Tangled Web Series Box Set

by Jade C. Jamison

  He nodded. “Oh, yeah…the celebration soda. Guess it’ll have to wait.”

  “For what?”

  “When we’re celebrating.”

  She tilted her head, confused, but just asked, “So…do you want some ice water instead?”

  “That’d be fine.”

  When they got everything set up in the living room, they sat on either side of the coffee table. “This smells great,” Riley said and Erin nodded, picking up her fork. “Oh, no, you don’t.”

  She looked up. “What?”

  “We got chopsticks, woman. Use ‘em.”

  She twisted up her mouth and then said, “I’m not that good at it and I’m hungry.”

  He grinned. “Show me.”

  She picked up the chopsticks he had set next to her plate and placed them in her fingers. And, of course, just as she’d known, she awkwardly made a mess of her plate, not picking up anything, instead just strewing food all over. She gave him a look—told you—and started to set them back down again.

  “Hold on.” He got up and joined her on the other side. He took the chopsticks from her and set them on the table. He took her right hand and moved her fingers, then placed the chopsticks in her hand so that they were almost an extension of her fingers. He reached over the table and grabbed his and said, “See, use them like this, together, to pick stuff up.”

  She practiced a few times and saw that it worked and she was able to do it. She’d just never gotten the hang of it before. Of course, no one had showed her till now. Riley said, “And then, for rice, you just put them together and kinda scoop it up, like a shovel.” He leaned over the table and dragged his plate over after picking up his water glass. “I like it better over here next to you.” She looked at him and smiled, having just finished another bite. He leaned over and kissed her, just a quick kiss, sweet.

  That was not good. It was too much, too tender, too caring…just like his little chopsticks instruction. It moved him from plaything category to something a little more serious.

  And that was something she was not ready for. Hot sex was one thing, having fun with him, just playing around…that was okay. Fantastic, even. But something requiring her to give more of herself was out of the question. She couldn’t go there.

  So she smiled at him and looked down at her food, concentrating on making the chopsticks work right again. “So…how’d you learn to work the chopsticks like that anyway?”

  “I wish I had a great story to go with that. You know…like, I spent three years in Tibet or some shit like that. But, no, I just watched other people and practiced. It actually feels kind of natural after you get used to it.”

  She doubted it would ever feel natural, but she’d give it a go just the same. She wanted to keep talking about inane topics, but she knew she was just avoiding the question that had been on her mind all evening. They’d had some awesome fucking sex at his parents’ house and were spending a little more time together now. But was this it? He’d ridden with her in her car and they hadn’t talked much about it. So she asked, “When do I take you home?”

  He set his chopsticks down on his plate and propped his chin up with his fist. “Eager to get rid of me already?” He grinned.

  “No. I just…” She took a deep breath. “God, this is awkward.”

  He brushed a piece of hair off her cheek. “I was just kidding. Seriously, I don’t want to overstay my welcome, and I know you have to work tomorrow. I’m gonna cop out and tell you it’s up to you, because…”

  Ohhh…the look in his eyes was making her melt. “Because?”

  “Because I’d stay here forever if you let me.”

  Whoa. If that wasn’t heavy, she didn’t know what was. And was he being entirely truthful? More than that, even if he was, was she okay with that? She didn’t know. She decided to play it off, because she wasn’t ready for deep thoughts or emotion. “Yeah, well, if I let you, I’d put you to work. My kitchen floor needs a scrubbing.”

  He might have sensed her discomfort because he picked up the chopsticks again. “But you still didn’t say when.”

  No, she hadn’t. “Well, what’s left on our agenda tonight?”

  “Agenda?”

  She smiled. “Guess that sounds a little too formal, huh. What else do you want to do tonight?”

  He leered. “I wouldn’t mind round two, would you?”

  She felt a shiver crawl up her spine and she realized that, no, she wouldn’t mind that either. Even though their first time together had freaked her out, he’d done nothing but make her feel great. And he was probably right, that he’d made her feel better than she had in ages…and, she hated to admit it, even better, just like he’d promised. And what the hell was up with that? Were rock stars known for their sexual prowess? No, just their sexual appetites. So Riley had certainly surprised her.

  She couldn’t help the smile that crept over her face. “No, round two sounds pretty nice. What else?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “So…do the number of activities equal the amount of time I stay?” She shrugged, but the smile didn’t disappear off her face. “Hmmm…okay. Do you have bubble bath?”

  She sucked in a breath. God. She had never done that cliché with a guy before. Did he know what buttons to push with her or what? “I think…maybe.”

  “So, then, we enjoy a bath together and drink the celebration soda.”

  “You still haven’t told me what we’re celebrating.”

  “Well…” he said, licking his lower lip, “we’ll be celebrating that you haven’t kicked my ass out yet.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  GOD, ERIN WAS so easy to talk to. Instead of round two, they spent the evening talking, talking, talking…Riley told her about his high school days and what it took to realize his rock star dream. She talked about what she had to do to get through college, some of the harder classes, and working part-time to make ends meet.

  At one point, he asked to use her restroom. When he got out, he checked the time on his phone. Shit. It was ten-thirty. He wasn’t about to make her go through with all their plans. He knew she’d have to get up early in the morning, but they’d been having such a good time just talking, sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch, listening to music. What the hell did that mean?

  He knew what that meant, but he wasn’t going to think about it.

  He took a deep breath and pulled the bathroom door open. Erin was in the kitchen, putting away the leftover food. He saw their plates from earlier, and she had already scraped them. “Do you want me to wash the plates?”

  “No. But you could rinse them and set them in the sink, if you don’t mind.”

  “Got it.” He felt nervous and couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it was because he wasn’t sure how things were going to end. That wasn’t like him, so he wasn’t going to say anything, knowing he’d power through it. When he was done, he started to turn around, ready to talk about it. “Hey—”

  But she was right there, on her tiptoes, and she grabbed him around the neck, pulling him down into a kiss. Well, hell, he didn’t want to argue with the woman, but…

  Fuck, that was infused with a shit-ton of desire. How the hell could he say no to that? His hands were around her waist before he could stop them. But when the kiss ended, he said, “I know you have to work tomorrow. You probably need your sleep, don’t you?”

  “Fuck sleep. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” God, she had a way with words.

  He was kissing her again before she could say another word. She tasted so sweet and she felt so firm yet soft in all the right places…and he wanted to touch them all again. So to hell with whatever war was going on inside him. He wanted her and it was obvious she wanted him, so what was he waiting for? And maybe, he thought, if he could make her continuously feel like a million bucks, he might be harder to toss aside.

  Where the fuck was that coming from? First off, why was he so sure she’d just cast him aside once this week was over? More importantly, though, hadn’t he a
lready decided this wasn’t going any further? Why did he keep thinking of the future with this girl?

  Well, he needed to push those thoughts aside and just focus on pleasure…this moment, right now. Not in the kitchen, though. He picked her up—God, she was tiny—and walked into the living room. He lay her on the couch and lay next to her. It wasn’t the most comfortable place, but he didn’t want to waste time going to the bedroom. She was still wearing that dress, but he didn’t want to fuck her like an animal this time. He was going to take his time, removing all her clothes, appreciating her beauty. He didn’t want her to feel like a piece of meat.

  He liked the look in her eyes…she looked eager and excited, her eyes wide and hungry. That was for him, not for the lead singer of Spawn and Undue Influence, and that was a hell of an aphrodisiac. Yeah, he knew she really was a fan, especially after she’d quoted his own song lyrics to him, but she’d gotten past the whole rock star exterior and still liked him.

  He started unbuttoning the front of her dress, kissing her again but moving to the delicate skin on her neck. When he unfastened the last button, he slid his hands under the dress, up by her arms, trying to pull it off like a coat. Turned out it wasn’t very smooth and she started giggling when he couldn’t get it off her shoulders. He laughed too, a weird happy feeling surging through his veins. “Let me help,” she said, sitting up halfway, shimmying the dress down her shoulders.

  But he couldn’t ignore the exposed skin on her shoulder and leaned over to kiss it. She gasped and paused, unable to move. That was another turn on, knowing the power he had over her. Instead of moving, her fingers were curled around his t-shirt, and he could tell she was focused on what his lips were doing, not on her own hands. He stopped kissing her so he could pull her dress off her hips and the rest of the way off.

  “Oh, shit,” he said. “I forgot you didn’t have any panties on.”

  She giggled again. “Not by choice.” She grabbed his t-shirt and he helped pull it over his head. He saw her cheeks flush again as she said, “You have the sexiest bod…”

  He couldn’t help the grin that spread over his face. “Hmm-mmm. You got me beat.”

  She was still blushing when she rose up to meet his lips. God, he wanted to make this girl feel incredible again and another brief thought blew through his mind, one that was so scary, he buried it—that any girl after Erin would pale in comparison. He was already sitting up after removing her dress, but he straddled her and tugged her bra straps down her shoulders. He started kissing just below her neck and down to her cleavage, and as his hands cupped her breasts underneath the bra, she arched her back, begging him to touch her.

  He couldn’t resist it.

  He pulled back one of the cups and traced a line with his tongue. He drew the nipple into his mouth, eliciting a low moan from her lips. He moved his hand to her back, between her shoulder blades, to bring her closer to him, but he knew she would never feel close enough.

  And his focus was on her. He could wait. But he wanted her to know she was special. He moved his lips back to her neck and whispered, “You like that?”

  “Yeah,” she said, just a breath.

  So he pulled the other bra cup down and brought his mouth down on her other nipple. She arched her back again, and feeling her writhe literally in his hand was another turn on. But he wasn’t going to satisfy himself…yet. He lay her gently back while his free hand traced a line down her belly. He slid his finger down her slit and it was so easy to tell how ready she was. She was swollen and wet, and when he touched her, she drew in a heavy breath. “Like that more?”

  “Mmm-hmm,” she purred, her eyes closed and almost peaceful except for the slight furrow in her brow.

  He moved his finger up and down, and it didn’t take much. He could tell she was close, so he decided to move slowly—draw it out while still making her feel good. He kissed her neck without neglecting her clit, because he’d already figured out that her neck, especially right below her ear, was one of her sensitive spots.

  Her breathing was growing more ragged, so he knew she was getting closer. He looked at her and said, “God, you’re sexy,” and he meant it. Feeling her get closer, hearing the sounds she made, watching her excitement rise did more to arouse him than anything else.

  She didn’t say anything at first and her eyes were closed, but then she said, “Kiss me.”

  It was a sweet command, the way she’d said it, and he would oblige. He didn’t know how she wanted him to kiss her, though. Did she want passion or tenderness, want him to be rough or gentle? So he just brushed her lips with his so she could lead him. He took her bottom lip in between his and he felt her legs start to quiver as she let out a breath. That breath turned into a groan as her legs clamped together, but he took that as his cue to keep moving his finger. She was orgasming, that much he knew, and he released her lip. “Oh, God…” she said, and he made a conscious choice to not speed up his motion. She didn’t need it. But he didn’t take his eyes off her. Her fingers were digging into his back as she started crying his name, and that was the biggest turn on of all.

  He didn’t need to worry about the kiss after all. When he was sure she was done, he pulled out his wallet and grabbed a condom. He wasted no time unwrapping it, then unzipping his fly and sliding it on. He kissed her neck again. “Ready for more?”

  Her eyelids fluttered as she nodded. She looked so innocent, so sweet, and she was flushed. Her breathing was slowing down as he nudged his cock inside her. She drew in a deep breath and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him down to her. Her lips demanded that he kiss her and he did. God…her responsiveness earlier had made him wound tight too, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he came.

  He was close too. As he’d been touching her, making her feel good, he’d already been hard and throbbing. He’d never get tired of that feeling, of being immersed in a warm, soft cocoon of pleasure. She was warm and wrapped around his cock like a glove, snug yet yielding, giving back what he gave.

  The buildup slowed the closer he got, and her breathing deepened again, so he knew she might climax again too. He was to the point, though, where he probably wouldn’t be able to stop himself now. He’d held off for so long and was too aroused to stop. It was like a guitar string…he’d turn the tuning knob to tighten the string, change its tune. As the string got tighter, he’d turn the knob more slowly, and if he kept turning it, it would break. That was like orgasm for him—a tightening, a string being wound, and once it got tight enough, it snapped.

  Erin let out a soft groan and that was all it took for the string to snap. Fuck…an intense burst of overwhelming pleasure, those few seconds where there were no thoughts in his head, nothing but sweet release. And as he regained coherent thought, he sensed Erin’s legs clamped around his hips, her pelvis slamming into him as she finished coming too.

  They were quiet as their breathing slowed. And then he held her in his arms. The couch might not have been that comfortable, but Erin dozed off in his arms anyway. Part of him wished they could stay like that all night.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  ERIN WOKE UP in Riley’s arms. He felt warm and comforting, something she hadn’t felt in years. He felt strong and secure. She stretched her neck and turned a little. “Guess it was my turn to nap, huh? What time is it?”

  “Not sure…maybe eleven?”

  She smiled. She didn’t want the night to end. She didn’t want to go back to her everyday life and have to be one day closer to the day Riley left town. “You still wanna take that bubble bath?”

  He grinned back at her. “I am all about cleanliness.” He moved a piece of hair off her forehead with a finger. “But you probably need to go to bed, don’t you?”

  She didn’t want to tell him about her reluctance for the evening to end. She definitely didn’t want to tell him she was enjoying him more than she ever would have thought she would. And there was no way in hell she would tell him she was starting to fall…because she was trying to de
ny it even to herself. So she said, “Probably…but I want to anyway.” She stood up and held out a hand. “C’mon.” She was completely nude and might have felt strange ordinarily, but he wasn’t leering at her, was only looking in her eyes, so it didn’t bother her.

  There was some weird dreamy look in his eyes. He looked so…peaceful and content. She almost hated to urge him to move. His jeans and underwear were still on, just halfway down his legs, but she admired his upper body. He was a walking work of art, a canvas for some industrious tattooing gunslinger, and even though she couldn’t make out most of the individual pictures on his arms, she appreciated the effect. He had a couple on his chest/ abdominal area, but because he didn’t have as many there, his dog tags stood out against the unpainted background. Well, that and the definition of his muscles.

  God, she had to stop admiring him or she’d get horny all over again.

  He took her hand and sat up. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her on the belly. Yeah…he shouldn’t do that. Another round of sex would make her worthless at school tomorrow. But he looked up at her, resting his chin close to her sternum. “How about you go draw the bath and I’ll bring the drinks.”

  “Drinks?”

  He grinned. “Remember the celebration soda?” She nodded. “Do you even like cream soda?”

  “I like it okay.”

  “It all right if I go through your cabinets to find glasses and stuff?”

  “Yeah.”

  He stood and kissed her, then walked off to the kitchen while she went in the bathroom. She drew a warm bath, pouring in the bubbles, grabbing two of her fluffiest towels and setting them on the counter, but she wasn’t consciously thinking about what she was doing. Her mind was focused on Riley and the fact that she was genuinely starting to care about him. This wasn’t supposed to happen, and she doubted he felt the same way, so she was just setting herself up for heartache.