Takin' the Reins (The Sterling Brothers #2)

by Jenika Snow

  “I love the rain,” she said, her voice soft, her fingers wrapped around a long strand of her hair. Jace wanted to wrap his hand around those strands, wanted to tug at her waves, baring her throat, making her cry out because it felt good but hurt just a little, too.

  He didn’t realize the deep sound he heard was actually coming from him, not until Lexi looked over at him, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly parted. He wanted her, and it was like something in him had switched, like his control was slipping away and laughing its ass off as it flipped him off before disappearing.

  “Jace?”

  The way she said his name had his cock jerking in pleasure.

  “Are you okay?” She was breathing heavier, her chest rising, her cleavage showing over the low collar of her shirt.

  He glanced down, felt his balls draw up tight, and knew, just fucking knew, he could get off from the sight of her alone. He hadn’t said anything yet, and he was starting to feel like a damn pervert for the fact he couldn’t stop staring at her, couldn’t stop thinking of her. She was just so gorgeous.

  “I should go,” he said and stood, knowing she’d be able to see the monster hard-on he was sporting. But adjusting himself would bring it more to her attention. And then he saw her glance down, her eyes widening even further, and should have felt like a sick bastard instead of being even more turned on because of it.

  “Um.” She stood, kept her hands in front of her, and he could see she was trying not to stare at his bulging erection. But her nipples were hard, poking through the material of her shirt, and he knew she was aroused. Hell, he swore he could smell how wet she was.

  She’ll be soaked for me, so damn wet my dick will slide inside of her so fucking easily I’ll be in to the hilt before I know it.

  “You’re sure you want to leave already?” She was twisting her hands in front of her, this nervous look on her face.

  Jace felt like an asshole, like he couldn’t control himself so he had to just up and leave. But the truth was if he stayed he might try to kiss her … might try to do other things. He didn’t want to cross that line with her, not when she may not want that. Arousal and actually accepting those kinds of advances were two totally different things. He’d seen arousal on women, knew they found him attractive, but he also read their body language, and could see they wouldn’t have gone home with him if he’d asked.

  “I think it would be best, Lexi.” He ran a hand over his hair, glanced out the window at the rain pelting the glass, and felt like a bigger ass just standing here. He grabbed his hat off the table, looked at her once more, and turned to leave the kitchen. Walking away was damn hard, but it was the right thing to do.

  Is it?

  He stopped at the front door, felt her presence behind him, and turned. “Thank you for the dinner. It was incredible.” He was telling the truth. Pearl made them meals on occasion, but the one Lexi made was different. Not because it was better, but maybe because he felt someone more than this lust for her.

  That’s exactly why it’s so different with her, why I feel so fucking different when I just think about her.

  “Jace, are you sure everything is okay?”

  He cursed internally. He didn’t want her thinking she’d done something wrong, and he sure as fuck didn’t want her to think he was some unhinged asshole. But that’s how this situation was going.

  She took a step closer to him, and the scent of lemons came from her, enveloping the air around them.

  “If I don’t leave I might do something that you don’t want, Lexi. I don’t want to cross any lines with you.” Jace didn’t know if he’d meant to say those things out loud, but they’d escaped before he could stop himself. Now the words hung between them, the air thick, tense, and his entire body strung tight.

  “Okay, but I hope you’re okay,” she said, her voice soft.

  God, I just want to pull her in and kiss her until she can’t breathe.

  He looked down at her mouth, and the fact her lips were slightly parted, full, pink, and ready for his kiss. Her breathing was rapid, her nipples still hard. Fuck, he needed to adjust himself because his cock was so damn stiff the fucker ached. And before he knew what in the hell he was doing, Jace reached out, wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck, and pulled her in close for a kiss.

  Her lips were soft, and the scent of her made him feel drunk. Running his tongue along her bottom lip, he loved that she opened her mouth for him and moaned.

  That’s it, sweetheart. Give it to me.

  But the moment she touched her tongue with his he pulled away. His cock throbbed, his balls were drawn up tight, and he knew, fucking knew if he didn’t stop himself he’d want to fuck her right here. That was pushing it, even if she was clearly interested. Any other woman he would have taken the cue from her and just moved this along, and been inside of her before they even made it out of the foyer.

  “Jace?”

  The way she said his name had this deep groan almost spilling from him. Rubbing his hand over his mouth, the scruff along his face scraped his palm. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but if I don’t leave now I will do something you may not be ready for.”

  Yeah, like fuck you until you can’t walk straight the next day.

  “Jace—”

  He shook his head, stopping her from saying anything else. “I’m a selfish man most of the time, Lexi, especially when it comes to what I want.” He exhaled. “I don’t want to be that way with you. I don’t want to push things, to make you think you’re less than what you are, that I only want one thing.” He might have said too much, but he didn’t fucking care. He wanted her to know this. “Believe me, this is hard, just walking away. But I think it’s the honorable thing to do.” He leaned in and kissed her softly on her cheek. “I’ll be here in the morning to take you to work.” And then he turned and left her house, which was one of the hardest fucking things he’d ever done.

  Chapter Nine

  She’d sat in her living room for the last hour replaying what had happened with Jace. The rain had let up, and although she had never been the reckless type, what she was thinking of doing was on that spectrum. Touching her lips, she still felt them tingle from his kiss, still smelled the scent of his cologne on her clothes from when he was close to her. She wanted him, and although she knew he wanted her¸ the kiss they’d shared, the words he’d spoken, and how she felt in that moment made her want to see Jace now.

  Lexi was happy he was a decent man, a gentleman, and had stopped. He hadn’t wanted to push her, to rush anything. It was honorable, genuine, but she was an adult, and what she wanted was Jace taking control again.

  Without thinking about it anymore, she grabbed her cell and called for a cab. Once the call was made she got off the couch, headed toward the front door, and stopped to look at herself in the small circular mirror above the end table in the entryway. “You’re really doing this,” she said without making it a question. There was no going back now, not when what she was about to do could very well blow up in her face.

  ****

  Jace should have gone to sleep, but hell, all he’d been able to do since he left Lexi’s place and gotten home was think about her. He brought the beer bottle to his mouth and took a long drink from it, staring at the black TV screen. The sound of the clock over the television ticked by the seconds, and it was taking a hell of a lot of strength not to just say fuck it all and go to her.

  But he wouldn’t, because he knew he needed to take this slow. For the first time in his life he wanted something more with a woman, and rushing things and possibly fucking it all up was not what he wanted.

  The flash of headlights shining through the window and then disappearing had him setting the bottle down and going to look outside. He couldn’t really make out the car because of the glare of the lights and the fact it was pitch black outside, but it wasn’t his brothers’ trucks. Everything in him tightened at the fact it might very well be Lexi.

  He walked over to the front door, and saw that i
t was a taxi. But it was only when the cab started to leave and he saw who stood in his driveway, that everything in him stilled. They stared ay each other for several seconds, and then he made her way up to the porch. Her long hair blew around her shoulders as the wind picked up, and his heart jackknifed in his chest.

  “Lexi? What are you doing—” His words were cut off and a grunt left him when she practically launched herself at him. Her mouth was now on his, her tongue speared between his lips. But talking was overrated anyway, and he felt any kind of resistance he’d had before vanish. He held her for a moment, his hands around her curvy waist, the sound of her little mewls fueling him on. Jace squeezed her flesh, feeling his cock jerk behind his fly.

  “I don’t want to stop this, Jace,” she said against his mouth.

  “Are you sure, baby?” Jace wanted her absolutely positive about this. “Because once I have you I’m not letting you go.”

  “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” She kissed him harder, and he grunted in pleasure. He walked backward, and holding her up so just her toes touched the ground. Once fully inside he shut the door with his foot and pressed her up against the wall. He wanted her naked, spread out before him so he could feast on her body, devour her whole.

  The scent of lemon and vanilla came from her, and his cock got harder, if possible. He held in his groan of approval, not wanting to seem like some high school asshole that couldn’t control himself. He’d have her soon enough, and then he’d take her the way he’d been fantasizing about since the moment he saw her.

  “Take me to your room. I need you know.”

  Fuck.

  He lifted her off the ground easily, a grunt leaving him when she wrapped her legs around his waist, her pussy right on his cock. Jace wouldn’t mind just taking her right then and there, to fuck her up against the wall, or have her leaned over the couch. But he wanted to make this good for her, wanted her to have this on her terms. The night was still young, and he had plenty of time to do all the nasty good things he wanted to do to her.

  Once in his room he set her on the ground, shut the door, and just stared at her for a moment. And then he pulled her in close to him again and felt his cock jerk. Jace fucking loved that she was so close, her breasts big, round, and pressed right up against his chest. He swore he could smell her pussy, that sweet wetness that was all because of him.

  “I want to make this good for you, Lexi, so maybe we should take this slow and easy.”

  But that’s not want I really want, baby.

  Taking hold of her chin with his finger and thumb, he tipped her head back and looked down at her mouth. Her lips were parted, her breathing hitching the longer he stared at her.

  “I just want you.”

  He groaned at her words. “I want to do so many dirty things to you.” He heard the slight sound that came from her, and because he couldn’t control himself any longer, he leaned in and claimed her mouth. Jace kissed her for long seconds, fucking her mouth, moving his tongue in and out, like what he’d soon be doing with his cock between her thighs.

  “I need you,” she moaned against his lips, her hands now on his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh.

  “You’ll have every inch of me soon enough, baby.”

  He’d always been insatiable with his need to fuck, to dominate, to claim a woman. They’d also been willing, ready for whatever he had to offer, and although he wanted that and so much more with Lexi, he also didn’t want to scare her with his need.

  “I should go slow, be gentle with you,” he said almost to himself.

  “I won’t break.” She took several steps back and looked up at him. “I want all of you, any way that is, Jace.”

  Fuck.

  The images slamming through his mind were ones of him laying her out on his bed, spreading her caramel, creamy thighs, and shoving his dick deep in her body. His cock was hard, throbbing, aching, and his balls were drawn up tight to his body.

  Had he ever been this hard for a woman?

  Fuck no, I haven’t.

  She had a few droplets of perspiration on her forehead, and he wanted to lick it off, see if she had any other beads of sweat on her body that he could suck from her skin. Her long dark hair hung over her shoulders, the waves making him want to reach out and tangle the strands between his fingers.

  I will soon enough. I’ll yank on those locks, baring her throat, making her part her lips as I fuck her.

  “You look like you want to eat me alive,” Lexi said.

  “Sweetheart, you have no fucking clue what I want to do to you, the dirty things that I want to do.” He took a step forward, this beast in him snapping as images, thoughts, hell, the very scent of her, drove him mad with desire. He feverishly started undoing his belt, pulled it through the loops of his jeans, and pushed them off his body.

  “I’m going to make you realize no other man can please you like me, sweetheart.” He didn’t know why he’d said the words, but they were out, and he had no qualms about the fact. He then started unbuttoning his button-down, keeping his gaze locked on Lexi, his body feeling hot, his cock hard.

  “I can’t breathe,” she said, a little moan in her voice.

  Her tits were huge, and he wanted to slide his dick between them. Fuck himself until he came and gave her a nice necklace of his cum. A harsh groan ripped from him at that image. Lowering his gaze to her chest, he saw her nipples were hard, pushing through the material of her shirt. Jace wanted to rip her shirt away and feast on her tits, suck on her nipples, and see how much harder he could get them.

  “You’re looking at me with this intensity.”

  He made this low sound in his throat after she spoke.

  “Only with you, sweetheart.” And it was the truth. He’d never felt this primal, this hard up for a woman.

  She licked her plump, red lips.

  “When it concerns what I want,” he took a step closer, “and you’re what I fucking want.” He stopped when he was a foot from her. “There aren’t any lengths I wouldn’t go to in order to make sure you know you’re mine.”

  “You probably use that line on all the women you bring back,” she whispered.

  He just shook his head slowly, his focus on her, his clothes now completely off. He’d never said any of this shit, never felt this way, about any other woman. He saw her shiver, and this primal side rose up, pleased by her reaction to him. “Get naked for me, Lexi.” He kept his voice low. “Let me see every part of you, sweetheart.”

  She listened to him right away, and he felt a thrill of pleasure move through him at the fact she obeyed, that she clearly wanted this, too. She got undressed quickly, and although he would have liked her to do it slow, to tease him, he was on the edge of coming as it was.

  Her tits were so fucking perfect, the areolas a darker shade than her breasts, and making his mouth water. Jace reached down and palmed his cock, holding in the groan that was about to leave him. His dick was harder than fucking stone. Pre-cum lined the slit, and he used it as lubrication as he took in his fill of her body. He ached to be inside of her, to feel her tight, hot, and wet cunt clenching around his shaft, pulling the cum right from him.

  Her flesh was smooth, creamy in appearance, and so fucking gorgeous. Everything about her was beautiful. His tongue swelled, his mouth watered instantly, and in the next second he was in front of her, grabbing at her breasts, palming the huge mounds in his hands. “Ask me to suck on these, baby.”

  Her breath hitched before she answered. “Suck on me. Lick me, Jace.”

  “Yeah, that’s so fucking it. I like that you obey so well.” He leaned down and licked at the turgid peaks, sucked on them until she was breathing hard for him and had her hands on his shoulders, her nails in his flesh.

  “God,” she whispered.

  Jace pulled back and saw that her areolas were tight, almost a shade darker, too. Her nipples were elongated from his licking and sucking, and the fact she made these little mewling noises in the back of her throat fueled
his arousal even higher. He rubbed his thumb along her bottom lip, pulled at the flesh, seeing her straight bottom teeth for a second before her lip moved back into position. He thought of all the dirty, but oh so good things he wanted to have her do with that pretty mouth of hers. Jace was at the point where he was almost too far gone to care if he was going too fast, if he should have been slow and gentle for her, shown her this wasn’t just a one-night stand for him.

  Isn’t it?

  No, it sure as fuck wasn’t. He didn’t know why he wanted her the way he did, why this obsession had taken root the moment he saw her, but because he’d never felt like this he sure as fuck wasn’t about to ignore it.

  He pulled back, both of them breathing heavily, and moved forward, forcing her to walk backward until the bed stopped her. She sat down, looking at him, her long dark hair thick, gorgeous, and making him want to grab the strands and pull her head back, making her submit to him.

  Jace grabbed his dick again and stroked it from root to tip. The head was slick with his pre-cum, and he smeared the fluid around the crown, a deep sound leaving him at the pleasure.

  She lowered her gaze to his shaft and licked her lips, as if she were starved for him.

  Good, because he felt the same fucking way.

  “You want this monster in you, Lexi?” He couldn’t help the crude words that came from him. She nodded, and he noticed he hands were in tight fists at her sides, her chest rising and falling.

  “You’re so big,” she whispered. “You’ll stretch me. It’ll hurt—”

  “It’ll feel fucking incredible.” He cut her off, telling her the truth. She was aroused, despite the words she spoke. “Tell me what you want.” He wanted to hear her say the crude and dirty things that he envisioned. It took her a second, but he saw her inhale deeply and finally she spoke.

  “I want you in my mouth.”

  Christ.

  “I want to feel how big you really are in my mouth, Jace.”

  God dammit.

  He squeezed his cock with his hand until the pleasure and pain mixed into one. “You want to suck on my cock, sweetheart?”