by Claire Adams
I stood outside of her door for a minute, gathering my thoughts. By her tone, I could tell she was laying it on thick. I might not have dated in a while, but I knew people. And with her callous mention of my net worth, had she agreed to go on this date because of my money?
A knock on the window brought me back to reality. I jogged over to my side of the car and got in. There was no reason to judge this woman before getting to know her. She had a fantastic body from being a yoga teacher. There was nothing wrong with her wanting to show it off. And I would have a gorgeous woman sitting next to me at dinner.
My assessment had been right. Kimberly was the focal point of most people at the restaurant. When we sat at our table, more heads turned in her direction than at their own food. Even though I didn’t mind the attention to us, I hoped that there was more of a connection than just physical attraction. It would suffice for a one night stand, but I was over that stage. I wanted to settle down with someone who loved Gina and me. I couldn’t be selfish and think about myself anymore. At least not when I had Jess waiting at home for me. If I stayed the night with her friend, I’d risk awkwardness in the morning for sure. I doubted Jess would mind, but I also wasn’t that guy. At least I’d never been before.
The host held out a chair for Kimberly, and she winked at him.
I couldn’t help but feel taken aback by the gesture. She’d winked at me before when I got her into the car. Was that her thing? Or was she flirting with the host on our date?
“Your server will be with you shortly,” he said, taking an inappropriate longing look at my date.
A sour taste filled my mouth as she noticed and slowly licked her lips.
That I couldn’t ignore. “Do you want wine?” I asked, trying to get her attention back.
It wasn’t hard. She glanced at the wine list and handed it to me. “I like red wine. Choose the most expensive.”
I chuckled. “Expensive doesn’t mean good.”
“I know,” she purred. “But we’d look like a power couple if an expensive label sat on our table.”
I focused on the wine list. If I looked up, I might see the seriousness in her expression, and I wasn’t ready for that. Was this woman for real? It was one thing to comment on my car, but I felt a little like I was paying for this woman to date me.
And the night only got worse from there.
Talking to Kimberly was like trying to get the attention of a puppy. Her attention flitted across the room, focusing on anything shiny or new. Only when I asked about her did she go on several one-sided conversations about her hope for opening her own yoga studio.
Then she hit me with a big one.
“I think when we solidify whatever amazing connection we have, then we could go in together on a studio.”
I gritted my teeth, appalled by this woman’s frankness. If she wasn’t Jess’s friend, then I might have told her I wouldn’t partner up with an airhead like her in a million years. I now knew for a fact she agreed to this date after knowing how much I made. Once again, I wondered how the hell Jess was friends with this girl. Jess had a heart of gold, and this girl appeared not to have one. Or tact either.
Once the waiter took our empty entrée plates, I signaled him for the check.
“No dessert?” she asked, leaning against the table. Her breasts swelled over the tablecloth.
“We should get going,” I said, meeting her eyes. My eyes watered trying to keep them above her neck.
Kimberly talked the entire ride home. About herself, of course, and then when we got to her place, I idled the car in front of her building.
She turned and smoothed her hand over my thigh.
“You should come up,” she said, her eyes sparkling and her speech slurred. She’d drunk most of the wine at dinner.
“I need to get home and relieve Jess,” I said.
Kimberly waved her hand. “She’ll be okay. That’s her job.”
“Maybe another time,” I said, trying to let her down gently.
She pouted, and I unlocked the doors, giving her a hint.
“Fine,” she said, flipping from flirty to upset. “Your loss.” Then she got out and slammed my car door closed.
I sighed. Thank god that was over.
On the way home, I tried to think of positive things to say about Jess’s friend. Jess would inevitably ask me how the date went. And I didn’t want to burn any bridges.
When I got home, I went straight to the wine cellar. I wanted to relax with a night cap. I popped open the bottle and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet in case Jess wanted to stay for a little longer. I hoped she would stay.
Jess was in the kitchen, putting dishes in the dishwasher. She smiled at me then glanced at the clock at frowned.
“Date didn’t go so well?” she asked, disappointed.
“Let’s talk about it over a glass of wine,” I said, needing something to take the edge off.
Jess and I locked eyes. With a single glance, I knew she didn’t want to leave. And I didn’t want her to go either. “Sure.”
If it were warmer, I would have taken Jess out to the patio, but instead, we settled in on the couch. If this had been the end of our date, I would have made a fire in the fireplace, but this wasn’t a date. Why did I have to keep reminding myself of that?
Jess made me more comfortable than anyone had since Amelia. Spending time with Jess put my mind and body at ease.
I poured her a glass and handed it over.
She sat on the couch, facing me with her legs tucked under her. “So, what happened?”
“She’s a sweet girl,” I said. “Maybe I jumped into this too quickly.”
Jess shoved her hair out of her face as she came up from closing the dishwasher. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I said. “You got me on a date. That was an accomplishment.”
“I wished you would have had a good time.”
“Me too,” I said.
“So, what can I do to make this terrible date up to you?”
“How about not setting me up again,” I said, sipping from my glass.
She tilted her head back and laughed. “Deal.”
“Do you have any embarrassing first date stories?” I asked. The tension in my shoulders from the date eased until I sunk into the couch.
“I have a few,” she said and took a long swallow of the wine. “This is really good.”
Jess went on about a few of her dates that she went on since she arrived in the States. At one point, we were both teary-eyed from laughing. Most of her first dates were a thousand times worse than the one I went on with Kimberly, which made me feel a little better about tonight.
I loved the carefree attitude that Jess exuded when talking about her previous dates. As they were embarrassing and pathetic at the time, she had brushed them off as life experiences. I loved the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled. Why couldn’t I have hung out here all night with her?
As I finished the last of my wine glass, I picked up the bottle and realized it was empty. How long had we sat there? I checked my watch. It was close to eleven.
I put down my glass and rubbed my temples. “I think I’m just too old to date.”
Jess laughed. “You’re not too old to date.”
I chuckled. “I know you’re not saying that because you have to.”
“No, I don’t,” she said. “You have a lot going for you.”
“Like what?”
Jess put down her glass and crossed her arms. “You’re kind and decent. And not just because you’re my boss. I see it with how you treat Gina. And being attractive helps.”
“You think I’m attractive?”
She rolled her eyes. “Out of all that, that’s what you focus on?”
“Of course,” I said with a smirk.
“You know you are. Don’t sell yourself short. There is someone out there for you.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the wine or the company but a mix of both. Something inside of me took over,
and I leaned forward, pressing my lips against hers. Warmth flooded my body as I kissed her. The same feeling I got when I first met her came back. This was right. And I wanted more.
Chapter Twelve
Jess
Noah’s warm mouth on mine surprised me enough that I froze in place. Tasting the sweet wine on his lips made my head spin. Or maybe it had been the two glasses I’d had over the short time since he’d arrived home. I reached up and placed my hands on his shoulders, bringing him closer to me. He opened his mouth, and his tongue rubbed against mine, tangling together in a sensual dance.
My wine glass toppled over and fell onto the carpeted floor. I jumped back away from him, reality slamming into me. The glass was empty and intact, but the action snapped me back to reality. Was my boss really kissing me? It surprised me that I wanted to kiss him more.
“Noah,” I said, reaching my fingers to my lips. His heat settled on my sensitive skin there.
“Jess,” he said, twining his fingers with mine. “You’re so amazing. I—” He shook his head and his eyebrows furrowed together as if he couldn’t find the words.
What could he have said though? There was an apparent attraction between us, stemming from the first day we met.
Instead of talking, I leaned forward, brushing my lips against his. He smiled and traced his fingertip across my forehead, brushing back my hair from my face. His touch left a trail of tingles across my skin.
Each time my mind told me to stop, I threw everything I had at the negative thoughts and melted back into the moment with Noah.
His first kiss was tentative, almost as if he’d done it by accident or instinct. But all signs of apprehension were gone now. His hands roamed my body, keeping to the more chaste zones while I yearned for his touch in other places.
And to show him that, I deepened the kiss and pressed against his chest. He broke the kiss and locked eyes with me as I lifted my leg and straddled his lap.
His erection pressed against me. I rubbed myself along it; each time I moved, his strangled moans filled my mouth. I smiled against his lips.
“Keep going,” he said.
With pleasure. Off my cue, he grabbed my butt and squeezed, guiding me where to rub against him.
My hands roamed his chest until I found the buttons of his shirt, popping each of them open as I moved lower. When his shirt fell open, I pressed my hands against his bare chest, feeling his rock hard pecs under my fingertips. Noah had the DILF thing going in all aspects of his life.
“We should go upstairs,” he said in a hoarse voice.
“Okay,” I said. Was I really doing this?
“If Gina wakes up…” he said.
“I get it,” I said. “Let’s go.”
He pulled me down to him to kiss me again, and I briefly wondered if he’d changed his mind about leaving. But the living room was a wide open space. I wasn’t sure how to explain any of this to Gina. I wasn’t sure how I would explain it to myself in the morning. Once again, I pushed those thoughts away.
Noah gently pushed me off him, and when I stepped onto the floor, the room tilted. The effects of the wine had disappeared; the dizziness I felt was all about Noah.
He took my hand, and we raced off toward the stairs leading to the second floor. I was about to step onto the first step when Noah whirled me around and pressed me up against the wall. His lips crushed mine, and I held him against me. Within seconds, he released me.
“Sorry, I needed to taste you again,” he said.
I licked my lips, knowing how he felt.
We moved up the stairs and took a left down the hallway. It was a good thing Gina’s room was down the other end. It was bad enough that she might have seen us if she came downstairs for a glass of water. Catching us in Noah’s bedroom would have been worse. His bedroom was at the end of the hallway and tucked into the corner of the house. We’d have to be very loud for her to hear.
Noah brought me straight to his bed. He pulled off his shirt, and for a moment I got to drink him in. There were no lights on in the bedroom, but the light from the moon filtered through the window shades, illuminating the incredible body standing before me.
I lifted my shirt and tossed it onto the ground.
Noah’s eyes drunk me in and dampness spread down below. His penetrating gaze glued me to the floor. He reached for me, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. He held my face in his hands and tilted it to the side, trailing kisses from my jawline down my neck. I raked my fingers through his hair, silently begging him to keep going.
His hands moved down across my stomach and then around my waist. A quick pop against my back made me gasp. The tightness of my bra fell away from my body, and I dropped my arms to my sides to allow the thin fabric to fall to the floor.
Noah’s hands cupped my breasts, and my head fell back, drinking in the sensation of his hands on me. A satisfied moan escaped my lips.
“You’re so sexy, Jess,” Noah said, moving one of his hands away from my breasts and down to the waistband of my leggings. Without any buttons or zippers, Noah easily sneaked his hand inside of my pants.
I let out a surprised gasp as his fingers brushed against my clit.
“Shit,” I breathed.
He kissed my neck again. Between that and one of his thumbs rubbing over my nipple, my entire body went numb. His hand against me moved in slow, tantalizing circles against my most sensitive area.
“You like that?” Noah whispered into my ear.
“Yeah,” I moaned.
“I want you so bad, Jess,” he said.
I brought my lips to his and kissed him fiercely, conveying how badly I wanted him too. I reached down and unzipped his pants, shoving them down to the floor. I grabbed onto him and lightly gasped. He was as hard as a rock.
He moved both of his hands to my waist and broke the kiss. Before I could ask what he was doing, he was already kneeling in front of me, tugging my leggings down.
His mouth pressed against me and I bit down on my lip. After kissing me for a moment, he pulled down my panties. The air against my damp skin made me even more sensitive down there.
Noah stood up and appraised me. For some reason, I didn’t feel the need to hide anything. Any other time I had sex, I undressed under the covers or under the cover of darkness. But the lust in Noah’s eyes was more erotic than any foreplay.
He stepped out of his boxer briefs, and he pulled me against him. His erection pressed against my leg. He moved forward, backing me slowly until my legs bumped against the bed. I sat down, and he stood over me, a glorious sight if I ever saw one. Noah was the sexiest man who had ever seen me naked. And the one with the biggest heart.
I scooted back onto the bed as he reached down to the floor. I sat up, and he rustled around until his head popped up again.
He wore a sheepish grin and held up a foil wrapper.
“Was that in your wallet?” I asked, trying to hide my smile.
He chuckled. “No, I stashed these under the bed.”
I sat up, resting on my knees, spreading my legs open for him. His eyes widened, and a stirring fluttered around in my stomach.
For as little sex as Noah’d had over the past three years, he put the condom on faster than I’d ever seen. He jumped onto the bed and kissed me again. With nothing between us other than a thin latex barrier, there wasn’t much else to do other than getting started with what we both desperately wanted. I laid down, and he propped himself on top of me. I guided him between my legs and gasped when his tip touched me. I had to hold my breath to keep from coming at that moment. I’d never been so turned on in my life.
“You okay?” he asked.
I smiled up at him and placed my hands on his neck, bringing his mouth down to mine. “I’m perfect.”
He slowly entered me, and a moan escaped my lips. His tongue silenced me as he started to thrust. I moved my hands to his back and traced his muscles with my fingers. His skin was hot under my touch, and I was glad I wasn’t th
e only one. My skin felt like it was on the verge of lighting on fire. Every part of me that Noah touched added to the licking flames inside of me.
When he was all the way in, he pushed a little harder, stretching me to my limits.
“Oh, God,” I said.
“You feel incredible,” he said.
“Ditto,” I said with a smile.
He started off slow, moving in and out, stroking me from the inside. But he quickly escalated. I wrapped my legs around his waist, opening myself up to him completely. The pressure inside of me built up quicker and quicker until I was on the precipice. My head fell back against the bed, and I closed my eyes, focusing my mind on the pleasure that radiated from deep inside of me.
“I want you to come for me, Jess.”
“Okay,” I said through one quick breath. Within a few more strokes, my entire body erupted, and I cried out as I reached the peak of my orgasm. He continued to thrust, harder now, bringing me through his own orgasm.
“Fuck!” he hissed as he came.
I wrapped myself tighter around him, giving him my entire body.
He fell against the bed, slipping out of me, leaving me exposed. I didn’t care. We laid there for a moment, and a goofy grin spread across my face.
I shivered, more about the release of pleasure than being cold. But Noah shoved the covers down from under us; then he spread them over me. He kissed my lips and laid his head down on one pillow.
I shivered again. With my mind completely clear, those thoughts rushed back to me. They were a habit, and I knew firsthand how hard habits were to break.
What had I done? I pulled the sheets up over my chest and turned to Noah. He stared at the ceiling, his chest quickly rising and falling. He knew I was looking at him, yet he couldn’t meet my eyes. He had thought the same thing.
I reached my hand up to cover my face. This was a mistake. I’d ruined my job with one stupid decision. And what about Gina? After sleeping with Noah, I knew everything would be so awkward from here on out.
“I think I should go,” I murmured and sat up, keeping my chest covered. My skin crawled with embarrassment. “I don’t want Gina to get hurt.”