Because I’ve never felt more at home than I do in his arms.
“Where are Cohen and Maren registered? I’d love to get their gift ordered so it comes in time for the shower,” Jordan chatters, beaming as she kicks her heels off and into the corner of the hotel room. We stayed so long at my parents’ that we took Bill up on his offer to comp us a room at the vineyard.
I think Jordan legitimately liked my family enough to want to sit around the fire and try not to make faces as she drank Negra Modelos. She even whipped Deo’s ass in bocce ball. I have a sneaking suspicion he threw the game just to see the look of pure glee on her face when she took him down after the incredible amount of shit talking he did. Just one more reason I love that guy like a blood brother.
“Ah, I guess I should have asked that, huh?” I say, falling back on the bed so hard the mattress bounces. It’s a nice as hell bed, big with a the kind of firm mattress I sleep best on. Not that it matters; I have no plans to waste this night sleeping. “We’ve got time though, I can call tomorrow and ask.”
“It’s no problem.” She grabs her iPad off of the table and swipes her finger across the screen. “There’s a website that compiles all of the bridal and baby registries from all major retailers into one search engine. I’m sure we can find it there.”
I roll onto my stomach and stare at her. “How do you know all of this?”
Jordan looks back over her shoulder at me and grins. “I am a girl, you know. I’ve been to a few showers in my day. Always a bridesmaid and all that.”
She doesn’t sound spiteful when she says it, just matter-of-fact, like she always is.
“Only because you’ve dated the biggest fucking tools on earth. Not that I’m complaining. I’m just glad I got lucky enough to meet you when you were between idiots. I’m not usually a lucky guy, but I definitely lucked out when it came to meeting you.” She whirls around and looks at me with this dreamy expression that makes me go wild. I like being the person who reminds her how damn amazing she is.
I push up off the mattress and take the iPad out of her hand, laying it on the desk. I take my time, tugging her close, wrapping my arms around her, paying attention to the way her pulse picks up and her skin goes pink. “I promise we’ll look at pacifiers and diapers and whatever else all day tomorrow. Tonight, you’re mine.” I kiss her, but she pulls back.
“Enzo, why’d you do that thing? At dinner, I mean?” She gives me a look that’s kind of puzzled and very disappointment.
“You’re going to have to be a little more specific than that, baby,” I say, kissing down her neck. She moans a little, and it makes me see stars. “I did a lot of things at dinner: avoided my father’s look of death, tried not to check out your gorgeous, incredible rack, tried to guess if Lydia’s boyfriend is old enough to send on a beer run in case we ran out…”
She’s running her hands through my hair and massaging my neck, but she snaps out of it after a few glorious seconds. “I mean, why’d you try so hard to make your interview sound less important than it actually is?”
“I’m not taking the job, so it’s not important,” I say. I kiss her neck and pause, waiting for her to reply.
If I just keep repeating how much I don’t want the job, she’s got to believe me eventually, right? I’m not going to lie, I dug the staff at Angelino’s, and I wouldn’t mind being close to my family again.
But this girl? I can’t—I won’t walk away from her.
“Okay, but the fact that you were approached for an interview is a big deal, Enzo. It speaks well of your work ethic and reputation. Angelino’s is known for its intense hiring process. I did some research on them, and they rarely hire outside of family. It was an honor that you were selected, Enzo. Your family should know what you’ve been doing—how far you’ve come. They should be able to be proud of you.”
“I want you to be proud of me.” My voice comes out scratchier than I expected.
Her eyes soften. She caresses the side of my face with her hand. “Are you kidding? I’m always proud of you. You’ve been surprising me—in the best way possible—every day since the first day I met you, Enzo. When are you going to realize how incredible you are?”
It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted; the woman I love to look at me like I could do anything, be anything. So why does it feel so damn overwhelming when Jordan is standing in front of me saying those words?
Because the right girl is finally saying the right thing, and it all feels wrong. Like I don’t deserve to have her looking at me the way she is. I didn’t earn all this admiration. Basically, I met her and good things started to happen, one after another. Because of her. Because she was willing to lie for me, cover for me and teach me every single thing she knows.
I don’t want that to be our reality. I don’t want to be some freeloader who takes advantage of the most beautiful soul I’ve ever known in my life.
I clear my throat and pluck a glossy card from the nightstand. I stare at it blankly, panic clamping down on my throat. “Uh, you sure you don’t mind staying the night? I know we said just the day, but that was before Mama Rodriguez got her claws into you.”
Jordan presses her lips together and rubs her hands up and down her arms like she’s cold. Maybe it’s the chill in the room from my asshole behavior. But Jordan, as always, is the perfect lady. “Your mother is perfect.”
“She’s a damn good woman,” I agree. I empty my pockets on the nightstand, rearrange the bags we had packed so we could change for dinner at the vineyard, pull out the nightstand drawer and pull out the Gideon Bible I used to thumb through when I was a kid and we stayed in a hotel.
I asked my mom why our people didn’t leave Torahs in hotels, and she said Judaism was the kind of religion you’re born to or work to get into. There’s no evangelical push involved.
“Your brothers and sisters are lovely, too,” Jordan says, her soft voice shaking me out of my random childhood memory.
“They have their moments, but it was so good to see them again. Except Cohen. Did you see the look on his face when I tried to back out of coming back down for the baby shower? Jesus, he scares the shit out of me sometimes.” I smile at her, but there’s a strain between us now that I wish wasn’t there.
But I’d have to go back in time and change the way we met, the way I used her, the way she lied for me to make things the way I’d like them to be.
“I think it’s sweet.” She moves closer and puts a tentative hand on mine. I rub her soft skin and lead her closer. “I love seeing how much he wants everything to be just right for Maren. He really loves her, it’s obvious to anyone watching them. I’m glad I got to witness that.” She stands on her toes, her heels sliding out of her shoes, and kisses me, softly, on the side of my mouth. Her next words come out on a whisper. “And no, I don’t mind staying the night here. I don’t mind at all. As long as you don’t mind the sleeping situation.” She nods to the wide bed, raises her eyebrows, and lets her lips quirk into a quick smile.
“Right.” I run my hand through my hair. “I guess that’s what we get for asking for an available room the night of a Kenny Loggins concert.”
“So true,” Jordan laughs, and that sound turns me on instantly.
“And I can take the chair if you’d like,” I say.
I have to offer, but god I hope she turns me down.
“Absolutely not, Enzo.” She draws her hands up and down my arms, and I swallow hard as I stand still, just enjoying the trail of her fingers on my skin. “You’ll never fit in that thing. We can share the bed, it’s huge.” She falls back across the massive California King, spreading her arms like she’s making snow angels. She’s tall, but she barely takes up any room. She wiggles around as if she’s proving just how little contact we’ll have to have.
Though the way she wiggles makes me want to have so much contact with her. Preferably with no clothes between us.
“You want me to draw a line down the middle?” I offer.
She looks at m
e, her eyes have that familiar gold fleck to them that I’ve seen before only in the moonlight. But now I realize it’s not the light of the moon that brings out the hue. They turn gold when she wants something.
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” She pats the bed next to her.
I take that as my cue to slide in close to her.
“How’d the interview really go today?” She barely has to raise her voice, we’re so close. “We haven’t had a chance to talk about it.”
I reach over and slide my hand around the back of her neck. “You really want to talk about the interview right now, Jordan?”
“All business, right? That’s how we keep it safe?” she asks, barely louder than a whisper.
“Bullshit,” I say taking her in my arms. “There’s nothing safe about the way we feel, Jordan. If we want this, it’s gonna be scary as hell. But I’m ready if you are.”
She sits up, and I think she’s leaving the room. The disappointment is like a blade in my gut. But she pulls her long hair to the side, leaving her back exposed.
“Unzip me, Enzo?” Her voice is sexy and low.
I take the tiny metal zipper pull in my hand, which has never felt bigger or clumsier. I tug down and the zipper whines. The back of her dress falls open, and there’s nothing between my fingers and the creamy skin of her back but the distance I keep.
She stands up and lets the dress slide down her body. She’s in front of me, long and curved like a pinup girl, silky hair still over one shoulder, wearing nothing but a lace bra and panty set and her heels.
Holy dream come true.
“Jordan,” I try hard to keep my voice steady. “Are you sure you want this?”
“I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire life,” she says, walking to me. Her body is unbelievably sexy. She stands in front of me, her legs straddling mine and leans over so her hair just brushes my arm. “I’ve wanted you naked all night long since the first night we met.”
Those words out of that sweet mouth throw my brain into chaos. She kisses my neck and undoes each button of my shirt, pushing it off my shoulders and running her hands over my shoulders and chest while she makes this appreciative purring noise in the back of her throat. I put my fingers on the place at her throat where her pulse is jumping and drag them down, letting my fingertips bump over the swells of her gorgeous tits, the sweet curve of her stomach, the soft skin at the inside of her thighs.
I watch her mouth fall open and her eyes close. She braces her hands on my shoulders, her fingernails biting into my skin. I run my finger under the elastic of her panty.
“How long has it been?” I ask.
She glances up at me, her eyebrows raised innocently.
“How long has it been since you’ve been touched the way you deserve?”
“Too long.”
“You want me to touch you here?” I ask, watching her lips tremble as she pants.
“Y-yes,” she stammers.
“Then tell me.” My voice is lazy, and it makes her eyes pop open. She blushes and shakes her head. I grin at her. “I’m not going to unless you tell me what you want.”
“I…I want you to touch me like…ahh.” She breaks into a moan when I slide one finger in. Damn she’s wet already. I kiss her stomach, up along her ribs, and nuzzle my face in her cleavage. I work the front clasp of her bra open with my free hand and smile at the way she gasps when I kiss and lick every sensitive, beautiful inch.
I circle her clit with my thumb and suck one nipple into her mouth while I graze the other one with my thumb.
“Your mouth, Enzo,” she whimpers. “Your mouth feels so…”
She looks at me with shock in her eyes as I pull back from her abruptly. “Go ahead,” I say, hooking my fingers under the elastic at her hips. I slide those tiny panties down and fall to my knees in front of her, my hands spreading her thighs wide. “Tell me what you like. I promise I’ll do my best to give you what you want.”
I lick at her and her knees go weak. She grabs at my head, clutching at my hair and pressing my mouth against her body harder. I kiss and lick, keeping my ear focused on her moans and breathing. My goal is to work up from moans to cries, and I manage it by sliding my finger into her while I lick and suck her sweet clit. She bucks her hips against me, her fingers pulling at my hair and ears like she’s gone wild.
Which is exactly how I want her. My mouth moves faster, I increase the pressure, and I feel her legs go stiff, her hands tense and she stops rocking.
“Enzo?” she gasps. “Oh god, Enzo, it’s too much! I’m…I’m…”
Instead of backing off, I keep up the intensity and am rewarded by hearing Jordan scream my name before her body shakes and then she sags against me. I give her a last, long lick and pull back.
“What were you saying about my mouth?” I ask, loving the completely blissed out look on her face.
She falls onto the bed, arms spread wide, bra hooked around her elbows, panties twisted at her knees. “Enzo,” she says after a few long minutes. “It can’t get better than that. Can it?”
She bites her bottom lip and raises her eyebrows. I realize she isn’t asking me some innocent question; she’s daring me.
“Let’s find out,” I suggest.
She sheds her bra and panties, kicks off her heels, and tugs me forward by the belt loop. We’ve switched positions, and I’m feeling anticipation so intense, it’s making my vision blur.
“You know, you’ve been really nice to me lately.”
She flicks open the button of my jeans and tugs down the zipper. She has to use some force. I don’t know if I’ve ever been this hard in my life. She folds the waistband of my boxer briefs back and takes my dick in her soft, sure hand. She slides her fingers up and down and looks at me with wide, innocent eyes.
“It’s not fair that you haven’t had anything nice.” She circles the head with her thumb and the breath punches out of my lungs.
“Trust me, Jordan, I’m more that happy with what we’ve done so far,” I assure her through gritted teeth. Because she’s leaning closer.
“Good. Then I think you’ll really enjoy this.” She slides one hand down to the base and parts her lips, taking me into her mouth with a long, slow pull.
Every hair on my body stands on end. My muscles bunch. My eyes roll back in my head. My brain explodes.
My god, Jordan uses her mouth and tongue in ways that make my knees buckle. She takes her time, and I’d love to let go, but I stop her.
“Did it not feel good?” she asks, her forehead wrinkled with confusion.
“Doll, you have no clue just how good that felt. Seriously, I cannot stress enough how amazing that felt. But…”
“What is it?” she asks, leaning back on the bed.
I kick off my jeans and boxers, and stretch over her. “But I want to hear you scream my name again,” I say against her ear, kissing her neck and moving my hands over every perfect curve. “Can we try for that?”
She nods, then sits up. “Wait!” She scrambles off the bed and picks her dress up off the floor. After a few seconds of searching, she holds up a condom. “I picked a dress with pockets,” she says as she climbs back next to me.
My mind is kind of blown, and I just stare as she tears the package open and rolls the condom on me. She starts to straddle me, but I roll her body undermine and look down at her perfect face. “So you were planning to have sex with me?”
She closes her eyes and laughs. “Well, yes, I was. The way things were going, I was a little afraid I’d have to beg you to pull over, and we could just do it in the backseat.”
“The backseat?” I shake my head. “I wouldn’t have let our first time go down like that. We’re not two high school kids, Jordan.”
She brushes her fingers over my face gently. “I know. But you’ve been so careful to take things slow with me. It was easier before the elevator. But I’ve been thinking about you nonstop since then. I knew I might have to take matters into my own hands.”
“Then I’m going to ask you to rock my world now.” She wraps her legs around my waist and crosses her ankles. “Don’t say ‘no.’”
“Not a chance,” I grit out. I pull back and fit against her, sliding deep into her.
“Enzo,” she gasps.
I thrust into her. I knew it would feel good, but I underestimated just how good. She’s tight and hot under me, and the way she moans every time I move inside her beats down the last of my resistance.
“Damn, Jordan, you feel so good,” I growl low against her ear.
My mouth traces down her neck and catches her nipple. She digs her heels into my back, pressing me tighter to her body. She runs her fingers up and down my back, then cups my face in her hands and pulls my face up close to hers.
The way she kisses me is wild and sweet all at the same time. The taste of her tongue, the bite of her teeth, the way she moans right into my mouth all work to make me drive into her harder, faster.
“That’s it, that’s it,” she chants, kissing me harder and lifting her hips, so her body presses tight against mine.
I run my hands over her skin, dragging my fingers over the intensely soft skin, the warm, full curves, all the most sensitive places that make her cry out and tug at my hair. I press against her, trying to make my body fit hers as tightly as she’s asking. She presses her head back into the mattress and arches her back up, pulling me into her deeper than I imagined possible. Her eyes are closed and her lips are parted. She shakes her head back and forth and her whimpers build until she sits up, yanks my mouth down to hers, and screams my name against my lips.
Almost Lover Page 21