“This isn’t going anywhere,” she said flatly.
“Seemed like we were on the right track.” He sat up straighter and placed a kiss to the exposed skin between her breasts.
She melted a little at the tenderness of the kiss, which further rattled her. Addy didn’t melt.
“I mean us, Jake. This is just one night to get it out of our systems. Nothing more.”
His jaw clenched for only a second. She might have imagined it.
“Works for me.” Gripping her hips harder, he lowered his mouth to her neck.
“Your brother is married to my best friend. We…” Good Lord, he knew just how hard to suck. “We can’t let this get awkward.” He continued his oral assault while he untied her halter from behind her neck. The royal-blue material slid down her breasts, and he grazed his teeth along the overly sensitive tip of the taut peak.
She clung to his head, holding him to her as she struggled to remain coherent enough to speak. “I mean it, Jake,” she panted out. “If we do this…” If?
His hand pushed up her thigh, and his thumb brushed over her panties. She was breathing too hard. Her mind flitted away with every stroke of his thumb, every slick of his tongue.
“They can’t know.” She closed her eyes as his thumb snuck beneath her panties. “Jake.” He continued teasing, moving to the other breast as he stroked her most sensitive nerves, thrusting his fingers deep inside her. She gasped at the exquisite intrusion, but lingering in the recesses of her mind was the need to know he’d heard her.
“Jake!” She grabbed his wrist and he leaned back, looking annoyed. “Do you even hear me?”
“I’m busy, not deaf,” he said sternly.
“This is important. I need to know you won’t let things get awkward, or brag about this.”
“I assure you,” he said, his fingers moving adeptly inside of her, stroking the spot that made her toes curl under, “there will be no awkward naked moments or bragging.”
She squeezed his wrist, a smile curving her lips despite herself. She couldn’t help it. She loved that he was as much of a smart-ass as she was. “I mean tomorrow.” She tried not to think too hard, because after the way the thought of tomorrow had stolen her concentration just now, she didn’t want to chance getting sidetracked again. She wanted this with Jake. Hell, she’d wanted it for so long she was surprised she had enough rational thought left to think about the consequences at all. She just needed this assurance. Then she could go back to having her way with Mr. Sinful Pleasures.
He withdrew his hand from between her legs and gripped her thighs again. “I thought we were both on the same page. That this is a hookup.”
Why did that sting? “We are. I was just making sure.”
“No second thoughts?” His expression turned serious.
“No. As long as you’re not going to get all weird and jealous, like you did with Niko.” She was not new to one-night stands, and she wasn’t worried about feeling regretful tomorrow, because this was her decision, and she was going in with her eyes wide open. Aren’t I? She hoped she really could keep this to a one-night stand. But one thing was certain. She couldn’t risk making things uncomfortable for Gabriella and her family.
JAKE CLENCHED HIS jaw. He’d been as shocked as she was over his jealousy. It had been a momentary lapse in judgment, that was all, but he had trouble making that feel true. Thinking fast to cover his tracks, he said, “That wasn’t jealousy. I was protecting you.”
She crossed her arms, looking hotter than hell with her breasts perched high and a scowl on her magnificent mouth. “Protecting me?”
“From making a mistake. A guy like Niko is looking for a wife, and you’ve made it clear that relationships aren’t your thing.”
She seemed to think about that, her expression serious. He hoped like hell she believed it, because it was partially true. Niko had said he hoped to find the right woman to marry soon, and she’d made no bones about the fact that she’d never been a relationship girl.
She huffed out a breath and her arms dropped to her sides. “How kind of you.” Each word dripped with sarcasm. “But I don’t need protecting.”
“Every woman needs protecting,” he said sharply.
“Jake! I’m not arguing this ridiculous point with you again. I have no idea what I’ll do ten minutes from now, much less tomorrow. I might meet a guy I’m interested in, and I don’t want to worry about you getting all weird about it.”
“I promise you, sexy girl. Once we do this, the only thing you’ll want tomorrow is a rerun of tonight. You’ll feel me with every move you make. And flirting with any other guy won’t even enter that bright mind of yours, because every single thought will bring you back to me.” Holy fuck, he wanted that. He wanted that so badly he vowed to make it happen.
She laughed. “You’re an ass, you know that?”
That laugh, that smile… “So I’ve been told.”
He eyed her breasts and realized she had absolutely no embarrassment sitting there half naked in front of him. He liked that a whole hell of a lot. Until he thought about it a little more, bringing all her sassy attitude into focus, and realized she must have been naked with a lot of other guys. Another unfamiliar wave of jealousy hit him, and it took all his focus to push past it.
“I will not think of you in that way after tonight,” she said firmly. “Just reassure me you won’t get weird.”
“No worries in that department, sexy girl.” Okay, so that was an outright lie. There was no way he could rein in his jealousy after this. He had no idea what was going on in his fucked-up head, but there was no way he was turning back when everything he wanted was right there in front of him.
“Okay,” she said, her voice a little less confident. “Because after tonight you’ll be safely in the friend-I’ve-done zone. No repeats. No weirdness.”
He nearly choked on the urge to ask her how many friends she’d done. But he wasn’t about to go there and screw up his one chance with her.
“Any other questions?” He moved lower and flicked his tongue over her nipple.
“No. Stop talking and get busy.” She closed her eyes as he chuckled, and he drew her nipple against the roof of his mouth.
“God I love that,” she said breathlessly.
Grinding her ass against him, arching her back, she held on to his biceps, making his entire body throb. A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind. He wanted her naked, beneath him in his bed, on all fours, in the shower. He wanted her every which way he could have her, but they were outside, and he had only two condoms in his wallet. He never left the house unprepared, but nothing could have prepared him for the onslaught of emotions bowling him over at the thought of a single night with Addy.
He had to break free from whatever craziness was taking over his mind, and treat her as if she were any other one-night stand and not the woman he’d dreamed of sinking deep inside every damn night of the week. Wrapping his hands around her ribs, he lifted her from his lap and set her on the table. She grabbed his open shirt and tore it the rest of the way down his arms.
“Off,” she said in one long breath.
He looked around the property again. Save for the distant sounds of the ocean and the rustling of the leaves, there were no signs of life. The bluff was high above the rest of the town, and the enormous villa was used only for celebrations. They were definitely alone. Still, he felt compelled to make sure she was still cool with where they were. “Are you okay right here?”
She was reaching for the button on his pants and stopped, giving him a deadpan stare. “I’m sitting on a table with my boobs hanging out and now you ask me?”
“Hey, we’ve been a little sidetracked.”
She tugged at his button. “Stop worrying about me. I’m a big girl. I want this, so hurry up before I change my mind.”
He pushed her legs apart and stepped between them, drawing her against him. A hot ache grew in his throat as unexpected emotions piled up inside him. He slanted his mout
h over hers, kissing her hard to chase them away, but they burrowed deeper inside him. She wrapped her legs around his waist with a needy moan. Cupping her face between his hands, he drew back just far enough to gaze into her beautiful eyes, taking his time to really see her. The longing look in her eyes, her parted, glistening lips, and the flush of heat on her cheeks brought another tidal wave of unfamiliar emotions. He rode the wave this time, battling the need to push it away and reveling in the way they made him feel. He expected this to be a fast, reckless fuck, not a lesson in being careful what he wished for.
“Don’t change your mind, Addy. Not about this.” He wanted to say about us but chickened out. He was no longer sure why he thought he’d ever be able to walk away from her after this.
Heat pulsed in the silence, and something in her eyes told him she was feeling their overwhelming connection, too.
“I won’t. I want you, Jake.”
He helped her off with her dress, spreading it out behind her, over the tablecloth, his mind fully absorbed in the intimacy of the moment. She was gorgeous, looking up at him with those big hazel eyes, watching his every move as he withdrew his wallet and the condoms from within and set them beside her. His eyes raked down her body to a small tattoo between her left hip and the juncture of her thighs. She inhaled a jagged breath, looking vulnerable again, and his heart took notice, slowing him down.
“What’s this?” He ran his fingers over the inked image of something tangled up in chains. It was too dark to make out the details of the design.
She swept his fingers away, a look of discomfort in her eyes. “Nothing. Hurry up.”
Making a mental note of the nerve he’d struck, he stepped from his clothes. Keeping one hand on her knee, unwilling to completely break their connection, he took her in his arms. He was surprised to feel her trembling.
“Cold?” he whispered in her ear.
She shook her head.
He touched his lips to hers, kissing her slow and deep, and enjoying it immensely. Slow and Jake had never gone hand in hand, but the unexpected vulnerability Addy had revealed made him want to be careful with her.
“I really dig kissing you, sexy girl,” he murmured, and felt her smile as he kissed her again, harder this time, more possessive.
But kissing her wasn’t enough, and before long he was kissing a trail down her neck and between her breasts, over her taut belly, to the tender skin below her belly button. He lingered there, loving the way her stomach quivered beneath his touch. He wanted to touch and taste every inch of her gorgeous body, but he was too impatient. His body pulsed with greed, wanting all of her at once, and he splayed his hands over her thighs, spreading them farther apart, enjoying the hitching of her breath as he brought his mouth to her sweet center.
“Oh, God, Jake.” She writhed against him, grabbing at his shoulders.
When he brought his fingers into play, she made a long, low, pleasure-filled sound that was so erotic he wanted more. He ate at her, teasing and searching for the magical spots that would send her spiraling into oblivion. Her legs flexed, her hips rose off the table, and she curled her fingers into his skin, giving in to the passion between them.
“Jake—”
Her body quivered and quaked, shuddering through her climax. He stayed with her, riding the wave with her, until she fell back limp and breathless. He held her close, wishing they were in his bed, in a room where he could close the rest of the world away. For once, the confinement would be welcome. He rose, and she sat up with him, clinging to his biceps with shaky hands as he rolled on a condom. He kissed her again, aligning their bodies. She held him so tight, kissed him so hard, he couldn’t hold back, and he drove into her in one hard thrust. Her fingernails dug into his skin, and a sound somewhere between a mew and a plea escaped her lungs. They both stilled.
“Sweet Jesus.” She was clamped around his shaft so tight it blew his mind. Their mouths were still touching, their breath comingling. He pushed his hands beneath her hair and cradled the back of her head, drawing her face away so he could look into her eyes, but they were closed. She had to feel what he felt, like they were lock and key, made for each other. “Addy,” he said, at a loss for any more words.
She opened her eyes and he saw something bigger than lust staring back at him, but in the next second it was gone, replaced with that seductive glimmer she wore like a shield. “Didn’t I tell you to stop talking ages ago?” She pulled him in for a kiss, and this time he listened.
He didn’t say another word. All she got were grunts and groans as he struggled to hold in his emotions. Until her third orgasm, when lights exploded inside his head and his emotions roared to life, sending careful and cool out with the tide. He followed her into oblivion, chanting her name like a prayer.
“Addy, Addy, Addy…”
Chapter Four
ADDISON AWOKE TO the sound of women’s voices as the sun snuck over the horizon. Her fuzzy mind tried to make sense of why she was lying within the circle of Jake’s arms on a blanket by the edge of the bluff. She glanced at the empty bottle of tequila on the grass a few feet away, which explained her throbbing headache. Her pulse quickened as memories of the night before tumbled in. She very clearly remembered having sex on the table and then again on the ground. Memories of a desperate search for condoms in the big house rolled in. They’d found two stowed away in a nightstand, and she might have done a naked hula dance. She didn’t want to think about whose condoms they’d stolen or how that hula dance must have looked. It was all coming back to her now, the way she’d ridden him hard and then he’d taken her harder. She vaguely remembered the sting of a spank on her ass, and cringed. She remembered listening to him talking, and drinking tequila, although her memories of their conversations were broken at best. She closed her eyes against the pounding in her head.
The sound of women laughing brought them open again. She lifted her head and peered over the slope of the ground to see who was going to have the lovely surprise of finding them.
“What the—”
“Shh!” She slapped a hand over Jake’s mouth and whispered, “Gabriella’s aunts are over there! Why are they here at the butt crack of dawn?”
He pushed up on one elbow and squinted toward the group of women who were about half a football field away and heading for the villa. Luckily, they didn’t seem to notice Jake and Addy’s clothes, which were on the grass by the bar on the opposite side of the lawn.
“Breakfast,” he grumbled.
She smacked him on the arm, whispering harshly, “You’re such a man. Stop thinking about food. In case you haven’t noticed, our clothes are out there.”
“Aw, hell. I meant they’re here to make breakfast. Don’t you remember? Gabriella’s family is throwing a big family breakfast this morning. I’m surprised she’s not with them.”
He rubbed his eyes as she processed the idea of Gabriella finding them. His sleepy eyes came to life as they coasted down the length of her body, leaving a trail of heat.
“Jake!”
“What? You’re naked. I’m naked. Things could be worse.”
She rolled her eyes. “No condoms, remember? And besides, it’s the day after our one-night stand. We’re done.” Her stomach twisted at that.
She might be a little fuzzy about some of the details of last night, but there were a few things she knew she’d never forget. Like the way he looked at her the first time their bodies came together and how her whole body came alive when he was buried deep inside her. Not just from the way they fit perfectly together, but everything. His incredible strength as he touched her in ways she’d only dreamed of and the sound of her name coming off his tongue. Goose bumps raced up her arms with the memory. A hint of fear trickled in with another memory she was trying hard not to acknowledge—the most momentous thing about their torrid night of debauchery. But no matter how hard she fought to ignore it, there was no escaping the thudding of her heart and tingling in her belly last night when they were close, or now, as his leg b
rushed over hers. She wasn’t ready to pick apart the new, distinct sensations. She wasn’t even sure they were real and not an effect of the thrill of finally sleeping with the man she’d wanted for so long, or the result of too much tequila. Although too much tequila was not a new pre-sex activity. When she met his gaze again, her insides did that tingly thing, and she held her breath to try to quell the rising sensations.
“You’re on the pill, sexy girl.” He reached up to stroke her cheek. “And we’re both clean, remember? We’ve already crossed that bridge. Twice.”
“How do you…?” She covered her face as their conversation came back in bits and pieces. She had admitted to being on the pill right after she challenged him to make love to her again. She was never going to live this down. At least they’d had the presence of mind to cover the most important aspects. He was clean; she was clean.
She’d broken all of her rules.
With Jake.
Her fantasy.
The one man I shouldn’t have done this with.
Lowering her hands, she took in his handsome face, seeing him for the first time not as the player she knew him to be but as the man who had slowed down enough to ask permission to kiss her. Forget living this down. How would she ever go back to the way she was before she knew what it felt like to be in his arms? She’d done this to herself, stepped into the land of temptation. She was worse than Eve, because she’d not only eaten the forbidden fruit, but she’d fooled herself into thinking she could survive without it afterward.
“We’ve already crossed that bridge. Twice.” Remembering what he said made her angry. She didn’t need the reminder. The reminder brought lascivious thoughts of being close with him again, and this was supposed to be one night to get him out of her head, not make her want him even more.
She jabbed a finger toward him. “You promised that what happened last night would stay there.”
Rescued by Love (Love in Bloom: The Ryders): Jake Ryder Page 4