Joss studied her. She gave him her most hopeful gaze, wanting him to believe she wasn’t going to make a fuss and make demands on him.
His blue eyes bored into her, his jaw knotted, and for a moment she thought he was going to yell at her. Then, to her surprise, his lips curved. “You look like Puss in Boots in the Shrek movie,” he said.
Relieved, she batted her eyelashes. “Does that help?”
He chuckled and walked forward to stand before her. “You want to stay in the spare room?”
She met his gaze and moistened her lips. “No. But I understand if you’d rather I did.”
He reached up a hand and stroked her cheek. “No, Maisey, I don’t want you to stay in the spare room.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Joss led Maisey through to the bedroom. He found a spare travel toothbrush for her, and they cleaned their teeth standing next to each other, Maisey quiet, suddenly shy in the intimate environment.
He didn’t say much either, surprisingly tired, worn out by the emotion of the day, as well as all the physical exercise. He left her in the bathroom and walked into the bedroom, and went over to the sliding glass doors that led onto the deck. The sky was clear, the Milky Way a splash of stars across the darkness, glittering, captivating. Usually, he loved stargazing, but tonight he could find no pleasure in it.
He cursed himself for being stupid enough to start this thing with Maisey. Didn’t he have enough on his plate without alienating his best mate? Whatever Maisey had said about handling Kole, Joss was be forced to have a conversation with him, and it wouldn’t go well. Kole was extremely protective of his sisters, and rightly so of course. And it wasn’t as if Joss hadn’t known this. Kole had made it perfectly clear to his close friends that both Skye and Maisey were no-fly zones.
But it wasn’t just Kole he was worried about. Sure, Maisey had been the one to offer herself to him on a platter, but he had invited her back here tonight, and that had been an idiotic thing to do. Once, they could put down to hormones, twice he could clear in his head as being impulsive. But a third time? And it wasn’t just the fact they’d had sex, it was how they’d had sex. Maisey had read him, had known exactly what he needed. Oh…had she known what he needed. His mind spun remembering how she’d given herself to him. That was a problem on so many levels.
The door shut behind him, and the bed squeaked. He sighed and turned to see she’d climbed under the covers and curled up on her side, facing the wall. Tendrils of affection laced with the fingers of guilt that had clamped around him. Poor, sweet Maisey, so young and carefree. The last thing she needed was Mr. Serious invading her life with all his problems. Why hadn’t she run a mile at the first sight of him?
He walked back to the bed, removed his T-shirt and boxers, and slid beneath the duvet. Then he shifted across the bed to where Maisey lay rigid and tense, clearly worried about her brother’s phone call and that she’d done the wrong thing in staying.
“Come here,” he said, and pulled her back tight to his chest. She stiffened, then melted against him.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, hugging his arm where it rested across her ribcage beneath her breasts.
“Hey, come on, I asked you here tonight.” He kissed her ear, then her neck. “I probably shouldn’t have, but it’s done now, and I’m glad you’re here.” He spoke the truth. Even though her presence brought added complications, it was nice not to be alone in bed for once.
She stroked his arm. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now come on, let’s get some sleep. I’m sure you must be as tired as I am.”
She didn’t say anything, just nestled back into him, and before too long he fell asleep.
He awoke some time later. The sky outside was still black and sparkling, and a morepork called in the bush. He’d forgotten to switch the fan on before he fell asleep, and he was hot and sticky beneath the duvet.
What had awoken him? His first thought was his parents or Hayley, or maybe even the surgery—had the phone rung? Did somebody need him? But the night was silent apart from the hoo-hoo of the morepork, and then a mournful cry of a kiwi bird, calling for its mate.
He was lying on his back, and turned onto his side to face Maisey. To his surprise, her eyes were open, glittering in the moonlight that fell across the bed in a stripe of white like a steel bar.
“Hey,” he said softly. “What are you doing awake?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” she said. “It’s too hot.”
“You should have put the fan on.”
“I didn’t want to disturb you.”
He turned on the fan, then climbed back into bed. She’d pushed the duvet off, and her skin looked like creamy porcelain, shining and smooth. He propped his head on a hand and ran the fingers of the other from her shoulder, down her ribcage and over her hip. Her skin was soft and slightly damp; if he touched his tongue to it, he’d taste salt.
Even though he’d thought he wouldn’t be able to get it up again for a fortnight, hot blood surged through him, and his erection sprang to life. Maisey glanced down and observed the reaction she had on him.
“Sorry,” he said helplessly. “It’s a bit like my hair—I have no control over it at all.”
Her lips curved. “Do you see me complaining?”
He tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “I know. But it’s as if we’re standing in quicksand. Every step we take sucks us under farther. We should stand still and back out slowly.”
“Yeah,” she said. Her eyes glittered. “The thing is, I heard every word you said and yet the only one that’s ringing in my head is ‘suck’.”
His eyebrows rose. Did she mean…?
She shifted on the bed and pressed him back into the mattress, then started to kiss down his chest. Holy shit, yes, she does. His heart thundered. Ana had enjoyed sex, but she hadn’t been keen on oral.
Maisey trailed her lips across his stomach, moved between his legs, and took his erection in her hand. He watched her stroke him several times, unable to stop himself swelling in response, and then she settled herself down and enveloped him in her mouth.
“Fuck.” He lay back, looked up at the ceiling, and closed his eyes. It had been a long while since a girl had done this for him, and he’d forgotten how fantastic it felt. Maisey’s hand tightened on his shaft, and she moved her lips farther down it, taking more of him in her mouth before setting up a regular rhythm with her lips and tongue. He sank one hand in her hair, turned on by the movement of her head up and down, and rested the other arm across his face. She moved slowly, taking her time to explore, and her tongue traced around the tip and licked down the shaft before she lowered her mouth over the end once again. Her lips sank almost to his pubic hair, and he felt himself touching the back of her throat. Shit. Any more of that and he was going to come, and nice as that would be, he didn’t want to finish just yet.
He tugged her hair, and she lifted her head. He pulled her up to lay on top of him.
“Not nice?” She licked her lips.
“You have no idea, but I want to be inside you.”
“Hold on a sec.” She lifted herself off and padded into the bathroom, then came back and climbed on top of him again. She pressed her lips against his, and he tasted mint mouthwash.
“Thoughtful,” he said.
She chuckled and pushed herself upright. “I aim to oblige.” She held up the condom in her hand, took it out of the wrapping, and rolled it on for him.
“And you do it so well.” He was having trouble holding onto his self-control. She looked so gorgeous sitting on top of him, outlined in silver by the moon, her long dark hair curling where it lay on her breasts.
She shifted on top of him until his tip penetrated her, and then sank down so he slid inside. He groaned and held her hips, enjoying the feel of her around him, hot and wet.
Slowly, she began to move, rocking her hips so he slid in and out, and Jos
s let her set the pace, enjoying watching her. He raised his hands to cup her breasts and play with her nipples, squeezing the soft tips until they tightened in his fingers, and Maisey groaned and tipped back her head, arching into his touch.
Fuck, she was beautiful. He wrapped a hand into her hair and pulled her down to him, and kissed her hungrily, then raised her hands above him so he could reach her breasts and run his tongue over the damp, soft skin. He sucked her nipples into his mouth, and Maisey exclaimed and rocked her hips harder, grinding herself against him. She pushed herself back up again and lowered a hand between her legs, and he watched as she aroused herself, enjoying the show she was putting on for him. He lifted her hand to her breast, and obediently she played with the nipple, her other hand circling her clit.
“I’m going to come,” she murmured, and he groaned his approval and watched her, enjoying the way she clamped around his shaft and squeezed it with regular pulses as her orgasm claimed her.
When she’d done, she dropped forward to look at him, her breathing rough and ragged, her body hot and slippery with sweat. “Now your turn.” Careful not to dislodge the condom, she lifted herself off him, turned onto her hands and knees, looked across, and wiggled her butt.
Joss didn’t need to be told twice. The way the moonlight fell across her highlighted the roundness of her bottom where she’d raised it in the air and the swell of her breasts as they swung, waiting for his hands. He pushed himself up and moved to kneel behind her, guided himself in, and thrust forward.
Maisey groaned. “God, yes.” She widened her knees and dropped onto her elbows, pushing her bottom high in the air. “Come on, take me.”
He felt overwhelmed by this sensual, sexy woman, filled with an urge to possess her completely. He wanted to drive her as crazy as she was driving him, to have her beg for him on this hot, humid night, to hear her cries fill the air. Leaning over, he filled his palms with her breasts and caressed her nipples, thrusting slowly as he aroused her, and Maisey rested her head on the pillow, sighing as he played with her. He moved one hand beneath her and started to stroke her again, and she exclaimed out loud and pushed back hard against him, so hot and sexy he nearly lost the plot.
She obviously liked shocking him, and wanted to prove she wasn’t as innocent as he’d first assumed. Two could play at that game. He licked his thumb, and sliding his hand down her back and between the cheeks of her bottom, he pushed it gently into the tight opening at the top.
Maisey cried out, and her body shuddered, her muscles protesting the unexpected invasion.
Joss chuckled. “Not nice, Maisey?” He removed his thumb carefully, and she jerked again.
“Oh…” She rewarded him with a flood of moisture around his shaft. “Oh God, do it again.”
His lips curving, he followed her instruction, gathering some of the moisture from beneath her, and using it to make the insertion of his thumb easier. She groaned, and as he began to slide the tip of his thumb in and out of the tight muscle, her breathing became more irregular. She was close to coming, he thought, relieved because he wouldn’t be able to last much longer, not with her squirming beneath him like this, all soft and hot and wet.
Sure enough, when he slid his thumb in a little farther, she tightened around him and began to clench, but Joss was too far gone to wait for her. He continued to thrust hard, letting her contracting muscles milk him until he climaxed, his fingers tightening where he grasped her shoulder, his body jerking until he’d given her everything.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Joss slid out of her, and Maisey collapsed forward on the bed with him not far behind her, breathing heavily. They lay motionless for a while, letting the cool air from the fan wash over them, and their heart rates slow.
Finally, however, she turned over to face him, just able to make out his face in the moonlight. She moved closer so their bodies touched, his skin slippery with sweat and sticking deliciously to hers.
“Hello,” she said, and reached up to kiss him.
He murmured sleepily and let her lips brush his own, then sighed as she lay back down. “Jeez,” he said, “you’ll be the death of me.”
“More like the other way around. Doing surprising, naughty things like that’s going to give a girl a coronary one day.”
He chuckled. “So Maisey the Tiger hasn’t done everything possible in bed, then?”
“Oh…I would imagine there’s quite a lot you could show me, mister.” She shivered at the thought.
He caught the shiver and smiled, running a finger lazily down over her hip. “You haven’t done anal, then?” Her cheeks grew warm, and she knew he’d spotted them even in the semi-darkness when he touched the back of his fingers to them. “Aw,” he said. “Blushing like a virgin. You’re so delightful.”
“Don’t laugh at me,” she protested.
“I’m not laughing, I think it’s sweet.”
She stuck her tongue out. “I don’t want to be sweet.”
He sighed. “It’s okay, you’re not really. Just shocking one moment and then surprisingly innocent the next.”
She nibbled her bottom lip, thinking about what he’d done, the confident way he’d touched her. The sensation had been exquisite, the forbidden nature of it more of a thrill than she’d expected. The thought of going further, of having him there gave her goose bumps. “I’m guessing you have done…um…anal, then?”
He tipped his head to the side, considering. “Not for a long time.”
She thought about that. “Not with Ana?”
He continued to brush her side and back with long, light strokes. “No. There were quite a few things she wasn’t keen on.”
Maisey rested her head on the pillow, growing drowsy under his touch. She puzzled over his words. “I don’t understand,” she said, and yawned. “Why would someone have a partner like you and not want to do everything under the sun?”
He chuckled. “Not everyone’s as open and willing as you, Maisey love.”
Her eyelids drooped. “I’m nothing special.”
“Oh, I’m not so sure.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“But when you love someone, surely you want to please them, and to give them everything, a hundred percent?” She rubbed her nose. “I can’t imagine there being anything I wouldn’t want to do with the man I loved.”
“Jesus, Maisey, go to sleep for fuck’s sake or you’ll get me going again.”
She laughed and closed her eyes. “Goodnight, Joss.”
“Goodnight, Maisey.”
She dozed off to the feel of him caressing her, his fingers gliding over her skin.
*
The next morning, she sat opposite him at the breakfast table and chewed her toast, watching him sip his coffee as he stared out of the window. He’d been quiet since they’d gotten up. She’d hoped he might want to make love again when they awoke, but when she finally opened her eyes he was already up, and since then he’d been distant, distracted.
She hadn’t said anything, aware that in the cold light of day, sober and less emotional than he’d been the night before, he was possibly regretting what he’d done again, especially with the knowledge that he was going to have to deal with Kole later on. She crunched her toast in tiny bites, more from needing to have something to do than because she was hungry, not sure what to say to him. She was going to have to talk to Tasha about it too. He wasn’t the only one who had some explaining to do.
She decided she’d ask him what he was doing that day and whether perhaps they could go for a walk and talk.
She opened her mouth, and the phone rang.
Terrific.
Joss glanced at her, then reached over for the receiver and answered it. “Hello?” He listened to the caller for a moment, then put his hand over the receiver and mouthed to Maisey, “It’s Hayley.”
Maisey nodded, her heart sinking. Presumably, it meant his sister needed him.
Sure enough, Joss sighed and said, “Yes, of course. No, I was going to d
o that anyway—I’m aware I left you to it yesterday. Why don’t I pick Liam and Sammy up at eleven? Yeah. Okay, see you then.”
He hung up and put down the phone. Then he gave Maisey a brief smile. “Sorry. I’ll have to go soon.”
“Of course, no worries.” Maisey finished off her coffee, fighting disappointment. “I have lots to do anyway.”
He hesitated. “Look, Maisey…”
And suddenly she couldn’t bear to hear him say it. She reached out and touched a finger to his lips. “You don’t have to give me the speech,” she said, shocked that tears were pricking her eyes. She was not going to cry in front of him. “I know what you’re going to say, and it’s fine.”
His brow furrowed. He turned her hand over and kissed her palm. “Sweetheart…”
“It’s all good,” she said desperately. “It was only supposed to be fun, and you’re far too busy for anything else. Don’t worry, I’m not going to go all bunny boiler on you. Come on, take me home and then you can spend the day with your family.”
She left the table and gathered up her things, and he locked up the house and drove her back to his parents. They were silent for most of the journey, though, and she knew he must be fighting with himself the same as she was, half regretting what they’d done, half wishing they didn’t have to stop.
When they arrived, she kept a smile on her face, but as he kissed her goodbye, a long and lingering kiss, she couldn’t help but think it would be the last time she’d feel his lips on hers. The previous night had been a time out of time, a snatched moment that would not have happened if he hadn’t felt so frustrated and trapped by the situation with his parents. He’d wanted to lose himself in her, and she’d encouraged it, but she hadn’t expected that out of the fertile ground they’d ploughed would spring a new shoot of affection, maybe even of love.
Did she love him? She pondered on it all afternoon after he left, as she thought about what they’d done and how she’d felt. What did love mean? Trusting someone. Feeling comfortable with them. Not wanting to leave them, wanting to spend every waking moment with them. Feeling jealous at the thought of them with someone else. Wanting to be with them forever.
Treat her Right: A New Zealand Sexy Beach Romance (Treats to Tempt You Book 2) Page 17