by Jaci Burton
That’s what he wanted for her, to let go of that tight tension, to feel her body go lax and fluid.
And he knew just what he needed to do to get her there.
Josie’s entire body was taut with need. Zach had her wound up like a knotted rubber band, every nerve ending tuned in to his movements, the feel of his breathing, his scent, and the way he took his time to get to know her body.
She had thought they’d have this wild fling of passion, that it would be over in minutes, both of them sweaty and gratified. And done.
She’d been so wrong, because at the moment he was leisurely kissing her hip bones as he made his way down her body, and she was nearly hyperventilating from his mouth mapping its way across every inch of her skin.
Not that she was complaining. She was just … surprised. Oh, so pleasantly surprised.
And when he moved toward her sex, spreading her legs, and put his mouth there, she arched up and cried out, needing this release.
Zach took her there, giving her just what she needed, that oh-so-languorous sweet ride to heaven, with a tease of delicious hell mixed in. She dug her heels into the mattress and fell right into the oblivion of her orgasm, giving him what he’d coaxed out of her, unashamedly chasing the climax he’d brought out of her all too quickly.
She fell back against the mattress gasping and waited for her breathing to return to normal before she opened her eyes and saw that Zach had moved up beside her, his fingers dancing lazy circles around her skin.
“You’re very good at this.”
He leaned over and kissed her, a soft kiss that left her feeling drunk with desire. When he lifted his mouth from hers, his lips curved. “You make me want to be good at this.”
She traced her finger over the fullness of his bottom lip. “Oh, I don’t know. I think you’re already an expert. I didn’t even have to draw you a road map to all my hot spots.”
He rolled over, then circled her nipple with his fingertip. “Guys need road maps?”
“Some of the ones I’ve known need a GPS to lead them to the promised land.”
He laughed. “Hey, if there’s someplace you need me to go and I’m not getting there, feel free to tell me.”
She felt relaxed and easy with him, and that was nice. “I don’t think you’ll need a GPS—or me—to tell you anything. Something tells me you already know.”
“Hey, thanks. But just in case, I’m happy to be directed.”
She cupped the back of his neck and pulled him toward her. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
All thoughts of direction were forgotten when his body covered hers. He kissed and touched her fully, taking possession of her body. She was so fully immersed in him, so connected to him, she felt melted to the mattress.
She wound her leg around him and lifted, rubbing herself against his erection. Lightning shocks of pleasure surged through her, and all she wanted now was to feel Zach moving inside of her.
When he lifted his lips from hers, she gently pushed on his chest and he raised himself off her. “I’ll be right back.”
She slid out from under him and made a quick dash to the bathroom. She came back a few seconds later with a box of condoms.
Zach had rolled over onto his back, and Josie heaved an appreciative sigh. Now that was a sight. An amazingly gorgeous man in her bed—with a huge erection.
Not wanting to lose the, uh, momentum, she quickly opened the box and tossed a packet at him. By the time she laid the box on the nightstand and climbed back into bed, he had the condom on and was pulling her toward him.
She rolled over onto her side to face him, flinging her leg over his hip.
In an instant, she was on her back, Zach looming above her.
“What?” she asked. “Enough foreplay for you?” She raked her nails over his shoulders, feeling the tension there.
He picked up one of her legs and bent it at the knee, sliding against her to tease her flesh with his. “I think we’ve waited long enough for this, don’t you?”
She offered up a smile. “I couldn’t agree more. So, what are you waiting for?”
She arched against him. He leaned in and kissed her, his kiss accompanied by a growling groan that sparked her passion from flaming to fiery hot. And when he slid inside of her, she gasped against his lips, her body tightening around him.
He lifted up and swept his hand over her forehead, then down the side of her face.
“Feel that?” he asked.
She surged upward, pulling him in deeper, her insides tingling in response. She gasped out her reply. “Oh, I definitely feel it.”
“Yeah, the way you wrap around me, Josie. Tight and hot and pulsing. You feel so good.”
He focused on her face while sweeping his hand along the side of her body, forcing her to stay in the moment, to stay there with him through every delicious stroke. Her breathing quickened, and she thought she might die from the sensations.
Could someone die from awesome sex? She felt like she couldn’t breathe, that at any moment she’d explode from the exquisite pleasure of his hands teasing her nipples, his tongue slowly teasing hers, and his cock taking her on a slow ride to oblivion.
Tension built, and she chased her impending orgasm until she felt dizzy.
Zach increased the pace, giving her that friction she needed to go sailing into her climax. When he shuddered against her and she heard his groans, she dove even deeper into that maelstrom of wild pleasure.
She wasn’t sure, but she might have passed out. Or stopped breathing. She could be dead.
That had been intense. Or at least the best sex she’d ever had. It had been perfect. Zach had been perfect, as if he’d been made for just her.
She stilled, looking over at Zach, who had rolled off and laid on his back, breathing heavily.
She stared up at the ceiling, mentally chastising herself for romanticizing the sex. Really awesome, amazing, oh, God, it had felt incredible. But that’s all it had been.
Just sex. Nothing more than that.
Zach rolled over and grasped his own throat. “Dying of thirst. Trapped in bedroom. Evil killer cat outside door. Might not make it till morning.”
She laughed and shoved at him. “I’ll get us some water.”
“Or, you know, it’s still early. We could still make the movie. Or maybe go out and have some pizza.”
Her stomach grumbled at the mention of food. “Oh, pizza. I am kind of hungry.”
He got up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Let’s do it.”
She got up and went into the bathroom to clean up. She slid into jeans and her white top, slipped her tennis shoes on, and looked in the mirror in the bathroom to see how badly her makeup had been smudged.
Zach came up behind her and kissed the side of her neck. “Not sure what you’re searching for, but you look hot.”
She rubbed her finger under her lower lashes where her mascara had smeared. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do. “You made me a little messy.”
He nuzzled her neck and reached around to cup her breasts. “I like you a little messy. And you taste good.”
Just thinking about the ways he’d had his mouth on her made her body heat up, tingles of pleasure shooting straight to her core. She shivered and pressed back against him. “Pizza or sex, Zach.”
He straightened, then frowned at her in the mirror. “That’s not fair. You can’t make me choose between the two.”
She laughed, then bumped him back so she could skirt around him. “I’ll make the decision. I’m hungry. We can have sex after pizza.”
He let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine. But I’ll need a minute because you made me hard.”
She looked down at his erection straining against his zipper. Now it was her turn to sigh. If she wasn’t so hungry, she’d drag him back to bed right now.
Then again …
She slanted a wicked smile at him. “We could have pizza delivered.”
He grasped her hands and led her back toward t
he bed. “Did I ever mention how sexy a smart woman is?”
She laughed, and when they got to the bed, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “No, but once we’re naked, we can discuss it in depth.”
“Happy to. But one thing.”
“Sure.”
“Order the pizza first.”
She laughed and pulled out her phone.
Chapter 19
* * *
BOOK CLUB NIGHT was always so much fun, and Josie looked forward to it, not only for the book discussion, but because it gave her an opportunity to catch up with all her friends.
Now that so many of her friends were married, coupled up, or had kids, it was getting more and more difficult to get everyone together. She was the newest to the group, but with this particular bunch of women, they’d adopted her as one of their own right away, and it was as if she’d been with them forever.
Tonight they were going to discuss Beverly Jenkins’s latest historical romance. Josie had devoured the book in two days, and she couldn’t wait to get to book club for the discussion. She had loved it so much, she’d called Jillian, and they’d spent an hour on the phone gushing about it. And now they were going to get to talk about it again with all their friends.
So on Thursday night, she gathered up her book bag, said good-bye to Tumbles and Arthur, and drove to Loretta’s bookstore, the Open Mind, where they always held book club. Jillian was pulling up right behind her, so Josie waited for her.
“I’m so excited to talk about this book,” Jillian said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and then linking arms with Josie.
“Me, too. How was your day?”
“Great. Jeff took me to lunch.”
“Really. And how’s that going?”
“I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s going really well. Oh, did I tell you he stayed over Saturday night?”
“You did not.”
“He did. We went out to dinner—this awesome seafood restaurant in Tulsa. And then we came back to my place, and we shared a bottle of wine.”
Jillian shot her a smile. “That sounds romantic.”
“It was. We talked for hours. We always have so much to talk about. His work, my work, our pasts, our future. It’s like we fit, you know?”
Josie nodded.
“And then it got late and we had finished off the bottle, and one thing led to another, so he stayed over.”
Jillian gave her a happy shrug and a grin. “And by stayed over, I mean there was sex.”
Josie laughed at her friend’s exuberance. “I kind of gathered that. So things are progressing nicely between the two of you.”
“Very nicely. He’s so incredibly hot, and he has amazing hands. Of course, he’s a doctor, so I should have known about the hands.”
Josie figured she wouldn’t mention that history teacher slash football coach Zach had pretty darn good hands as well. Since her friend was on a roll talking about her sexual escapades, it would be bad form to one-up her BFF.
“Yes, good hands are important.” They stopped at the front door to Loretta’s bookstore, and Josie rested her hand on the doorknob. “I like seeing you happy like this, Jillian.”
Jillian smiled, then let out a contented sigh. “I like being this happy. But it almost feels too good to be true.”
“What does?”
“Jeff. How I feel about him. It’s happening so fast. He’s almost too perfect. He texts me periodically throughout the day to see how my day is going. We go out to lunch. We see each other all the time. He’s kind to me, and the sex is … ”
Josie waited while Jillian formulated the words to describe what, obviously to her, was something monumental.
“Well, the sex is mind-blowing.”
Josie laughed, and they walked inside the bookstore. “Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”
“I guess. Maybe I was imagining a relationship to be more … I don’t know. Dramatic?”
They waved to Kendra, one of Loretta’s employees, as they made their way to the back of the store.
“It doesn’t have to be dramatic. You don’t want it to be dramatic, do you?”
“No, of course not.”
“Good. A relationship can be two people who find each other and have a great time when you’re together.” She spotted their friends, and they made their way over.
“Hey,” Loretta said as she hurried past. “Got a customer, but I’ll be there in a sec.”
“Okay,” Josie said.
“I guess you’re right,” Jillian continued as they arrived at the spot where they held book club. “But I have all these feelings, Josie. All these emotions I can’t contain. I think I’m falling in love.”
Josie stilled at Jillian’s words and sat in the nearest spot. For some reason she suddenly felt cold. Why was she so cold?
Chelsea had just come out of the restroom and was sliding into one of the soft, comfortable chairs. “Who’s falling in love?”
“I might be,” Jillian said as she set her bag down and made her way to the coffeemaker by the window.
“Really. With Dr. Armstrong?”
Jillian nodded, then made herself a cup of coffee. “We’ve been dating.”
“Obviously seriously dating if you’re talking the L word,” Megan said as she set out a plate of baked goods. “That didn’t take long, Jillian.”
Jillian sat next to Josie. “Is there a time requirement on love?”
“Not for me there wasn’t,” Emma said, balancing her cup of coffee on her lap. “You love when you love.”
“I agree,” Sam said. “I don’t even remember when I realized I was in love with Reid, or how much time had passed from the time we got together to the time I fell in love with him. It just … happens when it happens.”
Des came out of the ladies’ room with Molly and took a seat. “Love? You just … fall. For all of us, it was at different times. But the one thing I do know is that there’s no timeline.”
Molly nodded and went over to the bar to grab a cup of coffee. “I fought my attraction to Carter. But there was no denying I fell hard and I fell fast. Sometimes love just slaps you upside the head, and you can’t avoid it.”
Chelsea laughed. “No matter how hard we resist.”
Josie finally found her voice, because it had taken her brain cells a few minutes to catch up. “I don’t know that I agree with all of you. I mean, having a relationship with someone is one thing. You know, the dating thing with movies and meals and vacations together and sex and all that. But don’t you feel like you should really get to know the ins and outs of someone before you can say you love them? Like … years of togetherness?”
Chelsea snorted. “No. I think you can tell within a few weeks if a relationship is going to cut it. Don’t you all agree?”
“Definitely,” Emma said with a nod.
“I totally agree with that,” Megan said. “When I was out there dating, I could tell within the first hour whether I was compatible with a guy. And especially when I wasn’t.”
“How about with you and Brady?” Emma asked.
Megan inhaled, let it out. “Brady was … well, he was something special. It’s like there was a slam, pow, wow, you know?”
“But did you know it was love?” Josie asked.
“Love? Not right away. But I knew Brady was something special.”
Loretta came over. “Sorry, I had to get a customer lined out with a few hard-to-find books. But the store is getting ready to close, and Kendra can handle that, so I’m free. What did I miss?”
“We’re discussing how long it takes to fall in love,” Molly said, motioning with her head toward Jillian. “Jillian thinks she’s falling in love with Dr. Jeff, and Josie thinks it takes years to figure out love.”
“Oh. Well, that’s an interesting topic. Let me grab some tea and join in.”
“I think you can think you love someone, but it takes some maturity to separate out infatuation from horniness from love.”
Everyone
looked at Jane, who shrugged. “What? I got divorced. After that, I had some time to think about where it all went wrong. And then I met Will and realized that hot passion and the right guy can go hand in hand. I just started out with the wrong guy. But men of substance aren’t exactly a dime a dozen.”
They all raised their cups and said, “Truth,” in unison.
Chelsea laughed. “I was the queen of dating all the wrong men for a lot of years. And then there was Bash, who I was convinced was the wrong guy. So even when we think we’re dating the wrong man, he can often turn out to be the right man.”
Josie felt like they were talking in circles. “That’s my point exactly. You have to get to know someone before you can truly say you love them. I was in a relationship when I lived in Atlanta, and I was convinced he was the one. The. One. He was smart and sweet and he did nice things for me, and we spent almost all our time with each other. We even moved in together. We were together two years, and I thought I knew everything about this guy.”
“So what went wrong?” Des asked.
“I’m going along thinking we’re heading toward marriage, you know? And it wasn’t like that topic was all in my head, either. He and I had talked about having a future together. Then one day, out of the blue, we were sitting at the kitchen table having breakfast, and he told me he just didn’t feel it between us anymore and he was moving out.”
Jillian’s eyes widened. “What? You never told me this.”
“I never told anyone about it. It’s not like you broadcast getting dumped.”
“Oh, honey, we’ve all been dumped,” Megan said.
Emma nodded. “We could hold a weekend getaway and do nothing but talk about lousy relationships in our past.”
“So true,” Loretta said.
Josie looked around and saw the sympathetic faces of her friends, and realized she wasn’t the only one who’d been through this. So maybe no one would judge her for having made the wrong choice in a guy. “I was shocked, of course, and asked him what was wrong. He gave me the old ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ speech and said he needed to find himself or some bullshit like that. I found out later that he had a girlfriend in another city that he’d been seeing for a year.”
