Perfectly Charming (A Morning Glory Novel Book 2)

by Liz Talley

  Hugs and ladybugs,

  Lacy (Samantha) (I wasn’t the Delta Chi sweetheart for nothin’, sugar.)

  Jess swiped the tears away so they wouldn’t drip onto the handwritten words that were her last remembrance of a crazy, wonderful woman who made everyone laugh and feel better about living in this world. Jess missed her friend.

  She could almost see Lacy’s response to the crazy plan she’d concocted for seducing Ryan. Lacy would give her a high five and then help think of even more naughty things she could do. Yeah, Jess was certain the Delta Chi sweetheart would approve.

  Glancing at her watch and giving a last swipe of her eyes, Jess refolded the note and tucked it and the bracelet back into the bag. After talking to Eden and reading the advice from her dear friend, she knew it was time to spread her wings and find a current to ride.

  The current’s name was Ryan.

  No more cautious Jess. At least for a while.

  Lacy had been right. Time to get lost.

  Ryan held his phone in his hand, contemplating exactly what to text Jess when the doorbell rang. He’d been debating whether he should invite her over or play it cool and join his friends at Cuesticks. He’d been studying up on how to perform a dead-ball shot and wanted to practice before the September Shootout tournament. But being with Jess, maybe even getting to that elusive third base, tugged at him. Holding her all night long had given him bigger fantasies … and an arm that had stayed numb for a good half hour.

  When he opened the door, all thoughts of pool sticks and two-for-one beers flew from his mind.

  Jess stood on his stoop wearing a pair of cat eye–styled glasses, a short lab coat that was buttoned from throat to mid-thigh, and a pair of high-heeled black pumps. She carried a clipboard, and her red lipstick smeared the eraser of the pencil she thumped against her lips.

  “Jess?”

  “Hello. I’m here to conduct a little experiment,” she said, brushing back a tendril of hair that had escaped the loose bun gathered at the nape of her neck. She raked his body with a speculative gleam in her eyes.

  “An experiment?” He grinned.

  “I’ve heard you’ve spent much time in the lab and thus are sufficiently experienced for this potentially combustible endeavor,” she said, a smile hovering at her lips as she scratched something on the clipboard. “May I come in?”

  Ryan’s heart did a little trippy thing when it registered she wore nearly sheer black hosiery beneath the lab coat. “Of course, Dr… .”

  “Jessica. Jessica Anne Culpepper,” she said, sliding by him and deliberately brushing her ass against the front of his shorts.

  “It will be a pleasure to work with you, eh, professor?” Ryan said, closing the door and locking it for good measure. Just in case. They didn’t want to be interrupted while engaging in kinky scientific role play. Please, sweet heaven, please let them be about to engage in kinky scientific role play. So he could hit a home run. He couldn’t believe he was mixing baseball with kinky scientific role play, but he wasn’t going to overthink it when Jess had showed up in heels with naughtiness on her mind.

  “Exactly so,” Jess said, pursing her lips. “Before we begin, I’m obliged to ask you if you have any objection to removing all or part of your clothing during the course of the experiment. For safety reasons, of course. Things could get volatile and messy.”

  “You’re conducting an experiment that requires me to take off my clothes? I’ve never had to do that in a lab before.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Then you’ve had the wrong lab partner.”

  He laughed. “You do remember you were my lab partner once.”

  “Good point. But if I’m going to prove my current hypothesis, you might have to sacrifice your shorts,” she said, walking toward him. She ringed a finger around his neckline. “You know, scientific pioneers must be willing to go where others haven’t gone before.”

  “I thought that was Star Trek, but I’m up for exploring new frontiers,” he said, capturing her hand and lifting it to his lips. Tenderly he kissed each knuckle while using his other hand to cup her waist. Was there clothing beneath the lab coat? Or was this naked waist he felt?

  “Good,” she whispered, pulling her hand away. “Let’s get started.”

  “Okay,” he said, following Jess as she entered his living room. He adjusted himself beneath his shorts, hoping she couldn’t see the thickening erection.

  But, shit, she was turning him on.

  “Nice lab,” she said, turning in a circle, checking out his place. Her movement gave him a nice view of long, lean legs clad in the silk hose. The lab coat brushed against her upper thighs, and he thought he glimpsed a garter. All he could think about was what she had on underneath the buttoned-up coat. He needed to get her out of that damn lab coat.

  “Thank you. It has all the latest innovations. Should we go ahead and plug in the Bunsen burner?” he joked.

  Jess smiled. “Is that a euphemism or do you really have a Bunsen burner somewhere?”

  “I can get my chemistry set. There might be a Bunsen burner you can play with.” Of course he made it sound dirty, because he had nary a test tube at his new place. When he left the lab back in California, he’d left everything, including his personal equipment. No need for anything like that on his fishing boat.

  “We won’t need it. We’re about to indulge in chemical reactions that, while primitive in nature, are the basis for all mankind. Yes, I do believe we have everything we need right here,” she said, unbuttoning the top button of her lab coat.

  Ryan watched her walk over to the lamp next to his couch and switch it off. He jogged over and flipped it back on again. Jess arched a brow, so he said, “We need adequate lighting. Safety first. Oh, and I must be able to see everything we’re doing. Makes it all valid.”

  She smiled and unbuttoned the next button. The swells of her breasts appeared. “So do you have protective suiting?”

  “Uh, yeah. A whole box of protective suiting right in my bedside table.”

  “Of course you do. I remember you always being prepared. It will be a pleasure to—”

  “—make all my nerd fantasies come true?” he finished for her, moving toward her.

  Jess held out a hand to stop him. “I know lab coats are required for most experiments, but for this one, I believe it could pose a hazard. I think I should remove mine, don’t you?” Her voice grew husky. He now knew he could no longer hide the result. It pressed against his athletic shorts, tenting them.

  “I do. I would hate for anything to get in your way.”

  Jess gave a no-nonsense nod. “Right, then.” With a quick flick of her wrist, she unbuttoned the rest of the lab coat and let it slide off her shoulders. It fluttered to the floor, landing on her stilettos. What remained took his breath away.

  Her generous breasts were enclosed in a lacy black bra, and the tiny black satin and lace panties were partially covered by a see-through garter belt that held up silky stockings. Tiny black bows fastened the stockings to the garter, a mark of innocence adorning the dirty fantasy they presented. Her mile-high heels, smart glasses, and hair secured in a knot were so sexy he nearly lost his breath. If his fourteen-year-old self could have imagined this, he would have ejaculated on the spot. The grown-up sex goddess standing before him almost had him breaking a sweat just looking at her. “Holy cow.”

  “Umm-hmm,” she said, taking the pencil she’d shoved from behind her ear and scratching something on the clipboard.

  “What are you writing?” he asked, moving toward her, brushing a hand across the small of her back. He felt her response—the speeding of her breath, the tightening of her nipples through the peekaboo lace.

  “Just the response of the subject to stimuli.”

  “Oh, ’cause that looks like you’re writing lyrics from the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song,” he said, trailing his hand down the globe of her bare ass, which was, by the way, spectacular.

  “Merely code for an erection,” she s
aid with a smile.

  “Pineapple under the sea? You’re seriously making SpongeBob kinky?” he said, stepping so his body pressed against the back of hers. He put his hands flush against her stomach and leaned into her.

  “I’ve always thought yellow sponges were sort of sexy. Sort of,” she said, dropping the clipboard and leaning back. He nibbled on her earlobe and stroked her flat stomach, edging a finger beneath the lace garter belt low on her hips. She smelled amazing—something sultry and sweet at the same time. Like a woman should.

  “Want to take this experiment to my bedro—uh, adjoining laboratory?”

  “That seems wise, given the recent observations,” she murmured, tilting her head so he could slide his lips along the column of her neck up to her jaw.

  Ryan moved so she was in front of him. Taking the clipboard and tossing it onto the leather couch, he tilted her head back so he could stare into her eyes.

  “Hey, babe, I appreciate this sexy role play. Ever since I was fourteen and had to stare at your gorgeousness across the lab table, I’ve been fantasizing about you in almost exactly what you’re wearing. Okay, it was naked under the cheerleading uniform, but this is a very close second. But in lieu of our last conversation, are you ready for this?” He hated himself for asking. What man asked a woman looking the way Jess did, offering up what Jess offered, if she was serious about doing it?

  Momentarily her eyes softened from the previous naughtiness to something gentle. “What a true gentleman you are, Ryan Reyes. Your mother would be proud.”

  “In this particular situation, I’m not sure we should mention my mother.” He smiled, looking down at the breasts pushed up in her bra. “You weren’t ready a few days ago. So why now?”

  She licked her bottom lip, which nearly undid him. “I’ve been thinking too much.”

  “And you don’t want to think anymore?”

  “You of all people are asking me that?” she joked.

  “Touché. Still, I care about you and I don’t—”

  Jess lifted onto her toes and kissed him. “Shh, I know this is right. I need you, Ryan. You are exactly what I want.”

  How could he argue with those words … especially when she kissed him so sweetly? Jess Culpepper needed to be held, touched, loved, and she wanted him. This wasn’t him taking advantage of the brokenhearted or fulfilling a leftover fantasy from his high school days. This was about a woman and a man who needed something from each other. “Then we should proceed with our experiment, professor.”

  Ryan’s room was tastefully utilitarian with a large king bed and soft gray coverlet that felt cold against her back when she sat down, crossed her legs, and leaned back onto her elbows. Ryan stood framed in the doorway, watching her with amused eyes.

  She’d never done anything as wild as this.

  Role playing.

  After reading Lacy’s letter, she’d visited a shop that carried sexy lingerie, looking for the perfect ensemble to seduce the former boy wonder of MGHS. When she thought about what his fantasy might be, she’d imagined a lonely scientist sitting behind a microscope in a laboratory. Somehow she knew he’d like the skimpy lingerie beneath the lab coat. What Ryan needed was a do-over on high school chemistry, replete with a fantasy science partner.

  And by the results straining the front of his shorts, she’d say it had worked well.

  “I’m assuming we’ll conduct our experiment here,” she said, smoothing the spot beside her. She felt naughty. And she liked that feeling. It had been so long since this sort of anticipation surged inside her, so long since she was soaking wet before she’d barely been touched.

  “If that’s what you want,” he said, not moving from the doorway.

  “Oh, so you want me to start without you?” she asked, sliding a hand over her stomach, inching down toward the miniscule panties. She uncrossed her legs and let them dangle off the side of the bed, giving him a small glimpse of her crotch barely covered in the skimpy panties.

  His gaze never left her body. “What did you do with my practical Jess?”

  “I gave her the night off,” Jess said, dragging her fingers over her pubic bone. She’d never been one to be turned on by her own touch, but the sensation of her own fingers stroking so near the area that throbbed for release was an aphrodisiac that was heightened only by Ryan’s gaze on her body.

  She could tell he was turned on beyond the very obvious and hard indicator. His eyes were limpid pools, his breathing notched, and his hands fisted as if to keep him from grabbing her. It had been a long time since Jess had felt this sexy, so she embraced the desire coursing through her along with the knowledge that Ryan couldn’t seem to get his fill of watching her.

  “You know what you’re doing, don’t you?”

  “Do you really have to ask?” Jess said, rolling over, planting her feet on the floor and presenting him with her ass. She stretched her arms far out, smoothing the wrinkles from the bed. “The experiment calls for putting the test subject through highly sexualized—ah!”

  His hands slid up the backs of her thighs and cupped the behind she’d waggled high in the air. His touch made her nearly swoon with delight. She closed her eyes as he captured her waist and jerked her to him. Once again he stood behind her, his body pressed against hers, his hands wandering up and down. He took his time, touching, stroking, knowing how to drive her wild.

  “You’re bewitching,” he murmured, kissing her neck. She sighed and allowed her head to fall back against his shoulder.

  “That’s not scientific,” she managed to say.

  “Ah, but it is,” he said, cupping her aching breasts. Her nipples were so tight and her breasts so heavy and needy. He cradled them, murmuring indecipherable comments into that sensitive area where her shoulder and neck joined. She reached back and linked her arms about his neck while grinding her ass against his erection. “It’s very much a biological reaction to stimuli, and, baby, you’re good at stimuli.”

  “I try. For science’s sake.”

  He laughed and spun her around, capturing her lips with his. His kiss was light at first, but then he nipped her lower lip. His hands returned to her ass, kneading her flesh. She slid her tongue over his bottom lip before plunging it into his mouth. He allowed her to take over, kiss him. And she did. God help her, she did. All the passion she’d been so afraid to let loose came roaring to the surface. And suddenly she couldn’t get enough.

  Ryan moved her so the backs of her knees hit the edge of the mattress. With a slight push, she fell back. He cradled her as they hit the mattress. He rolled to his side, not breaking the kiss. Jess lay mostly on her back, still in his arms.

  Ryan lifted his head and looked down at her. She relaxed as his gaze moved down her body, the heat of his perusal almost its own caress. After a few seconds he lifted his gaze back to her face and said, “You’re amazing. Sexy. Beautiful. I’ve never wanted a woman more.”

  She wanted to believe that. So she did. She knew words exchanged in the heat of passion were often words untrue. People got carried away, but at that moment she didn’t care. She needed to believe that she was the most desirable woman Ryan had ever pleasured.

  “Touch me,” she said, lifting a hand to brush against his jaw. He was so gorgeous. So finely crafted and sexy. She tugged on the hem of his shirt. “And take this off, please.”

  He quickly divested himself of the shirt before tossing it somewhere on the floor. Then he turned his attention back to her, running a hand over her collarbone and down to rest beneath her breasts. The bra was a front clasp, and with one twist of his wrist, the cups parted, releasing her breasts.

  “Nice,” he breathed, cupping one, allowing his thumb to graze the nipple so tight with desire. “You’re so pretty, Jess. I love the color of your nipples. Like pink peonies from a garden.” He lowered his head and sucked the nearest nipple into his mouth.

  Jess wanted to tease him about his poetry, but with his mouth hot on her breast she didn’t have the words. “Oh, oh.”
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br />   “Mmm-hmm,” he groaned against her flesh. His hands moved over her stomach to her hip bone, turning her toward him, running back to cup her ass again. It registered in her mind that he was an ass man.

  Jess explored his body, too, stroking his torso, loving the hard planes, the wide chest with the burnished brown hair. His abs were sculpted, his back lean, and that jaw was like rock. Everything about him was so sexy and hard and manly and—

  “I don’t know how to work this garter thing,” he said, dropping kisses along her shoulder.

  “Oh, here, let me,” she said, unhooking the fasteners. The elastic straps bounced, and then she paused. “Should I take the whole thing off?”

  “Hell, no,” he said feathering his fingers over the crotch of the black satin panties that barely covered her. Last week she’d sprung for a bikini wax, since Becky said it was a must for a woman living on the beach. Tonight she was thankful she had. His touch felt hot even through the fabric. “Let me do the honors.”

  With the belt detached, he was able to slide his fingers beneath the G-string bikini and peel the satin panties from her body. She lifted her rear, and he cleared the tops of her thighs, pausing only to shift so he could pull them over the high heels. “You can leave these shoes on. You look so hot in them.”