by C. J. Lake
“Sky,” Jamie said impatiently. “I just saw him with you.”
“Okay, stop—he wasn’t with me,” Sky said, holding up her hand. Then she gently placed it on Jamie’s chest. Partly to calm him…and partly to touch him. It was impossible not to notice how hard and strong his chest felt. Over the past couple weeks, she had run her hands down that chest many times already. Kissed it, licked it, fell asleep on it. In fact, she felt oddly territorial about it. Maybe it was the peach schnapps, but Sky lost her focus for a moment, feeling fuzzy…and hot and restless. Standing so close to Jamie—in this dark, tight space—made her too aware of the heat emanating off his body, and of how much she wanted to sink into it, to wrap herself around him, to disappear from this bar and go back home with him. What she really wanted most was to get passionately lost in him and forget all about this “night off” bullshit.
When her eyes drifted back to Jamie’s face, she saw it hard and implacable and realized they were not on the same page.
“Look, Elle and I decided to go out,” Sky explained. “I already told you she really likes this place.” She took a breath, suddenly feeling a bit nervous, though she hadn’t done anything wrong. “All right, get that accusing look out of your eye,” she said testily, “or I’m not going to talk to you at all.”
That shocked him, she could tell. She was bluffing anyway, but since he couldn’t be sure of that, he immediately softened. “Look, I’m sorry, I…I’m just upset. I don’t like seeing another guy with my girl.”
Her adrenaline began to rise. Her body felt flushed, as white-hot desire pooled between her legs. God, she wanted him so much right now. And she couldn’t blame it on alcohol; the feeling was too strong, too animalistic. Knowing that Jamie was as possessive of her as she was of him…it was affecting her on a palpably sexual level.
She took a breath, gazed at him from beneath her lashes, and kept her voice calm. “He’s not here with me. He’s here with Brett.” Impulsively, she pressed closer until their bodies were touching. She felt Jamie stiffen, but he didn’t back away. “Listen closely,” she said, trying not to get too turned on by him. “Elle wanted to go out. When Brett met up with us, he had Remy with him—along with two other guys, who went to sit closer to the TV to watch the game,” Sky explained offhandedly. “So, Brett and his friends came here because Brett wanted to see Elle, and Remy happened to be included.”
After a pause, Jamie said, “Does he know about us?”
Sky blinked at that. “Well, no…”
“Why not?” Jamie challenged.
“Why would he? We’ve barely interacted so far.”
Jamie scoffed. “So far…” he repeated under his breath. “I can’t believe this. Jesus— we take one night off and they’re already circling!”
“Oh, what about you?” Sky retorted, crossing her arms.
“Me…?”
“Yeah—you and that waitress,” Sky said hotly.
“Waitress?” Jamie said, appearing genuinely confused.
“C’mon, I saw it. Your waitress was following you around and laughing hysterically at everything you said!”
“Hey, now wait a minute. I can’t help it if I’m funny.”
“Look, what do you want from me?” Sky said, losing patience. “I didn’t know Brett was going to show up with Remy. They’ve been reminiscing about their camp counselor days the whole time. I’m not a part of it at all.”
“Fine, but I still don’t see why you can’t tell him that you and I are together now. In casual conversation,” Jamie suggested.
“He’s not even interested in me!” Sky yelped. “I’m just going to announce out of the blue that I have a boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure. I’m just going to say, ‘Hey, Remy, excuse me for interrupting when you’re talking to someone else, but: right after I hung out with you, I fell completely in love with a different guy.’” Almost instantly, Sky’s breath hitched. Her mouth curved open and her heart began to pound, as she realized what she’d just done. Swallowing hard, she licked her lips and plowed on, “It would be awkward. Can’t you see that?”
Though obviously not as awkward as this moment might be. She had just accidentally blurted out to Jamie that she was in love with him. God, what! Now she could feel herself blushing. Futilely, she hoped force of will would keep her face from turning turn beet-red.
There was surely a time and place for such a confession. Also they’d only been together officially for a couple of weeks; she didn’t want to come on too strong. Quickly, she sidestepped it—and for his part, Jamie must have realized, because he assisted her escape.
“Sure, okay, I get it now,” he reassured her and began nodding a little too vociferously.
“Okay, well I should go,” Sky said crisply, clearing her throat and averting her eyes.
“Yeah, me, too,” he said quickly. “My friends are waiting,” he threw in, jerking his thumb in the vague direction of his friends.
“Right and Elle is checking movie times. She and I are actually leaving now anyway.”
“Oh.”
“So, you see? It’s nothing like what you were thinking,” Sky mumbled, her cheeks burning.
“Right, sorry, I…”
“Okay, assuming this inquisition is over, I’ll see you later.”
“Definitely, yeah,” Jamie agreed, giving her one of his adorable crooked smiles.
“Well, enjoy your night,” Sky said hastily, standing on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. Damn sexy boyfriend that he was, Jamie turned his face and caught her mouth instead.
Chapter 28
A few hours later, Sky was at Jamie’s door. She hadn’t warned him she was coming, but she needed to see him. Actually, she needed to do a lot more than just see him. Ever since their run-in at The Blue Clover, he had consumed her thoughts. The rest of the night had been a mental blur of Jamie, Jamie, Jamie…
She couldn’t stop remembering that intense, possessive look on his face in that dark alcove, or the tender, affectionate way he called her “his girl,” or that cute, endearing smile of his that always managed to tilt her mood on its axis just when she was getting annoyed. She had never been able to stay mad at him—he was too damn sweet. But he was also fiercely passionate. When the lights went down and the pure animal male emerged, Jamie was all-consuming. Even now, when he swung the door open, he nearly took her breath away.
“Hello,” Jamie said, as though he might have been expecting her. He had one hand on his door and the other resting confidently against the doorjamb, basically bracketing the entrance to his place. “Are you done with your double-date?”
Sky tipped her chin up, meeting his eyes. “Are you done overreacting?”
“Maybe.”
For a moment, she gazed at Jamie’s mouth. Then she saw him gazing at hers. His voice was low and intimate when he said, “Come in,” and pushed away from the doorjamb so she could enter.
Though she acted relaxed, Sky’s heart had started galloping hard. She could practically feel it banging against her ribcage like a prisoner pounding on the bars. As she stepped inside, she heard Jamie shut the door.
Slowly, she turned to face him. Instead of giving her one of his easygoing smiles, his face was unreadable for a moment. Then, he raked his eyes down Sky’s body…and back up. She felt almost naked, his hot, possessive gaze thrumming all her nerve endings. She knew exactly what she wanted tonight, but did he know?
“How was the movie?” he asked somewhat indifferently. She had a feeling he didn’t give a damn about the movie right now.
“Fine,” she lied. Actually, the movie was a complete waste; she hadn’t been able to concentrate on it at all, instead thinking about Jamie most of the time. Thinking about their mini-argument from earlier, about that dark little corridor in The Blue Clover…and how she wished she’d had the courage and shamelessness to sink to her knees right then, right there, and take him in her mouth.
Now, to stay in control, Sk
y decided to go on the offensive. “Why were you even jealous tonight?” she challenged him, as she took a step closer.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because I already chose you. Honestly, Jamie—open your eyes!”
“All right,” he said, walking toward her. Sky stepped closer still until only an inch of space was left between them. “You don’t have to yell at me.”
Actually she did have to; it was a sure way to release some of the pent-up passion for him that was threatening to boil over. Well, it was one way to do it…
Acting on instinct, she curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt. “Well, how clueless can you be?” she asked, annoyed—and yanked his shirt out of his pants. Something flickered in Jamie’s eyes; he was excited, she could tell.
Snaking an arm around her waist, he pulled her to him. Sky’s breath caught; now she could feel his excitement, pressing hard into her stomach. “What about you?” he murmured huskily. “All bothered over some waitress I didn’t even notice.”
He lowered his head to kiss—and then gently bite—the curve of Sky’s neck. “I wasn’t all bothered,” she mumbled weakly, as her eyes drifted closed.
“Whatever you say,” Jamie offered agreeably and gently popped open the button of her jeans.
Lustfully, Sky slid her hands under Jamie’s shirt and ran them up his bare stomach and chest, barely holding back a moan. “Maybe if you weren’t so aggravating,” she said, digging her fingers into his back.
“Oh, everything aggravates you,” Jamie teased softly, while he dragged his mouth down her throat and toyed with her zipper. “Oxygen aggravates you.”
“And you,” Sky breathed, boldly reaching for his fly and jerking open his zipper. Jamie grunted when she slid her hand inside his pants and wrapped her fingers around his cock, which was already rock-hard.
“Sky…” he rasped, pulling down her zipper, while he kissed her ear. “I’ve been dying to get my hands on you all night.”
She was nearly panting by the time she felt Jamie’s fingers slide under the edge of her thong. Squeezing him, she whispered, “Do you have condoms?”
“Yes...”
“Thank God,” Sky said with relief.
Jamie stilled for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was a thick murmur. “Are you saying you want me to fuck you right now?”
“Yes,” she insisted.
“Thank God,” he agreed gruffly, and in a swift motion, slid his hands over her ass and lifted her up by the back of her thighs. With her legs straddling him and her mouth on his, he walked them both toward the bed.
~
Jamie didn’t have the head-space or inclination to question his good fortune. Sky Dirente was half-naked in his bed, kissing him hungrily, making those sexy little sounds of hers already. Christ, she made him insane. Now, as he unhooked her bra and peeled down her thong, the only thoughts running through his mind were: YES and more…
Their shirts and jeans were already in a pile on his floor. All that was left were Jamie’s boxer-briefs. Sky was aggressively tugging at the waistband, as her legs wrapped around him. “Hang on,” he said, his breath ragged as he quickly shed the boxer-briefs and lay on top of her again. He was careful to keep his dick a safe distance from her pussy, because if they started rubbing on each other like that…well, it would be too tempting and things might happen. He had to maintain control here, because Sky was counting on him.
Let’s face it: he knew what he was doing and she really didn’t—not yet. He would show her everything. Nothing made Jamie more excited than that thought. That he would be the one. Sky was counting on him to make this hot for her, and just to be a good guy and not an asshole. Jamie was confident that he could accomplish all of that…even if his dick was already aching and his whole body was starting to sweat.
Deliberately, he slowed things down. Brought his hands up to Sky’s face, and gently stroked her cheeks with his fingertips, before holding her face tenderly in his palms. She was still breathing hard, though her eyes focused on his. And they had one of those moments when time seemed to suspend, when the only thing he could do was to tell her the truth. “I love you, Sky.”
She gazed adoringly at him—shit, this meant so much—and her voice was barely a whisper as she said, “I love you, too.”
His heart hammered in his chest. This was the most incredible moment of—well, pretty much ever. Still holding her face, he was about to tell her how beautiful she was, how sweet and special and pretty and hilarious and how she was the best thing that had ever happened to him, even if that sounded like a stale cliché, but before he got to do any of that…
Sky was angling her face so his hand would touch her lips, and guiding him closer—then she took his thumb into her mouth. Jamie groaned as she started sucking on it, using her tongue exactly the same way she had when she’d been going down on him this morning… “Jesus, Sky,” he said hoarsely, “I’m trying to make this so good for you, but…how can I focus when you’re turning me on like this?”
“I don’t know—but you’d better figure out a way.”
“Really?” he said, managing a grin despite how aroused he was. “I think you need to stop bossing me.”
When Sky blinked up at him, she looked so innocent, almost shy, and Jamie’s heart swelled even more. “Okay,” she whispered. “Now please kiss me.”
After a few lingering kisses, Jamie murmured, “Listen, I don’t want to do anything wrong here. I can’t do anything wrong,” he stated firmly, feeling like he’d die if he lost her. “So…are you sure?”
“Yes. Oh, my God, yes,” Sky breathed, and pulled him down for another kiss.
From there, they fell in sync, in a kind of hungry, restless rhythm. They were kissing and running their hands everywhere. He dragged his mouth down her body, teasing her nipples with his tongue, and then licking down her stomach. Restlessly, Sky kept reaching for his cock and tugging on it—like she was trying to put it in herself, and Jamie was resisting—until she got all huffy. He couldn’t help grinning. That hot little temper of hers could really get him going.
“Please, I want you…” she begged. “I want to feel you.”
“I’m making sure you’re ready,” Jamie said raggedly as he stroked her inside with his fingers and used his thumb to rub her clit.
Sky moaned and arched her back off the bed. “I’m ready,” she insisted urgently, “I’m ready!” Jamie chuckled at that. “It’s not funny!” she chastised him.
“I know it’s not, but—”
“But nothing!” she cut him off. “I want you to fuck me—now—no more stalling.”
Jamie dug his fingers into Sky’s hair and gave her a playful tug. Meeting her eyes, he said, “What did we say about you bossing me?”
Reluctantly, he could tell, Sky grinned. And he broke into a smile, too. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I just—”
“Stop,” Jamie said, reaching into his nightstand for a condom. “Don’t ever apologize for wanting to fuck me.”
And then he slid inside her. Sky cried out, as her back arched again. “Yes,” she whispered weakly. With a rough groan, he sank in even deeper. Now he was all the way in; his cock was in ecstasy. His balls were flush up against her pussy and when he started to move, the friction was blistering hot and fucking mind-blowing. “Yes…oh, God…” Sky urged.
She went on to murmur lots of things, but most of them were not totally coherent, and Jamie’s heart and head were suddenly pounding, his blood was roaring, as he thrust into her again and again. Sky’s hips moved eagerly in time with him. At one point, Jamie said, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes,” she replied hurriedly and then gave him a shove, so he would roll onto his back. When he did, she straddled him—and he grabbed her ass, grunting like an animal as he rocked her against him. Soon Sky fell into a rhythm with Jamie’s hands guiding her, and they moved together at a sweaty, frantic pace—panting and grinding, gasping, begging—until Jamie reached between them to rub her
clit. Then she came apart.
While she was climaxing, he rolled her over, gripping her tight as he pumped harder, faster—and finally gave up his control to the most profound orgasm imaginable. As he was coming, he tried to utter Sky’s name but his voice was too hoarse to be intelligible, and he pounded one last time, savoring the feel of her muscles clenching his cock, and then his elbows gave out, and he collapsed on top of her with a rough, ragged groan.
“Goddamn…” Jamie muttered after several moments—then pulled up on his elbows to look into her face.
Sky’s eyes were dazed, half-closed, and she opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was, “Ohhh…”
He laughed softly to himself. Holy shit, the girl was perfect.
Chapter 29
Later that night while Sky and Jamie slept, the much-hyped storm arrived. At first it took form in loud, spinning wind that grew more forceful, until it finally broke the clouds apart, and sent torrents of water down from the sky. Rain pummeled the streets and beat against the bedroom window, while Sky stayed curled in Jamie’s arms. What eventually woke her was a fierce, violent thunderclap.
She jumped, startled, and Jamie pulled her a little tighter. “It’s here,” he murmured drowsily.
Blinking slowly, Sky smiled, recalling the intimate details of their night. She savored the warmth of Jamie’s body pressed against hers and the rhythmic sound of his breathing. When another thunder-crash boomed, he stirred, too, now coming more awake.
Sky’s eyes went wide as the room lit up with a vicious flash of lightning. “Oh, wow,” she whispered, feeling a bit like a kid again—somewhere between afraid and excited by the storm. “It seems pretty bad, huh?”
“Standard issue hurricane,” Jamie reassured her, brushing her hair out of the way to kiss to the back of her neck. “Nothing to worry about. Besides…I’ll keep you safe.”