Until the Next Time (Give Me Shelter Book 1)

by Josie Kerr

  Jason slowly unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the ground. He’d already loosened his belt, so now he made quick work of the button and zipper and worked his jeans over his hips. Cursing the fact that he’d worn lace-up shoes, he didn’t bother untying them but simply toed them off as he pulled his cock from his tight black boxer briefs. He stroked his erection a few times before dropping the briefs and stepping out of his clothes. Now he was completely naked in the parking lot behind Foley’s. He let the birthday girl watch him pump his cock as he walked toward her. She was rolling a nipple through the thin material of her top, her mouth slack.

  “Damn, I’m lucky.” Her gaze caressed him from head to toe.

  Jason shook his head. “No, I’m the lucky one.” Then he took her mouth, kissing her hard and grinding into that soft, wet space between her thighs. He had to stop himself from plunging into to her bare. With a grunt, he picked her up and set her on the hood. Meghan, who had kicked off her shoes the moment he’d grasped her waist, spread her legs and put her feet flat on the hood. Jason looked at her, spread in front him, and hesitated for a moment, taking in all the beauty Meghan offered him.

  Then she grabbed him by the hair and put his mouth where she wanted it. And she definitely wanted it. She ground her hips up to his mouth even as she pushed his face against her. He saw her grin as he moved to suck her clit into his mouth. He flicked his tongue against the sensitive nub, and she arched her back away from the hood, her body spasming with the first wave of her climax. Jason’s hands found their way to her breasts and slipped under the thin material of her top. He lightly pinched a taut peak, and Meghan thrashed below him, tightening her thighs around his head and pulling his hair. He kept his mouth on her until she stilled, then he slowly kissed his way up her abdomen, to her torso, and then her sternum and neck. He placed a hot, sweet kiss on her mouth, and she surprised him by biting his lip.

  “Do you have protection with you?” she whispered.

  “Oh yeah.” He gave her another sweet kiss. “You want me to get it?”

  She nodded, running her finger down his cheek and across his mouth. “Yes, please.”

  Jason fumbled through his abandoned jeans until he found the silver square. He ripped open the pack and rolled the condom on. When he looked up, Meghan had her feet on the ground and was facing the truck with her elbows on the hood. With one hand, she hiked up her skirt to bare her ass.

  “This way,” she said, punctuating her instructions with a sharp slap to one cheek. She wiggled her butt at him, taunting, and he took one step to close the space between them. He slammed into her with one stroke, eliciting such an erotic moan from her that he thought he was going to nut right then.

  “Do it, Jason,” she ground out. She arched her back and thrust back against him while he grabbed her hips and drove into her at an almost punishing pace. Her moans and cries reverberated through the empty parking lot, and Jason distractedly thought about the apartments that now overlooked the parking lot that weren’t there during their previous encounter. Then she bore down on him, her core clenching him tightly, and any thoughts outside of Meghan, the way she felt, and the sounds they were making left his mind as his own climax roared through him. With a guttural moan, he pulled her tightly against him, so hard he suspected she’d have bruises on her hips tomorrow, and rode out his orgasm. When he was done, he collapsed across her sweaty back. He kissed the back of her neck and her shoulders, then rested his forehead against her cheek.

  “Happy birthday, darlin’.”

  He felt the vibration of her laughter beneath his body, which was still pressed against her.

  “Yes, happy birthday to me,” she murmured.

  He slid out of her and took one step back to give her room to turn. She primly smoothed her skirt and put on her heels before giving him another kiss.

  “You ready to go in and do this all again, except horizontally?” Her eyebrows bounced as she leered at him.

  “Whew. It’s gonna have to be horizontal. I think my legs are busted.” Jason began to scoop up his clothes.

  “Damn, that’s sexy,” Meghan purred. He shook his ass at her and let out a whoop when she ran a finger down his crack and over his taint before cradling his scrotum in her hand.

  “Whatcha got planned for those?”

  Meghan rolled his balls in her hand. “As soon as we get upstairs and into bed, I’m gonna put them in my mouth. Is that all right with you?”

  Yeah, that sounded all right.

  Chapter 19

  Meghan lay sprawled across Jason’s body, her ear pressed to his chest, listening to the steady thump-thump of his heart. They’d dozed and made love all night, and Meghan was deliciously sore, which, in her mind, was an excellent way to be the day after her birthday. She pressed her lips to his chest, and he squeezed her bottom, causing her to squeak.

  “I thought you were still asleep.”

  A chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Nope. Just enjoying feeling you beside me.” He rolled over on his side so they were face-to-face. “Hey, darlin’.”

  “Hey yourself, Jason.” She wriggled closer to him and looped her arms around his neck. “How are you?”

  Jason buried his face in the curve where her neck met her shoulder. She felt his teeth nip at the thin skin of her throat. “I’m excellent,” he answered and transferred his attention from her throat to her shoulder.

  “We should probably try to get some real sleep,” she murmured as he kissed his way down her body.

  “Sleep is for the weak,” he answered, his voice muffled. He pressed a kiss between her breasts. “I could stay here all day, not sleeping.”

  Meghan ran her hands over his sandy hair, feeling the soft burr of his haircut against her palms.

  “So you actually want me to go to sleep. All right. I can take a hint.” He sighed contentedly. “We’ll sleep.”

  “Thank you, Jason, for taking me out tonight.” Meghan swallowed the sudden swell of emotion that threatened to choke her. “I’d been dreading my birthday—obviously, right? Because I totally blocked it out—but you made it better than I could have ever hoped for.” She rubbed her face on the pillow and hoped Jason wouldn’t notice.

  But of course he noticed. He wouldn’t be Jason if he didn’t notice.

  “Talk to me, sweetheart.”

  He took her in his arms, and she laid bare the jumble of emotions she’d been experiencing since her father passed, including her changing feelings for Jason.

  “What’s so dumb is that I’m pretty sure I was falling in love with you when you backed off after Da got sick. Just the fact that you did that without me having to make a stink told me you weren’t just some blowhard jackass who was going to steamroll over my emotions. That means so much to me. And tonight, at that club, when you didn’t try to convince me to go in, even after I’d expressed interest before—”

  “But that was a year ago—” he interrupted.

  “Yes, it was, but the fact is you remembered. That’s nice. It tells me you kept all those little facts filed away in that head of yours.”

  “Mind like a steel trap.” His teeth shined in the moonlight when he grinned at her. He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers, removing any trace of the tears she’d shed.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course. You can ask me anything, babe. You know that.” His smile faded. “I’m not ever going to lie to you, even if it makes you mad, but I’ll never knowingly hurt you just to be mean.”

  “I know. I’ve seen you do it to other people.” She nuzzled closer to him, distinctly aware of his semi-erect cock against her belly. “What did you have planned, you know, at that club?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Honestly, I wasn’t sure what we were going to do. I’d never actually been there before. Dan was the one who suggested it.”

  “Oh my God, you’ve talked to Dan about taking me to a sex club?” She was sure her face was glowing red with
embarrassment. “I can never look him in the face again.”

  “Honey, there is nothing that Dan’s not seen—”

  “Literally.” Meghan took a deep breath and plunged into a subject they’d only once broached before, and that had been the result of sampling way too much of a local fruit wine that was a lot stronger than either of them realized. “Do you miss it? Being with a man? Being with Dan?”

  He was quiet for a few minutes, but not long enough that she worried he’d be less than honest with her.

  “What Dan and I had was the product of loneliness and a motherfucking war. I will tell you that I’d never actually been with a guy before or after. Hell, I wouldn’t even say that I’m bi.”

  “What would classify yourself as, then?” she asked, honestly curious.

  “A dude who likes butt stuff but really likes pussy, too. I mean, really likes pussy.”

  “You’ve thought about this a lot.”

  “Yeah, I have. When I first got back, when Ryan was falling apart, I went to some clubs—not Illusions, but some other places—expressly to see if I’d be interested in dating men, or at least fucking them, and . . . eh. Sure, I got turned on, but there wasn’t that anticipation of a connection with any of the guys the way it was with women.” He shrugged.

  “Hmm.” Meghan was pretty sure she didn’t want to hear about Jason’s manwhore past, especially if it entailed his talking about how much he liked pussy. She knew he did—it was blatantly obvious by the variety of ways he could make her scream.

  He grinned again, and that mischievous glint returned to his eyes. “Besides, there’re ways and means of satisfying any hankering I have for ass play.”

  “Oh yeah?” Her mind raced, recalling some toys she’d seen in the bathroom and had assumed were Ryan’s or Dan’s.

  “Oh yeah.” Jason rolled onto his back, taking Meghan with him so she was straddling him. He put his hands on her hips and began to move her in a figure eight as he ground up against her. “Would you be interested in experimenting sometime? Watching me with a vibrator or something?” His eyes rolled back in his head.

  “God, that would be so hot.” Meghan moved his hands to her breasts, and he began to pluck at her nipples, making them peak.

  “Oh, yeah. You’re so fuckin’ responsive, Meghan.” He tugged on them, harder now, and Meghan arched her back with pleasure. “You up for one more round, sweetheart?”

  Meghan panted as she rocked and ground against him. “Hell yes. I can deal with not being able to walk for a day.”

  He smacked her ass. “Suit me up, then, babe.”

  The entire bedroom shook.

  “What the fuck was that?” Meghan asked, her hand paused over the space that the box of condoms once occupied before they’d been knocked to the ground.

  They heard a squeal of tires and then a second reverberation rocked the bedroom.

  “Get dressed!” Jason barked. He pulled his pants on and shoved his feet into his shoes, while Meghan grabbed his shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. “Put some sneakers on.”

  Meghan jammed her feet into a pair of Vans, and Jason dragged her out of the bedroom and down the stairs. “Go into the storeroom and stay there until I tell you to come out,” he ordered.

  “But, Jason—”

  “Just do it, Meghan! Now!” He shoved her toward the storeroom, and Meghan watched him race toward the front of the pub as she retreated to the safety within the storeroom’s cinder block walls.

  Holding her breath, she listened at the door for further noise, the silence after the clamor of whatever had happened oppressive. It seemed like hours before Jason rattled the doorknob and called her name.

  When she opened the door, he just shook his head. “Babe, you gotta call your insurance guy. I’ve already called the police.”

  Meghan shoved past him, ignoring his pleas to wait. She stumbled down the hall to the front of the pub, where everything looked as it usually did. She turned just as Jason came up behind her, catching her as she staggered.

  Chapter 20

  Jason stood in the parking lot, surveying the damage. The covered deck, Foley’s pride and joy, was missing a wall thanks to a Range Rover, which now sat in the dining room at the back of the pub. He balled up his fist, cracking his knuckles. He’d never wanted to punch something more in his life.

  “You need to calm your ass down.”

  “Not fucking happening, Ryan.” Jason was in no mood to be told what to do by his unflappable brother, and when Ryan grabbed hold of the back of his neck, it took every ounce of Jason’s restraint to not use Ryan as a punching bag. “Bubba, you need to watch your own damn self right now,” he hissed.

  Instead of backing off, Ryan’s grip tightened. “No, you need to not be so damned bullheaded and listen to me. In about five minutes, Meghan is going to walk out that door and see what we’re seeing. Yeah, I know she looked at it before, but now she’s had time to process what a fucked-up disaster this really is, and you need to be the rock that is going to get her through this, not something that’s going to give her additional stress because she doesn’t know what your hotheaded ass is going to do.”

  “I fucking hate it when you’re logical.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Damn it, damn it to fucking hell.”

  “I take it there aren’t any security cameras on this part of the property?”

  Jason shook his head. “No. There’s one that covers the back door and the loading area, and there are a few in the front, but none on that particular corner.”

  “Damn.”

  This whole thing stank of subterfuge with a big dose of personal vendetta. As far as Jason was concerned, there was only one person who could be responsible for this, and that was that bastard Geoffrey Crabtree. Ryan apparently agreed with him.

  “That fuck Crabtree is going to be in for a world of hurt,” he muttered in a very un-Ryan-like tone. “So what’s the plan, man?”

  Ryan had asked the million-dollar question. Of course, what happened next was completely up to Meghan, and Jason would support her in whatever she decided, but he hoped she wouldn’t crumble under the considerable pressure she was now facing.

  “That’s up to Meghan.” It was all he could say.

  “Let me hear your theories, boys.” Johnny, the eldest Richards brother, joined the two youngest siblings.

  Jason’s temper flared. “Why the fuck aren’t you in there, talking to Meghan about this?”

  “Because I recused myself from the case since my brother is involved with the property owner. Asshole.” Johnny elbowed Jason for good measure. “Dolly’s taking the lead.”

  “Dolly’s your partner, though.” Jason grinned. “Good move, Johnny.”

  Johnny inclined his head in acknowledgment. “So what do you think is going on?”

  Jason took a deep breath and caught his brothers up with the latest developments. Of course, Johnny knew the backstory between Meghan and Geoffrey Crabtree, but he didn’t know the latest bullshit with the Perfect Pour competition.

  Johnny whistled low. “Damn, he just sounds like more and more of a grade-A jerk, doesn’t he?”

  “Jason Richards!” Dolly Lynch, Johnny’s partner, hung out of Foley’s front door. “You’re up!”

  “Good God A’mighty, Johnny.”

  Johnny snorted. “Tell me about it. She’s mostly bark, but she will definitely bite when push comes to shove. Just answer the questions.”

  Jason blew out a breath and went inside to talk to the police.

  ☆☆☆

  This wasn’t fucking happening. She knew it actually was, but the whole thing was so overwhelming, from the moment she saw the front end of that SUV in the private dining room to the interrogation she was currently undergoing, she felt like she was in a dream.

  “Ms. Sullivan?” The insurance adjuster blinked expectantly at her.

  “Hmm?” Meghan dragged her attention back to the little man. “I’m sorry. I got a bit distracted by the giant SUV in my dining room.”
She sighed. “What was the question again?”

  He repeated the question, but she’d already halfway tuned him out, her mind racing, trying to figure out what to do next. Getting blind drunk and crying were absolutely out as to next steps, as was shrieking like a banshee, though that might be a bit more tenable.

  “Well, seems like this is all the information I need right now. We’ll let you know the results of the investigation as soon as it’s wrapped up.” He smiled blandly at her.

  She sighed with relief. “Good. I guess I need to put up a barrier to the back for the time being.”

  The little man’s face furrowed with confusion. “Ms. Sullivan, Foley’s cannot be open for business. A large vehicle can’t just crash through the back wall and it be a matter of just putting up some plywood. The building has to be evaluated for architectural integrity.”

  She swallowed hard, the increasingly familiar feeling of panic welling up inside her.

  The man continued to deliver bad news. “Once we figure out if you have a valid claim, we can arrange for a short-term rental—”

  “Whoa—back it up there, buddy.” Fury instantaneously replaced her panic. “If I have a valid claim? If? There is a motherfucking Range Rover in my newly renovated private dining room!” Her voice rose in pitch and volume. “I sure as hell didn’t drive that monstrosity through my da’s pub! I’d have to be insane to do something like that!”

  “Ms. Sullivan, I know this has been a shock, but please refrain from cursing at me.” He scribbled something on a sheet of paper and then snapped his clipboard folder shut. “As I said, we will get in touch with you as soon as we make a determination. Trust me, we want this solved as quickly as you do. Good day.”

  Meghan shook with fury. Damn that Geoffrey. She’d been living a perfectly happy, Geoffrey-free life for more than ten years, and less than a month after seeing him again, all hell breaks loose.

  Hiccup.

  “Mother”—hiccup—“fucker!” Meghan stood in the middle of the Foley’s dining and screamed.

  “Whoa, Nelly. That girl’s got some lungs,” Dolly blurted.