by MK Meredith
“Shit,” she gasped.
“Stay with me.”
He tightened his grip on her leg and increased the pace of his fingers. Licking and sucking, he took in every ounce of her he possibly could.
“Oh…”
“Yeah, baby. You got this.”
“Oh God.”
He moved his fingers deeper, bending them just enough to rub her the perfect way on the inside, and at the same time, he increased the speed of his tongue flicking over her clit.
Suddenly, her hips bucked into his face, and he had to hold tight to keep up the pace.
“Fuck yes, let go, Bel. I’m right here.”
“You’re right here. You’re right here!” Her body tightened like a bow then her knees buckled.
He held her up as she rode out her orgasm, then as her body began to slow, he spun her around, and with quick flicks had his shorts unbuckled and shoved down just enough to release himself.
Guiding her back onto him, he let her go limp, her back against his chest, as he pulled a condom from his pocket.
She glanced back at the crinkle of the foil packet with a shocked look. “Shit, I—”
“I got you.” He made quick work of it, then dug his booted heels into the ground and thrust up into her with a groan on his lips. He savored the sensation of being wrapped in her body, then gave in to the urge to move deeper. He slid into her again and again, never wanting it to end but pushing for the peak of that incredible moment.
She turned her head toward him, and he covered her lips with his own. His sight went white and his body finally got the release it had been begging for.
“Jimmy?”
“Yeah, Bel?”
“Surprise.”
CHAPTER 15
Bel turned in Jimmy’s lap and nipped at his jaw, her body humming in its post-coital pleasure. “Yeah, it's official.”
He narrowed his gaze. “Yeah? And what's that?”
“Beds are overrated.”
He drew her in for a lingering kiss, the grin she loved so much stretching his mouth wide. “You’re crazy. And here I thought I would be the one taking you on adventures.”
She slid off his lap, drawing up her shorts and underwear. “But you are. You have. There’s no way I’d have ever done this with anyone else.”
He stood with a decidedly satisfied look on his face and grabbed her hands. “Well, let's just keep it that way.”
She bit her lip. “I can’t believe I almost forgot.” Forgetting a condom was a thing she did.
Picking up the foil wrapper, he crinkled it in his hand. “This is not your responsibility alone.”
“Maybe not, but counting on someone else is dangerous.”
He shook his head. “You are something else.”
He might not understand it, but what he did meant more to her than most anything could. She drank in the sight of him, never wanting to forget.
Slinging the backpack over her shoulder, she basked in her happiness. God, he felt good, literally and figuratively. “Come on, it's time to feed you.”
They crawled about the rocks until they found a little ledge right next to a waterfall. This one was a much larger, typical waterfall compared to the one he’d taken her to before. Big enough that water misted up about them, making a rainbow. She didn't know if there had ever been a more perfect moment.
He snatched the bag and dug into it, pulling out the containers of steak skewers, loaded baked potato salad, deviled eggs, and two pieces of chocolate cake with icing an inch thick. The joy in his eyes did something unexpected to her heart, and it seemed to swell in her chest.
“This is…damn.”
“Hungry?”
“Always around you.”
His innuendo wrapped around her as warm as the sweet expression on his chiseled face. “So, what got you so interested in love?” he asked, closing his mouth over half of the steak skewer. With a bite and pull, his eyes rolled to the back of his head with pleasure. “Holy fuck, this is so good,” he mumbled through the food in his mouth.
“Love? Watching the people in my life get hurt by it…including myself.” It wasn't the easiest thing to talk about, the fact that her mother left or that she never seemed to make it through any long-term relationships past a few weeks.
Her brother said that she always ran scared, but it was more scientific than that. “I don't trust it…a bunch of chemical reactions in our brain. Do you know it's an addiction?” She bit into a deviled egg and chewed as she pulled her thoughts together.
“More powerful than cocaine. People will die for it. They’ll kill for it. And then you have people like my mother who walk away from the most special love bond of them all.” Her voice hitched, but she forced the emotion down. “How can you trust something so fickle? And it seems that as hard as people fall in, they fall out. I'm more comfortable talking about it than I am trusting in it.”
He quirked a brow. “So, you don't trust in love, but you're a love expert?”
“I'm an expert on the science of it, but trusting in the magical forever and a day kind of love…not so much.”
“But what about people like Raquel and Martin or your brother and Sam?”
Clearing the potato salad from her plate, she gave a slight shrug. “I'd never say it to him, but it’s yet to be seen. They’re new and in the honeymoon phase, so to speak. We'll see how they do during his next big film. Even if he’s the producer, he’s going to get a lot of attention, and that kind of focus was bad for Sam before.” She sighed. “It's a lot to deal with. Can love overcome a threat to one's way of life? Can it overcome expectations or preconceived notions that are proven wrong?”
“Don't we see that every day?”
“Do we?” she challenged.
“I’ll be honest. I knew you were a bit gun-shy,” he said, using air quotes. “But I wasn’t expecting this.”
Grabbing another steak skewer, she took a bite and focused on the burst of savory flavor against her tongue. “I’ve just found that things I plan for and weigh the risk and reward for turn out better. You can't do that for love.”
And her heart proved it as he placed his hand on her knee and leaned forward for a kiss.
Unpredictable. Untrustworthy.
Her heart, not him.
“Don't get me wrong, I'm human. I yearn and dream about what I see others have with relationships and family.” She placed a hand on her stomach as aware of its emptiness as she was aware of it filling with their delicious picnic. “But what if someday I start a family and it doesn't work out? What if I grow resentful and leave like my mother?”
He shook his head as he placed a finger over her lips. “That would never happen.”
“You can't know that.”
“Yes, I can. I bet if you ask your dad, he can think of warning signs that he didn't want to see before ever starting a family with your mother.”
She hadn’t thought about that. She’d never asked, her dad had never said. It was an interesting perspective, another layer to consider.
But right now, she simply wanted to consider him. How good she felt with him.
His phone buzzed, and he pressed a kiss to her mouth as he pulled it from his pocket. As he scrolled through, his lips straightened into a hard-pressed line.
“What is it?”
Concern shone from his eyes. “I'm sorry but I have to go.”
She grabbed a cover for one of the dishes and pressed it into place. “I'm coming with you. Whatever it is, I can help.”
“No.” He stood and put his hand out. “Stay and enjoy this amazing picnic. The shit in my life shouldn’t ruin the day for both of us.”
“That's not how this works. I don't want to picnic by myself.”
He let his head fall back just for a second and then held her gaze. “Trust me. I'm protecting you, not leaving you out. I'll call you an Uber and send the details to your phone.” He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her hard.
“Is it Cleo?”
He gave a curt nod and took off down the path that had brought them there.
She understood his need to go to his niece. It was one of the reasons she'd fallen in love with him.
Damn it.
She loved him.
She cursed the chemistry that opened her heart to this man.
As an expert, she knew how love worked all the way down to the chemical level, but she hadn't counted on love feeling so lonely.
J immy touched the tender skin around the swollen lump on Cleo's cheek, keeping a neutral expression on his face. The rage roaring through him strangled his ability to talk, and he was afraid if he tried, he would scare the little girl.
He looked around the room—the knocked-over lamp, the strewn magazines on the floor, the glasses and cups tipped over on the coffee table with the remnants dripping all over the surface. But he kept himself from looking at his sister-in-law. He couldn't stomach the sight of her at that moment.
Rummaging through the sparse freezer, he looked for peas. What he found was enough drug paraphernalia for a decent jail sentence. In disgust, he grabbed the ice cube tray and slammed the door shut. With the ice wrapped in a kitchen towel, he lowered to the floor next to Cleo. “Are you gonna tell me what happened?” he hissed to Margo.
“She fell,” his sister-in-law said. Throwing her arm out toward the mess in the room, she continued. “Look at this place, and you'll see. Kids have accidents. It happens all the time,” she rambled in a rapid, pressured speech.
All Jimmy could do was glare at her.
There were no words.
No more words.
Turning his attention back to the sweet child, he held the ice to her cheek, his heart splitting in two at the pain in her eyes. “I'm sorry, Clee. I know it hurts.”
“I-It’s okay, Uncle Jimmy.”
“You’re such a brave girl.” He gently tipped her chin up to meet his gaze. ”So…is your mom right? Is that really what happened?”
She glanced from her mother back to him, but as she opened her mouth to speak, Margo grabbed him by the shoulder. “I told you she fell.”
Jimmy stood up and pulled out his phone.
“What’re you doing?” she asked in a panic.
“I'm calling the police. I've had enough. I'm not leaving her with you for one more second.”
Margo swiped at his phone, letting loose a string of swear words.
He held it out of reach.
“Uncle Jimmy, please don't.”
He couldn't believe the words coming from his precious Cleo's mouth. “But, Cleo, this is not okay.”
“I'm okay, but if you call the police, they might take me away from Mama, and I’d be all alone.”
“No, honey, they'd let you stay with me.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit with hope.
“With your record?” Margo sneered.
He closed his eyes against the sight of her.
“Please don’t call until you know for sure.” Cleo stood and tucked her face against his abdomen. “I just want to go home with you now.”
The feeling of hopelessness swamped him as he pulled the little girl into the crook of his arm.
“How's it going with the new floozy in your life? What do you think’s going to happen? You’ll marry her, and she can be Cleo's new mommy?”
The devil made him say it, but he couldn’t help himself. “Maybe I will. If I was married with a wife, you better believe your ass I'd have a better chance than you of keeping Cleo.”
Margo’s lips curled into a snarl as she picked up a mug from the table, hurling it at him. “I hate you. I hate you!”
He turned, shielding Cleo from the thrown object. It bounced off his back with a quick sting.
“I used to care,” he said quietly. Running a hand carefully over Cleo's face, he blinked back the damn tears burning behind his eyelids. “But now all I care about is Cleo.”
And he meant every word.
CHAPTER 16
Bel pulled in a shaky breath as she smoothed down the silky material of her wrap dress over her hips. After a busy, emotional week, she was ready to let go and relax.
Wasn’t her dad always telling her so?
She’d invited Jimmy over, and he should be ringing up her apartment at any moment. It had hurt that he’d run out on her picnic but not because he’d just left her there as much as because he didn’t consider her as part of the equation. Compartmentalizing her in a way that kept her away from his life stung worse than if he’d simply walked away for real.
But he was on a difficult journey, and if her education had given her anything, it was insight.
Not to mention she was worried about Cleo. The little girl had been texting on the regular, but she hadn’t heard from her since early yesterday. She’d sent a few messages asking how she was but got nothing in return.
Jimmy would know.
The buzz came as suspected, but she still jumped. “Come on up.”
With a quick pep talk, she opened the door.
He wore a light-weight V-neck pullover with black jeans and boots. As far as she was concerned, his clothes were nothing but wrapping paper, and regardless of whether it was a holiday or her birthday…or not, she was determined to unwrap that damn package.
“Call me crazy, but that look in your eye makes me nervous.” His voice was gruff as he folded her into his chest and took her mouth in a deep kiss. “God, I've missed you, professor.”
“It's only been a couple days; besides, we've chatted plenty on the phone.” But the truth was she'd missed him, too. His admission meant the world to her, especially now. “How’s Cleo? I haven’t heard from her since yesterday and—”
Dropping his chin to his chest, he sighed. “When she asked for your number, I never imagined she’d chat with you so often. I hope you don’t—”
Throwing her hand up, she said. “Don’t finish that sentence. She is a doll. That’s why I’m asking. She usually answers me right away.”
On a sigh, he kissed her cheek. “I love how much you care. Last I heard, she’s hanging in there, but something’s got to change…and soon.”
She rubbed his shoulder, wishing she could fix the situation for him. “Are you making any headway with your attorney?”
“Not quite.”
“What’re you going to do?”
With a small shake of his head, he laid his portfolio on her dining table, then opened it up. “I don’t know yet, but I have to figure it out.”
“You will.”
The usual look of confidence in his gaze wavered, but with a quick scratch at his chin, he tapped the table. “Ready to see what I’ve got?”
She clapped her hands together in anticipation. “I’m so excited but scared, too.”
With only a week left to deadline, time was of the essence, but this project had to be perfect.
He raised a brow. “What in the world would you have to be afraid of? Are you questioning my talent? My artistic eye?”
She put her hands over her stomach to calm the raging butterflies. They had more to do with her plan than the photos, but the collection he spread out before her only exacerbated her nerves more. “I wouldn't have agreed to work with you if I didn't trust you. But Raquel got in my head, and I submitted a proposal for the book.”
“Hell yeah.”
“There’s a lot of interest. They’re even talking about having me take my talk on a university tour, but I have to have the full presentation to them by Friday.”
Jimmy stared at her for a moment then dropped the photo in his hand back to the table and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Are you kidding me? Bel! That’s amazing news. Isn't this what you want?”
As happy as she’d ever felt in her life, she nodded and threw her arms around his neck. The kiss was vibrant and strong just like she was with him. Just like she wanted to make him feel when he was with her.
“We have to go through and choose a collection to accompany each of my concepts.” She tossed him a saucy wink over
her shoulder as she poured them some wine. “And later, if you're a good boy, I have a surprise for you.”
Now that got his attention, and she noted him standing a bit straighter and taking a step toward her. “A surprise?” His voice suggested he might know the subject of said surprise.
She stopped him. “Not until we make our choices.”
Handing him a glass, she joined him at the table, taking in the array of glossy photographs. It was incredible how varied his subjects were, but the whole collection still somehow looked cohesive.
“Your eye for aesthetics is really quite impressive.”
He leaned back a hint, dragging his eyes along her body with a mischievous grin, saying a whole lot more than any words could. “I agree.” Lifting a photo, he asked, “What’s your first concept?”
“The mother-child bond. It’s special and different in intensity from the rest. If a grown child’s memory of their mother is stimulated, even if it’s been years since seeing the mother, the centers of dopamine and norepinephrine production will light up like a Christmas tree. There isn't another love that’s quite as powerful, including father-child bonds. So, our depiction needs to be just as special.”
Her choice was more than predictable. It was ironic, but she couldn’t start anywhere else.
They sorted through the photographs, and Jimmy chose a few for closer inspection. “So why did you decide to stay local for these photographs? You could have gone to L.A.”
She ran a fingertip over one particularly beautiful black-and-white photo of a monarch butterfly feeding on milkweed. “It’s a little piece of paradise. People who visit want to stay, and those who live here want to protect it. We have the ocean on one side and the hills on the other, and in their own way, they make Malibu a love bond.”
The look on his face was all the confirmation she needed that she was on the right track. “If I’m going to make something of this seminar, I wanted it to also be a beautiful depiction of my love.”
Her heart took off in her chest as the words she was so afraid to say tumbled from her lips.