He snickered, the raspy sound driving my nipples to stand at attention.
“If you must know, from the moment I laid eyes on you, I’ve been dying to touch you.”
My pulse began to ram against my skin. “What about your girlfriend?”
He gave me a wry grin. “Ms. Sharp isn’t my girlfriend. We have slept together, but she and I had an arrangement that we wouldn’t bring feelings into our relationship. It’s over now, though.”
He was confirming my stereotype of men only seeing women for their bodies. “So it was all sex?”
He sized me up from head to toe, mistaking my high-pitched tone. “You sound shocked.”
In reality, I was disappointed. Mr. Maxwell had explained how some men saw through the physical attributes of a woman. Kody didn’t fall into that category.
“How can two people in a relationship have sex and not develop feelings for each other?” Sure, I’d had a one-nighter with Mack and other men, but not a relationship.
Kody closed the mere two inches of distance between us. “Anything is possible, Jess.” He cupped one side of my face. “Has anyone told you how fucking beautiful you are?”
I lowered my gaze to my sandals as heat pinched my cheeks.
He lifted my chin up. “Don’t look away.”
“Kody, I’m not the girl for you.” Liar.
“You’re right. You’re not.” His tone was emphatic.
Whoa! That cliché that the truth would set me free was all wrong. Instead, it felt as though he had punched me in the belly.
“You take risks,” he said. “I don’t. You ride motorcycles. I despise motorcycles. The only thing we have in common is music.”
I rolled my eyes at his last statement. “I’m not singing.”
“You will,” he said as sure as the sun set each day.
I swallowed, the sound splitting the air in the room. “Why are you so certain of that?”
“Because once I take you to bed, you’ll do anything I ask.”
Heat ribboned through me. I couldn’t decipher if that heat was laced in annoyance at how freaking confident he was or if it was because I wanted to feel his tongue caressing my body in places I hadn’t felt in a long time. “Is that your pickup line? Did you use that line on Ms. Sharp?”
He leaned in until his lips were at my ear. “Do you want me to show you how I picked up Ms. Sharp?”
I should have pushed him away. Going down that path would only lead to one of us getting hurt. I couldn’t, though. One, I was curious. Two, I would have given anything to feel him on me and in me. Three, one glorious night with him wouldn’t hurt. “Why not?”
He levered back, studying me for a long second. “Are you sure? I don’t want to get kicked in the groin.”
I giggled. “Unless you plan on physically hurting me, then you don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Baby doll, I would never hurt you.” He swept my hair from my shoulders. “Again, there’s no turning back. So I need to hear a yes or a no.”
“Yes.” I barely got out the word as I squeezed my thighs together.
He nipped at my ear. “Good answer.” Then he licked his way down the column of my neck.
Holy hell. Fire erupted all over my body as an inferno settled between my legs.
He gently drew me to him as he continued his assault on my neck, sucking, licking, tasting. “I want you so badly.”
His raspy voice, the need in his tone, and his hard-as-rock body pressing against me made me dizzy with lust. After one night with him, I wasn’t sure I would have the willpower to leave my feelings at the door.
But you’ve had sex with other men and walked away.
I didn’t have as strong of an attraction to them as I did with Kody. I didn’t get all flustered and giddy with other men as I did with Kody. They hadn’t made me feel safe like Kody.
“Baby doll.” Kody’s lips were feathering over mine. “You’re thinking too much. Let your body feel. Let me take you to a place where it’s just you and me and no one else. One night. No strings.”
I licked my lips. “Is that part of your pickup line too?”
His fingers danced down the side of my face. “Not at all. I can see the wheels turning in your head. What are you afraid of?”
Falling for you so hard and being afraid that when you find out I could lose my breasts, you may not want me. Or you could decide that it’s not worth dealing with Mack being around. Or you might not want me because I ride motorcycles.
“I should go.” I hurried to the door.
“I’m afraid too,” Kody said at my back. “Let’s be afraid together.”
With my hand on the knob, I shook my head. The desperation in his tone wasn’t making my decision easy. The voice in my head was telling me to walk out, but my body wasn’t obeying. My heart wasn’t, either. One night. One time. I knew that what I was about to do would change my life forever. Good or bad, I wasn’t sure.
I spun around and threw myself at Kody.
Chapter Thirteen
Kody
I carried Jessie to bed, thanking heaven above that she hadn’t walked out. I would have wagered that she would have bolted so fast, I wouldn’t have been able to catch her. I was just as frightened as she was. She wasn’t Ms. Sharp. A platonic or friends-with-benefits relationship wouldn’t work for Jessie, which meant she would want more than I was ready to give.
I was terrified that I would fall head over heels in love with her, then wham! God would take her from me. But the electricity that connected us overpowered my fear so strongly that at any moment, thunder would boom around us, shattering any resolve I had to not open my heart, which I’d locked up so long ago. I had to taste, to dip my toe in the water and explore what was happening inside me when she was around.
The moment I’d seen her in the hospital cafeteria, I knew she would tempt me beyond what I was ready for. As she clung to me—soft, delicate, yet strong—she calmed that edge that idled just under my skin and gave me the sense that everything was right in the world, that everything would be okay. I prayed as I eased her down on the comforter that the universe wouldn’t fuck with me and that what we were about to do wouldn’t shatter my heart. I knew better. My heart always got snipped into a million pieces. Yet I was willing to take that chance… at least for tonight.
Dare to live. Those three little words that Ms. Sharp had thrown out had been on repeat in my head. So I was going to do just that with Jessie.
When I shucked my T-shirt, her chocolate eyes sucked me in and grew wide as she raked her languid gaze over me, licking her lips. My pulse fired on all cylinders, sending the pistons south, causing my dick to throb for freedom, even more so when I mapped my gaze over her plump lips that I itched to taste.
But before I started down a road of pure pleasure, I locked my door. My parents usually knocked, but with Murphy’s Law, I was better off safe than sorry. After the lock clicked in place, I turned and lost my fucking breath. Jessie had stripped bare with the exception of her black lace bra and panties.
I clenched my teeth, silently shouting at my dick to take it down a notch. But my efforts were useless when the swell of her large breasts was calling my name. I swallowed thickly. Maybe she and I weren’t a good idea for the simple fact that I would devour her, and I wasn’t sure she was ready for me. Hell, I wasn’t sure I was ready for her.
She waved. “Kody, are you okay?”
Her satiny voice kicked me into gear. I crawled up on the bed and began kissing her toned abs before licking my way up to her cleavage. She dropped her head back as she lifted her chest. I wanted to take my time, enjoy the softness of her skin, and memorize every detail so I could replay our time together later. But her purrs were energizing. Her hands all over my body were electrifying, begging me to hurry the fuck up.
Hell, I was dying. I continued my assault until my lips were fused with hers. When her tongue pushed in, sucking mine into her mouth, I couldn’t see straight. We both stripped off our clot
hes as fast as we could. When she was completely naked, all I could do was mentally snap picture after picture as my gaze strolled down her perky tits, her smooth curves, down to the one spot my dick wanted more than life itself.
As she eased open her legs, I groaned loudly. Her long lashes fluttered, her lustful eyes pleading with me to do more than just admire the goddess. But when she slid her hands down to settle between her legs, my brain went blank and my body took control.
I straddled her, placing my hands on either side of her head. “You truly are fucking beautiful, Jessie.”
She sighed, scraping her nails along my back as she raised her hips. When she did, my dick grazed the inside of her thigh, and the sensation made me shudder.
“Talk to me,” I said. “Tell me what you want. Tell me one thing that you want to feel.”
Her breathing became shallow. “Touch me everywhere. Run your tongue up and down my body. Kiss me like you mean it. Give me one glorious night that I can remember forever.”
Fuck me.
She sounded as though I would never see her again. Sure, we’d agreed on one night. But something told me one night wasn’t going to be enough in my book. Regardless, I couldn’t deny her request. My rock-hard body wouldn’t let me, even if I tried. So without another thought, I licked my way down her chin, where I nipped lightly, then continued along her neck and chest before settling on her breasts. I sucked in one nipple, teasing and biting, as my hand slid between her thighs and found her clit.
“Fuck, baby doll, you’re soaked.”
Her cheeks flushed redder than before. “Kody, if you don’t stop teasing and do something soon, I might flip you over and sink down on your dick.”
The chocolate-eyed beauty wasn’t shy in the least. She was feisty, and that sent fire down to grip my balls. “You wouldn’t get any protest out of me. But first…” I adjusted my big body until my mouth was just above her clit. “Is this what you want?” I captured her bundle of nerves in my mouth and sucked.
She shot off the bed and moaned—a sound that made my dick turn to stone.
I played, licked, and circled her clit with my tongue until she was writhing furiously beneath me, clutching strands of my hair, tugging and tugging and tugging until she was screaming my name.
Man, the sound of my name falling from her lips in the heat of passion almost made me lose my shit. I could seriously listen to her scream my name for the rest of my existence.
I crawled up, peppering kisses all over her as my pulse rammed against my ribs, sweat beading on my back. “Good?”
She shook her head. “No, not at all.”
I raised an eyebrow. I couldn’t tell if she was teasing or not since her pinched features didn’t match her tone.
“It will be better when you fuck me.”
I reared back. “What’s your pleasure? Soft, slow, hard, fast, or somewhere in between?”
“Fuck me like you mean it, like you’ve never fucked anyone before.” Her firm tone along with her pretty, dick-squeezing smile was enough to spur me into action.
I scrambled off her and found a condom in my wallet on the floor before straddling her.
She dug her nails in my arm. “No condom. I’m on the pill, and I don’t sleep around.”
I frowned. “As much as I would love the freedom to really feel you tighten around me, I always use a condom.” Unless I’m serious about a girl. But I didn’t want to tell her that part, or she might start analyzing what was happening between us and break the sexual tension we had. Then I would have blue balls until the next time I could jack off.
She didn’t argue. Instead, she sat up as I was about to roll the condom on, swatted my hand away, and sucked my dick into her mouth.
Holy fuck!
I cupped her cheeks. “Baby doll, as much as I would love to enjoy this ride, I’m dying to be inside you.”
After popping my dick out of her mouth with an erotic sound, she lay back and opened her legs with a seductive smile.
I could normally go a long time before I came, but with her, that wasn’t going to happen. At the moment, I didn’t want slow or a long time. I wanted hard and fast, just like she did.
I put the condom on, and then I plunged into her before she could blink. When I did, her mouth formed a perfect O. She was tighter than I’d experienced in a long time, and I almost released in a split fucking second.
My vision blurred. “Are you okay?”
She gripped my ass. “Better than okay.” She moved her hips, urging me to get my act in gear.
I pulled out then thrust in, fast and hard. She was wetter than before. Her breasts bounced as she clutched my biceps and wrapped her legs around my back.
All of a sudden, my balls tightened. I didn’t want this to end. I wanted to keep pounding into her, but I couldn’t hold back. With one last thrust, stars coated my vision as sweat dripped down my temples, my back, and my chest.
I lowered my head to her lips as I kept enjoying the way she was gripping my dick. “Kiss me.”
She obeyed as I rode out my release. We kissed slowly and sensually, our tongues melding together.
“Thank you,” she whispered against my lips. “I’ll never forget this.”
I brushed sweaty strands of her hair off her forehead. “You sound like we’ll never see each other again.”
“We agreed to one night.”
“Maybe I want another.” I got this amazing feeling when I looked into her eyes. As much as I thought she wasn’t my type, I was learning that maybe I didn’t know what my type was after all. Or maybe I did. Maybe women on motorcycles were my type. I erased that thought for the moment.
Dare to live.
She pouted, which was adorable with her flushed cheeks, and for the first time, I noticed a scar near her pierced eyebrow.
“You said I was all wrong for you.”
I ran my finger over her piercing. “Is this why you have a piercing here, because of the scar?”
She blinked. “Yeah. So my question.”
I kissed her nose. “You said you’re not the girl for me. Do you want to tell me why?”
“Not really.”
“I guess we’re at an impasse, then. How about we get to know each other better without sex?”
“Says the guy who is growing hard inside me,” she said playfully.
It would be difficult to be around her and not get naked with her. But I wanted to get to know her, not just her body. “Well?”
She chewed on her lip. “Like a date?”
I nipped at her chin then kissed along her jaw to her ear. “Yes. A date. I want to know who Jessie Ryan is. I want to learn more than your exquisite body.”
“You’re making it hard for me to say no, Kody Maxwell.”
I found her lips, pushed my tongue inside her mouth, and kissed her so she wouldn’t forget a fucking thing about tonight, and so she wouldn’t say no.
She returned the kiss, sucking on my bottom lip. “Does the date have anything to do with you trying to get me to sing?”
I lifted up slightly, cocking an eyebrow. I wasn’t thinking along those lines while still inside her. “What’s your hang-up with singing?”
“I’m not any good.”
My mouth fell open. “You don’t strike me as someone who has low self-esteem. Do you not hear your own voice? Or did you not hear how crazy the crowd went when you finished that song?”
I got up and ducked into the bathroom to clean up. If I stayed glued to her, I wouldn’t let her leave until the morning, and I had to take things slow. I could feel myself falling for her.
When I returned, she was slipping her blouse over those beautiful breasts.
I grabbed my jeans. “Would you do me one favor? Jake and I are jamming at The Cave tomorrow night. The club is closed. So it would be a perfect time for me to record you. Then you can listen to yourself and be your own judge. If you still think you’re horrible, then I won’t bug you any further on singing.” After I buttoned my jeans, I wrapp
ed my arms around her. “But I still want that date.”
She sighed. “You drive a hard bargain.” Her tone was playful.
I would love to hear her sing one of my songs. Standing with her coconut scent penetrating my nose, I began to toss a couple of lines around in my head. Maybe I was breaking through my writer’s block.
She shrugged away to slip on her sandals. “I need to get going. I promised Lowell I would visit him tonight. I’ll think about tomorrow.”
Grinning, I threw on my T-shirt. At least she hadn’t said no. We exchanged cell numbers on the way to her car—one step in the right direction.
“Kody,” she said seriously. “I’m sorry about your sister, Karen.”
A pain zipped through me at the mention of my sister. Anytime anyone brought up Karen, my chest tightened. I’d seen my dad and Jessie out at Karen’s memorial. I was surprised my dad had taken Jessie out there. Only family ventured to that secluded area. I was sure my dad had his reasons. I also wondered what Jessie and he had talked about and why she was talking to my dad in the first place. I would have guessed the topic was her brother. I could have asked my dad, but he would have said he couldn’t divulge his conversations with his patients. Not only that, I wasn’t one to pry.
I kissed her tenderly on the lips. “I hope to see you tomorrow.”
She gave me one of her beautiful smiles as she ran her hands up and down my chest. “But tomorrow isn’t an official date, right?”
“It’s whatever you want it to be. After The Cave, we can do anything you want.”
She pecked me on the lips. “I had a great time. I’ll text you my answer sometime tomorrow about singing.” She got in her car.
I took comfort in knowing she was in a car and not on her motorcycle. Otherwise, I might’ve changed my tune about dating her.
I waved as she backed out, praying that she would show tomorrow.
Chapter Fourteen
Jessie
I stared at myself in my bathroom mirror, talking to myself as I brushed my hair. The blond strands stood out over the subtle reds and darker browns. My dad had been a redhead, his mom a blonde, and my mom had had a lighter shade of brown. I’d been the lucky one to get a mixture from them all.
The Maxwell Series Boxed Set - Books 4-6 Page 41