And that had been another issue today.
When he’d invited her to live with him he really meant live with him. In his bedroom. In his bed. She’d pictured some sort of roommate arrangement where she slept in a spare room. But when he’d pointed out that the horse was out of the barn so to speak, she had to agree. Besides, to say she wasn’t thinking about their one night together would be a lie. She was thinking about it. Way more than she should. Would he still find her desirable now that she was pregnant?
“I’m going to bed,” she said, loath to bother him when he was working. “It’s been an eventful day and I’m beat.”
She’d probably fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. That was normal these days.
Jared gave her a crooked grin. “It has been and you were terrific about everything. I need to get some paperwork done and then I’ll come to bed.”
Just like an old married couple. Her flannel pajamas and robe didn’t inspire a burning lust from the looks of things, so she’d take herself to bed before she did something embarrassing. Like kiss him goodnight.
“Well, goodnight.”
“‘Night, Misty. Sweet dreams.”
He didn’t look up from his paperwork so she padded back to the bedroom and slid between the covers. In the blink of an eye everything in her life had changed. She’d gone from being all alone to now having a family albeit, a rather dysfunctional one. Her “sister” hated her, one brother was sweet, and the other was an alcoholic. And a womanizer. The father was very old-fashioned and tragically losing his memory to boot. Jared was obviously the middle son who kept the peace and tried not to make waves. And how did she fit in? If she did at all. This was going to take some getting used to.
Jared shoved the paperwork back into the file folder and tossed it on the coffee table. He wasn’t in the right mindset to get anything done and he’d known it before he even tried. But he thought Misty might be more comfortable going to bed without him on her first night here. She’d looked exhausted and he needed to remember that she was in her first trimester. The book had said she’d be tired all the time and it was his job to make sure she didn’t overdo.
And that included sex.
Damn if she hadn’t looked adorable in her red plaid flannel pajamas and her face scrubbed clean of any makeup. He’d had to fight the urge to lift her up in his arms, carry her straight to bed, and show her how much she aroused him. But she needed her sleep, not an all-night marathon lovemaking session with some horndog of a guy.
It was times like this he really missed his mother. She would have known what to do or say to get Misty to marry him. Even if she didn’t, she would have made a pan of brownies for her middle son and talk to him about anything and everything as if she had nothing else in the world to do. As if he was the most important thing in the universe to her.
He glanced at the clock and realized a couple of hours had passed since she’d gone to bed. She should be deeply asleep by now and hopefully he wouldn’t wake her when he climbed in bed. Pulling off his shirt as he made his way to the bedroom, he tossed it in the hamper along with the rest of his clothes. Misty was a motionless lump under the covers so he quietly shut the bathroom door behind him and brushed his teeth.
She didn’t have many personal possessions but her few toiletries now sat next to his on the bathroom vanity and in the shower. He felt a rush of satisfaction as he regarded her pink toothbrush sitting next to his in the holder. He would be able to watch over her and the baby now that she had moved in.
Sliding between the cool sheets, he tried not to move too much in case it woke Misty. She must have heard something because she murmured a few unintelligible words and turned over, cuddling against him. Her body was soft and warm and he had to grit his teeth not to reach out and run his hands down her gorgeous curves. Instead he carefully laid his arm over her, not hugging her but still giving them both physical contact. Her response was to glue herself to him even closer, throwing her leg over him and resting her head on his shoulder, her breasts snug against his ribs.
Fuck, he wasn’t made of stone. She was beautiful and he hadn’t slept with anyone since their night together. He’d had offers but no one had interested him enough after her sweet innocence and fiery passion.
He stroked a hand down her long silky hair. “Misty?” he queried softly. “Are you awake?”
Her fingers rubbed his bare chest and his cock stood up and paid attention. His skin tingled where she touched him.
“Jared?” Her voice was sleepy and he couldn’t tell if her eyes were open or not in the darkness of the room. “What time is it?”
“Midnight. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
Her hand pushed back her hair and she shook her head, scooting several inches away. He missed the warmth and softness of her immediately. “No big deal. I don’t have anywhere to be early tomorrow morning. I can sleep in if I need to. Did you work all this time?”
He could hardly call staring sightlessly at paperwork while he secretly envisioned her naked work, but she didn’t need to know that.
“Yes, and I tried to slip into bed as quietly as possible but you must have heard me.”
In a drowsy state, she’d cuddled up to him but later had pulled away. What did that mean?
“I’m not a great sleeper. I wake up every couple of hours and sometimes I can’t go back to sleep.”
“What do you do then?”
“I work or watch television or read. Sometimes Rayne can’t sleep as well so we watch movies or something. There’s always something to do. If I’m really not tired I’ll clean the apartment.”
Jared chuckled and very slowly, so she could pull away if she wanted to, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tugging her close. “The cleaning service was just here a few days ago so I think we’re good there. But I guess I need to set up a place where you can work that has good light.”
He hadn’t seen anything she’d painted but was anxious to. He had a feeling she was extremely talented. He knew it wasn’t easy for an artist to make a living with their art and she was doing it. Experimentally he began rubbing circles between her shoulder blades and the tight muscles loosened under his fingers.
“That feels good.” He stopped for a moment and then moved the massage to her lower back which drew a moan from her lips. “And that feels really good. My back is always bothering me. Part and parcel of being a painter.”
“I’ll rub your back anytime,” Jared offered and he meant it. His cock was already hard and aching but he ignored it, wanting only to make her feel good. The woman carrying his child needed to be spoiled and cosseted, not ravaged like an animal.
“No strings attached?” Her question came out as a whisper even as her own fingers began to stroke his bicep. She was playing with fire and an innocent like her had no idea.
“Of course.” The words sounded strangled as her fingers drifted lower to his abdomen. His cock throbbed and jerked for attention and he had to grit his teeth to keep his libido under control. “You should close your eyes and go back to sleep.”
Misty yawned. “I doubt I’ll sleep for awhile.”
Swallowing hard, Jared reached for the bedside lamp. “We could watch some television.”
Her palm rested flat on his belly, searing the skin. “Is that what you want to do?”
He was a jerk and a horny asshole. But he wasn’t a liar. “Not really. I’d rather make love to you.”
A pause. “I think I’d like that too.”
“Are you sure?” This time he did switch on the lamp so he could see her expression. “I know you’re tired and the book said you might not be in the mood until the second trimester.”
Misty rubbed her eyes at the light and smiled. “I got a few hours and I feel better. As for that book, it may not be entirely correct. I–I’ve been thinking about it since that night.”
He had too. Over and over again until he tossed and turned most of the night.
“I just don’t want you to think
I moved you here just so I could have sex on tap or something. That wasn’t my intention.”
Laughter bubbled from her lips. “Sex on tap? What an interesting expression. I think I might like that if it was you.”
“You’re bold tonight.” He leaned down to nuzzle the soft skin above her collar. “I like it.”
“I wouldn’t be if I couldn’t tell that you’re…interested.” Her knee nudged his hard cock. “That night was so amazing and I want to see if it can be that way again.”
He’d make it even better. Now that she wasn’t so tentative and unsure it would be more than wonderful.
“I’ll go nice and slow like last time,” he promised, plucking the buttons on her pajama top. “You just tell me if I do something you don’t like.”
Her finger was tracing patterns on his bare chest. “That’s the thing. It was great last time and you were so patient. But you don’t need to be like that this time. I mean…you can be more like how you normally are.”
The flannel top drifted away and he slid his hands into the elastic waistband of her bottoms to glide them down her legs. “How do you think I am normally?”
She pressed her now bare body to his, her skin heating his own. “Um, more passionate and maybe—I don’t know—rougher?”
This conversation was certainly taking an interesting turn. Jared had been with plenty of women and many of them wanted it fast and hard, not to mention the ones who wanted to be submissive during sex. Was Misty one of them?
“You want me to take you rough? Are you sure about that?” He was careful to keep any judgment or emotion out of his voice. He’d love to ravish Misty but he wanted her to want it as well.
“I just don’t want you to be so careful this time.” Her fingers skated down his back and then up to his shoulders.
“All you have to do is say no if you change your mind,” he said right before he captured her lips in a kiss. If Misty wanted passionate, she was going to get it. In spades.
This was what Misty had dreamed about.
His lips had captured her own, staking a claim as only a man like Jared could. He took pleasure in her body, his hands roaming up and down her curves as if he owned them. She surrendered to his mastery, letting her mind go blank and trusting in his promise of pleasure.
His lips traveled down to her nipples and he sucked one into his mouth, letting her feel the slight edge of his teeth. The combination of pleasure and pain was almost too much and she felt herself climbing higher, and yet they’d barely begun.
He repeated his pleasurable torture on the other peak turning it pebble-hard. She squirmed and wriggled under his hard body but he held her down easily, not allowing her to get away from his relentless onslaught. He cupped both of her breasts and scraped his teeth along one nipple and then the other until she was a shuddering mess underneath him, her pussy already wet and waiting.
Digging her fingers into his muscular shoulders, she arched her back in supplication, offering herself up on a silver platter. But only for this one man. He seemed to understand her unspoken message and began to kiss a wet trail down her belly before he pushed her legs wide apart.
This time she didn’t cover herself, although she still felt her face and chest grow hot at his intent inspection. She braced herself for the first touch of his tongue but it didn’t cool the trail of heat he left in his wake. Up and down, side to side, he traced the folds of her pussy and then tongue fucked her until she was on fire and begging for mercy. His mouth closed over her clit, the suction sending her over in a whirlwind of sound and light. The room spun and she had to grab hold of Jared’s solid frame as she flew through a sea of stars before coming back to earth gently.
He was kissing the sensitive skin of her inner thigh and she sighed with pleasure as he continued all the way down her leg to the instep of her foot. He dropped a light kiss on her toes and looked up at her with a big grin.
“Are you ready for me, baby?”
She shook her head and instead beckoned him closer. “I want to make love to you too.”
He crawled up her body his thighs on either side of her chest and her palms on his hard thighs. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
“I know,” she replied her fingers already gliding up and down his thick cock. “I want to.”
She didn’t have much experience but she wanted him to feel the way she did. Ravished.
Piling a few pillows behind her head, she was able to easily reach him with her tongue. Running it from base to tip and then back again, she traced each vein before engulfing the head with her mouth. Jared hissed and his head fell back and she watched the expressions flit across his features as her head bobbed and her tongue flickered. His jaw had tightened and his teeth were gritted and bared. He was so damn sexy her arousal amped up simply looking at him.
He pulled away slowly and with a groan. “I can’t take much more of that. For someone who said they don’t have a lot of experience, you’re a quick learner.”
She giggled and swiped at him again with her tongue. “It’s good that you appreciate enthusiasm as much as skill.”
She’d thought it might feel awkward or strange to be in bed with Jared but it felt natural and right. He was the father of her child and the man that had introduced her to real pleasure.
And he was fun. She hadn’t expected to laugh in the bedroom but his sense of humor stretched even to sex.
He slid down so he was pressing her into the mattress, a delicious weight. “I’m pretty enthusiastic. In fact I’m fixin’ to show you how much right now.”
Misty barely had time to catch her breath. Jared lifted her hips and pushed forward relentlessly, the walls of her pussy wet and hot, easily giving way. He wrapped her legs around his waist as he pulled out and then thrust forward, sending electricity through her body and making her clit swell with arousal. Over and over he fucked her hard and fast, just as she’d fantasized it could be.
Their breaths were ragged and labored and her fingernails had scored the flesh in his back as she teetered on the precipice of release. She was so close, her climax shimmering just out of her reach.
“More,” she gasped. “Harder. I need–”
His mouth came down on hers before she could finish but he did indeed fuck her harder, their bodies grinding together with each stroke of his cock. When she exploded her scream was lost but the sensations twisted her into knots before releasing her to float somewhere above the bed. Jared came at the same time, every muscle in his body tense. He whispered something dirty in her ear as the pleasure began to drain from her body leaving supreme satisfaction in its place.
They cuddled together for a long time, his hand idly stroking her hair and back. She’d never felt such peace and contentment. She’d been so terrified of letting herself go but she had and it hadn’t increased her hunger for men.
It had only increased her hunger for Jared. And that scared her more than anything.
Chapter Fourteen
“You’re spoiling me,” Misty scolded as she lounged in bed one morning a few weeks later while Jared brought her tea and toast. He’d insisted doing it every morning and it had certainly helped the nausea. In fact he’d shown clearly that he was devoted to making sure both she and the baby were happy and healthy.
“You say that every morning.” Jared set the cup of tea and small plate of toast down on the bedside table. “I want you to eat all of it because I don’t want you to have any tummy problems today. I’ve got the day off and I thought we could spend it together.”
Jared had been so busy he hadn’t had much time off since she’d moved in. One of his deputies had been out sick and he’d had to work long hours to make sure all the shifts were covered. Luckily the fake calls had ceased and things were back to what passed for normal. Although she knew he was frustrated about the Boyd Hicks case. The SUV appeared to be set on fire because of a cigarette thrown into a pool of gas underneath the vehicle. The thrower of that cigarette had somehow managed to stay out of
range of the cameras except for a shot of the man from the back. He had been too non-descript and Jared hadn’t been able to identify his suspect. She hoped things were calmed down for good, if only for Jared’s blood pressure.
She nibbled on the toast and took a sip of tea. Her stomach gurgled but in a few minutes it would settle down for the day.
“What did you have in mind? A movie? Lunch?”
She was almost used to going out in public with him. The town didn’t hide the fact that they pointed and stared but he was right. This was their problem, not hers. He’d apologized for how his sister had acted that first night but she’d waved it away. It wasn’t his fault his sister was a bitch. Besides, she was only saying what everyone else was thinking.
And he’d defended her. To his own flesh and blood. She’d never forget that and how much it meant.
“Sure, lunch.” His tone was deliberately casual and her attention perked up immediately. She was getting to know this take charge man more and more and there was one sure thing she’d learned. He liked to get his way and wasn’t above being a little sneaky about it. If that didn’t work he’d use his bull in a china shop strategy. “I was thinking we might do some shopping too.”
Even with him that sounded like hell. Misty hated to shop. She wrinkled her nose in distaste.
“I think I’d rather see a car chase shoot ’em up kind of movie.”
“Really? Which one?”
Misty shrugged and finished the last bite of her toast. “I have no idea but there’s always one around. Wouldn’t you rather do that? Or maybe you want to hunt or fish? Or wrestle a bear?”
“I wrestled a bear yesterday,” he teased with a grin. “Almost threw my back out so we’ll need to do something less active today. Like shopping.”
Misty groaned and rolled her eyes. “I don’t wanna go and I can’t believe that you do. Don’t men hate shopping?”
That brought a scowl to Jared’s face. “I don’t love it but it has to be done every now and then. And the fact is, young lady, you need clothes.” She started to protest but he raised his hand. “Don’t bother denying it. I’m sure you could go on wearing your too large clothes for the better part of your pregnancy, but honestly they need to be thrown out or burned. We couldn’t even give them to charity. You’re gorgeous and I want to show you off. We also need to get you a new phone while we’re out.”
Imperfect Justice Page 13