by L. T. Marie
“Yes!”
Jay’s eyes flew open as a stiff wind blew through the French doors, forcing her out of her daydream. She latched on to her toolbox right before the impending orgasm brought her to her knees.
“Jesus.”
Glancing around the empty room, she was thankful no one was close by to see her sexually weakened state. As the heavy beat between her legs dulled to a distant throbbing, she moved on shaky legs into the bathroom and filled the sink with cold water. She closed her eyes and splashed her face, needing to clear the haze of arousal. She braced both hands against the sink. Talk about no control.
“Hey,” Coal said from the doorway forcing Jay to open her eyes. “Are you all right?”
“No.” Jay stared at Coal in the mirror before spinning around and advancing on her. She pulled Coal into her arms and walked her backward into the bedroom where they toppled onto the bed. “I told you this mattress would come in handy.”
Coal lifted her leg so that her thigh rested between both of Jay’s. “Ooh, is that for me?”
“Careful,” Jay said tightly. “I’m already so close.”
“I know. I can see it in your eyes. Hear it in your voice. Feel it in your touch.”
“We shouldn’t do this here. What if someone walks in…” Jay hissed as Coal ran her hand along her tightening abdomen.
“You were saying?”
“Too many clothes. Need them off.”
“Then you know what to do, lover.”
Jay sat up and removed her T-shirt before helping Coal to remove her shirt and bra. They quickly kicked out of their jeans and shoes, returning to each other’s arms with Jay pulling Coal on top of her.
“I can’t get enough of you.” Jay ran her hands up Coal’s sides, stopping just under her breasts.
“The same goes for me. I love how your muscles tense under my fingertips. I’m so keyed up and so need for you to make love to me.”
“God, you make me crazy.” She pinched Coal’s nipples as Coal shuddered. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I want to take you hard. Take you deep. I have this aching need…”
“Baby, you’re not hurting me. I came to find you because all I can think about is being naked in your arms. I know this seems crazy, but I crave you in the farthest reaches of my soul.” Coal reached for one of Jay’s hands and thrust it between her legs. “Feel this? Feel me?”
“Christ, yes.” Jay’s head was reeling. The reins that bound her were about to snap, and she was losing control and fast.
“Jay,” Coal said. She held Jay’s face between her hands. “Look at me, baby.”
Fighting through the thick fog clouding her judgment, she did as Coal asked. “I need…”
“You need to fuck me, Jay. To take me with everything you have.”
Jay groaned and threw her head back, the roaring in her ears matching the one that ripped from her throat. She flipped Coal onto her back and knelt between her legs. She entered her with long strokes watching in awe as Coal’s body responded to her touch.
“More,” Coal groaned. “I want it all. Everything. Harder.”
Jay straddled one of Coal’s legs and braced her body above Coal’s. She drove Coal hard and fast, feeling as her sex hummed and tightened. Coal’s excitement coated her palm as she wet Coal’s thigh with her own pleasure. She bit back a moan as waves of electricity shot down her spine. Jay’s thighs tightened. She was seconds from shattering.
Coal’s entire body went rigid just as her climax consumed her forcing a strangled cry from her throat. Jay held tight to Coal as she battled through the storm never remembering seeing anything more beautiful than Coal succumbing in her arms. Coal’s body expertly rode each rise and fall until the waves of passion receded leaving her lying exhausted in Jay’s arms.
“Please don’t go,” Coal whimpered when Jay tried to pull her hand from between Coal’s legs.
“Oh, baby, I never want to let go.” Jay buried her face in Coal’s neck and shivered uncontrollably as her own orgasm threatened to undo her.
“Jay,” Coal said breathlessly, apparently aware of Jay’s plight. “Let me touch you.”
“I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not.” Coal pushed Jay off her and instructed her to move to the edge of the bed while she knelt on the floor between her legs. Coal used her shoulders to force Jay’s legs further apart and framed her sex with her hands. She brushed a soft kiss along Jay’s clitoris, her eyes never leaving Jay’s.
“Not this time.” Jay said. She tightened her hand in Coal’s hair and guided Coal’s mouth to her. “I can’t take any more teasing.”
Coal smiled then flattened her tongue and slowly but firmly ran it along the tense shaft. Jay’s eyes closed involuntarily, the coolness a welcome balm over her heated flesh. “You’re so ready for me.”
“You’re all I need. Make me come.”
Tears formed on Coal’s lashes, but Jay didn’t have time to ask about them as Coal leaned forward and enfolded her lips around her clitoris. Jay’s hands tightened in Coal’s hair as the momentum that began in her toes sent tingles of excitement coursing through her veins. The pressure built. Her body braced. And with a hoarse shout, Coal unleashed all Jay’s fury.
“What’s so amusing?” Jay asked moments later when awareness returned and she opened her eyes to find Coal cuddled up next to her with a silly grin on her face.
“Simple. I’m happy.”
“Me too.”
But maybe that’s what frightened her the most. Simple was a term she didn’t recognize. For the last few years, she’d come to count on no one but herself. Lately though, she was starting to wonder how she ever lived before Coal. Loneliness was not an emotion she’d entertained in the past. She had a large family, a network of friends. And if she wanted company, more often than not, she could find it. But the more time she spent with Coal the more she realized she’d been missing out on the best part of life, the part that included a partner, a life with the one person she’d always put above her own needs. All those women in the past had made her feel good in the moment, but with Coal it went beyond company or sex. Coal challenged her mind and body, but also made her feel as though she mattered.
As she toyed with a lock of Coal’s hair, she thought about telling Coal about the Parkers. She’d struggled with telling her since she saw Judge Parker at the Fourth of July party. But since their connection had become stronger, maybe Coal would understand why she’d kept the information from her until now. Or so she hoped.
“Something’s bothering you,” Coal said.
Jay was once again left amazed with her intuitiveness. “I was thinking you’re an incredible lover.”
“You’re pretty okay yourself.”
“Just okay?” Jay tickled Coal.
“Stop!” Coal tried to squirm away from Jay but was unsuccessful. “All right. Better than okay. A-plus material.”
“Better,” Jay said and hugged her tighter. “But you know, I was always into extra credit. Know of anyone I could fit into my schedule that can help me out?”
Jay had been around her long enough to know what it meant when Coal’s blue eyes darkened. It meant she was either turned on or incredibly pissed. In this instance, both responses pleased her.
“There better not be anyone else on your schedule.”
“Ow, Jesus!” Jay hissed when Coal bit down hard on one of her nipples to drive home her point.
“Now tell me what’s really on your mind.”
“I want to. I just don’t want to mess this up.”
“Sweetie, I told you before. You can tell me anything.”
“You say that now.” Jay closed her eyes and inhaled deeply in an effort to center her mind and body.
“And I meant it. Go on.”
“Remember the Fourth of July party when your dad’s friend Judge Parker said he thought he knew me?”
“Yeah. Angel said the same thing.”
“That’s weird. I wonder why?”
�
�Well, she is his daughter.”
What? Jay’s pulse skyrocketed and she sat up with Coal still in her arms. “Angel is his kid?”
“Yeah, so?”
Jay pulled her knees to her chest and placed her chin on top of them. “Because, Coal. The Parkers are who my father stole from.”
“I see,” Coal said calmly.
Jay heard the distance in Coal’s voice and turned to look at her. “Are you mad?”
“Kind of. But not for the reason you’re probably thinking. I’m upset because you didn’t tell me sooner. But more importantly because you thought it was something you had to hide from me.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. But I was scared. I didn’t want to screw this up. Ever since the moment I touched you, I knew you were it for me. You touch me and I explode into a thousand pieces, shattered, spent. You’re all I need.”
You’re all I need. Coal remembered the last time she’d heard those words. Taylor had said them to her right before her world came tumbling down around her.
“Coal?”
“When I was twenty.” Coal continued as if Jay hadn’t spoken, “I met this girl. Up until then, I had dated a few guys, but when it came to the sexual part, I wasn’t interested, you know? Then one day in college, Taylor walks into one of my classes and into my life. She had this magnetic personality that made people gravitate toward her, me being one of them. So one night, she asks me to join her and a bunch of her friends to go to some party. Turns out, the friends didn’t show so it was just her and me. It also turns out we never made it to the party.”
Jay grinned. “I bet. Can I assume this was your first time?”
“Yes. And it changed my life forever. For two years after that, we were inseparable. I loved her and I thought she loved me. But then…”
Jay gave her a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay. We fought a lot. Especially when I caught her keeping things from me. She said it was for my own protection, but it made it hard for me to trust her. And then my parents caught us—”
The sound of the downstairs door opening and closing caused a swell of fear to rise inside of Coal. She shot to her feet. “Oh shit,” she said under her breath.
They tumbled out of bed and scrambled to put on their clothes that had been hastily discarded all over the room. Heavy footsteps echoed up the winding staircase as Jay made a hasty retreat onto the deck and Coal disappeared into the bathroom.
“Coal,” her father said. His deep voice sent a new wave of fear coursing through her.
Her father hadn’t stepped foot in her home since she’d moved back. His presence was more than unusual. And with the timing, it was downright unsettling.
“Hold on. In the bathroom. One sec,” Coal said over the running faucet as she tried to wash the scent of Jay from her hands and body. When she was satisfied that she didn’t look like a hungry lion had mauled her, she opened the bathroom door to find her father staring pensively at Jay’s silhouette behind the sheers covering the French doors. “Dad, what are you doing here?”
“We need to speak,” he said very clearly, using his authoritative voice.
“Now’s really not a good time.” She hoped to keep the tremor from her voice but wasn’t sure if she’d been successful.
“I think you may want to hear what I have to say.” He closed the balcony doors to offer them privacy.
“What’s going on?” She hated when he played these games, looking at her as if he had some big secret that only he was privy to. He used to do the same thing to her when she was a kid. Sometimes when she got into trouble, he’d summon her to his office and make her wait an hour in that damn red chair before deciding to make an appearance. Making her squirm was all part of the power trip.
“What this is, is you breaking your word to this family.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about you promising this family that you would never engage in inappropriate activities with a woman again.” He glanced in the direction of the balcony again. “I’m talking about Jay DiAngelo.”
Coal desperately hoped her face hadn’t turned whiter than the newly painted baseboard. She wanted to deny his accusations. Hell, she had to deny it, because she needed to protect Jay, but she didn’t think she’d be able to hide her fear brewing directly below the surface. Her father knew how to read her. She opened her mouth to plead her case, but her father held up a hand to silence her.
“Don’t try to deny it. I researched the DiAngelo name, and it turns out, they’re well known here in Woodside, but not in a good way. You see, Justin couldn’t place Jay because he’d only seen her once in court after her father stole some very expensive items from him. Jay is paying for his mistakes by paying the bills to cover his debt.”
Coal knew all this, but hearing it again from her father only made her heart bleed more for Jay. But she couldn’t allow her father to see just how much this conversation was affecting her. She crossed her arms defiantly over her chest in an effort to hide their shaking. “So? What Jay’s father has done has nothing to do with the two people working on my home.”
Her father shrugged. “True. But I would hate it if something unexpectedly should happen where her dad had to spend more time in jail. Besides, if news like that got out, I can see how a small company that shares the DiAngelo name could find themselves out of business. Couldn’t you?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I’m stating fact. You know how people talk in this town. No work means she could lose everything. I think that would be a shame.”
So you know about us and you’d destroy her because of me. Coal had seen her father in many lights throughout the years, and even though she didn’t agree with him most of the time, she’d always respected the powerful individual that others feared. But this man before her made her sick to her stomach. She had no doubt that he would follow through with his threats. He could hurt Jay, Dino’s business, and Jay’s father, all with something as simple as a phone call. “Are you finished, Dad?”
His smirk was answer enough. “Oh, and by the way.” He tilted his chin toward the patio doors. “This conversation stays between us or I will dismantle the ranch and sell the pieces to the highest bidder. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal.”
The moment she heard the front door slam behind him, she collapsed onto her bed and allowed the tears to fall. Eventually, Jay’s knocking made her get to her feet. But the moment she unlocked the patio doors and Jay stepped through, she stepped out of Jay’s reach when Jay attempted to grasp her hand.
“Hey, what’s wrong? I know we almost got caught with our hands in the cookie jar, but tears aren’t necessary.”
“You need to go, Jay.”
“What?”
Coal closed her eyes, dreading her next words. Another minute longer and her father would have caught her in bed with a woman again. But even beyond being humiliated for the second time in her life, her father would destroy Jay and her grandfather’s dream and not lose a minute of sleep over it. It went without saying that she loved Jay with everything in her, which made what she was about to say a million times harder. “What’s wrong is this. This shouldn’t have happened. We shouldn’t have happened.”
Jay paled and her step faltered. “You don’t mean that.”
“Yes, I do.”
Jay advanced on Coal and grabbed her by her shoulders, forcing her to look at her. “Talk to me. Please don’t shut me out. Whatever it is, we’ll work it out. Damn it, Coal, I love you.”
Oh, Jay, no! Please don’t say that. Don’t you know what those words will do to me? Coal took a deep breath and dug deep, summoning the Davis iron resolve. She knew of only one way to get Jay to leave because what she was about to say would hurt more than anything. “No, Jay, you don’t. This was all a mistake, a big mistake.”
“Coal,” Jay said roughly, turning her head as though absor
bing a slap to the face. “Please…”
“Just go.”
Without looking back, Jay turned and bounded down the stairs, slamming the door on the way out. Coal collapsed against the bedroom wall, her heart pounding as though it would tear from her chest. When her legs would no longer support her weight, she slumped to the floor and buried her face into her hands.
“Whatever it is, we’ll work it out. I love you.”
A torrent of tears rained down her cheeks as Jay’s words echoed in the empty room. She knew the only way to get Jay to leave was to tell her their being together was a mistake. She remembered it was the one thing Jay feared since the moment they’d begun seeing one another. Coal had been afraid of anyone finding out about their relationship, afraid to stand up for what she wanted instead of what her family wanted for her. But the longer she sat there, the more her fear turned to anger. How could she have let the most precious thing in her life slip away without so much as an explanation? How could she give up Jay to do what she thought was right or what her family thought was right for her? She’d finally found the one person in life that made her feel complete. The one person who loved her wholeheartedly without restrictions. She’d hurt the one person she loved more than life itself, allowing her fear to outweigh her better judgment.
Their earlier conversation came back to haunt her, and she realized she had just done to Jay what Taylor used to do to her. She was the one now keeping secrets. She was the one trying to protect Jay, not giving Jay the opportunity to stand up for herself.
As her strength returned, she realized she needed time to fight for what she wanted. Jay was worth that fight. The ranch was too. And damn it, she would fight this time instead of giving in to her family’s demands. She just hoped Jay could wait until she figured this mess out. Because no matter what she did from here on out, a piece of her soul would always be lost. Without Jay, she’d never be whole.
Too emotionally drained to think beyond her own pain, she picked up the phone and called the one person in the world who could give her some perspective. “Angel,” she sobbed.
“Coal…honey…what’s wrong?”