“What?” I say hoarsely.
“How beautiful you are bare.” He slides the bra straps off my shoulders and down my arms until the bra’s left my body and I’m half-naked. “And you look so damn hot in these pajamas, babe. But you know what turns me on so much I can’t stand it?”
I shake my head, too aroused to answer him verbally.
“Peeling them right off of you.” He slips his fingers in the waistband of my pajama bottoms and does just what he said he was going to do. And he doesn’t stop there. My little red panties come off next. “This scrap of lace isn’t nearly as sexy as what’s underneath it, Olive.” His fingers graze that spot between my legs that sets me off like a lightboard when he touches me.
I let out a long moan, and Jenson nibbles my neck. Then his mouth goes south, and he closes his lips over one nipple. I arch my back, and he keeps moving, across my stomach, until he’s planting kisses on my inner thighs.
“I want to taste you again, Olive. Can I?” His voice is rough and needy.
I nod as I thread my fingers through his hair and guide him between my legs. And…oh, God. Jenson’s kisses start out gentle, and then he licks and sucks the most sensitive parts of me until I’m writhing on the bed and he has to hold onto my hips to keep me still. He brings me over the edge so quickly and so intensely that when I come to, both my hands are clutching the sheets in a death grip.
“Now, J. I’m sure.” I reach for a condom and hand it to him as I cup my hand over his hardness straining through his pants.
He lets out a low growl and puts his hand over mine. “Never felt like this with anyone else.” His lips brush my ear. “Ever. Only you, Olive. It will always be only you.”
He sheds his pants, and I reach over to pull off his knit boxers. His hard length juts out to greet me, and I wrap my hands around him while he groans. I lean down and press a kiss to the tip of him, and then I lick him.
“Christ. Olivia.”
I lick him again, this time letting my tongue trail all the way down his erection. He threads his fingers through my hair and urges my mouth off of him.
“I want inside you, babe,” he says to me. “And I won’t last long enough with you sucking me off like that.”
He tears open the foil packet and rolls on a condom. And this time, I’m more than ready.
At the first sensation of just the tip of him inside me, we both let out a moan. He pushes inside me slowly, inch by precious inch. Beads of sweat line his brow as he braces himself over me with his arms on either side of my head.
“We’ll never have another first time,” he whispers into my lips. “I’m going to go as slow as I possibly can. Because I don’t think I’ll last very long once I’m all the way there.”
I’m already at the edge of bliss. The way Jenson feels inside me—there are no words. And now he’s moving. Oh, God. With one thrust I can feel him so deep inside me that I climax.
He immediately follows me, murmuring my name and then collapsing on top of me.
All I hear is his breath in my ear, and I hold him as tightly as I can.
“Too fast?” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Not for me,” I say. “That was the most amazing orgasm I’ve ever had.”
“Me, too. But I promise you next time, I’ll take you there more than once.” He rolls to the side so he’s not crushing me and then buries his face in my neck. “I love you, Olive. That was so damn perfect.”
I pull him closer to me. “I love you, Jenson.”
Chapter Eighteen
Jenson
Olivia and I are in our own little world all night long.
We fall asleep with me spooning her, but I wake up a couple hours later, and I’m harder than I’ve ever been in my life. I crave to be inside her again, almost more intensely than I ever have. Now that I know just how incredible it feels to make love to her, I don’t ever want to stop.
I lift her silky black hair off her bare shoulder and kiss the skin softly. She lets out a sleepy sigh. I shift my hand down her bare stomach, and keep going until I’m touching the soft insides of her thighs. She moans and opens for me so I have better access.
I run my fingers between her legs until I find the place I love to have my tongue. She grinds her perfect ass against my erection as I work her until she’s climaxing all over my hand.
Then I grab a condom off her nightstand. Once it’s on, I lift her leg so I can slide into her from behind.
Holy fuck.
The way she feels the second time is even better than the first, something I didn’t think possible.
“Olive. Baby…” I murmur into her ear.
“Oh, God. Jenson. Shit.” She reaches for my hand on her hip and clutches it. “This is so…good.”
I thrust into her faster, and when I know she’s on the edge, I move my hand over the inside of her leg and to the apex of her thighs.
She bucks against me hard, and we both lose it at the same time.
I bury my face in her neck, nipping at her skin harder than I meant to. I kiss the same spot, murmuring an apology as I come down from my orgasm.
“I loved every single thing that you did,” she says. “Don’t be sorry for any of it.”
I pull out of her slowly, and she turns to face me. “You know exactly what I like, and I never even told you.”
“I love you,” I say as I plant kisses along her jaw. “And if there are things you like that I’m not doing, please fill me in. I’m happy to please.”
We fall back to sleep until just before dawn. I glance over at the clock. Five thirty-three. It’s still dark out.
I lean my chin on Olivia’s shoulder and ask her what time we need to leave for New York.
“Let’s get going now,” she says. “That way I won’t be stressing the entire way about being late for the meeting. I have everything laid out in my closet—I’ll just jump in the shower and we can go.”
Jump in the shower. Exactly the words I was hoping for.
“I’ll jump in with you.”
She looks over her shoulder at me. “What are you going to do in there?”
I grab a condom from the bedside drawer and edge her toward the bathroom. “Lots of very bad things that will make you feel really good.”
I turn on the water in the shower and make sure it’s a good temperature before I invite Olivia in.
“Jenson, seriously, I have to get ready.” She’s already ducking under the stream of water and wetting her hair.
“And I am seriously here to help you.”
I uncap her shampoo bottle, pour some into my hand, and angle her head back toward me. As I massage the shampoo into her scalp, she sighs.
“I’ve never had someone else wash my hair for me before.”
I guide her underneath the water so I can rinse out the suds. “I’ve never shampooed anyone else’s hair before.”
I soap her body next. She starts laughing when I move the soap between her legs.
“Let me shampoo your hair,” she says. “Or we’ll get distracted.”
I’m fine with getting distracted, but I let her put shampoo on my head and stretch her arms up to try to work it into my hair. I bend down as much as I can, but we end up laughing too much for her to finish on her own. So I rinse off, and then she soaps me up—everywhere.
By the time she’s finished, I’m ready to get dirty again.
And when Olivia’s eyes go soft and wide, and she steps closer to me, I know we’re on the same page.
“Remember your fantasy?” I whisper in her ear.
“Yes,” she says, her cheeks flushing the perfect shade of pink.
“Let’s do something about that.”
I slip my hand between her legs. Finding her wet and ready, I pick her up in my arms, and back her up against the tiled wall. I keep one arm under her ass for support, and she wraps her legs around my waist. Grabbing the foil packet off the side of the tub, I tear it open.
Olivia inhales. “You certain
ly came to the shower prepared.” She helps me roll the condom on, and then I’m inside her.
“You’re beautiful, Olive.” I tip my forehead to hers.
When we make love this time, it’s slow and deliberate. My thrusts are steadfast, and I draw out each one, trying to make the moment last.
We come together in an intense, prolonged climax. When we finish, instead of pulling out, I lean in to kiss her.
Our kiss becomes as intense as our lovemaking just was. This one, incredible, long kiss that feels like it has no beginning and no end—and I’m so far in love with Olivia Graham I can’t imagine living another day apart from her. Ever.
“Wow.” Her voice is breathy when we finally break apart.
“I know.” I slip out of her and make sure her feet are solidly on the tub floor before I reach over to turn off the water.
“That was…”
I bring her close to me in a hug. “Yeah. It was.”
Olivia
Yeah, so Jenson and I definitely got a little carried away in the shower, and by the time we step out, I’m not feeling as anxious about my meeting. In fact, I’m probably not anxious enough. I love Jenson so much, and I’m slightly head over heels obsessed with that fact. So, the idea of heading to Manhattan for business? Not so scary right now.
“I’ll drive,” Jenson offers. “And you can go over your notes.”
When we reach New York City, I kiss Jenson good-bye outside one of the endlessly tall buildings on Lexington Avenue.
“New York is like a different world,” I say to him as I open the truck door. “As you know, the last time I tried to work here, things kind of imploded. I don’t know if I can handle this.”
“You can handle it better than anyone I know.” He leans across the console and kisses my cheek, and my nose, and my lips, one last time. “You’ll do an amazing job.”
I grab my notebook and folder. “I’ll call or text you. Find a nice hotel but not too nice! They’re all going to be overpriced as it is. Try to stay around two hundred dollars if that’s even possible here. I can treat us, or we can split it.”
“I’m treating,” Jenson says. “You brought us here; I’ve got the hotel.” He pulls away before I can protest.
I walk through the building and head for the elevator bank. When I reach the top floor, I take a moment to glance out the floor to ceiling windows to the left of the elevators. Manhattan’s skyline is beautiful. And I feel like I’m in over my head. I see Perls in big black letters outside the door, and I open it cautiously, knowing I’m a few minutes early.
The receptionist is on the phone when I step inside, and she gestures for me to have a seat. I sit down in one of the chairs and leaf through the magazines stacked on the table next to me. I tap my foot on the ground and take the moment to silence my cell phone. As soon as I do, the receptionist hangs up the phone and offers to help me.
I tell her why I’m here, and she says she’ll let Harry and Estelle know.
Harry, Estelle, and I meet in a windowless room. They both sit silently for the first forty-five minutes while I give what I had hoped would be an interactive presentation. Instead, I make jokes only I laugh at and ask questions into the air that nobody answers.
When I finish, I take a seat more out of exhaustion than any sort of optimism that I’ll be asked to stay. I compile my folders and start to put them into my bag, half-expecting that when I do look up, Harry and Estelle will have disappeared from the room and I’ll be left here alone.
“Olivia, that was an interesting presentation,” Estelle says.
I look at her smiling face and want to ask her where that smile was for the last forty-five minutes. Instead, I smile back and tell her I’m glad.
Harry buzzes the receptionist for lunch and invites me to eat with them.
As I take a bite of my chicken sandwich, Harry asks me to tell him about Liberty Falls.
“It’s just a small town,” I say. “I love it, but I’ve lived there my whole life.”
“Is that right? Sounds interesting.” His eyes lose some of their dullness. “I grew up here.”
“In Manhattan? Wow.”
“Yep.” He gestures around the room. “Took over this business from my dad, who took it from his dad. It’s been a work in progress for years. We finally got our heads above water about ten years ago, and we’ve been flying ever since. Things are looking up, I tell you.”
“That’s great,” I say. “Union Bank has been growing steadily for the past few years as well. It’s exciting to be a part of something positive.”
“It is,” Estelle agrees. “And I was intrigued that your president is a woman.”
“Yes,” I say. “She’s done a really amazing job.”
Harry grins suddenly. It’s the first time he’s smiled since I walked into the room, and the sight of his teeth almost scares me because I wasn’t expecting to ever see them. I smile back, hoping against hope he’ll give me good news and I can finally breathe.
“You know what?” he says. “I’m impressed. I’m going to give you a shot. You and Union Bank.”
I stare at him, wanting to make absolutely certain I understand what he’s saying. “Are you saying…”
“I’m saying we’re going to give you the contract,” he says. He then stops smiling and takes a big bite of his sandwich.
I thank him profusely, but the conversation peters out after that. By the time we’ve finished eating, I’m ready to run out of the building. There’s only so much awkward small talk I can take.
After we say good-bye, I take the elevator down to the lobby. I blink when the bright sun hits my eyes as I step outdoors.
Before I can text Jenson, I hear, “Olivia Graham? What the hell are you doing here?”
I whip around.
Nate. My ex-husband. My cheating ex-husband, is standing three feet away from me.
His gray suit looks tailor-made and expensive. His brown hair is slicked back, and his dark eyes still narrow when he’s confused.
And I feel…nothing.
I can barely even summon up righteous anger.
Because the truth is, he did me a huge favor. Not the way he did it, of course, but forcing an end to our marriage, a marriage that held little love and even less passion, was the best thing that could have happened to me.
“What are you doing in New York?” he asks.
He gives me a quick peck on the cheek, and I hug him quickly and without any affection.
“Closing a deal.” I gesture to his suit. “You look very dapper.”
He tugs at his suit jacket and grins sheepishly. “Playing the role, I guess.”
“It suits you.” I roll my eyes at myself. “No pun intended.”
He laughs. “You look good, Olivia. Happy.”
“I am. You?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know if happy’s my thing. Driven? Sure. Busy? Absolutely. But happy? I think that’s a longer road for me.”
At the sound of honking directly behind me, I turn around.
Jenson’s live parked on the curb, and he waves at me from his truck.
“Is that Jenson?” Nate says as he stares into the truck window.
I turn back to face him. “Yep. He drove me here for my work meeting.”
“Does he still live in Pittsburgh?”
“Actually, he’s moving back to Liberty Falls. He got a coaching position with Randolph.”
“Nice.” Nate gives me a second look. “Must be good to have him back in town.”
I fidget with the strap of my bag. “Sure.”
“Olivia.” He glances around and then lowers his voice. “I saw the way you looked at him whenever he came home.”
I nearly drop my bag. Instead, I clutch it more tightly to my side. “What do you mean?”
“Come on.” He locks eyes with me. “I was your husband. A shitty one but still your husband. And I knew when another man had your attention. In a way I never did.”
Shit.
I blow out
a breath. For the first time in my life, I drop my defenses around the topic of Jenson, and I speak the truth.
“I’m truly sorry for that, Nate. I had no idea I was so transparent.”
“You weren’t,” he assures me. “Only to me. Your families—I could tell they didn’t have a clue. Mainly because they didn’t want to.”
“Right.”
“And he looked at you the same way, in case you didn’t know.”
I bite my lip.
“So are you two…”
I take a deep breath as I look at him. “That’s…complicated.”
He nods. “Piece of advice? You and I wasted way too much fucking time worrying about what other people would think,” he says. “If I’d been honest with you about…well, anything over the last couple of years, I wouldn’t have had to cheat my way out of our marriage. I would have been a man and talked to you about why I thought us separating was the best thing for both of us.”
“Nate, thank you, but…”
“Olivia.” His dark eyes grow even more serious. “Nothing’s more important than love. Right now, all I’ve got is love for my job. But you? You were never like me. And it’s obvious that you two—” He tilts his head in the direction of Jenson’s truck. “—have years of love between you. Looks like a lifetime from where I’m sitting. So do yourself a favor, and realize you deserve love.”
I reach over and give him a real hug this time, and then I turn away and head for Jenson.
As soon as I get into his truck, he pulls out from the curb. Jenson keeps his eyes on the road as he maneuvers through traffic. “So. Odds of running into your ex-husband in the middle of Manhattan—pretty fucking high apparently, huh?”
I shake my head. “I couldn’t believe it. He was right on the sidewalk when I stepped out.”
“You two seemed to be getting along.” Jenson’s profile is neutral. “Everything okay?”
“He knew about us. I was so shocked; I didn’t deny it either.”
Jenson (Wild Men Book 4) Page 17