Even now, I was sorely tempted. And yet, I wasn't quite brazen enough to make the first move, especially now, when I'd hardly seen him over the past week.
And besides, he was controlling himself just fine. Unfortunately.
This was in spite of the fact that I'd worn my skimpiest bikini – a little black thing that covered next to nothing. And, I'd been dropping subtle hints ever since I'd arrived an hour ago.
Was I trying to seduce him?
Definitely.
If only I were a little bolder, I would've ripped off my bikini fifty-nine minutes ago and pounced on him like the man morsel he was.
I felt my eyebrows furrow.
Man morsel?
Good Lord.
I shifted in the lounge, and the side of my thigh rubbed up against his leg. The leg was lean and muscular, just like the rest of his body – as I'd seen oh-so clearly today for the very first time.
Oh sure, I'd seen hints before now, but here, with very little clothing and just enough water to accent every line and ridge of his physique, I'd seen everything in all of its magnificent glory.
Or, at least, I'd seen almost everything.
Some parts were frustratingly hidden.
During the last week, I'd seen him only twice, and both times had been at the coffee shop, where we'd been seriously limited in terms of privacy and time.
In a perverse twist of fate, he'd been out of town for most of the week, and I'd had to work both nights that he had been in town. This left me no opportunity for all of the things that I'd been fantasizing about – and not just naked things, either.
There were so many things I wanted to know, including the question that he hadn't yet answered. Pulling my mind out of the gutter, I said, "Soooooo… Are you gonna tell me or not?"
He turned on his side and leaned close to nuzzle my hair. In a voice filled with sin, he said, "Tell you what?"
My breath caught. It was a totally innocent phrase, and yet, he'd made it sound like he'd just said the filthiest thing imaginable. I heard myself murmur, "Huh?"
A low chuckle sounded in my ear. "I missed you."
I felt myself smile. "I missed you, too." And then, seeing this for the distraction it was, I gave his ankle a playful kick. "But you still have to answer the question."
He lifted a single eyebrow. "Aren't you bossy?"
I laughed. "I'm not half as bossy as you are."
"How about this?" he said. "I'll tell you if you promise me something."
"What?"
"That you won't run off."
"Why would I run off?" I asked.
"Because it was damned embarrassing."
Now, I was really intrigued. Lying on my back, I gazed up at him. "Oh come on. It can't be any more embarrassing than all the stuff you've seen with my mom."
"Wanna bet?"
I smiled. "I'd love to."
Now, he was looking intrigued. "So, what kind of stakes are we talking?"
For some reason, I wanted to giggle. "Wait a minute, are we talking about a real bet?"
He shrugged. "Why not?"
"Well, for starters," I said, "I can't think of anything I have that you'd actually want."
His gaze dipped to my bikini. "You think, huh?"
Something in his voice made my pulse jump. "I, uh…" Suddenly lost for words, I felt my tongue dart out between my lips for just an instant before I somehow managed to say, "Well, I do have my swimsuit."
He gave a slow nod. "It's a nice one."
Good Lord. How could a simple nod be so sexy?
"Well…" I was feeling so stupidly breathless. "…it's all yours if you win."
He reached out and ran a single finger underneath the nearest bikini string, one of two that held up my top. "And what if I lose?"
His touch was electric, and I longed for his finger to dip lower, to trace the outline of my nipple and maybe even take it into his mouth. The air wasn't cold exactly, but there was a cool breeze coming off the water, making both of my nipples stand at attention and long to be warmed with the heat of his mouth.
The thought alone was almost too much. In a breathless rush, I blurted, "You win."
A slow smile spread across his lips. "I know.'
"Wait, how do you know?"
"I'm with you, aren't I?"
I wanted him so very much. I met his gaze. "If we go upstairs, you could be."
"Upstairs, huh?" He looked around. "What's wrong with here?"
I sucked in a breath. Here would be amazing, and yet, way too risky. "We can't do anything here." And yet, I felt myself swallow. "I mean someone might see, right?"
But Jax looked entirely unconcerned. "Like who?"
"Well, Jaden for starters."
He ran his finger just a little bit lower. The movement, as small as it was, made the fabric of my damp bikini shift maddeningly against my hardened nipple.
I stifled a moan. That shouldn't've been so exciting. It was, after all, just a finger – and just a nipple. Cripes, the finger and nipple weren't even touching.
But that finger happened to be attached to the hottest guy I'd ever met. And more than that, it was a guy I loved, a guy I'd been fantasizing about for weeks.
He gave the string a playful tug. "Out of town."
So Jaden wasn't even here? That was good. Really good. With growing excitement, I asked, "What about your cleaning people?"
"Came yesterday."
My breath was growing more unsteady with every passing moment. "Does anyone else have a key? To the house, I mean?"
"Nope."
"Are you sure?"
"Trust me." His gaze smoldered into mine. "No one – and I mean no one – is gonna look at you, but me."
Oh, boy. He was looking at me now, and I was looking at him. My gaze dipped lower and stopped at the proof of his arousal. Earlier, his swimsuit had been on the loose side.
It wasn't loose now.
In fact, it looked way too small to contain him. Like someone in a trance, I reached out and ran my hand over the massive bulge. My breath caught when it pulsed beneath my touch. He was so incredibly hard, and already, I could myself growing hot and wet under the cool fabric of my bikini bottoms.
Suddenly, upstairs seemed too far away.
He leaned his head close to mine. "Say yes."
Already, I was almost too breathless to speak. "Yes."
A million times yes.
Chapter 62
His voice was low in my ear. "That's my girl."
I was his girl. Probably, I'd been his right from the start, when I'd first seen him on that darkened street.
Funny, too. I wasn't one to believe in immediate connections, in love at first sight, or whatever else that people used to justify all kinds of crazy decisions.
But this didn't feel crazy. Or maybe it was just the right kind of crazy.
I loved him.
And he loved me, too.
Even without the words, I would've known. Already, I'd seen it in his eyes and felt it in his touch – his hand on mine, his finger tracing the contours of my face, his arms pulling me close as he kissed me on the sidewalk.
But all of that – the hand-holding, the kissing, everything – it was all a wonderful a prelude to this, the thing that I'd been craving for way too long.
Now, under the string of my bikini, his finger was inching higher, heading toward my collar bone. I stifled a whimper of frustration. It was going in the wrong direction. I wanted him to go lower, eventually much lower. Over his swimsuit, my hand was still on his erection, and I gave it a squeeze of pure longing.
His swimsuit was damp from our time in the pool, and yet, even through the cool fabric, I could feel his heat raging underneath. He was so hard. And I was so wet – and not with pool water either.
Good Lord. How could I be so ready so soon?
And why wasn't his finger heading lower? My nipple was aching for his touch. Other places were aching, too.
Soon, the answer to my silent question became
stupidly obvious.
Of course.
With agile fingers, he undid the knot holding up my bikini. With me on my back, the bikini stayed in place, with only the strings falling aside.
His voice was a low caress. "Cold?"
"No," I breathed. "I mean, yes. I, um, well, it depends on what you're asking." Quickly, I added, "I don't want to go inside though, if that's what you mean."
He gave a low chuckle. "I'll go wherever you want."
I looked down toward my torso. From this angle, I could see my nipples protruding against the damp fabric. With a breathless laugh, I said, "I guess parts of me are a little cold."
"Yeah?" He lowered his head and pressed his lips to the spot where his finger had been inching along just moments earlier. And then, he slowly moved lower, leaving a trail of kisses that led straight to the damp fabric still covering my breasts.
On the side closest to him, he nudged the fabric aside and trailed his lips lower still. Soon, his warm mouth covered my cool nipple, and I felt my eyelids flutter shut. Yes. When his tongue danced around the tip, I gave a soft moan of pure bliss.
Soon, his hand was on the other side, gently nudging down that fabric, too. His fingers captured the nipple and gave it a tender squeeze, even as his mouth worked pure magic on the other one.
This was almost too much, and yet not nearly enough. Beyond eager, I fumbled for the waistband of his swimsuit and nudged it downward, freeing him from the damp fabric.
With as eager as I was, I wanted to rip the swimsuit right off him. But even in my desperation, I realized the impossibility of such a thing, so instead, I urged, "Your swimsuit, you should take it off." I was finding it so hard to breathe. "Or better yet, let me…"
I made a move to lift myself up, but Jax wasn't budging. Against my skin, he whispered, "Not yet."
"Why not?"
"Because this." His teeth grazed along my nipple, sending little prickles of pure pleasure straight through me.
"Oh," I murmured with a little laugh. "Good reason."
I was still touching him, squeezing him, rubbing him. With every pulse in my hand and every murmur against my skin, I felt new waves of excitement building deep in my core.
In my hand, he was so massively hard, and I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to have him fully inside me.
Soon.
Or at least, it had better be soon, or I'd go absolutely insane.
I whispered, "I want you."
"I know."
I almost laughed. "Well then…"
"And you're gonna want me a lot more before I'm through."
What on Earth did that mean?
But soon, I didn't have to wonder, because his hand was heading lower, sliding down my torso until it reached the intersection of my thighs. Already, my hips were rising, and I said a silent prayer that the lounge was as sturdy as it felt, because if not, I was pretty sure we'd both be tumbling onto the patio by the time we were done.
And if that happened?
It would be so worth it.
He nudged aside the crotch of my bikini bottoms and ran a finger along my wetness. He sucked in a quiet breath before saying, "I wanted you, you know."
I was so distracted, I could hardly think. "Oh yeah?"
"When I saw you. So fucking beautiful." With a smile in his voice, he added. "And sweet." As he said this last word, he slipped a long finger inside me, and I lifted my hips, wanting more.
Somehow, I managed to murmur, "I wasn't that sweet."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Because I wanted you, too."
His tone grew playful. "And if I'd asked…?"
I paused. "Well, I would've been tempted…" My words trailed off as I felt another finger slide inside me. It felt so amazingly good.
"How tempted?"
Oh, man. What was he doing with his thumb? Whatever it was, it felt incredible. My clit was aching now, just like my nipples had been aching for more of his touch.
In fact, all of me was aching with raw need.
In a teasing tone, Jax said, "Tell me."
"What?" I gave a shaky laugh. "Oh, yeah. How tempted? Well, the thing is…"
Oh, my. That felt so good. With everything he was doing, how was I supposed to think, much less form a coherent sentence?
In a leading voice, he said, "The thing is…?"
"Well, I didn't know you all that well, and I didn't think there'd ever be anything between us." As his fingers worked their magic, I gave a muffled moan. "Just like now, I don't want anything between us."
I wasn't even sure if I was making any sense. I was definitely rambling. But seriously, how was I supposed to think straight when he was doing all of these wonderful things to my body?
I heard myself say, "Like my swimsuit. And your swimsuit, too. They shouldn't be between us."
His fingers were moving slowly in and out, driving me to distraction. I was so warm now, and I could feel the slickness between my thighs building with every delicious motion.
My eyes had been mostly shut, but now I opened them, wanting desperately to see him. When I did, I was surprised to discover that he was looking straight at my face, like I was the most fascinating person he'd ever seen.
As if.
No. He was the fascinating one, not me. And this felt like a dream, complete with the endless ocean and the sky above – but most of all, Jax.
He said, "I'm never gonna let you go. You know that right?"
I would've loved to know such a thing, but even in my blissful state, I knew there were no guarantees in this world, especially with a guy like him, who could have any girl he wanted.
But I did know one thing for sure. I wanted him. And the thought of waiting a moment longer was too unbearable to consider. I whispered, "Then maybe you should get closer."
It had to be now, because already, I was on the verge of losing it, and I wanted him inside me when it happened.
Finally, when I thought I'd go absolutely insane, he pulled back and nudged down my bikini bottoms. Desperate to have him inside me, I tugged at his swimsuit, pushing it past his hips until his body was completely free.
At last, we were both naked, and he was above me, looking down with the same desire that I felt coursing through my entire being. I reached between us, and positioned his length at my opening.
Finally, in one slow, steady motion, he slid into me, filling me so completely, I could hardly think. I could hardly breathe.
I was trying to be quiet. We were, after all, technically outdoors. And yet, I couldn't stop myself nearly as much as I wanted as he drove into me like there was no tomorrow.
I wrapped my legs around his hips and my arms around his back. We were so very close, and it felt like all my very best fantasies come to life.
Almost immediately, I felt the telltale contracting of my muscles and the fluttering in my stomach. His lips closed on mine as we continued to move, and I fell into sweet oblivion, too lost to even wonder if the chair would hold us or if anyone would hear.
But the lounge did hold, and if the neighbors heard, they didn't complain – thank goodness.
When Jax shuddered against me, I felt happy and sated in a way I'd never imagined. Who knows, maybe this was a fantasy, because things like this simply didn't happen in real life.
Did they?
Afterwards, we lay together for a long, blissful moment, listening to the waves against the shore and the wind rustling the nearby trees.
I gave a sigh of pure contentment. And then, a sudden giggle escaped my lips. "You still need to tell me, you know."
He reached up and brushed a lock of hair that fallen over my eye. "Tell you what?"
I'd meant the story of that fight, or whatever had happened, on the night of that party. But that wasn't all I wanted to know. So I answered with one breathless word. "Everything."
With a smile in his voice, he said, "How about this?" His tone grew utterly sincere. "I love you."
The words warmed my heart, and I gave
another giggle. "I love you, too, but you've still gotta tell me what happened."
And so, after a little more prodding on my part, he did an hour later when we returned to the patio.
Chapter 63
"My brother's a dick."
We were sitting in separate chairs facing the ocean. I gave Jax a confused look. It was an odd way to start a story, and I wasn't quite sure how to respond.
Jaden was a dick, but should I really agree?
He wasn't my brother, after all.
Trying to be tactful, I said, "Yeah, well, I guess he is sometimes, but he's um…" Damn it. I was trying to think of something nice to say, but nothing came to mind.
Allie hated him.
And I had to hate him, because he'd been so awful to Allie.
Now, the way it sounded, Jax hated a few things about him, too.
Lamely, I finished by saying, "…a good swimmer."
Jax lifted a single eyebrow. "A swimmer, huh?"
I cleared my throat. "Well, Allie mentioned that he swims in the ocean sometimes, so he must be a good swimmer, right?"
Already, I could feel the blush creeping up my cheeks. Sex – that had to explain it. Normally, I didn't sound quite so ridiculous. But in my own defense, the sex had been very good, fabulous actually. No wonder my brain was mushy.
Eager to move along, I said, "So, what'd he do? You said he was being a…" I still didn’t want to say it. It really did seem rude.
Jax grinned. "A dick? You can say it, you know."
"I know. I just don't want to. I mean, he's not just your brother. He's also Allie's boss."
"No," Jax said. "He's not."
My stomach sank. Oh, no. "You don't mean he fired her?"
I'd been worried about such a thing. I'd also been worried that she might flat-out quit. I didn't know what was going on at work, but I knew that it couldn’t be good.
Was that the reason Allie had been so quiet last night?
Jax said, "Don't worry. I'm not talking about Jaden."
"Oh. So, which brother did you mean?"
He frowned. "My oldest."
I tried to think. I didn't even know which one was the oldest, but that wasn't my fault. Jax had been very tight-lipped when it came to his family. "So, what's his name, again?"
One Good Crash Page 25
