Chapter Three
She woke to sunlight in her face, the smell of coffee in her nostrils. Blinking sleepily, she sat up, wincing at the dull ache in her head and the throbbing pain of her muscles. She had spent the night half throbbing with desire and half wishing Jeremy would have stolen upstairs and seduced the panties off of her. When she wasn’t doing that, she had tossed and turned, crazy nightmares in her mind. Coming to awareness quickly, she realized the room that was empty last night, was now full of clothes and shoes in every color of the rainbow; even though the door had been locked. On the nightstand was a note with her name on it. Cautiously picking it up, she read it quickly.
'Sasha,
Humbly accept any of these items that you can use as a token of my friendship and another apology.
Yours. J'
Her core throbbed thinking of him as hers. She blew out an exasperated breath. She needed an orgasm. Desperately. She'd, unfortunately, become competent at giving herself pleasure. No guy had ever wanted to do it for her. She frowned at the thoughts of regret filling her mind and pushed herself out of bed. She was bewildered. How had he gotten all of this here overnight? She fingered one of the silky chemises in a rainbow of colors on the bed. Some of the items were a bit too personal. She lifted a skimpy pair of hot red panties with one finger. Did he somehow pick these on his own? Did he want to see her in them? She warmed. How did he know her size? Okay, he HAD undressed her last night when he took care of her. Maybe he had checked her clothes. No, there were different sizes. These weren't just clothes from Target either.. These weren't clothes from Old Navy or JC Penney, or any of the cheap retail stores. These were unbelievably expensive; silks like she would never be able to afford. She got out of bed and locked the door.
She looked around in awe at the array of clothes. She'd never seen anything like this. Pulling different items out of the piles in her size, she began trying things on. She became absorbed in the clothes, not realizing how much time was passing, or the fact that he'd promised they could leave today. She luxuriated in the feel of the fabrics on her skin, wishing somewhere in the back of her mind that it was his touch. Shit, she pouted. He probably won't want me anyway. I do this EVERY time I meet a guy. I think he's something special. They never end up wanting me. You are just setting yourself up for some serious disappointment, Sasha. Serious disappointment. Suck it up, get your head on straight and handle your business like a big girl...
A light knock on the door brought her out of her self-reprimand. “Yes?” She called.
“Sasha, I thought you might like some coffee.”
She went to the door and opened it slightly. “Where did all of this come from?” Her tone was slightly accusatory.
He smiled. “Do you like them?”
“They’re okay.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “But, where did it come from? Did the food already come? Are we able to leave today?” Her questions came out in rapid succession.
He looked at her sympathetically. “The food arrived this morning about 6 am. I didn't want to wake you. You looked so exhausted, like you'd had a really rough night.” He casually looked her up and down, mentally slapping himself in the back of the head as he got wicked thoughts. “I asked the driver to put in an order for you for clothing and it was delivered about an hour ago. Unfortunately, cell phones don't work up here. He also put a call through to my assistant, Trevor. Trevor will get a car up here to us as soon as possible, I'm sure.”
She frowned, not liking his half ass explanation or the way her nipples tightened when he looked at her that way. “That's okay, I can head out on my own today, no problem. I could use the exercise. I appreciate all of the clothes, but I don't need them.”
Jeremy's forehead wrinkled in concern. “You didn't like them? I apologize. I asked them to get a wide array of things. Plus, we are about two hours outside of any town, at least. I don't recommend you walking quite that far today, especially after your jaunt yesterday. You could easily slip into sun stroke.”
“Two hours?” She smacked a hand against the door in frustration. “Are you sure your assistant is going to get someone up here today?” She rubbed her arm anxiously. She had to get away from him, before she basically begged him to screw her. God, he looks like he'd be amazing in bed... He's the perfect romance book hero. She sighed.
He lied smoothly, “Of course. How about we go out on the lake? I have a boat here. We may as well make the most of the heat and the water while we wait.”
Why did that sound so naughty, she thought. She instantly thought of her naked body in a hot tub, his heat surrounding her as he pounded into her. She took a quick breath in.
“Um, that would be okay. No point in being cooped up in the house, I guess. Can I have a few minutes to get ready?” She rubbed her arm again. Jeremy smiled at her warmly.
“Sure. I'll be downstairs. I'll get some food together to take out on the boat.” He left her as fast as his feet could take him down the steps.
She was flustered. I don't think he's being honest... I don't even know if I care right now. Thousands of dollars in clothes and a trip out on a private boat? When has anyone EVER done anything like this for me? Um, how about never? Plus, a man who looks so damn good he'd make a nun want to rip her clothes off and scream in ecstasy. It damn sure beats driving the tin can car from hell with no AC. Or trying to walk to civilization...Plus, he said a car would be coming to take us back to the city... Right? Maybe a small vacation is in order, Sasha. You can afford a day... maybe two. She smiled at the thought. She had never been one to be risky. Maybe she could enjoy herself, just a little.
***
He was quickly packing cheese, grapes, wine. Anything he thought she might like. He went into the laundry room and pulled swim trunks and a wife beater on. He grabbed sunscreen and his sandals. He heard her rummaging around upstairs. He assumed she found her bathing suits when he heard a few quiet curse words. He was going to savor seeing those incredible curves in one of those teensy tiny bikinis. Smiling to himself, he whistled as he finished packing. What he didn't expect was Miss Sasha Jones' tenacity.
She came downstairs wearing a long dress, a tee shirt, a huge hat, and sneakers. He attempted to cover his smirk. “Are you all ready to go?”
***
She gave him a dirty look. “I'm quite comfortable and ready to go, thank you.”
“Well, then let's head out.” He opened the door for her and led the way down the path to the lake. She expected a small row boat. It seemed nothing Jeremy Parks did was small. He had a huge lake at his disposal, along with a large boat. She tried not to gape walking down the dock. He helped her climb up the ladder on the side of the boat. She wasn't too sure if his hand was close to her ass to help or to cop a feel, but she didn't feel like asking and being disappointed. He started the motor on the boat and they began cruising the lake slowly.
She felt like she was melting. She felt so unbelievably hot. She was not going to peel off these clothes and reveal the teensy bikini though. Why were there no normal bathing suits? She did pull the tee shirt off, it helped a little. The maxi dress was suffocatingly hot. Maybe if I took the dress off and wore the tee; at least then, I'd have the top covered. “Hey, Jeremy?”
“Yeah?” He was gently steering the boat, looking like a damn dark and sexy version of an Abercrombie and Fitch model on his private boat.
“Um, could you not look while I switch clothes? This dress is too hot.”
“Sure, not a problem.” He looked away. She turned her back to him and whipped the maxi dress off then quickly snatched the tee back on.
“Okay, I'm dressed, you can look again.” He turned. “Thank you,” she said, sitting back on the deck of the boat.
“Not a problem. Whatever makes you comfortable.” He was decidedly uncomfortable right now. He'd definitely looked. He would like to look and touch a whole lot more. But it is wrong, wrong wrong, he reminded himself. He dropped anchor. They were in the middle of the lake.
“We're stopp
ing?” Sasha looked at him curiously.
“Yeah, I like to swim out here. Is that okay with you?” He whipped his tank top over his head. Her mouth went totally dry. His swim shorts were slung low on his hips. His chest was incredibly muscled and glistened lightly with sweat. She swallowed nervously. She was feeling incredibly warm and it wasn't just from the sun. God, he looks unbelievable. “Sasha?”
“Oh, um, yes, that's definitely fine.” He turned to jump off the boat with a grin on his face. She fanned her face. Now that they had stopped, there was no breeze at all. The t-shirt was sticking to her skin, but she didn't feel comfortable enough to just wear the bikini. She felt she was too chubby for it, even though she'd lost 25 lbs. Hell, she had practically turned her high school boyfriend gay, when they had tried to have sex one time. She had bought lingerie, which turned him off. According to him, she looked like a stuffed sausage. Okay, so the lingerie had been two sizes too small and ripped a little. She shrugged without realizing it. He cruelly made fun of her, and everyone in school ended up calling her “Snausha” for the rest of the year. He dumped her and ended up with a man almost twice his age. Asshole, hope you get butt herpes or crabs. She smirked to herself.
Watching Jeremy paddle through the water, she swore the heat just got worse and worse. Feeling sweat puddle between her breasts was enough to drive her mad. Finally she decided he had already seen her naked, so he could deal with seeing her in a bikini. If he was repulsed, so be it. Ripping the t-shirt off, she sighed at the feel of air on her sweaty skin. She stepped to the edge of the boat.
“How is the water?” She asked.
He looked up at her and the look on his face made her squirm. She wasn't sure if he was disgusted or appreciative; he guarded his expression quickly. “The water feels great. Nice and cold. I bet you are burning up.”
An image flashed through her mind. She could see him standing over her, running an ice cube over her breasts and licking the water that came off. She turned to climb down the ladder into the water. He swam closer. Her foot touched the last rung and she went to push off and found herself in his arms. She squeaked nervously. He simply cradled her in his arms. “You looked like you were going to fall,” he said matter of factly.
She pushed out of his arms. “Thanks, but I was okay.” She ducked under the water and found him watching her when she came back up.
“Has anyone ever told you that you are absolutely enchanting, Sasha?” He slowly swam in a circle around her.
She laughed. “Me? Enchanting? Maybe after the spell went bad.” She swam a little further away from him.
He smiled. “Never. I think the spell went just right.” He swam closer. She went on her back and swam out a little further. He kept on coming. She stopped quickly.
“Are you trying to seduce me?” Her pulse thundered in her ears.
“Why? If I was, would it be working?” He was very close now, still swimming in a circle around her. A frisson of desire pooled in her core.
She laughed. “No one wants to seduce me, so I guess you aren't.”
He stopped swimming and allowed himself to float in place. “Why doesn't anyone want to seduce you?”
She sighed and smiled sadly. “I'm too chubby and plain. Only boyfriend I ever had turned gay.” She dunked underwater, hiding the frustrated tears coming out of her eyes. When she surfaced, she realized he was way too close. She wiped water out of her face.
He looked at her solemnly. “I can promise, there is nothing plain about you, and I definitely wouldn't call you chubby.” Then his eyes went darker, if that was possible, and he licked his lips. “In fact,” he continued. “I'd love to show you just how desirable you are.”
Her pulse went incredibly fast. I don't think my heart is supposed to go this fast... She tried to laugh nonchalantly. “Oh please, you're just saying that because I'm available and barely dressed.” She turned to swim off and he caught her ankle in his hand, pulling her back quickly. Her back was against his chest and her bottom was snug against a very erect penis. She flushed hot and felt a throb deep in her core. He let her go and swam in the other direction.
“It's not just because you are available. I've wanted to make love to you since I first saw you.” He dove underwater and swam around to the other side of the boat, giving her a few moments to regroup. Her nipples were hard and heat was pulsing through her core. He was dangerously charming. Things could get crazy fast. She swam back to the boat and climbed to the deck, laying out on a towel to dry and get some sun.
She was dozing when ice cold drops showered over her. He stood over her, grinning. “Oh sorry, did I get you wet?”
She swallowed. “Yeah, soaking wet.” Two could play this game. The smile left his face and he coughed. She rolled over to her stomach with a smile. She started to doze again, startling awake when she felt something on her feet. He was gently stroking the arch of her foot with his thumb.
“You may want to put some more sunscreen on before you toast. Are you hungry?” Her stomach grumbled. She realized she hadn't eaten since yesterday and was famished.
She rolled over. “I'm starved.” She quickly pulled the t-shirt back over her head while he set out the contents of the picnic basket. He pulled out a bottle of champagne, along with crusty bread, fruit, and cheese. She picked up a bunch of grapes and popped a few in her mouth. “Mmm. So good.”
He looked at her with those sinfully dark eyes. “I'm glad you like them.” He popped the cork on the champagne. “Would you like some?”
She toyed with the grapes in her hand. “Yes, that would be nice.” She'd never been a big drinker, but she felt like having some now. She felt totally relaxed. He handed her a flute of champagne, and she downed it in one gulp.
“You may want to slow down a little, Cupcake.” He refilled her flute, but only half full this time.
“Why? Are you going to take advantage of a drunk girl?” She sipped the champagne slower this time.
“I don't take advantage. I would want you totally coherent and begging me to touch you. Remember our deal.” He sipped his champagne nonchalantly.
She smiled. “You already broke our deal. I remember feeling a very firm member of your anatomy a bit ago when you pulled me to you. Therefore, we have to renegotiate the deal. You touched me, before I begged. This time I get to make the rules.” She felt the effect of the champagne, slightly making her feel warm and languid. Who is this girl? I like her, she thought to herself.
He arched his eyebrow. “What rules would those be, Cupcake?”
She tapped her finger against her full lips. “First, I have some questions.”
He leaned back, nibbling a slice of cheese. “Shoot.”
“What is a vamp dick?” She took a bite of bread.
***
He coughed. Cheese was caught in his throat. “Vamp dick?” He managed to wheeze out.
She nodded, sipping her champagne. “Yeah, vamp dick. You said last night that I must have ridden several vamp dicks and my mind was messed up.” She raised her eyebrow and looked at him pointedly.
He shifted. Based on the information he had read about her, she didn’t seem to be in league with the vamps, but that didn't mean he could go blabbing about his incredibly personal life. “Sasha, what I meant by vamp dick was simply blood sucking people that I work with. You know, bankers, CEOs; the money hungry people of the world.”
She pursed her lips. “I tried to figure it out all night. The best I could come up with was 'very angled man penis'. I think I deserve an apology for being accused of being a money hungry gold digger though. Because I'm not. I have worked damn hard for all I have.”
“I know.” She looked at him curiously. He caught his mistake and said, “I assumed, I mean. Of course I apologize, I never meant to offend you in any way. I don't think you are a gold digger at all. Or money hungry. But I do want to know more about your life. I'd love to hear about it.”
She looked at him warily. “I grew up with a single mother and two younger sisters
. My mom got Lyme Disease in her thirties. She grew progressively more sick until we figured out what was wrong. I quit college, to work full time and help her pay for treatment when she no longer could, and took care of my little sisters. After five years of conventional antibiotics and five more years of herbal treatment, she is in remission and my sisters are both in college now.”
He had read most of this in the papers he got from Trevor, but hearing her talk about it so nonchalantly, made his heart swell. She really was a good person. “That was noble of you, Sasha.”
She scoffed. “Nothing noble about it. My mom gave up her life for us, it was the least I could do to hold us together. I'd do it again tomorrow.”
He turned his champagne flute between his fingers. “Is there anything you've ever wanted for your life?”
She smiled. “What every girl wants, of course. To be the princess of the world, marry a prince, live happily ever after.” She laughed, but it hit his ear with a hollow sound.
He smiled. “No, seriously. Anything you wish you could do, but were never able to?”
She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “I'd love to go to culinary school. I'd really love to travel the world. It won't happen. With every penny I make, I save as much as I can in case Mom gets sick again. I don't begrudge her of it. If the doctors had caught it earlier, she would have a chance of being healthy.”
He nodded slowly. “How much does treatment cost for your mom?”
She sat in silence for a second, counting on her fingers. “Usually a couple thousand, or more, a month if she flares again. Otherwise about $600-$900 a month, between supplements, all organic food, and herbs as a preventative.”
“I see. That's quite a burden.”
She shrugged. “It's my Mom. She's worth it.”
“Can you explain like what kind of doctors she needs? I don't know much about Lyme. I mean I've heard of it, but nothing like this.”
She told him that her mom needed a Lyme Literate Doctor, they were hard to find and insurance didn't usually cover it. That Lyme needed more treatment than the 2-4 weeks that the government suggested. He made plenty of mental notes. “So, Cupcake. What other questions did you have for me?”
Love at First Bite (Book 1 Just a Little Taste Series) Page 3