by Brooks, Abby
An orgasm built inside her.
One that felt way more like flying than falling.
She locked her eyes on his, and he locked his on hers, their need building in unison. She fell over the edge first, wave after pleasurable wave made more intense with each stroke of his cock against her ever-tightening walls. He didn’t stop, continuing to find that spot over and over until she thought she’d have to scream. Just plain have to if he didn’t stop. It was too intense to hold back.
As she was about to lose control and shout her ecstasy for the world to hear, Ian exploded into her with a shuddering thrust of his hips. He drooped, draping his arms around her waist and she dropped her head to his shoulder. They fought for breath in the tight space, and Julz tried to make sense of what just happened, until that damned giggle rose in the back of her throat. She tried to swallow it, but it came out anyway, echoing against the cheap tile.
“That was funny?” he whispered, sliding out of her, eliciting one final gasp as he zipped up and set himself set to rights.
Juliet shook her head. “No, it was wonderful. I’ve just never done it in a bathroom before.”
“And that makes you giggle?”
She hung her head. “I giggle when I’m nervous.”
Ian brushed a bit of hair back from her face. “You never, ever have to be nervous with me around.” He gave her a look that felt like flying. “I got you.”
“I know,” she replied. Juliet placed a hand to his chest, the rhythm of his heart thumping against her palm. “It’s just new to me. Being taken care of.”
“Seems like this is a day of firsts, then.”
She hopped off the sink and picked her shorts off the floor, thankful her panties had stayed neatly tucked inside. “It was definitely that.” After she dressed, she took a moment to smooth her hair into something that didn’t scream I just had scorching hot sex in a public place!, then looked to Ian, at a loss. “Now what?”
“Well, hot stuff, we walk out of here hand in hand, heads held high.”
“But what if someone sees?”
“Do you know any of these people?”
“Not now.” How could he be so blasé about an entire restaurant knowing what they just did? “But I might one day.”
Ian linked his arm in hers and pulled her toward the door. “I guarantee that anyone who sees us is gonna know what we just did. And they’re gonna be jealous. Not judgmental. At least on some level.”
She couldn’t really argue with that, although some part of her kept insisting they’d get in trouble. That the cops were right outside, in the hallway, guns at the ready.
Public lewdness?
Wasn’t that a thing?
Ian opened the door to find an older woman leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her ample stomach, fiddling with her phone, waiting. She looked up, shock playing in her eyebrows, before a knowing smile slid across her face.
“Hello, Mrs. Cernshaw,” said Ian, pulling Juliet along after her body went rigid with fear.
“Ian.” The woman greeted him with a twist of her head and a glimmer in her eye. “I’d tell ya to have a nice day, but it looks like you already have.”
Juliet couldn’t stop herself from giggling as she stumbled after Ian into the restaurant.
“Head held high, Juliet,” he whispered through the side of his mouth.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Juliet
Juliet was pretty damn sure they had the attention of the entire restaurant. That each and every set of eyes was aware of what they’d done. But with Ian’s hand firmly wrapped around hers, with her chin up and her eyes straight, that sense of power returned.
Yep. That’s right. I just had sex in the bathroom.
With the hottest guy in the whole damn town, no less.
After skydiving.
How many of those people could say they’d done even one of those things? Not many. Of that, she felt certain.
Ian paid the bill and led her outside, letting go of her hand only to wrap an arm around her waist and draw her close. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“No. That’s all you. I’m just getting pulled along for the ride.”
“I won’t argue that I’m pretty amazing myself, but you’re definitely stealing the show, Doll.” He pulled her through the blazing afternoon, heat seeping through the asphalt and swirling around her legs. A rush of hot air escaped from the car when Ian opened her door, and he told her to wait while he started the engine and blasted the AC.
“How are you holding up?” he asked over the hood.
“My legs don’t seem interested in holding me up at all, thank you very much.”
Ian smiled devilishly. “I do like to know I’ve done my job well, but that’s not what I’m asking.” He cocked his head. “How’s your energy? I’ve got one more stop planned, if you think you can manage.”
“I’m not sure how much more excitement I can handle, but I’m willing to find out.”
“That’s the spirit.” He ducked down and climbed into the car. “But, I should warn you. This is a very tame trip. Boring almost.”
“I’m not gonna lie. I’m a little relieved to hear that.” Juliet relaxed into the soft leather and let her head fall back against the headrest. “What do you have in mind?”
“I thought we’d go to the hardware store and look at some paint samples.”
She perked up at the suggestion. She had all kinds of ideas for color palettes and had thought more than once that she could be working on little details like that in the evenings after Ian went home. She told him as much as they navigated the streets of Bliss, eventually pulling into the parking lot of a hardware store.
Ian pulled out a car shade for the window, muttering to himself about how he should have remembered it the first time. “I’m totally fine with you painting in the evenings, with one stipulation.”
“Afraid you won’t like the color I choose or that I won’t do a good enough job?”
“I just don’t want you working from sunup to sundown. And let’s be honest, there’s a decent chance you’d do just that.”
Julz couldn’t disagree. Not completely. “I like to stay busy.”
“Me too, but sometimes it’s good to sit still. Or so I’ve heard.”
He led her into the store, stopping in front of the paint samples and nodding in agreement with most of her choices. She chattered away about how she envisioned the house looking when they were done, about all the potential it had, and how happy she was to be there.
“What?” she asked with a little crinkle of her nose when she realized he’d stopped answering and was just smiling at her.
“You.”
“What about me?”
“I like you. I think you’re beautiful. And you’re super cute right now with your ‘been fucking’ hair and your tan legs poking out of those little shorts, going on about all the same things I love about that house.”
Juliet’s eyes widened and her hands flew to her hair, trying to smooth the wisps away from her face.
Ian took both her wrists in his hands and gently pulled them away. “Don’t. I like it.”
They talked more about the paint and made a few decisions on color. It was only after Ian paid for several gallons that Juliet realized how much money he’d spent that day.
Skydiving.
Lunch.
Paint.
None of it came cheap.
Guilt twisted in her stomach and she chewed her lip.
Unaware of her distress, Ian hefted several cans in each hand. “If you run out of a color, just come down and buy whatever you need. Keep the receipts and I’ll reimburse you the next time we get together.”
Her stomach clenched at the thought of dipping into her money envelope. She needed to find a job. Soon. And…she was pretty sure Ian wouldn’t be a fan of the topic. He genuinely seemed to like taking care of her, spoiling her with little surprises and making sure she had everything she needed.
If sh
e was being honest, she liked it, too, especially because it meant she had more time to spend with him. But it was just as important that she stand on her own two feet.
If everything she had came from Ian, where would that leave her if things didn’t work out?
Experience had already taught her the answer to that question: With a few boxes of old stuff jammed into the back of her Hyundai.
“So, here’s the thing,” she began over the rattle of the cart’s wheels rolling across the parking lot. “I think I might need to get a job. I’ve got some money, but not a lot. And it really stresses me out to see that number dwindle without knowing I have a source of income. I don’t want to take time away from the renovations, and I really don’t want to take time away from being with you, but…” She held out her hands and shrugged helplessly. “I thought maybe I could get a waitressing job, something with variable hours. I don’t have a lot of expenses, but I do need to have a way to make money.”
She didn’t know why the conversation made her nervous. Ian understood the way the world worked and surely, he’d understand her need for an income. It wasn’t that she expected him to react badly. She knew he wouldn’t yell or belittle her.
A job would be a serious time commitment. It would mean the end of her blip of fantasy life—spending her days working with Ian and her evenings playing with him. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to that and she definitely wasn’t ready for him to think she wanted any distance between them.
He stayed quiet while he opened the trunk and loaded the paint and supplies inside. The silence stretched on as he opened the door for her and watched her slide into the car. He left the door open so she could enjoy the breeze and her nerves went haywire while she waited for him to return from putting the cart in the corral.
Calm down, silly. If he’s mad, then it’s a sign he’s not the kind of guy you need.
Of course, her heart fluttered in her stomach at the thought because so far, he’d been everything she ever needed and then some.
She looked up expectantly as he lowered himself into the car and removed the shades from the windshield.
“A job would be silly,” he finally said as he backed the car out of the parking spot. “I’ll just pay you for the time you spend on the renovations.”
Juliet’s heart sank. “But you’re already giving me free rent for that.” She held her breath for his response, needing him to give her a good reason for not wanting her to find a job.
He blew a breath through his mouth and checked the mirrors, the space between his eyes tight. “Here’s the thing. I’m feeling a little greedy about my time with you. I’m not sure I’m ready to give it up, not even a minute of it.”
As far as reasons went, that one held up under scrutiny. “I understand. Believe me, the fact that I’ve waited this long to even consider looking for a job is a testament to how much I like spending time with you. But it makes me nervous. My entire life savings is in an envelope in my room, and sure, I only take out a little at a time, but that money is finite. I’m living a fantasy right now.” She turned in her seat and placed her hand on his leg. “A wonderful, exquisite fantasy that I don’t want to end. Not at all. But that money is going to run out.”
“What would you do? What did you do in New York?”
“I’m not sure I want to do what I did in New York.” She sighed, the thought of finding a job dampening her mood. “I don’t know, like I said, waitressing? Something simple.”
Ian shook his head. “You’d be wasted as a waitress.”
“Yeah, but I’d get to spend time with you. Maybe only take part time hours. Match them up to when you’d be working on your other houses or doing whatever other work you have to do to keep things running.”
“I know it makes sense for you to work. I know you’re gonna need an income. But, do me a favor. Live the fantasy with me a little longer. And we can look for a job that’ll suit you, together.” He finally smiled again, and her heart unclenched.
“I don’t know.” She swallowed, wanting to do exactly what he suggested, but not sure if it was the smartest path. Juliet’s head was a mess of shoulds and wants. “I just need to know that I can stand on my own two feet.”
“But you already know that. You’ve done that your whole life, haven’t you? And here I am, more than capable of helping you with your finances, asking you to let me.”
Juliet’s head and heart went to war and it was a few seconds before she could find her voice around the conflict. “I just can’t let myself be controlled.” Her words were a whisper, the voice of fear, the voice of the woman who’d signed a terrible contract that let a man do unspeakable things to her.
Ian pulled off the road and flicked on the emergency lights. He shifted in his seat, his expression gentle. “Oh, my angel. There’s a difference between being controlled and being taken care of. I’m not ordering you to stay unemployed. I’m not trying to make you weak and reliant on me. I’m asking you to stay with me because I feel like I can’t take a full breath when we’re apart. Because you are my sun, and the world goes dark when I’m not with you. I’m here to help. I want to help. And if you need a job in order to feel in control, then fine. We’ll find one that’ll get you some money and still let us be together. But if you need a job in order to feel like you’re doing the right thing, then let me just say this. My right thing is taking care of you and it would make me feel like I’m being the best man I can if you let me make you feel safe.”
Juliet blinked back tears; her voice obliterated by a rush of emotion. His words gave her heart all the ammunition it needed, and her head sulked away, admitting defeat. “You just keep proving that whole Ian-Moore-is-amazing thing, don’t you?” she managed at last.
“I hope I’m proving I care a lot about you and your happiness matters.”
“Yes.” Her voice cracked on the word. “That too.” Juliet blinked back the tears that blurred her vision. How did he keep managing to speak directly to her heart like that? “I can’t tell you how good it feels to know I matter.” And then her throat constricted against anything else and she swiped at her eyes, refusing to cry in front of him.
“Well, hot stuff, give me enough time and I’ll show you exactly how much you matter. Because this,” he made a broad gesture with his hands, “is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Juliet
Juliet didn’t look for a job. And whenever she started to get down on herself, worrying about how that made her a bad person, or how she wasn’t pulling her own weight, she thought back to Ian’s words that day in the car and she felt better.
It didn’t make any sense.
Her instincts told her she should be terrified and embarrassed, living off a guy she’d only known for a couple weeks.
Not to mention waking up excited to see him and falling asleep with his name on her lips.
But she wasn’t embarrassed. She was happy.
“You be good,” she said to Lulu as she closed and locked the front door, on her way to meet Ian at his house for dinner. This was the first time she’d been to his place and she couldn’t wait to see it. You could learn a lot about a person by how they lived, and she never got tired of learning more about the amazing Ian Moore. From her purse, she pulled a set of handwritten directions he’d left her, smiling at the precise letters neatly marching along the lines of the page.
A storm bloomed in the evening sky. Dark clouds, bulging and heavy with rain, poured across the horizon. Wind whipped her hair around her shoulders and her dress against her thighs as she ran for her car. As she drove, she watched the ocean churn and thrash against the shore.
Even like that, frenzied and dangerous, it was beautiful. Would she ever grow tired of seeing it? Would she ever grow numb to the beauty?
She certainly hoped not.
It didn’t take long to find Ian’s house, which, of course, was on the beach. It reminded Juliet of hers, only bigger and in much better shape. She parked her car be
side a vehicle she didn’t recognize and got out. Gripping her hair in one hand to keep it from flying in the wind, she ran up the steps where she found Ian had left the main door open.
“Hello?” she called through the screen, knocking lightly on the frame.
“Hey!” Ian called from somewhere inside. “Come on in. I’ll be right there.”
She pulled open the door and stepped inside before the wind whipped up, slamming it shut behind her with a bang. Still looking around, Juliet called to Ian. “Something smells amazing!” She was hesitant to move much further into the house without him. “How many cars do you have, anyway?” she asked, bending over to admire a picture of the Moore family on a small table near the door.
“That’s not his car,” came an unfamiliar male voice. “It’s mine.” The owner peeked through a doorway at the end of a hall that extended beyond a set of stairs. The warm smile and dark hair definitely marked him as a Moore. No doubt about that in the least. Juliet headed down the hall toward the man and found herself in a huge kitchen with granite counters and stainless-steel appliances. White cabinets and clean lines.
That was also where she found Ian, leaned against the counter, watching his brother work. He straightened when she walked in, opening his arms to her and kissing her deeply as she stepped into his embrace. “You didn’t think I was going to cook a whole dinner myself, did you?” He shook his head. “And ruin my chance at impressing you?” he asked, pressing his forehead to hers.
“You’ve already impressed the hell out of me. I’m sure you’d have made something delicious.”
Ian’s brother—Harrison, if she remembered correctly—snorted and shook his head. “You’d have been impressed all right, just not for the reasons you’re thinking,” he said with a gleam in his eye, even as his attention remained on his work. “Ian can burn meat on a grill, and he can put out cold cuts and cheese. That’s pretty much the extent of his culinary skills.” He wiped his hands on a dishtowel and offered Julz his hand. “I’m Harry by the way. We haven’t officially met, although I feel like I know you already with the way Ian’s gone on and on. And on.” Harry met her eyes briefly, only to let his gaze flicker away.