by Kris Starr
“Mmm, darlin’,” Gram’s voice tickled her ear. “He looks even better all dressed up like that, doesn’t he?”
Painfully aware of Nicholas’ attention focused on her, Jessie turned her head to hiss, as discreetly as she could, “Stop it!” Her body instantly suffused with warmth, Jessie pressed her palms to her cheeks.
“The phantasm is here, then? In my office with you now?” Nicholas glanced around as though attempting to catch a glimpse of the spirit. He hesitated, as though unsure of his next words. His voice deepened. “Is she doing what she does to you, Jessie?”
Glancing at the psychologist, Jessie could see the heat in his eyes. “What do you mean ‘what she does to me’?”
Rising, Nicholas crossed the room to the door, the lock clicking as he engaged it. As he returned, he stopped at his desk and pressed several buttons on his telephone. Walking slowly back to her, he leaned down, placing both hands with deliberate care on the armrests, and met her gaze with his. Jessie’s heart began to thump wildly in her chest at his closeness. God, the man smelled so good.
“Dr. Murray explained your situation to me.” His eyelids flickering closed, he took a deep breath. “I’m not supposed to be doing this,” Nicholas murmured, “but I can’t seem to help myself. Are you turned on, Jessie LaFontaine?”
Chapter Three
Was she turned on? Jesus. Was the sky blue?
Dizzy, Jessie took a gulp of air in an attempt to steady herself. Bad idea. The action merely drew more of Nicholas’ delicious scent deeper into her lungs.
Stop breathing then. Wait, no. Can’t do that either. Oh crap.
“Well, Jessie? Are you?” Nicholas’ mouth hovered tantalizingly above hers, the memory of his taste sending a rush of saliva to her mouth. She licked her lips, her tongue a hairsbreadth away from touching him.
Scrambling for any bit of logic for her brain to hold on to, Jessie whispered, “But—but aren’t there rules against this? Won’t you get in trouble?” Any remaining thoughts left in her head vanished as Nicholas nuzzled her cheek with his nose.
His breath suddenly tickling her ear, his voice rumbled, “Decision-making time—do you want a lover or a therapist?”
Jessie’s breath hitched in her chest. “A lover. You’re fired, doctor.”
“Good, because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. In much less than twenty-four hours, you’ve gotten into my blood, and if I don’t taste you again, I might as well just give up and die right now.” She could sense his brief smile. “And then I wouldn’t need this job anyway.”
In that minute, there was everything and nothing. For the briefest moment, Jessie’s world hung suspended, frozen. A siren shrieked Gram’s name in the back of her mind, but mentally Jessie gave it a solid kick to shut it up. Facing the honest truth, Jessie couldn’t deny there was nothing she wanted more at this moment than to give and take pleasure with this man.
Because as much as she could try to argue the thought away, if she didn’t taste him right at that moment too, she might as well just curl up on the floor and expire with him. The revelation scared the bejesus out of her. She shoved that thought away as well. This was the time for action. She’d spent the last six years thinking. It might not be the best path to take, but Jessie could no longer help it. She’d denied this part of herself for far, far too long.
Rising and sharply pushing him back, Jessie tangled her fingers in his hair and held him, bringing him nose-to-nose with her. Nicholas swallowed, his eyes anxious yet intense, all trace of humor gone.
Her lips poised over his, Jessie breathed. Felt her heartbeat mesh with his. Sensed the room close around them, shifting into a protective, enfolding cocoon. Knew that this, whatever it was, was right.
That was all that mattered. Gram be damned.
“Hell yes, I’m turned on.” The words slipped from her, the acknowledgement loosening a band around her chest that she hadn’t even realized existed.
And she kissed him.
The mouth-to-mouth contact reconnected the current that had fizzled aimlessly inside her for the past almost eighteen hours. With a resounding roar, sound returned—Jessie’s pulse echoed in her ears—and an electric bolt of current singed her from tip to toe.
Enveloped in the musky scent of Nicholas’ crisp aftershave, the rest of the office vanished in a haze of longing. Instantly, Jessie was swept back in time, back to the nightclub, once again overwhelmed by her earth-shattering attraction to this human being, pulled helplessly along in this swift-moving current of greed.
For the span of a heartbeat, Nicholas remained motionless, his entire body tensed, tightly coiled, as though suddenly frozen by her aggression. Pressing her mouth roughly to his, she parted her lips, teasing him with the very tip of her tongue, seeking entrance.
As if the room’s rising temperature had finally thawed him, Nicholas sprung into action. His hands slid under her open leather jacket, landing on her waist, settling just above her hips. Grasping her, he tugged her closer, pulling her tightly against his body.
His lips parted and his hot, wet tongue met hers, silkily stroking, caressing, intimating his intent. A deep, throaty groan escaped Jessie’s lips and Nicholas chuckled gruffly.
“Christ, you taste like heaven,” Nicholas growled between kisses, “and you feel like it too.”
Sliding her hands down his cheeks, stroking his clean-shaven skin, Jessie laughed softly. “And how do you know what heaven feels and tastes like?” Her fingertips traced the coarse collar of his wool blazer, drifting down over his lapels, and slipped inside the sport coat, her palms landing on the luxurious cotton of his button-down shirt. The heat of him radiated through the material, and Jessie wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer.
“All right, well, I don’t,” he admitted, dropping a line of kisses along her jaw, “but if I had to guess, it would have to be just like you.”
Jessie’s eyes drifted closed, and she luxuriated in the feel of his touch, wondering only briefly if she could still be asleep and dreaming. The tiny, sharp twinge as Nicholas’ teeth nipped at her cheek definitely reminded her that she wasn’t.
Having mentally granted herself permission, suddenly Jessie felt raw with need. Felt that there was absolutely no need to pussyfoot around—she’d had Nicholas half naked before, so there was nothing to worry about now.
Giving him a shove sending him back to sit on the sofa, Jessie climbed on top of him, straddling his legs with her own. The control was hers now if she wanted it, and dammit, she did.
Grasping his face in her hands, Jessie fed at his lips, devouring his mouth. Nicholas growled beneath her, his hands tracing a repeating path down her back to her ass, where he’d knead her buttocks, his fingertips digging lightly into her flesh, and then slide back up again, each time tugging her tank top a little farther out of her waistband.
Shuffling forward as far as the furniture cushions would allow, Jessie centered her core over his hips, lowering herself to press against the fly of his slacks, and let out a soft whimper when she couldn’t fully make contact.
Intuiting her brief distress, Nicholas suddenly gripped her thighs with his fingers, holding her steady above him, and repositioned his ass closer to the edge of the seat.
With a moan of appreciation, Jessie sank onto him, now able to relax her full weight onto his lap. Even fully clothed, the contact was electrifying. The feel of his cock, rock-hard and pressing against her pussy, caused Jessie’s breath to catch in her throat.
She wiggled against him experimentally and was rewarded with a groan and the tightening of Nicholas’ fingers on her rib cage. Giddy with anticipation, freed from her own psychological vault, Jessie turned her attention to Nicholas’ tie. “You’re wearing entirely too many articles of clothing,” she whispered between kisses.
“I’m not the only one.”
Windsor knot opened and tie removed, Jessie’s fingers turned to the buttons of his oxford shirt. At that moment, Nicholas seemed to have d
ecided tit for tat was in order—he reached up to push her jacket off her shoulders and onto the carpet and freed her shirt hem, slipping his fingers up underneath the material.
His hands were warm, radiating heat, and his fingers left singed trails along her spine. Reaching her rib cage, his palms slid to her front, cupping her breasts over the lace of her bra.
Instinctively, Jessie broke their kiss and arched her back slightly, closing her eyes, wanting to offer herself, desperately needing Nicholas’ mouth on her.
A low, decidedly dirty male chuckle reached her ears. When Nicholas spoke, his voice was rough with yearning.
“What do you want, Jessie?” He shoved the cotton material of her shirt up over her breasts, bunching it beneath her arms. “You want me to do…” Slipping his arms around her, pulling her closer to him, he exhaled against her breast, his breath hot and moist, “this?” He flicked his tongue roughly over the lace, scraping the fabric against her instantly firm nipple, then suddenly clamped his mouth onto her breast, taking her aggressively into his mouth.
Jessie sucked in a breath, realizing the loud squeak had indeed come from her. She abruptly realized that her control of the situation had been tenuous and that, in fact, she no longer had it. But as Nicholas flicked his tongue forcefully again and again over her nipple, she also realized with a silent giggle that she really didn’t care.
The warm office air felt chillingly cool on her breast as Nicholas abandoned one for the other, giving it the same intense attention as the former. Hazily, Jessie forced her hands back to his shirt, driven solely by the need to taste his skin again.
She’d managed half a dozen buttons, maybe a few more, when the sudden loosening around her chest signaled the opening of her bra. Jessie held her breath, her thighs beginning to shake, waiting for the heat of Nicholas’ hungry mouth to land directly on her bare skin.
“So perfect,” Nicholas whispered, his breath fiery against her nipple. “Jessie, I want you…”
Biting her lip so firmly she feared she might cut herself, Jessie was shocked when, instead of deeply suckling her breast as before, Nicholas used only the tip of his tongue to lightly tease the very top of her nipple.
Jessie froze then shuddered. She was certain her nipples had never been this hard before. So swollen and engorged, they were so sensitive they were becoming painful. And oh God, if he was going to continue tormenting her like this, with just the barest stroke of tongue against flesh, she was going to come at any second.
Belatedly, she realized she was grinding her pelvis into him, utilizing the friction of clothing against her clit to bring release.
It seemed that Nicholas noticed. “Come for me, Jessie.” His voice was gravel and smoke.
“No,” Jessie whimpered, “not yet. I want to come on your cock.”
He gave a seductive laugh. “Plenty of time for that. Come now.” Nicholas latched his mouth to her breast, sucking her nipple deeply into the hot, wet warmth, and began flicking at her other nipple with his fingertips.
With a groan, Jessie succumbed to the blaze Nicholas sparked inside her, and in the span of a heartbeat the tide had turned. The orgasm crashed in out of nowhere, giving her a hard, sharp release that caused her to cry out with delirious pleasure before collapsing against Nicholas’ bare chest.
He held her that way for a quiet moment then dropped a soft kiss on the top of her head. Satisfaction permeating every pore, Jessie exhaled deeply.
Pushing away enough to meet his gaze, she smirked. “Wow.”
Nicholas chuckled, his chest rising and falling rapidly with controlled urgency. “Mmhmm. And that was just the appetizer.”
Jessie made a production of wetting her lips with her tongue. “Mmm, yes. I seem to recall something that was left unfinished at the club last night.”
A slow, catlike smile curved Nicholas’ mouth, a glint of something predatory flickering in his eyes. “I like how you think.”
Bending down, Jessie kissed the shallow dip at the base of Nicholas’ throat. “I think we think alike,” she murmured, giving his skin a small lick.
Collapsing back against the seat, Nicholas groaned softly, his hands caressing her arms and shoulders, reaching up to stroke her hair. “Mmm, your hair…” he said, almost as though the words were coming to the surface with difficulty, “I like it loose like this.”
“Thanks,” Jessie murmured, blazing a trail of tiny cat licks across a very firm pectoral muscle to his small nipple. Giving it an experimental lick, Jessie grinned at Nicholas’ shudder.
Oh yes.
Proving she could give as good as she could get, Jessie teased the hard nub, the fingers of her right hand seeking out the other of the pair. She gave the other nipple a flick with her fingertip and was rewarded by another full-body shudder.
Sucking one tip firmly into her mouth, Jessie tweaked roughly at the other. Nicholas tensed, his hips arching briefly off the sofa, breath escaping in a hiss of pleasure.
Savoring the slightly salty taste of his skin, reveling in the clean, slightly musky smell of him, Jessie abandoned one nipple, sending her fingers down his chest to explore Nicholas’ taut abdominal muscles and dipping her fingertips teasingly beneath the waistband of his slacks.
Squirming backward slightly, Jessie’s mouth followed the trail blazed by her fingertips. When she could no longer contort easily enough, she slipped off his lap onto her knees on the carpet. Nicholas’ skin radiated heat. She closed her eyes completely as she outlined each muscle in his six-pack with the tip of her tongue, dipping briefly into his navel. Dropping one hand farther, she stroked the rather distended fly of his slacks—now that her weight was no longer on him, his cock had risen as far as the confines of slacks and underwear would allow—and ran her palm along the rigid length of him. She’d been denied this pleasure once, and she’d be damned if she was going to lose out again.
With slow, achingly controlled movements, she slipped the tongue of his leather belt out of the buckle, released the button closure of his slacks and inch by inch tugged the zipper down, all while watching his face. Nicholas’ gaze smoldered with heat, the blue of his eyes having darkened to an incredible indigo, and the barest sheen of perspiration had appeared above his upper lip. Apparently, the man had control to spare, which was most impressive.
Pushing the halves of the zipper aside, Nicholas’ cock strained even more incredibly against the cotton boxers beneath. A sizeable damp spot had appeared near his waistband, and Jessie’s mouth watered at the sight of his pre-come.
Again she stroked the length of him over the material. Nicholas’ breath was coming more quickly now, and she noticed his fingers had tensed on the velour sofa cushion.
Licking her lips again, Jessie sought the fly of his boxers, her fingers finally making contact with his hard, hot flesh. She extracted his cock from the fabric and it sprang free, steely and straining and thick. She goggled momentarily, then enclosed him in her fist and gave him a quick stroke. Nicholas let out a low whimper, and Jessie laughed softly.
“What’s the matter, baby? Want me to lick you?” Adrenaline pulsing through her veins, Jessie marveled briefly at her audacity. Jesus, she was acting like quite the little slut, huh? Bending down to trace the tip of her tongue along the underside of him, feeling his thighs tense on either side of her, Jessie reveled in the sensation. She couldn’t remember ever being so obviously wanted, and the feeling sent her into a dizzying euphoria.
Nicholas groaned, more loudly this time, and shifted his hips. His obvious enjoyment and eagerness pushed Jessie straight to the gold. Circling the head of his cock with her tongue, she promptly took the tip of him into her mouth. Holding there for a defined moment, she sucked gently, probed, licked each new drop of saltiness that escaped him.
Glancing up, Jessie noticed Nicholas’ head was thrown back on the sofa, his eyes closed, jaw clenched tightly shut. Bobbing slightly, she took him just a teensy bit farther into her mouth then released him. Jessie repeated the action again, this
time swallowing even more of his generous length before retreating. Her right hand mimicked the motion, stroking him from the base upward, her fist meeting her lips at the top of each caress.
Before too many strokes had happened, Jessie was taking him as deeply into her throat as she could, flicking her tongue along his soft expanse, marveling at the tangy flavor, the essence of him. Nicholas’ fingers were now digging deeply into the sofa cushions, his knuckles white with tension, but still he remained almost stoic in his apparent determination to maintain control.
Feeling beyond wicked, Jessie snaked her free hand down to the base of his cock and dipped into his boxers to grasp his balls.
A painfully sharp-sounding intake of breath proved this to be the right course of action, and Jessie continued her oral ministrations, with the added torment of her fingers fondling his sac.
With another gasp of breath, Nicholas began to growl incoherently. His hands left the cushions and his fingers tangled roughly into her hair. Nicholas pulled her closer, gyrating his hips slightly to fuck her mouth.
“Oh Jessie—so good. Don’t stop—Jesus, I’m gonna come—”
At his words, feeling his entire body tense beneath her, Jessie instantly slowed, doubling the length of time for each stroke, and increased her suction.
With a deep grunt, Nicholas thrust his cock one last time into Jessie’s mouth. His hips rising off the sofa, his entire body shuddered as a flood of hot, thick come exploded into Jessie’s throat. Swallowing rapidly, Jessie continued to milk him, delighting in his salty creaminess until he gently persuaded her to stop.
Releasing him with a small, wet popping noise, Jessie placed a final, brief kiss on the head, deterred from lingering when Nicholas grasped her arms and pulled her back up onto his lap.
With a shaky breath, he cupped her face in his hands and gave her a slow, lingering, exploratory kiss. Jessie placed her hands on his exposed chest, now damp with perspiration, his pulse mercurial.
“Incredible,” he murmured between kisses to her cheeks, jaw and chin. “I don’t know what to say, except thank you.”