by Leah Brooke
Holding on to his shoulders, Jasmine bent over him, crying out at the first touch of his tongue on her clit, the sensation so intense, her legs buckled. “Mac!”
Keeping his hold firm, Mac lifted his head to look up at her, his smile wicked. “Even better. Now let’s hear you scream it.”
His tongue slid over her clit, the quick flicks of heat over the swollen nub like licks of fire, each one making her burn even hotter.
Writhing to get away from the too-intense sensation proved useless, but when the sensation became too strong to bear, she fought him, alarmed at her response. She couldn’t escape his hold no matter how hard she tried, and even as she struggled, she thrilled that she couldn’t get free.
She’d never known pleasure could be so sharp. She’d never known need could be so hot. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision, and it took several seconds to realize that the tortured cries she heard came from her.
Shocked to feel her juices running down her thighs, she fought to open her legs wider, cursing when her sweatpants prevented it. A swell overtook her with a speed and force that startled another cry from her, the tingling of her clit seeming to explode in a shower of sparks.
“Mac!” Screaming his name, she went over, throwing her head back as the shimmering waves of pleasure overtook her.
Stiffening, she held on to Mac like a lifeline, her legs trembling with the effort to support her. Her cries of pleasure seemed to spur him on, his own groans of excitement and the clenching of his hands on her thighs thrilling her, assuring her that his excitement matched her own.
As if he knew her clit had become too sensitive to stand any more of his ministrations, Mac eased back, the long gentle sweeps of his tongue so light she barely felt them. It proved to be enough, though, to keep waves of pleasure rolling through her, dragging it out until she slumped, her legs no longer able to support her.
Her whimpered cries dimmed to soft moans as her knees gave out completely, becoming a sigh when Mac caught her and lifted her high against his chest.
“Mac, we can’t keep doing this. You make me feel so…sexual. This can’t last. I’m too old for—”
Cut off when his mouth covered hers, she found herself lost in his deep kiss, shocked at the taste of herself.
His tongue swept her mouth with increasing urgency, his low groans rumbling against her as he lowered her to the sofa. He stripped her of her remaining clothes with a speed and efficiency she couldn’t help but admire—and appreciate.
Naked, she squirmed against him, frustrated when he slid off of her. Her breath caught when he started throwing off his clothes, another moan escaping when he paused to dig into his pocket and retrieve a handful of condoms, which he tossed onto the coffee table.
Eager for his touch, she stretched her arms above her head and lifted her breasts in offering, remembering how it had felt when he’d held her wrists against the wall.
Delighting at the flare of heat in his eyes, Jasmine smiled, and gestured toward the small pile of condoms. “Feeling energetic?”
Mac’s eyes narrowed as he reached for one of the condoms and began to roll it on. “With you, I’m always feeling energetic.”
Jasmine moaned at the feel of his hands on her as he lifted her against his chest and moved swiftly to the end of the sofa. A whimper escaped when he flipped her to her belly over the arm of the sofa, the ease in which he adjusted her to his liking, increasing the sense of vulnerability that somehow felt so natural with him, but so warm.
Being with a man so strong and masculine and yet so amazingly thoughtful and tender sliced through her defenses like nothing else.
Finding herself facedown over the edge of the sofa, Jasmine tried to lift herself, but with a hand between her shoulder blades, Mac held her in place. Excited, and a little alarmed to find herself in such a defenseless position, she couldn’t help but try to fight him when he made a place between her thighs, positioning her with her ass high in the air.
“Mac! What are you doing?” She cried out in surprise and sharp pleasure when his fingers slid through her slit, his touch firm and so seductively confident. Even through her renewed arousal, she couldn’t help feeling self-conscious about her body. “Please, Mac. Let’s go into the bedroom.”
Mac chuckled, a low rumble of sound that sent shivers of erotic anticipation up and down her spine. Running both hands over the cheeks of her ass, he fitted the head of his cock against her pussy entrance. “I like having you right here.”
Fisting her hands on the sofa cushions, Jasmine sucked in a breath at the thrust of Mac’s cock into her.
Hot. Hard.
He filled her pussy with a thick heat that forced her pussy to stretch to accommodate him. Memories of the pleasure he gave her the night before came rushing back as he held himself still while her body struggled to accept him.
Sucking in several sharp breaths, she began to buck her hips, unable to remain still any longer.
“Feels so good. So deep.”
Mac groaned, his hands tightening on her hips as he began to thrust into her. “Damn, Jazz. You make me crazy to have you. I knew you would be a passionate lover. I sure as hell hope you’re as adventurous as I think you are, because, baby, I plan to shake up your world.”
Slipping his hand under her hips, he slid his fingers over her mound. “You get me so excited that I forget that you haven’t done this in a long time. I tend to get a little physical with you.”
Jasmine cried out at his harder thrusts, pumping her hips when he skimmed his fingers over her clit. “No. Kidding. Ah! Oh, God, Mac.”
Mac shortened his thrusts, digging at a spot inside her that had her crying out and bucking beneath him. Gripping her hips, he groaned. “I was a little worried that you would be scared, but there was no fear in your eyes—only need. Yes, that’s it, Jazz. Do you know what it does to me to hear those cries of pleasure from you—to see you writhing under me for more? Do you have any idea how much your trust means to me?”
Jasmine tried not to think about what she looked like as she wiggled her ass in an effort to get him to thrust deeper. She tried not to think about the stretch marks that Mac traced with a callused finger, or the fact that he stared down at an ass that had gotten bigger than she would have liked.
Her insecurities seemed to fade with each brush of his lips, until nothing existed except pleasure.
She pushed against the sofa, lifting her upper body and rocking back and forth, her nipples tingling for attention. She needed him to do what only he could do—satisfy the hunger raging inside her. “Damn it, Mac. Stop playing with me and take me harder.”
Mac laughed softly and surged deep, wrapping his arms around her from behind. With a hand covering a breast and the other on her mound, he easily overcame her struggles. Lifting her slightly, he touched his lips to the outer shell of her ear, his voice a deep growl.
“Sex can be fun, Jazz, something I think you’ve forgotten. Come on, baby. Play with me.”
Sliding his arm to her waist, he took her weight and began to thrust harder and deeper, each slide of his cock over her inner walls creating a delicious friction that made her pussy clench and took her closer and closer to the edge.
With short, firm strokes of his fingers, he worked her clit with a deliberation that forced her over, mastering her body with an ease that never failed to astonish her.
Jerking uncontrollably, she let out a hoarse cry and gave herself over to the pleasure. Her clit throbbed under his fast strokes, burning and sending sharp tingling pleasure outward until every inch of her body sizzled with it.
Her toes curled against Mac’s thighs, her stomach muscles tightening each time her pussy clenched on him. Once again stunned by his low words of satisfaction and encouragement, she gripped the sofa cushions tighter and cried out his name as her wildest fantasies came true.
“Those cries turn me inside out.” After several fast thrusts, Mac surged deep again, and with a groan, lifted her more fully against him, his chest
hot and damp against her back. His ragged breaths in her ear sent another rush of pleasure through her, the kind of pleasure a woman felt when she knew the man she cared for desired her.
Sucking in a shaky breath, Jasmine tried to bite back yet another whimper, but one escaped anyway, and then another when Mac tightened the arm around her waist and slid one to her neck. She let her head loll back against his shoulder, moaning her pleasure when he sat on the sofa and settled her on his lap, his cock still inside her.
With Mac, sex became so much more than just physical, creating a connection between them, a bond she never wanted to lose.
“I think I need to teach you how to have a little fun again.” His gritty tone thrilled her, emphasizing his stark masculinity. Cuddling her close, he cupped her breasts, gently massaging them. “As a matter of fact, honey, I didn’t realize how much I needed it, too.”
Teasing her nipple, Mac cupped her jaw and turned her face to his, his eyes hooded and searching. “It’s different with you, something that I hadn’t even considered. It makes me even more determined to keep you.”
Letting her head fall back against his shoulder, Jasmine moved on his lap, loving the feel of his hands moving over her.
With Mac, she felt beautiful. Sexy. Wanton. Cherished.
Lifting her face, she kissed his jaw, arching into his caress.
“Mac, you don’t have to say things like that. It isn’t necessary, and I’m sure as hell not stupid.” Cuddling against him, she shivered, smiling playfully. “The back of me is nice and warm, but the front’s getting cold.”
“We can’t have that, can we?”
Seconds later, she found herself flat on her back on the sofa, with Mac lying full length on top of her.
“You’re pissing me off again.” A muscle worked in his jaw as he tugged her nipple, his eyes flashing at her startled cry. Gripping her jaw again, he turned her face to his, his eyes hard and narrowed. “I know you’re insecure, and I’ve told you that I understand it, but I don’t appreciate being called a liar when I tell you how I feel.”
“Mac, I didn’t mean that!” Her stomach knotted with guilt at hurting his feelings, but after her divorce, she’d sworn to never be that naïve again.
Pushing her hair back from her face, Mac smiled faintly and raised a brow. “What exactly did you mean, Jazz? I tell you I love you, and you tell me I don’t. I tell you that I desire you, and you tell me that I could only desire women much younger—women, by the way, that I have very little in common with. You tell me that I don’t know you well enough to love you when I probably know more about you than the man you were married to. You think I’m incapable of fidelity and commitment. Have I covered everything, baby?”
Shaken at the hurt in his soft tone, Jasmine cupped his jaw, wincing at the hurt that also shone in his eyes. “Mac, please try to understand.”
“Oh, I understand, honey.” He ran a hand over her hip. “You don’t see how I can be aroused at this lush body, this soft skin.”
Bending, he touched his lips to her nipple. “You don’t think I could crave the taste of you, or get turned on by the way you respond to me?”
Lifting his head again, Mac gathered her close, staring down at her with eyes that shone with emotion.
“Don’t you understand how much it means to me to have a woman who wants me for myself?”
* * * *
Mac gritted his teeth when he thought about his marriage—the distance that had grown between him and his increasingly cold wife.
Staring down at Jasmine, he let her see his frustration and hurt. He wanted her to understand just how much she meant to him.
“I’ve told you bits and pieces about my marriage, but I want to tell you more.”
With a sigh, he got to his feet, grabbing a tissue to rid himself of the condom. “Elaine and I started off happy. We were young and in love, and planned a future together. I had just started working as a stockbroker in a large company. We got married and had Leigh Ann.”
Turning to face her, he frowned at the look of wariness in her eyes as she pulled the soft blanket she kept on the back of the sofa around herself.
“At first, I loved my job. I loved the challenge. I was ambitious and worked my ass off. I was damned good at it and rose quickly in the company.”
Smiling faintly, he shrugged. “Elaine loved each promotion, each party. She started spending money as fast as I could make it, mostly on jewelry and dresses to wear to the parties she couldn’t miss.”
Running a hand through his hair, he turned away as memories assailed him.
“Each promotion meant more money, more hours.”
He glanced back at Jasmine, too worked up to sit.
“I missed parties, either because I had to work late, I wanted to spend the night at home, or I was just too fucking tired. Elaine didn’t see the need to miss them just because I did. She loved that life.”
Turning away again, he rubbed his stomach in remembered pain. “Between our fights about it, and my work schedule, I developed ulcers. When the doctor advised me to take it easy and get away from the stress, I started working in the yard, something that had always relaxed me.”
Jasmine looked horrified. “Oh, Mac! I didn’t know you’d been ill. Are you okay, now?”
Warmed by her concern, Mac moved back to the sofa and took Jasmine’s hand in his. “I’m fine, baby. Anyway, I liked working in the yard, digging, planting. I started reading more about it, asking questions, and found I liked it even more than I’d remembered. Well, Elaine wasn’t willing to give up her parties, and I had no desire to go to them at all. Little by little, we began to live separate lives. When I told her that I was going to quit, and use some of the money I’d invested to open my own landscaping business, I knew it was over.”
Shrugging, he released her hand, smoothing his down her back. “That was the last straw for both of us. She didn’t want to be married to a man who worked with his hands and came home covered with dirt. I didn’t want to be married to a woman who was never home.”
“Oh, Mac. That’s terrible. You love working with your hands. You even remodeled this place and you’re always fixing something.”
She blushed adorably, her gaze going to his chest. “You look so sexy working in the yard, especially when you take your shirt off, and I love how you look in a tool belt.”
Cupping the back of her head, he pulled her close, his heart swelling at the flash of desire in her eyes, along with another emotion, one he knew she wasn’t ready to share.
“I know. I feel you staring at me.” Running his thumb over her quivering bottom lip, he was struck once again by its softness.
“Imagine what it feels like to me to be wanted for myself. You never cared about my money. You look at me with hunger in those beautiful brown eyes even when I’m sweaty and covered with dirt.”
Jasmine grimaced even as her eyes danced. “You weren’t supposed to notice that.”
Mac touched his lips to hers, brushing hers once before lifting his head again.
Jasmine shook her head, the sadness in her eyes tearing him up inside. “I’ve seen other women look at you the same way. Mac, I care about you, but it’ll kill me when you get bored with me. I work hard and sometimes when I come home from work, all I want to do is relax.”
“I’m not the party sort, remember? I know what I want, Jazz. I want you.”
* * * *
Jasmine sighed, feeling foolish. “You’re making me sound like an idiot.”
“Good.” Mac nodded once before turning to walk down the hall. “It’s a start.”
Left staring after him, Jasmine winced at the sound of the bathroom door being closed with more force than necessary.
Sinking into the chair, she dropped her head in her hands, horrified at what she’d done. “Damn it, Mac. Why the hell did I have to fall in love with you?”
Lifting her head, she turned to stare after him. Taking a deep breath, she wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold.
Gathering her clothing, she headed for her own bathroom, pausing outside the hall bath, and placing her hand on the door.
“Mac?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
Her stomach clenched at the silence that followed.
Finally Mac’s deep voice came through the door. “What are you sorry for, Jasmine?”
The knot in her stomach tightened.
“For not believing this can last.”
The door opened, and Mac stuck his head out, his closed expression making the knot in her stomach tighten even more.
“Do you believe it now?”
Gathering her pile of clothing more firmly against her belly, she lifted it slightly to cover her breasts. She couldn’t help but remember the stream of young, beautiful women Mac had dated, and the look of scorn on Tom’s face when he told her that she didn’t have what it took to hold a man.
Lifting her chin, she swallowed heavily. No matter what, she had to be honest with him. She wanted no lies between them. “I’ve had enough lies to last me a lifetime. Nothing would make me happier than to believe that it would last, but you have to understand it’s hard for me, Mac.”
For several long seconds, he searched her features, his eyes narrowed. Inclining his head, he clenched his jaw.
“And you have to understand that I’m a grown man who knows what he wants, and I don’t say things that I don’t mean.”
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he blew out a breath. “Look, Jazz, I’m not mad at you. I’m frustrated.”
His eyes narrowed. “But, I’m sure as hell not going anywhere—and neither are you.”
Chapter Five
Settling back against the pillows, Jasmine listened to the sounds of Mac locking up for the night, and tried to remember when she’d felt so warm and cared for.
She’d been the one to take care of securing the house for the night for so long, she’d almost forgotten what it felt like to have someone else to depend on, even for something as simple as locking the house for the night.
