by A. D. Ryan
Melting into him, I wrapped my arms around his waist. “Thanks, Dad.” I mumbled. “We’ve discussed where we’re at, and the truth is we only just met a few weeks ago. It’s too soon to—”
“I knew your mother for less than a day before I knew she was the one, kiddo. Sometimes, you just know. My advice is to just go with it,” Dad said nostalgically. “If you think he can make you happy, why does it matter how long you’ve been single or he’s been back on his feet?”
The man had a point.
“What made you think I liked him?” I asked carefully.
Dad laughed loudly, unwrapping me from his arms and holding my biceps to keep me at arm’s length as he met my gaze. “It wasn’t until you fell off the second time on his first day that I thought maybe you had a little crush on him,” he confessed with a sly smirk.
“In fact,” He turned from me and headed out of the office. “When I first heard from Henry that Jensen was in town and having trouble finding work, I thought that maybe the two of you would be good for each other—having both been through so much and all. Has he told you about his ex?” He suddenly seemed nervous that he had told me something he maybe shouldn’t have, so I assured him with a nod.
“Yeah. Kaylie. He told me everything.” I suspected Dad likely only knew what Henry knew about Kaylie, and that was just that they had ended things. So I honored Jensen’s secret and just left my reply at that … until something he said struck me suddenly. “Wait. Did you set this up?”
While the idea of my own father meddling in my love life kind of weirded me out, it was also kind of sweet. Dad always had my best interests at heart and was sure to stand behind me in any and all decisions. When Dane and I started dating, he had his doubts, but he kept quiet because I was happy—or at least appeared happy.
“When you got hurt, and Jensen offered to take care of you? It was then that I knew the two of you had an instant connection,” Dad told me. “Sure, you both seemed to dislike each other initially, but I think given your pasts, it was inevitable you’d both be a little stand-offish. I knew that by forcing you together one of two things would happen. You’d find out that you both have a lot more in common than you realized. Or …”
“Or we’d kill each other?” I dead-panned.
Dad laughed. “I was going to say, or Jensen would have quit, leaving us without the help we needed. But I suppose you could be right.” With his hand on the doorknob, Dad paused. “Listen, kiddo. I know what Dane did to you broke your heart.”
I inhaled and held the breath, because Dad still didn’t know about Dane showing up the night before. How could I tell him? Should I even? Ultimately, I decided against it.
“You deserve to be happy. And from what I’ve seen, Jensen makes you happy.”
Seen? What he’s seen? Suddenly my heart started pounding again. The security camera. I wondered if his words held some kind of hidden meaning. Searching his eyes for some answers, I came up empty; I would think that if he had seen what went on in the wash stall that he’d have been slightly more uncomfortable. Right?
“Madison, you seem nervous about something?”
He wasn’t kidding. However, there was no way to ask about the cameras without admitting to him that Jensen and I had been recorded. So, I forced a smile and lied through my teeth, hoping he wouldn’t call me on it. “Nope, just relieved that you would be okay with my moving on—whenever that happens.”
After quickly putting my boots back on, I moved to walk past him and through the door when he stopped me. “Oh, before you go. I’m sure you saw the monitors in the office when you were doing invoicing.” I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stay quiet—even if I wanted to cry a little. “I just wanted to let you know that I installed security cameras throughout the premises. The insurance company assured me we would get a discount if we took more precautions. I meant to tell you Friday, I just forgot.”
“Oh,” I responded, trying my best to act surprised. “That’s great.” The look in his eyes told me that he likely had no idea about the wash stall with Jensen, and I found myself breathing a huge sigh of relief. “Well, I should get back and help with dinner. Thanks for the talk, Dad.”
“Anytime, baby girl. Have a good night.”
“You too. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The entire way back to the house, I basked in the relief that Dad hadn’t seen the video. Even more was that he’d be okay if I ever decided I was ready for a relationship.
When I walked into the house, I saw Jensen in fresh, dry clothes, pacing in the entry nervously. I shook my head and smiled. “Jensen?” I asked, closing and locking the front door behind me before taking my still-muddy boots off. “What’s wrong?” I realized it was a stupid question; I knew exactly what was bothering him.
Lifting his frantic eyes to mine, he rushed across the small room and pulled me into the house. “What did he say?”
“It was nothing bad,” I assured him. “He noticed I’ve been acting different—happier—since Dane left.” Smiling, I placed my hands on Jensen’s chest and closed my fists around his shirt, pulling him closer. “He figures it’s because of you, and he doesn’t seem upset about it.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “Really. Now come on. I’m starving. What’s for dinner?”
Jensen shook his head, still looking a little out of sorts. “Oh, I don’t know. I realize I said I was going to come home and cook, but when Wayne asked me to leave so he could talk to you, I got a little frazzled.”
“Okay, come with me,” I suggested, pulling him to the living room and pushing him onto the couch. “Have a seat, watch TV, and I’ll go find something to eat.” I had just turned to leave the room when Jensen grabbed my wrist.
“You’re happier?” he inquired, focusing on what I told him in the foyer.
With a bright smile on my face, I relaxed onto the couch next to him, my clothes still soaked through and uncomfortable. My knees touched his outer thighs as I kneeled on the cushion with my legs tucked under me. “How can I not be?” I combed my fingers through his hair, trailing my fingers over his scalp and down to the nape of his neck where I teased the hairs there. “He’s gone. I’m free to be who I want to be, and date who I want to date … in the future when I decide I’m ready,” I clarified when I saw the panic in his eyes. I knew he wasn’t looking for a relationship, yet I kept scaring the crap out of him when I spoke like that.
As my fingers tickled and teased the short hair, his posture finally relaxed. “I’m happy too, Madi. After what happened with Kaylie, I didn’t think I would ever feel this way again.”
My fingers stopped moving. We’d agreed no feelings, yet here he was, telling me he’d done what we’d set out to avoid.
“Jensen …” My voice was barely above a whisper as I spoke. I was at a loss. Was I supposed to tell him it was too soon for that? That we should end things now before they get too complicated? And, if I did, why did I get the feeling it would crush me?
Everything had changed in a matter of seconds.
The silence must have been too much for him, because he broke our intense stare and leaned forward nervously, resting his forearms on his knees and clasping his hands together. “I’m sorry. I just meant that I haven’t been as stressed as I was with her. You’re so easy to be around. It’s nice to know that things won’t get complicated between us.”
I felt like I was being kicked from every angle by a herd of horses. But I forced a smile through it all. “Right. Good.”
“So,” he said in an effort to change the subject. “What’s for dinner?”
Trying to mask my sudden doom-and-gloom attitude, I shrugged before standing. “Not sure. I’ll go find something easy and then maybe we can watch TV before bed?” There was no need to be upset about the unspoken words between us. We were happy before, so there was no reason we shouldn’t be able to move past it and keep doing what we were doing. Right?
Reaching for the remote, Jensen nodded, and I took th
at as my cue to go change and then start dinner. After putting together a couple of sandwiches, I went back to the living room to see Jensen with his feet up on the coffee table, watching TV. “I forgot to ask, did you delete the recording?”
Jensen looked at me sheepishly. “Um, actually, no, not exactly.” My mouth dropped as I handed him his dinner and plopped down next to him. “I may have emailed it to myself before deleting the last forty-eight hours on all of the security cameras—you know, so Wayne didn’t ask any questions on why there was only one camera with missing footage.”
“Good thinking,” I said, nodding before my brain belatedly registered him saying he emailed the footage to himself.
Chapter 23. Oops . . . I Did it Again
I was shocked to hear he hadn’t deleted it, but I was even more surprised to find out he still had a copy. “Wait … You … Why?”
Shrugging, he smirked crookedly and it made me want to toss my plate on the table and kiss him hard. “I don’t know. I guess I wanted a little souvenir of it. From what we saw, I thought it was pretty hot.”
“Typical,” I muttered teasingly as I took a bite of my dinner.
Chuckling, Jensen nudged my arm with his. “Don’t tell me you didn’t.”
“I cannot confirm nor deny such allegations,” I replied seductively.
Jensen and I sat back on the couch, our bodies huddled against one another as we ate and watched a rerun of The Office. Since I cooked, Jensen offered to clean up. It was nice how we always shared the household responsibilities that way. It was something Dane never cared to do.
He returned from the kitchen and joined me on the couch. I sidled up to him when he draped his arm around my shoulder, and exhaled when he stroked my hair soothingly.
“I love how that feels,” I sighed against his chest as the ticklish sensations rippled through my scalp and down my neck before spreading across my body. “It’s so calming.” I raised my face to his, and he leaned down to place a feather-light kiss on my lips. As they lingered delicately against mine, I felt that familiar spark shoot through me, exploding deep within my belly. With a breathless whimper against his mouth, I straddled his thighs and wrapped my arms around his neck. I shivered when his hands moved up my thighs before they came to rest on the curve of my ass.
My fingers moved along his jaw and twisted into his hair, pulling him even closer to me, and it didn’t take long for our sweet, innocent kissing to erupt into a full-blown frenzy. Our lips worked fervently against one another’s, Jensen’s fingers curling into my backside as I shifted my hips into his groin.
Grunting low, he pressed back, meeting my second thrust with one of his own before he began placing kisses along the edge of my lips, down my jaw, until he found his way to the crook of my neck. “Oh, god …” I moaned quietly, my hips pushing forward again, seeking him out. “Jensen, I …”
“Yes, Madi?” His voice was low and raspy, sending vibrations through me and affecting me in the most amazing ways. “What do you want? Tell me …”
So many fantasies raced through my mind. All of which involved sex in some way, and considering I was too forgetful to add condoms to our grocery list, I knew that ninety-seven percent of my thoughts weren’t even in the realm of possibilities. “You,” I answered vaguely, only to have him respond with a laugh.
Laughing didn’t stop him from showering my neck with kisses, gently nipping the more sensitive parts with his teeth. “You know we can’t … It’s just … I don’t want to be irresponsible, here.”
“Mmm hmm,” I hummed, understanding completely. Then I got bold. “What if I told you I’m on the pill?”
Jensen groaned against my shoulder. “Madi, think about that. Don’t just say it in the moment because we’re both desperate here.”
I hated that he was right. We barely knew each other. “You’re right,” I agreed. “Safety first.”
Removing his face from my neck, he cradled my jaw in his hands. “I want you so badly.” His words created a wave of lust that washed over me, and soon enough, my lips were back on his as I tugged his hair to keep him from pulling away. I didn’t care if we ran out of oxygen; it would have been the best way to go.
His hands moved back down my body, grazing my ass again before sweeping beneath my shirt and groping me over my bra. A blast of heat erupted through my body, my skin on fire beneath his touch. His hands left my chest, moving slowly back over my ribs until he gripped my shirt and started to lift it skyward.
I didn’t want to let go of his hair. I didn’t want to stop kissing him. But I did want to be naked with him. Really fucking naked. With a groan of displeasure, I parted our lips in favor of being topless. Before I allowed him to resume kissing me, though, I scooted back on his lap and started tugging at his shirt, discarding it to the living room floor as well.
Jensen’s eyes surveyed my near-naked upper body, his hands rising up, fingers ghosting delicately over my heated flesh. He teased the straps of my bra before hooking his thumbs under them.
Pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, our eyes locked. He seemed to be silently asking permission to proceed. I nodded, of course, whimpering in the process as he slowly slid the straps down my arms, goose bumps appearing in the wake of his touch as he moved the white cotton fabric away from my small breasts.
My breath was shaky as it left my lungs, and Jensen’s hands gripped my ribs over the bra that remained fastened around me, his thumbs brushing my nipples softly. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he whispered before tightening his grip on my ribs and pushing himself forward until his mouth found my neck.
Alternating tender kisses with forceful ones, he journeyed down my chest. I cried out when his wet tongue started circling my nipple, causing it to harden in his mouth before he grazed it with his teeth.
Snaking his right arm up my back and clamping his hand down on my shoulder to hold me still, his left hand cupped the breast he was currently tending to, still flicking his tongue over my sensitive flesh. My hands found purchase in his hair again, holding his face against me as my shallow breaths turned to unsteady pants.
Suddenly both of his hands were on my lower back, and I released a startled cry when he flipped us until he had me pinned on the couch. His mouth left its current location, kissing and licking a trail down to my sternum and up over the other breast, which was actually feeling a little jealous of the attention the right was being paid. He didn’t do anything different to that one, biting and licking and kissing until the skin puckered in his mouth. Goose bumps erupted all-the-fuck-over my body as I thrust my hips up into his.
“Madi?” Jensen whispered, lifting his face from my chest. I lifted my heavy-lidded eyes to him, trying to focus my hazy vision. “I want …” placing his right hand on my body, his touch was firm as he moved down until his fingers looped in behind the button of my jeans. I whimpered as the very tips of his fingers tickled the sensitive patch of skin above the apex of my thighs.
A fog of lust rolled in, causing me to lose any cognitive abilities whatsoever. “Whateveryouwant,” I said, my words mashed together as my head fell heavily back to the couch. “Just don’t stop touching me …” With one flick of his wrist, he had my jeans undone, and he moved his hands to my hips as he began to lower them, scooting back from his spot on the couch so he could pull them off completely, along with my panties and socks.
When I heard the denim hit the floor, I was instantly thrown back into what was happening. I quickly propped myself up on my elbows seeing only a flash of white still wrapped around my ribs below my boobs. I’m practically naked! It wasn’t until I saw the look on Jensen’s face as he looked at me with that confident, panty-melting grin on his face, that I felt my sudden anxiety flee. Before I could sit up completely, he lowered himself between my legs again, kissing me hard. The light scruff on his face brushed along my skin, sending shivers of pleasure through me as he left a trail of open and closed-mouthed kisses over my jaw, down my throat, my chest, over my breasts, my abdomen.
> As his lips moved over my hipbones, my legs tightened around him. I tried to suppress the desire that had me yearning to drive my pelvis up into him. My need for him to touch me was soon sated as his fingers slowly moved back and forth between my legs, stopping at the top to swirl around my clit and leaving me breathless and weak-kneed. With his fingers gliding with determination, his mouth continued to move inward before continuing their trek down south.
“Oh, fuck,” I cried out when his warm tongue darted out to bring me to new heights of ecstasy. His fingers and his tongue worked in unison while his free hand lay flat against my tense abdomen to keep me from pulling away from him as I continued to climb to the peak of rapture, only to fall hard and fast when I climaxed.
Pleasure flooded my body from all angles as Jensen’s fingers slowly entered me. My back arched against the soft leather couch, and I threw my arms above my head to brace myself as every muscle in my body tensed in preparation of my impending orgasm. As soon as Jensen started humming, his mouth still pressed firmly between my legs, I fell. My legs tightened around his shoulders and my fingers dug into the cushiony arms of the couch above my head as I cried out a long string of profanities. There was no time to be embarrassed for my colorful language as Jensen slowly sat up, smiling like the cat who just ate the canary. Or another cat—which would be a euphemism for my pussy.
My breathing was still ragged as bliss rolled in soothing waves over my body. I wanted to sit up, but I lacked the bones in my body as they had all turned to pudding. “Shit,” I panted breathlessly, running my fingers through my disheveled hair.
“Yeah,” Jensen said with a chuckle. “You said that already.”
“Did I?”
“Among other things.”
He shifted in his seat, grimacing slightly as he tried to adjust himself without my noticing.
I felt so guilty. There I was, so caught up in what he was doing to my body, that I had completely neglected him. That was all I needed to find the strength to stand. As I stood before him, still ninety-nine percent nude, I grabbed the remote and turned off the television we weren’t even watching and held out my hand.