So she knew the score. She wouldn’t be going into whatever this was with Jason with stars in her eyes, thinking she could change him. They were two consenting adults who desired each other. When her brother was behind bars, they’d go their separate ways. End of story.
But they had now.
Drawing a deep breath for courage, she made her decision and walked out of her room and turned to go into his. She opened the door, glad when it didn’t squeak, shut it behind her, and tiptoed quietly up to the bed. Then she had a silent debate with herself once more. Clothes on? Or clothes off?
There was nothing stopping her except her lack of courage, so she drew another long breath and slipped off her shorts and panties, then pulled her shirt over her head. There. She was naked, and before she could change her mind, she climbed onto the bed and slid up behind him, finding him as nude as she was. Drawing a deep breath, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
He shifted but didn’t wake up. So she cuddled closer, finding comfort in his warmth. She really didn’t want to disturb his sleep, something she desperately needed herself. He’d wake up, find her here, and realize what else she wanted come morning. She’d deal with her mortification at what she’d done then.
She lay her cheek against his broad back, inhaled his masculine scent, and began to breathe slowly, matching his tempo and finally relaxing enough to fall asleep.
Chapter Six
Jason woke up surrounded by heat. Not normal heat, where his comforter was too hot or the temperature was too high, but warm heat covering him. Suspecting but not wanting to assume, he opened his eyes.
He lay on his back, his arm around Faith, her head in the crook of his arm, her knee across his body … and her pussy pressing against his thigh.
She was naked.
And since he normally woke up with a hard-on, it was no surprise that this morning’s was extra … hard. To say he was shocked she was here was an understatement. To find her naked was a sweet surprise he didn’t want to question.
And yet he had to.
He kissed her lips once, twice, and waited for her to wake up.
Finally, sleepy green eyes opened and met his gaze. “Hi,” she said, her cheeks turning an adorable pink.
“Hi?” He deliberately phrased it as a question.
“I guess you’re wondering what I’m doing here?”
He chuckled. “That would be one of my questions.”
“I had a nightmare and I didn’t want to be alone.” She drew a deep breath. “And since you told me you wanted me once and since you kissed me last night, I decided to tell you what I wanted.”
“By getting naked.” He didn’t want to focus on the fact that she had nightmares. The idea of her hurting and afraid gutted him.
“By getting naked.” A sudden playful, wicked gleam flickered in her eyes. “Can you think of a better way to express myself?”
He now had confirmation of both her desire and her consent. He wouldn’t be taking advantage of a woman in a vulnerable situation, one who was relying on him, who was unsure of what she wanted. That’s why he’d sent her to bed last night. So he didn’t act on the raging desire to pick up where they’d left off with that kiss after she’d been afraid. She’d now had an entire night to reconsider. She was all in.
Which meant the mental restraints that had been holding him back were gone. He slid his arm out from beneath her, raised himself up, and covered her body with his own. His cock was cushioned between her thighs, his entire body on high alert.
Hands braced on either side of her head, he pushed himself up and looked into her eyes. They’d grown hazy with need. One that was matched by the pulsing desire thrumming through his veins.
“I take it you’re not mad?” A hint of vulnerability sounded in her voice.
He couldn’t tear his gaze from her full lips. Lips he wanted to devour again. Answering her question was easy. “A naked woman I want crawls into my bed. No, I’m not mad.” He let out a low laugh that came out sounding more like a growl of need. “Besides, does it feel like I’m mad?” He swiveled his hips and ground his cock into her sex.
She whimpered with need, and he dipped his head and pressed his lips against hers. Tasting her filled something inside him, an emptiness he hadn’t been aware existed. Just like finding her on the side of the road felt important, so, too, did this moment.
She opened her mouth and let him in. Warmth and need surrounded him, along with a dizzying sensation that this was right. He kissed her long and hard before lifting his head and pushing his body down lower, needing to taste her everywhere.
“Do you taste sweet, candy girl?” he asked, swiping a tongue over her nipple.
She shuddered and he went to work, teasing the bud that tightened with every lick, suck, and graze of his teeth. She threaded her fingers into his hair and pushed his head down, silently asking for more. He bit down lightly on that pebbled nipple, then licked his way across her chest and over her other breast until he found the other one, giving it the same at times tender, at other times torturous treatment.
She moaned, pulling at his hair. “Jase, that feels so good.”
So she liked nipple play, did she? Could she come from that alone? Not many women could. He hadn’t been with any, but she was rubbing herself against him and urging him on. Willing to do anything to please her, he suckled on her nipple, cupping the other full breast in his hand and tweaking it with his thumb and forefinger. First hard, then soft, his hand played with her while his mouth worked on the other breast.
He took his time, enjoying how she moaned and writhed beneath him. His cock was so fucking hard, teasing her sex and torturing him at the same time, but that wasn’t his focus. Not yet.
He lifted his head and began to rub her nipples gently, looking into her eyes. “Come for me, sweetness. I want to see you find pleasure.”
He picked up her hand and pulled her fingers into his mouth, sucking on the digits until they were wet. “Play with yourself,” he told her. “Show me what feels good.” He dipped her other hand’s fingers into his mouth and dampened them as well.
Her cheeks flushed, but as he rolled his hips into hers, she moaned and got to work. She plucked and pulled at her nipples, her entire body trembling as she gave herself pleasure. He got off watching her, his dick throbbing as she continued her assault on the tender buds.
“Oh, God.” The words came out on a slurred moan. “So good.”
“Keep going.” His hips jerked against her sex, over and over, and if he couldn’t hold on, he was going to come like a fucking teenager who couldn’t control himself.
He didn’t know if it was his grinding against her clit that he was unable to control or the pinching and pulling of her nipples, but she uttered a slow moan and her body trembled beneath him.
“I’m coming. Oh, God, yes.” She released her hold on her nipples and grasped his shoulders, her hips lifting and thrusting against his.
He’d never seen a sexier, more beautiful sight than her coming apart, cheeks flushed, eyes fluttering closed. He waited until the shuddering stopped and she collapsed before rising and stripping off his boxers.
He came back over her, his cock hovering by her neatly trimmed sex. Then the obvious hit him. “Shit, condom.” He always used protection. It was stupid and irresponsible not to.
“I’m on the pill.” She bit down on her lower lip. “And I was at the doctor shortly before I left town.” She looked up at him with wide green eyes, asking with her gaze if he was safe.
Because she trusted his answer and that meant the choice was his. He’d never wanted to feel a woman bare around him before Faith, and the knowledge rocked him to his core.
“I’m clean.” He’d been tested for his yearly physical a few months ago and hadn’t been with anyone since.
In response, she spread her legs beneath him and her trust was humbling. Her gaze never left him as he grabbed his cock, pumping the length with his fist before positioning himself at her entrance an
d gliding into her with a smooth thrust.
He felt her everywhere, his entire body aware of her slick inner walls, the heat of her surrounding him, and the vulnerable way her eyes opened wide as he filled her. A heavy lump formed in his throat, and he brutally pushed it aside, doing everything he could to focus on the physical sensations and not the emotional fallout of having sex with Faith. He refused to call it making love. That thought would send him running.
He was already invested. He couldn’t let himself go there.
“Jason, move.”
Faith’s voice took him out of his self-reflection, and he did as she said, began to pump his hips back and forth, gliding in and out, riding the high he felt from being with her. Shifting positions, he deliberately thrust hard, hitting a different spot inside her, and she moaned aloud.
“Yes, there.”
With that, he began a steady rhythm, taking them both for a hard ride. She grasped his cheeks and pulled him toward her. His lips came down hard on hers and he continued to pump into her. It wasn’t long before his balls drew up tight, his spine tingled, and just as he knew he was going to come, she cried out his name.
He let himself go, spilling into her and losing a part of himself at the same time.
* * *
Faith rushed to get ready for Noah’s birthday party, knowing she and Jason had to stop at the shop and pick up the goodie boxes she’d put together yesterday. Because her clothes were in the closet in the guest room, she had a break from Jason’s intense stare. He’d been watching her ever since this morning, as if trying to figure out just what had occurred between them in bed.
She’d like to know that herself. Intense didn’t begin to cover it. Life altering might come closer. Reminding herself this was a temporary relationship no matter how close to him she might feel, she finished putting on her makeup, fluffed her hair, drew a deep breath, and stepped into her bedroom. She dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white top, not wanting to call attention to herself at the party. She felt as if she were there to help set up her candy, and though she might also be there with Jason, she wasn’t foolish enough to think she was truly an invited guest. Izzy was just being nice when she’d asked her to come.
It would be more than foolish to act like she was Jason’s date at his nephew’s birthday party and let the heady mix of being on his arm after being in his bed feed dreams that would never happen.
She took a quick glance in the mirror, well aware her cheeks were flushed … because her body was still quivering with awareness from the orgasms … plural … he’d given her this morning. She picked up her purse and walked out of her room in his apartment, meeting up with him in the family room.
Her gaze slid over him, and though she did her best not to ogle, it was difficult. He looked sexy in a pair of dark jeans and a navy turtleneck shirt, those indigo eyes looking through her, his expression knowing. As if he could see her heart and know how fast it was beating just for him.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded, glancing at the time on her phone. “If we leave now, we have enough time to get the goodies and for me to set them up.” She started for the door ahead of him, startled when he grasped her arm and spun her back to face him.
“What?” The word barely left her mouth when he wrapped one arm around her back, pulled her against him, and sealed his lips over hers.
All her worries and anxieties fled in the wake of his kiss. He devoured her with his mouth, licking, tasting, owning, and possessing, before letting her up for air.
“Better than breakfast,” he said, setting her on her feet but holding on until she’d caught her breath.
She blinked, still somewhat dazed.
“Just needed a taste,” he explained, gesturing toward the door. “Ready?”
She managed a nod. He picked up a birthday present off the counter, and off they went.
Much later, after she’d loaded her van, to Jason’s complaining about how it was an old piece of shit and he wished she drove something safer, they arrived at his cousin Gabe and Izzy’s apartment. It took them three trips to carefully carry everything upstairs. Kelsey was running the shop, so Jason helped, this time listening to her grumbling about how it was her job and she could do it herself.
They’d arrived with the last of her goodies when Izzy greeted them at the door, kissing Jason on the cheek and pulling Faith inside. “Come. Let’s set up so we can have fun.”
Izzy’s warm nature and constant laughter were contagious. As they readied the small wood boxes with s’mores pops inside on the table set aside by the front door so guests could take their gift when they left, Izzy touched a box and sighed. “I just love these.”
“I picked up light blue ones so it fit a boy’s party,” Faith explained.
“Thank you. They look so enticing sitting here. So? Aren’t you going to leave your business cards, too? I’m sure you want people to hire you for similar parties.”
Faith bit the inside of her cheek. “Of course I do but I didn’t want to take advantage. I assumed if you were happy, you would spread the word.”
Izzy grinned. “You bet I will. But leave your cards, too.” She nudged her gently with her elbow, so Faith dug through her purse and fanned her Sweet Treats cards out on the table beside the party favors.
With a satisfied nod, Izzy led Faith back into the main area of the apartment. “Everyone will be here soon. I have to confess I went a little overboard. There are caterers in the kitchen. But at this age, the kids still come with their parents and I wanted everyone to have good food.”
Faith liked the bubbly blonde. She glanced across the room to where Jason stood talking with a tall man with sable hair and dark blue eyes. He had a dominating presence, commanding the room.
“That’s my husband, Gabe,” Izzy said, following Faith’s line of sight. “Come meet him.” She took Faith’s hand and pulled her across the floor to where the men stood.
After introductions were made, Jason took her off guard by wrapping an arm around her and pulling her against him. “Gabe recommended the private investigator who’s looking into your brother,” he said quietly.
She nodded, hating the reminder. Although she was living at Jason’s, she tried her best not to focus on Colton when she could help it.
“Renault is the best,” Gabe said in a soothing tone. “He’s also a bodyguard if you need one. It might take time, but he’ll locate your sibling.” Before they could say more, the doorbell rang at the same time as Noah walked into the room rubbing his eyes.
“Hey, buddy!” Gabe strode over to his son, knelt down, and lifted the little boy into his arms. “It’s time for your party.”
“Party, yay!” He wriggled to get down just as friends walked into the room and the birthday party began.
Suddenly they were surrounded by children, and Jason grabbed her hand, pulling her to the side. Parents divided off into groups who knew each other, while Gabe kept a close eye on his son and Izzy flitted from person to person, making sure everyone was happy.
The doorbell rang and a life-size costumed Dalmatian with a red vest and firefighter hat on his head entered the apartment.
He stumbled into the room and the kids yelled and laughed.
“I’m good!” he said as he was surrounded by children.
“Marshall from PAW Patrol,” Gabe said, followed by, “I need a drink.”
Jason laughed. “I bet you never thought this would be your life,” he said to his cousin.
Gabe glared at him. “You have no idea. But … I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” he said, his voice softening along with his expression as his gaze went from his wife to his little boy, who was sitting on the Dalmatian’s lap.
“I’m going to take pictures,” Gabe said. He walked over to Izzy, pulled her away from her friends, and wrapped an arm around her while they watched their son interacting with the other kids.
Faith sighed, viewing them, a feeling of longing tugging in her chest.
She bit the inside of her cheek, uncertain if she wanted to answer with the truth.
“Do you want kids?” he asked before she could answer, upping the stakes with his question to her.
She hesitated before answering. “Not with my life the way it is now, no. Not with a threat looming over me and while I’m still building my business. But someday? Yes. I do.” She looked over at him and tossed the hot potato in his lap. “Do you?”
* * *
Jason knew he made a mistake the minute he’d asked Faith if she wanted kids. He’d initially meant it as an innocuous question because they’d been surrounded by children, but as soon as it had come out of his mouth, he realized how deep the question was. Her long pause gave his stomach time to twist and turn. And though she had every right to turn the question around on him, she wasn’t going to like his answer.
“I don’t … like loss.”
She narrowed her gaze, confusion obvious on her face. “But kids don’t mean loss.”
“Kids mean more people to worry about in my life and that scares me.” His heart picked up a rapid beat in his chest, thoughts of Levi taking over, as they always did when he considered a serious future. Which was why he rarely let himself go there.
He glanced at Faith. “Come on.”
“Where?”
“Someplace we can talk. We came, we saw, we brought gifts and favors… Izzy and Gabe will understand.” As if sensing they were talking about him, Gabe glanced over.
Jason gestured to the door and Gabe nodded, his expression one of understanding. Grasping Faith’s hand, he wove through the crowds of people, and they grabbed their coats and slipped out the door. If he was going to have this necessary conversation, he was going to do it in a place that mattered.
“Where are we going?” Faith asked, rushing to keep up with his long strides. He couldn’t help it. Thinking about retelling this story made him antsy and anxious and he needed to move.
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