“So you decided not to get close to anyone again,” she finished for him. “It’s easier to suffer alone, than to let someone into your life just to lose them and end up suffering even more.”
He nodded. “I knew you’d understand.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Then what is this, Jack?” she asked, seeming confused. Hell, he wasn’t thinking straight either. “I made the same decision in my own life after the last guy I dated ended our relationship by beating me to a pulp. I got so tired of being disrespected and hurt … I’ve had enough of that in my life. I thought I was over that need to be with someone. But then I met you … and all that seems to have gone out the window.”
“I know,” he said, coming toward her again and reaching out. Her arms fell away from her chest as he touched her shoulders, drawing her toward him. “I don’t understand it, either. I just know that I can’t stop wanting you. I can’t stop thinking about you … the way you smell, the way you taste. When we kissed, I didn’t want to stop. I wanted …”
Her hands came up to his chest, her palms burning his skin through the fabric of his shirt. “Yes?” she prodded, her voice hopeful.
“I wanted …” he murmured, lowering his head toward hers. His lips tingled with anticipation. She stood but a breath away now, his for the taking. Lips parted, eyelids lowered, breasts heaving as her breath raced in and out of her lungs; she embodied his every desire, a temptation too great to resist. “I wanted everything I have no right to ask of you. I wanted everything I thought I’d stopped craving a long time ago.”
A low whimper escaped her lips as they brushed over his, and her hands slid up from his chest to his shoulders. “Yes,” she repeated, an affirmation this time. “Yes, Jack.”
A tremor rocked him at her words of surrender. Still, he had to be certain. Lifting his gaze to hers, he found her chin with his fingertips and raised it. Her eyes met his, pools of tawny amber filled with uncertainty, desire, and need. “Are you sure?” he whispered.
She nodded, her hair brushing his forehead as she closed the remaining distance between them, pressing her body tight up against his.
“You’re different,” she said. “You aren’t like the other guys I’ve been with. I know you’ll respect me and treat me with more care than I probably deserve. And even though you wouldn’t mean to, I know that if you ever did hurt me, you’d be sorry. You don’t have to make promises, Jack, not if you don’t mean them. I know what you can give me right now, and what you can’t. I just know that any time I could have with you, even if it’s just for a while, would be better than anything I’ve ever known in my life, and I want that. I want you.”
It was all Jack needed to hear. She was right; he couldn’t promise her much. He wasn’t even sure he could promise her tomorrow. With demons lurking at every corner, they had no guarantees. What he could do was give her what she wanted from him, and maybe in return, he would gain what he craved.
His lips found hers, capturing and possessing them. She responded with zeal, clinging to his shoulders and pressing her body so tight against his that he could feel every curve through her dress. His arms came around her, his fingertips digging into her bare back as he clung to her. For as long as she allowed it, Addison was his. Breaking the kiss reluctantly, he took her hand in his and pulled.
“Come with me,” he whispered.
She followed, seeming perplexed about his actions. Instead of taking her to the door that led back into the house, he led her to one that opened into a small storage shed.
“There are too many people in that damn house,” he grumbled as he released her hand to rifle through the shed. “I want you all to myself for as long as I can have you.”
He’d spoken the truth. He didn’t want walls surrounding them, or ears on the other side listening in. He just wanted Addison and the moonlight.
“What are you looking for?” she asked as he sifted through boxes of Christmas decorations, his dad’s army gear, and old baby clothes.
“Hold on, I think I found it,” he said as he touched the large, plastic tote box Sarah kept stashed there. Written across the lid in black permanent marker was the word EMERGENCY. Popping the container open, he struck gold. When he turned back to Addison, he had two thick wool blankets over his arm, a plastic bag full of tea light candles, and a lighter in his pocket. “Now we’re in business,” he said, leading her to a shadowed corner of the roof, further away from the door. “You wait right here. Don’t move.”
While Addison looked on, he spread one of the blankets on the roof. Folding the other, he left it nearby. Then, he busied himself with laying out the candles, surrounding the blanket in a ring of them before taking the time to light each one. By the time he turned to face her again, she was smiling. He extended a hand to her from the center of the ring of tiny flames. “Come here.”
She obeyed, lifting the hem of her dress as she stepped over the perimeter of candles and onto the blanket. The firelight had the intended effect as all the little flames created a soft, red-orange glow that set her on fire with an ethereal glow. He pulled her close to him, reaching up to stroke one cheek with affection.
“You’re like a flame, Addison. I think that’s what I like most about you. That fire in you draws me in.”
“Careful,” she joked, “I might burn you.”
He ran his thumb lightly over the plump cushion of her lips. “I might like it,” he replied, his voice growing husky with desire.
Addison’s reply was the hot caress of her velvety tongue across the pad of his thumb. That simple action sent a jolt of heat speeding through his veins, intensifying his already raging need. The heat pooled low in his groin, filling his sex and engorging it to almost painful limits. It had been so long since he’d been this close to a woman—a little over a year since Tracy’s death, and there had been no once since her.
He reached up to the thin straps of her dress, his hands shaking as he pulled them away from her shoulders. He left them hanging against her arms, and leaned down to plant a feather-light kiss on her collarbone. She shivered at the touch of his lips.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight in that dress?” he asked, skimming his lips along her collarbone, toward her neck and the delicious temptation of her pulse thrumming just at the base.
“Your eyes did,” she murmured, “when you looked at me. I love the way you look at me. With my job, I’m exposed to so many men, but not one of them has ever seen the real me. They look and they give empty compliments, but none of them sees me. Not one of them knows me.”
“I see you,” he said, his thumb coming up to trace her jawline as his lips found her pulse. His tongue circled the thrumming artery as his teeth scraped the taut tendons surrounding it. She gasped and gripped his shoulders tighter, holding on as he suckled, tasting her skin for the first time. “I see everything about you,” he added, punctuating his words by claiming her lips again. “Addison,” he mumbled against her mouth. “Addie … Beautiful Addie. Sweet Addie. Strong Addie. My Addie.”
Reaching up to the straps hanging against her arms, she pulled, allowing the flowing yellow dress to fall down her body and pool at her feet. He sucked in a ragged breath. His heart drummed against his ribs and his mouth went dry at the sight of her half-nude body.
“Yes,” she answered, eyes locking with his. “Yours.”
He lifted her in his arms, holding her tight as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He sank to the blanket with her, laying her down and coming over her. Her back arched as his hands began a slow exploration, running down from her shoulders toward the peaks begging for his touch through the cups of a simple white bra. The lace returned his caress, tickling his fingertips as he palmed her breasts. A low sigh escaped his lips as he kneaded them, his head swimming from just the pleasure of touching her. Her body was everything he had observed when she’d been on stage at Temptations, yet even more up close. Sinewy muscle and supple, feminine curves combined to create the perfect fantasy.
Only, she was all too real, and all his, quivering as his thumbs flicked over her nipples through the lace and gasping with a breathless sigh.
Her hands came up to clutch his head, urging him on as he lowered his head between the plush mounds begging for more of his touch. With one swift tug, he had the lingerie down to her waist, causing her breasts to bounce free.
His erection grew even more painful at the sight of her nipples, like round cherries topping scoops of smooth ice cream. He reached beneath her, his fingers working at the bra clasp, while taking one of the pink buds between his lips. Addison gasped, her hips bucking against his as he suckled, rolling the little hardened nub with his tongue and taking more of her flesh deep into his mouth. He freed the clasp and tossed the bra aside, still feasting on her ample offering. His hand came up to the opposite breast, his fingers rolling that nipple and teasing it into a stiff peak. Her clamped lips couldn’t contain the soft whimpers stirring in her throat, and he smiled as he unlatched from the first breast and switched to the other. He brushed the nipple with his lips, causing her to jerk, her hold on his head tightening.
“New York is noisy,” he told her with a chuckle. “No one will hear you.”
She mewled again, clenching her teeth when he ran his tongue from one breast to the other and back again, teasing her nipples with playful nips. He bit down on one gently, scraping it with his teeth until she released a high-pitched moan. The sound was almost enough to bring his climax, then and there. He fought for self-control, reminding himself that he was in control here, not his body. Snatching down his zipper and driving into her then and there sounded appealing as hell, but a slow seduction would be the plan he’d stick to. He didn’t even have to ask to know that Addison had never experienced this before. That he would be the first to give that to her filled him with a deep sense of pride. He wouldn’t let her down.
Coming up to his knees, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and whipped it off over his head. She sat up, reaching for his belt buckle with urgency, attempting to snatch it loose. He covered her hand with his, stilling her busy fingers.
“Hey,” he whispered, drawing her gaze up to his. “Tonight’s about you,” he told her. “Let me make love to you.”
Her lips parted and her eyes grew heavy-lidded as she nodded.
Smiling, Jack reached down and cupped the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her fast-unraveling braid. Tilting her head back, he lowered his head for another kiss, this one slow, methodic, languid. With his tongue, he traced the seam of her lips and she opened to him, offering hers in return. Her hands left his belt and traveled upward. His ab muscles jumped and flexed in response to her fingers skimming the planes and forging a steady path upward. His breath hitched as she traced slow circles over his skin, making her leisurely way toward his chest.
He allowed her to explore, his fingers finishing the task of unbraiding her hair and leaving it hanging down her back. When he was done, he took her hands and lowered her to the blanket. He lifted her arms over her head, securing them by the wrists, imprisoning her with a tender but secure hold. Addison didn’t fight him. She surrendered to his mastery, allowing him to hold her in the vulnerable position as his lips mated with hers. He trailed his fingertips over her skin, down from the insides of her wrists and arms, over her chest, pausing to stroke her nipples before continuing on. She squirmed as his touch skimmed her stomach, his thumb tracing a slow circle around the charm dangling from her belly button.
He paused at her hips, where the waistband of her white cotton panties met her skin. Parting her legs a bit, he turned his head to kiss the inside of one sinuous thigh. He trailed a gradual path downward, toward the apex of her thighs, brushing a row of gentle kisses along her skin.
“Jack.” Addison shivered beneath him, his name a whispered plea on her lips.
The scent of her arousal, heady and sweet, invaded his senses to combine with the sound and feel of her to drive him insane. He pressed his lips to her sex, his mouth watering as he encountered the moisture dampening the strip of cotton separating them. His fingers came up to replace his mouth, stroking her through the fabric.
She writhed in his hold, her fingers twisting the blanket and her back bowing up off the roof. “Oh, God … Jack …” she panted, her chest heaving as she fought for air. Her reaction to his touch was intoxicating. If she didn’t stop, his ego might just be too big to fit back through the door when this was over. “Please …”
He obeyed her silent plea for more and removed the final barrier separating them. His mouth went dry as he encountered the smooth, bare lips of her sex and the slick inner folds dewy with her desire for him.
“Ah, Addie,” he murmured, his cock throbbing at the feel of her, like satin to his fingertips. He stroked in slow circles, finding the little nub buried in the seam and teasing it with his thumb. “You’re so …” he trailed off, his throat constricted as a flood of warmth and moisture rewarded his caresses.
Wet. Hot. So damned good.
The words never came, because he couldn’t form a coherent thought by now, let alone a string of syllables to make words. His index finger found the tight opening to her passage and dipped just inside of it, tracing the rim before delving further in. With his other hand, he worked to free himself from his jeans while still stroking her insides in a steady rhythm. Her sheath captured him, tightening around first one, then a second finger as he pumped them in and out of her. Addison’s hips thrust to meet his hand, her moans wild and untamed now. Her cheeks had flushed, her lips parted and eyes squeezed shut. He watched her face closely, not wanting to miss a moment once he realized a climax would come any second.
“That’s it, Addie,” he whispered, lowering his mouth to her ear and capturing the shell between his lips. “Let go … you’re almost there.”
She wrapped her arms around him, delirious with pleasure, her hips bucking in steady concert with his thrusting fingers. He captured her lips in a kiss the moment she screamed out in ecstasy. Then her inner muscles began pulsating around his fingers. He kept a slow but steady rhythm, drawing out every second of her glorious ending, making it last as long as he could. Addison trembled in his arms, a chorus of muffled groans echoing from her mouth into his. When she stilled and went limp, he withdrew his fingers, finding them soaked in her essence. He wanted more. He wanted to feel that same slick heat around his yearning cock.
As she recovered from her release, he finished unbuckling his belt and freeing himself from his jeans. His erection sprang free, thick and engorged. She reached for him. He braced himself over her on his elbows and allowed her to palm him. His lips parted on a hoarse cry as her smooth hand stroked him, the fingers gripping with the perfect amount of pressure. She kissed him, drinking from his mouth with fervor as she fondled him, exploring the length from the tip to the base and stroking back up again. His hips moved of their own accord, thrusting the hardened length further into her palm.
“I want … inside you … Addie,” he growled, his muscles burning from the strain of holding back, when all he wanted to do was bury himself in her.
She guided him toward the weeping mouth of her core and raised her hips to him. “Yes, Jack,” she sighed.
He sighed with relief as he slid into her inch by exquisite inch. His arms trembled from bearing his weight, and sweat broke out along his brow. Her shuddering thighs gripped him as he buried himself in her to the hilt. He could feel her rapid breathing against his shoulder, and every bare inch of her pressed up against him. Her lips grazed the side of his neck, and her fingers caused a tremor to roll down his spine.
Unable to hold back any longer, he withdrew and plunged, struck dumb by the smooth glide and ripples of her inner flesh around him. He gazed down at her as they found a steady rhythm, a concert of movement as synchronized as a dance. Her hips moved in time with his, her body undulating beneath him in a hypnotic dance. He drank in his fill of her, his gaze raking her from the top of her fiery head, to her passion-flushed face, and down, down
her body to where it connected with his.
Her hands grazed his back, her lips pressed against his ear as she whispered her pleasure to him.
“Yes, Jack … that feels … oh, don’t stop.”
Her words set him on fire, emboldening him. Lifting her hips, he increased his rhythm, lowering his head to her breasts and catching one with his mouth as his thrusts became frenzied and wild. She clung to him, her legs wrapped around his waist as she held on for the ride. The melody of her moans mingled with his hoarse cries over the staccato rhythm of their bodies joining and separating.
“Addie,” he groaned, that familiar tension coiling just below his sex telling him the end was near.
She was close, too. He gritted his teeth and fought for more time, but the way his climax nipped at his heels, he wasn’t going to make it. With a few more strokes, he spent, driving into her in one last forceful thrust. Addison splintered, muffling her cries against his shoulder as her insides clenched him with a powerful squeeze. Jack couldn’t make a sound, his breath robbed away by the intense pleasure unfurling inside of him and releasing, spilling into her in a hot, wet gush.
They lay together in silence for a while. His erection had waned, but he remained nestled inside of her, content to stay there. Their breaths rung out in noisy harmony as they lay listening to the myriad of sounds coming from the city below them. He pulled away from her, reluctant to separate, but not wanting to crush her with his weight. He rolled to his side and found the second blanket, opening it and covering them both. When he turned back to her, he found her staring at him, awe widening her eyes.
“What is it?” he asked, dread filling him in an instant. Had he been mistaken about how good their lovemaking had been? For him, it had been blissful, but … “I didn’t disappoint, did I?”
Her look of awe melted into one of shock. “What? No! Of course not! It’s just … okay, this is embarrassing.”
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