By Private Invitation

by Stephanie Julian

  “Doesn’t Tyler need your help with the hotel?”

  “The hotel can manage without me for a week. Tyler’s a big boy. He doesn’t need me to hold his hand.”

  But Jared needed to touch her. He reached for her hand, now resting on the counter, and laced their fingers together. After a few seconds, hers curled around his.

  And that tight knot in his chest eased a little more.

  She let her gaze drop to their hands, let her fingers tighten for just a second, then released him and picked up the old-fashioned hard-wired phone on the counter.

  “I’ll give Kate a call and let her know you’re here. Anything you don’t like on your pizza?”

  He shook his head, fighting the urge to bend her over the counter and take her right here and now.

  Where the hell was this seemingly uncontrollable lust coming from?

  Christ, he wasn’t a sex fiend. Yeah, he enjoyed it but he didn’t let it run his life.

  He needed to keep himself under control before Belle thought that’s all he wanted.

  Of course, what the hell else did he want with her? Yes, they were attracted to each other. And he knew exactly why he was attracted to her—brains and beauty were a lethal combination in his book. So why the need to act like a caveman with her?

  Because she wasn’t like the other women he knew? Those fell into two groups: Those who wanted him for his bank account and name and those who wanted him for sex.

  Belle enjoyed the sex. She wasn’t the most experienced partner he’d had but she…What was so different about Belle?

  “Hey, Kate. Just wanted to let you know Jared’s back. Would you mind if I bring him along tonight?” After a slight pause, Belle gave a little laugh, sending his heart into a pounding rhythm. “Uh, no.” She glanced his way for a brief second. “Don’t think I have to worry about that. Yeah. Okay. We’ll be there in a half hour.”

  She hung up, gave him a smile, and headed for the stairs. “I’m going to change. Give me a few minutes. Make yourself at home.”

  Images of her naked flashed through his brain and he moved to follow her up the stairs.

  “I’ll just come up with you, if you don’t mind.”

  She gave him a quick, startled glance over her shoulder as they made their way upstairs and when she turned, he let his gaze drop to her beautiful rear end swaying in front of him.

  “No problem,” she said. “I won’t take too long.”

  Lust swept over him, made it hard for him to breathe. Belle appeared absolutely oblivious as she headed for her bedroom.

  “Kate’s house is just up the street,” she said. “It’s not far to walk.”

  “Good to know.”

  She hesitated for a second as she realized he hadn’t stopped in the living room but had followed her to her room.

  He wanted her, the need a growing ache in his balls. He recognized the fact that he’d never wanted anyone with the single-minded purpose with which he wanted Belle.

  Now she stared at him like he’d grown another head. What the hell was wrong with him?

  “Jared?”

  He continued forward until he could touch her, lifting his hand to run a finger along one perfect cheekbone. With a fierce and almost savage elation, he felt her shiver and her lids lowered to half-mast until only a slit of those pale green eyes showed.

  He bent his head slowly, wanting her to know exactly what was coming and giving her more than enough time to tell him no. Though he hoped like hell she didn’t.

  He needed her.

  When her eyes drifted shut and she tilted her lips up to him, Jared released the restraint he’d been holding on to by his fingernails.

  She gasped as he pressed his mouth to hers with little finesse and slid his tongue into her mouth. He kissed her, pressing hard so she couldn’t block him. His lips slanted, wanting more, and she opened further, giving it to him. Her hands latched onto his shoulders as if she needed the support and his moved to cup her ass and pull her tight against his erection.

  Moaning, she arched into him and something snapped in Jared’s head. Some final remnant of control.

  Lifting his hands to her shirt, he went to work on the buttons, fingers clumsy as he forced the tiny discs through their holes. Her hands slid into his hair, her nails scratching lightly at his scalp, shivers of pleasure shooting down his back, straight to his balls.

  When he had the shirt unbuttoned, he went for the bra, groaning in approval when he found the front catch. With a flick of his fingers, her breasts spilled into his hands. He cupped her, kneaded the warm, soft flesh, and rubbed his thumbs over the pointed tips.

  Moaning into his mouth, she thrust hard against his hips, pushing her breasts more fully into his hands.

  The need to take her right here and now, to make her scream his name as he came inside her became his only reason for being. Letting one hand drop to her waistband, he undid her jeans and slipped his hand into her panties. Her heat seeped into him as his fingers slid into the silky wetness of her sex.

  Her moans and attempts to get him to sink deeper fueled his own lust, the deep, pounding need for her. His cock felt like heated iron against his stomach.

  Pulling his hands free, he grabbed her waist and lifted her off her feet, turning toward the wall of her bedroom. It was closer than the bed and every second counted.

  Her back hit the wall and she gasped into his mouth. Freezing, he pulled away to look down at her, afraid he’d hurt her.

  “Belle…”

  Her passion-glazed expression made his balls tighten to the point of pain and her hands gripped his hair hard. “Don’t stop. I’ll kill you if you stop, Jared.”

  Her raspy voice hit his system like a powerful aphrodisiac, and he bent to devour her mouth as her hands reached for the button on his jeans and his went to push hers down.

  He couldn’t take the time to strip her. He had to be in her now. With a growl, he ripped his lips from hers and spun her to face the wall. “Brace your hands and don’t move, Belle.”

  “Faster, Jared.”

  He tried. Jesus, he tried. He stripped her pants down to her ankles and moved her legs as far apart as they could go. Her shirt tails covered her beautiful ass, and he pushed them out of the way so he could pet her with one hand while he ripped his own jeans open and pushed them down far enough to release his cock.

  The cool air of the room barely registered against his heated skin. When he slipped his cock between her legs to coat himself in her juices, sensation shivered through him.

  He had the vague notion that he should slow down, that he was out of control, but the pure ecstasy of her slick lower lips sliding along his shaft short-circuited every synapse in his brain.

  Pulling her hips just far enough away from the wall so that he could get a better angle, he thrust into her and started a fast, hard rhythm that made her moan his name.

  Pleasure fired in every cell of his body as his bare flesh pierced her, creating an intense friction. Already so close to orgasm, he moved faster, going as deep as he could get, one hand on her back to keep her bent, the other arm around her waist to immobilize her.

  She was his, completely under his control. Every action in response to his.

  His.

  When he slowed down, she cried out his name and begged him for more. When he sped up, she panted and told him how much she loved it.

  Her slick essence bathed his cock in warmth and moisture, and her channel gripped him tight, each thrust and retreat filled with friction.

  Mine, mine, mine kept running through his mind.

  He had a millisecond to realize he was going to come before his cock jerked and shot his seed deep into her body. Barely conscious of what he was doing, he flicked his thumb over her hard little clit and felt her clamp around him in her own climax.

  He heard her moan, felt her shudder against him as she ground back into him. For several seconds, they stood silently, their heavy breathing the only sound in the room.

  Bendi
ng over her, he pressed his mouth to her nape, trying to calm his racing heart, which sped up the second he realized he’d screwed up in a big way.

  “Annabelle.”

  “Hmm?”

  Her sexy murmur made desire twist in his stomach but he forced himself to ignore it. Considering what he’d forgotten, he should’ve had an easier time of it.

  “Annabelle, I’m not wearing a condom.”

  She didn’t flinch, didn’t tense, didn’t do any of the things he’d imagined she would.

  “I’m on the Pill, have been for years.” She paused. “Unless…you have something you need to tell me.”

  Something twinged in his chest and he assumed it was relief. Still, he held her a little closer as he slid from her body. “No, I’m clean. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I didn’t use a condom. I don’t think I’ve ever gone without one before.”

  As she straightened, his arms tightened instinctively but she only stood there and let him hold her.

  “Gee, almost like I was your first, huh?”

  Her teasing tone struck a chord in him, loosened something that had tightened into a knot in his chest. “My first time was probably just as fast but definitely not as much fun.”

  “Glad to hear it. But even though it was quick, we still only have fifteen minutes to get to Kate’s. And I’m going to need to change.”

  With reluctance, he let her go, suppressing a groan as she bent over to hike up her jeans, giving him another look at her beautiful ass.

  He caught himself before he smoothed his hand over that soft white skin. Instead, he reached for his own jeans.

  “Give me a few minutes to clean up and change and I’ll be ready to go. I’ll get you a washcloth, too.”

  “Belle.”

  From the door of the attached bath, she stopped and looked back at him with a smile.

  He had no idea why he’d called to her, only that he wanted her again. Hard and fast and a little dirty.

  For a man who prided himself on his finesse, that last one caught him off guard.

  “I’m glad I’m back.”

  Her head tilted and she got that look on her face, the one that he swore looked into his psyche. “Me too.”

  Fourteen

  Sitting on the wooden chairs around Kate’s kitchen table, Annabelle still tingled from head to toe.

  Hell, tingle didn’t come anywhere close to describing what happened every time she thought about Jared nailing her to the wall of her bedroom.

  It’d been the closest he’d come to losing control since she’d known him.

  She had to admit she liked knowing she could do that to him. But she also knew he hadn’t liked the loss of control. And she knew something had happened in Philadelphia to affect him like that.

  Jared had something weighing on his mind.

  And she wished he’d confide in her. Wanted him to want to tell her.

  Which was ridiculous. She had secrets to keep.

  And they had a business arrangement. With benefits.

  She pressed her thighs together. Damn good benefits.

  Now, though, he was being his normal charming self. He kept the conversation moving like a master. He made Arnie comfortable, even though she knew Kate’s fiancé had felt completely out of his depth from the moment he’d met Jared.

  She knew the feeling.

  “So your family owns hotels?” Arnie said after a sip of beer to wash down the pizza. “Must be tough right now with the economy?”

  “My family’s been in the business for years,” Jared said in a complete understatement. “We haven’t been hit as hard as the chains since we don’t rely as much on the vacation crowd. We get a lot of business people.”

  “Kate said you threw a pretty decent party on New Year’s Eve.” Arnie smiled at his fiancée, who managed a fairly credible smile for him. Only Annabelle seemed to notice it didn’t reach her friend’s eyes.

  Jared’s grin, when he sliced it her way for a few brief seconds, burned. “I’m glad Kate had a good time. That’s what we strive for. What good’s a party if you don’t have fun?”

  Heat burned through Annabelle’s body, hot and enticing as she remembered the secondary party Kate hadn’t attended. She wondered what Arnie would think of her if she told him about that. Arnie was by no means a prude, but having sex in front of a room full of people might just make him keel over.

  Arnie was a sweetheart of a guy. He worked as a truck driver for the potato chip company in town and helped out as a mechanic at his parents’ gas station down the road. Steady, solid, hardworking.

  Annabelle knew he’d make some woman a great husband.

  Just not Kate.

  Her sarcastic, brilliant best friend with the wicked sense of humor became a wet dishrag around Arnie.

  Kate didn’t say much during dinner and dessert, and by the time Annabelle and Jared got up to leave, Annabelle saw stress starting to take its toll on her friend.

  Stress that seemed just a little more pronounced lately.

  Annabelle held on to Kate a little longer as they hugged good-bye, while Jared and Arnie shook hands by the door.

  “Kate, are you—”

  Kate shook her head, cutting her off. “Thanks for coming, Annabelle. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  Annabelle took the hint and smiled. “Sure. Thanks for having us over.”

  With one more thank you, they left, beginning the short walk back to the shop down the town’s deserted sidewalks.

  “I like your friends, but you’re right about Arnie,” Jared said after a few minutes. “He’s not the right guy for Kate.”

  Belle let her head drop back as she sighed. “Thank you! Finally, someone agrees with me. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I like Arnie. He really is a nice guy. But they just seem so…uninspired when they’re together.”

  Jared nodded, his expression thoughtful as he placed an arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer. Before she could stop herself, she melted into his side. The cold night air seeped through her clothing but pressed against him, she began to warm.

  Was it possible to overheat in thirty degree weather?

  “That’s a good word to describe them. Uninspired. And you haven’t been able to make Kate see the error of her ways?”

  “I tried, several times, to tell her she’s marrying the wrong man. But she won’t listen. She’s decided Arnie will make a good husband and never leave her. Kate’s parents didn’t have the best marriage. Bad scene. She doesn’t talk about it much, but I think she believes Arnie will never treat her like her dad did her mom so she’s determined to keep him.”

  “Sounds like desperation.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, it does. It’s sad, really. It’s not something you ever want to be, is it?”

  Something passed over his expression, but he quickly cleared it and smiled. “No, it isn’t.”

  He didn’t say anything else and they walked in silence until they arrived at her home.

  As she shed her coat, she noticed Jared didn’t. He remained by the door, as if unsure whether he was staying.

  “Jared, is everything okay? You seem a little…distracted tonight. Is everything alright at the hotel?”

  He nodded, leaning back against the wall, staring at her. “Everything’s fine. Now.”

  She took notice of his slight emphasis. As if there had been something wrong but it’d been taken care of.

  Turning away from his intense stare, she headed for the fridge. “Would you like some wine?”

  “Sure. Thanks.”

  As she poured, he pushed away from the wall and removed his black leather jacket. Hanging it on the coat rack by the door, he walked to the breakfast bar and leaned against the counter, watching her every move with those beautiful blue eyes. She pushed his glass across to him, then sipped at her own.

  Since he didn’t seem inclined to start a conversation, and since she couldn’t stand the silence, she said, “Will you need to get back to the hotel this weekend? I do u
nderstand that you have a business to run.”

  One golden brown brow arched as he tasted his wine. “Trying to get rid of me, Belle?”

  She wanted to laugh out loud. No, unfortunately, that was the furthest thing from her mind. God help her, but she wanted him to stay. For a very long time.

  Forcing a playful smile, she shook her head. “Not at all. There’s still a lot of furniture to move.”

  Her tone was deliberately teasing and she knew he knew it. Still, his gaze sharpened as if she’d said something enlightening. “So you find me useful?”

  She heard something in his tone, something she just couldn’t figure out. “You’ve been very helpful, Jared. Why wouldn’t I want to keep you around?”

  His expression turned thoughtful. “Glad to hear it. So, are you planning on rewarding me for my effort?”

  That heated gleam had returned to his eyes. The one she couldn’t refuse. When he stood and held out his hand, she gave up all thought of refusing him anything. She placed her hand in his and let him draw her against him.

  When he pulled her close to his body and began swaying in time to the music, Annabelle closed her eyes and tried to let her mind drift.

  But his scent tantalized her with remembrances of the New Year’s Eve ball.

  That night she’d wished for some fun, a way to forget about her two-timing ex-boyfriend and the rut her life seemed to have fallen into.

  She’d wanted to experience just a little bit of the lust for life her parents had had.

  She’d experienced more excitement than she’d dreamed possible. And her fun had followed her home.

  But the ties she’d wanted to avoid were beginning to wrap around her heart.

  And that could be dangerous to a woman with secrets.

  Annabelle felt Jared’s every exhale against her hair and the warmth of his body against her cheek. Each shift of muscle fanned the flames of her rapidly rising desire.

  As if he’d read her mind, he lifted her hand to his shoulder so she could wrap both arms around him. His free hand drifted to her hair, twining into the curls and holding her to him.

  The song ended but he seemed in no hurry to release her. In fact, she knew his desire was rising along with hers. She felt his erection lengthen and harden against her lower belly, and his chest rose and fell in an ever-increasing rhythm.