by K. A. Linde
Annie slid out of the group of dancers and stepped up to face me. Her breath came out in a small pant. “We don’t have to do this. We can go back to the bar. I just thought…”
I stepped into her space, tilting her chin up to look at me. Her eyes widened, and she fell silent.
“I’m right where I want to be.”
She swallowed, challenge in her eyes. “Oh yeah? You like to watch me dance?”
“I think I could watch you do anything.”
She bit her lip, and I contemplated sucking it into my mouth.
Fuck. Fuck.
“Anything?”
I nodded crisply, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her tight against me. “Anything. Write grocery lists, mow the lawn, organize your bookshelves.”
She laughed, bright and unexpected. “And here I thought, you were being sexy.”
“I was. Mowing the lawn is sexy.”
She snorted, covering her mouth with her hand. “And organizing bookshelves?”
“Definitely. Reading is sexy.”
“You’re…not what I thought you’d be.”
“What did you expect?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted softly. “You’re just different.”
“Or maybe we’re the same,” I suggested, threading our fingers together.
She looked up at me with surprise, as if she’d had the same thought and not voiced it. Being here with her felt right. Normally, I’d try to play it cool, but she sliced right through that.
There wasn’t playing it cool with Annie. There was just us.
And somehow, that was a relief.
8
Annie
I’d been to West Texas Winery more times than I could count. I’d seen it in its early glory. I’d seen it empty as they struggled when the money started to run out. I’d seen it packed, like it was tonight, as they pivoted to a more traditional bar scene.
But I’d never seen it disappear.
Not while I was inside of it.
Standing there with Jordan, the dancing, music, lights, and all the people just ceased to exist. We were on the periphery of it all, and I was trapped in that dark chocolate gaze, falling deeper and deeper into the amber flecks around the ebony pupil. Put into a trance by a vacuum into space that seemed to suck us into its vortex, leaving everything else behind.
Jordan Wright had seen right into my heart and plucked out the words I’d been thinking since the pool party.
We were the same.
Somehow. Impossibly.
His hand slid down my back. My breath hitched as he passed over the inch of exposed skin before settling on my hip. I stepped into him. The pulse of energy crackled.
I’d wanted Jordan the moment I laid eyes on him, but something else was happening, and I was helpless to stop it. Even if I wanted to…which I didn’t. We were barreling forward, heedless of disaster.
My eyes dipped to his lips and then back up. Oh God, those lips. I imagined all the ways they could touch my body, and the heat between us only grew. My heartbeat sped up as he drew figure eights into my skin.
“Jordan…” I whispered.
But he didn’t let me finish. He swept his hands up into my hair, drawing my lips to his. I gasped at the sheer confidence in that touch. The way he held me in place without hesitation. Just grabbed me and dropped his mouth onto mine. He tasted like sweet sin. His lips were soft and tender. They pushed and pulled and devoured. Everything those deep, dark eyes had promised was found in that one press of his lips against mine.
A moan escaped me, and I slipped my arms around his neck, desperate to get closer. For more. For him.
His tongue brushed against mine, testing, teasing. A shiver ran down my body as all thought fled, except this precise moment in existence. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, and my eyes fluttered open long enough to see the self-satisfied look on his face.
I couldn’t even be mad. I wanted this. I wanted that goddamn self-satisfied look. I wanted it all.
It wasn’t me at all. Usually, if a guy was too into me, I got bored. If a guy thought he was too hot, I got bored. If a guy ever looked at me like that, I was already over it and moving on. And somehow, none of that bothered me with Jordan’s mouth on mine and his body grinding against me as if at any second, he might shred my clothing.
Jordan was into me, and fuck me, but he was pleased with himself for getting me turned on. I was here for it. Like I never had been before. My brain was short-circuiting as he kissed a trail down my neck, nipping at the sensitive spot.
“Oh God,” I said, barely loud enough for him to hear over the music.
I should stop this. We were in public, and while the winery wasn’t well lit, it wasn’t pitch-black either. Like other places, where no one much cared if you were near to fucking on the dance floor. I had a shred of decency telling me this needed to stop…or at least, we needed to take this somewhere else.
“Hey,” Jordan said, drawing back to meet my gaze.
My breaths were coming out even harder than when I’d been dancing. Everything felt too hot, too close, too much., and still I didn’t pull back. I didn’t let him go. I had to stop myself from demanding another kiss just like that. Because I’d never forget a kiss that left me utterly breathless.
“Why don’t we get out of here?” he suggested.
I nodded without hesitation. “That’s a good idea.”
He took my hand in his and pressed his lips to it. I leaned forward, wanting nothing more than one more of those kisses.
“Your place, or…?”
Right. He was here on vacation. He was probably sharing a hotel with his mom and brother. I hadn’t considered any of that. Frankly, I hadn’t considered much, except that he was into me and I wanted to know more about him. But now, I realized that this was going to mean going to my place.
I never took guys to my place.
It was an unwritten rule between me and Jennifer.
Besides the fact that it made her uncomfortable, I’d always been the kind of girl who liked an escape route. So that there was no question of who was staying and I could skip out at any part of the process. Having a guy in my place felt…disruptive at best. Dangerous at worst.
And yet, I found myself nodding. Because not having Jordan Wright in my house was inconceivable. He absolutely was coming back with me.
Strangely, I even wanted him there.
“My place is fine,” I said as easily as breathing.
“All right. You sure?”
I nodded again. “So very sure.”
Then I took Jordan’s hand and led him out of the winery.
I was breaking all of my rules for him. And I couldn’t seem to care one bit.
9
Annie
Before I could get all the way out of the Uber, Jordan grasped my hand, tugging me back to him. I giggled and pressed a kiss to his greedy mouth. I could hear the driver grumbling from the front seat, but I didn’t care. Not when Jordan could hardly keep his hands to himself.
We stumbled out of the car and hastened up the walk to the house I rented with Jennifer. I fumbled for my keys as Jordan’s arms wrapped around my waist from behind. He nuzzled into my neck, trailing kisses across my shoulders.
Just as I fit the key into the lock, he whirled me around and pushed me back against the front door.
“Oh,” I gasped before his lips were on mine again.
I fisted my hands into his shirt, pulling him closer and closer until I couldn’t breathe. There was no space between us. Just his hands on my body and his mouth against mine and the heat that kept building to a crescendo.
“My roommate might be home,” I managed to get out as he moved to kiss my neck.
“Will that be a problem?”
He flicked the button open on my shorts before slipping his hand in just beneath the waistline. I groaned deep in my throat, not wanting him to stop. In fact, I only wanted him to move further. To push all the way down and touch me wher
e I was aching for him.
“We’ll…we’ll have to be quiet,” I muttered.
He arched an eyebrow. That look made me bite my lip. It screamed that he wasn’t planning on keeping me quiet tonight. Did I mind? Nope. Would Jennifer? Erm…oh well.
“Well, at least until we get to my room.”
I groped with the handle, twisting it and letting us tumble backward into the house. From my vantage point, it appeared Jennifer was already asleep in her room with the lights off. She was one of those monsters that lived by the mantra early to bed, early to rise. I was as much a vampire as I could be. Nights were where I belonged. I’d never been more grateful that we lived on opposite schedules.
He toed the door closed behind him, and I put a finger to my mouth.
“Shh,” I breathed, eyeing Jen’s door. Luckily, it remained closed.
But then, he was there. Our bodies tight, his mouth against my ear as he growled, “No promises.”
I shivered.
I didn’t think I minded that he wasn’t going to be quiet. There was something about Jordan that made it all fit. Maybe it was just the straight lust building between us, but it felt like more. There was a reason that I didn’t bring guys back to my place. I wasn’t the kind of girl who got lost in guys. I made a lot of mistakes and I flirted outrageously and I enjoyed playing the field. But this was different. I didn’t have an escape route, and I didn’t even want one.
He tugged my crop top over my head, leaving me in my lacy balconette bra that did nothing to hold the girls but looked amazing as they spilled out of it. And by Jordan’s reaction, it worked.
“Which room?” he asked.
I pointed down the hall as I kicked my boots off at the door. He removed his shoes just as the opposite door creaked open.
“Annie?” a voice called. “Are you home?”
I gasped and launched for my shirt, which Jordan had discarded somewhere on the floor. I scrambled to my feet with the tiny piece of material between me and Jennifer, who was standing in her doorway in sweats and an oversize T-shirt.
“Jen! I thought you were asleep,” I said, overly cheerful.
Jordan had finished with his shoes and stood next to me.
“I was reading, but I heard voices.” Her eyes drifted to Jordan, and then they visibly rounded. “Uh…did I interrupt?”
“No!” I said quickly. “Nothing to see here.”
Jordan chuckled, and I nudged him with my elbow.
“I didn’t mean to…get in the way. Sorry about that.” She awkwardly waved at Jordan and squeaked, “Hi.”
“How’s it going?” Jordan said, completely unconcerned that I was half-undressed in the middle of our living room.
“Oh, fine. I’m just going to…” She gestured behind her. Her face was beet red, and she tried to find something to do with her hands. “Just, uh…forget that I was here. Have fun.”
Then she rushed back into her room and shut the door.
I met Jordan’s gaze, and we burst into laughter.
“Think we traumatized her?” he asked as he took the shirt from out of my hands.
“Maybe,” I said. “I don’t normally do this.”
Not here at least.
“Mmm,” he said, his hands returning to my body. “Maybe we should move this elsewhere.”
I gestured toward the bedroom, but he slipped his hands down my legs, grasped my thighs, and hoisted me into the air. I squealed, throwing my arms around him. My eyes drifted over his shoulder to Jennifer’s bedroom. I was going to have an interesting conversation with her tomorrow. But I was currently living for tonight.
Jordan walked us both down the hall to my bedroom. Before we got there, he thumped me back against the wall.
“Shh,” I whisper-shouted, a smile splitting my features.
He crushed his mouth to mine, breaking away only long enough to say, “You’re not going to be asking me to keep quiet later.”
“Oh God.”
He kissed me again with a ferocity that made my entire body shudder.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he muttered, his hands slipping up my legs as he leveraged me against the wall. “I could take you right here.”
I whimpered. My core pulsing at the filthy words.
His body ground against mine. The full length of him pressed hard against my tiny shorts.
My head fell backward with another thump that I couldn’t bring myself to care about. Jen would fend for herself. I was too focused on the precise feel of him as he worked his hips against mine.
He’d been lying about knowing how to dance. Because if the circle of his hips was any indication, he knew what he was doing.
“Please.” I didn’t know what I was begging for. For him not to stop. For him to fuck me here against the wall. For it all.
“I would,” he said, twisting the door open and shooting me a look of pure sin, “but I want to savor you.”
There was something in Jordan’s eyes when he pushed open the bedroom door and dropped me to my feet. Something even hotter than when he’d offered to fuck me right there.
“Savor me?”
“Oh yes,” he said, closing the door behind us. “I’m going to take my time.”
I swallowed in anticipation. I’d had one-night stands before. Not a ton, but a few. And the guys, in my experience, were interested in getting off and getting out. There was no savoring. There was no taking their time. Honestly, I hadn’t done anything like this with a stranger in a long time because of that very fact. Most guys who wanted to date me weren’t much better.
But here was Jordan, walking me back toward my king-size bed, decorated in soft gray and blues, and I didn’t think he was blowing smoke. He wasn’t just saying what I wanted to hear.
“You seem skeptical,” he said.
I bit my lip. My legs hit the footboard, and I leaned back against the mattress invitingly. “No, you just seemed to be in a hurry.”
“Can you blame me?”.
His hands ran down my exposed stomach before dragging the zipper down my shorts, revealing the pink thong underneath. Oh God, I couldn’t seem to get enough of him. He tugged me back to my feet to help me slide out of my shorts. My fingers grappled with the last few buttons of his shirt. I wrenched it back over his shoulders, and he let it drop to the floor, next to my shorts.
He’d said to take it slow, but I didn’t know what that meant. Not when I was staring at the planes of his tight stomach. The six-pack on display. I’d wanted to run my nails down every ridge at the pool but held back with self-restraint that I certainly wasn’t known for. I did it now. Leaving long red marks across his abs as I worked my way downward.
His eyes glazed as I got to that glorious V that led into his pants. I trailed my hands across each line, dipping my fingers into the waistline.
He might want to savor me, but I’d never been patient. My fingers deftly unbuckled his buckle, popped the button, and pulled on the zipper. His pants hung low on his waist now, and I could see the erection prominent in the black boxer briefs. My body clenched with need.
I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I slipped my hand under the material and took him fully in my hand.
Jordan inhaled sharply. His hands fisted into my hair, and he brought his lips down on mine. I held his dick between us, stroking him up and down as he ravaged my mouth with his. It was hot and feverish. I never wanted it to stop.
“Jordan,” I groaned against his mouth.
“Fuck,” was his only response.
And that was exactly how I felt. Fuck. I wanted to fuck. But I knew what came next. I knew the rhythm of this.
I looked up into those glassy sex eyes. He stepped forward, capturing one more kiss from me. Then I released his dick and dropped to my knees before him, taking his pants with me on the descent.
“Annie, wait…”
His hands were suddenly on my shoulders, pulling me back to my feet. I stood in surprise; the confusion must have been obvious on my face. I’d
been seconds from giving him a blow job. Why in God’s name had he stopped me?
“Slow down.”
I laughed brittlely. “Now you want to slow down?”
“Well, no. I don’t want to, and I’m not going to.”
“What?”
But I received no response in words. He stopped me from going down on him, but in one fluid motion, he was on his knees before me. He slid off my thong, lifted my legs off of the ground, and spread them wide before him, like a man preparing for a challenge and my orgasm was his prize.
“Wait, I can…” I gasped out.
These weren’t the steps I had expected. This almost never happened.
He shot me that wicked grin. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
10
Annie
If he wanted to go down on me, I wasn’t planning to stop him. I’d never had a man excited to do it, only to get between my legs for a quick fuck. In fact, I’d rarely had a man give two shits about what I was getting out of this. Definitely not any who moved as fast as Jordan. Men were selfish. Unfortunately, I’d learned to live with that.
Jordan was not like other men.
He spread my lips, slicking two fingers through my wetness.
“So fucking wet,” he ground out.
He ran fingers back and forth, back and forth, against the sensitive area. My body tensed and tightened as he worked me into a frenzy but didn’t take that one step forward. Didn’t slide those fingers in exactly where I wanted him. He really was going to take his time.
I whimpered, aching for more.
He chuckled. Clearly, he liked that he was driving me mad with want. But that didn’t stop him from continuing to tease me with his fingers. Then when I thought I couldn’t handle any more, he slipped his thumb up to the apex of my thighs. I jumped the first time he touched my clit. The sensation was so erotic that it was almost too much at once.
“Oh God,” I breathed.
He eased up, removing some of the pressure but continuing to move in slow, tight circles. I shuddered all over as he stroked me into submission while his fingers.
