by JAX
Jesus, why did her saying that make his balls draw up so tight?
His mouth went dry as she gripped the flange that locked the toy in place and pulled it most of the way out, keeping just the tip inside his puckered ring. Threading his fingers through her hair, Jace fought to remain upright when she sucked him back between her sweet lips at the same time she pushed the toy home.
A strangled groan escaped as she both sucked and fucked him, the toy gliding across sensitive nerve endings before bumping against that magic spot. Steady pressure was one thing, but having this big-breasted goddess working the plug while she rhythmically swallowed his cock wasn’t something he could ever get used to.
Another pull from her sweet mouth as the toy retreated. His eyes rolled up in the back of his head. “Evie, Christ, I’m about to blow.”
She made a soft humming sound of satisfaction and the plug was forced back in, more quickly this time.
Every cell in his body shuddered. Jace had experienced pleasure before, but never with this blinding intensity that made him want to go everywhere at once. His job, his training, every time he’d had sex were all pale imitations of the vivid euphoria Evie delivered with every stroke of her tongue, every push of the toy.
Blue eyes locked on his and he could almost hear the command he saw there. She wanted his orgasm, demanded it. Jace shuddered as he could almost hear her honeyed voice whispering in his mind, Come for me.
With a hoarse shout he did, emptying down her throat. The intensity of his orgasm was almost violent, but it seemed to go on and on, prolonged by the satisfaction he saw in her face and the swelling of another organ altogether.
His heart.
He loved her. Not just because she’d given him pleasure beyond description. She accepted him, all of him, eagerly, wantonly. She may detest his job, but she didn’t hold that against him, or use it as a wedge between them. Hell, she didn’t even ask him to abandon it for her. Finding out he was a pleasure companion hadn’t changed the way she treated him because, although it had come as a shock to her, Evie saw him as more than a manwhore, more than the sum total of his job. In a million years she could never know how much that meant to him.
Totally spent, his knees buckled and he slumped back against the wall, pulling her with him, needing to hold her close, to breathe her in. Jace always thought he was the type to run from soft, fuzzy feelings. But the instant he recognized his devotion to the magnificent woman in his arms for what it was, he embraced it the same way he did her.
Now if only he could get Evie to do the same.
As they returned to the room, Evie had never been more turned on in her life. The power she’d wielded over Jace, the way he’d trembled as she touched him and the pleading in his eyes. A girl could easily become addicted to that.
Jace held her hand as they maneuvered the corridors. Such a sweet gesture, but somehow a little provocative too. The warmth from his skin and the roughness of his palms reminded her that she hadn’t come yet.
As if she could forget.
She wanted him to toss her down on the bed the instant they were in the room. To tear her clothes from her body and impale her with some part of his. She needed to be fucked good and hard, to the point it almost made her crazy.
Instead, he bypassed the bed, hauling her instead into the bathroom. Removing the temperature cover from the bath he’d run earlier, he stripped off her clothes efficiently. Doffing his own, he led her down into the water of the deep pool until they sat on the bench with her between his legs.
“Close your eyes,” he murmured softly.
“Jace, I need to come.” Fire scorched her cheeks at having to put it so crudely, but she was past the point of pussyfooting around.
Pressing a kiss to her temple, he murmured, “Trust me.”
With a sigh, she let her lids drift shut. Jace pressed his wet front to her back and swept her hair over her shoulders. Digging his thumbs into the stiff muscles of her shoulders, he worked the tension loose.
Evie groaned, her head lolling forward as he kneaded her shoulders and upper arms. She’d just relaxed into his touch when he said matter-of-factly, “I’m going to quit my job.”
Her eyes flew open and she glanced at him over her shoulder. “Why?”
“I don’t want to do it anymore. All the skill in the world doesn’t make a difference if the will isn’t there.”
“When did you decide this?” she asked, both hopeful and afraid she had something to do with his decision.
“I’ve wanted out of the field for a while, been working toward it. That’s why this gig was so important, it was supposed to be my golden ticket. Pride has kept me going for a while now, pride that I’ve managed to do something most people can’t. I like my reputation, the fact that I was selected because I’m the best at what I do. Even if I don’t want to do it anymore.”
“What are you going to do now? Is there like a pension plan for pleasure companions?” Evie winced at how moronic the question sounded, but Jace grinned.
“Not exactly. I’ve been smart with my money and have plenty of options. Maybe I’ll build my own sonic rink so I can run it.”
She could imagine him doing that. Jace was made to lead a life of ease, of pleasure and fun and all the things she wasn’t. “In New New York? Hope you saved up a pretty penny.”
“I was actually thinking I’d open one in Boone, not that I couldn’t in New New York if I wanted to. One of my regular clients was a stock trader. I’m flush with cash. I’ll show you a bank statement if you want.”
Evie frowned, irritated that they were having a financial discussion when what she really wanted was a baker’s dozen orgasms, give or take a few. “Why would you want to show me your bank statements?”
Jace picked up a comb and ran it through her hair, working the tangles free painlessly. “Because I’m hoping to convince you to marry me.”
Evie froze. Every molecule in her body just stopped what it had been doing, paralyzed.
Jace sighed, put the comb down, and hauled her back against him. “Too soon, right? Okay, how about you just use me for sex for a while? I’ll rent a room in your inn and you can tie me to the bed whenever the urge strikes you, get exactly what you want from me.”
Her body shook, overloaded. “Jace.”
He kissed the back of her neck, thumb sweeping across her collarbone. “I’m prepared for you, you know. I walked away from you once because I thought that was what you wanted. It’s a mistake I don’t intend to repeat. Now I have a new strategy, want me to tell you?”
Evie didn’t, but he kept on talking, his hands sliding beneath the waterline to play with her breasts.
“I’m going to be there with you all the time. Helping you whether you ask me for it or not, cornering you at every opportunity. We’ll work hard all day, you running your inn, me overseeing the building of my sonic rink. And at night we’ll sit on the front porch, you watching the sun go down with my head in your lap, pushing your skirt up and pulling your panties aside so I can go down on you.”
“What if I’m wearing pants?” she croaked. Of all the dumbass things to say, but then what could she say to his crazy declaration? He was moving back to the mountains, was essentially moving into her inn, wanted to build an attraction that would boost the local economy, including her own business. And he was doing it for her.
Jace shook his head. “Won’t matter. See, I’m determined to have you and only you. I don’t care if it takes me fifty years of cajoling, if we’re both old and gray, you will marry me.”
She shook her head because his madness was catching, the picture he painted so damn alluring that she was starting to yearn. “You’ll get tired of me, will want more than I can give you.”
His hands cupped her breasts as he nuzzled her neck. “How could you think that? I’m not Yon, Evie. I know a good thing when I’ve got it and I don’t intend to let you go.”
In a sudden move, Jace pulled her to her feet and bent her over the side of the tub
until her breasts pressed onto the cold tile. A hand roved over her back, a softly sweet caress. “I didn’t expect this to be easy, and I’m prepared for a long siege. Let me show you what I bring to the table.”
Wedging himself between her legs, he buried his face in her cunt. Evie gasped as his tongue found the wet entrance to her body and dove in deep. His roughly stubbled chin prickled her inner thighs and his jaw worked over her slit. A wet digit stroked the seam between her ass cheeks, swirling over her tightly puckered hole.
Evie wriggled, but he had her trapped beneath him, at his mercy. Her body melted for him from the inside out, liquid lust dripping from her core, and when he latched on to her clit and sucked, she stopped fighting, stopped resisting him and just went with it.
“That’s my girl,” Jace murmured, thumb circling over that forbidden opening. “Relax and accept it, trust me to take you where you need to go.”
Spreading her legs wider, she did. His confessions were too much, she couldn’t think about the future of their relationship right now. Letting go, she focused only on the wet slide of his tongue through her folds, the press of his thumb against the sensitive nerves that came alive under his tender ministrations.
As he flicked his tongue relentlessly against her clit, she barely noticed the increased pressure on her sphincter until his thumb breached her and wriggled inside. Sensations overloaded her and she cried out as a sharp climax made her body clench.
“Shield, baby.” Jace withdrew from her and she just managed to activate her health guard when he surged inside her, riding her hard through the decreasing wake of her orgasm.
Gripping her hips, Jace circled an arm around her, pulling her flush against him. The slick slide of his body from the lubed-up water sent her soaring even higher. Stirring his thick cock in her dripping channel, he murmured nonsensical words of encouragement, of praise.
Of love.
“What am I going to do with you?” she asked, mostly of herself.
He held her tighter, their shields snapping and sizzling as his body worked hers. “Keep me. Love me. Let me love you. Just let go, Evie.”
He made it sound so easy, his body rutting on hers so carnally, as though sex alone could forge an unbreakable union.
She wanted to, wanted to love him, to let go, but she knew better.
Didn’t she?
And then that wicked thumb was back, applying pressure to her rosebud until it opened for him. Just a few slick strokes over those sensitive nerves sent her careening again. Her body clamped down on Jace at both openings and he shouted his own release, her shield eradicating every trace of him from her body.
If only it could do the same on her heart.
* * *
11
Jace awoke with a stupid grin on his lips because Evie was curled up next to him, soft and warm. He’d worn her out last night, between their play in the tub, on the chaise, and again, finally, in the bed. And his cock stood up eagerly, anticipating more.
His comm unit dinged and Jace was tempted to ignore it. What was the worst that could happen, they fire him a few hours before he quit? But Reg was his friend and if he needed help with something in taking over, Jace would lend a hand.
But it wasn’t Reg or even Miranda calling to check in.
“Mom?”
“Jace, honey, how are you?”
“Fine?” Talking to his mother while he was naked in bed with Evie weirded him out. “What’s up?”
“It’s your father. He’s had a heart attack.”
Jace couldn’t even blink, the news was so startling. “When?” “Last night. They’re taking him in for surgery in a little while.”
A cool hand touched his back and he turned his head to see the concern in Evie’s eyes. His mind was reeling. “I’m on a space cruise, though I can probably hitch a ride to the Mars outpost and take a shuttle back to Earth.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” His mother’s hands weren’t visible on the screen, but he would have bet every last dollar he had that she was wringing them. “He didn’t even want me to tell you, sweetheart.”
Jace grunted as though he’d been slugged in the guts. Evie made a pained sound and shifted closer. His mother’s spine straightened as though she just realized he wasn’t alone. “Well, you’re so busy and all.”
Hell, she probably assumed Evie was a client. Shame burned through him that his own mother would think so little of him, that his job was more important than his father’s life. “Mom, it’s not what you think.”
But his mother kept going. “I’ll have the doctor cc your comm with any updates. I just thought you should know.” The line went dead.
“Jace”—Evie reached for him, wrapping her arms around him—“it’ll be okay.”
He held her close, just breathing her in. “I have to go.”
She stroked his hair. “Of course you do. I’ll go with you.”
“No.” He pulled back and almost winced at the hurt he saw on her face. “You have to stay for the wedding.”
Her mouth opened and he covered her lips with his, stealing a kiss, probably the last one he’d get for a while. He’d expected her to fight, but she melded right into him, opening her mouth, clinging to his body so sweetly.
He was the one who broke the kiss and moved away from her, then climbed out of bed. “You’ll regret it if you don’t make things right with your daughter before she gets married.”
His mind was whirling. He’d comm the bridge first to find out what the fastest way back to Earth was. En route he’d contact Reg and let him know what happened, along with Miranda to officially resign. Yanking on clean clothes, he was haphazardly stuffing items into his bag when he noticed that Evie hadn’t moved.
He hated to leave her looking like that, so out of sorts. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head, hair falling over her face. “Nothing, just go.” The words were sharp, meant to cut.
“Baby, I don’t want to leave you, you know that, right?”
Her chin came up, that defiant angle he knew so well. “Of course not. You have to go, your dad is sick.”
Something was going on with her, but he didn’t know what.
“Evie, leaving you is hard enough, but I don’t want to leave when you’re obviously upset.”
“I’ll see you, Jace.” Throwing the covers aside, she strode for the bathroom. “Safe trip.” The door slid shut behind her and the red glow from the comm panel told him she’d shut him out in every sense of the word.
What had he done wrong? Indecision warred within him. His dad didn’t want him there and Evie seemed to need him. Maybe he should just stay, wait for an update.
But that was the easy way out. He’d meant every word he’d told Evie last night, he was set to make her the center of his universe whether she wanted him to or not. Leaving her at such an early stage pained him, but he knew soon enough he’d be back with her.
Picking up his duffel, he leaned against the doorway. “I love you, Evie. I’ll comm you as soon as I get planet-side.”
There was no answer. He hadn’t expected one, no matter how badly he wanted it.
Evie stood outside Constance’s door trying to think of a good reason not to go in. She wanted to wish her daughter well on her big day, knew it was the right thing to do. But going to a reception with a bunch of catty bitches who called her Grandma Fatass and watching Constance morph into a snotty brat made her guts roil.
Or maybe that was because Jace hadn’t wanted her to go with him.
So much for his conviction. Not even six hours and he couldn’t escape her fast enough. Next thing she knew he’d become a raging alcoholic like Yon, mocking her and demeaning her and ripping her heart to shreds for sport.
“Shame on me for letting my guard down,” she whispered. Letting Jace in had been the most intensely erotic experience of her life. But like all good things, it had to end, displaced by the cold void of reality. Sighing, she’d just made up her mind to find h
er own way home when she heard the muffled sob.
“Constance?” She called over the door. “Are you all right?”
The door spit in half and retreated into the wall. “Mama?” Constance sniffled.
Her daughter was a vision in her sleek white satin gown and sparkling tiara. If not for her blotchy, tearstained face, she would have looked like a fairytale princess.
Her child may have behaved badly, but she was still her baby girl. Evie pulled her into a hug and asked, “Hey, now, what’s with the waterworks?”
Constance blubbered uncontrollably. “Oh, Mama, I’m so sorry I was such a bitch to you last night. When I think about the awful things I said …” Her words became unintelligible as great, heaving gasps for air took precedence.
Evie stroked her smooth hair. She hated seeing her daughter in such pain, and shame burned through her as she realized it was partly her fault. “Hush now, it’s all right. You had every right to chew me out. I came here hoping to change your mind, and that was wrong of me.”
“I know you were just looking out for me,” Constance said. “Like you always do.”
They hugged it out for several minutes before Evie’s tears dried up. Searching for tissues, she set to fixing her daughter’s makeup. “I guess it’s too much to hope that my neuroses wouldn’t warp me. I’m sorry, baby girl. Honestly, I’ve got nothing against marriage. I just want you to be sure.”
Dabbing the corner of her eyes, Constance smiled. “Oh, I’m sure.”
Evie ran a brush through her daughter’s long hair. It reminded her of the way Jace had combed hers out the night before. Swallowing past the lump there, she tried to exorcise Jace’s ghost from her mind.
Constance caught her hand. “What’s wrong, Mama?”
“Oh, no, I’m not burdening you with my man troubles on your day.”
Constance’s chin lifted and her shoulders went back in a maneuver straight out of Evie’s playbook. “I want you to, so it’s not a burden.”