by Kim Law
He accidentally thumped his cast on the wall when halfway up and froze as pain reverberated through his ankle, and he told himself to focus on the task at hand instead of what waited at the top. As if that were even possible.
A minute later, he reached the last step, and given that the door remained open—and that she was likely waiting just around the corner—he didn’t pause before he braced his crutches on the top riser and swung himself up and into her apartment.
He didn’t find Arsula waiting for him, though. Instead, he stood alone in a small kitchen.
He took in the scene before him. Laptop on the kitchen table, along with a couple of books and a magazine, and a mug that had, knowing her, contained coffee at one point.
And in the other room, he could hear the shower running.
He peeked around the corner, his heart suddenly racing, until he saw that her bedroom door was closed. And then he looked back down the way he’d come. He’d honestly thought she’d be up here waiting for him. He’d thought . . .
She wasn’t hoping he’d join her in the shower, was she?
He looked down at his cast. He couldn’t join her if he wanted to. Or if she wanted him to. And now that he was here—and she wasn’t—he was beginning to think he’d totally misread her intent. She simply liked to tease, so that’s what she’d done. And he’d fallen for it. Therefore, the question became, did he to try to get himself back down the stairs in one piece and pretend he’d never intruded into her space to begin with? Or did he stay and prove to her that he had made it?
Need to be around Arsula won out, so he poured himself his own cup of coffee, and he settled in at her table to wait. That’s when he took a better look at the magazine that lay open in front of him—and discovered it to be a medical journal.
Forgetting the coffee, he flipped through the pages, at a loss as to why she’d have such a thing to begin with. Did this play into being an intuitive life coach somehow? Or was there something within the pages that represented another passion of hers?
Was she attending college online and just not wanting to talk about it?
Wanting to attend classes and eventually get in to medical school?
Or . . . what?
He honestly had no idea.
And granted, with the way he’d treated her since they’d met, it came as no surprise that she wouldn’t mention it to him. Although, she had told him about the life coach thing.
Which was apparently loaded on her laptop.
He slid his finger across the mouse pad, frowning when the password box popped up instead of a website, while in the other room, the water shut off. Given that it would likely take more than a couple of minutes for her to put on clothes and find him loitering in her kitchen, he decided to peruse the books lining the shelves in her living room. She had a much larger collection than he would have expected, and he found himself more than a little curious what kind of books she might read.
Carrying the medical journal with him, he crossed the room to study the titles. There was quite a bit of fiction in the mix—covering an assortment of genres—along with biographies of historic figures and a handful of nonfiction books on events and places. But there was also a wide selection of college textbooks.
He couldn’t figure her out.
He did come to the conclusion, however, that the books she’d provided for him downstairs must have come from the shelves in front of him. Both were equally eclectic.
A noise came from behind him, and he turned, ready to point out how he’d mastered her challenge . . . only to find her standing ten feet away from him, wearing nothing but a towel.
“Jaden!” she screeched when she saw him.
The journal slipped from his hand. “I was . . . I . . . uh”—he pointed to the door—“I conquered the stairs.”
“I can see that.” Her hand went to the knot at her breast.
“You issued a challenge,” he explained. He also forced his eyes to meet hers. “But I didn’t expect to find you naked.”
Her pretty mouth flattened into a line. “That is how I usually take a shower.”
He gulped, and then he nodded. “But I didn’t know you were taking a shower. I thought . . .”
He quit talking and instructed his feet to move and to get him out of there. It was wrong to walk into a woman’s place uninvited—no matter that he had thought he’d been invited. The right thing to do would be to go.
Only, to go meant walking away from Arsula.
And to go meant once again facing the stairs.
“Jaden.” She said his name calmly but with heavy inflection.
“What?” And he sounded like he was ten years old again.
“Are you just going to keep standing there staring at me like that?”
He was looking at her towel again. “I’m thinking it’s what I’ll do until you force me to stop.”
At that, she busted out laughing, and he said a silent prayer that the up-and-down movements of her chest would cause the towel to fall. He narrowed his eyes into slits and added in a little mental telepathy for good measure, but the towel stayed stubbornly in place.
“I can’t help it.” He gave up on any thought of having manners and attempted to explain his predicament. He’d been naked with that body three weeks ago, and his worthless memory hadn’t been kind enough to hold on to any of it for him. “It’s just so much better than I’d imagined. And trust me. My imagination is stellar.”
All hints of humor fled, and she dipped down, leaning her head to the side until her eyes met his. “Are you telling me that you don’t remember seeing me naked before? At all?”
“Disappointingly, no.”
“Well, now.” Her tone changed instantly to one that was more teasing than laughing. “Doesn’t that leave the situation a bit lopsided?” Her grin grew evil, and he was reminded of calling her the devil that first morning. “Because I happen to remember everything that I saw.”
He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “And what exactly did you see?”
Her smile turned all-knowing. “Everything.”
“You’re right.” All blood departed his brain. “That is definitely lopsided.”
“I guess that means you should learn to hold your liquor better.”
They faced off then, both of them breathing harder than it should take for two people to stand in place, and Jaden did his best to listen with his gut. Just like she was always preaching. Only, he wasn’t sure if it was his gut speaking or something about a foot lower.
He did note, however, that she seemed to be waiting for him to make the next move. Because she certainly wasn’t running from the room or taking the time to hunt up any clothes.
It really is too bad you’re scared of the stairs.
She had to have meant what he’d thought, hadn’t she?
And if not . . . he only prayed she might consider changing her mind.
“Arsula?” He kept his voice as neutral as possible.
“Yes, Jaden?”
He brought his eyes back to hers when he realized they’d once again slipped down below, and he knew that the only thing he could do was ask. “Any chance you want to show it to me again now?”
She apparently didn’t need long to think about it, because in the next instant, the towel hit the floor.
Chapter Eighteen
Arsula couldn’t believe she’d done that.
Then again, wasn’t this why she’d taunted him to climb the stairs?
The conversation might have started around showing him the website, but while she’d been in the shower, she’d played out different scenarios for enticing him up. And not for the purpose of viewing the website. There had even been one scenario where she’d stood at the top of the stairs, as naked as she was now, encouraging him up each step.
It was simple. She wanted him. And she didn’t want to pretend otherwise.
“Jaden?”
He hadn’t moved since she’d dropped the towel. He just stood there, staring
at her as if he’d never seen a naked woman before.
“You do know what to do next, right?”
His eyes continued to evade hers. “Of course I know what to do. I’m just soaking this in.”
A laugh slipped out. “What’s the matter? Afraid you might forget again?”
He was seriously too adorable.
“Not a concern this time.” He finally moved, the lines of his face going hard and his crutches swinging him closer. “There’s been no whiskey in my system since the wedding. This visual isn’t going anywhere.”
“You did have wine tonight.”
“Two glasses. And I promise you”—he landed in front of her, and she found it nearly impossible to breathe—“the picture is set. You also don’t have to worry about the effects of a man having too much alcohol.”
Her eyes lowered to the front of his trousers to confirm his statement, and she gulped. He remained fully clothed, but she could see his point. Lack of erection would not be an issue tonight.
“You ever planning to touch me, then?” she whispered. He was still just standing there, and her danged nipples kept growing harder with every second that ticked off the clock.
“Just as soon as I figure out how to do it without falling on my rear.”
“Oh.” She came out of her about-to-have-sex fog and realized that he couldn’t really do too much while standing up. He still couldn’t put his foot down.
She went into action. Hurrying to the kitchen area, she grabbed one of the chairs and brought it over to him, then she thought about the logistics of that. About how it would put his mouth at practically breast level, and she hurried back, thinking she didn’t need to be quite that forward. She grabbed the other chair, and when she returned, she realized he was laughing at her.
She dropped the chair. “Why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re cute.” He leaned forward and pecked her on the mouth. “And very naked,” he murmured against her lips. Then he took the kiss deeper.
Arsula stood there, reveling in his touch but unsure what to do to help. She wanted to reach for him. To part him from his clothes, just as she’d done for herself. She also wanted to press forward and devour him with her mouth. But she didn’t want to knock him over.
In the end, she lifted her hands to his face, and she showed him with her lips and tongue that she wanted this. That she intended to be a full participant.
He moaned, and she inched forward.
Her chest brushed his, and one of his hands slid over her hip. She undid the buttons of his shirt.
“Arsula?” he whispered a moment later. His mouth was now feasting on her neck, while she’d moved her fingers to his waist and flattened herself to his now-bare chest.
“Yes?” Her palms slid over his back.
“Can we move to the couch?”
Oh, crap. They were still standing up.
She went into action again, nodding like a frantic woman, and hurried to the other side of the sofa. She slid the coffee table out of the way so he could make it to the middle cushion, and then she set his crutches aside and pulled the coffee table back. She waited for him to sit, and after he did, she gently lifted his foot and propped it on the small table.
Then she stared down at him, once again unsure what to do next.
“You’re nervous.” He spoke from a reclined position, his eyes hot as they watched her and his voice heavy with need.
“Because I don’t have a clue as to the best way to do this.” She studied him. Should she just climb on top?
But he still had his pants on.
“I don’t, either.” He reached for her hand. “So let’s just take it one step at a time, okay?”
She nodded. She could do that.
“Step one.” He grimaced before continuing. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
His question was the last thing she’d expected. She held her hands out to her sides. “I’m naked, Jaden. What about that says unsure to you?”
“Yeah, but . . . I’m not entirely certain I took your invitation to come up the right way. We had just been talking about websites.”
She found the moment to be sweet. Then she straddled his legs, both of her feet remaining on the ground, and prepared to move them beyond sweet. “Not to worry. You read me loud and clear.”
“Good to know.” His breathing had grown shallow again.
“Step two?”
He lifted off the back of the couch and gripped her behind the knees. “Do as I ask,” he informed her, and she nodded immediately. She could absolutely do that. Especially given that her nipples now rested at eye level.
“Got it,” she whispered, and he flicked his tongue out and swiped it across one nipple. She braced her hands on his shoulders. “Whatever you ask.”
“Excellent.” He stroked his tongue over her other nipple. “Then just stand there.” His eyes feasted on her again. “And hold perfectly still.”
She wanted to question his demand. She wanted to climb on top of him and ride him like a roller coaster. But instead, she did as he asked. Only, she did let her head drop back.
He used his lips and teeth mostly. Nipping and tugging. Not staying in any one place too long. And every once in a while, he trailed a path over her with his tongue. Or hung around an extra second or two to explore a dip in her skin. His touch was hot as he passed over her, the soft groans coming from him intoxicating, and while his fingers remained firmly gripped behind her knees, he laved over every reachable inch of her body.
Arsula swayed as he made another pass near her breasts, once again not stopping to stick around, and when she felt his lips curve into a smile, she let herself grin in return. She was breathing heavily, ready to go off like a rocket the moment he touched her in just the right spot, but she didn’t push for more. She liked what he was doing to her. No man had ever made love to her like this before. With only his mouth, and with her standing so exposed before him. It made the pain of drawing the moment out all the sweeter.
When he finally returned to where he’d started . . . and without making a sound, sucked one nipple deep into his mouth . . . everything inside her tightened.
“Jaden,” she whispered. She arched toward him. “When do we get to step three?” she begged.
He smiled around her nipple. Then he released her slowly, keeping the suction going until the last second. “Step three.” His hands slid up the backs of her legs, and his mouth dipped to tease at the narrow strip of hair between her thighs. “Climb onto the couch,” he instructed, and he looked up at her again, his mouth only inches from her core. “On your feet,” he added. “Not your knees.”
Her heart thundered. He wanted her to . . .
She climbed onto the couch. Her hands shook as she let him direct her movements. Legs spread, her hands on the top of his head, his hands gripping the rounded curve of her bottom. And her midsection waiting in his direct line of sight.
“Don’t fall,” he murmured. He licked his lips as he stared at her. “I’m not certain I can catch you if you do.”
“Don’t fall,” she breathed out. “Got it.” Her heart might beat out of her chest, though.
He touched her then, his hands stroking softly between her thighs, his knuckles brushing over her dampness. And then his thumbs came up and parted her. She whimpered, her knees threatening to buckle when he blew a hot stream of air over her most sensitive spot, but she caught herself, clasping her hands more securely onto his head. She prayed she didn’t leave him bald before this was over, and then he inched ever closer.
He used his tongue again. One tiny flick. Then another. And another.
And before she could even think of trying to control the moment, of not losing all control of the moment, Jaden latched on to her, and somehow he seemed to be both holding her up off the couch and devouring her at the same time. It didn’t take long until she was on the brink. She wanted to grind down against him, to help the moment along, but in her current position, she didn’t have the rig
ht foothold to make that happen. So he just kept going. And she just kept writhing.
“Jaden,” she finally begged. Everything about her was tight and hard and ready to burst out of her skin.
But Jaden didn’t stop, and she climbed even higher.
“I need . . .”
She didn’t know what she needed. Her eyes were closed so forcefully that she saw stars, and she knew she had to be hurting him, given that her fingers kept clenching in his hair. But still, he kept going.
Every muscle in her body shook, and at the exact moment she thought she’d pass out from lack of oxygen, she suddenly found her footing on the couch. Jaden’s hands were once again clasped on her butt, and he pulled her in tight. She ground herself against him, and then she was flying.
Her release came hard and lasted forever, and when every last inch of her had turned to liquid, she slid slowly down his body. He’d slumped down on the couch previously, in order to get a better angle as his mouth had wrapped around her, and somehow, his pants were now shoved to his knees and his erection strained tall. On her knees now, she positioned him at her opening, but before letting her body sheathe him, common sense prevailed.
“Condom?” she whispered. She dropped her head to his shoulder, while her thighs strained to hold herself aloft. She didn’t have any condoms in the apartment, and she feared—
“Right here.”
She lifted her head in surprise to find a small packet held between two of his fingers. That first night, he’d said he didn’t carry condoms. He’d been monogamous for years.
“I added a box when I ordered the dishes for tonight”—he shrugged—“just in case.”
A laugh slipped from her. “Just in case you got me to cave?”
“It wasn’t all that hard, you know?” His words were teasing, but the heat in his eyes was not. He cupped her face, and he smoothed both thumbs over her cheeks. “Just in case I got the opportunity of a lifetime,” he whispered, and her insides swooned.
“You sure are a smooth talker.”