The interruption eased some of the tension winding inside Annie. She glanced at her friend and smiled. “Still pretending you don’t want him to get you naked and tie you down?”
Manda glared back. “Let’s stay on you. You love Jasper.”
“Yes.” Absolutely. Annie didn’t waver on that. She hadn’t expected it, but she didn’t fight it, either.
“You see this new guy, Dave, and he lights your fire. So what? You’re not boring or dead.” Manda shrugged. “All seems pretty normal to me.”
“Interesting analysis, but okay.”
“Is it possible you’re taking the very human fact that you noticed this Dave guy is hot as a sign that maybe you need a little more experimenting?”
It made sense, but Annie didn’t want to analyze it. She blocked out any sexy thoughts of Dave. Instead, she focused on what she already had in her life and how lucky she was.
“There’s nothing Jasper won’t do if I ask.” Annie’s mind flashed from their role-playing to the toys in the drawer beside the bed. “Nothing.”
“I do love that about him.” Manda waved a hand in front of her face. “For you, I mean.”
The cell in Annie’s pocket buzzed. She’d turned off the ringer, but the vibration hummed against her. She saw the name on the screen…the name she’d just entered into her contacts. “It’s him.”
“Which him?”
Her stomach started flipping around. How annoying was that? “I only have one him. This is Dave and he’s just work.”
“Which is why you’re blushing.”
Annie mouthed shut up, then hit the button on the cell. “Hello?”
“Are you busy?”
Part of her toyed with the idea of saying yes. “No, what’s up?”
“A coworker told me about a place. I thought we could meet there tomorrow.”
That sounded like work, and that she could handle. “Sure.”
“It’s a date.”
Chapter 6
Jasper had overstepped. Asking a woman to marry him was a big deal. He didn’t do it lightly. But he’d failed to take into account Annie’s panic level. He’d rushed her. They’d only been dating eight months. It was a lifetime for him, but apparently only a test period for her.
She saw marriage as a weight that would drag her—them—down. He worried it might be the only way to hold on to her.
He’d made a shitty choice in a relationship once before and didn’t want to live through that again. That time he’d panicked. He’d let fear rule his decisions. Not this time.
Maybe he was being unfair. After all, she never acted like she wanted something else, someone else, but she was this mass of energy that he wasn’t always clear about how to handle. Forget containing it. He didn’t want to rein her in. He wanted the opposite, actually. But wrestling her fear of commitment was starting to take a toll.
He blamed her parents. Those two deserved each other. They’d filled Annie’s youth with repeated trips to court and, thanks to her father, a kidnapping adventure to Mexico. Annie’s story had been in the paper. All her friends knew it. Her parents both lost custody for a while. She’d been the poster child for what happened in dysfunctional relationships.
He wanted her to put all that behind her but, truth was, he got it. That kind of background shaped a person. While she’d grown up and moved on and even tried marriage once, all those doubts and that pain still lingered.
He understood because he had some of his own. He feared that though he’d moved on from the past, he’d never quite broken free of it.
So he vowed to be patient and to not be a jackass.
The first step in that plan was making dinner. He’d put his grilling skills up against anyone. Tonight, he’d gone with chicken and a salad. Step two would be reassuring her that he’d give her whatever time she needed…even if it killed him.
A minute after he brought the plate piled with food inside from the expansive balcony off their two-story penthouse condo, he heard the beep of the alarm at the front door. Annie shouted hello as the click of her heels sounded on the shiny hardwood floor.
She stormed up the stairs and through the family room before entering the kitchen. She didn’t stop and didn’t make idle chitchat or ask about his day, which was unusual.
With that entrance, he figured he needed to jumpstart his plan quickly. Operation Don’t Be an Asshole had begun.
He put the plate down, ready to say something that might help. “Hey, babe. I made—”
“Stop talking.” She stood right in front of him and dropped her bag on the floor. Next, her arms came up and wrapped around his neck. Her mouth hovered just over his, which meant she had to be balancing on tiptoes. “I’m in charge.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He knew that was the right answer because he wasn’t a complete dumbass.
“I want you naked and inside me in five minutes. Not six. Five. Max.”
All the blood rushed to his dick. “Now?”
“Right now. You on top of me, in me.” She grabbed his hand. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”
All thoughts of food and apologies fled from his head. His lady wanted good hard sex, and he was more than happy to oblige. They could discuss the ins and outs of her day later. Much later.
“No.” He brought her body tight up against his again. Chest to chest as his brain shut down and his body revved up. Let his hands travel up and down her sides. “Right here.”
Excitement welled in her eyes. “The wall.”
“The table.” They could use the wall on the second round. This time, he wanted her spread out before him. Bare and ready.
She glanced over at the reclaimed wood kitchen table right behind her. “It might not hold us.”
“Trust me.”
Before she could say anything, he lifted her off the ground. Her legs linked around his hips. Their mouths fused together in a blinding kiss as his hands went to her ass. That perfect ass.
She squirmed. No way was that an accident. The move had her rubbing over him, bringing that erection roaring to life.
Wanting to be inside her, he took the two steps to bring them to the edge of the table. The sounds of kissing and heavy breathing mixed together. Her ankles dug into his ass. He held her steady with both hands on the back of her thighs.
He somehow managed to lift his head. “Were you a good girl today?”
She blinked. “What?”
“I told you what I would do if I caught you wearing panties without permission.”
Her body relaxed against him and her fingers slipped into his hair. “I can’t walk around bare. People will talk.”
“You can and will.” He lowered her to the table and immediately went to work on those tiny buttons on her shirt, sending more than one flying across the room.
Not that she seemed to notice. Her hands didn’t stop moving until they found the top of his jeans. She had the button open and his zipper down in two seconds. Those fingers wrapped around him, pumped up and down, and he moaned in relief.
“That’s better.” His lips traveled over her neck as his fingers tunneled up her skirt.
He touched material and jerked it to the side. Heard it rip, but he couldn’t stop now. Their hands and mouths skimmed over each other. He lowered her body and shoved her skirt up, bunching it at her waist. One tug and he peeled her underwear off. Then he tucked the silk in his back pocket as he pushed his jeans down past his hips.
She kicked off a shoe and put her foot on his shoulder. Her other leg fell to the side.
He could see all of her. And he couldn’t hold back. He dipped a finger inside her, and caressed her until she was wet and ready for him.
She lifted her body and pulled him forward to her. Then he was inside her, reveling in the feel of her. Bare and tight, every internal muscle straining against him.
Pushing and plunging, he moved. The table shook and one of its legs thudded against the floor. He found a steady rhythm while she wiggled and moved underneath him. Her hee
l slammed into his shoulder, but he didn’t care. He wanted it all, every groan and every pulse.
On this level, they always connected.
The heat ratcheted up around them. Every cell sparked to life as his hands skimmed over her bare skin. Energy surged inside him. He didn’t ease up on the tempo. Her grip on the side of his leg didn’t allow him to. His brain screamed slow down, but his body refused to listen.
He pressed deeper, plunging and retreating until her breath caught. When she whispered his name, he lost it. The orgasm rippled through him. He ground his teeth, trying to hold it off for a few more seconds and prolong the pleasure.
He dropped his hand, letting the tip of his finger slip over her clit. Her hips shifted forward as her hands locked around the edge of the table and her fingers dug into the wood. Her legs shook.
Heavy pants filled the room. He repeated her name over and over as his mind blanked. It took another few stuttering seconds for his brain to work again.
“God, baby. Yes.”
With his last push, her body tensed and she came. Every muscle seemed to tighten as she threw her head back. Her body bucked under him. Those shoulders rose. That mouth dropped open.
He heard noises and could smell the sex. Sweat rolled down his back. She’d barely finished when he finally let go. He pumped into her, coming inside her and relishing the feel of her body wrapped around his, inside and out.
It took a little longer for the table to stop wobbling and his breathing to move out of heart-attack range. He could hear nothing but the muffled tick of the clock hanging on the wall as some of his strength returned. He could think again.
After kissing her calf, he moved her leg off his shoulder and let his body rest against hers. His head settled on her chest and immediately her hand came up to hold him there. Her heartbeat thumped under his ear, steady and strong. He could smell his scent on her skin and couldn’t imagine anything sexier.
“You are so hot,” he said, as he turned to place a kiss on the top of her breast.
“I don’t think I can move.”
He laughed. “Works for me.”
“Jasper.” Her arms fell back against the wood. “That was way better than dinner.”
“That was only the first course. Next, we try the wall.”
Chapter 7
Two weeks later, Annie’s life still hadn’t settled down. Jasper hadn’t popped the question again, but she guessed he was waiting for the right moment. For him. She doubted there would ever be a right moment for her.
Despite their state of uncertainty, they’d fallen into a comfortable pattern. They both worked too many hours and spent their downtime snuggling together. And when he tried to talk about their future, she jumped on him. Literally. She used sex to avoid the conversation. It probably wasn’t the most mature or productive solution, but it worked and was pretty fun.
But right now she was all business, or was trying to be. The need to laugh made that difficult. So did the expression on Dave’s face as he sat across from her, holding his coffee mug without taking a sip.
He shook his head. “That may have been the worst place I’ve ever seen.”
Biting her lip helped hide the smile she fought back. She glanced around the small specialty cake shop in the Georgetown shopping area.
“Not a fan of metallic walls?” she asked, not trying to hide humor in her voice. “Then there was the one made of straw with the built-in furniture that looked like it came out of a futuristic cartoon.”
“Part of it looked like wrapping paper. The other part…wow.” He spoke with awe, but not the good kind.
He said he’d heard about this house from someone in his office and was told it would be perfect for a single man. She hadn’t been able to preview the place or find photos online since the place wasn’t officially listed yet, so they’d gone in blind.
“Now, I’m not the type to say ‘I told you so’…” She totally was.
He eyed her over the top of his mug. “Don’t.”
“Oh, no. I’m gonna say it.” She didn’t hold back her smile now.
“You could just think it.”
“Nope.”
He exhaled. “Fine. Go ahead.”
He sounded resigned, but she could tell he was playing along with her amusement. Despite the laughter in her voice and the way he shook his head as he drank his coffee now, they did have a serious issue. The way he insisted on conducting the house hunt ended up wasting both their time and he wasn’t one step closer to making an offer on any property.
They’d spent a lot of time together and consumed an almost unbearable amount of coffee, but he still was a client. That meant stepping into this conversation carefully. “Over the last two weeks you’ve picked out three places on your own or because a friend or a coworker had a place we should see and, well, they haven’t been great.”
“Understatement.”
“I was trying to be nice.”
“It had shag carpet in the bathroom.” He put the mug down with a thud. “Who does that?”
“Apparently that was trendy at one time.”
“In this century?”
“Unfortunately.”
“I’m guessing you’re a bit smug about this.”
“Again, understatement.”
Laughter sounded in his voice as he cradled his coffee mug in his palms.
“That brings me to a topic I wanted to discuss.”
He froze. “Uh-oh.”
He wasn’t a stupid man. He had to see this talk coming. She appreciated that, but she also wanted to sell a house.
She enjoyed spending time with him, listening to him, and joking with him. Maybe too much. But she did have a job to do and so far she was failing at it, which she hated.
“I’ve sent you listings but you only give me lukewarm responses, and then call me at random times about secret listings you’ve heard about with shag carpet, which was also in the kitchen, by the way.”
He nodded. “I don’t know anything about cooking but even I know that’s a bad idea.”
“Almost as bad as house hunting like this?” She leaned in, trying to ignore those sexy dark eyes. “Look, if you don’t really want a house—”
“I do.”
“Then am I the problem?”
He made a snorting sound. “You’re the best part of this process so far.”
Her stomach did a little flip. She sat back in her chair again, trying to put some extra distance between them. “So?”
“Maybe…I want to spend more time with you.” He sounded hesitant but his eyes lit with determination.
Okay, spinning wild thoughts about her mysterious client and flirting a bit was one thing. Going down this road was another. She loved Jasper and had no intention or desire to cheat on him. The idea of losing him actually made her queasy. So, this—whatever this was—had to end.
She cleared her throat. “Dave.”
“Don’t panic. I meant that in a friendly way.” He held up a hand as if in surrender. “Send me listings and I promise to pick three so we can go out again.”
She didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until it rushed out of her. Her insides shook and she struggled to make sense of her attraction. Rather than analyze every move and every sentence, she fell back on humor.
“Three whole houses?” She whistled. “Wow, at that rate we’ll get you into a property within the decade.”
He joined in her laughter. “Drink your coffee.”
Chapter 8
The next morning, Annie sent off a new list of properties for Dave to review. While she waited for his response, she did other work for clients who actually liked to make offers on houses. Three meetings and a lunch with Manda later, Annie sat at the conference room table and watched Manda fax a document to a mortgage broker.
Annie was about to get up when her cell rang. She answered as soon as she saw the name.
“I wanted to meet tomorrow to discuss how we’re going to proceed with this property
list.” Dave’s deep voice rumbled over the line. No introductions. No greetings. He zoomed right to his point.
“Sure.” That meant she’d have to do some work that night, but she didn’t care. The meeting could lead to a sale and commission. And that’s exactly where her mind needed to stay. On money. On her sales. And off thoughts about what Dave’s toned stomach might look like under his perfectly ironed shirt.
“At my hotel.”
“I…” she stammered. “Okay.”
“Noon?”
Noon sounded like business time. Sort of. “I’ll be there.”
He said “good” then hung up before she could say anything else. All in all, it hadn’t been a long-winded discussion. He hadn’t said anything personal. But that gravelly voice and the way it skidded over her senses had caressed her like a touch.
Man, she wished she knew why every time she thought about him or talked with him a memory she couldn’t quite grab on to tickled at the back of her mind.
She heard throat clearing and looked up to find Manda staring. That couldn’t be good. “What?”
Manda kept staring. “Well?”
“We have a meeting tomorrow.” Simple. Clear. No big deal.
“We?”
“Dave and I. He got my new set of listings.” He hadn’t really said that, but Annie pretended he did.
Manda smiled. “Is it clothing optional?”
“It’s work.”
This time Manda laughed. “You keep telling yourself that.”
Chapter 9
When he heard footsteps outside of the construction trailer, Jasper stopped staring at his phone. He’d been distracted for hours, ever since the call came. He’d made some bad choices in his life. Now he worried he’d have to re-live the worst one.
The door opened without a knock or a warning. Jasper expected an end-of-the-day visit from the construction manager. He’d had a meeting with the property owners about a last-minute change that could increase Jasper’s workload.
But Annie walked in, wearing a gray suit that might look all business on anyone else, but screamed sex on her. The slit up the side and slim-fitting off-white silky shirt had his gaze roaming.
The Experiment Page 4
