What's Her Secret?

by Geraldine O'Hara, Natalie Dae, Nichelle Gregory, Crissy Smith, Lisabet Sarai

  He pushed harder into her as their kiss reached a frantic pace. Her hands tugged at his shirt and he heard the shoulder seam rip. He pulled away only long enough to grip the hem and quickly removed the shirt before throwing it somewhere behind him and taking possession of her mouth once again. She nipped his lower lip and the sting felt good, making his cock jump, still trapped.

  He picked her up from the stool, her fingernails scoring into his back, and jerked the button and zipper of her shorts. He heard her shoes drop to the floor as he pushed the shorts and undergarment down her legs. She wiggled out of her clothing, just as desperate as he.

  Piper’s tongue traced over the muscles of his chest and he had to grab hold of her hips to keep his feet. The intensity he felt as she touched him was so unexpected. He’d known they would be good together but could never have imagined the amount of passion that swamped him now it was finally happening.

  She dropped to her knees in front of him and he moaned at the sight. She peeked up at him and grinned. Slowly, she undid the button fly of his Levis one at a time. It was killing and arousing him at the same time.

  Finally she had his jeans open and tugged them down his hips. They caught at his erection and she chuckled before using her hands to help. His jeans and boxer briefs pooled at his ankles.

  Piper leaned forward and licked at the tip of his dick. Just a tease. He pumped once, unable to stop himself. She raised one hand to grasp the base of his cock and ran her tongue gently over the tip again.

  He dropped his head back and closed his eyes, needing to calm himself. He didn’t want to shoot with the first touch. He breathed deeply but that only caused his breath to catch when Piper closed her mouth over his cock and engulfed it.

  He cursed and caught her head in his hands. Shit, he wanted to be inside her but there was no way he would be able to last long. His hunger for her had been building daily and he was beyond desperate.

  She sucked him down then slowly backed off. Over and over until he felt the familiar tingle telling him it was almost too late. He pulled away. “God, baby,” he managed before dropping to his knees with her. He pushed her back, kissing her deeply, until he lay over her. She arched up and gripped his shoulders.

  He used his knees to hold her legs open while running his fingers through her wet folds. “Yes!” she hissed. Wet and ready, Piper bucked up as he parted her and plunged two fingers within her. She cried out, urging him on. As many times as he had fantasized about having her, he had never quite seen himself taking her on the floor of the bar, too eager to slow down, but more turned on than ever before in his life.

  “Now,” she pleaded. “Jace, please!”

  The begging did it. He would take his time later. Right now, if he didn’t get inside her, he would die. Just explode into a thousand pieces.

  “My love,” he whispered, running his tongue over her bottom lip. “My Piper.”

  Then he thrust deep. She screamed, convulsing around him, head thrown back, nails slashing his sides.

  He plunged into her hard and fast, over and over. She met him stroke for frenzied stroke. His blood pumped, sweat dripped from his forehead onto her and he plowed her. Piper’s eyes were closed as she begged for more.

  “Look at me,” he ordered. “Let me see you.”

  Her lashes fluttered open. Her normally magnificent eyes were even more intriguing. They practically glowed as she looked back at him. Something wild and almost animalistic close to the surface seemed to be staring at him. It pulled at the dominant inside him. He slammed into her several times. “Mine!” he called.

  She screamed and together they reached their orgasms. Her inner muscles clamped down and he released his seed deep inside her.

  Claimed. Wanted. Mate.

  Those three words seemed to circle around in his mind. He shook his head as he started to collapse. He managed to catch himself on his elbows as he peered down at Piper.

  Her eyes were wide, although back to their normal color, while fear and panic played across her face.

  He bent his head and very gently rubbed his lips over hers. “It’s okay, baby,” he assured her. “It’s okay.”

  Chapter Two

  Piper glanced at the bag on the bed and calculated what she could pack into it. She needed at least enough clothes to last several weeks, plus her toiletries, her laptop and a few pictures.

  She walked over and picked up the picture on the desk. It was the one taken last month of all of the staff at Anderson’s. She was right in the middle between Jace and the head cook Marcus. Jace had his arm wrapped around her shoulder and was laughing. She absolutely loved that picture. She wouldn’t be able to leave it behind.

  Photo still in hand, she stumbled back to the bed and sat down. She couldn’t believe that she had broken her number one rule. It had been over fifteen years since she had allowed herself to become emotionally involved with anyone. And not only had she managed to do that in six months, she had actually fallen in love with Jace.

  She’d been feeling it for months now. She had known that her time in Blue Cove was coming to an end. Money wasn’t an issue, as she had saved up and could have taken off, but she had been selfish. Had made excuses that the bar needed her, the staff, and Jace…well, she just couldn’t leave Jace.

  Now she had to deal with the consequences.

  She’d lost control. Hadn’t been strong enough to stop herself from having Jace. All reason and thought had left as soon as his mouth had closed over hers and she had tasted him for the first time.

  Tears spilled down her cheeks onto hands that shook. Now she would really have to say goodbye. She had no other choice. Well, she couldn’t even say goodbye. Wouldn’t be able to tell anyone she was leaving. It was too risky.

  So she would do what she had done many times before. She would sneak away like a thief in the night. And for the first time she truly felt like a thief. Jace didn’t deserve for her to just disappear without a word. But what else could she do?

  Now that she knew that everything she had been trying to avoid was truly the best thing she had ever experienced, she knew she was not strong enough to keep resisting. By giving herself to Jace tonight she had put herself and him in danger. The result of letting Jace get too close and seeing what was hidden beneath. He might not realize it right away, but eventually he would start to question what exactly he had seen. Once out of the heat of the moment, he would know that there was something different. Something wrong.

  She’d avoided anyone ever finding out, always moving on before the people she’d met had become suspicious of her odd behavior. Sometimes she could stay in one place a year or so, sometimes it was half that time.

  She should never have tried to settle down in Blue Cove. From the moment she’d met Jace, she had felt the pull, had known instant attraction. She should have just moved on. But she hadn’t. She had convinced herself that she could handle it.

  Having the nightly after work drink with him had just been stupid. She never should have agreed. But she couldn’t help but want, need, that short time with him alone.

  Jace, with his short military-cut, dark brown hair, and understanding, honest, crystal-blue eyes. His former Special Forces career showed in his hot, muscular body. But it was the dominance that flowed from him easily that really pushed her buttons. She craved to have him use some of that power over her. It was a deep need that she had buried inside, but around Jace she shook with wanting to let him fill the missing role in her life. She’d spent many nights dreaming about tracing his tattooed arms and shoulders with her tongue, licking and memorizing every inch of his body.

  Beyond being good-looking and dominant, Jace was one of the most wonderfully kind people she’d ever met. He was an honest-to-God nice guy. And he deserved so much better than her.

  Resolve firmly back in place, she dropped the photo back onto the bed and walked to the dresser. Her small furnished apartment was one room that had no division between the living, sleeping, and kitchen areas. The bathroom a
t least had a door that opened to the tiny shower stall, no bath tub, and vanity sink.

  It wasn’t a space fit for anyone. Really, the old lady who had rented it to her hadn’t wanted more than a couple hundred bucks. It had been her son’s apartment when he’d been eighteen. He’d been too old to be in the house with his mama but too young to be off on his own. He’d grown up and gone off to school in San Francisco, Mrs Adams had told her, and so she had placed the space for rent. She’d never actually thought that anyone would want it.

  Piper had gladly signed a month-to-month lease and paid first and last month’s rent in advance. The tiny place was as comfortable as she could make it but it wasn’t home. No, she hadn’t felt the peace of home in a very long time. It had been so many years that she wasn’t sure she would recognize it if she found it.

  Not that she was searching. She knew better than that.

  She’d lost everything, who she was and all her dreams in one night. One stupid decision had changed every aspect in her life. She wouldn’t let that touch Jace even if her own actions resulted in breaking her heart.

  She yanked the top drawer out of the dresser and took it back to the bed. She turned it over, dropping her socks, bras and underwear into the open bag. Just as she started to replace the drawer, there was a knock on the front door.

  Four-fifteen in the morning. Who in the hell would be at her door? No one ever visited her, ever.

  She removed the chain, unlocked the deadbolt and peeked from behind the door—and almost fell over when she saw Jace standing there.

  “Gonna let me in?” he inquired with the raise of a brow.

  Piper shook her head, not really at the question but more in shock at seeing him standing there.

  “Let me in, honey,” Jace demanded, unsmiling.

  A thrill went through her body as he commanded her, the submissive part of her unwilling to disobey. She pulled the door wider and he entered. Unsure what to do, she gripped the wooden door.

  Jace reached over and ran his hand down her shoulder to her fingers. He pried her hold loose and quietly pushed the door closed. He held up the bottle in his hand. “You and I need to talk. And since the only time you seem comfortable with that is when we share a drink at night, I brought this. So we are going to have another and figure this out,” he informed her.

  That really wasn’t a good idea. One drink with Jace she could handle. Anymore and she would be in danger of forgetting herself.

  She opened her mouth to protest but Jace was already heading for the kitchen. He didn’t comment about the small space or even look around in disapproval. He was the first one ever to come into her private area so she expected something out of him.

  Instead he just opened the cabinets until he found two tumblers and pulled them out. He dropped ice from the freezer and poured the dark liquid from the bottle into each glass. Only then did he turn to her. Piper remained by the front door. He motioned her to him with a wave.

  She shuffled her feet but made her way over to him. She met his gaze and knew she was in trouble. How could she leave the man she loved?

  Jace watched as Piper slowly walked to him. She was reluctant but she still followed his orders. He was relieved.

  When Piper had run from him after they’d shared their bodies, he had been too shocked to go after her. But he’d recovered quickly and he’d known that he had to get to Piper right away. The open bag on the bed proved that he’d been right. Piper had been preparing to skip town.

  He wouldn’t let her. It pissed him off that she would even consider leaving. He swallowed back his anger though, the resentment.

  He handed her the glass of her preferred liquor. “I don’t think I should,” she stated.

  Jace smiled. That wasn’t a no. “You’re not driving tonight, right? What can one more drink hurt?”

  It was a direct challenge. Would she admit to getting ready to take off?

  Piper nodded and sipped her drink. Jace relaxed just a little—let some of the tension in his shoulders go. Progress. Piper had let him into her apartment and he planned to stay.

  He let her drink half her drink before he started. “So where do you plan to run off to this time?” he questioned.

  Her gaze flew up to his, her eyes widened.

  “You’ve been crying, there is a bag half packed on your bed, and you have already made up your mind,” he pressed, setting his own glass down hard.

  “It’s not important,” she answered softly.

  Jace braced his hands flat on the counter. “You’re right. Because you’re not going anywhere.”

  “I…” She shook her head. “You don’t…”

  “You’re not running this time,” Jace told her.

  Piper set her drink down and stood. The fire in her eyes was a refreshing sight. Jace knew Piper wasn’t a pushover. If he could get her to fight with him he knew they would be okay. Because other than tying her to his bed and keeping her there for the next fifty years or so, he didn’t know how exactly he was going to get her to stay if she really wanted to leave. But he couldn’t let her go. She was his future. He believed that with all his soul.

  “I’m not running anywhere,” she informed him. “However, I have had an offer of another position elsewhere and have decided to accept it.”

  Jace laughed. He couldn’t help it. Piper standing there, all passion and righteousness.

  “Don’t!” She slammed her hand down. “Don’t you laugh at me!”

  Jace hurried around the counter and grabbed her hand, yanking her to him. “I’m not laughing,” he murmured. “Not at you, baby. But I am not buying this act anymore. You don’t want to leave. You’re not going anywhere.”

  He meant the last part and would keep saying it until she got it through her thick head. She was staying.

  She shook her head and pushed at his chest with her free hand. “Not your decision. It’s time to move on,” she insisted.

  Jace smiled and backed her into the counter, pressed up intimately against her. “If you really wanted to go, if it was in your best interest, I would let you go. But let’s be honest…” He tilted her head back. “You don’t want to go. You belong here.”

  Piper pursed her lips together and narrowed her eyes.

  “Because you belong with me,” he finished whispering as he leaned forward.

  Their mouths met and she opened for him. He rubbed his tongue over her bottom lip before diving it inside her mouth. Their tongues brushed as he held her tight against his body. She moaned and gripped the front of his shirt.

  She wrenched her mouth away. “This doesn’t change anything,” she informed him and yanked his T-shirt over his head.

  Jace was caught off guard. But the moment her mouth landed back on his he smiled. He could work with this.

  They shuffled their way toward the bed, removing clothes but not letting go of one another. Jace pushed the bag that she’d started to pack to the floor before lifting Piper and laying her on the dark sheets. Piper’s eyes were shining and Jace caught his breath. She was so beautiful.

  He settled between her legs and bent over her. She ran her hands around his neck and down his shoulders. Her touch sent another jolt though him. He moaned above her. “Mine, my baby,” he said before dipping his head to press kisses along her neck.

  She shivered. “Jace,” she cried and arched for him when he nipped her soft flesh.

  “Yes! I love the way you say my name. It’s going to sound even better when you scream it.”

  She laughed and rolled her eyes.

  “You’ll get used to saying it over and over,” he promised.

  She stopped laughing and her features grew serious. “I want you, Jace. Always have,” she said sincerely. “But this doesn’t change things. I have to leave. I just…just want to be with you again before I have to go.”

  Jace shook his head. “Impossible.” He let his fingers trail down her stomach. She shuddered at the light touch. “I can’t let you leave me, ever,” he said.

>   She opened her mouth, probably to argue, but the tease of his fingers over her pussy stopped her.

  He knew she wouldn’t just give in, as much as he wanted her to. He would just have to keep reminding her how good they would be together. If he had to constantly touch her to get his point across, he would enjoy every moment.

  She spread her legs wider and grasped the back of his head. “Enough talking,” she said. “I want you.”

  His head was yanked down and they locked lips. Piper ran her hands over his back as he slipped his fingers inside her. She arched, crying out, and he swallowed the sounds she made. She pumped her hips, taking his digits deeper. He thumbed her clit, playing with her.

  She ripped her head side to side and moaned. “Want you!” Right where he wanted her.

  He pushed her knees up against her chest, opening her fully. “Inside me,” she urged. “Please come inside me!”

  He thrust deep, sliding into her moist heat. She clamped around him, nails scoring down his back. He rocked slowly inside and back out. Small droplets of sweat beaded Piper’s neck as she strained toward him. “More,” she begged. It was a sound that he wanted to hear again and again.

  He snapped his hips and withdrew again, just as slow. She growled, opening her eyes. “Please…”

  Bright. Her eyes were so damn bright. He shook his head and thrust hard. Piper bent back, digging her heels into his ass. He plunged harder, faster and deeper. Rode her through her first climax until she was gasping and trying to catch her breath.

  He pulled out and flipped her onto her stomach. She tucked her knees under her and pressed back into him. “Again,” she demanded.

  Jace was all for that. He gripped her hips hard and plowed back inside. She pushed back and only the sounds of flesh slapping against flesh and moans could be heard around the room. He knew he was close. He pushed down on her neck, thrusting hard, and shook as he emptied inside her. She screamed his name as her own orgasm took over.