t like the feeling, not one bit.
And it was Saturday morning, so he couldn’t skate off to work early to regroup. Not that he wanted to avoid Adie. The emotions she brought out in him, yes. But not her.
Havin
g the time to think, he could assess that he’d been wrapped up in the momentum of having her under his roof, by his side and willing to pretend just to help him get ahead, and then there’d been the sex.
Obviously, the events of the last week, and that whole near heart attack he’d almost suffered when he’d thought the concussion had killed her in her sleep. Yes, he rationalized. That was it. A totally rational series of events had instigated his more-attached-than-usual feelings. Now that he’d addressed them, he could unravel them and neatly tuck them away.
The question was, did last night change anything for her?
On a scale of one to ten, he was a ten in not knowing what to do next. Like the first time he was given a balance sheet and told to balance both sides. Common sense said to throw up roadblocks and go back to their uncomplicated relationship. But the other side of his brain urged him to keep it light, because having had her, there was no going back to the friend zone.
Before leaving his bedroom, he’d pulled on his running gear. He could take a run to get out of the house and regroup, if necessary.
He walked into the kitchen and discovered Adie baking bread. “That smells wonderful.” He came up behind her and on a whim, planted a kiss on the top of her head. Her hair was a wild mess of lavender-smelling, tangled curls.
She didn’t sigh or lean into him, or give him any hint as to how this morning was going to play out. “You slept in,” she said in her trademark neutral tone.
“A fiery redhead took it out of me last night.” He opened the refrigerator, grabbed the orange juice, and poured himself a glass. He noticed a list on the refrigerator. “What’s this?”
“I wrote a list of our rules before I moved in. I decided, after last night, I needed to post it somewhere I couldn’t forget them.” She turned the mixer on and added ingredients. Was that a hint she was done talking?
He glanced at the list. Yellow marker highlighted their three-kiss rules with dates on when each kiss happened. The third one last night. A red line was drawn through the no-sex rule and a red arrow pointed to an addendum. In pink she’d written, sex…once. And then placed a check mark out to the side with yesterday’s date. The rule that they wouldn’t get emotionally involved with one another had been darkened. As if she’d traced each letter over and over again with a freshly sharpened pencil.
Her thoughts on the matter couldn’t be any clearer. Last night was a mistake. One not to be repeated. “What are you making?” he asked loud enough to be heard.
“Zucchini and banana bread.” She still didn’t look at him. “Do you want breakfast?”
“Not yet. Think I’ll get a run in.”
She gave him a brief look of relief. “Okay.”
There were three loaves of bread sitting on wire racks. How long had she been up? “Why so much bread?” Was she baking the hell out of bread because Debbie made a comment to her last night about eating bread? Or was it due to sexual frustration?
“I always bake bread on Saturdays.” Again with the neutral tone. God, he hated that tone.
He sat down on a bar stool. Oh yeah, Saturdays. Dottie. “Do you eat it all?”
Her lips twitched. “I give most of it away to neighbors.” She took butter out of the refrigerator, grabbed a knife, handed them both to him, and scooted one loaf of bread his way. “Eat some, the carbs will help you with your run.” She was wearing the same robe she’d brought with her. He was beginning to like the atrocity. The thing had character, like its owner.
He sliced into the banana bread, slathered a slab with butter, and then took a bite. Pure heaven. “This is almost better than sex.”
She laughed. Her cheeks turning a taffy shade of pink. The same color as her favorite chair. The same color as his favorite candy growing up.
“Someday, when I open a bakery, I’ll place it on the menu and call it Jack’s Better Than Sex Banana Bread. Then I’ll remember our charade every time someone orders a loaf.”
“Almost better than sex. Nothing will ever be as good as last night was with you.” He ate another slice. “What time will you leave to go see Dottie?”
She never spoke about Dottie. When he would bring her up, she changed the topic. “When I’m done baking.”
“Is the bread for her?”
Adie busied herself filling loaf pans with the mixture. “We used to bake bread every Saturday morning. She can’t bake right now. So I bring her bread and soup.”
He took a cup out of the cupboard and poured himself some coffee. “Want me to go with you?”
She took the bread in the oven out, sitting the pans on wire racks, then slid in three new pans. “It’s something I have to do alone.”
“Why?” He took another sip of coffee.
“Why, what?” she asked.
“Why do you have to do it alone?” He stood by the counter so he had a better view of her eyes. “I’d love to meet the woman who raised you.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s not a good idea. I told you she’s not well.”
He sighed. “What type of cancer does she have?”
“Breast cancer. Unfortunately, like I told you, the cancer treatments have worsened her Alzheimer’s. Some of her memories are stuck in a time warp. She can’t remember what happened before them, or past them.”
He tried to imagine the pain of having someone you love confused and unable to remember you. Tried to imagine how he’d feel if it was his mom. “What memory is she stuck on about you?”
Adeline sat down on a bar stool and fixed herself a slice of bread with butter. “When I was a junior in college, there was a homeless man with a dog sitting outside of Walmart. I gave him all of my money and told him to go inside and buy himself some dinner and some food for his dog. Then I waited in my car to see what he came out with. When he came out, all he had was liquor.”
Jack wasn’t surprised. “Unfortunately, that happens a lot. That’s why it’s better to give donations directly to a charity.” God, he sounded judgmental.
Adeline fiddled with the butter container. “I was so upset for the dog. But I didn’t have any money. So I went into the store and I stole a can of dog food. I got caught, and they pressed charges. Dottie had to come and bail me out.”
He took a moment to absorb her confession. If his boss Googled Adie, would they find an arrest record? Not that it changed how he felt about Adie, but it would change how they felt. And their charade was all about making them happy. He filed that info away for the moment, his focus on the sad, beautiful woman in front of him. “What did Dottie say?”
“She was pissed.”
“That sounds like a normal reaction. I don’t think any parent is going to be happy when they get a call from their child saying please come and bail me out.”
“It was more than that. She was pissed she had to stop what she was doing and come bail me out. I inconvenienced her in a big way. Really big.”
“What do you mean?”
“She thought I did it…when I did it…to break her heart. To sever the ties that bound us together.”
“Why?”
“Out of revenge.”
“I’m not following.”
“She and Alice had just gotten married. It was their honeymoon night.”
He took another bite of bread. “That was bad timing on your part. But it doesn’t mean you did it on purpose.”
“Dottie thought I did it to sabotage their special day because I didn’t like Alice.”
Adie had Jack’s full attention. “Why didn’t you like Alice?”
“She was my sixth foster mom. By the time I got to her, I was so jaded I wouldn’t give her a chance. I didn’t want to live with her. I didn’t want to be hurt by someone who pretended to love me and then changed their mind. So I started stealing. Charging things to her credit cards. Doing everything I could so that she’d give up on me. When she did, Dottie took me in on a temporary basis. Dottie and Alice worked together. In my twisted mind, even though I did everything I could for her to give me up,
I blamed Alice for not loving me enough to keep me. And I’d get upset with Dottie anytime she mentioned having Alice over for dinner.
“Eventually, Dottie got a different job and stopped talking about Alice. I thought that meant she chose me over her friendship with Alice. It was the first time someone chose me. My own mom didn’t choose me. She chose a man over me. All my mom had to do was kick him out, and she could have kept me.” Adie stopped talking and stared into the distance. Then she shook away whatever memory held her in its grip. “Anyway, when Dottie told me she was getting married to Alice, I was upset. I felt betrayed. She hadn’t chosen me over Alice. They’d continued seeing each other. I thought she’d been pretending to love me.”
“So did you mess up their honeymoon on purpose?”
She closed her eyes. “I think maybe I did.”
Her honest answer surprised him. Sort of. He was getting use to the fact she gave honest answers to hard questions. “She bailed you out. Then what?”
“We got into a big fight. I told her I didn’t need her anymore. Refused to take any of her phone calls after that.”
“That had to have really hurt both of you.”
“And then one day Alice came to my condo. She told me Dottie had cancer.”
Jack walked over to Adie and wrapped her up in his arms. “I’m sorry. You’ve gone through a lot in your life.”
Her body relaxed into him. “Most of it has been my own fault.”
“You were young. You made mistakes.”
“But I wasn’t that young. Maybe when I was a brat with Alice, but with Dottie, I was in my twenties. Dottie said she would have expected a stunt like that out of my mom, but from me, she expected better. That she guessed my genetics would always be my Achilles’ heel.”
“I’m sure she didn’t mean that. She was just upset. You’d ruined her wedding night. You were having a heated argument. People say things they don’t mean when they’re mad. Let me go with you today.”
