by Malone, Nana
Maybe he couldn’t be with her in real life, but here, hovering somewhere between dreams and reality, just this one time, maybe he could get to release. Get some relief and finally get to bed. All the other times, he’d been tortured to the point of so-near bliss only to wake with aching balls and no Jaya.
She moved against him, massaging his aching cock with the satin covered globes of that heavenly ass. He hadn’t been this turned on since he was sixteen and Madeline Devon had promised she’d blow him behind the bleachers at school. What was it about Jaya that had him so worked up? She was the sense of stability and normalcy he’d run away from his whole life. He’d only hurt someone like her. Sooner or later, he’d get bored and itchy and need to leave. And she was definitely a picket fence kind of girl.
“Just let me have this one dream,” he murmured in an effort to get his body to focus.
Dream Jaya's voice was soft. “It doesn’t have to be a dream, Alec. I think I was wrong about this whole not sleeping together thing.” Her breath caught as he shifted his hand from her breast and skimmed down over the silk fabric, seeking her center. “I-I can do casual.”
He slipped his hand beneath her waistband, traveling over her delicate lips and stroking to find her button. Dipping his long finger into her liquid center, he dragged it through her slick folds until he found his quarry. With firm strokes, he circled the sensitive bud. He'd already learned that direct pressure didn’t work, so instead, he teased around it. He knew what she liked.
Moving his hips in time to his strokes he nuzzled her hair. God, he loved the feel of it. So thick and soft. The dark color was like ebony on his pillow. Except he’d never seen her hair on his pillow. The other night, they’d made love in all kinds of places. When they’d finally made it to the bed, he’d shoved all the pillows off the bed.
Frowning, he gave the command for his eyes to open again and this time they obeyed. Cracking them open. Darkness filled his field of vision until he could make out her form. He tested the soft flesh at his fingertips and she moaned his name.
Shit. Not a fantasy. Real life. With the woman who’d said she wasn’t interested in a fling. With the woman who made him want to run fast and far. The woman who felt like heaven. “Jai, I—”
“Alec, please, God, don’t stop. I want you. I want this.”
She trusted him. Again. He wanted to tell her not to do that. He’d only hurt her. But he couldn’t form the words. Instead, she moved against him.
“Shit. You have to stop doing that or I’m going to come outside of you instead of inside where I want to be.”
She rolled her hips again and he bit out another curse. “I don’t care. I just need to have this. Whatever it is. I need it. I need you.”
He knew he should stop. Knew if he slept with her again, he was the one in danger of getting hurt. Knew if she begged him again, he might never let her go. “I—”
“Alec.” She moaned again.
He stroked her again and felt the flow of juices making her wetter, more ready for him. And he was lost. Shoving aside the scrap of fabric, he nestled his cock against her bare ass and almost came. The contact with her skin felt like he’d been zapped with a taser.
“Alec, I need—”
“I know. I need it too.” He shifted her so he could pull her sundress above her head. When he laid her back down, her breasts were free and her back was bare to him save the satin he was working with. As he continued his stroking, he angled her so he could continue playing with her breasts. She tried to turn and face him, but he held her firm in place. “My fantasy. You’ll get your turn later. As his cock settled back in position, he hissed when the round tip came into contact with her slick heat. Resettling the satin in place, he closed his eyes in bliss. With every movement and arch of her back, she milked him with the globes of her ass.
“Damn, Jaya, I’ve been dreaming about this since the moment I saw you.” Pulling away from her, he reached inside the bedside table and fumbled around for a condom while she stepped out of her panties. Making quick work of the foil and latex, he settled back against her to find she’d rolled onto her back. The smile she gave him seized his heart. So bright and so steady. Oh man, trouble. How much of an ass was he that he didn’t care. All he could focus on was holding her one more time. Feeling her soft skin against his. Never mind that he’d pay for the consequences for the rest of his life.
As he rolled on top of her, she made room for him, even as she hooked her legs around his waist. As she smiled, she said, “Next time I’m being irrational, just go ahead and tell me.”
“Anytime,” he mumbled against her neck. Conscious thought wasn’t foremost on his mind. All he could focus on was the heat surrounding the tip of his cock. He tried to go slow. He really did, but her hands on his ass urging him on were counter to his plan.
“Alec, hurry. I need you.”
He clenched his teeth against the roaring need and maelstrom of curses. “Damn it, Jaya, I’m not going to last for more than a minute if we don’t slow down a little.”
“We can take our time later.”
What the lady wants, the lady gets. He slid in to the base of his cock, breath catching in his chest. Beneath him, she moaned out his name. He tried to take control of the pace, but all his attempts to slow down were thwarted by the low keening sounds she made, and the way she traced her hands over his shoulders. Worse was the way she met him thrust for thrust. Rolling her hips, eager to meet his. How she angled her head up and grazed his nipple with her teeth.
“Jaya. Shit.” The tingle in the base of his spine was his first warning. The greying of his vision was his other clue. He ground his teeth desperate to ward of the impending orgasm and wait for her. Wait her out, wait her out. You son of a bitch, wait—
Jaya's hips bucked and she threw her head back. As she called out his name on a strangled breath, he could feel the walls of her pussy convulse around him.
Her nails dug into his ass and he drove forward, no longer trying to ward off the release. As the zinging pleasure drove him on with each thrust, she locked gazes with him. In that moment, he started to come and poured himself into her soul. Unable to look away, for the first time, Alec knew what true human connection felt like.
“Are you okay?” Still unable to break eye contact with her, he levered himself off her chest to give her some breathing room.
The smile she gave him showed full dimples. The inner walls of her pussy clenched around him and they both moaned. “Yeah. I think so.”
She didn’t say anything, but he could tell she could feel the change in the air. Something had just happened between the two of them. He didn’t know about her, but he was terrified.
“You can use the main bathroom to clean up. I’ll use the guest one. There’s a blow dryer and toiletries in there if you need anything. Whatever’s not in there, I can call down for.”
She nodded mutely as she wound the covers around her body. For reasons he didn’t want to examine too closely, the shy gesture bugged him. Reaching for the sheet, he tugged at it. “No going back now.”
She nodded but didn’t release the sheet. “I know.”
Tugging harder, the sheet gave way and her breasts spilled forward. Again, his body jerked awake with his cock making a rallying cry. “On second thought, maybe the sheet is a good idea for now.”
As she strode off toward the bathroom, she muttered something about incorrigibility.
Alec knew this wasn’t smart. He was setting himself up for a hard fall and setting her up for pain. He reminded himself of what would happen if he stayed. How ugly things would eventually become. Jaya Trudeaux had worked her way under his skin. There would be no getting over her now.
After his shower, he ordered breakfast and a change of clothes for Jaya. He’d already snooped in her closet when he hid in her bathroom, so he knew her size. When the bathroom door opened, he couldn’t help the excitement at seeing her again. Easy sparky. But reasoning with sparky didn’t help. He wanted to be let o
ff leash.
She smiled at him as she picked through the new clothes. “You think of everything don’t you.”
“Well, I had to think fast. I wasn’t expecting us to—” He bit his tongue and tried again. “I mean—”
She shook her head. “Relax. I’m okay. I practically begged you to take off my clothes.” She eyed his still-shirtless form. “Are you going to finish getting ready? I wanted to go over logistics for the wedding. I made you a folder of the key players. Who you’ll need to run interference with if I’m to get a crack at Brett James.”
Alec frowned. He knew he was supposed to understand what she was talking about, but his brain was still foggy. “Logistics?”
Her sunny disposition vanished. “You seriously forgot?”
“It’s early. I need a memory-jogger.” He shrugged and tried for a charming grin.
“You know what?” she muttered as she dragged on her discarded white sundress, leaving the clothes he’d called up for her in a pile. “Forget it. When you said to come over and give you the run-down, I thought—”
Shit. “Jaya. I’m sorry. I totally forgot. It slipped my mind. And I was up ‘til four. Give me five minutes. I—”
“Forget it, Alec I don’t need your help. I can go it alone.” She slipped delicate feet into her heels.
Her quiet declaration pissed him off. It’s not like he was brushing her off. But he had forgotten, so that was a problem. As she tried to move past him to the door, he took her arm. “Look, I screwed up. Okay? I know that. I gave you my word. And that actually means something to me, believe it or not. I said I’d be your date and that’s the way it’s going to be.”
His skin warmed as her eyes roved over his chest. She sighed and relaxed in his grasp. “You’re going to need a shirt, then.”
He snatched his polo off the bed and dragged it over his head. “Are you happy now that I’m decent?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Happy isn’t the right word exactly.” She pulled a large folder out of her bag. “So you understand the plan?”
He rolled his eyes as he scrubbed his hands over his stubble. She didn’t give up on anything she wanted. And it was exhausting.
He still hadn't had any sleep but at least he wasn’t as frustrated now, though the need for her was like a constant ebb in the background. “I understand. I pull your father aside, asking him to show me around the country club. You get Brett James alone and chat with him. Not too hard. If I see Derrick coming, I’ll send up the Bat Signal. How did the family dustup happen, anyway. Your sister seems a little self-absorbed, but man-stealing goes against a sister code or something, right?”
Jaya shrugged. “I guess I bored him or something. All I know is I came home to find Tamara faking it like a porn star in my bed. No surprise really. He was terrible in bed.”
“Well, at least there’s that. Tamara got what she deserved.”
“Can you believe he tried to tell me he thought she was me? We don’t look that much alike.” She blew out a breath and planted her hands on her hips. “Look. I get it. You think this is some ‘woman scorned’ stuff, but it’s really important to me. I need to get my job back.”
“I know how important this is to you.” He rubbed his hands over her shoulders and she didn’t stiffen. “Though I'm still not sure why you have to get that job back. If things go well with Adele, you'll be able to get any job you want. Why is that one so important?”
She shook herself out of his grip and he let her go easily. “Beside the fact that Derrick doesn’t want me there? This is my family. I belong at Trudeaux. I helped build that place. It's my legacy.” She blew out a breath. “It’s my home.”
A need for home was one thing he could understand. “You can still have a home without being at Trudeaux. Any chance you and your father will work it out?”
“After last night, I doubt it. Without work tying us together, there's nothing really there. After Mom died, he got even more distant. Tams has always been his favorite. But he needs me. He just doesn’t know it. I promised my mother I would look out for both of them.”
Ah, ghosts. She wasn’t the first person to do something trying to please someone who was long gone. He lowered his voice. “She’s gone, Jaya. Do you really think she would want you bending over backwards and making yourself unhappy? I doubt it.”
She softened her chin. “Says the guy who's the perpetual rolling stone and has no responsibilities?”
“Touché.” She did have a point. What the hell did he know about family and responsibility? He’d run from everything that ever mattered.
She scrubbed her hands over her face. “I'm sorry. That wasn’t fair. I'm really keyed up. I need to make this work.”
He shrugged. “But it's the truth, isn't it? I'm the perpetual vagabond. We both know it.”
Jaya eyed him shrewdly. “But you don’t have to be. You’ve already shown you’re smart. You choose the vagabond lifestyle for a reason.” She shrugged. “I wish I knew what it was.”
She was digging too close and it made him itchy. No one ever got this familiar with him except Adele, and he'd already worked out ways to avoid her prying. Jaya was something different. She was getting closer to him than he ever let anybody, and he barely knew her. Good thing he wouldn’t be here long because she was dangerous to him.
“Jaya, I won’t be sticking around.”
Her eyes met his. “I know. But there’s no point in pretending I’m not enjoying myself.”
Chapter Fourteen
When Jaya’s phone rang for the fifth time that afternoon, she considered putting a bullet through it. She should have turned her answering machine off the moment she got home. Trying to appeal to Tamara’s sisterly bonds had backfired on her. She didn’t know what had possessed her to try and reason with her sister. All she wanted was confirmation that Derrick had sabotaged her job prospects. What she’d gotten was a fight. Now she had a migraine looming
Flopping back on the couch, she covered her eyes. Maybe if she continued to ignore the phone it would just stop ringing.
It was either Tamara, who she didn't feel like fighting with anymore or her father who she really didn’t feel like talking to. Her father thought cellphones were rude so he didn’t ever want to contribute to their noise. Tamara knew Jaya would screen the calls on her cell. Tamara likely didn’t factor in the caller ID on the home phone. But whatever. As Jaya sunk further into the couch with her mug of hot cocoa, she tried not to think about what a disaster her life had become. Her cell buzzed with a text message as the voicemail l kicked into her land line. "Jaya Trudeaux, this is Adele Westhorpe’s assistant calling. She would like to you to meet with her in her office on Thursday at one PM. please do not be late. Mrs. Westhorpe does not appreciate employee tardiness."
With a frown, Jaya sat up. Yeash! What the hell had she signed up for? Then the world employee filtered into her consciousness. Employee. Holy shit. Adele Westhorpe was offering her the job.
Her thudding heart threatened to beat out of her chest and her throat constricted. Even with the blown interview, she still got the job? Maybe Alec had intervened for her. Though is he was a bartender and Guy-Friday he hardly had the kind of clout needed to get her a job. With sweaty palms, she carefully placed her mug of hot cocoa on to her coffee table. Unable to resist, she stood up and employed full booty dance maneuvers. Finally, she had something that was hers, no Tamara involvement whatsoever. And she hadn’t needed her father’s connections.
A sobering thought slapped her in the back of her head. If she did this, then it meant she was no longer part of Trudeaux. She was on her own. What if she couldn’t— she shook her head. She could do this. She was good enough to do this. All she had to do was stay on Adele Westhorpe’s good side. How hard could that be?
All she had to do was pretend Dragon Lady was the male version of Pierre. Lord knew she‘d had enough practice trying to please someone who didn’t want to be happy. And this job didn’t have to mean she’d give up her goal of Trudeaux.
She’d be on board as an independent contractor. And Adele Westhorpe might not know it yet, but she was just the kind of client Pierre would love. He’d see it as major cache and hire her back in an instant.
Her mood on rocket boosters, she twirled as she scooped up her cell phone off the side table. Checking the text message, she couldn't help but smile. Alec.
We should review the plan for the rehearsal dinner. Want to come over?
If he was so kind as to offer her some help, how could she turn hin down? Not to mention that her heart skipped at the thought of seeing him again. Those dammed butterflies. It wasn’t like she didn’t know better. “He’d not staying, Jaya. No attachments.” He’d been clear with her. And she’d been clear with him. She just hadn’t been so clear on how he made her feel.
To remind her again why he was on her no go list for emotional entanglements, she pulled up her list of all the reasons why she could not go gaga over Alec. One, She did not have time for boyfriend right now. Especially now that she was working for Adele Westhorpe and even more so when she got her job at Trudeaux back.
Two, He was not sticking around. As boyfriends went, it was good if they had some roots. Three, He was a sex God. And so good-looking it hurt to look at him. A guy like that would eventually cheat. And next time she couldn’t recover.
Four, She liked him, even though, he was a sarcastic, slightly pompous ass who was entirely too reckless with his life. She’d vowed to not care about someone more than they cared about her ever again. Five, he drove her bat shit crazy with his complete and utter lack of forethought or planning. Six, she drove him crazy with her complete need for planning and structure. Seven, she liked him. So what if she already wrote that down. It was a good reminder that liking him was a bad idea…just ‘cause. Eight, he was really sweet. And made her feel like she was the only woman in the world. She needed to remind herself that men lied. Point blank. She could not trust anything he said. But what about what he did? Slamming the thought shut in a lock box, she peered at her list. This was good. She needed the reminder that he was just for fun. Nothing wrong with a little fun. A little fun to work out the kinks. Totally casual.