Fortunately, she’d had many years to accumulate her savings, both pre and during Adam. So here she was, ready to open her checkbook and dig into that savings once again. It was a far cry from the life she’d thought she’d be leading a year ago, but it was exactly where she wanted to be.
“This is a great place,” Model Man said, holding out his hand for her to shake. “I’m Jax, by the way.”
She shook his hand, ignoring the way his grip made her melt inside. “Jax. It’s nice to meet you.” She realized how silly that sounded as soon as it left her lips. “I mean, in a normal setting, and not one where I’ve just smacked into the back of you.”
His grin deepened to reveal a killer pair of dimples. “Likewise. So where is the proposed office?”
Right. He was here in a business role, not here to chat. She padded past him, down the old-style entry hall to a room to her left, what had once been a parlor. It had pocket doors and a large fireplace. But other than that, the hardwood was in desperate need of replacement, the lighting fixtures were probably older than her parents and a primordial, rusty radiator blocked the windows. She’d done her best to decorate it in the meantime, but it was little more than a desk, computer, rug and overstuffed chair.
“Here we are,” she said, holding out an arm to show off her diamond in the rough. In need of work, maybe, but at least it was one hundred percent hers, no hidden expectations attached.
He was just behind her, a bit too close for comfort. But his eyes were taking stock of the space, giving her room to breathe. “It’s definitely got potential. All it needs is some elbow grease.”
“Yes,” she agreed readily. She knew that it would require some work, but in the end, her house would be exactly the way she wanted it. And best yet, it would be hers. “I’d like to replace the hardwood with tile. And I’d like to get a new radiator. The lighting needs to be replaced, and the whole room needs painting.”
He nodded. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll take some measurements, and then we can go from there.”
Kassie watched while he took out the measuring tape he’d been holding along with his clipboard and began measuring the length and width of the room. She was relieved that he had switched into work mode, because it made being in his presence less awkward. Of course, he was still as beautiful as ever, and she couldn’t quite pry her eyes from his perfect butt as he knelt in those jeans. Not to look would have been a sin.
He glanced back up at her, catching her in mid-ogle. Those cornflower-blue eyes saw more than she liked, pinning her to the spot. An answering spark burned in his, and she knew that the act of professionalism he’d put on since arriving at her house was precisely that. An act. Something deep and elemental arced between them, a basic understanding that they both wanted something forbidden. Something dirty, bad and yet oh so tempting.
He was sex personified, and she’d been living the life of buttoned-up, prim and proper society woman for far too long. She wanted him. Jax. The rugged contractor with the drawl and the anchor tattoo and the panty-melting dimples. Kassie swallowed, pretty sure her thoughts were plastered all over her face.
“Would you mind helping me out?” he asked her, cutting into the haze of lust clouding her brain.
Not exactly the words she’d been waiting to hear. God, what was wrong with her, anyway? The poor man had only come here to do a job, and she was about to throw him onto the floor and hump him just because he was the most gorgeous thing she’d ever seen on two legs.
“Sure,” she said with a casual air she didn’t feel. She crossed the room to him and did her best to maintain a ladylike pose as she hunkered down. All she needed to do was flash him. Why had she chosen to wear a dress, anyway? They were nose to nose now, his nearness stealing the breath from her lungs. He was even more beautiful close up. “What should I do?”
“Hold the end of the tape measure for me.” He was staring at her, his gaze hot.
Unless she was certifiable, he felt the same, wild attraction. But they couldn’t very well jump on one another, could they? No. They were strangers, and she had just slammed into his truck. Not to mention that he was working and she had hired him. Best to stick to business. “No problem.” She leaned forward to hold the metal tip of the tape for him.
And then she completely ruined her calm, unaffected veneer by suddenly losing her balance and pitching forward, directly into him. He caught her, but her forward momentum propelled them both backward onto the thankfully soft pile of the throw rug she’d brought from her apartment. She landed on top of him, nestled between his powerful thighs, his hands easily falling to her waist. Mortification burned through her, mingling with a powerful wave of desire.
“I’m really sorry,” she rushed to say, all too aware that this was probably the tenth time she’d apologized to him in under an hour.
He grinned up at her, not at all distressed. His dimples made another rare appearance. “If you’re going to run into me on a regular basis, I’d sure as hell prefer this way.”
He had to think she was the world’s biggest klutz. And maybe she was. She tried to extricate herself as gracefully as possible, but his big hands held her still. The unmistakable ridge of his cock pressed against her. She could tell the instant he knew she’d felt him. Awareness flared in his bright gaze.
“Oh,” was all she could manage to say. Yeah, it was safe to say that he was as attracted to her as she was to him.
“Damn it,” he muttered.
The old Kassie wasn’t impulsive. She’d never done a thing in her life that she hadn’t thought through, playing out all the pros and cons before she took the next step. But she’d turned a page in her life since moving to Maryland, so before she could allow her brain to talk her out of it, she did the exact opposite of what she ought to do. She leaned into his hard chest and lowered her mouth to his.
Son of a bitch. She was kissing him. Jax wasn’t accustomed to being on the bottom, but in this instance, it turned him on like nothing else could. He forgot about business, forgot about measuring, forgot about his next appointment. He forgot about everything but the sweet curve of her waist in his hands, the lush press of her tits against his chest, her soft lips devouring his.
He wanted to fuck her like crazy.
That was all he could think as he opened to her, sucking her tongue inside his mouth. She pressed into him, tantalizing his already raging cock. It had been far too long since he’d been with a woman. And this woman in particular was driving him wild. There was something about her that was undeniably sexy. The instant he’d taken one look at her standing in the doorway in that snug black dress she was wearing, he’d wanted to peel her out of it.
His hands migrated of their own accord, sweeping down over her hips to slip under the hem of her dress. Bare skin. God yes. Her thighs were smooth, curvy in a way that made him desperate to see her naked. He loved a woman with a bit of meat on her bones, and if the feel of her was anything to go by, Kassie was perfection. His fingertips grazed a silky string over her hipbones. Instinct took over then and he tugged them down. He was thick and hard, ready for her. To hell with it. He palmed her ass, grinding her against his aching dick.
She moaned and then broke the kiss abruptly. Her breathing was harsh, her wide eyes sexy as hell as they focused on him. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” she said at last.
No kidding. It was the worst idea in the world to have spontaneous sex with the stranger who’d just rear-ended him and then turned out to be his prospective client. But tell that to his cock.
“One hell of a bad idea,” he agreed. And then he couldn’t resist skimming his fingers over her skin to dip into the wet heat of her pussy. She was completely bare, just the way he liked. God yes. He rubbed her clit, relishing the way she jerked down into his touch. “But bad never felt this good.”
The only thing that would feel even better was being inside her. Deep inside, fucking her hard, fast. Somehow he knew that’s how she would want it, how she would need it. He didn’t
know her. Jesus, he’d only met her that morning. But it didn’t matter. He increased the pressure on her clit, then slid his fingers lower, to the place he wanted more than anything else.
“Oh God,” she whispered, catching her lower lip between her teeth in a way that was hotter than the sand in July. She thrust into him. “This is…”
He sank a finger inside her. She was wet, tight and warm. Oh hell yes. “This is what?” he prompted, enjoying watching her squirm. Something told him that despite her passionate reaction to him, Kassie was not the kind of woman who hopped onto every dick she saw. She was an adorable combination of embarrassed and turned-on, and it was doing crazy things to his senses. Another finger joined the first inside her pussy. She was ready, all right. So was he. Why not?
“Ah.” Her beautiful face was flushed with pleasure, her long dark hair slightly mussed, hanging down her back. “I’m pretty sure this isn’t the kind of measuring your employer had in mind,” she said, her voice deep and throaty.
So she didn’t realize he owned the company. Good. He’d experienced more than his fair share of women who were all too eager to throw themselves at a man because he owned a successful business. Women who had more interest in his bank accounts than in his cock.
“He won’t mind,” Jax told her, feeling only a slight twinge of conscience at deliberately misleading her. Besides, it was the truth. He didn’t mind one bit if he pleasured the sexiest woman he’d met in as long as he could recall. His thumb found her clit again, teasing it until he won another moan from her swollen lips.
“I don’t normally do this kind of thing,” she told him, confirming his suspicions.
He grinned up at her. “Neither do I.” But he was damn glad she was doing it with him and he was doing it with her. To hell with everything, he decided. Hadn’t he lived life the way he should up until now? Yes, he’d been the most responsible man in the Taylor family for the last few years when it came to women, and it was high time he enjoyed himself. You need to have a fling, his brother had told him the other day. And for the first time in his life, Jax had to admit that maybe, just maybe, Slade was right.
“You’re single, aren’t you?” she asked, and he could tell from the sudden tensing of her body that she hadn’t thought of that before.
“Very,” he confirmed easily, still playing with her clit. He guessed he ought to make sure there wasn’t a husband or boyfriend who was going to come home early from work, royally pissed to find his woman on the floor with a stranger. “You?”
“Yes,” she hissed, closing her eyes for a moment as he hit a spot she seemed to particularly like. “Very. Me too.”
Perfect. She felt like heaven, and she was his to fuck. He increased the pressure on that plump little bud, wanting to drive her as crazy as he felt. He didn’t recall ever being so turned-on. Everything about the moment, the wildness of being intimate with a woman he’d just met, the way her hair framed her face, the feel of her, the smell of her, combined to make him ravenous.
“I want you to come for me,” he said, loving the expression on her face. She was dazed with passion, her pupils dilated, mouth open, head tilted back, dress pulled up around her waist. He’d never seen anything sexier. He curled his finger, looking for the one spot guaranteed to make a woman lose her mind in orgasm.
And then she did, shaking against him, her pussy tightening on him in a series of delicious spasms. “Oh,” she said on a gasp.
He knew the feeling. He was pretty much beyond words himself. All he could think about was that he needed to be inside her. Now. He readjusted her so he could reach down to his jeans to undo his button and fly. His cock sprang free against her slick flesh. He wanted nothing more than to sink into her immediately, but his conscience chimed in.
Good thing he kept a condom in his wallet for emergencies. Of course, he’d never really expected to use it. He reached into his pocket and fished out his wallet, dropping it to the rug beside him.
Her eyes widened as she took in what he was doing. “Oh,” she said again, and this time her “oh” said I’m not so sure we should do this rather than I just came.
He stilled, his wallet open on the floor, fingers grazing the foil packet he’d been seeking. “Is something wrong?” he asked, dreading the answer.
She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “No. I think. It’s just that I don’t even know you.”
The look on her face said she was wondering just what kind of man was beneath her. She didn’t need to be worried. At least, he hoped she didn’t. And he was pretty sure he didn’t need to be worried about her. Nothing about her screamed crazy.
“Likewise,” he pointed out on a groan just as his cock rubbed against her wet pussy again. Somewhere, the universe was having a hell of a laugh at his expense.
“True,” she said, seemingly waging an inner debate. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be an overanalyzer.”
He understood her hesitation. This was insane in every way, but he definitely wanted to do it again. He wanted to see her again, see where things went, nuts as it sounded.
But first, he wanted to ease his raging hard-on. And if he wanted to stop her brain from whirring, he’d have to kiss her. So he rolled with her until she was on the bottom, and he had her exactly where he wanted her. He lowered his mouth to hers, effectively stilling further communication or overanalyzing on her part. Their tongues tangled, and he knew they were both back on the same page. Full speed ahead.
He wanted to see her naked. Wanted to see if her breasts were as perfect as they’d looked under that t-shirt. He caught her hem, grateful the fabric was stretchy and easily moved, and pulled it up over her luscious curves. They broke the kiss and she helped him sweep the dress over her head. The sight of her breasts, full and high, straining against a lacy black bra, was enough to make his mouth go dry. But Kassie had gone from reticent to impatient, and she caught his shirt in her hands, dragging it up and off, flinging it to a far corner of the room. Her touch on his bare chest was gentle at first, then more confident. She raked her nails down over his stomach with just enough pressure to send another surge of desire coursing through him. When her fingers closed around his cock, the breath hissed from his lungs.
That was it. He had to be inside her. Not another minute of hesitation, or he’d be coming in her hand like a teenager parked on a dark road with his date. He snatched up the condom, ripping the package open with his teeth. But the gentleman in him reminded him that he had to give her one last chance to back out, even if her clever caresses told him she was as raring to go as he.
“Are you sure you want this?” he asked her, the question almost painful.
She rubbed her thumb over the head of his cock. Her eyes were vibrant on his, unreadable. “Yes.”
It was all he needed. There was no time to shuck his jeans. No time for anything but uninhibited, mind-blowing sex. He rolled the condom on in one quick motion. “Thank God.”
She hooked her legs around his waist and arched into him, her invitation clear. Jax reached between them, teasing her clit again, gratified when he wrung another low moan from her lips. She was deliciously wet, as ready for him as he was for her. In one swift thrust, he was inside her. Jesus. She was tight and hot, and he almost came right then.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, her gaze meeting his.
Yeah, it was that good. He was fucking a woman he’d just met that morning, an out-of-towner who was as beautiful as she was complex, a potential customer to boot. It was all wrong and yet it was all so very right. He withdrew from her almost completely, then sank back into her again. The breath left her lungs, and he kept his eyes on hers, relishing the extra level of connection.
He slid a hand beneath her back, finding the clasp of her bra and popping it open. It went slack, her full breasts spilling from the cups as he continued his slow rhythm. In, out, in. Her hips worked against his, urging him on, urging him to go faster. But he wanted to tantalize them both, make it last, make them wild with wanting unti
l they came hard and fast together.
Jax pulled the bra away to reveal her perfectly rounded breasts. He couldn’t help but lower his head and suck one of her hard, pink nipples into his mouth. She cried out, thrashing against him. He raked his teeth over the sensitive nub, sensing that she liked a mixture of soft and rough, and she went almost violent beneath him.
He looked up at her, blowing on her nipple. “Do you like that?”
“More,” she said, and it was all the answer he needed.
He sucked the peak of her other breast, then gave it a gentle bite. She clenched on him, and he knew she was coming. There was no way he could hold himself back a minute more, no matter how badly he wanted to keep going. He increased his pace, slamming into her again and again. She met him thrust for thrust, her pussy tightening suddenly on his cock. And he pumped into her, coming the hardest he remembered coming. Ever.
Out of breath and nearly out of his mind, he slumped against her, careful to keep his weight braced on his forearms. Her eyes were closed, her mouth open, her chest rising and falling as quickly as his. God, she was beautiful.
The shrill ringing of a telephone intruded, breaking the comfortable silence of the moment. She stiffened beneath him, her eyes flying open. “Oh my God,” she said again.
He was beginning to think her vocabulary was severely limited. Was it him? He felt something within her changing, maybe even a shade of regret passing over her face. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. I think.” She frowned up at him as the phone kept ringing. “I should probably get that.”
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