“He probably has a very nice house. I’m sure he could’ve taken on quite a few long-term guests.”
Jacob grinned. “My point exactly. Needless to say, it’s for the best I didn’t end up working for him. We would never have seen eye to eye, and I’m not the kind of person who can just stand by and watch injustices being carried out. I definitely would’ve done something drastic in an attempt to make him see the error in his ways.”
“Well, I can be pretty creative when the mood strikes. I’d be happy to help you think of a few ideas, as long as we don’t end up becoming criminals.”
“He’s definitely not worth becoming a criminal for,” Jacob said. “We should talk about him sometime, though. Not tonight but sometime. In fact, let’s agree not to talk any business tonight. Deal?”
“Deal.” I didn’t even need to think about it. “Have I ever told you about the time I accidentally told airport security that my bag might explode?”
He burst out laughing. “No. You most definitely have not. I can’t wait to hear this story, though.”
“It was just one of those moments when my brain and my mouth weren’t on the same page. I went to this fantasy-book convention. I was there to do signings of my own, but I’m also a really big fan of some of the authors who were there. I ended up buying so many books and so much merchandise that I only just managed to fit it all in.”
“I think I know where this is going,” he said, his eyes looking like spun gold in the candlelight, as lit up with amusement as they were.
I nodded, even though I was at serious risk of just staring at him looking so relaxed and carefree. “I had to get a friend to sit on my suitcase to zip it up. When I got pulled over after my flight landed, I just knew a heavy book was going to fall on his foot or something. Before I thought about how to say it, the words just came flying out.”
“And you told him it might explode?” His brows went up and his chest shook with repressed laughter. “What did he do?”
“He looked at me, all horrified for a moment. Then he must’ve seen how red I got and realized I’d misspoken. Luckily, the guy had a sense of humor. He just said, ‘don’t worry, ma’am. I’ve been trained for that.’ He did take a few steps back before making me unpack my entire bag, though.”
“I can picture it so well it’s like I was there,” he said when his laughter had subsided to chuckles. “People have been arrested for much less than that. You can thank your lucky stars you got that guy.”
“I know. I was so mortified at the time that I only realized later how serious it could’ve gotten. I promised myself from that day forward that I’d never just speak again.”
“Yeah? How’s that going for you?”
I shook my head. “I’m still working on it.”
As the night wore on, I tried to find those things in Jacob that used to annoy me so much, but I just couldn’t see any of them anymore. He was honest, charming, and really funny. We laughed constantly, right up until the restaurant closed.
It felt so good to let my hair down again—literally and metaphorically—and to feel like a normal person, like myself, again. I’d been buried under so much grief and pain for so long that I’d completely lost sight of the bigger picture.
Something about Jacob was like he was reaching his hands into the dark hole I’d crawled into and was slowly pulling me back out into the world. With a firm but gentle touch, he was dragging me to the surface and making me see that I didn’t just have to survive. I could live. Thrive even.
It hurt when I thought about how I’d been these last couple of years. Katie deserved someone happy to raise her, not someone who bent and yielded at every crossroad, too afraid and consumed by guilt to laugh and have fun with her.
“I’m really glad we did this tonight,” I said as we walked out of the restaurant. “Once again, I have you to thank for a lovely, truly insightful evening.”
“I’m having a good time, too,” he said. “We should definitely do it again, but how about a walk first? I ate way too much to hit the sack right away.”
“I definitely feel the same way. I wonder how much we ended up eating. It feels like it was way more than it would’ve been if it was only a plate of food served.”
“It has to be much more.” He patted his flat stomach. “Let’s walk down the promenade. There’s an ice-cream place we can try if you’re up for it on the way back.”
“There’s always space for ice cream. Walking will just help create more space.” Jacob wrapped his hand around mine while we walked, holding it like it was an everyday occurrence.
When was the last time I held a man’s hand like this? I honestly couldn’t even remember. It felt good, though. Like everything else tonight.
We walked for about an hour, talking and eating our ice cream. When we got back to his car, I really wasn’t ready for the night to be over.
The parking lot we were in was dark, and his was one of the last cars left in it. Jacob climbed into the driver’s seat after closing the door behind me, turning in his seat before he started the engine.
His expression was soft and warm, open. “Should we go have a drink somewhere?”
I shook my head, digging deep for the confidence to do what I wanted to do. “I have a better idea.”
“Yeah?” He cocked his head. “What’s that?”
“This.” I leaned over the center console and placed my hands on his chest, lowering my mouth to his slowly enough that he could turn away if he didn’t want me to kiss him. He didn’t turn away.
One of his hands came around my back to gently pull me closer while the other burrowed into my hair, his fingers closing around the nape of my neck. Our lips brushed together softly at first, the briefest whisper of a kiss that sent micro butterflies aflutter inside me.
Awkwardly shuffling onto my seat, I tried to get even closer to him. My legs were at a weird angle, and I found myself cursing car manufacturers for not designing these things to have a bit more space to maneuver.
The tip of his tongue touched mine, sending a shiver through me that made my nipples harden and my panties damp. A soft moan escaped when our mouths met again. I threaded my fingers into his soft hair and braced myself with my free arm around his shoulders.
All too soon, the windows were steamed up and it would be obvious to anyone what we were doing in there. Reluctantly pulling back, I rested my nose beside his and tried to get my breathing under control.
“Your idea was much better than mine,” he whispered, his lips so close to mine that I felt them move when he spoke. “I hate that we have to go home to our own beds tonight.”
“Do we, though? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go home alone. Maybe we could sneak into your place. What time does Jamie usually leave?”
“She sleeps over often. How about I give her a call to find out if she can sleep there tonight? We can go back to your place. Just the two of us.”
“I think the girls would love a sleepover, but isn’t it too late of a notice for Jamie?”
He shook his head. “She always brings an overnight bag with her in case I end up working too late or whatever. Like I said, she’s been with us for a long time. She’s probably in bed already. The guest room is practically hers.”
My teeth sank into my lower lip while I thought. “If you’re sure it’s not going to be a problem.”
“Only one way to find out, but my phone is in my pocket.” He brushed the back of his hand against my nipple while trying to wedge his hand in between us, and another involuntary moan came out of me.
“I really hope she can sleep over,” I muttered as I moved back to give him space.
A minute later, we were on our way to my house. I smiled when Jacob reached for my hand and kept it under his. “She really is the best. I can’t believe it was that easy.”
He brought our joined hands to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “She’s been a godsend, but I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated her more than I do tonight.”
/>
“Will she be okay getting the girls to school in the morning?” I asked. I knew I was ruining the mood, but I needed to be sure before I ended up driving over there at some ridiculous hour of the morning just because I couldn’t relax.
Glancing at me in the dim interior of the cab, he waited until I brought my eyes to his before nodding firmly. “She’ll be fine. Really. She’s even studying early childhood education. The school knows her because she’s done several internships there. Just trust me, okay?”
I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly while I turned this new information over in my mind. “Okay, I trust you.”
Surprisingly, it was true. Jacob had a lot more experience with all this than I did, and more than that, I remembered how often Katherine and I stayed with our babysitter. We used to love it.
Katie had a sitter who used to watch her for my sister. I should contact her again.
The thought hit me like a ten-pound hammer. I’d been so obsessed with trying to be there for Katie twenty-four-seven that I’d never even thought about the fact that she had a babysitter who used to care for her too.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Jacob asked. “It looks way too serious to be thought of before I do what I’m about to do to you.”
“It’s nothing too serious. Just the blinders coming off some more, but that’s one way to snap me out of it.” I fanned myself, winking when I glanced at him. “I might need some more details, though. What exactly are you about to do to me?”
“That’s for me to know and for you to find out, but I think you’re going to like it. It involves you screaming my name for the rest of the night.”
I swallowed heavily, all the moisture in my body suddenly having decided to go on vacation down south. “I think you’re right. I think I will like that. I also can’t even really remember what I was thinking about before.”
“That’s okay. We’ll figure it out tomorrow morning. Until then, I plan on doing my best to keep you out of your head. I hope you’re okay with not getting much sleep tonight.”
“That’s a big game you’re talking, Mr. Parker. I hope you can keep your end of the bargain.”
“Oh, I’ll keep it,” he said. “That’s a promise.”
Chapter 30
Jacob
I should never have promised that I’d keep her up all night. We were barely in her bedroom and I, like her suitcase, was ready to explode.
Slow down, Jacob. Just breathe.
We hadn’t stopped kissing since we got inside, and a lamp had toppled over when we crashed into a side table in our haste to get to her room. I’d lost my shoes, shirt, and belt on the way, and the scooped neckline of Laurie’s soft dress had been pushed aside to reveal a black satin bra.
In the ambient light coming into the bedroom from outside, I could see the peaks of her nipples when we broke apart as my legs hit the bed. I sucked in a breath, running my hand from her collarbone down between her breasts.
I needed to slow this down, and now that we were in her bedroom, it seemed like a good time to start. Just breathe before you embarrass yourself and break your promise.
“Turn around,” I murmured, looking into her green eyes. The shadows falling over us made them seem almost transparent, but nothing could’ve hidden the desire in them as her tongue swept across her lips.
She held my gaze for a beat before doing what I’d asked, showing me her back while thinking one step further by moving her hair over her shoulder. My hands trembled when I brought them to the top of the zipper, my body so damn primed that I groaned when I noticed the goosebumps on her skin as I slowly unzipped her dress.
Once it parted, I hooked my thumbs into the straps and rolled the sleeves down the lengths of her arms. I had to step forward to do it, pressing my front to her back. A low hum of pleasure came from her when I pressed up against her, and I gritted my teeth and tried to keep my focus on her.
This urgent, animalistic need I felt for her as soon as we touched was something new for me. After the first couple of times, I thought it would be sated but it wasn’t. If anything, it just seemed to be getting worse.
She pulled her hands free from the sleeves, and without anything keeping it up, the dress fell in a pool around her feet. I trailed my fingertips back up her arms, tracing the graceful curve of her shoulder before pinching the clasp of her bra between my fingers.
I repeated my actions by dragging the straps down her arms, and her breathing sped up when her upper body was completely exposed to the air. Her bedroom was cool, but her skin was as heated as mine.
Once the bra joined her dress on the floor, I took my time running my fingers down her sides as I knelt behind her. The ankle boots she had on had short zippers on the insides of her ankles, but I didn’t go for them just yet.
I caressed her hips, her thighs, and her calves before finally freeing her feet from the boots. Once I had the zippers down, I held up a hand for her to take. “Hang on to me and lift, would you?”
My voice was gravelly, but there was nothing I could do about it. Nor would I want to. I wanted her to know how much she affected me. How much I wanted her.
She placed her warm hand in mine, shifting her weight to lift first one foot and then the other. I slid the boots off and dropped them at her sides, which left me with only her panties.
The anticipation of getting them off her and what I would do first once I had her naked made me groan again. Because holy fuck there are so many options.
They raced through my mind, replaying every dirty dream I’d had about her, and since I’d been dreaming about her pretty much since I met her, there were a lot of scenarios to get through.
I glanced up, seeing her half twisted around to look down at me, her head tilted forward and her hands twitching like she wanted to do something with them. “Touch yourself for me.”
Her eyes flew wide open at my whispered command. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” I kept my eyes on hers as I snapped the elastic waistband of her panties against her hip. “Play with your nipples. I can’t reach and I’m not quite done down here.”
She made a soft noise before she nodded, closing her eyes as her hands traveled slowly across her stomach. The sight made me come very, very close to abandoning my plan and trying again later, but as much as I wanted to toss her down on her bed and fuck her hard and fast, I wanted to not rush this more.
I stroked my fingers along her thighs, dragging my fingertips from the outside in and going fractionally higher with every pass. Laurie held very still but complied when I applied pressure to her legs to let her know I wanted her to spread them a little.
When she did, I moved my hands higher, still only moving them up almost infinitesimally. By the time I reached her panties, I could hear her soft pants.
Her head was dipped back now, her eyes still closed while she softly tugged at her nipples. God, I love those tits.
I’d bury myself in them if I could, but I was neither a teenager nor a hooligan. One day very soon, I was going to come on them, though. If she lets me.
In an effort to stop thinking about that particular scenario, I refocused my attention on her panties. My fingers dipped into the front panel, but when I felt how wet she was, I withdrew them. Fast.
I was all for teasing, but I wasn’t into denial. Grabbing hold of the sides, I unrolled them until they fell to the floor before standing up.
My dick protested the move since it meant my slacks tightened against them as I stood, but it was better this way. He had to stay caged a while longer anyway.
Placing a soft kiss at the top of her spine, I moved my hands to take over from hers while whispering in her ear. “Lie down on your stomach for me, baby.”
I pinched her nipples before soothing them with softer touches. When she tried to reach for me, I shook my head. “Let me do this first, okay? I really want to and I don’t know how long I’ll last once you touch me.”
It probably wouldn’t be very long.
> “Okay, but it’s my turn after,” she said before the mattress dipped when she put her knee on it. She lay down like she was on a mission to torture me, one limb at a time and spreading her legs slightly once she was on her stomach.
I barely saw the glistening between her legs in the low light, but just that one peek was enough to make me moan and grit my teeth. “Fuck, Laurie. Do you have any idea how much you turn me on?”
She wiggled her delectable butt in response. “Why don’t you come over here and show me?”
“Gladly.” I grabbed her ankles once I was on my knees at the foot of her bed, dragging her down until I could reach her if I leaned over. Once she was where I needed her, I parted her legs with my fingers squeezing her thighs.
A muffled moan sounded, and I looked up to see she’d buried her head in her comforter. “We’re here alone, babe. You don’t have to be quiet tonight. There will be plenty of times in the future when you’ll have to keep it down, so do me a favor and let me hear you, okay?”
If she was surprised by my reference to the future, she was too worked up to want to stop and talk about it now. Thank God.
It’d slipped out, but that didn’t make it any less true. We could discuss it later if she wanted to. Right then, I had other things in mind.
I kept my touch light when I moved it up, and her hips started grinding against the mattress. Perfect.
Moving my head forward, I blew onto her to let her know what I was about to do, then gave her a first, long lick. She squirmed underneath me but lengthened her back to press herself closer while spreading her legs even wider.
So my girl likes this, huh? I’d have to remember that. Increasing the frequency and pressure of my tongue on her in response to the sounds she made and what made her grind harder, I banded one arm around her hips to keep her in place before sinking a finger inside her.
My own hips started pumping against the base of the mattress to find some relief when I felt how hot and slick she was. She came apart minutes later, screaming my name into her mattress while her muscles tensed and her legs closed in a vise grip around my head.
Desperate For You Page 19