by Lexy Timms
His lips met hers, harsh and gentle at the same time. It held the same longing that had been there two nights ago when she’d wished so hard he would kiss her. She wanted this and yet…
Jamie swallowed and let him kiss her again. She deserved something amazing, right? She just wasn’t quite sure what that amazing was. Slowly she pulled away from him and stared down at his chest. He’d unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt and his creamy tanned skin teased her. She imagined running her lips and tongue over it. "I think you should go," she whispered, torn between wanting him to stay and asking him to leave.
Alex nodded and stepped back. "I'll see you at work on Monday, Ms. Connors." He sounded so resigned that Jamie's heart almost broke. Almost.
"Good evening, Mr. Reid." She moved and held the door open for him and waited until he left before she sighed and slumped against the closed door. He would never come into her apartment again and kiss her. She realized that now. That opportunity would never present itself again.
She wasn’t sure how long she stayed leaning against the door, sitting on the ground, until she heard a splash in the pool outside. It had grown dark. She moved to the window to see Alex in the pool, swimming laps. The water made his chiseled arms and torso glisten in the light that lit up the pool like a display. The sight of him reminded her of the power he always emanated, even in bed, and it made her blood run hot. She’d given that up. For what?
Chapter 7
Jamie crawled into bed. She couldn’t get the image of Alex in the pool out of her head. Just thinking about his body made her wet. “Get a grip on yourself,” she muttered to herself as she pulled the covers up over her. “He’s your damn boss. Let it go!” But the image of him swimming laps imprinted the backs of her eyelids as she drifted off. It didn’t take long to fall into a restless sleep where dreaming was her only escape.
She lay tanning by the pool, enjoying the unusually hot and sunny spring day. She smiled, happy she could now feel comfortable lying by a pool in a bikini. It seemed like the diet and exercise had really worked. Her stomach was completely flat and not even a hint of excess could be seen, a six-pack could be seen through the shadows of the suntan lotion.
She moved her sunglasses off her face and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun against her skin.
“Enjoying yourself?” Alex’s deep voice rumbled above her in what felt like seconds later.
She opened her eyes and sat up, smiling. “It’s the first day I can be outside without shivering. Figured I should take advantage of it while I could.”
His brilliant blue, lust-filled eyes slid down and absorbed all of her body, making Jamie grow warmer. “I’m glad,” he said huskily and smiled. Jamie blushed and then watched his eyes darken. “You have no idea how sexy you look when you blush like that.” His voice came out as if he were begging her to stop, even though she wasn’t even doing anything.
Jamie bit her lip and felt the need to rub her thighs together. She squirmed under his penetrating gaze, unable to breathe properly.
Alex glanced at the view behind them and took off his shirt. “I was just about to go for a swim,” he said, tossing the shirt carelessly near Jamie.
She caught a whiff of his scent as it landed only a few inches away. She felt his gaze on her again, searing into her.
“Want to join me?” His voice had that aroused begging tone again.
Jamie gasped silently, becoming more aroused herself. More than just swimming laps was going to happen in the pool. “I-I’ll think about it,” she murmured. Her stomach fluttered at the thought of what it would feel like to have sex in a pool. She slipped on her sunglasses and let her eyes travel down over his abs and along his biceps that rippled as he unzipped his jeans to reveal dark blue swim trunks that hugged him perfectly.
“I know you’re watching me.” He smiled at her and turned so she could see him better, not minding at all that she wanted to stare at him.
“You’re sexy as hell,” she told him, not embarrassed at all to admit it.
Alex knelt down and grabbed her hand and pulled her up against him. His hands reached down and gripped her hips, his fingers grazing her derriere. Jamie’s breath caught as her gaze landed on his lips. He reached up, pulled her glasses off, and gently cupped her cheek as he tilted her face up. His lips met hers hungrily.
She sighed and melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his shoulders before finally pulling away. She needed to be sure. “Alex,” she breathed, trying to recollect her mind again. “Are you sure about this? I mean, I’m your assistant.”
He smiled down at her, his fingers entwining in her long hair that hung perfectly down her shoulders. “And I know we shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself around you, Jamie. How could I when you look like this?” His hand traveled down and circled around her slim waist. He kissed her temple. “You’re beautiful. And sweet, and perfect.” His lips traveled down to meet hers. “The only thing that could stop me right now is you saying no. Please don’t?” The pleading returned and it was incredibly sexy that he couldn’t resist her. Someone like him needing her? Who in their right mind would say no to him?
Jamie sighed. “Don’t stop.”
A sensual smile crossed his lips. “Good,” he whispered. “I don’t know what I would do if you said no.” He bent down to hook her legs right behind the knees and then lifted her in his arms effortlessly. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt so tiny in his arms.
“I could carry you around like this forever,” he whispered, kissing her temple again. “Do you feel secure right now?”
Jamie nodded. The thought that he might drop her had never even occurred to her. She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. She felt him walk gently and then heard the gentle splash of water. She shivered slightly as a slight breeze brushed past her and hugged him tighter.
“I’ve got you,” he said as he waded in until the water was up to his hips, then gently lowered her in. The water was perfect temperature and lapped against her skin, like Alex’s tongue when they slept together last time. She moved her hands onto his chest, stroking the contours of his muscles.
He groaned. “You’re going to kill me, Jamie.”
She giggled and brushed her fingers over his bare abdomen, feeling his muscles twitch beneath them. “I certainly hope not,” she teased. “Not yet, anyway.”
He hissed and stilled her hand with his own. “Keep teasing me and I won’t last nearly as long as I want to.” He backed her up against the wall. His voice was husky with arousal. “It’s my turn to tease you.” He stroked Jamie’s spine gently, leaving rivulets of water all over her back. She gasped and shivered with pleasure at the touch and he lowered his lips to hers. “I love it when you gasp like that,” he said against her lips before claiming her mouth as his own.
She sighed and then gasped again as his hand traveled lower and slipped into the back of her bathing suit. He roughly squeezed her as he jerked her toward him, grinding his hips against hers. She whimpered and kissed his collarbone, biting it gently until he groaned.
“None of that,” he said harshly. “You’ve no idea how close I am to losing it.” His hand slid to the front of her bikini bottom and he pressed a finger inside of her, making her gasp. He rubbed her gently with his thumb while his other hand untied the strings to her top. “I’m going to make you beg for me.”
Jamie blushed as it fell.
He looked down at her breasts as he gripped one in his free hand. “So fucking sexy,” he breathed before his mouth captured her budding nipple and sucked hard on it.
His tongue stroked her nipple in circles until it blossomed, completely aroused.
She gasped and let her head fall back, her hair brushing against her shoulders and the tips teasing the edge of the water. She squirmed beneath his touch, begging for more of him. Pressure built quickly inside her.
Alex smiled knowingly at her as he brought his head up and forced her to watch him. He tugged down her bikini bottom so he cou
ld stroke her bare skin. He slipped a finger inside her again and she cried out as his thumb found her center and began to rub against her. His stimulation, the sensual movement of the water around them, proved unstoppable. She cried out as her body exploded and she came against his fingers.
She clung to him as the ripples of sensation subsided.
“I’m just getting started.” His hot breath teased her ear. “Strip me,” he ordered.
She was putty in his hands. She reached down and pulled down his swim trunks. They were instantly on the pool steps, her bare bottom pressed against the lining as one of the jets teased her thigh. “Take me already,” she begged, stroking him until he was even bigger and harder. Harder than she had ever felt him before.
“With fuckin’ pleasure,” he bit out, and grabbed her hips, thrusting into her in one stroke.
Jamie cried out again, pleasure exploding inside of her instantly. She wanted more of him… deeper… again… and again…
Jamie sat up, gasping. She was covered in sweat and the sheets were all tangled around her. And she was wet. So, so wet. She brushed her fingers against her soaked panties and stripped them off, hoping it would help her cool down. She kicked the sheets off and stared at the ceiling above her, wondering if Alex ever had these kinds of dreams. Probably not.
She’d somehow managed to have an orgasm in her sleep – twice! Her body trembled from the raw sensual feelings coursing through her. “Get a freakin’ grip, Jamie!” she hissed at the darkness. “He’s off limits.”
She managed to fall back into a restless sleep and then woke again not much later, still sweaty and wet. She slipped out of bed and ran her fingers through her hair as she moved to the kitchen to grab a cold glass of water. She hadn’t bothered to close her blinds in the living room last night and she watched as steam rolled off the pool in the early morning mist.
Alex always kept the water temperature perfect, like in her flipping dream. She hurried back to her bedroom and put on one of her bathing suits. It was a black one piece, nothing like the hot bikini she’d been wearing in her dream.
Ignoring the teasing sensations rippling through her body as she thought of what Alex had done to her in the pool, she angrily snatched a towel and raced outside in bare feet.
The chilled air was a lot cooler than she expected. Her nipples poked through the thin lining of her nylon suit as she ran to the far end of the pool. She tried to ignore them and the ache of release they were begging for.
She tossed her towel on a chair and dove into the pool, only coming up for air when her lungs threatened to explode for lack of breath. She swam lap after lap, trying to exert away the desires her body wanted so badly. She had always enjoyed sex and her body responded easily to the touch of a man, but a dream? Really?
It had to be from the guilt of being around Alex. Her mind was on a merry-go-round of emotions but her body just wanted to be sated with hard sex… just enough to stop the craving for a bit. She laughed as she dunked her head underwater and turned to swim back to the other side of the pool again. She was like a drug addict, but with sex and going through withdrawal. Even masturbation couldn’t cure this aficionado. She knew what she needed, but it wasn’t going to happen.
An hour later she finally pulled herself out of the pool and threw the towel around her shoulders as she squeezed the water from her hair. She glanced up at the rising sun and shivered from the cold on her skin. She spun around and swore she saw a flash by a window upstairs, but then figured it was someone just opening the blinds. Shivering from the cold, she hurried back to her apartment. Spring was in the air and soon summer would give way to warm mornings and hot days. It couldn’t come soon enough.
A hot shower and some breakfast later, she grabbed her cell and sent Nicholas a text to see if he wanted to do dinner one night this week. During her shower, she made the decision that she needed to move forward, and away from Alex. They were not going to have a relationship and the sooner she moved forward, the better she would feel… and the more sleep she would get without ridiculously hot dreams.
She stared at her closet. She had a fantastic new wardrobe but nothing to wear on a date. Alex had given her a work bonus and she decided it was time to spend it on herself. She was going to go shopping for some clothes she could actually fit into that were not work related. It’d been years since she had gone clothes shopping, but with her old clothes big, stretched and boring, she suddenly had the urge to shop. She would need something nice to wear when she went out with Nicholas. That was all the excuse she needed.
She hit the new outside mall Alex had taken her to and window shopped as she looked for something that struck her as pretty. She never owned pretty clothes, or sexy ones. She grinned, maybe she needed to hit a Victoria’s Secret and buy some other pretty things. She grinned. She’d do that first.
As she shopped through bra and pantie sets, she picked out a black set, a white one, an incredible sexy lace one she knew she’d never wear, and a soft silky pink set. When she tried them on, they made her feel pretty and even a little sexy in the reflection of the mirror. She had the feeling the shop set the mirrors to give her a skinny look. She wasn’t complaining, she didn’t mind at all.
She also bought a couple pairs of silk nighties and a robe to wear inside her apartment. Happy, she stepped back outside with her purchases and walked around the shops again.
Nicholas sent her a text to say he’d love to do dinner and whenever she was available, he’d make sure he was as well.
She smiled.
He seemed nearly perfect. He was charming and handsome, the money side of him was also slightly attractive. She tried to pretend it wasn’t, but the thought of never having to worry about paying a bill, or shopping whenever she felt like it, how could that not be tempting? There wasn't anything fake about him, unlike her last boyfriend, Stephen, and he seemed to want a real relationship with her, unlike Alex. However, she couldn't seem to rouse more than a slightly pleasant feeling every time she thought about him. That's what Nicholas made her feel. Pleasant. Relaxed. Not all hot and fiery, full of passion. Like Alex does.
Jamie cursed at herself. There she was, thinking about Alex again, even after she swore not to. It had to stop right then and there. No Alex today. No more thinking about men in general. This was going to be a Jamie day. She rolled her eyes. She’d never had a personal day in her life. Then again, with her in the hot seat with her sister’s wedding, she might as well enjoy the day before everything hit the fan. Jamie was actually surprised she hadn’t heard again from her mother or sister. Maybe they were too angry to talk. She should probably call them.
She grinned, their ignoring her was kind of nice. Maybe she should let them stew a few days longer.
She browsed through some of her favorite stores and found a nice, flirty blouse to go along with black dress pants. The style of the clothes were flattering on her, and she almost looked thin in them. She started whistling when she left the shop. It was going to be a great day after all.
She continued to window shop as she walked. On a whim, she got in her car and drove downtown to walk the small boutique shops and grab a bite. With the sun shining, the concrete warmed and birds were busy building nests and chattering away in the trees above her. She paused outside a shop and stared at the fancy clothes inside.
An incredible red dress caught her attention. It was beyond gorgeous, beyond sexy. It hugged the mannequin's shape perfectly, showing off all of the sculptured curves without squeezing them or giving too much away. The sweetheart neckline had a small amount of subtle beading that called attention to the breasts without being too obvious. Indirect hint that could be accented with a stunning necklace.
The only thing keeping the dress from falling off the mannequin was a pair of thin, red spaghetti straps. Even they were sexy on the shoulders. The dress danced the fine line between conservative and provocative perfectly. The wrong pair of shoes, too much make up, or something tactless, could set the dress all wrong. However,
with the right accessories, it was beyond gorgeous. Drop-dead dream gorgeous.
Jamie was in love with it.
Unfortunately, there was no way in hell she would ever wear something like that, or have a place to wear it to. She thought of the maid of honor dress she was supposed to wear. It was red, but nothing near as beautiful as this one. This one could show up a bride’s dress.
She sighed as she continued to stare at the window display. Be realistic, Jamie. That dress looks like a size six. No way are you going to fit into something like that.
Even with her regular workouts at the gym, swimming and new strict diet, it wouldn’t happen. She was dropping weight fast, but was no size six. She smiled wistfully. If she could lose the weight, then she would be a knockout in that dress, she just knew it.
What would her mother or sister say if they saw her in that dress? They’d have heart attacks or their mouths would literally hit the floor. Even Stephen would hate himself for leaving her.
Jamie shook her head. If she was going to lose the weight, she had to do it because of her, not because of some petty issue she had with her sister, her soon-to-be-brother-in-law or trying to show off to her mother.
She should only do it for herself.
The dress would be ridiculously expensive. More than a pay check at her old job. She grinned suddenly. What if she bought the dress and hung it in her closet to remind herself of where she wanted to be? It could be an incentive and if she set attainable goals, she would go out somewhere in that dress. It would probably be to a movie by herself, but what the hell? What was life if she didn’t try to live it a little?
She giggled as she reached for the door to the shop. This was crazy! She wasn’t a spur of the moment kind of person. She didn’t wear dresses. Especially one as sexy and beautiful as this one.
