Lawson & Jill: Romantic Suspense (Night Storm Legacy Book 1)

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  He heaped another generous helping of the guacamole onto a chip and carried it to her mouth. “Taste.” His voice was a low purr and she felt it right in her core. It took everything she had not to shimmy in response. Lawson Thorne was sexy with a capital Sex, and he could get her motor humming fast.

  She opened her mouth and took a bite. He hovered, watching her as she chewed and swallowed.

  “Another,” he said hoarsely as he continued to hold the chip out for her to take another bite.

  Holy heck, I turn him on too! Yay Team!

  She took another bite. Close to his fingers. A little guacamole strayed onto her lip. Before she had a chance to lick it off, Law dropped the rest of the chip on the counter and slowly swiped his tongue against her lip, taking the guac into his mouth. Then he came back and gently bit her lower lip and glided his tongue across her wet flesh.

  She moaned as she reached for his arms to hold herself upright.

  Back and forth his tongue swiped across her lip. She couldn’t stand it and she shook her head so that she could break his hold and lean in for a proper kiss.

  Law chuckled as she opened to him, and he took immediate advantage, thrusting his tongue into her warm, wet depths.

  Finally.

  Law pulled her in, needing to feel her body plastered against his. He loved the feel of her, every last curve felt perfect as he pulled her in even tighter. He had kissed her and tasted her before, but never had he felt so needy.

  So greedy.

  Jill let out a sigh and her hands slowly climbed up his arms to his shoulders, until her fingers finally found a home stroking his scalp. He was inundated with sensation, the taste of lime and Jill, the feel of her lush breasts against his chest and her nails raking through his hair that sparked lightning straight to his dick.

  Lightheaded with the touch, taste, and scent of Jill, Law felt himself tipping over a ledge. He cupped her jaw so that he could position herself just right for her kiss. He was met with a little whimper that sounded like a hungry kitten.

  Jesus, she’s going to kill me.

  Law stroked his fingers down her cheek, then down her neck to the vee of her t-shirt until his fingers moved over the swell of her breasts.

  She broke the kiss. “Lawson,” she sighed.

  He molded her breast and the feel was exquisite—she fit his hand perfectly.

  She made a quick move, then her hand was covering his.

  What’s wrong?

  “Babe? Jill?”

  Her hand pressed his tighter against her flesh.

  Ahh.

  Law couldn’t help the groan that escaped his lips as he realized she was as needy and greedy as he was. In one quick move, he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him so that he could put her up on the kitchen counter. He had just barely enough sense not to land her in the guacamole.

  “Good call.” Jill grinned into his eyes.

  Law dove in for another frantic kiss. He could not get enough of this woman. His fingers tangled in her soft raven hair, and his other hand slipped under the back of her t-shirt. Such silky skin. He skimmed upwards until he hit the back of her bra.

  She huffed out a laugh. “Front clasp.”

  She shimmied, and in one smooth move had her t-shirt off and tossed onto the kitchen tiles.

  Red lace. Good God.

  Law felt his fingers tremble as he teased her nipples over the top of the frothy lace. Her moan told him she liked being teased. He saw the outline of her areola and he lovingly circled that tender flesh, again and again.

  “Please, you’re driving me crazy.” He could barely hear her breathy whisper.

  He chuckled as he bent low and took one hard nipple between his lips and sucked. Hard.

  She keened his name. Law knew what that meant—his fingers found her other nipple and started to roll the hard flesh between his thumb and forefinger. She shoved upwards. He couldn’t stand it another instant, and unhooked the front of her bra.

  As soon as he saw her breasts spill out with their dark nipples, he was lost. He gripped her ass and ground her tighter against his erection. Needy and greedy were going to become his two new middle names.

  Jill ground herself tighter against him, moving and pressing, doing anything to relieve the ache. Law shoved one hand between them so that he could rub against the front of her jeans, as he sucked a pouty nipple into his mouth.

  “Ah.” Jill threw back her head. Her hair thrashed about.

  He couldn’t wait, but he needed to. This couldn’t be their first time. Not on the kitchen counter. He needed this moment, this feeling of solace that only Jill could provide.

  “Lawson,” she gasped. “Please,” the last word was lost as she bit his shoulder.

  He scraped the velvet tip of her breast with his teeth, then unbuttoned her jeans and slipped his hand inside. Satisfaction roared inside him as he felt her damp folds welcoming his fingers, and then the swollen nub begging for attention made him want to sink to his knees and lose himself in all things Jill.

  He released her breast, hugged her closer, and kissed his way up to her mouth so that he could see her eyes. Her passion was a thing of beauty and he wanted to watch her face as she crossed over into pleasure.

  She gripped at his arms, his back, his hair, calling out his name, over and over again, until she came apart in his arms.

  But he was still needy and greedy and he wanted more.

  He rested his forehead on hers, their breaths mingled. His gaze was so fierce and intent.

  “I need you.”

  “That’s a good thing,” she whispered. With those three words, her body was already ready for more. Jill didn’t lose eye contact with her man, but she still managed to start unbuckling his belt. She laughed when he actually groaned with pleasure.

  Me, Jill Keiler, is making this man moan. Who’da thunk?

  “You gotta stop, Baby.”

  He lifted her off the kitchen counter and took a step.

  A knock on the door sounded as gooey guacamole dripped down her back, smeared by her hair.

  Good God! I have guac in my hair.

  “Fu-Fusterbunny!” she wailed.

  “What?”

  “Stop,” she clenched her nails into his shoulders.

  The doorbell chimed.

  “The food’s here.”

  He looked down at her with a crooked smile. His dimple was back.

  “Oh yeah, food.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Gotta tell you, that is not the meal I was wanting just now.”

  “Grab money from my purse for a tip. I’ve got to go and clean up.”

  He cocked an eyebrow.

  “Typical me,” she sighed. “I now have guacamole all over.”

  He barked out a laugh, then leaned her closer so he could look over her shoulder. He chuckled harder, and the doorbell rang again. He allowed her to slowly slide down the front of his body.

  “I’m going to get a hard-on every time I see an avocado, you know that, don’t you?”

  She pushed away from him, feeling her entire body blush. “Go get my purse.”

  “Honey, I think I can pay for the meal.” He wasn’t looking at her face.

  There was another knock on the door.

  They both laughed and she started for the hallway, but not before she felt a caress on her back. She turned around and saw Law licking guacamole off his finger.

  Wow.

  Law found the dishes and plated the food. He figured he’d jolt Jill out of her routine and introduce her to her dining room, so he set the table. Plus, it would give them a chance to slow things down.

  As much as he wanted to find out what her bedroom looked like, he didn’t want to rush into a physical relationship. He wanted to make sure his head was in a good place before he took that step. Jill was important, more than any other woman he had encountered. He saw a relationship in his future. Maybe it was seeing Ash and Eden, damned if he knew. But this wasn’t something he wanted to fuck up.

  He
scoured her fridge for her sour cream, which he knew she’d have. He also found really hot and spicy tabasco sauce, God love the woman. That was another thing, she didn’t put on any airs, there wasn’t anything fake about her. If she liked something, she liked it. She was one of the most genuine people he had ever encountered, and she made him feel relaxed and comfortable, as well as hot as hell.

  Nope, he wasn’t going to do anything to screw up his shot with her, and that meant taking some time with her.

  “The dining room?” Jill exclaimed.

  Oh hell, she wasn’t wearing a bra under her tank top, and those cut-offs made her legs look a mile long. He’d better get his head together fast.

  Chapter 7

  Four weeks. Four of the fastest weeks of her life. They’d flown by as she’d spent time with Lawson Jacob Thorne. There was so much to learn about him. So much to savor. But it had also been four of the slowest weeks of her life as Law had taken his time on the getting to real-live hanky-panky.

  “I’m taking control tonight if he cuts us off before nookie,” she muttered as she changed the sheets on her bed. His kisses were to die for. If his team ever needed to go undercover on a Marine assignment and seduce information from some woman, Law was the man for the job. Of course, she’d kill him if he volunteered.

  She snapped the top sheet at the very thought of Lawson kissing someone else.

  “He’s mine. I called dibs.”

  She smoothed out the sheet, then put on the summer comforter. He ran hot, she knew because she had cuddled against him. Law wasn’t going to need an extra blanket on the bed. God-willing that he was spending the night.

  He darn well better not be one of those guys who don’t spend the night.

  She’d heard of them. Her friends had told her. She’d only had sex with two men in her life, always in ‘relationships’. Normally, it would take her three or four months before she’d move to the hanky-panky stage, but sheesh, nobody else had ever kissed like Lawson. Had dimples like Lawson. Had been as honorable as Lawson. Had held her hand like Lawson did.

  “Lawson, Lawson, Lawson. You’ve got it bad, Sister.”

  Jill giggled to herself. It was true. She did. At twenty-six, it felt good to be crushing this hard.

  Crushing? You think it’s only a crush? It’s time for a reality check, Girly.

  “Shut up, inner self. I’m not in love. Falling in love this fast is crazy. I’ll end up chasing him away and I’ll be destined for hurt. Yep, this is only a crush.”

  She walked down the long hallway to the large kitchen and stopped in midstride. She’d forgotten to call the people at the gate to let him in. She immediately made the call. She really didn’t need to give Law one more thing to tease her about. It was nice that she was so competent in her work life, otherwise, she’d have to sign up for remedial life training or something for how oblivious she was in other areas.

  “Why was I headed to the kitchen?”

  Jill grinned as she remembered that she wanted to put out some food to go with the beer. She had fully-loaded potato skins ready to pop into the oven and a tray of veggies. The man did like his vegetables.

  When her phone rang and she saw that it was Lesley from the counseling group, guilt made her pick up.

  “Hi, Lesley,” she infused warmth into her voice.

  “Hi, Jill, I was sorry to see your text. Having you as part of the group was really an asset, but it was also great to know that you were finally in a place where you could move on. That’s the outcome I want for everyone who attends these sessions.”

  Jill blew out a breath. “Thanks, Lesley. Your leadership helped.” And it had in the beginning, Jill realized.

  “That is very kind of you to say. I really think it’s the whole group’s interaction that makes a difference.” Jill could almost hear her smiling. “The reason for my call is that I was wondering if I could get you to write a one-sentence testimonial for our website. I wouldn’t want you to use your last name, just your first.”

  “Absolutely. I’m pretty sure I have your e-mail.” Jill sighed with relief when she saw that she’d already turned on her oven. She kept the phone to her ear as she juggled the baking sheet of potato skins into the oven.

  “Ow!”

  “Are you okay Jill?”

  She shoved the oven door shut and put down her phone. She turned on the tap and ran the cold water.

  “Hold on for a second, Lesley,” she yelled out. “I need just a second and I’ll hit the speaker button.”

  Why didn’t I use an oven mitt to put in the tray? she wondered as she looked at her reddening skin.

  She heard the tinny sound of Lesley talking, but couldn’t make out her words. “Hold on, I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

  She used her index finger on her good hand to press speaker on her phone. “Can you repeat that, Lesley?” She turned up the volume since the cold water was still running. At least the side of her hand was feeling better.

  “I was wondering if Mr. Mazur had gotten in touch with you yet. He seemed very anxious the last time I spoke to him, and I wanted to make sure the two of you had connected.”

  “Who is Mr. Mazur?”

  “Oh dear, you haven’t connected,” Lesley sounded upset. “I gave him your name and number since it was so important. I wouldn’t have done that if it wasn’t for the fact that it was urgent.”

  “What was so important?” Jill dried off her hand and set the timer for the potatoes, as Lesley explained.

  “He had tracked down his wife, Angela, to our group sessions. He’s been really worried about her since their son died.” Lesley paused. “Jill, had you realized that she just up and left her old life in Detroit? Apparently, the grief was so bad she couldn’t cope anymore and one day she just disappeared. Her husband’s been frantic. A private investigator tracked her down to Orange County, California.”

  “Lesley, she never mentioned anything but her baby. That was the only thing I knew about her previous life, how about you?”

  “Same here. But grief can do strange things. Mr. Mazur was here, I don’t know, the middle of last month. I can’t believe he hasn’t been in touch with you.”

  Something clicked for Jill.

  Darn it!

  “Lesley, was it really six weeks ago, or was it more like right after the last session I attended? You know, four weeks ago. Was he kind of hard to understand?”

  “It was after the last session. He didn’t have an accent or anything, he just talked really fast. Why?”

  “I got two calls from a number that I didn’t recognize and that didn’t translate into my voice to text. I figured it was more spam, so I blocked the number. I feel terrible. I wonder if I can recall those voice messages. Do you have his number?”

  “I do somewhere. Let me text it to you. Don’t delete it, okay?” Lesley teased.

  They both laughed, then sobered up. “Angela seemed so sad the last day I saw her,” Jill said. “If I can do something to make things better for her, I’m all for it.”

  “That sounds like you. I’ll text you the number. Thanks for the testimonial.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Law had been delighted to learn that Jill was a science fiction nerd. He was looking forward to watching the latest episode of his favorite series. What’s more, he had the idea that Jill was in the mood for more than just a little television, which dovetailed nicely with his plans.

  Ash had finally come up with an angle that had worked for him to agree to see an online psychologist. Since his namby-pamby brother had studied psychology in college, he had a professor who he’d talked to after Xave’s suicide. That professor had connected Law with one of his associates that he highly recommended, and it turned out to be a good fit. The woman knew her shit. He finally felt like he was coming to terms with his anger, but he was still struggling to put the guilt behind him.

  As he pulled into her drive, he saw that she had already made use of the mulch that he’d hauled over for her
. Jill had quite the green thumb.

  When he pulled into the short driveway she was waiting outside the front door. It was the first time he’d seen her in a dress, and man, wasn’t that a treat? It was white and frothy and showed off her long tan legs.

  She swayed up to the driver’s side of the truck. “Come inside, I have food and beer waiting.”

  “Food even? I didn’t think the day could get any better than a chance to see you.” He watched a blush stain her cheeks. Compliments seemed to take her by surprise. How was that even possible?

  She backed away from the door so he could get out. “Well, get yourself on into the house and grab some food.”

  “I brought something I need to get out of the truck bed.”

  She cocked her head. “What?”

  He reached over the side and pulled up a flat of blue irises. “You’d been talking about filling that space over there.” He nodded toward an area near her jacaranda tree.

  “You brought me flowers. Good flowers. The kind that doesn’t die! These are beautiful, Law.”

  Jill started running her hands over the tops of the blooms. “You’re going to love it here,” she crooned. “I’m going to take such good care of you.”

  He chuckled. “I also figured this would give you more flowers to talk to when you need to sort things out.”

  Her head jerked up and she bit her lip. “I didn’t do that in front of you, did I?”

  “Darlin’, we were working in your yard for four hours, last week. After one of your work calls, you were pissed as hell. You went around to the side of the house and went off on a ten-minute diatribe with your marigolds. Now, I would’ve been worried if you’d thought they were answering you, but it didn’t seem like a back and forth conversation.”

  She still gave him a worried look.

  He held the flat of flowers under one arm and put his other around her waist. “Where do you want these? I’m hungry.”