JACE (Lane Brothers Book 3)

by Kristina Weaver

  There he was. Thomas Lloyd, leaning his shoulder against the frame of Sasha’s open front door.

  “So,” he said. “Here we are again.”

  Seeing him took Sasha’s breath away. There’d been a point where she never thought she would again. He was so handsome, in his steel gray suit pants with his shirt sleeves rolled up. Stubble had grown on his chin since they’d last been together, and it made him look more rugged. It was a good look and suited him well. At least Sasha’s body responded to it favorably, sending sparks of excitement between her legs.

  Over his shoulder, she noticed his car was in the driveway. There was no driver though. He must have been another person Thomas had culled along with Pippa, Bill, Ryan…and Sasha herself.

  “You didn’t have to come all this way,” she said, trying to keep her senses about her. She felt more than a little embarrassed to have made Thomas fly halfway across the globe because of an arson attack that turned out to be burned pizza. The last thing she needed to do was fawn all over him like a lovesick puppy.

  Thomas’s eyes roved from her feet and up the length of her body, lingering slightly on the fabric of her T-shirt as it strained against her breasts, before settling on her eyes.

  “I didn’t?” he said, drawing out the sounds and raising an arrogant eyebrow. “Because when we were speaking on the phone, it didn’t sound like I had much choice.”

  His eyes roved back down to Sasha’s body. She folded her arms over her chest.

  “You made me panic,” came her rebuttal.

  Thomas’s eyes widened. “Oh, did I now?”

  “Yes!” Sasha shot back. “With all your ‘find a baseball bat’ and ‘get out now’ stuff!”

  Thomas gave her a stern yet mischievous look. He took a step forward until their bodies were so close Sasha could feel the heat coming from him. She felt her body drawing closer to him like some powerful force was pulling her closer to him.

  “Are we going to stand here arguing on your doorstep all night?” Thomas whispered, his breath hot on her skin. “Or are you going to let me kiss you?”

  Sasha’s lips parted instinctively, and a sigh escaped her lips. “I thought you said...” she began, her voice little more than a whisper. However, Thomas silenced her by reaching his hand up to her face and skimming his rough fingertips against her smooth cheek. Sasha gasped with pleasure, as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear then let his fingers run down her neck. Chills ran up and down her spine. “You said you needed more time,” she murmured, feeling almost drugged by the sensations rippling through her body.

  Thomas looped an arm around her waist lightly. He whispered into her ear, “I said my brain needed time.”

  Then he tightened his hold on her, pulling her into his body so she could feel his erection pressing into her. Sasha had forgotten how huge he was, and how incredibly hard he could become around her. She fought all the impulses inside of her that told her to pull his pants down and suck him off right there on the doorstep. Even so, she couldn’t help the squeak sound that came from her throat.

  Thomas’s breath tickled her earlobe as he said, “My cock, on the other hand...”

  Sasha suddenly pushed him away, as the creaking noise of her mother’s approaching wheelchair sounded out from behind her. She swirled on the spot, knowing her cheeks were flushed.

  “Mom,” she said. “Look who’s here. It’s Thomas.”

  She moved away to reveal the older woman sitting in her wheelchair behind her. Gerald, the security guard had pushed her along the hallway at her insistence. Since he’d arrived last night, he’d taken on a sort of caretaker’s role with Julia, as well as a security guard. Though she’d been suspicious of him at first, the two had quickly become as thick as thieves.

  In the doorway, Thomas stood strategically to hide his bulging erection. He coughed. “Mrs. Jones. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He reached down and shook her hand.

  “Call me Julia,” the older woman said, as she cast suspicious glances from one pair of guilty eyes to the other. “So you’re the reason my daughter’s lost all common sense?” Then she added, “You look taller in real life than in the movies.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Thomas said. Then he nodded to the security guard. “Gerald.”

  The men shook hands.

  As Sasha moved back to allow Thomas to enter her home, she noted the twinkle in her mom’s eye. Julia couldn’t resist a polite, handsome man. Thomas would charm her, no matter how angry she wanted to be with him.

  Sasha showed Thomas into the living room. Just like when he was in her shabby apartment in Chicago, having him enter her world felt incredibly strange. Thomas had such a presence about him that he stuck out like a sore thumb any time he wasn’t surrounded by opulence. It made her basic living room look like the bad set of a budget movie.

  She went to the kitchen to make coffee for everyone and noticed that her hands were trembling. Just five minutes in his presence and Thomas had already managed to knock her off kilter.

  When she returned, her mother was proudly showing Thomas and Gerald baby pictures.

  “Weren’t you quite the cherub?” Thomas said from his place on the floral sofa as Sasha walked in. He flashed her one of his wicked grins.

  “Oh please,” Sasha said, putting the cafetière on the table. She could feel heat creeping up her neck.

  “I mean it,” Thomas said with a sly look. “You were the picture of innocence.”

  He enunciated the last word in a subtly suggestive way that made Sasha cough. She pursed her lips and shook her head, then busied herself with pouring the coffee.

  “So,” Thomas said. “Here’s what I propose.” He took a sip of the coffee then instantly made a disgusted face; clearly, it wasn’t the quality he was used to drinking. “The four of us here head to my Aunty Mabel’s house in the Oxfordshire countryside. I’ve been there for the last few weeks trying to get my head together. It’s a beautiful place, very calm. Aunt Mabel’s a dear, really. She will give us all plenty of space to do as we please.”

  Julia tipped her head to the side. “You want me to leave my home? I’ve been here for almost thirty years. I intend to die here.”

  “Mom,” Sasha said. “Don’t say things like that.”

  “It’s just temporary,” Thomas said, spreading his hands wide, palms up invitingly. “I think that considering the circumstances we ought to relocate. Just for the time being. What happened with Bill has got us all rattled. Really, we should have moved on as soon as the letter arrived—”

  “What letter?” Julia said, cutting him off.

  Sasha pressed her lips together. Thomas’s eyes darted to her.

  “Oh,” he said, stumbling over his words. “I-I thought you were aware. Perhaps I was mistaken.”

  Sasha sighed. It was time to come clean. “Mom, Bill had been sending me online abuse. He must have been obsessed with Thomas or something and jealous that I was involved with him. He sent me a letter, to the house, saying he’d found out where we lived.”

  Julia’s face paled. “Why did you keep that from me?”

  “I didn’t want to worry you,” Sasha said soothingly. “But that was why Thomas sent Gerald here in the first place.”

  “This isn’t like you Sasha,” Julia replied. “You never used to keep secrets from me.”

  Sasha twisted her hands in her lap. She hated seeing her mom like this—upset, fearful. She wished she could comfort herself with the knowledge that had she known getting involved with Thomas would harm her family she would never have done it, but deep down she knew that was a lie. Just being in the same room as Thomas again had reminded her that every negative thing that had come about from their union was worth it and was more than offset by the times they spent between the sheets. If she could go back in time and change the past, she wouldn’t.

  “Mom,” Sasha said boldly. “I’m sorry that you got tangled up in this mess. But I love Thomas. I want to be with him. And that means acc
epting everything that comes with it—the paparazzi, the crazy stalkers, the phone taps, the backstabbing.”

  She took a breath. It felt so good to get this all off her chest. Ever since she’d met Thomas, she’d been sucked into a strange game where she never knew whether she was coming or going, whether he’d be on her side or against her, whether he wanted her or despised her. She couldn’t control Thomas’s heart or mind, but she could control her own, and that meant staying true to herself.

  She didn’t look for Thomas’s reaction. She didn’t want to read anything in his face that might reveal whether or not he loved her, too. Right now, she didn’t need to know. She just needed him to know.

  Julia was still frowning.

  Sasha took her mom’s hand. “You’ve never even been abroad. Think of this as an adventure. This can be like all the holidays we never got to go on after Dad left. And Gerald’s coming, too. You two get on famously.”

  From his lookout post by the window, the security man chuckled.

  Sasha could tell her mom was starting to soften. She took a sip of her coffee. Then as she moved the mug from her lips, she said, “What’s the weather like in England? I need to know what to pack.”

  Sasha let out a breath of relief and hugged her mom. Knowing she had permission to return to England with Thomas made her feel as giddy as a teenager being granted a midnight curfew.

  Gerald wheeled Julia out of the room, so she could start packing. Sasha and Thomas were left alone. The silence was so thick she could almost touch it.

  “Sasha...” Thomas began.

  Sasha shook her head, cutting him off. She smiled. “Don’t. Don’t say anything. I don’t need to know.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Being on Thomas’s plane again was like déjà vu. Only this time there was no chance for steamy sex because Julia—fatigued from the drive over—was napping in the bedroom. Gerald decided to rest up too, having been awake all of the previous evening on security duty. That left Thomas and Sasha in the main room together. They decided to make their way through a bottle of wine.

  “Did you watch Chris’s video?” Sasha asked. The alcohol had loosened her tongue somewhat.

  Thomas took a sip of his wine. “Yes. It was vile.”

  Sasha nodded sadly. “I can’t believe he’d do that to me.”

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Thomas replied. “People turning on you is the worst feeling in the world.”

  Sasha thought the comment was directed at her. She deflected it by asking, “Have you heard from Crystal?”

  Thomas shook his head. “Not since she left the facility.”

  “Are you worried about her?”

  “I’m always worried about her. I’m worried about her every second of every day. She’s my little sister, and she puts her life in danger on a daily basis.”

  Hearing him talk about Crystal like that gave Sasha hope. If he could forgive his little sister for selling him out, he could forgive her, too.

  She took another sip of wine. “What about Pippa?”

  Thomas sucked air between his teeth. “Pippa’s been communicating with me through her lawyers. I get almost daily reminders that I’m not allowed to mention certain things.” He eyed Sasha, communicating silently that she was the subject of his gagging order.

  “It seems so unfair,” Sasha said. “Both our reputations have been tarnished by this whole thing and we’re not even allowed to set the record straight. All these strangers have constructed these stories about us that aren’t even true.”

  Thomas tipped his chin down. His eyes bore into her. “Maybe you see now why you were so appealing to me in the first place.”

  Sasha swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. “We’re out of wine,” she said, standing and smoothing down her rucked up skirt. “I’ll get another bottle.”

  Thomas swilled the last drops in his glass and watched her intently as she walked over to the fridge.

  The alcohol coupled with the movement of the plane made her sway. She bent down to pick up a new bottle. As she stood, she became aware that Thomas was now standing directly behind her.

  She was about to turn to face him, but he said, sharply, “Don’t look. Carry on with what you’re doing.”

  As she placed the wine glasses side-by-side, she felt Thomas’s hand slide in through her blouse and cup her breast. He pulled her into him, and she felt his erection straining in his pants, pressed up against her buttocks. She hiccupped her pleasure.

  As she wound the corkscrew into the cork, Thomas’s fingers slowly caressed her nipple, making it hard. She pulled the cork out. At the same time, she felt Thomas lift her skirt with his spare hand. She was wearing a thong, and there was now nothing between her and his hard cock except the fabric of his pants.

  Sasha tried to turn again, but Thomas wouldn’t let her. “Keep going,” he said.

  She began to pour the first glass of wine. The sound of the flowing liquid was matched by the sound of Thomas unzipping his fly. She wanted to reach back, to touch his penis, but he wouldn’t let her. He squeezed her breast. “You have another glass to fill.”

  A moan escaped her lips, as Thomas quickly unbuttoned her blouse and pulled back the fabric. He massaged both her breasts while pressing kisses along her shoulder. Then one of his hands travelled the length of her body and down to her clitoris. She was wet for him, so ready for him to enter. But he didn’t. He kept his rock hard cock pressed against her buttocks.

  Quivering, she began to pour the second glass. Thomas started massaging her clit slowly. At the same time, he moved his hips up and down, making his penis rub against the sensitive parts of her ass. It was an exciting new sensation for Sasha, one that made her gasp with arousal. It was clearly enjoyable for Thomas, too. He let out a grunt.

  Sasha felt her body yearning for him to enter her from behind, but Thomas was holding back. At least for now.

  The wine glasses were now both full, so Sasha set the bottle down. She tipped her head back and breathed deeply as Thomas pressed kisses into her neck, then ran his tongue up to her earlobe.

  “I’ve missed feeling how wet you get for me,” he whispered in her ear. At the same time, he moved the hand that had been on her breast down and pushed two fingers inside of her.

  Sasha gasped and grasped the countertop to steady herself. Her hair fell over her shoulder as she tipped her head forward. The mixture of sensations working its way around her body was intense. She was almost embarrassed by how quickly it had pushed her towards an orgasm.

  “I’m close,” she whispered.

  Thomas responded by sliding another finger inside of her, widening her. He worked the fingers on her clit faster. All the while, he rubbed himself up and down her ass so that she could feel his hard erection straining to be unleashed.

  “Fuck,” she gasped.

  “Touch yourself,” Thomas said.

  She didn’t need to be told twice. She took over rubbing her clitoris, freeing Thomas’s hand up. He pushed her forward and unhooked her bra. He slid the straps over her shoulders, and it fell onto the surface in front of them.

  Her breasts now fully exposed, Thomas licked his fingers and ran the wet tips in a circular motion around her hard nipple. It was all she needed to tip over the edge.

  Then she took a sharp intake of breath as she reached a sudden, fast climax. The speed with which she reached it shocked her, and she cried out, “Oh! Oh! Oh!”

  Thomas moved his fingers inside of her to the rhythm of her orgasm. He didn’t stop until he squeezed the last drop out of it.

  She gasped, as she felt him slide his fingers out of her. She could feel him breathing right in her ear and listened to the sound of him licking each finger slowly.

  “I’ve missed your taste,” he whispered in her ear.

  Sasha gripped the countertop so hard her fingers turned white. “Fuck me,” she demanded. “Fuck me now.”

  “You want me inside of you?”

  “Yes
,” Sasha whispered. “Do it. I can’t wait.”

  Hardly a second passed before she heard the familiar sound of a condom being removed from its wrapper and slid down his shaft. She tried to turn, but Thomas stopped her.

  “I want to touch it,” she said.

  “No,” he said. He nudged her legs apart with his foot then bent her forward, right over the fridge and work surface so that her posterior was angled upwards. He pulled her thong down to her ankles. “We’re doing this my way.”

  Then he thrust his way inside of her dripping wet vagina.

  The pleasure hit Sasha like a breaking wave. She cried out as the first thrust slammed her forward and made the fridge rock backwards. Thomas wasn’t planning on taking this slow or gently. He moved hard and fast, his hands on her hip bones to get a better grip, each thrust matched with a grunt. The fridge juddered back and forth each time his body slammed into hers, making the glasses tinkle against one another and the wine inside of them slosh.

  “Fuck!” Sasha cried, as the intense new sensation gripped her. Thomas was fucking her so hard her breasts were bouncing. Her hair fell forward into the wine glasses.

  Somehow Thomas pushed harder and harder. It was as though he was trying to bore his way right through her. Sasha felt a frenzied kind of pleasure, almost a delirium, a desperation. This wasn’t the delayed gratification Thomas had taught her, this was a desperate need to orgasm as hard and fast as possible. He needed to come inside of her, and she wanted to take him there.

  She pushed back, matching each one of his thrusts with her own opposite force. She felt him harden even more inside of her and could tell he was close. She was close too and knew that all she had to do now was press her clitoris to climax. But she had to get Thomas there first. His breath was coming in fast pants. He sounded like he was in the middle of an intense workout.

  She squeezed her pelvic floor muscles to make herself as tight as she possibly could. Thomas responded with a cry like nothing she’d ever heard from him. Then, there was a moment of silence that she recognized as the split second before the orgasm hit.