by Kylie Scott
“I honestly have no idea what you’re going to do, Mae.” He took a deep breath. “I had every intention of coming in here, checking you were fine, then leaving. That’s it.”
I shrugged. “So what happened?”
“Then you started talking. Then you got upset. And now…I don’t know.” There was no professional blank to his face now. If anything, the man seemed to be holding back an excess of emotion. His lips were a fine line, his brow furrowed. “This is the problem, whenever I’m around you, every rational thought goes straight out the damn window. I honestly don’t know if I’m coming or going.”
I gasped in outrage. “Me? What did I do?”
“Just walking around breathing and being you, mostly.”
“That makes absolutely no sense.”
“I know,” he said, voice resigned. “Funny you should say that thing about how frustrating and annoying and confusing I am. Because that’s exactly how I feel about you.”
“But I’m just a job to you. You shouldn’t have feelings for me.”
“Wish to hell I didn’t. It’d make things a fuck of a lot less complicated.”
I just stared.
“I like my life how it is,” he continued. “I’ve got work and family and friends. It’s all good. Maybe in five or ten years I’d be interested in marriage and kids, but not now. Let alone not with someone like you.”
“Someone like me?”
“That’s right.”
A fiery rage burned within. “Good news, Ziggy. I don’t recall either proposing to you or offering to bear your spawn. You’re free to go, buddy. The door’s right there. Don’t let it hit your ass on the way out!”
The man just smiled. Like I wasn’t about to attack him with my perfect French nail polish. Scour his face with lines and all the rest. What’s worse was, as soon as I saw his smile, my knees turned to water. Oh, man.
“Mae, I spend enough time dealing with photographers and fans at work. Of course I was wary of inviting that sort of thing into my private life,” he said. “However, it’s a part of your life and that’s good enough for me. But you should know, I’m never going to be able to buy you a Bentley or take you on a private jet to Paris. Often I have to work late or travel. No matter how much I want to, I’m not always going to be able to be with you. Can you accept that?”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“It’s pretty much the only thing I’ve been thinking about since I met you.”
And that was big. That was really big. Scarily huge, in fact.
“So what do you say?” he asked calmly. “We could try just fucking, see if we lose interest in each other. But I honestly don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.”
“Huh.”
He waited. I stared. Not much else happened. “Mae, it’s been a shit of a day. And as much fun as this is, I’m exhausted and so are you. What do you say we call it a night and if you want, we can keep arguing some more about it in the morning over breakfast?”
I had nothing.
“I’ll sleep in the chair in your room again. No need to rush things. You can think everything over and let me know when you reach a decision. No pressure, okay?”
My head was a mess.
“Fact of it is, I can’t walk away from you. Already tried going home instead of coming here tonight.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, knew it was the smart thing to do. But I couldn’t do it.”
“I would have been so worried.” It was nothing less than the truth. “Probably wouldn’t have slept at all. I mean, I would have understood, but…”
He nodded. “I know. I needed to see you too.”
I stood there, thinking deep thoughts. My head was a mess and my heart wasn’t much better. Though at the heart of the matter, the man had a point. In fact, he had several of them.
“What do you say, Miss Cooper?”
I raised my chin. “You know I hate it when you call me that?”
“Yes, I do.”
My gaze narrowed and he smiled again. Such an ass. A smokin’ hot one, though. Along with being smart, funny, sweet, and brave. Oh God, I was on the verge of swooning. Game over. “So let me get this straight. My options are, have sex with you, or have sex and attempt a relationship with you?”
“Or there’s number three,” he said. “We go back to being purely professional and never talk about this again. If you’d feel more comfortable, I can have Sam bring in someone else to watch you until the paparazzi leave you alone and you don’t require our services anymore. Whatever you choose, I would still like to crash here tonight. You’d feel safer and get a decent night’s sleep and I’d feel better knowing you weren’t alone and freaking out after everything that’s happened. I can even sleep out here on the couch if you’d prefer instead of in your room.”
“But you’re off the clock, Sam said so.”
“I’m not here to get paid, Mae. I’m here because of you.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
He was here because of me. What did you do with a man who always put you first? It was honestly kind of a new experience.
Slowly, I stepped forward. One step, two, three, until we were almost touching. He smelled good. Cologne and heat and him. I could have gotten high off the smell. “Can I kiss you?”
“Sweetness, you can do whatever you want with me.”
Good enough for me. I raised up on tippy toes and he leaned down and we met in the middle. My hands fisted in his shirt as his mouth met mine. Warm, firm lips. Very nice. At first, I was hesitant. Or I guess we both were. The kiss was soft, exploratory. His breath against my mouth and his lips pressing against mine over and over. It was a sweet, chaste, and pure kind of thing and I could have done it with him for days. Though, to be honest, there were also better things we could have been doing. So I was the dirty girl who had to bring tongue into it. His lips automatically opened and oh yes. I moaned and his hands clasped my waist, holding me close. Like I’d been trying to escape. Get real.
Our tongues entwined and his fingers dug into my back, then my butt. Also, something was definitely making its presence felt against my hip. And it was a sizeable appendage by the feel of things. Or at least one very intent on getting my attention.
“Sorry,” he muttered, eyes hazy with lust. “Adrenaline from the fight.”
I drew back from him another inch or two, catching my breath, trying to still my dizzy head. That kind of thing. Except when I looked down between us at the lump in his pants, my excitement levels skyrocketed all over again. If I didn’t get to see it, I would not go to bed happy. So that decided that.
“We don’t have to go any further than you’re comfortable with,” he said, licking his lips. “I’m still okay with sleeping on that chair. Or I can leave if you want some space.”
“I don’t think I need space right now and I definitely don’t want you sleeping in the chair. You got hurt today.”
His smile was all sorts of soft and gentle. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about that. You just kissed me all better.”
“Hmm. That’s sweet. But you’re missing the point. The thing is, if we’re going to be sharing a bed, I’m pretty certain things are going to happen.”
“After that kiss, you’re probably right.”
“So do you have a condom?”
He swallowed. “Yes.”
“Next question. Are you the kind of guy who judges girls for wanting to have sex on the first date? Not that we’ve even actually been on a date yet. But you get my meaning.”
“Fuck no. I try not to be a hypocritical douchebag whenever possible.”
“Good answer. Follow me.”
I turned and headed down the hallway. First off came my old tee. Next went my oh so glamorous sweatpants. Handy thing about having your own lingerie line, you tend to have a lot of nice underwear. Tonight’s set was black hipster panties and a matching bra with delicate embroidery and lace cups. By the muttered profanity behind me, he lik
ed them a lot. There was much to be said for boldness. Screw my foibles and insecurities. Ziggy wanted me and I wanted him and then some. Time to enjoy the moment and worry about the rest later.
I looked back over my shoulder at the bedroom door. My man was busy hopping along, pulling off a sneaker and sock. The other sneaker and sock were already littering the hallway. Sometimes it was fun to make a mess. Then he tore his T-shirt off over his head, exposing his gorgeous body to me. All of that skin I wanted to touch and taste. My fingers itched, my mouth started to water. If it weren’t for the bandage, so white against his tanned skin, everything would have been perfect.
“Don’t worry about it.” He cupped my face, gently kissing my lips. “I’m fine and I’m feeling better by the moment. Must have been that Chanel scarf of yours.”
I smiled. “Are you mocking my designer accessories?”
“Never.”
My hand slipped behind his neck, bringing his mouth back to mine. We kissed deep and hard and wet for a good long time. Who even needed oxygen or coherent thoughts? So overrated. His lips travelled over my jaw and down my neck, seeking out all of my sensitive spots. Some tickled. Some turned me on. All of it was good. Only when he gripped my waist and went to lift me did I crash back to Earth.
“Ziggy, no,” I said in a rush. “You’ll bust your stitches.”
He growled and rested his forehead against mine. “Sweetness, not to be crass or anything, but I’d dearly love to fuck you against this door.”
“That’s a nice idea. But neither of us wants to spend the night back in emergency.”
“True,” he grumped. “But I would like your legs wrapped around me. Mind if we head for the bed?”
“Actually, I’ve got a better and slightly safer idea that still involves the nice soft bed.” I tore open the top button of his jeans, lowered the zipper. Nice and careful-like I inched his jeans down over his hips and ass. “What if you lie down on your back and I climb on top of you? That way you won’t be holding yourself up or anything and there won’t be any pressure on your wound.”
“Okay.” He sighed. “I’m sorry this isn’t more spontaneous and wild.”
“Eh. We can do crazy monkey sex another time when you’re not hurt.”
“Promise?” he asked, planting a kiss on my lips.
“Promise. Now get on the bed already.”
His answering chuckle made my pussy clench. I swear. Even careful sex with this man might kill me. But it would be an awesome way to go.
“Just a minute,” he said, reaching around me to undo my bra. The straps slid down my shoulders and his eyes were huge, taking in my breasts. “I’ve been dreaming about these.”
“Have you?”
“Every fucking night. Your ass, your tits, your hair, your smile. Hell, your baking and hanging out in sweats. Everything about you gets to me.” His thumbs brushed over my nipples, turning hard to oh my God. He took their weight in each hand, massaging and squeezing. The man had large and capable hands. I thought I was in love. When he bent low to suck on my nipples, taking turns flicking and teasing them with his tongue, I shuddered and almost came. My panties were damp, clinging to the lips of my sex. Crazy town.
“You need to get on the bed,” I said, voice somewhat shaky. “Now.”
“Whatever you say.” Ziggy hustled off his jeans, his thumbs in the waistband of his navy boxer briefs. The outline of his cock without the denim in the way was even more impressive. “These too, Miss Cooper?”
“Hurry it up.”
At this, he outright grinned. Making this man smile was my new life goal. Except, instead of dragging down his underwear, he stopped and searched a pocket of his discarded jeans. Out came his wallet and inside were a string of three condoms. “I get checked regularly. Never have sex without protection. But we’ll go out tomorrow for more, okay?”
“First thing,” I agreed. “And I got checked for everything under the sun, moon, and stars after my ex. I’m clean.”
He nodded and tossed the prophylactics on the bed before dragging down his boxer briefs. A perfect cock sprang forth, swollen thick and lined with veins. Thank you, Baby Jesus. This man was mine. I reached out to touch, but he took a step back, climbing onto the bed with that grin again. Flat on his back, he took himself in hand and pumped once, twice. “You’ve still got your panties on, Mae. You’re getting left behind.”
“Don’t you dare start without me, Ziggy Thayer.”
“I can’t help if you’re being so damn slow.”
Mid-panty divesting, I kind of almost unfortunately lost my balance. Hopping on one foot, almost falling on my ass in front of my new boyfriend/lover/whatever he was wasn’t my finest moment. “Oh, man. I’m such a klutz.”
“Are you kidding me?” he asked, still playing with himself, which wasn’t fair at all. “Watching your breasts bounce like that was every Christmas and birthday come at once. Do it again.”
I bit back a smile. He’d always seemed so serious. Yet sex with Ziggy was fun and we hadn’t even gotten to the actual sex part yet. Certainly I felt way more comfortable with him than I had with anyone in a long time. This was shaping up to be a spectacular end to a truly crappy day. An end I hoped to repeat with him often.
Without preamble, I grabbed the string of condoms and tore one free, ripping into the wrapping with my teeth. His gaze darkened, his hand moving away from his dick. I threw a leg over, sitting on his hairy thighs. Nice and muscular legs, by the way. As I wrapped my fingers around his cock, white pre-cum dribbled from the top. Good that he’d confirmed he was clean. I swiped it up with a thumb and stuck it in my mouth. Yummy and salty. This man made me hungry in all the ways.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “Put it on me, sweetness. I think I’ve waited long enough.”
“It’s only been a few minutes.”
“No. It’s been days.”
I smiled and rolled the condom down over his rigid shaft. Then, leaning forward on my hands, I kissed him on the lips. The man wasted no time in tangling his hands in my hair and soul kissing me. My breasts brushed against his hard chest, my wet pussy teasing the head of his cock. Rubbing against him lit me up inside in the most beautiful way. Finally, I could take no more, holding him steady and lining him up with my entrance.
“Eyes on me,” he said.
I did as asked, pushing down, taking him deep inside. And he fit just right. About average length, but nice and thick. Hands gripped my hips, holding me steady.
“Be careful with that arm,” I reminded him, sounding slightly breathy. Exactly how a sex goddess should sound, really. The way he looked at me, the heat in his eyes, let me know he loved what he saw and then some.
Slowly I rose up before sinking back down, building a gradual rhythm. Enough to tease us both, stoking the fires without rushing. His hands rose to my breasts, squeezing and massaging them once more. It all felt so good. Heat built, sliding straight through my veins. It wasn’t easy keeping my eyes open. When I leaned forward a little and his cock hit something awesome inside of me, my mouth dropped open on a gasp. Ziggy’s hands returned to my hips, guiding me back to that same place over and over. I placed my palms flat against his pecs, not losing my balance again but holding myself steady. Doing my best to hold myself together when everything seemed to be getting ready to fly apart.
“That’s it,” he said, voice rough and low.
All I could do was nod.
Sweat slicked both our skins and my blood hummed. It was so good, riding him, watching him, feeling him move beneath me. The determined expression on his face, the absolute focus on me. It was intense and perfect and my adrenaline surged. My knees dug into his sides, my body moving fast and sure. And his hands on me urged me on. Faster, harder, and more.
So much more.
Then he licked his fingertips and reached down between my legs, searching out my clit. Around and over he worked the tight bud, urging me higher and higher. When I came, I came hard. Stars burst behind my eyelids, pure sensation bur
st through me, breaking me apart. Fingers digging into my ass, he slammed himself up into me once, twice, three times more before slowly stilling.
Lucky for me, he didn’t seem to mind having me sprawled across his chest. His heart hammered beneath my ear and perspiration glued us together. The room seemed humid, smelling of sex. Eau de Ziggy and me. Fingers slid up and down my spine, but his eyelids remained closed. Everything was peaceful. After the rough last couple of days, it was exactly what I needed.
Traces of dark stubble lined his jaw, almost hiding a faint white scar. There was another on his shoulder. A couple on his chest.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked softly.
“Nothing much. I’m just happy that you’re here.”
He opened his eyelids, resting an arm behind his head like a pillow. “I never stood a chance with you, did I?”
“How so?”
“Not only are you drop dead fucking gorgeous, you’re too damn sweet for words.”
“Oh, really? So you think I’m hot when I’m mooching around in sweats with no makeup and crappy hair?”
“You mean when you’re all relaxed and chilling at home, baking shit and reading books?” he asked. “I’m delighted to tell you you’re insanely hot then. But of course you’re also hot when you’re on a shoot and made up to the nines with your hair all fancy. And when you’ve just come so hard you almost broke my dick, you are scorching hot.”
I did not blush. The room was just warm.
“Face it, you’re hot all the time. It’s the truth.”
“Hmm. I think you’re biased.”
“I think I’m the lucky bastard that gets to worship the ground a benevolent goddess walks on.” The look in his eyes was most meaningful. Amused, almost.
“I knew it.” I rose up, letting him slide out of me. When I tried to climb off the bed, however, he grabbed my wrist in a loose but unbreakable hold. “I knew you were listening when Lena and I were talking. Ziggy, that was a private conversation.”
“Then don’t have it eight feet away from me talking at the top of your voices next time.” He smirked, pressing a kiss to the inside of my wrist before letting go. “I’m not going to apologize for listening. That was useful information. Mind if I use the bathroom?”