by Mandy Baxter
A quick yip escaped Avery’s throat as strong hands encircled her waist. Jase’s hands were so big that the tips of his fingers almost met, and he lifted her up into the truck as though she were nothing more than a rag doll. “Sugar, you’re just barely knee high to a grasshopper. You sure you don’t need a booster seat to ride up front?”
Holy cats, he was killing her. Pouring on that Texas charm, it’s not like he knew that sort of good-natured teasing turned Avery’s insides to Jell-O. No, that was just Jase’s personality, and it wasn’t doing anything to cool her lust. Looks and personality? He was almost too good to be true.
“As if I haven’t heard that one before.” She forced herself to tease back. To hide the fact that she was nervous and sweating bullets from the attention. “Come on, Blackwell. You can do better than that.”
“A challenge, huh?”
He stretched out the seat belt and leaned over her to buckle it, his arm brushing against her breasts. Avery inhaled a sharp breath as her nipples tightened beneath the cotton fabric of her bra. “If you want to call it that.”
“You do realize that I have an insane drive to win at all costs, right? Challenge accepted.”
∗∗∗
Nothing got his blood up like a little healthy competition. And as Jase rounded the backside of the truck, his blood was damned near humming in his veins. For the fourth time this week, Avery had all but ignored him through dinner, intentionally avoiding his gaze. After dinner, she’d kept to the kitchen, cleaning up and packing it in quicker than a pony heading for the barn. By the time he’d ushered the last of his teammates out the door, she was gone. But the automotive gods had been smiling down on him tonight. He was going to kiss that little junker of hers on the bumper when he got home. This was just the opportunity he needed to get to know her better. And already he found her irresistible.
Even in the dim light of the cab, Jase noticed her body language change the closer they got to her apartment. Their conversation dwindled, no longer playful as Avery devolved to answering his questions in one-or two-word sentences. She was uncomfortable. But why?
“You probably don’t come down this way much.” Her voice was quiet as she spoke toward the window. “My part of town is a far cry from million-dollar mansions with car dealership–sized garages, huh?”
That was the reason behind her change in attitude? She was embarrassed? “Avery, believe it or not, but I was so poor growing up that there were days my brother and I had to share the same lunch. We didn’t have much, and Mom would pack one sandwich and a banana if we were lucky. My brother Luke and I would fight over who got the bigger half. I swear,” he said with a laugh. “More than once I thought about gnawing my own arm off. I was always hungry.”
Avery turned to look at him, her green eyes luminous in the dark interior of the truck. “Really?”
“Oh yeah. We were dirt poor. My dad was a worthless son of a bitch and I spent a lot of years gettin’ teased for my older brother’s hand-me-downs that barely fit. And for the record, cozying up to your twin while you share a sandwich isn’t exactly something that’s gonna keep a guy from getting smacked around. My brother Ryder saved our family. After Dad left, he picked us up by our bootstraps and turned our ranch into a cattle empire. Thank god, too, because by the time I hit high school, I was eating seven meals a day.”
It wasn’t a story he told often. In fact, if you asked the sports media, Jase was nothing more than a spoiled rich kid who’d not only bought his way onto his college team but into the NFL as well. And even though he didn’t know Avery very well, he sensed that her social standing—poor neighborhood, junker car, waitressing job—bothered her. Jase never thought of his money in terms of it giving him a leg up over anyone. Rather, he valued it more because of what he’d had to go without when he was a kid. And likewise, he tried to share the wealth, donating to charities, schools, libraries, whenever he could.
“Were your hand-me-downs too big or too small?” Her tone had regained some of its pluck, putting a smile on Jase’s face.
“Too small. Ryder is only four years older than me and by the time I was fourteen, I was already bigger than him. I don’t know what my mom was thinking. Really, Ryder should’ve gotten our old clothes.”
“I didn’t know you had a twin.”
Jase laughed. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of the infamous Lucas ‘Lucifer’ Blackwell.”
“Should I have?”
She had to be shitting him. When it came to bands of female worshipers, Luke took the cake. “He’s the lead singer of Riot 59. Girls happily throw their high-priced panties at him on a damned near daily basis.”
“Sorry, I’m not familiar. Do they sing country music?”
As if Luke would be caught dead singing a country ballad. “You’d think so, but my brother is all about the angsty rock. Sensitive like Coldplay, One Republic, but edgy and retro like Bastille with a little punk flavor. At least, that’s how he describes it. Probably why the ladies love him.”
“That’s quite the musical combo,” Avery said with a wry smirk. “But if he’s your twin, I doubt it’s just his musical chops that have the girls swooning.”
Jase couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease her. “Are you sayin’ I’m pretty, sugar?”
Her eyes met his for a brief moment and Jase’s breath hitched. “I’m saying that any woman with eyes in her head would be hard pressed not to look at you, Jason Blackwell.”
Hot. Damn. The sound of his name on her lips was as sweet and rich as whipped cream. Her intense emerald gaze was enough to stir his cock and the damned thing pressed against his fly like it was trying to escape the confinement of his jeans. This was a bad idea. The temptation to do something reckless was too great. Jase didn’t want to scare Avery off. But damn it, all he could think of was getting her closer. On top of him would be good. Naked, even better.
“Take a left here,” Avery said, pointing to a small apartment complex. “My unit is in the second building, one-B.”
As he pulled into a parking space, Jase’s gut bottomed out. The thought of just dropping her off and calling it a night was unbearable. He wanted her. Right now. Right in the fucking front seat of this truck if he thought he could get away with it.
“Thanks for the ride,” Avery said as she unbuckled her seat belt. “I’m sorry my car is loitering in your driveway. I’ll get it towed out of there first thing in the morning.” Jase moved to unbuckle his own belt and she said, “Oh, you don’t have to walk me, Jase. I’m a big girl.”
If only she knew the action had less to do with any show of gallantry and more to do with his plan to get a hell of a lot closer. “Don’t worry about your car. I’ll have it taken to a shop tomorrow.”
“Oh, no, thanks. Really, don’t.” She seemed appalled that he’d offer. Well, that was too bad, wasn’t it? “I can’t let you do that. It might be a while before I can afford to have it fixed. I don’t want it sitting at a garage for who knows how long.”
He scooted across the bench seat. A couple of inches. A couple more. Avery’s lips parted, her bottom lip just a little too full and practically begging Jase to take it into his mouth and suck. Another inch. Two. Jase stretched his arm out on the headrest and her eyes darted to the motion for the barest second. “Jase …”
She averted her gaze, her body drawing in on itself. What did she have to be so self-conscious about? Did she not realize how fucking beautiful she was?
“Avery, look at me.” Her eyes met his, curious. “Now don’t move.”
“Why?” she whispered.
“Because I’m going to fucking explode if I don’t kiss you right now.”
Chapter Four
Holy cats, Avery, this is happening right now.
Avery had never been the super-confident woman. Oh, she knew she wasn’t bad looking, but guys weren’t tripping over themselves to ask her out. And likewise, she was such a klutz that it tended to turn people off. When Jase looked at her with such intensity, suc
h longing, it made her feel like maybe she could be that girl. The confident one. Someone who knew her worth and wasn’t afraid to own it. Jase took his time, studied her face for the briefest moment before tracing his fingers from her temple to her chin. And then, he cupped her face, holding her still as though she were made of glass. When his lips met hers it was an unhurried, deliberate kiss that she felt in every nerve ending of her body.
A slow tease, his lips met hers in a rhythmic dance that flooded Avery with a heat that she felt right to her core. Desire ignited inside of her, raging like a fire through dry timber as Jase’s thumbs stroked up her jaw, feathering over her earlobes and Avery shuddered as a pleasant chill chased down her spine, meeting the heat of her body in a way that made her feel as though she’d become a gossamer thing, steam swirling in the clashing temperatures.
Jase’s breath mingled with her own as he continued to kiss her. His tongue played at the seam of her lips, as measured as his kiss, coaxing her to open for him. Avery’s lips parted, but rather than deepen this kiss, he continued to take his time. The tip of his tongue flicked out at hers, the contact so innocent and yet so intimate that it caused Avery’s breath to hitch in her chest. No one had ever kissed her like this. And the fact that she barely knew the man who shared this wonderful thing with her left her feeling rattled and unsure. She didn’t want to be used and discarded by Jase. Treated as though she wasn’t worth the time for an honest-to-god first date let alone a second one.
But that didn’t mean she possessed the desire or the willpower to stop him, either.
Jase abandoned her mouth, kissing the corner of her lips and across her jaw. She tilted her head to one side and he continued on, his lips blazing a trail across her flesh as he settled his mouth at her pulse point and sucked.
Wow. Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow. Avery let out a quiet moan. She couldn’t help herself, it just felt so good. The little sound seemed to urge Jase on. He groaned into her skin, a low rumble that she felt all the way to her pussy. If Jase Blackwell played football half as well as he kissed, the Cowboys were guaranteed a Super Bowl win this year.
“Jase,” she breathed. “That feels amazing.”
She felt him smile against her skin. “Sugar, that isn’t even my best effort.”
Cocky. Her lips curved into a reluctant smile as he took her earlobe into his mouth and sucked. Her sex clenched with need and her hips gave a shallow thrust as though acting of their own volition. “I don’t warrant your A-game, Blackwell?” Her shield of snark shot up, protecting her from feeling anything that might eventually hurt her. “That makes me sad. It really does.”
He nipped at her throat, soothing the sting with the wet heat of his tongue. Avery didn’t need to be naked to know that her sex was slick, her lips swelling around her throbbing clit. Could she go through with this? Her body was 100 percent on board, cheering her on like it was the home stretch and she was mere feet from the finish line. Avery could think of worse decisions than inviting Jase inside her apartment. They were both consenting adults, after all. It’s not like she was the first woman in the history of sex to contemplate the appeal of a one-night stand. And though she’d spent all week convincing herself of why being with him was a bad idea, right now, she couldn’t think of a single reason to stop.
“I can’t show you all my tricks at once, sugar,” Jase murmured against her skin. “No self-respecting athlete goes into any situation without a carefully planned strategy.”
Jase made his way back to Avery’s lips and she released a contented sigh. He kissed her deeper this time, though no less methodically, his tongue plunging deep into her mouth, stroking along hers in a slippery caress before withdrawing and plunging back in again. Another wave of heat stole over Avery’s body. The way he was kissing her now was downright lewd. Using his tongue to fuck her mouth with painstaking precision.
If he kept kissing her this way, she’d come before he even laid a hand on her.
“I could kiss you for days,” Jase said against her mouth, the vibration of his words tickling her lips. “Weeks. Just kiss you and kiss you until we both passed out from exhaustion.”
Avery’s stomach fluttered. No one had ever said anything so sweet to her. If it was part of his plan to ply her into sleeping with him, it was working. She was getting closer to that point of mindless need that superseded common sense and caution. “Jason Blackwell,” she whispered. “Are you trying to manage me?”
“That depends,” he said in a husky tone. “Is it working?”
He was as charming as he was sexy. Avery was helpless against him. Why not give in? Live out a fantasy with a man built like a warrior. She could have the experience of her life as long as she didn’t allow herself any sort of emotional attachment; she wouldn’t have to worry about having her heart broken when Jase moved on to someone else. And she had no doubt that he would. Men had emotionless sex all the time. Why couldn’t she?
Decision made, she reached down to flip the lever and moved the bench seat back. If she was going to keep this emotionless, inviting him inside wasn’t an option. With their combined weight, as soon as Avery released the latch, the seat fell backward with a jolt. Jase’s gaze met hers, his lips quirked in a half-smile and a brow raised in question. Rather than explain herself, Avery put her finger to his lips. He took the digit into his mouth, enveloping her finger with the warmth of his mouth as he sucked. His tongue traced the underside of her finger and Avery’s lids drifted shut for a blissful moment.
It was now or never.
Thanks to the club cab—and the fact that she’d moved the seat back—Avery had plenty of space to move in the spacious truck. She swung one leg across Jase’s waist and settled onto his lap. He bucked his hips, scooting over fully onto the passenger side, and Avery sucked in a sharp breath as the hard length of his erection rubbed against her core. Even through his jeans she could feel every long inch of him and it sent a thrill through her body at the thought of having him deep inside of her.
Jase’s brow furrowed as he looked at her. Avery began to unfasten the buttons on her white work shirt, her heart racing in her chest. “I think you’re doing a pretty good job of managing me.”
He sucked in a breath as she shrugged off the shirt, leaving her bare except for the lacy fabric of her white bra. His gaze heated, the whiskey brown of his eyes glinting with hints of molten honey. Avery leaned back, her lids drooping as the angle only helped to press his erection firmly against her. She shifted her hips just so, releasing a quick breath at the sharp stab of pleasure that shot through her from the friction.
“Jesus, Avery.” Jase’s nostrils flared as he gripped her waist in his hands. “What are you doing to me?”
Her stomach flipped as confidence surged through her. No man had ever made her feel so brazen. “That depends,” she said. “Is it working?”
“Hell yeah,” he said on a groan.
∗∗∗
Jase’s cock pulsed in his jeans, so fucking hard it was a wonder the damned thing hadn’t ripped through the denim. With every meeting of their lips, he wanted more. With every touch, he craved another inch of bare skin. And when she climbed up on his lap, any common sense he might have had took off like a spooked mare. He couldn’t have thought in a straight line if he’d wanted to.
The woman tied him into knots.
She leaned over him, the short curtain of her hair brushing over his face. When her mouth slanted against his, he sighed into her mouth, their breaths mingling until they were one. Slowly, he slid his palms up her rib cage, her skin like satin on his calloused palms. He cupped her breasts, flicking his thumbs over the pearls of her nipples through the fabric and Avery let out a low moan that shot straight through Jase’s shaft and settled in his balls.
He’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted Avery. Passion clouded his thoughts until Jase was consumed. He needed every inch of her exposed. Wanted to suck, and lick, and fuck her until she screamed his name. Was dying to feel her pussy clench around his cock a
s she came. In a frenzy, he tugged at the cups of her bra, freeing those full, beautiful breasts from the restraining fabric. Their weight in his palms was heaven, the heat of her skin branding him. Tonight Avery would surely scar him, leave her mark permanently upon his body. And Jase couldn’t wait to feel the burn.
In the dark interior of the cab, only the streetlight outside illuminated Avery’s body. Her skin was like cream, pale and smooth, the dusky nipples standing proud and erect as he pinched them.
“Oh god,” Avery gasped.
Her response only spurred him on and he eased her back, cradling her body in his arms as he bent his head to suckle her. He took her nipple into his mouth, rolling it with his tongue and Avery let out a soft, mewling sound that sent the blood racing to Jase’s cock. So much for having anything left over to support brain function. Her skin was sweet with just the slightest salt tang and smelled of ripe clover. With each pass of his tongue, each nibble of teeth, her cries grew louder and more desperate, filling his ears with the sweetest sounds he’d ever heard.
Avery braced her hands on his chest, her palms kneading his pecs before her fingers trailed down his ribs. His stomach clenched reflexively and his breath caught in his chest as her fingers grazed his fly and she fumbled for the button. God, how was he ever going to keep it together? He’d go off the second she took him into her hand.
As she popped the button and eased the zipper of his jeans down, Jase switched to her other breast, taking as much of her into his mouth as he could and drawing on the flesh with deep, hungry sucks. He pulled back slowly, clamping his lips down on her nipple and Avery cried out, “Jase, oh god, Jase.” His name on her lips was heaven. He wanted her to say it again and again.
She eased him back, and Jase craned his neck forward, stroking the tip of her nipple with his tongue. He was rewarded for his effort with a tight whimper just before Avery put her weight behind her actions and settled him back against the seat. Their eyes met, and those green limpid pools consumed him, the expression so heated Jase thought for a moment he might be dreaming. She was so responsive, so passionate. Perfect.
