by Milly Taiden
After that, he wet some more and tended to her. He wiped between her legs so carefully, she could do nothing more than stare while her heart melted.
Her vision was riveted on his hand while he stroked her pussy and thighs. Her nipples drew tight. How nice it was to have him touching her with the warm towels. He helped her stand and turned her to face him. Their lips met in a kiss she very much needed. She couldn’t say why. She just did.
His words about them making babies, god, that had hit so close to her heart. She’d been wanting children since she and Nick started dating seriously. Now with Jared talking about it like he’d give them to her, it really fucked with her ability to say no to him.
Something was going on there. It both scared and drew her in at the same time. Winding her arms around his neck, she drove her fingers into his hair. He hugged her tightly, slipping his fingers through her hair and caressing her skull.
Emotions were a bitch. Feelings she’d never felt started to make an appearance, but she didn’t want them. No. For all she knew, this wouldn’t last past the wedding. Her mind rebelled. Those same emotions wanted it to be for longer. Much longer.
She kissed his jaw and hugged him back. Just hugged him. It was the first time in a long time a man held her. She allowed herself to wonder at possible what-ifs. Reality made its presence known in the form of Jazz.
“Hello-oh.” His unmistakable voice sounded from the other side of the door.
Lurching back in Jared’s arms, she peered up at him. His scowl told her he was not happy with the interruption.
“You both need to get your nookie over with so we can continue this party. Nina is starting to stress over where you could’ve gone, Lucky. Now get your asses back in your clothes and let’s party like it’s nineteen-ninety-nine.”
She grinned. He rolled his eyes and replied to Jazz. “We’ll be right there.”
“Save the next nookie session for later, when we’re not so busy.” He chuckled as his footsteps drew away.
Jared bent down, picked up her dress, and handed it to her. She noticed he had grabbed the thong and shoved it into his pocket. When she glanced at him with lifted brows, he simply shrugged.
“It’s wet and will be uncomfortable. I’ll hold it for you.”
If she hadn’t seen the sparkle of sexual innuendo in his eyes, she would have thought he was being a gentleman, but clearly he just wanted another pair of her panties.
“What, are you starting a collection?” she asked and put on the dress, which thankfully had a built-in bra or he’d probably keep that, too.
“Maybe.” Once her clothes were on, he cupped her face. Of course, there was nothing she could do about the lipstick that had disappeared and the mussed up hair. She ran her fingers through it, but the curls just didn’t want to stop looking like she’d just rolled out of bed. “Leave it. I like the woman-well-loved look on you.”
She snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure it will go over real well when Nina and Alex see me. They will know what we were doing in here.”
He chuckled. “Sweetheart, I hate to break this to you, but I am pretty sure your boy Jazz already told them what we were doing in here.”
“Ugh.” She turned to open the bathroom door so they could get out, but he stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Lucky…”
Turning on her heel back to him, she noticed him frowning. “What is it?”
“This is not just sex.” He stared deeply into her eyes. “You know that, right? Sex is not this deep, this powerful. I want you. I want more of everything with you. I want a future. I want more, period.”
Panic bubbled up inside her, almost choking her with its intensity. She wanted to believe that so much, it was making her dizzy. But what if he said that now, and in a few days—or weeks—changed his mind and decided to play her? She wasn’t in the mood for games.
With how fast her feelings for him were developing, she couldn’t handle things moving that way. They had to take it slow or she wouldn’t be able to see him at all. “I already told you, we’ll see how things go until the wedding, and then discuss possibilities.”
Turning back to the door, she opened it and walked out. She stopped at the office entrance and looked up at him. “Don’t push me. I don’t like being told what to do. If you want to spend more time with me, you need to understand that right now.”
* * *
“So…” Jazz lifted his brows and waited.
She sipped the hot coffee, its sugary caffeinated flavor bursting on her tongue. Her mind wasn’t awake enough to handle his inquisition.
Drinking more of the delicious brew, she ignored the curiosity in Jazz’s gaze and replayed the previous night’s events. Jared’s attitude had softened, and he’d been the perfect companion through the rest of the evening. It was kind of freaky.
“Luckyyyy! If you keep ignoring me, I’m going to pout and whine until you tell me what the heck happened between you and the bad boy, Mr. Sexy.”
“Bad boy?” She grinned. Jazz could be very imaginative, but this time she really thought he was spot on. Jared might dress in a suit, but she saw the rough side of him underneath. His eyes always spoke for him—harsh and gentle, passionate and untamed. All of it made her want to get to know each side of him. And if things went as they had tentatively set, she would.
“Hell yes! You didn’t see the look he gave you and the guy you were dancing with. I swear, chica, he was jealous. He’d glance away, but his gaze kept straying back to you. It was kind of fun to watch a man so torn between going to you and staying away.”
“You think he was torn?” She was certainly torn with her decisions of him, but it was so hard to fight the chemistry and pull he seemed to have on her, and apparently he felt the same way. It was refreshing and helped her feel a bit more at ease that he was also fighting some of the attraction he felt. Not to mention the minute he mentioned children she was done for.
“Oh yes. He was torn, pissed-off, unsure, and in the end he just gave up and decided to approach you on the dance floor.”
She grinned when Jazz waggled his brows. “I loved how you just walked away and left him standing there. You should’ve seen his face. Priceless. He looked like a little lost puppy.”
“I highly doubt Jared Thomas has ever looked like a lost puppy.” Just the image made her chuckle.
Jazz tore out the insides of his bagel and dumped them on a separate plate before applying a thick coat of cream cheese to the toasty brown skin. “That’s because you didn’t see what I saw. Trust me, girl, you can make him do flips if you wanted.”
She bit into her croissant and watched Jazz cut his bagel into quarters before he took a tiny bite. “I don’t want him to do flips. I just don’t want to be lied to again. Is that such a big deal?”
He waved his hand in a negative and drank his coffee. “No, it’s not. Is that all you want?”
“No, I’d like it for him to kiss me softly. To hold my hand and tell me sweet things. To be romantic and then take me against the wall and bang me like a screen door in a hurricane.”
Jazz choked on his food. “Well, shit. That’s something you don’t hear every day,” he laughed. “Okay, then.”
She grinned at the way he coughed and laughed at her words. “You okay there?”
He nodded. “Yes. I am sure Mr. Sexy would definitely bang you like a screen door in a hurricane.”
She sighed. “Probably. Okay, yes, he would. But I also don’t want him playing games. I’m so tired of games.”
“And I really don’t think he’ll be playing those games with you.”
“Who knows, Jazz? I’m taking this one day at a time. The last thing I want is another rich man who’s going to use me as his personal game and leave me heartbroken again.” She had a feeling if she continued to spend time with Jared, her feelings would be in jeopardy. She glanced down at her vibrating cell phone.
“What’s going on?” Jazz asked when she stared at her phone for a while.
She bit her lip. Her stomach did a flip as she reread the message. “Jared wants to see me again.”
Jazz bounced in his seat, excitement visible in his sparkling dark eyes. “So see him! What are you waiting for? Do you want me to reply for you?”
“Heck, no!” She put the smartphone closer to her chest and hit Reply.
“When are you going to see him?”
She grinned and knew exactly how to see if he really wanted to get to know her, or if he just wanted to have a warm body every time he wanted a good fuck.
“I think the day after tomorrow.” She typed her reply, hit Send, and locked the screen before she changed her mind.
“Wait.” Jazz frowned. “Don’t you have catering stuff to do then?”
She grinned. “I do. Nobody said he can’t come with me.”
Jazz’s eyes widened. “Ooooh! you evil, awesome woman! You’re going to make him sit through tastings and decoration talk!”
She giggled and shrugged. “I am. Can’t wait to see how he handles it.”
7
Lucky made her way to Jared’s waiting sports car with a smile. He was lucky Nina lived in one of the suburbs and didn’t have to fight city traffic.
She headed for his car with a spring in her step.
So what if she’d worn one of her prettiest sundresses and took extra care to do her makeup and hair for her appointments. It wasn’t for him. Okay, maybe it was for him. But she hadn’t seen him in two days, and she’d come to the decision after seeing Nina with Max and Alex with Andrew that she would take it all in stride.
He was leaning back on the passenger side of his car, wearing faded blue jeans and a white T-shirt that showed off the tattoo on his left arm. She gulped, remembering how sexy it had been to trace the lines of ink with her fingers and then her tongue. His searching gaze met hers.
“Hi.” She stopped in front of him.
Her skin warmed with the way he licked his lips and raked his gaze over her. “You look incredible.”
Tamping down her enthusiasm over his words was harder than she thought. “Thank you. I hope you don’t mind running around with me today.”
She had yet to tell him what they would be doing. Even after multiple calls and texts, she’d kept him in the dark. Now she wondered if it had been a good idea after all.
“Not at all. Let’s go wherever you need.”
He closed the distance between them and wrapped one hand around her waist while the other cupped her cheek. There was passion in his eyes but also something else. Her breath hitched.
From where she stood, it appeared he was content. Joy filled her chest at how light and relaxed he seemed. She slapped her hands around his neck, hauled him down, and attached her lips to his. The intensity of the kiss was explosive. Not because they were ready to tear at their clothes—though she felt as if she could—but because he wasn’t dark and broody today. Instead, his kiss was a soft attack on her feelings and her mouth.
Their lips and tongues danced; a slow dance of pleasure and teasing that could make the toughest woman weak-kneed. He was still possessive in his swipes, but now there was softness to his touch.
She believed he had two different men inside him: the wild lover who could wet her panties with one look, and the smooth charmer who could melt her into a puddle.
“We need to go, before I decide to kidnap you and hold you at my mercy for the rest of the day.” He pressed his forehead to hers and stared deeply into her eyes. “And if I have you to myself, I won’t be letting you go anytime soon.”
Mind and body in an emotional upheaval at the rough sound of his voice, she pulled away. He opened her door and waited until she had put on her belt before shutting it for her. Curious to see how he’d react, she mentally prepared herself for his excuses on needing to go elsewhere so he wouldn’t have to put up with her to-do list.
“Where to first?” He started the car and turned to look at her.
“The venue. I have to ensure the table setups are according to my e-mails and Nina’s requests.” She gave him the name of the function’s facility the wedding was being held at and went back and forth between watching his profile and the road.
“Sounds good.”
She gaped at him. Waited for the imminent “you’re on your own,” but it never came.
He glanced at her and laughed, a full, booming sound that slid over her skin like warm butter. For the first time, she saw laugh lines appear at the corner of his eyes. Her heart filled with joy. She liked hearing him laugh, and it was clear he didn’t do it very often.
Jared glanced at Lucky’s shocked face and laughed again. She had the cutest wide-eyed look of surprise; it made him want to stop the car and kiss her lips, which were currently forming an O of surprise.
“I am guessing you weren’t expecting me to agree?”
He glanced at her again. A flush covered her cheeks. “I didn’t think you’d be so accommodating.”
“Why not? I said I wanted to spend time with you. That means any way I can get it, even if it’s being your Jazz while we’re at the venue.”
She choked on a giggle. “Trust me, you are no Jazz.”
“Don’t think I’m good enough?”
“Oh, you’re good. Too good,” she mumbled and licked her lips.
Great. He was trying to behave, he really was, but how could he not think of sex when she said things like that and proceeded to nibble on her lips, plumping them even more? His cock sat up, ready for action. Not like she wasn’t his woman already. What harm would taking her inside his car do? Probably not the romance she wanted but fuck! At least he’d get some relief.
“So you don’t think I know about decoration? I can prove you wrong. I have two sisters who had nothing better to do than teach me that purple and pink worked well together and blue and silver made a great combination.”
She was listening to him quietly. A smile flirted over her full lips. “They also teach you about centerpieces and table setup?”
He shrugged. “I’m not admitting to anything that makes me sound like Martha Stewart.”
She laughed and he grinned. Her laughter was infectious and made him want to hear it again.
“The last thing I’d see you as is Martha Stewart.”
Still grinning, he glanced at her eyes. They were filled with mischief. “Oh, really? I guess now I’ll have to prove you wrong, just so you don’t think I’m boasting.”
“What do you have in mind?” Her voice turned husky. He gripped the wheel, almost missed a turn, and tried to calm the raging hard-on in his pants.
He peeked at her before turning back to the road. She was looking at him with longing and enough desire to burn through his clothes. “Come over for dinner tonight.”
“I can’t tonight. We’re having a girls’ night with Nina.” She sounded apologetic.
“Tomorrow then.”
He flicked a quick glance at her and noticed a wide smile settle over her lips. “All right.”
He slowed for the red light at the next intersection. His heart soared and he wanted to smile but didn’t want to look insecure in front of her. “Perfect, I’ll pick you up around seven.”
Unable to suppress it any longer, a smile broke out on his face as he watched the cross traffic directly in front of them.
From the rearview mirror, movement caught Jared’s eye. A white car was coming up behind them moving faster than it should be.
He worried about the car not stopping, but the driver looked to be paying attention, not distracted. He glanced at Lucky to see if she had her seatbelt on. She did. She must’ve caught his look.
“My face is up here, not at boob level—“
Jared’s head whipped forward as the car was hit from behind and literally pushed into the intersection with crossing traffic. He immediately looked at Lucky to make sure she was okay and saw a Mac truck bearing down outside her window.
The truck’s horn ripped through the air, smoke rising from its tires scree
ching on the blacktop, trying to stop.
Jared smashed down the accelerator pedal on reflex. The car jerked forward, snapping their heads back. The car’s sport suspension quickly reacted and zipped them through to the other side of intersection.
He whipped the car into a parking lot there at the corner and squealed his tires to a stop. They sat in silence, both breathing heavily, shock rolling through them.
Jared twisted in his seat to look back at the white car that hit them. It turned and headed down the street, out of sight. Hit and run. Bastard. Probably drunk. That made a police report on the incident almost worthless. All he could tell them was his car was hit by a white one.
He took Lucky’s shaking hand. “Are you all right? What can I do for you?”
She looked around almost in a daze. “You can pick up my heart which is back on the other side of the light. Holy shit, Jared. We were almost killed.”
Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed her knuckles. “But we’re fine. It was just an accident.”
“Yeah, I know, but still. Damn.” A small laugh bubbled out, releasing the intense stress inside her as she slapped a hand over her chest. “Jesus Christ, Jared. Shit, that was scary. We almost need to go back to my place.”
That puzzled him. “Why?”
She grinned. “To replace the clothes I almost shit in when I saw the truck inches from my window.” He brushed his fingers along her cheek and down the back side of her head. He didn’t know what else to do to calm her, make her all right again.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. Not ever.”
Lucky smiled at him, took a deep breath and looked at her watch. “I’m better now. We have a few minutes. Let’s look at the bumper to see the damage.” She opened her door.
He hadn’t even thought about the car. It didn’t matter. Any body repair shop could fix it, or he’d just buy a new one. He opened his door and stepped out.
At the rear of the car, he wrapped his arms around her waist as they stood and examined the back end. The bumper was bent and some of the trunk was pushed in, but nothing to make the car unsafe to drive.