by M. S. Parker
I shook my head. “What smells so good?” I smiled. “Besides you.”
He chuckled, the rumble a gentle sound in my ear. “I'm making dinner. Roasted chicken with cooked carrots. Fresh Asiago bread from Augustine's Bakery and a blueberry pie ready to go in the oven when the chicken comes out.”
I groaned, mouth watering at the thought of all that wonderful food. “You are amazing.”
“I like to think so.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and used his other hand to take my purse. “We still have some time before the chicken's done. Why don't you go sit on the couch, and I'll bring you something to drink. You want beer or wine?”
I smiled, loving that he asked and didn't assume. “How about a beer before dinner and wine with it?”
He grinned. “Sounds good.”
He headed back into the kitchen while I kicked off my dress shoes and went into the living room. I settled on the couch, pulling my feet up under me as I closed my eyes and rested my head on the back of the couch.
I felt the couch shift as Jasper sat next to me and I turned my head, opening my eyes to look at him. He held out a bottle of beer and I took it gratefully. As I took a long drink, he reached down to pick up my feet. I shifted with him so that my feet were on his lap. He reached under my skirt to pull down one stocking, then the other, leaving my feet bare.
He didn't ask any questions or even try to make small talk. He just took my foot in his hands and began to work his thumbs against the sole of my foot.
“Fuck,” I breathed. My eyelids fluttered. “That feels amazing.”
He smiled and kept rubbing, his thumbs finding all of the right spots that reached places inside me that touching a foot shouldn't be able to reach. I felt myself beginning to relax. When he started on my other foot, I was okay enough to tell him what had happened at the police station.
He was silent through all of it, only the tension I could sense in his body told me what he was feeling. When I got to the part about Detective Reed asking how long our affair had been going on, he swore softly.
“That was the last straw,” I said. “All of the accusations were awful, but I couldn't stand them acting like we'd done something wrong, like our relationship was something I needed to be ashamed of.”
“What did you say?” he asked as his thumbs moved up to the muscle right under my big toe.
“I told them I was done, and if they wanted to talk to me again, to call my attorney because I wasn't going to put up with their behavior.” I took another drink of my beer. “Then I walked out and called Mr. Henley to tell him what I'd done.”
“What did he have to say?”
I shrugged. “Pretty much what I expected. That what I'd done hadn't been the best idea, but then he asked me to come to his office because he had some new information he wanted to share in person.”
I drained the last of my beer and set the empty bottle on the coffee table. I could feel the edges of everything start to turn fuzzy. It wasn't enough that I forgot about my problems, but the alcohol had definitely helped. That and a glass of wine with dinner and I'd be pleasantly buzzed all night.
“What did Mr. Henley have to tell you?” Jasper asked, his fingers switching from massaging to running over my ankles and the tops of my feet. The touch was light enough to be just this side of ticklish, and it sent shivers of pleasure across my nerves.
“He's convinced that everything the cops have is circumstantial, easily explained away, but that he's seen cases where circumstantial evidence, when put together in a believable story, end up in a conviction.”
“You're innocent,” Jasper said. “No one in their right mind would think you killed Allen.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Seriously? You think a jury would look at me and think that I didn't care about the inheritance? That I just happened to fall in love with my husband's best friend only a couple of months after the accident?”
“It won't get that far,” he said firmly. “They tried arresting you once and a judge threw it out.”
“But a judge signed off on it in the first place,” I countered. “And, granted, the detectives hadn't exactly been honest with what they'd told her they had on me, but if they put together a strong circumstantial case, there's always a possibility someone will listen.” I sighed. “And that's even without the Lockwoods getting involved.”
“What did they do now?” Jasper asked, his eyes darkening into that stormy sort of gray that came when he was upset.
“We don't have any proof,” I said. “But Mr. Henley has been talking to some friends of his in the DA's office and there are rumors going around that some of the people higher up are pushing things forward. Like the judge who signed the original arrest warrant hadn't been quite as thorough or careful as she ought to have been.”
“You don't think the Lockwoods are actually bribing anyone, do you?” Jasper asked. “I mean, I'm not so sure they wouldn't be capable of it, but those would be some serious accusations.”
I shrugged. “I don't know, Jas. When Allen was alive, I would've said no way. They might have been willing to lie to get what they wanted, but I never would've thought they'd cross into anything blatantly illegal. Even some of the stuff they pulled about Allen's will wasn't exactly surprising.”
“And now?”
“They set fire to the vineyard.” I frowned. “Or at least hired someone to do it. Even if they're never charged for it, you and I both know they're responsible. That was crossing a line I never wanted to think they'd cross.”
“What did Henley say you should do?”
I sighed. “Well, there's not really much of anything I can do right now except wait. The detectives will either take what they have, and use it to exonerate or charge me, or they'll called Henley to set up another interview with me.” I gave him a serious look. “And you might want to consider looking into a lawyer for yourself. I have a feeling they might be coming for you next.”
He shrugged. “We'll deal with that when the time comes. Right now, I'm more worried about you. What did Mr. Henley say about the Lockwoods?”
“He said he'll try to dig a little deeper, but neither of us think he'll be able to find anything. They're too used to hiding stuff like this back in Texas. They can cover their tracks.”
“Does he think you're going to be charged again?”
“He didn't say it, but I think I will. Those detectives aren't going to let this go, especially not if they have higher ups encouraging them.”
Jasper was quiet for a moment, and then his fingers tightened around my ankle. I raised my head to look at him.
“What do you need from me?”
“I need to not think,” I said. “I need all of the chaos in my head to quiet down, at least for a while, or I'm going to go crazy.”
He gave me a smile, the kind of smile that warmed everything inside me. “I think I can manage that.”
Chapter 13
I started to sit up, desire pooling in my belly, but Jasper shook his head.
“The bedroom?” I started to ask.
“I want you here.” His voice was low as he wrapped his hands around my ankles and gave me a tug so that I was half-laying on the couch. His eyes danced with humor as he added, “I need to be able to hear the oven timer. Don't want to burn dinner.”
I rolled my eyes, a smile curving my lips as he crawled up my body until we were face to face. He held himself over me until our bodies were barely touching, but it didn't matter. Electricity buzzed between us, filling the air until I could barely breathe, and he hadn't even done anything yet.
Still keeping his body above mine, he lowered only his face so that he could brush his lips across mine. His tongue darted out, teasing my mouth until I chased it back, turning a light touch into a full kiss. I put my hands on the back of his neck and yanked him down. I didn't want gentle and sweet.
“Make me forget,” I whispered against his mouth before I took his bottom lip between my teeth.
I wrapped my legs
around his waist and pulled him towards me. I moaned as he let his weight rest against me. My fingers made their way through his hair as he took control of the kiss, claiming my mouth with the sort of reckless abandon that had caused us to make love out in the vineyard, in the closet of my former in-laws' house. This was what I wanted, something fierce and wild enough to make me not think about anything else.
He tugged at the buttons of my blouse, impatience nearly ripping some free. I didn't care. I just wanted his hands on me. He pushed my bra up as soon as he had my shirt open enough, not bothering to remove either one. His fingers rolled and pinched and pulled on my nipples until I was whimpering against his questing tongue.
He kissed down my neck and across my collarbone before moving down to my breasts. I buried my fingers in his hair, twisting the silky strands between my fingers as he teased me by placing open-mouthed kisses across my breasts, sucking and nipping at the flesh, but never touching my nipples. When he finally closed his lips around one of them, my body jerked, a hiss of satisfaction coming between my teeth.
I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the scorching wet heat. Every pull of his mouth went straight through me, as if he had a direct line from my breast to that throbbing place deep inside me. My panties were soaked by the time he switched from one breast to the other.
He wriggled a hand between us, finding the button of my pants. As he was working that open, I tugged on his shirt, needing to feel his skin under my hands. I had it bunched by his shoulders when he managed to get his hand into my pants. My nails raked across his back while his fingers slid beneath the waistband of my panties to find me slick and wet.
“Oh, baby.” His voice was rough. “I love that I do this to you.”
His fingers pressed against my clit and I gasped, my back arching. He took my nipple into his mouth again, sucking hard on the sensitive flesh even as he slid a finger inside me. My eyelids fluttered as he worked his finger into me, my pants keeping his hand pressed tightly to me, putting pressure and the most delicious friction on my clit with every move he made. Between his hand between my legs and his mouth on my breast, I lost myself in the exquisite sensations coursing through me. With his usual single-minded determination, he worked me towards climax until I finally exploded around him.
I was still coming down when he pushed himself up on his knees and began to yank at my pants and underwear, pulling them both down to the middle of my thighs. He flipped me over, easily maneuvering my still-limp body until I was on my knees in front of the couch, my elbows on the seat.
Jasper moved behind me, his hands caressing my bare ass before moving to my hips. I felt his cock nudge against me, and then he was pushing inside. But he was too big and I couldn't spread my legs any further. My head fell forward as he relentlessly worked his way into me, each inch making me gasp and pant as he stretched me.
“Fuck.” The word burst out of me. “Fuck. Fuck.”
“You are so tight,” Jasper ground out. His fingers massaged my hips as he came to rest inside me. He curled his body over mine and pressed his lips to my ear. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. I pushed back against him. “Please.”
He slid his hands beneath me, cupping my breasts as he moved. Short, shallow thrusts that deepened as he straightened. My clit throbbed in response to Jasper's fingers manipulating my swollen nipples, each twist and pull sending a jolt of painful pleasure into my system.
My breath came in bursts as he thrust into me, his cock rubbing every inch of me. There were nerves being stroked that I hadn't even been aware of until now, and I shuddered at the first wave of pleasure that washed over me.
“Come for me, baby,” Jasper murmured in my ear. “I'm almost there.”
One of his hands left my breast and slid down my stomach. The tip of his finger brushed over my clit. I groaned, shivering. I felt his teeth through the fabric of my shirt as he bit down on my shoulder and I moaned. His finger made circles on my clit, each one pushing me closer to another orgasm.
And then I was there, tipping over the edge, calling out his name as I came. He followed a moment later, buried deep inside me. He slumped over my back, his arms wrapped around me, holding me until we both came down. I hissed as he pulled out, suddenly feeling empty. He settled on the floor, pulling me onto his lap so he could kiss me.
He brushed back my hair, resting his forehead on mine. “Dinner should be done soon. Why don't you go get cleaned up, get into something comfortable and by then, we should be ready to eat.”
“Thank you,” I said. “For distracting me.”
He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose. “We're just getting started. I plan on distracting you all night.”
***
He made good on his promise.
Dinner was amazing. Everything had been cooked to perfection. The wine was excellent. We made small talk about things that had nothing to do with legal issues or my job or anything important. We talked about how things were going at the clinic, and what we wanted to do for Thanksgiving. When we were done, he cleaned off the table while I finished my wine.
I figured we'd spend the rest of the night watching tv, just enjoying time together. Instead, Jasper held out his hand and led me back to the bedroom. He didn't say a word as he undressed me, taking me out of the yoga pants and sweatshirt I'd put on earlier, his eyes darkening when he saw that I hadn't bothered with new undergarments.
“You are so beautiful.” He looked up at me from where he was on his knees. He kissed my hip and I shivered. He smiled as he put his hand on my knee. “Hold on to me.”
I put my hand on his shoulder as he lifted my leg, putting it on his other shoulder. The movement spread me open and, for a moment, I felt a flash of embarrassment, but then I saw the look on Jasper's face and forgot to be embarrassed. He cupped my ass in his hands and leaned forward, pressing his mouth against me.
My head fell forward and I moaned. His tongue danced over my skin, then darted inside, tasting me. I wanted to move, to press myself closer to his mouth, but he held me tight as he continued to lick every inch of me except the one place I desperately wanted him.
Then he was there, tongue and lips focused on that little point of nerves. He teased and sucked until I was crying out, my hands digging into his hair as I came. And even then he didn't let up, driving me from one orgasm into the next, holding me as my legs gave out.
My entire body was limp as he stood and eased me onto the bed. He stripped off his clothes quickly, then stretched out next to me, propping himself up on his elbow. His expression was strangely serious as his fingers traced patterns on my stomach.
“I told you I was going to make you forget about today, take you out of your head.” His eyes met mine. “Do you trust me?”
My stomach clenched and I nodded. I may have questioned my faith in him before, may have thought perhaps I'd misjudged him, and that he wasn't the man I knew him to be.
Not anymore. I didn't just love him. I trusted him. And I was going to show him.
“Roll over.”
I rolled onto my stomach.
“Spread your legs.”
As I did what he asked, I felt his fingers brush against the insides of my thighs, then two slid inside. I moaned, but his fingers weren't there long, only two quick strokes and then his fingers were moving up higher.
“Shit,” I breathed as the tip of one finger circled my anus.
“Have you...?”
The question trailed off, but I didn't need him to ask the rest of it. “No.” I shook my head.
“You tell me to stop, and I will,” he promised.
I nodded to indicate that I understood.
He took it slow, easing his finger into me and working it until the burn eased. When he added a second finger, I closed my eyes, focusing on keeping my breathing even, my muscles relaxed. It was a strange sensation, feeling his fingers moving inside that place, stretching things that had never been stretched before.
When his hand disappeared, I f
elt the mattress shift as he moved between my legs. I clenched my hands together and waited.
“Just say the word and I'll stop.” Jasper's voice was soft. He put his hand on the small of my back. “Relax and let me take care of you.”
I nodded again.
Something blunt and much bigger than his fingers pushed against me. I exhaled as my body resisted, then stretched. I made a strangled sound as the head of his cock popped past the ring of muscle and he stilled, one hand on my hip.
“I've got you, love.” He slid his hand underneath me, his fingers gently rubbing my clit. “Let me in.”
I still had that uncomfortable feeling of fullness, but the pleasurable sensations coming from my clit began to spread out, and I felt my body relax, letting his cock slip further in. He rocked his hips, easing himself deeper even as his fingers continued to rub my clit.
“Almost there, baby,” he said. “You're going to feel so good, I promise.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. My fingers were curled in the sheets, tears burning my eyes, but I wasn't going to ask him to stop. It wasn't painful exactly, not with his fingers giving me pleasure to merge with the pain. But I was so full. I didn't know if it could actually feel good, but I was going to trust him.
When he was finally all the way inside, he waited, one hand still underneath me, the other running up and down my spine. Finally, he began to move, drawing back, then easing forward. I let out a shuddering breath as he repeated the move. I couldn't say it felt pleasant yet, but the burn had lessened.
I lost track of time as it narrowed down to the sensation of him moving in and out of me, of his fingers keeping constant pressure on my clit. Soon, the pain became something else, something more intense than what I'd felt before. He began to thrust faster, and I could feel the familiar pressure beginning to build.
“I want you to come, baby.” His voice was rough. “You think you can come like this?”
If he'd asked me when we'd first begun, I would've told him no. Now, I wasn't so sure.
“Come for me, Shae.”