by Gina Drayer
She swallowed, wanting to kiss him. But she was worried about how it would look after having made such a big deal about keeping the night PG in front of her daughter. Then again, Riley was in the other room.
As if reading her mind, he leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly against hers. “Me too.”
The moment seemed to last forever—the two of them staring into each other’s eyes, breath mingling, waiting for the other to make the first move. She didn’t want the night to end and thought about asking him to stay herself. The words were on the tip of her tongue when Riley’s stereo came on from the back of the house, and the moment was broken.
They both burst out laughing.
“I should go,” Jason said with a sigh, and let her go.
“You don’t have to.”
He cupped her cheek and pulled her in for another kiss. It was tender with an edge of desperation that she felt to her core. Her body lit up, every nerve alive. Jason ran his thumb along her jaw. The gentle touch sent an electric current straight to her core. She shifted position, wriggling closer, until she was straddling him. A carnal growl rumbled in the back of Jason’s throat as if it were a warning.
But instead of heeding the sound, Kira slipped her fingers through his soft hair, pulling him closer.
“We shouldn’t,” he said in weak protest.
“You’re right,” she said against his lips. What she really wanted to do was grab him and pull him back to her bedroom, but a little voice in the back of her head kept telling her it was too soon.
That voice was really annoying.
“I mean it. I should go,” Jason said against her soft, wet lips. But instead of moving off him, Kira nodded her head and pressed herself closer.
It was an exquisite type of torture, having her in his arms but not being able to follow through. And the longer Jason let the kiss go on, the harder it was going to be to leave. He inhaled her feminine smell. Just a second more, he thought, and deepened the kiss.
His hands trailed down her body, cupping her full breast. She pressed into his touch, wanting more. Even though he wanted to carry Kira back to her bed and spend the next few hours reacquainting himself with all her soft curves, he knew he needed to stop. Because in the end, it was the right thing to do. He was supposed to be proving to her that he wanted more than her body.
But his hands had other ideas. His fingers found their way under her shirt. Kira’s eyes drifted shut and her head fell back, exposing her long neck.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he said, and kissed the slender column. “So perfect …”
She rocked against his hard cock, and a feral moan emanated from the back of his throat. This had to stop before they both went too far. Jason took a deep breath and slid her off his lap. “I really need to leave.”
“You could—”
He cut her off with a quick kiss, knowing that if he heard her invitation he’d never muster the will to leave. “Next time.”
Kira nodded, pressing her fingers to her swollen lips. “You’re right.”
He stood up, adjusting his rock-hard erection, and sighed. “See me out?”
After taking a steadying breath, Kira stood up and smoothed down her shirt. “I had a great time tonight.”
“Don’t sound so surprised.” Jason grinned and grabbed her hand, kissing the tender flesh on the inside of her wrist. They walked to the door and Jason shrugged into his jacket, reluctant to go home. “You and Riley should come over to my place next time. We could order from that Chinese place you like.”
“Maybe,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “Riley’s pretty busy with band and her friends. I’m not sure she’s all that interested in hanging out with us.”
“Then maybe we should plan an adults-only date,” he said, brushing the hair out of her face.
Kira chewed on her bottom lip as if considering his suggestion. “I’m sure we can come up with something.”
He leaned down and kissed her again. The kiss was supposed to be quick, but she leaned her head back, exposing her neck, and he couldn’t resist the urge to trail kisses down the silky skin. A moan escaped her parted lips. The urge to linger pulled at him, but he managed to pull away once again.
“Your kisses are like a drug,” he said, his voice deep and husky. Scraping together every ounce of willpower he had left, Jason stepped out onto the porch. “Have fun at brunch. I’ll see you Monday.”
“Yes,” she said, breathily, and it almost undid him. “And next weekend? Another date?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said.
But fuck. It was going to be a long week.
Chapter 15
Find Balance
Not everyone’s prepared to spend 24/7 with another person, but when you date a co-worker, that’s what you’re getting. Even people in healthy relationships need time apart every now and then.
* * *
Kira had wanted to slow things down. She really had. They needed to date and get to know each other better on a personal level. Even though he said he wanted the whole package, she wanted to be sure he really meant it before their relationship got too serious. But if she was being honest, it didn’t matter how slow they went. The truth was, she’d already lost her heart.
And therein lay the real problem. She didn’t want to take it slow any more. But Jason was doing his best to keep his vow. They’d been dating two weeks—two weeks of lunch dates and after-work dinners chaperoned by her teenager, topped off by heated goodnight kisses and sexual tension that kept them both wound so tight, the slightest touch could set them off like a detonator. And like the gentleman he was, Jason didn’t press for anything more.
What had she been thinking when she decided to slow things down? She was an idiot. A foolish, completely in denial, and sexually frustrated idiot.
So when Riley asked to spend the entire weekend with Danielle, Kira said yes before Riley could even finish the question. An entire weekend free. Free to do whatever—or more specifically, whomever—she wanted. It was the exactly the shove she needed to speed things up.
As had come to be their routine, Jason stayed late to help her close up the office. Some nights they went out, but most, he ended up back at her house for dinner. But tonight, Kira had neither of those in mind as they finished up.
“It was a stressful week. Let me take you out tonight,” he said and flipped off the overhead light.
The lights of Manhattan below them backlit his broad frame and Kira’s heartbeat sped up as she thought about those firm muscles hidden under his suit. Two weeks. She felt like it had been two years.
“I’d rather go home,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
“I heard that the Starlight Cinema was showing the original ‘Halloween’ on the big screen. The perfect scary flick. We can pick up Riley and have dinner after.”
Another movie. While the whole no-sex thing had been her idea, if she had to sit through another movie with Jason at her side, Kira was going to go mad.
“I’m not in the mood for a movie.” She set the alarm and met him at the elevator.
“I guess we don’t always have to do dinner and a movie,” he said, a bit perplexed.
As the doors closed, she shot him a sideways glance. She understood why people made out in elevators. Standing next to him in the confined space as the floors counted down, Kira felt a growing sense of urgency. She wanted to press him against the steel walls and show him exactly what she felt like doing. She stepped closer and caught his hand.
“I thought we might just spend a night at home. No movie.”
“Riley wanted to teach me how to play that new game she got for her birthday. Maybe we could do that after dinner while you read.”
“That’s not going to work either.” Jason was frowning now, so she decided to toss him a bone. “Riley’s sleeping over at a friend’s house and then going to a fall festival at the zoo. She’ll be gone all weekend,” she said, nonchalantly, as though she were
remarking on the weather. “We’ll finally get the house all to ourselves.”
Jason’s eyes got wide and he caught her by the elbow to spin her around. “And you’re telling me this because …?”
The elevator doors opened on the main floor and Kira dropped the last hint. “I thought we could have some alone time. To play some adult games.” She shrugged, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “But if you’d rather go out and see a movie …”
Jason practically sprinted through the lobby, yelling over his shoulder, “I’ll get the car and meet you out front.”
By the time they arrived at her place, they were all over each other. Kira had barely closed the front door before Jason’s shirt was over his head. Two steps into the living room and he’d ripped her blouse open. Buttons skipped across the floor. They were really hard on shirts. But she didn’t care. All that mattered was that his hands were on her, touching her in all the right places.
“Do you know how much I want you right now?” he muttered, kissing down her throat. “These past two weeks have been a special kind of hell for me.”
“I know what you mean,” she breathed out as he continued to kiss her skin. “Touching you, kissing you, but not being with you just about killed me.”
“Serves you right.” He bit her nipple lightly through her bra, and she couldn’t stop the full-body shiver from rippling through her. His hand slipped under the band and he had it unhooked before she took her next breath. “But don’t worry, I plan on making up for all that lost time.”
She wasn’t sure how they made it back to her bedroom, but one moment they had too many clothes on, and the next, they were naked and rolling around on top of the covers. His hands roamed over her body as though he was trying to memorize every contour, stroking and teasing along the way while his clever mouth nipped and bit every sensitive spot until she was gasping for breath.
Unable to take his sweet torture any longer, Kira pushed him back and straddled him. With an almost smug satisfaction, Jason let her take charge. And she wasn’t about to squander the opportunity. She just needed to decide where to start. Her hand traced down the light hair sprinkled across his firm chest. She kissed his sternum, brushing her thumb against one of his nipples. She moved farther down, kissing a path straight to his heavy cock.
“Kira,” he breathed as her fingers teased his length.
He was full, hard, and hot when she took him in her hand. She wanted to touch him, taste him. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine as she remembered the feel of him inside her. That was for later. For now, she wanted to show him how much she missed that particular part of his anatomy.
He was so big that her lips could just barely encircle him, and her body heated when he hardened even more with each stroke. She traced her tongue up the shaft, paying particular attention to the head, before she took him into her mouth.
Jason bucked underneath her. “Goddamn, Kira, sweetheart. Your mouth feels so fucking good.”
She circled his thick base with her fingers as she went down on him using everything in her arsenal: lips, tongue, teeth. She swirled around the tip a few more times. He tipped his head back, breathing hard now.
And although she would have thought it impossible, Kira was turned on even more by his reaction. “Do you like that?” she asked, drunk off the heady knowledge that she had that effect on him. She continued to play with him, letting him suffer a little. She couldn’t help but smile when he swore underneath his breath.
“Fuck, yes,” he said hoarsely.
That remark got lost in a groan when she took him into her mouth again, his tip resting at the back of her throat.
“Enough,” he growled, and had pinned her on her back before she could catch her breath. “One day, I’m going to come with those pretty lips wrapped around my cock, but not today.” His fingers slid between her damp folds and he pressed on her clit until she cried out. “Today, I need to bury myself in that sweet pussy of yours.”
All she could do was nod her agreement as he slid his fingers inside her. She was on the sweet edge of release. Jason managed to get the condom on in record time, and when he finally slid inside of her, she was more than ready.
Like well-practiced dance partners, they moved their bodies in perfect sync. She shifted her legs higher to give him better access, and he used them as leverage as he ground against her, hitting her clit with each stroke.
Just as she was about to tumble over into the abyss of climax, Jason’s rhythm slowed and shifted. He went back to kissing and teasing her body until every nerve ending was crackling with potential energy. Kira closed her eyes, feeling him everywhere at once. It was too much, and still she wanted more.
“Jason, please. Jason …” She pushed against him, but he only gripped her legs harder.
“Is this what you’ve been waiting for?” He slowly pushed inside of her, and she felt so full, so overwhelmed by him that she couldn’t even speak. “Tell me how much you want this,” he commanded.
She dug her heels into his sides, but he didn’t relent. He didn’t move. He just waited. Moaning, she yelled, “Yes. I want this. I want. I want you.”
“Good,” he growled. Leaning down so his chest pressed against hers, he kissed her as he took her hard. “Because, I’ve wanted this, too. I want you. I fucking need you, Kira.”
With each word his thrusts became more desperate, the slap of his body against hers edging her closer and closer to her peak. When it finally came, it hit her like a freight train. She screamed out, and her body bowed upward as her orgasm began. She shook and hung onto Jason’s shoulders, wanting to make this pleasure last as long as possible.
Her orgasm had just started to taper off when he thrust into her one last time, kissing her like a wild man as he came. With a satisfied groan, he collapsed and pulled her into the protective circle of his arms. It took her a while to finally catch her breath. And when she did, Kira couldn’t help but laugh.
“Something funny?” He brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck.
She rolled over to face him. “Maybe next time we shouldn’t wait so long.”
He leaned in and kissed her shoulder, laughing too. “I agree, one hundred percent.”
Kira relaxed into his arms and marveled at how right it felt. After Cole died, she’d tried to date. A lot of guys only wanted sex and nothing else. And the rest weren’t so excited for a readymade family. She never found what she was looking for, a partner.
Jason, on the other hand, was just that—at work and in her personal life. He wanted her and everything that came along with it. And deep in her bones, Kira knew that they could build a good life together, be a real family. That thought terrified her, but it was also exhilarating.
What if she decided to be brave and stop worrying about the what-ifs? What if she just jumped into the deep end with him?
Jason kissed her shoulder again and inhaled the lingering scent of her perfume. He had really enjoyed spending time with her and Riley over the last two weeks, but this was what had been missing. Not the sex, per se—although, he did enjoy that part. A lot. What was missing was the intimacy. The simple pleasure of touch freely given and received without the worry that boundaries were being crossed.
And now that they were here, it felt like they’d stepped over a threshold in their relationship. No longer was it a timid, fragile thing. The foundation was set and a promise made; it was a prelude of more to come.
Kira burrowed into the crook of his arm and traced a path down his pecs. He could feel his cock twitching to life at just that simple touch. And while he could spend the rest of the night doing nothing more than worshiping every inch of her soft skin, it was still early, and they had all night for that.
“As much as I love lying here with you in my arms, we should have dinner,” Jason said and nipped her shoulder. “I have plans for you and I need to keep up my strength.”
Kira laughed. “That would be the responsible, adult thing to do, wouldn’t it?” Closing h
er eyes, she pressed her head back into his chest. For a second, he thought maybe she was going to argue that they stay in bed. But then she sighed and sat up. “This time, I’m going to cook.”
She tossed on a T-shirt and some yoga pants and padded to the kitchen. He didn’t have anything to wear other than his work clothes. As he pulled on his dress shirt, Jason thought about bringing over a bag: a change of clothes and a few other essentials. His sister would probably tell him he was being impulsive. But the truth was, despite Kira’s concerns about things moving too fast, he knew that this was it. The relationship he’d always wanted. He could tell that she felt it, too. And he was going to do everything in his power to make sure it lasted.
As Jason watched Kira put together a quick meal for the two of them, the desire to have this in his life every day was overwhelming. He’d sold the property to Bridget and Cal and was planning on using the money from the sale to buy himself a bigger apartment, but now he was thinking a nice brownstone with a back yard and a few extra bedrooms that they could use as offices—or a nursery. The image of Kira swollen with his child flashed in his head. Riley would be an awesome big sister.
But he didn’t even know if she wanted another kid. Jason was trying to think of a way to bring it up without scaring her off when a ringing came from the hallway. Frowning, Kira looked around.
“Have you seen my purse?”
Jason laughed and nodded toward the door. “I think you dropped it in the hallway when we came in.”
The ringtone had stopped, but almost immediately started up again.
“I should probably get that. Watch the stove?”
“It will cost you,” he said, tugging her back for a kiss.
The phone stopped ringing and then started again. The crease in Kira’s brow deepened. “I need to get that,” she said, the teasing tone gone.
Kira grabbed her phone from her purse. The name Jenny flashed on the screen. Jenny was Danielle’s mom; a flash of fear settled in her gut.