by Mika Jolie
“Hey, Jay.” Adam called out to him. “Want to catch some waves?”
Happy for the distraction, he placed his beer on the table. “Yeah, sure. Let me change. You know where the surf and paddleboards are. Get them out. I’ll be right there.”
He stopped in front of her by the door. Her hazel eyes met his. For a moment, Jason thought he saw a silent plea in them. A plea for what, he wasn’t sure.
“You’re coming to join us?” he asked dryly.
She shook her head. “I think I’ll stay here and read.”
He hesitated for a moment. She was inches away from him. It would be so easy to reach for her and convince her otherwise. God knew he could think of many ways he could keep her mind occupied. But he followed her gaze to where Keely was still lounging with Lily.
“There’s a library upstairs as well as downstairs by the game room. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
He stepped inside the house and disappeared. Once in his room, he stripped out of his jeans to his boxer briefs. Jason let out a deep breath and walked over to his luggage to retrieve his wetsuit. As he did so, the bedroom door opened. Raising his head, he met Minka’s stare.
Her eyes penetrated through him, as if she had him figured out. In silence, he watched her close the door and walk over to where he stood. Surprised to find himself unable to breathe, Jason took a step back.
“What’s going on, Jason?”
Her voice trembled in the air. The pleading in her words cut through him, forcing him to look at her.
“Minka…”
But she was shaking her head. “One minute you’re all over me, the next you’re so distant.” She paused and chewed her lower lip, a sign of uncertainty Jason had come to know too well. “It started on the boat. What’s going on?”
Her words struck him for many reasons. But, most of all, he knew how difficult it had to be for her to come and confront him. He extended a hand and she walked into his arms.
He didn’t kiss her; instead, he wrapped his arms around her and held her. He wasn’t ready to admit his feelings, but Jason never felt too macho to apologize. It wasn’t her fault he fell in love with the one woman he couldn’t have. So he offered the only words that felt comfortable and were fitting for the situation. “I’m sorry.” Her body relaxed in his arms. At that point, he tightened his hold and brushed his lips against her bare shoulder. “Do you want me to stay here? I can go in the water with Adam tomorrow.”
“No, it’s all right. I’ll hang with the others.”
He released her to go back to putting on his wetsuit. She walked over to sit on the large bed, her gaze on him the whole time, making it hard for him to concentrate. He almost caught himself as he zipped the suit. He heard her chuckle, a soft but rich, infectious sound, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“You will pay for that later,” he threatened with a grin.
“What did I do?”
Her voice sounded innocent enough. And in some ways, she was. Although he was sure she was aware she affected him in ways no one had ever done before. Coming to lean against her, her back fell onto the bed. Her hazel eyes instantly took on a greener shade. He pressed himself against her, the evidence of what she did to him hard and evident.
“Still want to know what you did?” he muttered.
She seemed amused by his words and wrapped her arms around his neck. Adjusting his weight to his elbows, he brought one hand to her face, caressing her cheek.
“If I don’t leave now, I’m going to lock us in this bedroom for the rest of the afternoon, probably till tomorrow.”
She raised her head and brought her lips to the corner of his mouth. “That sounds tempting.”
His blood was pounding and the words only intensified the rush. He looked into her eyes, seeking every trace of emotion. “I’m going to make love to all of you tonight, Minka. So be sure to be ready.”
She smiled at him, a slow delicious smile. She reached up and looped his hair through her fingers. “You promise?”
He smiled back, loving the euphoric look on her face. “Do you like to live on the edge sometimes, Minka?”
“I’ve been doing that for a week now.”
“And how does it feel?”
“Wonderful.”
She barely said the word before his mouth was over hers. The kiss was reckless, rapacious. The soft, animal-like sounds that came from her throat went straight to his head.
“Yo, Jay, You got a better offer in there?”
Adam’s voice forced Jason to become aware of his previous plan with his friend. It would be so easy to tell him to get lost. He would understand. He glanced down at Minka’s face. Her hazel eyes were dark and glazed. He felt himself drowning in them. Her hair a tangled mass of thick curls sprawled against the tan sheet on the bed. She was intoxicating, a provocative invitation.
Take me; she seemed to say to him.
“I have to go,” he murmured, but made no attempt to move. Instead, he crushed his mouth to hers once more before pulling away and coming to his feet. “We’ll finish this later.”
He walked away without looking back with fear that if he did, he would tell Adam to go away and ravage that sweet body of hers. Instead, he closed the door quickly behind him and growled at his friend. “Let’s go.”
“Um.” Adam cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“This is not for you. So deal with my hard-on.”
“Dude, you are so gone.”
“Except I’m getting laid and you’re not.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“The scale cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love.”
Steve Maraboli
The atmosphere was relaxing. Minka stepped onto the patio with the tray of sliced vegetables. The sun had settled, turning the sky into a pink flamingo color. She spotted Jason instantly. He stood with a towel wrapped around his waist, otherwise naked. She stood back and took him in, his handsome features leaving her breathless as always.
He grabbed a beer and handed it to Keely. As he did so, he glanced over in her direction. Squaring her shoulders, she stepped into full view and made her way to Adam with the platter, all along aware of Jason’s strides toward her, closing the space between them.
“Hungry?” Jason asked, leaning into her for a kiss.
With her friend’s words fresh in her memory, Minka kissed him back, and didn’t stop until she ran out of air. “A little.”
“What would you like?” Adam asked with his easy-going attitude.
“We are your chef du jour,” Blake said.
Jason placed his hand leisurely on her back, immersing her into the group. It was him she wanted and ached for, not Blake. She smiled at the three men, allowed her body to relax in his arms and gave herself completely to Jason.
Well into the night, after dinner and one too many bottles of wine, Minka settled between Jason’s thighs. He was sitting on the paved stones with his back leaning against one of the lounge chairs. Lily started the outside fireplace and they all sat, laughing and talking.
As Lily made her way back to her chair, Adam reached for her arm. “Sit with me.”
“No.” Hesitation sounded in the word.
“Are you always this hostile, or is it only to men you are attracted to?”
She chuckled and seemed to find amusement in his question. “Let me guess. You’ve always had a big ego, slick.”
He shrugged, not at all perturbed by her observation. “Pretty much.”
Adam leaned into her friend and ran a long finger over her arm. Without missing a beat, Lily swiped his hand away and walked past him. Minka shook her head, amused by the cat and mouse game.
“I’ll talk to Adam,” Jason whispered in her ear.
“No need. Lily can handle him.” She had to give her friend credit; so far, she appeared unfazed by Adam.
Keely stretched her long, lean body, indicating fatigue. As she did so, Blake leaned over to place a light kiss on her li
ps. The sign of intimacy failed to strike the painful chord Minka carried for so long.
Instead, she rested her head against Jason’s chest. His lips brushed the side of her neck and her eyes closed at the natural erotic feeling. She loved when he kissed her like that. It was fast becoming her weak spot.
“Let’s go to bed,” he whispered against her skin before coming to his feet. He held her hands and helped her to her feet as he did so.
“Calling it a night, bro?” Blake called out to Jason.
Minka heard Blake’s voice, but she chose not to look in his direction. There was no need.
Jason rubbed a hand over his flat stomach. Sometime during the night, he had changed into cargo shorts and a cotton T-shirt. “Too much drinking today,” he said, patting his muscles. “Up for a game of hoops tomorrow?”
Blake nodded.
“I heard you played in college, but I bet I can still kick your ass.”
That brought laughter from Blake. “Bring your best game forward, man. I don’t want to embarrass you in front of your girl.”
* * * *
Jason closed the bedroom door behind him. Minka turned to face him as he removed his shirt. His deep blue eyes focused on her warm, hazel ones. The room filled with a tension so deep Jason just wanted to bury himself inside her. Yet, he stood still and watched her as she moved silently and closed the space between them.
When she was barely an inch away, Jason’s breath caught in his throat as she ran a delicate hand over the Roman letters inked on his left upper shoulder to his forearm. “What does this mean?”
“Alis volat propiis,” he said in perfect Latin pronunciation. “It means ‘she flies with her own wings’. I got it after my mother died.”
To his surprise, Minka placed her lips on his shoulder. His body tensed.
“And this one.” She touched his right chest.
“Filius est pars patris,” he said in a dark voice, “‘A son is part of the father’.” A permanent reminder he and his father were one and the same.
Minka lowered her head and placed a slow kiss on his chest. “What about this one? That’s my favorite.” She ran long fingers on his ribs.
Jason sucked in his breath. “That’s calligraphy.”
“I know,” Minka said with a throaty laugh.
“It means ‘Body of law’ or Corpus Iuris in Latin.” A tattoo he got right after graduating law school.
She pulled away from him and placed her lips on the calligraphy writing on his ribcage. Jason let out a deep breath. “Minka, you should stop.”
She stopped kissing him briefly to look at him with a perplexed look. “Why?”
“Because I’m losing control and I want…”
She caught him off-guard with another lingering kiss. “What about what I want?”
He met her questioning hazel eyes. She looked enticing standing in front of him, kissing his naked chest and asking him to take her. Jason cupped her face in his hands.
“What do you want, Minka? Tell me.” He watched her look dance slightly with uncertainty. Just as quickly, sureness replaced it. A slow sensuous smile curved her sexy lips.
“I want to have you Jason, all that you have to give. I want,” she answered in a deep husky voice.
“I don’t want sex tonight, Minka.”
A puzzled look crossed her face. It dawned on Jason she thought he was rejecting her. He reached and pulled her against his chest.
“Let’s try something different.”
She was curious. “Should I be scared?”
He kissed her. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, eliminating any space left between them to deepen the kiss.
“Slow, chérie,” he whispered against her lips, “until we can’t take it anymore.”
Jason deepened the kiss. The level of intensity that rose in him was overwhelming. It was at that instant he realized for the first time in his life he wanted permanence with a woman. That realization shook the very core of him. Gobsmacked, he wanted to pull away to clear his head, but his need to touch, feel and be buried inside of her won the battle once again.
Groaning and swearing to himself, Jason quickly spun them around toward the bed. With his body, he lowered her down. Since she was wearing a dress, Minka instantly raised her legs as his frame came down between her thighs. As she did so, Jason roughly pushed the hem of the dress up. His hands felt coarse against her thighs, all the while his lips crushed against hers.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Minka moan. At that instant, it occurred to him that perhaps he was being too harsh with her. Pulling his weight to his arms, he lifted his body to look in her eyes.
Her face was flushed. Her hazel eyes now a shade of amber, her lips full and swollen from his kiss. With glassy eyes, she looked blankly at him. Jason’s heart continued to race. At that moment, as he struggled with the realization that he was in love with this woman whose heart belonged to another man, he wanted to run, but as he searched her questioning eyes, a smile escaped his lips because she had never looked so vulnerable and beautiful.
Minka tugged his shirt free over his neck. Then her hands were on his back. Flesh and muscles. She squeezed, massaged, and fondled until his flesh burned. An indistinct sound escaped his throat.
“I’m sorry I’m not keeping my part of the bargain. I said slow,” he said, kissing her mouth, her chin, and any other part of her body his lips could find.
* * * *
She wanted those muscles. She wanted Jason Montgomery. Now and fast. “I don’t want slow.”
Minka saw the struggle in his eyes. She wasn’t sure what he was fighting with, but perhaps she wasn’t the only one with demons and fears after all. She raised her hands and unsnapped the waist of his cargo shorts. He looked surprised by her action, but he didn’t move. Feeling a little confident, she slipped her hand inside his pants to capture him in her palm.
She stared into his eyes and recognized the battle in them as he tried to keep his composure and not lose total control. “I just want you.” As she said the words, she realized at that moment, she meant them. It was one thing to know you have fallen in love, but it was even a greater feeling to recognize the place you were is where you wanted to be. And for her, that was in Jason’s arms, tonight, tomorrow, always. Or however long he would have her. “I want you inside me.”
“God, Minka.” His voice was rough.
Minka raised herself slightly and drew him into a kiss. His mouth parted at the initial touch of her lips against his and she slipped her tongue inside, deepening the kiss.
Jason took over the situation. He dropped his weight on her as his fingers expertly unbuttoned the front of her dress. Then with one move, he unsnapped her bra exposing her full breasts to him in the silhouette of the night. The bedroom window was open. With the cool crisp air of the ocean caressing her body, her nipples hardened.
He lowered his lips and lightly caught each nipple between his teeth. “I love your breasts,” he whispered against one nipple. “I love having them in my mouth.” And he showed her just how much he loved them.
Minka used the opportunity to lower his pants to his knees. Jason helped her along by kicking his legs out one by one. They repeated the same act with his underpants. Still kissing her, he used his hands to lift the skirt of her dress up to her waist. She felt fingers run over the light fabric of her underwear. He stopped to stroke her core in a circular motion through the fabric. Enjoying the sweet torture, she arched her back to press closer to him.
Minka wanted more. Her fingers slid between them to find the thin strap of her underwear, but as she did so his large hands covered hers.
“Let me.”
“No,” she begged, “please…” Her mind was too foggy to form the rest of the sentence. She wriggled her body under him as she brushed her panty to her upper thigh. “Now please, Jason. Right now.” Her voice was short and rushed against his ear. “I can’t wait any longer.”
“Fuck, Minka. You make me los
e all self-control.” He lifted himself away from her to settle between her trembling legs. Sliding his hands under her, he cupped her butt and lifted her slightly off the bed. “I can’t do slow,” he said one last time.
Minka smiled at him, loving the way his blue eyes shimmered in the night. “I don’t want slow tonight.”
He brought her hands above her shoulders and held her wrists. His dark look met and held hers for a moment. Smiling, she tried to wiggle out of his grip. “Let me touch you.”
He released her then, but continued to lock gazes with her. Unlike the other times, she stared back and reached to brush the strands of hair away from his face. She wanted to see all of his handsome features.
“I can cut my hair.”
She shook her head. “I love your hair. I just want to see your face.”
With a slight nod, he granted her wish. Minka let her fingers trail from his hair to his face. When she reached his lips, he sucked in one finger, then another. The sensation left Minka breathless.
“Let go, Minka. Let go and feel.” With a deep plunge, he filled her with all he had to offer. Minka’s body automatically arched under him, accepting all he gave her. Welcoming him. Flesh against flesh, he continued to rock inside her, groping, tugging at the dress that remained a barrier between them.
She was hot. Minka heard herself muffle some inaudible sound, but her breath was quick and difficult to understand.
He slowed his motion enough to force her glassy eyes to come to some focus. With desperation she started to move under him, urging him on. She wanted more. Their gazes met and held.
“Let me love you,” he rasped. His voice was filled with a kind of hunger.
“Please,” she begged.
He pummeled himself into her. The sensation was overwhelming. She shuddered under him, wanting to give back as much as he was giving her. Minka pumped her hips, urging him on. Then they went mad.
She felt free, loved, and happy.