by Natalie Ann
“Cameron and Harper. And no, it was all of their friends and their kids too. Zoe is Mac Malone’s oldest daughter. He has a son that is somewhere between two and three, and another daughter that is around one, I think. I can’t keep track. Anyway, Kaitlin’s husband’s brother is married to Mac’s sister.”
“I’m confused,” she said, shaking her head.
“Yeah, I was too. No worries, it’s easier when you have a face with a name. Let’s just say there were a lot of kids and adults there.”
“You probably aren’t hungry then, right? I know you said Isabel always has a ton of food.”
“I could eat. It’s early still for dinner, not even four. Where do you want to go tonight?”
“I thought I’d cook for you now that I’ve got my kitchen back.”
His eyes warmed gazing at her, looking domestic in the kitchen while he tried to fight the urge to comment on it. He didn’t want to sound sexist, but a part of him felt like he belonged in that moment.
This was a place he could come home to every night—a place he could watch kids run around. When those thoughts jumped into his head, he pushed them back. Moving too fast for her and really too fast for his peace of mind.
“I’d like that. I’d offer to help, but I’m not sure I’d be much help. I’ll probably just get in the way.”
“You can keep me company. I don’t have much in the way of food though and need to run to the store. You can stay here if you want. I need to get the basics at the very least, not to mention food for dinner.”
“I’ll come with you. We can go together.”
“You sure? Getting groceries together doesn’t sound like an interesting date to me,” she said, smiling at him and adding a wink.
He’d noticed that about her lately. She was flirting more, happier and more comfortable around him. She wasn’t stumbling or babbling as much, and didn’t seem as skittish either. He didn’t know when she warmed up more and didn’t really care; he was thrilled she was letting go, loosening up.
“I don’t know that we have to call it a date anymore. Don’t you think we’re beyond that now?” He hoped they were. It felt it to him.
“I guess. Well, we will be after tonight.”
“What does that mean?” he asked, his heart starting to hum slowly in his chest.
She looked down at the floor, then looked up fast with a determined face. “I thought maybe you’d like to stay the night.”
There was no maybe about it. He wanted to stay the night and was ecstatic she said it. He’d been tiptoeing around it, not putting pressure on her.
He was glad she was so upfront about it and wouldn’t keep him guessing anymore.
“I’d love to,” he said walking forward, framing her face with his hands and lowering his mouth to hers. Just a touch of his lips to hers, just a taste, but enough to make the humming in his chest increase.
Fair
“You could have stayed back at the house,” Jordyn said again.
She still couldn’t believe Drew wanted to go grocery shopping with her. She’d never bought groceries with another person before and it felt weird walking around and talking to him while she tried to decide on what to buy.
“It would have been boring there without you. Besides, we can decide on dinner together this way.”
That was true. She pushed her cart to the produce section first and started picking fruits and vegetables at random and throwing them in.
“That’s a lot of fruit for someone who never seems to eat.”
She turned her head quickly. “Who says I don’t eat?” She thought she ate a lot, especially on their dates. He even commented once how she ate like a real person and didn’t pick at her food.
“You’re skinny as a rail. Where do you put it all?” he asked, his eyes sweeping over her body, humor riding high.
Great, the tall-skinny-goofy girl reference again.
“I eat all the time, but I haven’t had a kitchen to put much food in. For weeks I’ve been eating quick things I store in my office, but I’m getting sick of it. And I put my food in my mouth, then it goes into my stomach like a normal person,” she said, then bit back the groan on how testy that came out.
He only laughed at her. “Touched a nerve, huh? Always been on the skinny side?”
“Yes. Not through lack of eating. Just because I don’t cook often doesn’t mean I don’t eat well.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I was only teasing you, but I guess I overstepped this time…just a touch.”
“You did.”
“At least you’re honest.”
“I try to be. It’s the best way, don’t you think?”
Of course, being honest had gotten her in trouble more times than not, since she always spewed exactly what she was thinking out of her mouth at the worst possible times, it seemed.
“It is, and I like that quality about you, so don’t worry. I guess not wanting to insult someone goes both ways, doesn’t it?” he said sincerely.
“It should. And thank you.”
“For what?”
“For realizing it was a touchy subject and acknowledging it, rather than trying to brush it off like it’s my problem.”
“You’ve had that happen before?”
“Obviously,” she said dryly, then quickly amended. “Sorry. That was testy on my part. Yes, it’s been said before.”
See, she was right: shopping with someone else was uncomfortable and nerve-wracking, making her revert back to the bumbling fool again. She’d thought she’d gotten a better handle on things in the last few weeks, but guessed not.
Heaven forbid what she might accidentally say later tonight. She tried to suppress a groan when that thought popped into her head.
“Okay, what are you in the mood to eat for dinner tonight?”
She shrugged, glad to have something else to focus on. “What do you like? I’m game for anything.”
“You’re always so accommodating, and it’s nice, but for once what do you want? Let’s have what you’re in the mood for.”
“I thought being accommodating was a good thing when you were dating someone.”
She’d read that enough when she was trying to find out how she should act and what she should say. She really wanted to try harder at a relationship and figure out why the last few times she’d tried it never worked out.
“To an extent, but it shouldn’t be one-sided either. Come on, you choose our dinner tonight. What are you in the mood for?”
She thought for a second, then said, “Liver. I haven’t had liver and onions in years and I’m dying for it.” He tried to fight back a gag, but it didn’t work. “What? You said it was my choice. It’s your turn to be accommodating,” she replied back sweetly, enjoying his discomfort.
“You’re joking with me, I hope…”
“Of course,” she said, lightly brushing his arm.
He grabbed her hand quick, squeezed it, and said, “I like this side of you.”
“Really?” She was glad, because she liked this side of her too.
“Yeah. It tells me you’re finally warming up to me.”
“I thought my suggestion for later tonight proved that.”
He choked out a laugh. “Yeah, that too. But I meant in general. You seem easier around me and I’m happy.”
“You are?” she asked, trying to mask the giddiness she was feeling.
“Yeah, I am.”
***
“You cook really well,” Drew said a few hours later.
“Thanks. I guess it was better than liver after all.”
Definitely. He loved that she’d joked with him, but for a moment he’d thought she was dead serious about wanting to cook that. Stuffed manicotti was a much better choice.
“Let me help you clean up,” he said, pushing back from the table.
“I’ve got it.”
“No, you cooked, so the least I can do is my part with the cleanup.”
“You helped with dinner,” she argued.<
br />
“Squirting the filling into the manicotti shell isn’t really helping,” he said, grinning back at her.
She walked up next to him, leaned over, kissed his cheek and said, “It was still helpful.”
She was getting to him. In the past two weeks it wasn’t only her personality that seemed to be coming out, her awkwardness slowly diminishing, or her little jokes. It was simple, open, honest comments and moves like that. He saw it in her eyes, heard it in her voice—it was emotion plain and simple. You couldn’t fake or hide those things.
The minute her plate was in the dishwasher, he turned her and pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his, silencing her shriek of surprise.
It didn’t take long for her arms to go around his neck and hold on tight. He thought he’d take it slow and steady with her tonight, but he wasn’t sure he could.
They’d been dating for a few weeks and so far they hadn’t done much more than a lot of kissing and a little bit of petting.
He’d been holding on by a thread since she asked him to stay the night. He almost asked her to detour back to his place when they were done at the store so he could get a change of clothes, but he didn’t want her to change her mind.
He didn’t want to say or do anything that might give her doubts, so he let it go.
But now after that little kiss on the cheek, he found he couldn’t wait a minute more.
Sliding his hand under her sweater, he caressed her over her bra. She had more on top than he would have figured and was glad she finally stopped hiding behind all her overly large clothes. She’d been wearing more form-fitting clothes when they went out, but kept to her leggings and loose tops when working in the house.
Moving his lips from her mouth to her ear, he whispered, “Let’s leave this for later.”
She shivered and nodded her head, the shyness seeming to come back again. She’d made no secret it had been a while since she’d been with a man, so he was trying not to hurry.
Threading his fingers through hers, he pulled her out of the kitchen, up to her room, and walked her in front of the bed. He moved his lips around hers, softly, gently, just nipping her here and there, trying to get her to relax. “You’re so tense. Tell me what to do to help you relax.”
“Just keep doing what you are,” she said softly.
So he did. He kissed her long and deep, slid his hand back under her shirt and pulled it over her head. He totally didn’t expect the dainty lace bra that was barely covering her, but he appreciated it just the same.
“Your hands feel so good.”
“You’re about to feel more of them.”
He reached behind her back and undid the clasp of her bra, pushed the straps off her shoulders and let it fall away. She was perfection. Her body so thin, but not in a bad way.
Looking up, he noticed the hesitation in her eyes, the shyness and nerves back in full force, and wanted to erase them for her.
He held her stare, brought his hands up her ribs slowly, cupping her, then running his thumbs over her nipples, feeling them harden.
She closed her eyes, her head falling back on her shoulders, and he took that as a good sign.
Lowering his head, he brought his tongue out and traced one nipple then the other, pulling it into his mouth. She was so reactive, her nails now biting into his arms.
“Tell me if there is something you don’t like.”
“I doubt that will happen,” she said expelling a breath.
He wanted to laugh at her brutal honesty but was too busy trying to decide his next move. A few more licks, a few nips and she was all but melting under his hands, her body almost vibrating with desire.
With his fingertips traveling down her body, he stopped at the button of her jeans and made quick work of unfastening them. But before he had a chance to lower them, she pushed her hands under his shirt and yanked it over his head. “Fair’s fair.”
“Yeah, it is.”
He moved his hands back to her jeans and quickly lowered them to the ground. He was glad she’d removed her boots earlier, one less thing for him to deal with.
His eyes roamed back up and settled on the very tiny pair of matching lace bikinis she was wearing. Either she had a secret side to her, or she’d been planning ahead.
“I bought this for tonight,” she said, catching his eyes on what she was wearing.
“I like it. A lot. Anytime you want to wear stuff like this for me, go right ahead.”
She blushed, and it seemed like such an odd reaction considering she was attacking the button of his jeans right now. Fair’s fair, again, he assumed.
Next thing he knew he was left standing in his boxers, Jordyn in her little lace bikinis. He had to get his hands on her.
Before she could do anything else, he was nudging her onto the bed and coming down on top of her, kissing her chest, running his hands everywhere he could, trying to make her forget about her shyness and open up to him.
When he felt her nails on his back, he knew he was doing a good job easing any concerns she might have.
Edging her panties down her legs and off, he moved back up her body, touching her everywhere. Her long thin calves, over her knees, spreading his fingers wide on her inner thighs, and pushing her legs apart.
She was a piece of art to him. He wanted to sit there and stare all night, look at all the wonders in front of him, but his body had other ideas. Dipping his head, he brought his mouth to her, to touch, to taste, then to feast.
She was moving around on the bed now, gripping the covers. He could see she was close and as much as he wanted to drag it out, he didn’t know how much longer he could wait.
He didn’t have time to decide one way or another before her hips were arching off the bed and she was calling out his name.
He kept it up, soft little nips, then kissing in and around her inner thighs until her breathing leveled out again.
Glancing up, he saw the dazed look in her eyes, the smile on her face, and grinned, then went back to work.
“Oh,” she said arching up again. “What about you, Drew?”
“What about me?” he mumbled out.
“You haven’t…you didn’t…let me…”
She didn’t seem to be able to finish a thought, and that was the best flattery imaginable. “Don’t worry, I will.”
He kept at it until he felt her body start to crest again, bringing her as close as he could without sending her over. Quickly he jumped off the bed, shed his boxers, grabbed a condom and moved back over her.
“Look at me,” he ordered.
She opened her eyes, looked into his, the deep brown pools swimming with emotion and desire. “I want you to watch me while I make you mine. I want you to see what I’m feeling,” he panted out and slid inside of her.
She was struggling to keep her eyes open, he saw, but he said again, “Don’t close your eyes, Jordyn. Watch me, feel me.”
She held his gaze as he moved in and out, watched as the yearning rocketed up in her, building even more in him.
“Oh, God,” she said, starting to squeeze him tight and he was lost. Entirely and absolutely lost, not even caring that her eyes had closed, her head was thrown back and her fingers were clutching his shoulders.
He watched it all, and he felt it all, from her to him, making them one.
Protect
There was no use lying in bed any longer. She’d been awake for hours listening to Drew’s breathing next to her.
What a night. A wonderful, magical night that she wanted to hold deep and dear to her heart. There weren’t even enough words to describe what she felt earlier and what she was feeling right now.
She’d never experienced anything like she had with Drew tonight. She didn’t even know it was possible to feel that.
The limited amount of sex she’d had in her life was often rushed with lots of fumbling on both her and her partner’s part. Not a lot of experience, she was guessing now. What a difference!
After she wa
s done analyzing the night in her head—what she loved and what she wanted more of—her mind wandered to her life right now.
She was here for a reason. She was glad that reason led her to Drew, but she still needed to get back to what brought her here to begin with.
The last few weeks, after she came up with another dead end at the library, she’d put it aside. She’d been busy with her job, busy with working on Harper’s website and busy with Drew. Every free moment she had, she wanted to be with him, and when she wasn’t with him, she was thinking about him.
Looking over at him lying there, all relaxed and clueless to her internal turmoil, she slid out of bed, grabbed her sweats from the chair and made her way to her office. No better time than now to look into Tim Morris some more.
***
Drew rolled over and reached for Jordyn to find she wasn’t there. He turned and looked at the clock and took note that it was four in the morning. The bathroom door was wide open and she didn’t seem to be around anywhere.
He sat up on the side of the bed and put his head in his hands, then ran his fingers through his hair. Not wanting to be fanciful and say this was one of the best nights of his life, he decided to lock that thought away.
Never before did he think he would feel what he did when he was with Jordyn.
He enjoyed spending time with her, enjoyed talking with her, but he’d had no clue what he would feel when they finally came together.
It was something stronger and heavier than he’d imagined and he wasn’t sure where to go with it.
The one thing he didn’t like was that she wasn’t in bed right now, like she was trying to distance herself from him.
He tried to fight back the hurt, but it was hard. This was her home; she shouldn’t have to leave him.
Standing up, he grabbed his jeans and pulled them on, then fastened them and made his way in search of her.
He wasn’t surprised to find the light on in her office and the door wide open. Making his way closer, he stopped in the doorway and saw she was concentrating on something on her screen, something she was reading. “If you wanted me to leave, you could have said so.”