Chapter Four
Jeremy returned from the kitchen to check on Jade and found her in a tiny heap beneath his comforter, breathing softly. Placing a glass of water and two small pills on the nightstand, he studied her.
He didn’t think she drank a lot at the wedding, but he was sure crying like that would give anyone a headache. Something was majorly wrong and he was pretty sure not even Kat knew her best friend was going through something big. This was not the Jade Shultz they knew. But why the secrecy?
Picking up her gown from the floor, he awkwardly folded it at the foot of the bed. She didn’t even take up a quarter of the mattress. Brow pinched, he tucked a ribbon of flaxen hair behind her ear.
Don’t look at her like that.
His gaze traveled over the contours of her body. The shorts he’d left for her were still folded on the comforter. The thought of her in his bed, without pants, made his throat instantly dry. His blood grew so thick he sensed it throbbing through his—
Time to go.
Placing a kiss on her temple, he breathed in her delicate scent. She was in his bed, but certainly not the way he’d anticipated. Standing, he reached for a pillow. He was couch-bound tonight. Grabbing the jeans draped over the hamper, he crept out the door and headed downstairs.
When his gaze hit the sofa he grimaced. It was a good size but far too small for a man his size to sleep comfortably. He glanced at the ceiling. No, he couldn’t sleep with her until he knew why she was so upset. Tossing his pillow on a chair, he turned down the hall and slipped through the basement door.
His body was primed and thrumming with energy and he needed an outlet. Stripping off his rented tux, he flipped on his stereo and winced, quickly dialing down the volume. In his briefs, he approached the weight bench. Not quite the same rush as fucking a beautiful woman, but it should take the edge off. Hopefully, this would just be a temporary fix, because he still intended for Jade to return to his bed—under better circumstances.
As he worked himself into a sweat, his mind crawled over her strange behavior today. One of Jade’s most appealing qualities was her sassy confidence. He preferred seeing her that way, but there was something … delicate about seeing her vulnerable. As a trained security professional, he got a rise out of protecting those in need of protecting. So, holding Jade and giving her a safe haven in his arms… It lit somewhat of a fire inside of him.
The question was, what the hell did she need protecting from? Maybe he’d finally talk her into a security system. She shouldn’t be afraid to stay home alone when she’d lived by herself since college.
He dropped the barbells on the carpet. Did someone break into her place? Was that what this was about? If so, she better have filed a fucking police report. He’d get to the bottom of it tomorrow for sure.
Flipping off the music, he made his way back up the stairs and to the second floor. Jade still slept, her body in the same position it was when he last saw her. Slipping into the bathroom, he grabbed a towel and turned the faucet on cool. A quick rinse and he’d return to the living room.
Glancing between his legs he grimaced at the thick hard-on pointing to his bedroom, to the woman on the other side of the wall sleeping in his bed.
“Fuck.” He fisted his cock and stroked, not sparing the time or consideration to do more than get himself a little relief so he could sleep.
His mind filled with flashes of blond hair, green eyes, and soft lips. What would her mouth feel like, wrapped around his cock, those lips stroking slow and tight? He grunted and tightened his fist, stroking faster.
Her short, curvy little body bouncing hard on his cock. Her big eyes staring up at him as he fucked her full tits. “Shit.”
He tugged and pulled his flesh, his palm flattening on the tile wall as his breath soughed through the steamy air. His eyes pinched shut as he imagined her coming on his dick, the walls of her pussy clamping around his flesh, milking his release.
“Yes,” he growled, pumping his fist fast.
The base of his spine tingled as his balls drew up tight. A ribbon of come shot past his clamped fingers onto the wall. He panted, slowly releasing his hold and catching his breath.
Once he had himself under control and no longer seeing cross-eyed, he rinsed away the evidence. Yes, he could definitely be patient if that’s what she needed right now, but after a year of tempting offers and not so subtle flirting, he really needed her to tell him why they were suddenly waiting. He wasn’t sure he’d ever wanted a woman to the degree he wanted Jade. And he had every intention of having her.