Moon over the Bay (Moonlit Nights)

by Morgan Emerson

  Nathan led them on a slow circuit of the floor and kept with the flow of the other dancers. Having her this close made it hard for him to concentrate; Jess’s alluring scent flooded his senses, her soft skin made him ache to touch her all over. Her fiery red hair was all he could see as he lowered his head and rested his cheek on its softness. The jazz sounds flowed around them creating their own bubble of lust and sensuality.

  “This is a beautiful song, and oddly appropriate.” Jess chuckled. He took a moment to listen to the Neil Young song.

  But there’s a full moon risin’

  Let’s go dancing in the light.

  We know where the music’s playin’

  Let’s go out and feel the night.

  “Seems it’s a sign, don’t you think?” Nathan asked.

  “Perhaps, but we don’t have a love story like Sadie and Kyle. We don’t have a story at all,” she whispered the last part.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. A rich girl with a flair for art meets a sexy wannabe actor whose worlds collide because of star-crossed lovers. That’s a pretty decent story.” He glanced down and Jess was staring at his chest.

  “Is that all you think of me . . . a rich girl with a flair for art?”

  Nathan was taken aback by the question. Is that what he really thought?

  “No, I don’t think that. I think that you have a real gift for dealing with people who have an eye for art. I saw how you handled all those stuffy patrons when they thought the work was too racy. That’s not something someone of your age typically knows how to do. So that leads me to believe that you really care about what you do, and you are passionate about your artists.” Nathan held her gaze. Shock was written all across her face at his response. Hell, he didn’t even know where that all came from himself.

  “Uh, well. Thank you, for that,” she said, gifting him with a huge vibrant smile that was worth more to him at this moment than all the acting jobs in the world.

  “Come back to my room with me,” he blurted. Her response was that of surprise and shock. She missed a step and landed on his foot, stumbling before he could catch her. “I’m sorry for being direct, but here’s how I see it. We are both adults, and we both feel this ‘thing’ between us. I’ve thought about you a lot during the last couple of months, and I know our best friends are getting married, so if this ends badly things could get awkward. I’m not looking for forever, but I’m not a total douche. What I think we should do is to go back to my room, fuck until we can’t walk, and get this thing out of our system. We don’t have to tell Kyle and Sadie if you don’t want to.”

  At some point during his little pitch they had stopped dancing and were standing right in the middle of the floor. Jess stared at him, and he could see her mind moving behind her expressive gray eyes. Just as he was thinking she was going to reject his offer, she moved closer.

  “Yes,” she breathed against his lips before brushing hers against them. Nathan was stunned for a split second before he dove into the kiss and turned it from sweet to molten in a flash.

  “Let’s go, now,” Jess hissed with urgency as they made it back to their table to grab their things and headed out to hail a cab.

  _____

  As they stepped off the elevator of the hotel, Jess started to panic. Was this really happening? Was she finally going to get her hands all over Nathan? Was he finally going to touch her in all the places that had ached for months? God, she hoped so because if he were to back out now she might beat him with a very heavy object.

  They stopped in front of her hotel door, which was farther away from Kyle and Sadie’s than Nathan’s room was, and she frantically dug through her purse for the stupid key card that seemed to have gotten engulfed. Nathan moved in close behind her and she could feel his heat on her back. She felt something else too. Jess dropped her key card, and as she bent to pick it up, her rear end pressed right up against his arousal. She gasped, and he growled before snatching the card from her and shoving it into the lock.

  Nathan threw open the door and literally yanked Jess in before she knew what was going on. His hungry mouth was on hers the same time her back hit the wall. After a few seconds of shock, Jess’s mind joined the party her body was already at. She dropped her purse and wrapped herself around Nathan like she’d wanted to do for so long.

  Her fingers found his soft blond hair, curling around it as if to anchor herself to him even though he was pressed against her from chest to knees. Nathan’s kisses were intoxicating and made Jess feel drunk on lust for this man who was all wrong for her. But in this moment she didn’t care who he was, only that he was touching her, and she was on fire. At any moment, her clothes were going to burn away and leave nothing but ashes.

  Nathan made his way over to her neck where he kissed and nibbled the spot behind her ear. Letting out a soft moan, Jess moved her hands to Nathan’s bow tie and pulled. He stepped back and finished taking it off as Jess started pushing his jacket over his shoulders. His large muscled arms flexed under the white linen of his shirt as he tossed his the tie and jacket onto the floor. When she started in on the buttons of his shirt, Nathan just yanked the shirt open, scattering buttons through the air. Jess’s already damp panties were soaked now.

  The pure masculine beauty of Nathan stunned Jess as she watched him pull off his shirt. Starting with broad shoulders that topped his perfectly formed, muscled pecs, and he even had those sexy defined muscles over his ribs. But it was his abs that deserved to have a sonnet written about them. He gave new meaning to the term “washboard abs.” Jess felt herself drooling, so she tried to collect her hazy thoughts and looked up at Nathan, barely catching the look of hunger in his eyes at her obvious appreciation before he pounced on her again.

  This time he cupped her face with his big hands as he assaulted her senses. His skin was like lava under her hands where she ran them around his waist and up his back. He moved his fingers to the back of her head and started removing the pins and combs used to fashion her hairstyle. She felt the shift in her scalp as her curls rained down her neck and onto her face. Nathan pulled back and gently swept the hair from her eyes.

  “You are so fucking gorgeous. Your eyes have haunted me for months,” he said, his gaze heated. Jess’s pulse raced as he leaned in and kissed her eyelids. She let out a deep breath when his lips made their way down her cheek to her lips again.

  The sound of tearing fabric shot her eyes open. The cool air brushing over her bare skin signaled that Nathan had torn the dress right off her. She gasped in disbelief and looked down to see her very expensive dress in a puddle at her feet. If she weren’t so aroused at the moment, she’d be upset at the waste. But before she could think of what to say Nathan scooped her up and made his way to the bed.

  _____

  Nathan wanted to go slow and savor the moment. But one look at her standing there in a skin-tone lacy bra with matching panties and garters blew his mind. She looked nearly naked at first glance except for her flushed skin. Her nipples strained against the cups of her bra, like Nathan’s erection was pressed painfully behind his zipper.

  He tossed Jess into the middle of the bed like a rag doll and crawled up to press his skin against hers. He’d never seen skin that translucent; it was flawless except for a slight spattering of freckles in places. While wrapping one arm under her to keep her close, he kissed her mouth with all the lust he felt. It was a brutal kiss, but he just couldn’t find his normal control. Using his free hand, he unhooked her bra before tossing it off the bed. Soft clunking noises soon followed as they both kicked off their shoes, landing in random areas of the floor.

  Jess reached for the closure of his pants at the same time he pulled at her panties. She had been a smart girl and worn them over her garter belt so they were easy to remove. Nathan nearly jumped out of his skin when her soft delicate fingers wrapped around his aching cock. As she pumped him a few times, she used her free hand to push his slacks and boxers down. Not wanting to break their kiss, he growled when he pull
ed away, and he reached down to pull one leg then the other free of their confines. He quickly dug in his pocket and tossed the condoms he had stowed away on the bed. Nathan wanted to thank the heavens for having the foresight to grab a few from his suitcase before they left for the viewing. Making quick work of sheathing himself, he settled between Jess’s gorgeous creamy thighs. Next round he would spend worshipping her like the pagan goddess she was, but for now he just wanted to put out the fire that was clouding his mind.

  Nathan caressed both of Jess’s breasts and lifted them to meet his mouth. He suckled first one nipple and then the other. She cried out when he nibbled on each nipple before releasing them and moving back to her mouth. As their tongues battled and their breaths mixed, Nathan slid one finger through her wetness before positioning himself and thrusting home. Jess cried out again and dug her nails into his shoulders.

  Damn, he could die a happy man now. Jess felt as magnificent as he dreamed she would. She felt soft and curvy beneath him even as her body gripped his cock like a fist made of hot silk. He held still a moment to give her time to adjust but also to calm his nerves. He knew this wouldn’t take long, but he needed her with him the whole way.

  Gripping her hips, Nathan pulled his knees up and raised her pelvis at the same time, allowing him deeper penetration. Jess’s hands gripped his thighs, and her legs wrapped around his waist as he thrust into her with sure, solid strokes. She was panting and mewling with each thrust and her skin glistened with sweat.

  Nathan felt the build-up of his oncoming orgasm, so he moved one hand and found her clit with his thumb. She threw her head back and let out a wail of ecstasy when he made quick hard circles around her clit. As her orgasm washed over her, her pussy clamped down on Nathan so hard that he was coming before he even realized what had happened. His vision blurred, and he was panting as she milked everything he had out of him. Never had an orgasm been pulled from him like that. Nathan was a little stunned by the revelation.

  He rolled them to their sides when he fell, so he was lying on the bed next to her. Both were covered in sweat and trying to catch their breath. Nathan felt hazy and warm all over as if he had drunk a whole bottle of scotch, and he couldn’t open his eyes even if he wanted to. Minutes ticked by, and eventually he summoned up enough energy to run his hand up and down the thigh Jess still had hooked around him.

  “Holy shit,” she murmured. His thoughts exactly!

  Jess made a sound, and Nathan looked over thinking she was choking. He found instead that she was trying to choke back laughter! She started by covering her mouth, but it quickly turned into a giggling fit before all out belly laughing. Her joy was contagious, but he had no idea what was so funny.

  “I hope we aren’t laughing about my prowess just now.” He chuckled as he rested his head on his hand and looked down at her from his side. He admired the way her breasts swayed with her laughter and how her legs looked still incased in her stockings.

  “Oh, that is not what I’m laughing about, at all. I’m laughing because I’ve had the best sex in my entire life, and I’m still thinking about my dress that is in shreds on the floor.” She covered her face with her hands. After a deep breath she looked over at him and must’ve seen his confusion.

  “That dress cost almost double what this entire trip cost, including four plane tickets and three hotel rooms. I may be from a rich family, but I’m not wasteful.” Jess smiled.

  Ah, Nathan understood now. He had ruined one of her pricey items. Just another thing driving home how different they were. She probably had a whole closet full of designer dresses. He was never frivolous with money, even though he had six figures in his bank account and his portfolio would make some men cry. He still drove his six-year-old Mustang; it was something he splurged on and had worked for, so it was special. Nathan understood the value of a dollar thanks to growing up with a drug-addicted mother. He quickly shook those thoughts away and refocused on his bedmate.

  “I’m sorry about the dress, but I couldn’t wait to get you naked. Looks like I did a bad job of that it seems,” he said as he sat up and moved down the bed where he started to remove her garter belt.

  “I’m definitely not complaining,” Jess mumbled as she stretched out like a sated kitten. Nathan ran his fingers along the inside of the lace tops of her stockings before slowly sliding them down and kissing every inch of newly bared skin. By the time he had both stockings off, Jess was panting again and arching her back.

  “In my haste to get you naked, I neglected to worship your flawless skin. This, however, is a mistake I’m going to rectify this very minute.” Jess laughed at the formal voice Nathan was using. He spent the next several hours, however, doing just as he promised.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Jess woke as the room started to lighten with the morning sun. She took a mental note of her sore spots while Nathan slept wrapped around her. His arm was over her waist and cupping her breast while his legs were pressing against the back of hers, their feet tangled. The previous evening flashed through her mind, the man was a masterful lover, and she realized how very pitiful and lacking her sex life had been prior to last night.

  Along with the memories of mind-blowing sex came the memories that Nathan had shared of his childhood. He’d seemed surprised when she asked, but after some time he told her about his single mother who loved self-medicating due to the loss of his father who had died when Nathan was four. Being an only child made it was easy for him to do his own thing. He managed to go to school every day on his own and make good grades. He explained how he got into drama class at school and how he spent time with the stage crew who taught him about computers. That would explain his big setup back at the apartment in San Francisco when she first met him.

  The glimpse Nathan had allowed her of his painful past really helped change her view of his carefree, actor personality. She realized it was all an act, something to use as a shield, but it didn’t really matter anyway. This was just a fun thing, nothing serious. He could still be using her for her family’s money, but the thought didn’t feel right anymore. Either way, it was best to keep her distance from him.

  Jess gently reached over and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. She had resisted looking at it last night, but wanted it within reach for the morning. Now an excited buzz ran through her as she unlocked the screen and pulled up her email app. The icon indicated she had over thirty emails! Trying to contain herself from wiggling too much, she started to read.

  A of couple hours later, she had moved from the bed and was now sitting in a chair facing the window and looking over her schedule. The emails she had received that morning had been fruitful, and she had a whole list of things to talk about with Sadie. Jess knew she was going to be as excited about the response to the show as she was.

  “I’m glad to see you’re free for the day,” Nathan said in a sleepy voice right next to her ear. Jess nearly jumped out of her skin. He chuckled at her response.

  “I’m sorry, Jess, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He planted a kiss on the top of her head before taking a seat next to her in all his naked and aroused glory. Not that she was complaining. His smirk and her obvious gawking meant he didn’t mind it either.

  “It’s okay. I was just daydreaming as usual,” she said and looked down at her phone.

  “You’re a daydreamer? I find that surprising. Were you dreaming of some prince charming coming to recue you from your ivory tower?”

  Jess’s temper flared at yet another comment about her being spoiled.

  “Look, Nathan, it’s obvious that you think I’m some spoiled brat, but I’m not. While I won’t say I hate my parents’ money, I will say that I hate the pomp and circumstance that comes with it. With my parents having the life they have, there were a lot of holidays spent at parties with their so-called friends who had awful children I was expected to play with. There were summers spent in various vacation homes where the kids would laugh at my fair skin and red hair because I didn’t look like the typica
l rich girl. I’m not saying my life was hard, but it sure as hell wasn’t a cake walk.” Jess started to get up, but Nathan grabbed her wrist.

  “Please stay. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way,” Nathan pleaded.

  Jess could tell he was sincere and relaxed.

  “If you were so unhappy why didn’t you say something to your parents?” he asked while still holding her hand. He ran his thumb back and forth against her skin, causing tingles to shoot up her arm.

  “I did once, right before we were going to the Hamptons for the summer. The look my dad gave me, it still haunts me. After I told him about how I felt, he looked . . . sad, maybe even defeated. His looked destroyed me so I told him I’d try harder to make friends. His whole face lit up, and I wanted to make sure I did all I could to make him look at me like that all the time. I got straight As and was valedictorian. I always kept everything clean and never got into trouble. Whenever I’d do some social thing he wanted and rubbed elbows with the people he wanted, he’d smile. We’d talk about the business at dinner, and he’d be animated and lively.” Her voice cracked as Nathan continued to caress her hand.

  “When I told him I was going to college to major in art history and not finance, he didn’t give me the look I expected, the defeated one from before. He looked amused maybe? As if he knew I hated doing all that networking but was surprised I had the nerve to do what I wanted. Of course, he launched into how finance was the family business and blah blah. Dad supported me as much as he could, but I had to compromise on a few things. Not all of which were awful,” she said smiling.

  “What about your mom? Did you talk to her about any of it?”