Heaven

by Rebecca Julia Lauren

  Cori laughed. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Why are you freaking out?”

  “I’m not.” One look in her eyes and I knew she wasn’t letting this go.

  “Something is up with you.”

  “It’s never been like that before,” I admitted. The words felt strange.

  “Like what?” she whispered.

  I had zero words to describe what making love with Cori was like for me. I could hardly think at the moment, and now I was going to have to talk about what had happened. “Great.” Yeah, that sounded lame.

  Her expression registered disbelief. “You expect me to believe you’ve never had great sex before?”

  “I don’t know how to describe it, Cori.”

  “It could have something to do with the fact that you know my last name and can’t shove your pants on and haul ass outta here.”

  Each word cut me deeply because she was describing exactly how I felt. I looked over at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. She didn’t sound mad, just disappointed and maybe hurt. I felt like shit.

  Cori was too damned perceptive. “It’s okay, Jase.” The words were whispered against my chest. “As long as we’re honest with each other, no one is going to get hurt.”

  I wasn’t certain about that, and I damn sure wasn’t about to test the theory. Rolling over so that I was on top of her, I nipped her neck and relaxed when I saw the corners of her mouth tug upward. “Stop thinking. No one’s getting hurt.” I glanced down at our bodies smashed together and locked my eyes with hers. “Are you okay?”

  “Not really.”

  I frowned, afraid I’d somehow been too rough and hurt her. Cori’s next words relieved part of what was bothering me, but incited the other part.

  “I want to try it again, but I don’t want to hold you back if you’re trying to figure out how fast you can get out of here.”

  “Careful Cori, you’ll hurt my feelings if you keep thinking I’m going to act like an asshole.”

  “I think you’re scared.”

  My hand slid along her soft, smooth skin. Shifting, I rolled on top of her pinning her beneath me. “What do you want from me?”

  In answer she began to kiss me, her lips brushing my skin, touching my heart and erasing any fear that lingered.

  “Just this,” she whispered.

  Finally snapping out of the fog that had settled over me after the incredible sex I’d had with Cori, I smoothed my hand down her body and felt her shiver. I rolled again until she was on top of me, straddling me.

  “I want to see you while we make love.”

  The tenderness in her eyes was my undoing. I gripped her hips and she eased on top of me, breaking through my defenses and taking me to heaven.

  Cora

  I was in love with Jase.

  He held me tenderly against his chest, rubbing my back and pressing gentle kisses to my head, unaware of the life-altering thoughts racing in my mind. Telling myself I’d become one of those women that confused love and sex, I tried to stay calm. I was actually freaking out but I was making considerably effort to act normal.

  Thinking of all the advice I’d given Ellie and Isabelle about being honest came back to bite me in the ass. Sure, honesty was the way to go most of the time. It was real and it stopped a lot of the bullshit misunderstandings that messed up relationships. So why was I not jumping up and declaring my love to Jase? It was because in addition to being insane that vital piece of information would destroy us.

  Jase and I were friends. Maybe if I kept repeating that, my heart would catch on. I knew that he’d panicked after we’d had sex, and I didn’t want to risk saying or doing anything that would make him regret what we’d done. I couldn’t help but wonder if his fear had something to do with the way Brianne had betrayed him or if it was simply that he didn’t feel anything more for me than friendship.

  “When do we have to go back?” I whispered.

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Won’t your parents wonder where we’ve been?”

  “You’ve seen the house. I doubt it. If they do, it won’t be a big deal.”

  Somehow I didn’t think his parents would share that opinion, but I wasn’t about to point it out.

  “They’ll be busy with friends.”

  “Including Brianne’s parents?”

  “Yes.” He glanced down. “What’s wrong?”

  “I guess they also want you and Brianne to get back together.”

  “Maybe. I don’t know or care. It’s not happening, and if it bothers you we can go home.”

  “Your parents are hosting the party tomorrow night. I’m sure they expect you to show up, Jase.”

  “I’m not into their parties. If you’re uncomfortable, we’ll leave.”

  He meant it. I smiled. “Why wasn’t Brianne at dinner tonight? I thought she was staying with your parents.”

  “She said she wasn’t feeling well.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.” I sighed. “As much as I hate to say it, maybe you should talk to her. You know what they say about closure and all that.” Yeah, I absolutely hated to say it.

  “It’s overrated. Why would anyone want to rehash the bad shit of the past when they can leave it alone is a mystery to me.”

  I chipped at my nail polish, feeling Jase’s eyes on me. “Maybe you’re afraid to discover you still have feelings for Brianne. Have you thought about that?”

  He stilled. “Since you’re lying naked in bed with me and we just had incredible sex, I have to wonder what the hell you’re thinking to ask me that.”

  My gaze locked with his. “I thought you might need to sort out your feelings. Clearly, I need my ass kicked because you’re a guy and I forgot guys don’t analyze feelings and shit.”

  “No, we don’t. We live in the moment. It’s simpler and angst free.”

  “Okay. I’ll drop it,” I said, holding up my hands in mock surrender.

  “You should never have brought it up.” He glanced down at me, clearly upset. “Why did you?”

  “I told you I thought—“

  “You thought I needed to sort out my feelings. Yeah, I get it. Just out of curiosity, why did you wait until after we’d had sex to bring this up?”

  “It didn’t come up before we had sex.” I frowned. “What are you getting at?”

  “We have sex and afterward you all but tell me to get back with my ex girlfriend.”

  “I’m not the one that’s freaked out. Earlier, you looked like you were ready to bolt.”

  His eyes flicked to mine. “What I did was make love to you again. Maybe I should show you just how not freaked out I am.”

  My stomach dipped. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

  “I keep my promises, Cori. You ought to know that.”

  “How would I know that? You’ve never promised me anything.”

  He looked surprised. “You know me.” With a heavy sigh he raked a hand through his hair. “Look I don’t want to fight with you, and I don’t want to talk about Brianne.” He tossed the covers back and got up, giving me a spectacular view of his nakedness.

  Seeing him leave made my chest ache, and I wanted to take back my stupid suggestion for him to talk to Brianne. Jase had been right about why I’d done it. It was my ass-backwards way of pushing him away before he could hurt me only it was too late to stop that inevitable event. I had an unannounced date with heartache, and all I could do was wait for it to find me.

  “I’m sorry, Jase,” I said softly.

  “For what?”

  My chin lifted in surprise. He strolled toward the bed, still buck-naked, carrying the bowl of strawberries and the bottle of champagne. He set the strawberries on the bed, opened the champagne and filled two glasses.

  “For pissing you off. I thought you were leaving.”

  Jase’s brow furrowed as if he was having a tough time registering what I’d said. “You piss me off all the time and this is the first time you’ve ever apologized for it. I’m shocke
d.”

  “The others times I pissed you off you deserved it. This is different. I know Brianne is a sore subject for you and I pushed.”

  “One: Brianne isn’t worth fighting over.” His knee sank into the bed. “Two: I could never stay mad at you.” He reached for a strawberry. “Three: I’d never leave you naked in my bed.” He brought the strawberry to my lips, and I bit into the succulent fruit.

  “Good?”

  “Hmm. That’s wonderful.” I offered him a bite and he took it. “Instead of fighting, maybe we can find another way to amuse ourselves tonight,” I suggested, hearing the sultry tone in my voice.

  Jase’s eyes heated. Brushing the bitten strawberry over my nipple, I sucked in a sharp breath at the erotic contact. “I’m sure that we’ll think of something.”

  Chapter 16

  Jase

  Charlie was grinning at me when I walked out to the pool.

  “Have fun last night?”

  Thinking about just how much fun Cori and I had, I was probably smiling like a dumbass. “Thanks for the beach house.”

  He nodded. “No problem. Take advantage of it. Where’s your girl?”

  “She’s talking to a friend.”

  Taking a pull from his longneck he warned, “Heads up, little brother. Brianna found out where you slept last night and she’s having a shit fit.”

  I helped myself to a beer that Charlie kept in a bucket of ice next to his lounge chair. “Something to look forward to. How’d she find out?”

  “Mom and Dad told her the two of you disappeared together. I think they’re trying to get her to up her game. You know how they are.”

  I was sick of the games. “Yeah, I know.”

  Charlie shut his laptop and looked up at me. “The way they talked to you last night was bullshit.”

  I shrugged. “It’s not worth upsetting Lucy over.”

  “Lucy isn’t a kid anymore. You don’t think she sees how screwed up our parents are.”

  I thought of Cori’s mom and that bastard boyfriend of hers, Bud. Just thinking about how Cori could have been hurt made me want to find the guy and kick his ass all over again. “They’re not the best parents, but they’re not the worst either. It’s only a few days.”

  “Grab another beer, brother. You’re gonna need it.” Pulling a longneck from a bucket of ice, he tossed it to me.

  I could tell from Charlie’s expression that he wanted to declare war with the parents on my behalf. He’d always been a good brother, but I didn’t want him or anyone else to fight my battles. I should just come right out and tell him what had happened that night with Brianne, but some twisted loyalty to her wouldn’t allow me to do it.

  Hearing Charlie’s low whistle, I turned and saw Cori walking towards us. I nearly choked on my beer at the tiny black string bikini that barely covered all it should cover.

  I kicked Charlie’s foot. “Watch it. She’s mine.” Even I heard the possessiveness in my tone, and of course Charlie heard it too.

  His attention turned to me. “I thought you said the two of you were friends.”

  “Yeah, we are.”

  “You’re sleeping with her and acting like a jealous boyfriend. I hope like hell you know what you’re doing.”

  I didn’t, but I since I wasn’t in the mood for a lecture I kept that to myself. “I never said I slept with Cori,” I told him, defensively. Yeah, he was going to think I was whipped.

  “O-kay.” Charlie laughed. “You stayed up all night talking about your feelings and getting to know her.” He smirked.

  “Don’t be an asshole.”

  Charlie lifted his hands in mock surrender. “I meant no disrespect.”

  “I know. Just don’t do it again.”

  “You’ve got it bad, brother.” He looked concerned. “Be careful.”

  Cori reached us before I could answer and my eyes crawled over her, making her blush. She laughed nervously and moved the towel she was holding in front of her. “That’s what I thought too, but Amber insisted you’d like this.”

  “She was right.”

  Cori tilted her head to the side, studying me. “Then stop staring at me like you think I need to put on some clothes.”

  “Sorry.” I glared at Charlie. “It’s just that my brother is having trouble keeping his tongue in his mouth.”

  “Hey, I promise I’m not looking,” Charlie said. Then added, “Anymore.”

  Cori’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

  Leaning down, I whispered against her ear, “You’re gorgeous Cori. I just don’t like other men looking at you.”

  “Really?” She seemed pleased, but she wrapped the towel tighter around her, and I felt like shit. “Truthfully, I’m not comfortable in this scrap of material.”

  I couldn’t stand it any longer. Hauling her into my arms, I looked down into her eyes, searching for something that would tell me how she felt about last night.

  She laced her arms around my neck, and her eyes fell to my mouth. “Oh, Jase.”

  “You two want me to leave?”

  Cori turned to Charlie, and her blush deepened. “No! I’m sorry, Charlie. Don’t go. I haven’t thanked you for letting us use the beach house.”

  “Like I told my brother. Use it all you want. Someone should be getting lucky this trip,” Charlie replied with a crooked smile.

  “Thanks,” Cori told him, a soft look in her eyes.

  Jealousy filled me. I leaned down until my lips touched her earlobe and she shivered. “Are you checking out my brother?”

  Cori rolled her eyes at me. Charlie laughed.

  “I’m outta here.” Charlie hooked his laptop under his arm, grabbed another beer from the bucket of ice and took off.

  “You don’t have to go,” Cori told him.

  “See you tonight, Cora. Maybe Jase won’t be glaring at me like he wants to shove my teeth down my throat,” Charlie called, laughing. Turning one last time, he flashed a smile and saluted with his beer.

  Cori’s worried gaze snapped to mine. “You should stop him.”

  Hell no. “Why? We’re finally alone.”

  “He thinks we want to be alone to—“ She stopped and made a gesture with her hand that had me laughing.

  “Tell me what he thinks we want to do alone, Cori,” I teased.

  She sighed, her bottom lip poking out just enough to make me want to suck on it. “You know he thinks we’re about to get naked and have sex.”

  “It’s interesting how you whisper the word ‘sex’.” Leaning down I asked, “Maybe you’re just shy to say it when it applies to us.”

  “It’s new,” she admitted. “Giving advice to everyone else is easier but not as much fun.”

  “If you want me to prove how much fun sex can be, I’ll be happy to untie those little pieces of material and make it my personal goal to see how many times I can make you come.”

  Her eyes went dark and I heard her breath hitch. Cori was as turned on as I was. “You had me alone all last night.”

  “That only wet my appetite. Now that I know how delicious you are I’m going to have to fuck you often. We may have to move in together.”

  “You’re crazy Jase.”

  “Crazy for you, Cori.” I slid my hands down her sides and kissed her. She made a little sound in my mouth that was sexy as hell.

  I was exerting every ounce of control I had to appear cool, but the truth was that standing so close to Cori, my hands on her, kissing her, made me hotter than I’d ever been in my life.

  When I felt her nipples pebble my cock got hard as granite, jutting firmly between her thighs, making it impossible for her not to know how aroused I was.

  She moaned my name, and I groaned hers. We had to slow down. As much as I wanted her, I wasn’t about to take her in my parents’ backyard in plain sight of the house and the beach. We needed to cool off.

  Tossing aside her towel, I hooked my arm around her waist and jumped into the pool, taking her with me. We tumbled into the deep water and bot
h came up for air at the same time. She was soaking wet, her hair was wild around her face and water dripped from every part of her that wasn’t submerged. Glancing down, I saw that the bikini was clinging to her breasts like second skin.

  I shouldn’t have thrown her in the pool, and she was probably mad as hell. My gaze flicked to Cori’s, and what I saw in her eyes had me wishing like hell we were somewhere private. She wasn’t mad. Cori’s eyes burned with desire.

  She lunged at me and locked her mouth with mine in a kiss that was hotter than anything I’d ever experienced. I caught her easily, but we were still in deep water and eventually we sank, came up for air and started kissing again. Holy fuck, we were going to drown ourselves if we weren’t careful.

  “Hold on to me.” Cori did as asked, and I took us to shallow water beneath the waterfall.

  “Jase,” she breathed. “I want you.”

  I was already on fire, but those three words made me burn like never before. My arms enfolded her and she held on to me while our bodies mimicked the motions of sex. Our hands, mouths and tongues were all over each other, desperate, seeking release and something else that I was afraid to name.

  Consumed with Cori in my arms, it took me longer than it should have to realize we weren’t alone. My parents and Brianne’s stood staring at us, wide-eyed and clearly shocked. A soft cry pulled my attention further to the left and I saw Brianne’s tear filled eyes watching me with so much pain that I felt it in my gut.

  Cora

  The embarrassment of being caught making out with Jase was nothing compared to the pain of having to witness the look in his eyes when Jase realized that Brianne had seen us as well.

  He said that he wasn’t in love with her anymore, and I believed him. Jase would never have been able to make love to me like he did if he still had feeling for someone else, right?

  I was clueless.

  Was this what men felt like when they tried to figure out women? If so, I could totally understand their frustration.

  I needed to stop obsessing and start thinking rationally. After all, it didn’t really matter if Jase had feelings for Brianne because he and I were only friends. Just because I’d been unfortunate enough to fall in love with him didn’t change the dynamics of our relationship. Since I didn’t want to lose my best friend, I was going to have to deal with my feelings for Jase without him knowing.