Camera Shy

by Lauren Gallagher

  She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him. "Are you sure that would be enough? To convince you?"

  "Maybe not," he said. He paused for a long, deep kiss before whispering, "I might have to do it a few times to be sure." He kissed her one last time, then gave her a playful wink and sat back in the driver's seat.

  The whole ride back to Jason's, Simone worried over the conversation with Mary in the grocery store. How much longer before someone recognized her? She didn't want Jason finding out from someone else. Sooner or later, she needed to tell him. As soon as they were in the house, though, Jason made her forget all about Mary's comments, as well as the existence of anything outside of his bedroom.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  After dinner, Jason and Simone went out to his deck, but Jason brought his phone out with him.

  "My brother is calling me sometime tonight," he said, setting the phone on the railing beside them before putting his arms around her. "I hate to take it while you're here, but he's got some last minute info for me for our gallery opening coming up." She pretended to pout and pulled him almost close enough to kiss. "But what if I don't want to wait?"

  "You'll just have to," he said, grinning into a kiss. "I'll make it worth your time, I promise." He ran his hands through her hair and pulled her closer.

  "You're always worth my time," she said. "But I don't want to wait."

  "You have to wait."

  "I don't want to wait."

  "You're going to wait."

  "I'll bet if I started taking my clothes off, you would change your mind." He laughed, but it didn't quite mask the shiver that ran up his spine. "You wouldn't dare."

  She pulled back and unbuttoned the top button of her blouse. "So you're saying it would change your mind?"

  Jason's eyebrows lifted as he watched her fingers. "About what?" Another button. "That's what I thought."

  Releasing a breath, he put his arms around her again and pulled her to him. "Vile temptress," he whispered just before he kissed her.

  The phone rang.

  Jason jumped and nearly knocked the phone off the railing. "I'll keep it short, I promise," he said, kissing her one last time before he picked up the phone. "Jason Connor." Pause. "Let me get into the office, hang on." He nodded to Simone to follow him into the house.

  She gave him a playful scowl, but followed.

  In his office, Jason dropped into his desk chair and grabbed a folder from next to the computer. "Okay, so they want to do the opening—" He paused, exhaling as Simone's hands kneaded his shoulders. "What? No, I'm still here. Sorry. No, no, nothing." He glanced up at Simone, giving her a playful, disapproving look. She silenced a giggle and let go of his shoulders, walked around to sit in the chair beside his desk.

  Without taking his eyes off his paperwork or his attention off the phone call, he put his hand on her knee. Her breath caught as he caressed up her inner thigh, and he gave her a devilish wink.

  "So the opening is on the fifteenth, but—" His jaw fell open, but no sound came out. His eyes flicked down to Simone's foot, which ran up the inside of his leg. "No, sorry, I was just looking at—" He looked like he barely kept himself from gasping audibly as her bare foot made a gentle circle on his inner thigh. He put his hand on her ankle and held her foot in place. "Are they going to be finished with the interior by

  then? You told me last week they were running way behind." His thumb ran back and forth along the arch of her foot. It was intensely ticklish and she tried to pull away, but he held tightly, grinning at her.

  Something Sean said caught his attention. He furrowed his brow and looked back at his paperwork, releasing Simone's foot. She pulled it away quickly. Jason leaned back in the chair. "Okay, I'll be down on the twelfth. How does the RSVP list look?" His eyebrows jumped. "Wow. Hell of a turnout this time. Sweet. Yeah, I'll be—" He did a double take and his lips parted in surprise as Simone approached him and straddled him on the chair. "So, everything's in order then?" She unbuttoned the next button on her shirt, then the next.

  Jason chewed his lip. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the chair, his brow scrunched with frustration. "Anything else I need to take care of before I come down?"

  His eyes flew open as Simone brushed her fingers over the front of his jeans. He swallowed hard. "Uh huh, okay, right." Silently, he mouthed, " You're evil."

  " You love it," she mouthed back, shrugging her blouse off her shoulders.

  "Okay, man, sounds like everything's under control." He rolled his eyes and made a come on, hurry up gesture in the air. "Right. Well, that can wait until—" He exhaled, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose. Simone reached back to unsnap her bra. His eyes widened and he mouthed, " Don't do it, don't, you're killing me." To his brother, he said, "Go ahead and e-mail all of that to me; I'll look at it in the morning." He bit his lip as she tossed her bra away. "No, no, I don't think we need to go over it tonight. It can wait."

  Simone cupped her own breasts, running her thumbs around her nipples and squeezing him with her thighs as she pressed her hips against his now rock-hard cock. A frustrated sound escaped his lips and he closed his eyes again. He quickly cleared his throat. "Nothing. Don't worry about it. Okay, I'll see you on the twelfth. Later." He let the phone clatter to the floor and pulled Simone's body to his, pushing one of her hands away so he could touch her breast. "You're such a fucking tease," he

  murmured, running his tongue around her nipple while he thumbed the other. He paused, glancing around her and frowning, his gaze darting around the room.

  "What's wrong?" she asked.

  "Too much crap on my desk," he muttered, still playing with her nipple with his thumb.

  "What?"

  He looked around again, clicking his tongue and furrowing his brow.

  "Jason, what are you—?"

  Suddenly, he put his arms around her and lifted both of them off the chair.

  "There's too much crap on my desk," he murmured, kissing her neck before releasing her to fumble with his belt. "Or I'd fuck you right there." He cursed as the buckle snagged. His hands were shaking. Glancing at her, he said, "Get those jeans off, baby." Puzzled, wondering what he had in mind if the desk—the only flat surface in the room—wouldn't work, she did what he asked. She'd expected to turn him on, but this, this desperate need to have her right now, sent delicious tingles up her spine. As soon as the clothing was out of the way, his body was against hers, his hands pulling her as close to him as possible while he kissed her hungrily.

  "God, I need to fuck you," he growled. He nudged her with his body and she took a step back to compensate for her shifting center of gravity. They moved again. Just like she'd followed him the night they danced in his living room, she let him lead, neither questioning nor resisting, her mouth never leaving his.

  A coarse, cool surface hit her back and startled her. She opened her eyes, realizing they were against the wall, between a shoulder-height file cabinet and an adjacent wall. Her heart pounded when he reached for his back pocket.

  "Right here?" she asked. She shouldn't have been surprised. Where hadn't he fucked her?

  He tore the condom wrapper with his teeth. "Anywhere else is too far away." With the condom on, he slid his hand over her hip and down her thigh to her knee. He

  hooked his hand underneath and pulled her leg up. Then the other. He held her hips and pressed his body weight against her to hold her steady against the wall. "I need you now." As he said the last word, he thrust his cock into her.

  "Oh my God," she whispered. She hooked her ankles behind him.

  "Jesus, you're so tight this way," he breathed, taking quick, shallow strokes. There wasn't room to move in this position, but it was enough. More than enough. She held his shoulders, whimpering softly each time he moved inside her. It reminded her of when he'd fucked her up against the car, but his body was pressed harder against hers now, trying to keep her up against a perfectly vertical surface instead of using the contours of t
he car for balance. It was hot, deliriously hot, but their movement was restricted like never before.

  He exhaled against her neck, a hot hiss of breath against her neck that raised goosebumps on her skin.

  "I can't get enough of you," he groaned. "That whole time . . . when you—oh my God . . . ." He paused. "When you teased me, I just wanted to hang up—" His breath caught. "Hang up and fuck you."

  Digging her fingers into his shoulders, she tried to move her hips in the restrictive position. "That's why I was teasing you." Her voice was little more than a pitiful moan. "I love it when you're like this."

  He raised his head and kissed her, thrusting as hard as he could. "You're the only one," he said through his teeth. "Who can get me like this." He closed his eyes, his lips parting, and released a soft, throaty sound, one that could almost be mistaken for pain.

  "Oh, God . . . ."

  He moved faster, thrusting hard enough to move Simone's body up the wall with each stroke. The coarse plaster bit into her skin, but she didn't care. All she cared about was what he was doing to her, about the orgasm lurking just beyond her reach, closer, closer, closer still.

  "Come, Allyson," he whispered, his voice shaking. "God, I know you're close. Come, baby."

  "Oh, oh God," she moaned. Her back tried to arch, but she didn't have room. Her entire body tried to writhe, shake, spasm. Couldn't. It was as if her climax needed more room to move than she had, and so it just kept building. Only her arms and legs were free. She pulled him deeper with her legs, held him tighter with her hands, and the impending release grew stronger still.

  Something inside her finally released, finally broke, letting massive shockwaves crash through her, over her. With no room for her body to move, to shake and tremble and rise and fall, it was as if her climax was trapped inside her, pulsing with an intensity she'd never before felt as it exploded within confines that could neither contain it nor release it.

  "Oh my God," she whimpered, losing all sense of time and place as he kept fucking her and she kept coming.

  "Oh fuck," he said. He drove himself into her, harder and faster, sending her deeper into a climax that refused to end. His body shuddered and he gasped. "Oh God, I'm gonna come . . . ." And a heartbeat later, he buried himself inside her and roared. When it was over, neither moved, their bodies still tense. Slowly, one limb at a time, their bodies relaxed. Simone released her grasp on his shoulders. One hand went to the file cabinet for balance, the other to the wall. Jason let one of her legs down, bracing himself against the wall with his now free hand. He let her other leg fall, sliding his hand around her waist. His head rested on her shoulder. Her head rested against his.

  Eventually, they both exhaled.

  "Jesus Christ," he whispered.

  Lifting her hand off the file cabinet, she gently stroked his sweaty hair. Deep tremors still pulsed inside her, aftershocks that were intense enough to rival full-on orgasms. She'd expected him to come undone, to get riled up and turned on when she teased him, but nothing like this.

  Jason lifted his head and stepped back to let her move. The skin on her back stung as she stepped away from the wall. She winced and he furrowed his brow. "Are you okay?"

  She grimaced. "I think the wall chewed my back up a little."

  "How bad? Turn around, let me look."

  She shook her head. "It's fine. Just a little rug burn." He scowled just before pulling her into a gentle kiss. "I didn't want to hurt you."

  "It's okay," she said. "It was well worth it." Jason exhaled. "Was it ever. Jesus, Allyson, that was incredible." He kissed her, his hands still trembling as he ran them through her hair.

  "Maybe I should tease you more often when you're on the phone."

  "Evil woman," he said with a laugh.

  "I thought I was a vile temptress."

  "You are a vile temptress."

  "Is that a bad thing?"

  His arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her close. "Not a bad thing at all."

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The weekend went by far too quickly, and before they knew it, Jason and Simone stood beside her rental car, saying their goodbyes.

  "I can't wait to see the pictures," she said.

  "They'll be done next time you come up. I doubt they'll need much work," he said with a smile. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "There's nothing to touch up."

  She grinned. "I'm sure you'll find something."

  "I doubt it. But I'll certainly look."

  Scoffing in mock offense, she said, "You'd look for flaws on me?"

  He laughed. "No, but I will look at your pictures. A lot."

  "You filthy man." She winked at him.

  "Guilty." He kissed her. A brief kiss turned into a longer one, and once again they were wrapped in each other's arms up against the car. Already they had drawn out their goodbye as long as humanly possible—including going back in the house just one last time—and she was going to miss her flight if she didn't leave soon.

  "I had a wonderful time," she said.

  He smiled. "So did I. As always." Then he touched her face again. "Before you go

  . . . ." The sudden seriousness in his voice unsettled her.

  "What is it?"

  "Maybe it should wait," he said, scratching the back of his neck and avoiding her eyes. "I don't want to keep you."

  She put her hand on his chest, leaning into him. "No, tell me." He exhaled. "I just, maybe it's too soon —"

  Oh shit. Shit. Shit shit shit. "Jason—"

  "I don't want to rush into anything," he said. Relief swept over her, but he went on. "But I'm not going to lie, Allyson."

  Shit.

  He met her eyes finally. "Whatever this is, whatever it is I'm feeling for you, it's more than just sex."

  She stared at him for a long moment. It was only her lungs screaming for air that reminded her she needed to breathe. "Jason—"

  "I'm sorry," he said, dropping his gaze. "I shouldn't have said anything." He closed his hands around hers. "I just—I didn't want to be dishonest with you."

  "I know," she said. "Look, it's still so soon. I'm not—I really don't know what I feel right now."

  He nodded. "I understand." He ran his fingers through her hair. Oh God, Jason, don't do that, you're making it so hard for me to leave. Goosebumps prickled beneath her sleeves as he kissed her forehead.

  "I want you to come back. Soon. I want to see you again."

  "I want to see you, too."

  "But I just . . . ." He hesitated. "I didn't want you to get the wrong idea about me, that I'm using you for sex."

  The way I'm using you for sex, you mean? Simone swallowed. "I will come back. I'm not sure when, but I want to see you." She kissed him again. "Just, give me some time to think about things, to sort a few things out." She bit her lip. "In my head."

  "I will."

  They met each other's gazes for a long moment. Finally, she whispered, "I should go."

  "I know." He pulled her into a deep, sensuous kiss. They whispered their goodbyes, and she got in the car.

  * * * * *

  As he watched her car disappear down the driveway, Jason was certain she was gone forever.

  He started toward the house, kicking a rock as he did. "Fuck!" he shouted. In the house, he fell onto the couch and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He'd said too much. Couldn't just let it rest, could he? Just had to blurt it out, and as she was on her way out, no less.

  But what could he do? He'd been torn about it for days, wondering if he should say anything or leave well enough alone. Scare her away, or leave her thinking he was just using her?

  He sighed. At least he hadn't come out and said he loved her. He didn't. His emotions weren't that strong. He had feelings for her, but—hell, who was he kidding?

  He was falling fast and hard for her. If this wasn't love, he didn't know what was. And he'd likely just lost her forever.

  * * * * *

  "Shit, shit, shit!"

  Simone p
ounded the steering wheel with her fist. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was just supposed to be sex. A fling. Fun. But then why the hell had she come back up here again and again? Why was he occupying her mind all the time?

  What was he doing to her?

  And why, why, did he have to go and say he felt the same way she did? No, she didn't feel that way. She didn't. She was not in love. She did not have feelings for him. This was sex. Casual, no-strings-attached, non-committed sex. At a stoplight, she rested her forehead on the wheel. She couldn't be in love with him. It wasn't the right time. She was just starting to get her head together. The last thing she needed was another messy relationship, and all of her relationships were nothing if not messy. Really messy.

  But she'd never felt like this before. The butterflies in her stomach were there all the time, not just when he looked at her or touched her or kissed her. When he did look at her, or touch her, or kiss her, the butterflies went crazy. And when he made love to her—

  "When he fucks me," she said aloud. "He doesn't make love to me. He fucks me. I'm a booty call. He's a booty call. This is not love. This—" A car behind her honked and she snapped her head up. She accelerated through the green light, waving an apology to the driver behind her.

  How would she even know if she was in love? Looking back, she couldn't remember ever feeling this way. Not even with Gregory and certainly not with the men who came after him. Just thinking of Jason made her heart ache in that tear-jerking, "just one kiss and I can die happy" way a schoolgirl felt when she looked at a picture of the latest Hollywood heartthrob. But in his presence, she was so at ease, so comfortable. He could make love to her for hours, like his entire purpose in life was to bring her pleasure. He could fuck her against a car in the pouring rain because neither of