by Lea Nolan
Or when he’d made that declaration about not wanting a relationship. Normally, women responded with a range of emotions from placid agreement to wild defensiveness. A fair share seemed eager to agree to his terms, but he soon recognized the knowing glint in their eye meant they were simply yes-ing him in the heat of the moment, intending to worm their way into his heart, then wear him down over time.
But not Raven. She’d laughed. Fucking laughed. Not because she thought he was funny or was okay with him not wanting to date her. She had no interest in having a relationship with him.
Jack wasn’t used to being on the opposite side of that proposition. It was the cold side. The choice-less side. The powerless side. The not-Jack side.
He had to admit—but only to himself—not being wanted stung.
Which was pretty messed up. Because in the gray light of day, nothing had changed. He still wasn’t looking for a relationship, even with Raven. If his life depended on it, he couldn’t say much about her beyond her obvious stunning looks, enticing curves, and alluring personality that kept drawing him in. He didn’t know the particulars of her life—where she lived, where she’d worked last, or what she wanted to do next with her life.
So why did it hurt that she didn’t want him—and wouldn’t even consider being with him?
And why, after all the hours he’d poured into his body over the years, sculpting and strengthening his muscles, did he feel vulnerable when he stood before her naked? He knew what he looked like. He was an athlete, still in prime condition. Plenty of women lusted after his body. But last night, he’d cared what Raven thought of him.
He still cared.
This woman was screwing with his brain and messing with his heart, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.
Maybe it was best to let last night be a one-time thing and give together-but-separate an actual try. If they never had sex again, he wouldn’t have to worry about his precious feelings.
But all that bullshit was secondary to the clanging as more shutters slammed against the house. He shoved on his sweatpants, grabbed a sweater, then went to find Raven.
Her bedroom door was still shut tight, and there was no smell of coffee wafting up from the kitchen.
He knocked softly on her door. “Raven?” There was no response. He knocked again, this time harder. When there was no answer, he opened the door slowly. There she was, asleep on her bed, a black satin sleep mask over her eyes. She was as entrancing as the first time he happened upon her sleeping. His very own Sleeping Beauty.
“Raven.” He entered, Brilla trailing behind him. The wind and rain lashed the window, but she didn’t stir. He placed a hand on her bare shoulder. “Raven, wake up.”
She sat up with a start, pushing the mask up on her forehead. It took her a moment to focus on him, and then a smile curled her lips. “Good morning.” She stretched, arching her back as her elegant arms reached toward the ceiling. “How did you sleep?”
“Fine, until the wind started banging the shutters. Can’t you hear them?” He pointed to the window. The clanging echoed through the house. “This storm is a lot worse than I expected.”
Raven climbed out of bed wearing nothing but a tank top and a fresh pair of light blue lace panties and went to the window. The scent of lavender and vanilla filled the air. She’d showered before bed and must have covered herself in lotion before slipping into the sheets.
A frown marred her beautiful face. “Crap. We have to close all the shutters.” She pulled a pair of jeans from a pile of clothes on the dresser and shoved them on.
Brilla padded over to Raven, tail wagging, and sat down at her feet. Raven peered down at the little furry beast. “Hello, doggie. Are we going to be friends today?”
Brilla barked, though Jack wasn’t sure if it was in agreement. He was more worried about what Raven had said about the shutters. “All of them?” he asked. This was a big house, three stories tall, and he wasn’t interested in scaling it during the storm.
Raven zipped her jeans. “Better safe than sorry. One year we didn’t, and a bunch of windows broke, and a few shutters ripped off their hinges.” Raven dug a sweatshirt from the pile and tossed it over her tank top.
“I’m going to have to climb a ladder, aren’t I?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, just lean out a few windows.” She slid her feet into a pair of slip-on sneakers.
They started on the third floor, followed every step by Brilla. In each room, they opened the windows, removed the screens, locked down the shutters, then closed each window. By the time they’d reached the ground floor, they were well past damp and had gotten pretty damn good at the teamwork thing.
Raven stepped into the kitchen to make coffee. “We need the shutters from the garage for the back windows,” she called.
Jack peered out the picture window in the living room. The ocean was an ugly charcoal gray, dotted with frothy white caps. Beach sand whipped on the wind, and the dune beyond the house had already begun to change shape. The weather app on his cell, and his personal experience hanging out each of the upper floor windows, said it was near freezing.
“We’re going outside,” he muttered, deadpan.
Raven joined him, wearing her a windbreaker. “We’ll be in and out in a couple of minutes. Half the deck is covered. It’ll be a piece of cake.”
And damn, that gleaming smile of hers could get him to do just about anything.
It was not a piece of cake. Lugging the large shutters for the ocean-side windows and sliding doors was a giant pain in the ass. Mounting them in the middle of a nor’easter was an even bigger clusterfuck. But they persisted, and with shaking, drenched fingers, they finally got those motherfuckers in place.
Jack had never been so grateful for central heating as when they stepped back into the house. Even Brilla had the good sense to stay out only long enough to do her business, then come straight back inside.
Raven’s jaw trembled. “We’d better g-g-et these w-w-et clothes off before we c-c-catch cold. L-l-laundry room.” She turned and sprinted for the small room off the rear of the kitchen.
She shed her jacket, then tried to peel her soaked sweatshirt off her body but got stuck midway through. “Um . . . h-help.” Her arms were tangled in the waterlogged cloth above her head.
Jack tossed his own sweater and T-shirt into the open washer, then freed her from her sweatshirt.
“T-thanks.” She whipped off her freezing tank, leaving her topless.
Jack barely noticed since he was too busy removing his drenched sweatpants, which had chilled him straight to the bone. By the time they were in the washer along with the rest of the clothes, Raven was fighting to free her legs from her jeans. Jack reached down and gave her an extra hand, stripping them off her skin.
Raven’s teeth rattled, but she still managed a smile. “Th-thank you.” Her shoulders were hunched, and her arms were tight against her body, her wrists crossed at her breasts. She shook like a leaf in a hurricane.
“Come here.” He pulled her to his chest and wrapped himself around her, letting his chin gently rest against the top of her head. Breathing deep, he drank her in. She was soft and smelled like rain. And though she was so much smaller than him and her features so petite, in his arms, she felt like she was made to fit against his body. His wide palms stroked the length of her back.
Raven exhaled and relaxed into him, releasing her arms. On a sigh, she threaded her hands around his waist and nuzzled her face against his left pec. He imagined she was listening to his heartbeat and wondered if it quickened as their skin heated against each other.
She tilted her head to meet his gaze. “You’re so warm.” Her brown eyes searched his.
“As warm as you.” God, she was gorgeous.
“Kiss me.”
And . . . there went his plan to keep things platonic. Together-but-separate was impossible with this woman. He wanted to be around her. In her. Whatever it took.
He tilted his head and granted her wish. Th
eir mouths met, and this time, there was a familiarity to their kisses that was as comforting as it was exciting. They were getting to know each other’s likes and wants and could anticipate each other’s needs.
Jack knew Raven liked it when he swept his tongue across hers, then retreated so she could do the same to him. Or when he caught her bottom lip between his teeth and gave it a little tug or trailed a long and lazy line of kisses up her neck that made her skin prickle. And she knew he liked when she nipped at the stubble on his chin, or sucked his tongue, or dug her fingers in his hair as they kissed.
Jack needed more of Raven. Needed her closer. He hoisted her up and set her on the top of the dryer. Now, with him between her legs, they were closer to eye level.
As if on cue, Brilla trotted into the laundry room, proof she either tracked sex pheromones or had the worst timing ever.
He pointed his finger toward the kitchen. “I like you, dog, but out.” Brilla hung her head and slunk out the door. Jack kicked it closed behind her, then turned back to Raven. “Now, where was I?”
“I think you were about to touch my breasts.”
God, he loved how forward she was. “Like this?” He reached for her soft flesh.
She drew in a quick breath and nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“Is this okay?” His fingertips rolled over her pearled nipples.
Her eyes burned into his. “More than okay.”
He tugged gently at the rounded pearls, then dipped his head to kiss them. Her breasts were so soft and round. He took one nipple into his mouth and licked and sucked it just the way she liked.
Raven moaned, and her fingers trailed through his hair. “Oh, Jack,” she whispered.
Nothing got him hotter than knowing he’d given a woman pleasure. Right now, judging from the murmurings coming from the woman in front of him, he was a human torch.
He pressed his hips against her, and she dug her nails into his back.
“You make me crazy.”
“I’m going to need a whole lot more than this,” she said.
Anything. Everything. “Tell me what you want.”
“Sex, Jack. I need to have sex. Right now.”
Hell, he loved a woman who knew what she wanted. But there was one problem. “I don’t have a condom.”
“Back pocket of my jeans.”
He laughed. “When did you put that in there?”
“Last night before I went to bed. I figured we might need it and wanted to be prepared.” She wiggled out of her panties.
“I’m glad you did.” He fished her jeans from the washer and found the little foil pack. A couple of moments later, he was ready.
She cupped his jaw in her hands and kissed him as he entered her. Her mouth opened on a sigh as she adjusted to his size, then chuckled to herself.
“What’s so funny?” he asked as she draped her arms around his neck and her legs around his back.
“Everything about you is super-sized, isn’t it?” she asked.
His male pride couldn’t help but smile at the compliment. “Afraid so.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Good, because I’m going to fuck you hard.”
Her ankles tightened around him. “The harder, the better.”
As promised, he rode her until she came apart in his arms, and he followed moments later. When their hearts stopped pounding, and they both came up for air, he met her gaze. What he saw in those beautiful, brown eyes was startling.
She had no hidden agenda. No ulterior motive. Just honesty. His professional life—no, pretty much his entire life—was filled with people who had an agenda. Even Andre, his best friend, had started as a business relationship.
But Raven was different. She didn’t know who he was, so she couldn’t want him for his power, status, or money. She’d didn’t want a relationship. All she wanted was this moment. There was something pure and intoxicating about that.
Raven looked at him eagerly, as if she expected him to say something. But he didn’t want to ruin this with words. Instead, before withdrawing, he took her delicate chin in his hand, placed his lips on hers, and kissed her sweet and slow.
When their lips finally parted, she smiled as she adjusted his hair, sweeping a curl up and off his forehead. “You’re not half bad to wake up to.”
“You didn’t wake up with me,” he corrected.
She nodded. “True.”
Slowly, he pulled back his hips.
Raven pouted. “Oh, I miss you already.”
He ran his thumb across her full bottom lip, still swollen from their kisses. “I’m still right here, and the day is young.”
Her eyes lit with excitement. “What do you have planned?”
He laughed. “How about we start with breakfast?”
Screw together-but-separate. He was spending every moment he could with this woman.
Chapter 12
“I can’t remember the last time I wasted a day doing nothing productive,” Raven said, feeling only a little bit guilty as she finished the dinner Jack had cooked: lamb chops, basmati rice, and broccolini. They were camped in the living room, sitting on cushions, and eating off of the coffee table. The truth was, this had been the best, stress-free day she’d spent in ages.
Maybe she should get fired more often.
Jack threaded his fingers in hers. “Unproductive? We’re working our way through one of the best action franchises in history.”
She rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
The Fast and the Furious had its merits but it was no Avengers. Though, what did it matter what was on television when she was curled up with Jack under a warm blanket? Even Brilla had found her happy place, nestled at Jack’s feet.
Jack took a drink of wine. “Vin Diesel is an underrated genius.”
“If you say so.”
“I do. Besides, we haven’t wasted all our time.” He leaned over and kissed her neck the same way he had before they’d had sex on the living room carpet.
That had rocked her world. Raven couldn’t remember ever having sex with the same person multiple times over more than one day. She’d had a few one-night stands that had gone well enough to include multiple sexual encounters, but in the harsh light of morning, she’d slipped out the door, no phone numbers exchanged, no looking back.
This weekend had unfolded so unpredictably. She’d been caught up in the moment and simply enjoyed herself.
Now that she thought about it, she realized they’d slept together three times over two days. Sitting this close, intoxicated by the scent of his skin, and mesmerized by his warm mouth on her neck, they could easily add another tick to the ledger. If this were a normal weekend, Raven would have split last night. Or definitely this morning. But she hadn’t.
Why not?
Choosing to stay at the beach house to lick her wounds was a bullshit excuse. If she’d wanted to be miserable and alone, she would have gotten into her car and gone back to her apartment in Philly. But she’d chosen to stay here with Jack, not just because she couldn’t find an available B&B, but because she wanted to. She liked him. He was charming and made her forget the pain of being fired.
Thank God they’d been clear about their expectations. Whatever was going on between her and Jack, it was just for the weekend. And it was just about sex.
Raven turned toward Jack, placing her mouth on his. His hands cupped the back of her head, and she moaned—half at the sheer pleasure of his touch, and half at the shocking thought that she could get used to kissing Jack.
But that would be impossible. Because Raven didn’t date. Never had. Never would.
An enormous wind gust screamed past, rattling the house. A half-second later, the electricity cut out, cloaking them in darkness.
“Shit.” Jack cursed.
“Give it a second. The generator should kick on.”
Jack’s body relaxed slightly. “Tell me it’s a whole house generator.”
“A partial one. Enough to keep the necessi
ties going.”
“Shit.”
The generator roared to life. The refrigerator hummed. One light in the kitchen flicked on.
“So, what works?”
Raven counted down on her fingers. “The well, so we’ve got water. The refrigerator. A couple of lights and one outlet in the kitchen.”
“What about the heat?”
“We have the fireplace.” She offered an over-wide smile.
Jack blinked and started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Raven asked.
“This weekend is full of the unexpected.”
He was right about that. At least most of the surprises were pleasant, at least for her.
She nudged an elbow into his side. “It’s not that bad. The electricity might pop back on.”
“After all that wind? There’s probably a tree down or a blown transponder.”
“Well, I’m getting some wood to start a fire.” She pushed off the couch.
“Where is it?”
“In the shed on the side of the house.”
He rose to his feet. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ll get it.”
While he was out, Raven lit candles and gathered towels and his clothes, which had finished drying before the electricity cut off. Ten minutes later, Jack was back, drenched, with enough logs to get them through the night.
“You’re an angel,” Jack said, giving her a kiss before stripping bare.
Two days ago, they’d been complete strangers, yet now he seemed as comfortable with her as if they’d know each other for years.
As he dressed, Raven sat in front of the fireplace and set about lighting a fire. The balled up newspaper soon caught fire beneath the kindling, and the dried-out log began to burn. This fire would keep them warm, though if tonight were anything like this afternoon, they might not need it.
Jack crawled up behind her. “Nice job. How’d you learn to build a fire?”
“I’m a beach girl. We built a lot of bonfires growing up.” The red-orange flames licked the sides of the log.