No Dress Required

by Quinn, Cari

  She flew upward, her hips jerking against his lips as if he’d turned on some internal motor only he controlled. His tongue pierced her, driving deep, while he reached up to squeeze her breasts, his hands and mouth ruling her with a mastery that made her whimper.

  Dear God, she was going to come again with just a few more thrusts. She’d never wanted a man with such intensity. Never dreaded and longed for a climax so much.

  “Don’t hold back. Scream for me.” Jake slid both hands under her ass, urging her that much closer to his mouth. “God, Nellie.” He buried his face between her shaking legs, exploring her while she scraped her nails through his hair and prayed it would never end.

  And then it did, in a hot blast of intense pleasure that stole a cry from her throat. She couldn’t see beyond the pinwheel of exploding stars in her vision. But she didn’t want to see anymore, not when she could feel his hands squeezing her ass cheeks and his mouth caressing her in the dark.

  Eventually, he asked, “Are you okay?”

  Somehow his roughened voice reached her where she’d drifted. She knew she smiled, heard her own contented sigh, but speaking wasn’t possible.

  He brushed more kisses over her mound and chuckled, not needing words to understand. Soon his kisses turned exploratory again and she stretched her arms above her head, moving with his mouth as if they’d been doing this for years.

  When he nipped her clit, the jolt had her eyes flying open. He was laughing at her, his beautiful eyes radiant with desire. “There you are. Thought you were going to sleep on me.”

  “Hardly.” She scooted forward on the couch until his body loomed over hers and tugged up his T-shirt. He helped her remove it, and then together they went to work on his jeans, shedding them and his boxers in a hurry.

  When he was naked in front of her, his cock hard and thick against his stomach, she fisted her hands and breathed. Here he was, ready for her. So stiff and vulnerable while he waited for her touch. So why was she hesitating? She should seize this moment—seize him—with both hands.

  “Nellie?”

  “Have you ever wanted something so much it scares you?” She knew he’d think she meant sex but she couldn’t articulate the rest. Her heart felt too fragile right now to lay at his feet, while everything inside her still throbbed and burned.

  “Yes. Right now actually.” His unsteady laugh as he brushed his hand over the back of her head eased her nerves. Another man might’ve drawn her mouth to his obviously eager cock, but he just kissed her forehead. “You’re a treasure, you know that? Thank you for giving yourself to me.”

  Don’t cry. Her misty smile vanished when he unfolded his lanky frame from the couch and stood up.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Nowhere.” He helped her to her feet. “Turn around and put your hands on the back of the sofa for me.”

  She didn’t think to refuse. Whatever he intended to show her, she ached to learn. When she was in position, he rubbed against her, the full weight of his cock a steady pressure against her ass. She let out a sigh. “Is it time for the cling wrap and butter?”

  Jake chuckled and slid his arm up between her breasts to grip her shoulder. “No. It’s time for us to get creative.“

  She braced herself, unsure of what would come next. “Jake?”

  He adjusted his stance so that he could ease his erection between her thighs. At the first slide of his flesh against hers, she gasped. Something so forbidden shouldn’t feel so good. “Just trust me.”

  “I do.” With everything.

  He started to move between her legs, slow and sure. She rocked, providing the counterpoint to his thrusts as he gripped her hips and slid between her thighs, the most erotic simulation of sex she’d ever experienced.

  “Quick learner.” He trailed kisses between her shoulder blades while he fumbled for her clit. His ministrations had made her even more slippery and swollen and he made a sound deep in his throat upon discovering that fact. “So about that cling wrap thing. Does it really work?”

  In lieu of a reply, she laughed and dropped her forehead onto the arm of the couch. His strokes gained speed, in and out, driving just that much farther each time so that if she looked down, there he was, teasing her with the endless possibilities finally within her grasp. Possibilities she’d never let herself consider when the joy and wonder—and, okay, the innate oh-my-God, I-have-Jake-naked aspect—of ever knowing him this way had seemed out of reach.

  She swiveled her hips and reached down to stroke the head of his cock, her gasps joining his at the first feel of his hard-on in her hand. Smooth and hot, wide and strong. She wanted him inside her, filling her, uniting them. It might not be the best timing, but maybe she could finally express how she felt. Maybe now, after this, he would begin to open up enough to let her to love him.

  Wait a second. Love him? Since when? This was just sex—

  His broken groan yanked her away from her disjointed thoughts. Her little psychoanalysis would have to wait. Her heart and mind distilled to the strip of manic pleasure between her thighs. If she’d had any sense left, his wild heaves against her sensitive flesh would’ve destroyed it.

  And then he was thrusting harder and faster than before. So fast, she knew he couldn’t last long. “Nellie, baby, I’m going to—“

  Before he could finish, she spun around. She noted his surprised expression with a grin and dropped to her knees in front of him. Her grip was steady as she brought his erection to her mouth, extending her tongue for a long lick while she maintained the eye contact that felt so natural between them. He didn’t grab onto her hair and drag her closer. Instead he threaded his fingers through her curls tenderly, his touch as light as a caress. The exact opposite of how she was working his cock with tongue, lips, and teeth.

  She sucked him down, his agonized moan triggering her own. God, she wanted to make him lose it. She focused hard on his strained features as he tensed and finally fisted his hands in her hair, the bright green of his eyes hazing before he gave himself over to her.

  Afterward, she pressed her cheek to his thigh. A tremble moved through his body. “I think you missed the best part of New Year’s,” he said. The great gulps of air he dragged in didn’t make him sound any less breathless.

  She glanced up, smiling faintly. “What’s that?”

  “The fireworks.” As if he’d been struck dumb, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “In my head. It is still attached, right?”

  “Most definitely.” She laughed and nipped his belly. “Both of them.”

  chapter six

  Afterward, they’d cuddled up and watched more TV, sharing dozens of kisses in interesting places before she’d dropped off around four. Though Jake wished he could take her up to bed and sleep beside her, he didn’t feel right about doing that in his sister’s place. They’d already violated Alexa’s couch, which he was tempted to ask his sister to bronze.

  He tucked a blanket around Noelle’s shoulders. Her blond hair curved around her cheek and her long lashes fluttered in sleep, making her look as innocent as he’d always imagined her to be.

  He grinned. The streak of wickedness she’d been hiding was a definite bonus.

  Restless without Noelle’s voice and laughter to keep him company, he went downstairs to his sister’s fitness room. If he was pulling an all-nighter, he might as well make the most of it. Better to spend those hours working out than turning over how he could possibly be falling for a woman he’d known most of his life after only a few hours.

  Fine, that wasn’t the whole truth. He’d loved Noelle—platonically—since they were kids. She’d been like another sister to him until, somewhere along the line, he’d stopped thinking about how to slip garter snakes in her sleeping bag and started wondering how her soft, generous mouth would feel under his.

  Now he knew. And nothing would ever be the same.

  He pushed himself through a session on the treadmill and the rowing machine, then did a long set of reps on the weight be
nch. Instead of feeling tired, adrenaline pumped through his bloodstream. And never more than when he heard a creak on the stairs and looked up to see Nellie standing there in her bra and panties.

  Though it couldn’t be later than five a.m., she looked wide awake. And completely irresistible. “Hi,” she said, toying with the little ribbon between her breasts.

  “Hey.” Perspiration poured off his body. He mopped up the sweat on his face, trying not to think about how he must look. “Get some sleep?”

  “Mmm-hmm. You didn’t.”

  “No.” As she bounced down the stairs, he willed his eager dick to remain at ease. Lost cause. She was just too damn pretty and smelled too damn sweet when she sauntered up to him and slid her hand under his damp T-shirt. One caress and he was as hard as the iron he’d just pumped.

  “You’re hot.” She leaned up and licked his mouth open, her eyes gleaming. “FYI, I stole one of Alexa’s condoms.”

  Jake groaned and stared up at the recessed lights in the ceiling. He wanted, more than anything, to make love to her. Even though he would’ve wished for something different for their first sexual experience, preferably something involving a bed and more romance than the glitter ball on TV, there was no going back. They could only go forward.

  But before they did, they had to talk because he wasn’t letting her go. Hopefully, she felt similarly. If not, at least there would be one barrier not crossed between them. One thing he wouldn’t have to remember and regret. If that made him a coward, so be it.

  Jake took a deep breath. “We can’t do it like this. It’s not right.”

  “Sure it is.” Her smile faltered slightly as she pressed her softly rounded breasts against his chest. It took all his strength not to groan again. “We’re ready to rock and roll…aren’t we?”

  His first inclination was to talk her out of it. He was the older, wiser one. The one who knew best, yada, yada. She didn’t know what she wanted and hadn’t thought things through. If they had sex, she’d probably be full of remorse when she woke up and it would be his fault that he hadn’t realized she’d just wanted to do something wild and daring—

  Except her eyelid was twitching, the nerves there as jumpy as the bunnies on the shirt she’d been wearing earlier. She must’ve figured he’d turn her down, if not for this reason then five others. But she was still taking the risk. Still putting herself out there.

  Tonight wasn’t only some lark to her. The truth of that shone back at him from her eyes, and if he ignored it, then he would lose a hell of a lot more than his pride.

  He cupped her cheek, and the weight of the past year—Maureen leaving, his feelings of inadequacy, coming back to town to see if it still held a place for him—fell off his shoulders like the snow still coming down outside. In her hopeful expression he could see his future, even if he couldn’t quite envision it yet.

  They fit together. Though he’d never consciously let himself consider pursuing her, kissing her tonight had been all the evidence he needed to realize his folly. How could he have looked everywhere else when where he belonged was right here, in her arms?

  “Jake?” she asked, voice wobbling. “Say something. Please.”

  “Nellie,” he murmured. He couldn’t call her Noelle right now. She was his Nellie. Swallowing hard, he feathered his fingers over her face. They kept moving when he heard his sister’s unintelligible yell upstairs, followed by a succession of slamming doors and quick steps down the stairs. Both he and Nellie glanced toward the stairwell as Alexa appeared, looking as model-fresh as if she’d just rolled out of bed after a full night’s rest. No cushion creases on her face, that was for sure.

  “Knew you were here somewhere,” she said triumphantly, her expectant expression shifting into a frown. “I was going to ask why the cops are in my driveway but now I have a better question. Where the hell are your clothes?”

  …

  “You really slept with my best friend.” Alexa shook her head and stared into the guest room where Nellie dozed. His sister stood ramrod straight, the poster child for a fifteen-hour energy drink. “You truly are a horndog, aren’t you?”

  “We didn’t sleep together.” Jake winced at Alexa’s piercing look. “Not exactly. And it’s not about sex.”

  “Oh really? Then what is it about? I asked you to come up here and make sure none of my party guests showed. I didn’t ask you to play naked spin the bottle with my closest friend.”

  “Keep your damn voice down,” he muttered, wondering for the millionth time how a woman who always smelled like flowers could possibly be so overbearing.

  “She won’t hear us. She’s out for the duration. You know how she hates talking to official types.”

  “Yeah, I do.” He rubbed his hand over his eyes and tried to erase the hollow-eyed image of Nellie from the night she’d rushed home to find her family’s house in flames. She hadn’t looked much different last night or this morning. On top of all the police questioning, the experience of the carjacking itself had probably shaken her right to ground.

  He shuddered. God, if that guy had had a real gun…

  “Well, she’s going to get her car back and they have all her stuff. She’ll be fine.” Alexa flipped back her long dark hair. “Long as you don’t give her all new problems, Romeo.”

  Jake released a long breath. “Give me some credit, would you? I would never hurt Nellie.” Not intentionally.

  “Then why did she keep giving you wounded doe eyes while the cops were here? What were you talking about when I came into the basement?” Alexa held up a hand. “Never mind. TMI.”

  “I’ll make it right. I just need a couple hours. Can you give us that?”

  Alexa crossed her arms over her chest and tapped the toe of her black pumps. Drill sergeants had nothing on his stickler of a little sister, even after the trip from hell. “You care about her, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do,” Jake snapped. He should be talking to Nellie, not his sister. He had to tell her how he felt, even if he wasn’t sure yet how things would play out. They had time to decide. But he needed her to understand what she meant to him.

  “Okay,” Alexa said finally, nodding and stepping back. “House is yours for the afternoon. Use it wisely.” She patted his arm, her lips lifting in a smile. “I’m glad you’re going for it. You think I’m completely clueless as to how you and Nellie look at each other?”

  “We do?”

  “Somebody here’s clueless, but it ain’t me.” Grinning, she pivoted and strode away. “Seriously, Jakey, put on your damn shoes. Your big clown feet won’t win you any points.”

  He stared down at his bare toes and shook his head. Leave it to his sister to coax him right out of a mood. “Thanks, kiddo.”

  Quietly, he stepped into the guest bedroom and shut the door. He turned, mentally reciting what he’d say, but those rehearsed words vanished when he realized Noelle was leaning up on one elbow, staring at him.

  “You’re up,” he said, noting the cell phone beside her on the bed.

  She nodded and didn’t speak. Probably a first between them. Conversation had always happened easily and often. Taking a deep breath, he moved toward the bed and sat down on the edge. “How’d you sleep?”

  “Fine.”

  God, he hated seeing her unhappy. Since Jake was pretty sure he was the cause, it was ten times worse. “You were on the phone?”

  “Yeah. Cass from work called to tell me Goldman’s is staying open. Sales this fall were stronger than ever.” She ran her fingertip along the edge of her phone. “At least I’ll have my job.”

  Hello, self-centered jerk. He should know about the store gossip already. “I didn’t realize the store was in danger of closing.”

  “Well, you haven’t exactly been an active part of my life for a while.”

  “You’re right.”

  “That’s it?” Frustration leaked from her voice. “Just ‘you’re right’?”

  His stomach twisted as he pried the yellowed photo out of h
is back pocket and handed it to her. Sometimes tangible proof was all that mattered. “I know you’re getting your pictures back, but you should have this one, too.”

  She gripped the ancient photo of her as a small child holding hands with her Nana and swallowed audibly. “Where did you get this?”

  He shrugged. “You must’ve left it over at our house when you and Alexa were going through old photos. I found it when Mom and Dad were cleaning out the attic a few years ago.” And he’d kept it for himself, selfish bastard he was. At least where Nellie was concerned. “It took me forever to get it out of the little plastic picture sleeve in my wallet. It’s been in there so long, it basically became part of it.” Part of me.

  “I loved this shot. I always figured it had been lost in the fire.” Absently, she fingered the worn edges. “Why did you keep it?”

  For the longest time, they just looked at each other. He would’ve answered, had he had the ability to speak.

  She cleared her throat and looked away. “Guess it’s time to go pick up my car, since it’s past twelve.” When she started to get up, he reached for her shoulder. She shook her head and pushed his hand away. “Don’t.”

  “Why?”

  “You said it wasn’t right for us to sleep together, so it’s not right for you to touch me. Not yet.” Carefully, she set aside the photo on the nightstand. “Maybe in time we can go back to the way things were.”

  “What if I don’t want to?”

  Nellie looked at him, her eyes huge and swimming with emotion. “You don’t want even that?”

  His heart lurched as if she’d slapped him. Rather than answer, he drew her across the bed and into his arms, covering her mouth with his lips and swallowing her soft cry. Whether it was in protest or pleasure, he didn’t know. All he knew was she felt like she’d been meant for his arms.

  The less than roomy full bed would barely hold the two of them but he didn’t care. He had to have her now. “I’m going to undress you. Tell me if you want me to stop.”