by Ramona Gray
She shrugged. “I’m used to it.”
“You should talk about it,” he said. “It’ll help.”
She shook her head and turned away but not before he saw the glint of tears in her eyes. She stared out the small window over the kitchen sink. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not,” he said. “It’s okay that you’re not. Talk to me, honey.”
“Talking isn’t what you want from me,” she said bitterly.
He didn’t reply and she made a choked sound before glancing over her shoulder at him. “I’m sorry, that was unfair and I – I didn’t mean it. I’m just…”
She trailed off and he gave her a look of sympathy. “I know, honey. It’s okay.”
Her lower lip trembled and he tugged her into his lap as she burst into tears. He pressed her face into his neck and rocked her gently. He rubbed her back and whispered low words of comfort as she cried.
When her sobs trailed off after a few minutes, he grabbed a napkin from the table and pressed it into her hand. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose before sitting up and giving him a watery smile. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said.
“Your shirt is soaked.” She stared at his dress shirt. “There’s makeup all over it.”
“I don’t care. Do you feel better?”
She nodded and dabbed at her eyes again. “Yeah, actually I do.”
“Good. I’m sorry about what happened tonight.” He ran his thumb over her cheek. “You’ll probably bruise.”
“She didn’t mean to do it,” Jane said defensively.
“I know,” he said. “I know, honey. How often is she like that?”
Jane sighed and didn’t object when he pressed her against his broad chest again. She rested her head on his shoulder as he rubbed her lower back. “It’s happening more and more. The disease is progressing rapidly now. She used to have more good days than bad but the last month or so…”
She trailed off and made a soft sob. Luke kissed her forehead. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me too,” Jane said. “I wish you could have known her before, Luke. She was the most amazing woman. She and Walter fostered over fifty kids. Did I tell you that?”
He shook his head and she snuggled in a little closer to him. “She did. She had pictures of all of them in a big photo album. She kept in touch over the years with at least thirty of them. They would email her pictures of their kids and it made her so happy. Up until she went to the care home, a bunch of them would still visit her.”
“Do any of them visit her at the care home?” Luke asked.
Jane shook her head. “Not anymore. They did at first. It helped her to remember, I think. Seeing all those familiar faces visiting her. But then it stopped helping and the others they – they just drifted away.”
He muttered a curse under his breath. Knowing that Jane had to deal with this all by herself made him sick to his stomach.
“I don’t blame them,” Jane said. “It’s horrible to watch what’s happening to her. I wish every day that I could just remember her the way she was. Does that make me an awful person, do you think?”
“No, honey. Not at all.” He pressed a kiss against the top of her head.
“She had this way of making you feel special, you know? You could have the worst day in the world and Mama J would find a way to make you smile and make you feel better about it. She had a gift that way. I wish – I wish she’d been able to have kids of her own. If anyone deserved children, it was Mama J.”
“She had you and the other kids,” Luke said.
“It’s not the same,” Jane said. “She gave so much to us but never got what she wanted the most.”
“I don’t think she believes that,” Luke said.
Jane didn’t reply and he continued to rub her back as they sat silently. After a while, Jane sat up and gave him a small smile. “What time will Amy be home?”
“Late,” he said. “She’s also coming in late tomorrow. I said I’d give you a ride to work in the morning.”
“I’ll take the bus,” Jane said.
“I’m going to be here, it makes sense for you to drive in with me,” he said.
She blinked at him. “You – you’re staying the night?”
“Yes. I’ve spent the last two nights here, why would tonight be different?”
“I don’t look great and I’ve spent the last half hour sobbing into your shirt. My eyes are puffy and my nose is swollen and bright red. That’s not exactly a sexy look,” she said.
He pressed a kiss against the tip of her nose. “I find you sexy no matter what.”
She smiled. “Spoken like a man who is looking to get laid tonight.”
He shook his head and gave her a solemn look. “No, I’m being honest. You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met, Jane Smith.”
She swallowed and licked her lips before her gaze dropped to his mouth. He cleared his throat and tried to think of a reason to get Jane off his lap before she felt his rapidly hardening cock. She’d had a horrible evening and she wasn’t interested in having sex. He knew that and was more than happy to just sleep in the bed with her again but his damn dick had different ideas.
The problem was solved when she slid off his lap. “I know it’s early but do you mind if we go to bed?”
“No, of course not,” he said. “I need to grab my bag from the car. Go to the bedroom, I’ll lock up and be upstairs in a few minutes, okay?”
“Okay,” she said.
She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss against his jaw. “Thank you, Luke.”
“You’re welcome.”
* * *
Jane stared at the ceiling of the bedroom. She kept the covers pulled to her chin. She was naked and she wondered for a moment if she was being too bold. She knew Luke thought she wanted to go to bed early to sleep but the truth was, she was unbelievably horny for him.
A part of her knew she was using her lust for Luke as a coping mechanism. If she was fucking him, there was no room for sorrow or fear.
She’s getting worse, Janie. You know she is. Maybe she’ll never remember you again now. Maybe she’ll –
She cut off her inner voice as fear skittered down her back. She didn’t want to think about her sorrow at losing the Mama J she knew and loved – not tonight.
The bedroom door opened and Luke, carrying a garment bag and a leather overnight bag, slipped into the room. She had left the bedside lamp on and she watched as he hung the garment bag in the closet next to her clothes and carried the overnight bag into the bathroom.
She stared at the ceiling again and thought of nothing but how good it would feel to touch Luke. She would give him another blowjob, she decided. She loved his reaction and this time she could take her time. She didn’t have to worry about someone walking in on them.
The bathroom door opened and Luke appeared wearing a pair of sleep pants and nothing else. They hung low on his hips and a surge of desire went through her as she stared at his v-line. God, his body was perfection. The narrow line of dark hair below his belly button made her mouth water. She had the sudden urge to pull on the drawstring of his sleep pants with her teeth. She stifled her nervous giggle as he shut the bathroom light off and crossed the room to climb into the bed beside her.
He reached for her and made a grunt of surprise when he felt her smooth skin. “Jane,” he said cautiously, “why are you naked?”
“Why are you not naked?” She asked.
Boldly, she threw back the covers and straddled his hips. She could feel his erection against her core and she ground against him as he groaned and cupped her breasts. He kneaded them gently as she traced small circles across his chest.
“Jane,” he whispered, “are you sure this is what you want tonight?”
“Yes,” she said. “I need you. I need this.”
He jerked under her when she pinched one flat nipple. “I want to make you feel good.”
She leaned over him and kissed him. He immediat
ely deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue past her lips to sweep inside her mouth until she was dizzy from her need for him.
“I want you so much, Luke,” she whispered against his mouth.
“I want you too,” he replied. “Let me make this about you tonight.”
“No. I want to taste your cock again.” She smiled at him before kissing her way across his chest. She admired the defined muscles of his abdomen, scratching her nails across them until he moaned. She kissed his chest and tasted his warm skin with her tongue before sucking on his flat nipple.
“Fuck!” He muttered as his hands clenched around the sheet.
She licked at his nipple before continuing downward. She nuzzled his belly button, tracing a circle around it as she pressed her breasts against his cock through his pants. She traced his v-line with her tongue and he made a low moan of need.
“Please, honey,” he whispered.
She pulled on the waistband of his sleep pants with her fingers before grinning at him and grabbing the drawstring with her teeth. She tugged, undoing the neat bow he’d tied, as he panted harshly and his fingers fisted into the sheets again.
She wiggled back until she was straddling his shins and curled her fingers into his waistband. “Lift your hips.”
He lifted and she pulled his pants down. He kicked them off his feet, nearly knocking her off his legs and onto the floor in the process and she giggled. “Careful, Mr. Dawson.”
“Please,” he said as she stared at his erect cock.
“Please what?” She said innocently as she ran her fingers over his balls.
“Please suck my cock,” he groaned.
“Yes, Sir,” she said before leaning over and taking his cock into her mouth.
He moaned and his fingers threaded through her hair as she sucked. He smoothed her hair back from her face and held it in a loose ponytail as he watched her suck.
“Such a good girl,” he said hoarsely. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now?”
She traced her tongue along the vein that ran along the underside of his cock and he shuddered all over. She swallowed his precum and pulled away before licking her lips. “You taste good, Mr. Dawson.”
“Oh God,” he whispered. “Keep sucking, Jane.”
She bobbed her head up and down, sucking firmly as he moaned and pleaded and thrust his hips against her mouth. God, she loved his reaction. It made her so damn hot, she thought her lower body would catch on fire.
When she couldn’t stand the throbbing in her pussy any longer, she released his cock with one slow, long lick and straightened. He reached down and fisted his own cock with a desperate look of need. She pulled on his wrist.
“Stop.”
“Please,” he moaned but released his cock. “Fuck, I was so close.”
She grinned at him. “I know but I want to fuck you.”
“I want that too.”
She reached into the nightstand drawer and produced a condom. He raised his eyebrow at her and she said, “Always be prepared.”
He made a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a groan. His hips arched when she rolled the condom onto his dick.
“Fuck me,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Patience, Mr. Dawson.”
She squeaked in surprise when he sat up and grabbed her around the waist. He lifted her and she gasped when his cock dragged along her clit before sliding into her tight entrance. She sank down on him, moaning as he cupped her shoulders and held her against him.
Without speaking, he thrust in and out rapidly. She tipped her head back and he kissed the column of her throat as she clung to his shoulders and rode him.
His fingers found her clit and rubbed as she ground her pelvis against him.
“Jesus,” he muttered before rubbing her clit harder.
Her orgasm rolled through her, unexpected and shocking in its intensity. Beneath her, he groaned as her pussy tightened around his dick and held him deep inside of her. His hips bucked and he climaxed, thrusting so roughly that she would have fallen off his lap if he wasn’t holding her in a tight grip.
He collapsed on his back, dragging her down with him. She rested her head on his chest as he stroked her back with the tips of his fingers.
“Did I hurt you?” He asked.
She shook her head. “No. It was really good. Thank you, Luke.”
He squeezed her ass. “You’re welcome, Jane. We should get some sleep.”
“Hmm,” she said sleepily. He eased her off of him and she watched blearily as he disposed of the condom before curling up behind her. He cupped her breast and kissed the back of her shoulder.
“Night, Luke.”
“Night, Jane.”
Chapter 14
Jane walked into the reception and smiled at the two men standing at the reception desk. “Mr. Durand and Mr. Morel? My name is Jane. I’m Mr. Dawson’s assistant.”
The men gave her identical flirty grins. The taller of the two – he was blond with dark brown eyes and the bulky build of a football player stepped forward. He took her hand and brought it to his mouth before pressing a kiss against her knuckles.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jane. You must call me Pierre.”
She supposed if she wasn’t so obsessed with Luke, Pierre’s good looks and French accent would have done something for her. As it was, she didn’t feel a thing when Pierre blatantly looked her over before squeezing her hand and kissing it again.
“This is my associate, Julien.”
“Hello, Mr. Morel,” Jane said. Her other hand was taken by the dark-haired man and kissed as well.
“Julien, please” he said. He had gorgeous green eyes and he was a few inches shorter than Pierre with a leaner build.
Both were dressed in expensive suits and she was happy she was wearing a Dawson suit when Julien’s gaze drifted over her. “That suit is exquisite, Jane.”
“Thank you.”
“Is it a Dawson?”
“Of course,” she said. She pulled both of her hands free and tucked them behind her back. “Mr. Dawson is finishing up a phone call but he’s asked me to bring you to the boardroom.”
“Lead the way, Jane. We’ll follow you wherever you go,” Pierre said.
She led them down the maze of hallways to the boardroom. They followed her into the room and she smiled at them. “Mr. Dawson will be right with you. Could I get either of you a coffee or a glass of water?”
They shook their heads as Julien smiled at her. “But you must stay and keep us company until your boss arrives, Jane.”
She hesitated and Pierre pulled out a chair. “We insist. We’re here for a few days and need someone to tell us where the best tourist spots are.”
She smiled and sat down in the chair. “Of course.”
* * *
Luke hurried into the boardroom. The phone call had gone longer than he thought and he hoped to God that Amy had been on time to the meeting. He opened the Boardroom door and froze in the doorway. Jane was sitting at the table and Julien and Pierre were flanking her.
Anger burned in his belly when Pierre picked up a lock of Jane’s hair and rubbed it gently as Julien leaned in closer and let his arm brush against hers.
“Jane, you must accompany us tomorrow,” Pierre said. “We cannot do tourist things without a tour guide.”
“I’m afraid I have other plans,” Jane said. A little of Luke’s jealousy abated when she pulled her hair free of Pierre’s hand and crossed her arms so that Julien wasn’t touching her. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my desk. I’m sure that Luke and Amy will be here shortly.”
Both men stood as Jane pushed back her chair and rose gracefully to her feet. She turned and Luke was mollified when she saw him and a warm smile crossed her face. “Mr. Dawson, hi.”
As the two men stood, Luke strode forward and stood closer than necessary to Jane before holding out his hand. “Pierre, Julien, it’s good to see you again.”
“You
as well, Luke,” Pierre replied. “Thank you for meeting with us.”
“It was my pleasure,” Luke said.
“We were just trying to convince your lovely assistant to be our tour guide this weekend,” Julien said with a small grin at Jane. “Perhaps you can convince her?”
“I’m afraid Jane has work this weekend,” Luke said.
“What a shame,” Julien said.
“Jane, will you go to Amy’s office and see what’s keeping her?” Luke asked.
“Of course,” Jane replied.
“I’m right here. I’m sorry I’m late.” Amy rushed in, the bracelets around her wrists jingling, and smiled apologetically.
Luke watched as Julien and Pierre glanced at each other before stepping around him and Jane.
“Ms. Dawson,” Julien said before taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. “It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Julien Morel and this is my associate, Pierre Durand.”
Pierre made a short bow as Amy tugged free of Julien’s grip and held out her hand. Like Julien, he kissed her knuckles and then continued to hold her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” she said.
She glanced at her hand before raising her eyebrow at Pierre. He gave her an appreciative smile before kissing her knuckles again. “Forgive me, Ms. Dawson. A woman as beautiful as you – I find difficult to let go.”
More anger flooded through Luke. It was bad enough that they were hitting on Jane but watching them hit on Amy was making his need to protect his little sister come roaring to life. He took Amy’s arm and pulled her away from Pierre.
“My sister is a very busy woman. She’s agreed to attend this business meeting, let’s keep this business like. Shall we?”
Amy elbowed him discreetly as Pierre and Julien exchanged looks.
“Forgive my brother,” Amy said. “He sometimes forgets that I’m a grown woman who’s capable of taking care of herself.”
She gave Luke a pointed look that he ignored. He didn’t care if Amy didn’t find the investors’ flirting annoying, there was no way in hell he was letting his baby sister be groped by either of them.