by Tessa Layne
“Are you sure you can’t help but think of you?”
I frowned. “Of course that’s a factor. I can’t afford to pay full price for this place.” I had already offered to buy it at a fraction of the price, ready to hand over all my savings weeks ago. She’d told me no. “I love it here. I don’t want it to go to some stranger. Especially someone who’s going to tear it down and build a Walmart.”
She snorted. “The property isn’t even big enough to build a quarter of a Walmart on.”
“You know what I mean, smart-ass.”
“Okay, who says I’m going to sell it to a stranger?”
“Well, you’re sure as hell not going to sell it to me.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Maybe I will.”
I almost—almost—got my hopes up.
“Maybe I’ll decide to stay in town.”
I speculatively eyed her.
“Maybe I’ll stay but just not work here.”
It all sounded nice, but I had a feeling it was a bunch of bullshit. And I wasn’t going to let her con me.
“Whatever. You do what you have to. Just warn me, so I can start looking for another job.” I turned back around.
“Are you sure this isn’t because of the kiss I gave you?”
On the outside, I laughed. On the inside, my groin tightened. I’d been trying to forget that kiss for weeks. The way she had come alive, like fire, in my arms. I’d been beating off to it on the regular, thinking about what would have happened if it had gone further than a kiss.
It would be a whole lot easier to forget if I didn’t have to look at her all the time. If I didn’t have to stare at her fine ass every time she bent over and grabbed something from the cooler. If I didn’t have to watch her wipe the sweat from her forehead, picturing that sweat being from a hard fuck rather than working hard.
She stepped closer to me and put her hand on my arm. “I’m serious. Are you mad about the kiss? I didn’t mean to emb—”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. I wasn’t embarrassed.”
“But—”
“And I’m not mad either.”
“You’re not?”
“I’ve hardly even given it a second thought,” I lied. “I figured, by you and your friends’ exchanges, it was some dare or something.”
“Oh,” she said, her eyebrows furrowed.
I studied her a second. “Why? Have you?”
She looked up at me. “Have I what?”
“Thought about it?”
She turned her gaze away. “No. Why would I?”
She was lying.
I stepped closer, and her breathing picked up. She looked at my mouth and licked her lips.
I grinned. Finally, I had something over her. I felt like, since the will had been read, she’d had all the power.
But what do you know? She wanted me.
“So, if I kissed you again, you would hate it?”
“Uh …”
I laughed.
Her eyes shot up to mine. “What’s so funny?”
“Your friends are right.”
“Right about what?”
“You need some good ol’-fashioned American dick.” And I figured I was just the guy to give it to her.
Chapter 11
LACEY
I gasped at the realization that Jake had overheard my conversation with Courtney and Jenn. I would have been embarrassed, but I didn’t have time because Jake placed his lips on mine, swallowing my gasp.
His lips were soft. So different from his constant hard scowl, and when he opened his mouth, I welcomed his tongue into mine.
He tasted good, and I reached up to put my hands on his chest. I knew he had muscles because I could see them under his shirt, but I had no idea they’d feel so good under my fingertips.
It had been way too long since I was intimate with a man.
Jake threaded his fingers in my hair and pushed his pelvis against me. I wanted him to cup my ass again and lift me up, so I could feel him at the apex of my legs. Rubbing his erection on my belly wasn’t enough.
I ran my hands down to the hem of his shirt and lifted it. I wanted to feel skin. I wanted to know if he had chest hair or if his skin was bare.
The first thing I felt was a treasure trail, and I thought, I don’t mind if I do.
I unsnapped the top of his jeans and lowered his zipper. His cock strained against his boxers, trying to break free, and Jake groaned when I wrapped my hand around him.
I had to agree with Jake. My friends were right. I needed some American dick, especially if it was one the size of Jake’s.
I moaned into his mouth at the anticipation of him spreading my thighs and pushing inside me, stretching me, making me feel all of him.
I pulled his boxers down and stroked his shaft with nothing in between us.
Jake jerked his mouth away. “Fuck. That feels way too good.”
I smiled. “How can something like that feel way too good?”
“When I fear I’m going to embarrass myself.”
I grinned and stroked him again.
“Two can play your little game.” He quickly flicked my shorts open and slid his hand inside my underwear. He pushed two fingers between my legs and circled my clit.
“Oh, yeah,” I said as my head fell back against my shoulders.
Jake kissed my neck and sucked on my skin. He pushed my shorts and panties off my hips and picked me up before they even hit my shoes.
He set my ass on the bar and yanked my shorts and underwear off my feet. He opened my legs and pressed a finger inside me, hooking it toward him.
“Oh God.”
He pulled out and pushed two in this time. “So hot. So silky.”
His thumb circled my clit again, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before I came.
Maybe I didn’t need American dick. Maybe I just needed an American man.
I rocked my hips over his hand, riding it, seeking my orgasm.
He pulled his hand from between my legs before I could climax, and I wanted to punch him.
He laughed at my scowl and skimmed his fingertips over my bottom lip, leaving my wetness there. “Taste yourself.”
I didn’t know if it was a dare, but I wasn’t afraid of my own body like some women. I licked my lower lip and sucked it into my mouth.
Jake growled and drew his fingers into his own mouth, taking in the rest of my flavor. “Mmm …” he said and yanked my hips to the edge of the counter. “I’m going to fuck you now,” he told me.
I leaned in and nibbled on his bottom lip. “Is that a promise or a threat?”
Jake grinned and thrust into me.
“Holy shit,” I said. My pussy stretched around him, and I knew I was going to feel him tomorrow.
But I had a more pressing thought.
I put my hands on his chest. “Wait. Condom.”
“Already taken care of, sweetheart.”
I’d hadn’t even noticed. “Wow, you’re good.”
He smirked. “You have no idea. But you’re about to find out.”
He kissed me again as he pulled out and gradually pressed back in. He took his time, increasing his tempo and his pace so slowly that I thought I was going to go crazy.
I wrapped my arms around him as I begged in his ear to let me come.
He grabbed on to my hair and pulled my neck back, forcing me to look into his eyes. They were so dark brown that they almost looked black, except for the sexy glint in them.
He slid his other hand in between our bodies and pushed his thumb directly on my now-super-sensitive bundle of nerves. “Okay, you can come now.”
“Oh God,” I cried out. “I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m—”
My back went stiff as my orgasm swept through me like liquid fire. A strangling noise came from the back of my throat that I would normally be embarrassed about, except I felt way too good to care about anything other than the tingling in my body.
Jake pulled his hand from between us and gr
abbed my hips. He lifted my butt off the counter and slammed into me two more times before his own climax hit him.
He let go of my hair and buried his face in my neck. He carefully set me back down on the counter, keeping our bodies connected.
I ran my fingers down his back and let him catch his breath.
I couldn’t believe I’d just had sex with Jake Russo. And I hadn’t had a drop to drink. I was completely sober.
Courtney and Jenn were never going to believe it.
I was getting stiff from sitting in the same position, so I shifted my hips and noticed that I was really wet between my legs. I knew I’d been turned on, but this seemed a little much.
“Jake?”
“Hmm?” he said into my neck.
“I think we have a problem.”
He lifted his head and met my eyes.
“Can you check the condom?”
Jake held it in place while he pulled out of me. I felt him leave my body almost the same time I saw the two pieces of rubber that had once been a condom.
“Oh fuck.”
I hopped off the counter and grabbed my shorts and underwear from the floor. Just what I needed in my mess of a life. A pregnancy scare.
I headed to the women’s restroom to clean myself up a little. What I really needed was to go home and shower, but first, I had to get dressed, so I could get out of there right away.
After using the restroom and putting on my clothes, I checked my period app on my phone. It looked like I was in the clear, but everyone knew that timing wasn’t foolproof. Either way, there was no point in worrying until we needed to.
As I walked back toward the bar, I was proud of myself for not freaking out.
Jake, however, was pacing back and forth. When he saw me, he stopped. “Are you pregnant?”
I lifted my eyebrow. “I don’t know. Let me check.” I put my finger to my lips. “My body says to come back in one to three weeks.”
He shook his head in frustration. “I know you don’t know yet. I meant, is it a possibility?”
I shrugged. “It’s always a possibility.”
I turned and headed back to the office to grab my purse, so I could go home. I didn’t care if we weren’t done closing. I had to be back in the morning, and Jake was starting to stress me out.
So much for not freaking out.
He tailed me on my way to the office. “When will you know? When are you supposed to get your period?”
“I don’t think that’s really any of your business.”
He grabbed my elbow, and I spun around.
“It’s my business if my baby is inside you.” He said it with the seriousness of someone about to get a root canal, but I got a little shiver that ran down my spine.
My stupid libido liked hearing him say those words.
My libido was a slut.
I shook his hand off. “Look, I’m in the wrong part of my cycle if I was trying to get pregnant. I’m sure we’re fine. Let’s not worry until we have to, okay?”
He looked so stressed that I put my hand on his arm.
He jumped and pulled away as if I’d burned him. Looked like we weren’t going to be having sex again.
It was probably for the best anyway.
I turned back around, continued on to the office, and grabbed my stuff. I came back out and walked past Jake, standing where I’d left him.
“See ya later,” I said. “Don’t forget to finish closing.”
Chapter 12
JAKE
“M a, do you ever regret having to get married because you got pregnant with me?” I asked after I shoved a bite of homecooked breakfast in my mouth.
The Sunday mornings I didn’t have to open the bar, I went to my mother’s.
My mother turned around from the sink, looking horrified. “Who told you that?”
I laughed. “Ma, you got married in August. I was born in March. It’s called math.”
She muttered something in Spanish under her breath. “You were never supposed to know.”
I shrugged. “Well, I do. It’s not a big deal.”
“Maybe not to you. But, for my family, it was a scandal.”
“Sorry you had to live in times like that.” I took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. “But you didn’t answer my question. Do you ever regret it?”
She narrowed her brown eyes at me. “Why? Did you get some girl pregnant, Jacob?”
“Jes—” I cut myself off before I said the Lord’s name in vain. “No, Ma, I didn’t get a woman pregnant.”
At least, not yet. Or that I know of.
It had been less than twenty-four hours since I was inside Lacey when the condom broke. Would she even technically be pregnant yet?
I shook off the thoughts. It was best not to think about that in front of my mother. I was pretty sure she could read my mind sometimes.
“I just wanted to know if you ever regretted how things worked out,” I explained to her. “If you hadn’t gotten pregnant, you wouldn’t have married my father, and he wouldn’t have left you.”
Ma pulled out the chair across from me. “I would never regret having you, even with the way things worked out with your father.” She put her hand on mine. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Even though you’ve been single since Dad left?” After my father left when I was only two, I’d never even seen my mom go one a date.
“I choose to be single. I didn’t have to be. Having you did not change that. Having a child didn’t stop me from dating.”
I left my mother’s, feeling better than I had last night. I wasn’t some young kid. If Lacey got pregnant, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Unless she took the kid and moved back to Europe.
Shit. I hadn’t thought of that until now.
I remembered a friend from college whose ex-girlfriend had wanted to move out of state with their daughter, and she couldn’t without his permission.
Surely, if someone couldn’t move a child out of state without the father giving the okay, they wouldn’t be able to move out of the country.
As I let myself into my house, I told myself not to worry so much until I had to. But I could also maybe be a little bit nicer to Lacey.
Maybe, if I stopped being such a dick to her, she might want to stay.
I was supposed to be off today, but Lacey had worked late last night after we had that sick call. She would probably appreciate the extra help.
Before I overthought it too much, I changed clothes and headed into work.
Most of the tables were full. It didn’t appear to be any busier than usual, but it sure wasn’t any less busy.
I stopped at a few tables to greet the customers, and I asked if anyone needed anything. I was on my way to grab ketchup from the kitchen when I ran into Lacey.
“Oh,” she said, her eyes round with surprise.
I was wondering if she felt as shocked as I did. Seeing her brought all the memories of last night rushing back. The feel of being inside her. The way she’d responded to me. The way she’d chanted she was coming right before she did.
“Hey,” I said with a smile.
“What are you doing here?”
I lifted a shoulder. “I came in to help.” I stepped around her. “Excuse me, I need to get some ketchup.”
When I turned back around after grabbing the red bottle, she was gone.
I finished making the rounds to the tables and went to talk to Lacey. She was behind the bar, counting receipts.
“Hey, why don’t you go home? I can finish that.”
She put a finger up as she completed her count and then looked up at me. I could see the suspicion in her eyes. “Why?”
I smiled. “Because you stayed late to help me out. I got to sleep in a little. So, why don’t you go home early? I’ll finish up the brunch.” I looked at my watch. “There’s only an hour left of serving time anyway.”
She put the receipts away and said, “Okay. But are you
sure?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“You’re being awfully nice to me. Are you sure you’re not sick?”
I laughed and shook my head. “No. I’m just trying not to be a dick.”
“All right. I’m out of here then.”
She walked past me, and I started straightening the alcohol behind the bar. I’d neglected to do that last night.
“You’re not going to call in some weird trade and tell me I owe you, are you?”
“Nah,” I said, concentrating on what I was doing. “Not really. I might just ask for sexual favors in return.”
Lacey didn’t respond, and I realized what I’d said. I probably shouldn’t make jokes like that to someone I’d actually had sex with. She might think I really meant it.
I spun to look at her. She stood with her mouth slightly open.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
She shook her head as if to clear it and laughed. “I’m not mad. I simply can’t believe you made a joke.”
My shoulders sagged. “I can be funny.”
“This is the first I’m seeing of it.”
I was irritated by her words, but she was right. “I guess I’ll have to amend that.”
The corner of her mouth turned up. “See ya later, Jake.”
“Later, Lacey.”
Chapter 13
LACEY
A little over a week had passed since my hot night at the bar with Jake, and my period came right on time. I shouldn’t have been relieved since I’d had my normal PMS symptoms the last few days, but I still was.
I also pulled out my pills to start taking when my period ended.
After my incident with Jake, I had gone to my old doctor right away and gotten a prescription. No more freak-outs over broken condoms.
I headed into work to tell Jake the news.
The bar was open, but it was midday during the week. The clientele was mostly the regulars who came every day to have a drink or two. The place was calm and slow.