“Bullshit,” barks out Alex. “You’re giving me flak for my love and sex life. Don’t tell me you’re projecting on me…?” When Jared furrows his eyebrows together and glares at Alex, the latter can’t help but let out a laugh. “Ho, ho, ho. So who’s the unlucky girl that has you acting like a bitch?”
“Nothing serious.” Another shrug of his shoulders and Jared looks away. “I just went on a date a couple nights ago.”
“And? Where’d you meet her?” Alex nudges, pushing his back off the tree and taking the empty space on the rock beside Jared’s spot. “Is she hot?”
“Don’t tell Laura yet. I don’t want to give her an ego boost so soon,” jokes Jared. “But I met her on the app.”
“I’m guessing it didn’t go so well if you’re giving me shit…”
“That’s the thing…it went great, better than I expected…” Jared looks far out into the distance as his memory goes back to a few nights ago. He remembers laughing the whole night and never having to worry about the flow of conversation. He remembers the authenticity in both Anna’s words and actions, from the way she raved about her work at the non-profit to the smile on her face every time Jared said something she connected with. “Except the end…”
“What happened?”
“She gave me a hug…a fucking hug.” Jared lets out a tight cough before he runs a hand through his hair. “Before she said goodnight…but she did agree to go out on a second date. That counts for something, doesn’t it?”
“So she didn’t invite you into her apartment?” Of course, that’s the only thing Alex takes note of. “Harsh. She left you dry, man.” Alex can’t help but give Jared a comforting clap on his back. Still, there’s no missing the holler Alex is trying to keep in. How the tables have turned…
“But she must be interested…we are having a second date next week…”
Alex nods his head in agreement. “You’re definitely not out of the game. Maybe, she’s just not a sex-on-the-first-date type of woman?”
“Man, she’s twenty-eight years old,” Jared says, letting out a chuckle and rolling his eyes in disbelief. No one, both man and woman, holds out anymore in this day and age. “You think it’s one of those tests women use to trick men?”
At the thought of something, Alex turns to face Jared. With the red creeping up his face, it’s obvious Alex is trying his best not to holler out loud, but then he fails when he opens his mouth and says, “What if she’s a virgin?”
Jared widens his eyes at the thought. No. A twenty-eight year old virgin? Not to mention that Anna is extremely beautiful both in body and personality.
There’s no way a woman like her is still a virgin? But what if she is?
Jared almost tackles Alex to the ground at opening up that idea. For some reason, Jared Harrison feels more nervous than ever, just because of the possibility that the woman he’s interested in may be a virgin. Shouldn’t she be the one getting antsy?
Chapter 5
When Jared sees Anna, dressed in a faint pink knee-length dress and nude pointed toe heels, he lets out a sigh of relief. Throughout the days leading up to tonight, he’s been nervous. Now, he realizes he had no reason to be.
What’s the second date going to be like?
Where should I take her?
Will she stand me up at the last minute?
Those are only three of the million questions that ran through his mind. Now, as he watches Anna walk towards him and sees the smile on her face as she catches his eyes, Jared realizes that he’s been worrying for nothing. He’s letting his nerves get the best him, and he’s so very tempted to smack himself on the head. He’s forty fucking years old. And he’s acting like pre-school boy who’s never had an experience with a girl before. There’s just something about Anna that both relaxes and nerves him. He feels at ease with her, unafraid to talk to her about anything, but at the same time, the anxiety is still there. He wants to make a good impression. He always wants to make a good impression, even to those he isn’t interested in.
“You look beautiful,” he says when she walks up to the table. He’s certainly telling the truth. Anna may not fall under his box of ‘Women I Usually Date’, but there are different kinds of beauty, and Anna is beautiful, just a different, sweeter kind.
This time, he’s made reservations in a Japanese restaurant, complete with a sushi conveyor belt and an ellipse-size table they share with the other customers. He stands up from his seat as he leans forward to give her a hug. Usually, he prefers kisses on the cheek, but Anna hasn’t made a gesture to show that she welcomes those.
“Thank you,” she says, and Jared feels a bit lighter when he sees a blush creeping up her cheeks. He takes that as a good sign.
He waits for her to take a seat before he sits back down on his stool. Then, they start reaching over the sushi packs passing by them. From sashimi to deep-fried rolls, Jared and Anna end up laughing by the time they realize that there’s a mountain of sushi before them.
“Can we even finish this?” Anna says, chuckling in disbelief at how much she’s gotten from the conveyor belt. Her excitement has gotten the best for her. It was just too cute to reach for the sushi. It’s a different experience than ordering off the menu; it’s an experience she won’t mind having again, and being with Jared makes it better.
“Oh, haven’t you seen me eat?!” Jared teases, feigning a tone of disbelief. “Sushi barely makes a dent in my appetite. I’ll probably order some tonkatsu or gyudon later on.”
“Well, you certainly don’t look like you eat the world,” Anna says in return. “And I mean that in a good way.”
In that moment, Anna tilts her head to the side and catches Jared’s eyes. There’s a shine in his hazel brown eyes as they look at her, and his heart does a little flip flop. It’s a refreshing feeling, Anna complimenting him, no matter how small the compliment. Their first date had been the getting-to-know portion. They learned about one another’s back stories, work lives, career growth, hobbies, volunteering interests, and so on. Now, on their second night out, they’re more relaxed around each other, with Anna turning on the charm and acting a little flirty with the compliments.
“Well, thank you,” Jared says. “You’re making an old man like me very happy tonight.”
“Ha,” Anna says, covering her mouth, as she lets out a hearty chuckle. “Old man my ass. You have more game than men my age…”
“Wow Anna, keep the compliments pouring…” Jared then teases, his boyish grin reaching the tips of his ears.
Anna shakes her head, but there’s no missing the smile on her face. “I’m sure you get enough compliments from the women in your life…” He’s caught a little off guard when she asks, “So have you gone on other dates using the app?”
Jared’s lips tighten for a second at the surprise question, but then, he easily softens the tightness in his face as he says, “I haven’t. You’re probably the first and the last.”
Anna tilts her head down a little bit, as she tries to hide the red tint threatening to surface on her cheeks. Softly, she says, “You’re not the first, but you might definitely be the last.”
And with that, there’s a tug in Jared’s heart, a tug he hasn’t experienced in a long time. It’s been long since he last truly loved, but there’s no story to tell there. He doesn’t walk to talk about a love he found and then lost. Get back to the present, he then says, reminding himself of the beautiful woman sitting beside him who seems to be reciprocating his feelings.
After they devour all the sashimi and sushi rolls and finish a bottle of sake, Anna and Jared are ready to leave the restaurant and head back home. It’s exactly like the last time, during their first date. Jared walks Anna up to her unit with him following closely behind. She leans her back against the door of her apartment and gives him that lovely smile of hers. When their eyes meet though, they realize that something’s changed. Anna’s forest green eyes are more glazed, mistier, and her auburn hair falls in messy voluminous waves as if she
ran her hand through and through. Jared, on the other hand, hitches his breath when it takes her too long to give him a ‘goodnight’ or a one-armed hug. It’s as if she doesn’t want the date to end yet, and so, he tries his luck and closes the distance between their lips.
Jared’s eyes fly open when Anna responds back to the kiss.
Chapter 6
“I’m a virgin.”
Jared’s hand instantly lets go of its hold on Anna’s bra, with only one out of three hooks removed from the clasps. Then, he runs a hand through his mop of blond hair as he presses his palms against the soft covers of Anna’s bed. From where he’s sitting, he can see the teeth marks on Anna’s neck and the patch of skin right above her breasts. Those breasts – full and swelling against her lace black push-up bra are taunting him. They’re so near yet so far at the same time…
“Oh, really?” Jared almost hits himself on the forehead at his reply. It’s insensitive and strikes a negative chord in Anna’s feelings. If the frown on her face isn’t a sign of his word vomit, then Jared doesn’t know what is. He tries to correct himself and make her feel a little bit better by saying, “You know, other women would probably just fake through everything. I like that you told me…”
Anna, finally, meets his eyes. “Of course. I don’t even think sex is something I can fake. You’ll easily see right through me.”
At that moment, Jared’s eyes widen just a little bit at the meaning behind Anna’s words. Does she…
“Maybe you can show me the ropes?” When she says that, Jared feels a little twitch in the area below his belly. Someone’s getting excited… “Can you go slowly with me…?”
With a nod, Jared starts to crawl forward and climb above Anna. As he presses his lips down to kiss her mouth, his one hand starts to rub up and down the side of her waist as his other rests on the bed to support himself. When his lips then move to land a trail of kisses down her neck and until the swell of her breasts, Anna can’t help but elicit a soft moan, and Jared involuntarily grins at the sounds she’s making. It’s his stamp of approval, a somewhat proof that he’s doing a good job.
Then, his hand is back to where it was just a few minutes ago – on her bra. This time, he unhooks the material completely and throws it on the floor. Another twitch comes from his dick as his eyes roam the expanse of Anna’s chest. He’d be stupid to only look and not touch, and so, he moves his head closer. Anna arches her back off the bed when Jared’s fingers start to twist and pull at her taut nipples. Then the moans sound off from her again when he starts licking and sucking at the sensitive skin. Anna’s hands automatically reach up to close around his neck, as she pulls Jared’s head closer against the swell of her breasts. If that were even still possible…he’s already sucking the life out of her…
“Jared…” Anna whispers, when he starts to move his head downwards and towards her most intimate region.
When Jared presses a kiss to her underwear, he can’t help but grin at the moist material. It’s already wet with Anna’s liquid, and Jared doesn’t want to waste time. He pulls her underwear down and off her legs before his head settles just right above her folds of skin. He gives her pussy a kiss before he slips a single finger in. Jared feels a swell of energy at the display of energy and desperation from Anna. A single finger pushing in and out of her is enough to send her moaning like a porn star, and Jared loves hearing her.
Then, Jared slips another finger, and as he pushes and pulls his fingers against her inner walls, Anna starts rocking her hips. When Anna closes her eyes and lets her sense of feel take the front seat, Jared takes the opportunity to stare at the beautiful woman before him. From her disheveled auburn hair to the swell of her breasts – Jared wants all of her.
And he’s going to get it tonight.
“Yes…” Anna moans when Jared’s lips close around her folds as his fingers continue to pull in and out of her. The rocking of her hips comes to a stop when Jared pushes the palm of his hand against her stomach to still her a bit. Then, he darts a tongue forward and inside her entrance. “Jared, yes…”
Her heavy breaths are music to his ears, even more when she utters his name. He feels his erection growing larger and harder against his boxers. Patience, he reminds himself. He’ll have his time later on. For now, all he wants is to give Anna her best experience. It’s her first time – it can’t be anything short of perfect. As if reading his thoughts, Anna pushes Jared’s head away from her pussy. Then, she quietly reaches her fingers up to land around the waistband of his underwear. She pulls his boxers down his legs and sets it down on the bed. Her eyes widen at the sight of his growing erection, and panic starts to rise up inside her. She’s watched porn before. The last time, she doesn’t really remember when it was. But hopefully, she’ll know what to do by taking a lesson or two from the porn stars she’s watched before.
Jared lets out a series of heavy breaths when Anna’s lips close around his head. She swipes pre-cum off the tip before she starts to move her head up and down and up and down. Then, he starts to rock his hips, slowly and carefully.
Jared then closes his eyes and leans his head a bit backwards against his clasped hands. He tries not to grin when Anna starts to pick up the pace, her head moving more frantically up and down his length.
“Slow down…” he reminds her, when she starts making a few gagging noises. “Take your time…”
But time they do not have, and Jared finds his erection twitching much sooner than he expected. Slowly, he pulls his length out of her mouth as he guides her back down onto the bed. As she lies down before him with her knees buckled and folded in triangles, it’s as if she’s begging him to enter her pussy. On full display in front of him, he can see the lips of her pussy moving as she clenches and relaxes them repeatedly.
“Are you sure…?” he asks one last time, making sure she’s thought this through. He’s not going to force her into anything she doesn’t want. But once he starts with her tonight, he won’t be able to stop.
“Yes. I want to,” she breathes. “With you.”
Then, he reaches for his wallet on the bedside table to take a wrapper out. Once it’s snugly fitted around him, Jared positions his erection in front of her entrance, the tip of his length lightly grazing the folds of her skin. Slowly, he starts to push. He tries to go as slowly as he can when he sees Anna wince a little bit.
“It’ll hurt the first time,” he tells her. “But I promise you, it’s going to get better.”
And Jared doesn’t make promises he can’t keep.
Chapter 7
“So…tell me the truth, how was Jared able to trick you into going out with him?” Laura asks, looking at the auburn-haired woman with a hint of a smirk. “I think you’re too pretty for him.”
Anna can’t help but tip the corners of her lips into a shy smile as she slightly shifts her head to the side and a bit downward to hide the blush on her face. She’s usually not super shy when it comes to talking and befriending other people, but she can’t help the star-struck feeling at seeing Laura Harmon, CEO of Love in the Net, standing before her and talking like they’re the best of friends.
“Uh…” It takes a while for Anna to reply. “Maybe, I’m the one tricking him…” Anna then says, shrugging her shoulders, and with that, Laura barks out a laugh.
“I like you already,” Laura says, and to Anna’s surprise, she brings her in for a one-armed hug. “I know we’re going to be good friends.”
“If Jared decides to keep me around…”
Laura lands a light slap on Anna’s shoulder before she shakes her head and lets out a ‘tsk’. “Of course he will. You do know you’re the first person he’s brought to meet me, right?”
Anna shakes her head at that. “I didn’t know.”
“Exactly,” Laura says with a proud smile, and when she looks out at a distance, she can see Jared, with Alex and Nate, walking towards them.
It’s a few minutes past midnight, and the bonfire party is in full swing. Right in th
e middle of the open campgrounds is a towering, commanding flame blazing its light up to a humanly-unreachable height. All around the stacks of logs and rocks sitting beneath the flame are people dancing to the music and playing a variety of drinking games. Sometimes, Jared, Alex, and Nate prefer the noise and the drunken nights, and tonight is one of those times. The icing on the cake is they have their women, Laura and Ana, with them.
“So what lies has she told you about me?” Jared asks, tipping his lips up in a sly smirk as he sidles up to Anna. Then, he casually wraps an arm around her waist as Anna settles more comfortably against him. In reply to his question, Laura opens her mouth into a surprising ‘o’.
“I swear, do all you ever think I do is badmouth you?” Laura asks with a light a chuckle before she rests a hand on her hip and cocks an eyebrow up at him.
Pursuit: A Bad Boy Romance Page 37