CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Shae stretched her arms above her head and inhaled deeply to give herself some motivation to wake up, but the warmth of the blanket was too inviting to throw it aside. She honestly hadn’t felt this refreshed in…well, too long to remember. Maybe she should stay snuggled inside this cocoon for a little bit longer.
The abrupt groan that emanated aloud when her elbow connected with a rib told her that she wasn’t in bed. Or alone, for that matter.
Shae tried to sit up, but something solid prevented her from achieving success.
“You’re one of those, huh?” Jace’s voice was raspy with sleep, letting her know the what, where, and who parts of her question. It was the how she’d come to be asleep with him on the couch that had her concerned. “You could have just told me I was snoring. I’m a light sleeper.”
“You weren’t snoring,” Shae said, struggling to sit up. She managed to leverage herself up on an elbow, but it was to find that the living room was still cast in a golden hue from the lamp on the side table. “What time is it? And why are we on the couch sleeping together?”
“We’re on the couch because you’re not the easiest person to wake up. I had planned to carry you upstairs, but I’m ashamed to say that didn’t go the way I’d planned. Hence why I’m on the couch with you.” Jace shifted in a way that caused Shae to realize there was no blanket. It had been his heat alone that had given her that sense of security. Her body began to respond to that knowledge in an entirely different manner, and one that she wasn’t sure was a wise reaction. “And I figure it’s only three in the morning. We haven’t been asleep all that long.”
Shae briefly wondered why Jace wasn’t moving to get away from her now that her upper body wasn’t draped on top of him. That was before her brain comprehended that her left leg was snuggled in between his.
“Sorry,” Shae muttered, slowly pulling her body away from his in mortification. How embarrassing was it to be caught in such a compromising position? “You should have just woken me. I would have gone upstairs.”
“You looked rather peaceful.” Jace still didn’t move, intensifying the heat that lingered between them. She’d been so immersed with their positions that she hadn’t thought to focus on his features. And there was a reason, because his blue gaze captured hers. “How long are we going to fight the inevitable?”
Shae really wished he hadn’t asked her such a question, because her body instantly reacted to his intimate suggestion. She was in town for one reason, and one reason alone. It wasn’t to satisfy her carnal desire.
The warmth of his hand when his palm cupped her cheek was almost as inviting as the heat from his body, but nothing compared to when he lightly stroked his thumb across her bottom lip. He was opening the floodgate on pent-up emotions, and neither one of them were prepared enough for the repercussions of such a decision.
“I don’t belong here,” Shae whispered, closing her eyes to prevent herself from seeing his disappointed response. “We both know I’m going back to my life in Lansing when this is all said and done.”
“I’m not asking for more than you can give, Shae.” Jace brought her forward enough so that he could press a soft kiss against her other cheek. That not-so-innocent act weakened her resolve, because it wasn’t nearly enough. She rested her hand on top of his. “If there’s anything we’ve learned over the years, it’s that we should live in the here and now.”
How long had Shae denied herself that exact philosophy, all due to the guilt that consumed her over the years? She’d never taken the advice she’d given to her patients, even though she’d gone through the detached motions as if she’d healed herself. The penetrating arousal he stirred within her told of just how wrong she was about herself.
She wanted to live without remorse.
Shae pushed aside all the doubt and good judgement she used on a daily basis, finally allowing herself to throw caution to the wind. She only allowed herself to feel, and it was the most glorious awareness she’d ever undergone in her thirty-one years.
She took the reins.
Straddling Jace gave her the leverage needed to take what she’d wanted years ago—him. She kissed him as if there was no tomorrow, melding their lips as if they were one. The heat she’d experienced earlier was nothing compared to the inferno that now engulfed her entire being.
Every erogenous zone now ached to be touched, stroked, and caressed by him…only him. Their tongues danced with one another while their hands explored, but it didn’t nearly satisfy the ache that had set up residence in her core.
“Doc, we should take this upstairs.”
“No,” Shae whispered, pulling away long enough to help him sit up in the exact position she needed him to be for what she had in mind. “Do you remember where you were when I arrived at Nick’s house?”
“Sitting on the couch with—”
“A girl I’d never seen before.” Shae was grateful he’d left the lamp on to provide them some artificial light. She hadn’t planned on telling him her fantasy, but this was too perfect. Their situation was too seamless not to take advantage of the moment. “You were sitting just like this, and she was beside you with a drink in her hand. I would have given anything to have traded places with her.”
“Why didn’t you say something to me?” Jace asked, genuine curiosity lacing his tone. “I would have—”
“Given me one night before you went off to boot camp?” Shae slowly edged his shirt higher over his chest until he helped her free him of the material. She dropped it to the floor with acceptance, her gaze absorbing what she’d only ever imagined. “All I’ve done is prolong this moment for twelve years, and it will be me who leaves our hometown behind this time.”
Shae wasn’t sure why she expected Jace to reply, but he remained silent as she slowly ran both her hands up his chest. Whatever the Corps had him doing certainly benefited his health. She traced the contour of his shoulders, his pecs, and eventually his abdomen.
How could he be more impeccable than the man in her dreams?
“Doc?” Her nickname falling off his lips had her meeting his gaze. A small smile met his eyes as he gently took hold of her hands to stop their motion. “The time for words has passed. Let’s both take what we can offer each other without regret.”
Shae greedily managed another kiss before leaning back far enough to begin undressing, pushing one button after another through their openings. He continued to stare at her fingers with each degree of success. She was finally able to draw either side of her shirt apart, but it was with his help that the soft material brushed over her shoulders.
“Amazingly beautiful,” Jace whispered hoarsely, using the pad of his index finger to trace the outer edge of her bra that covered the swell of her breast. Her nipple hardened underneath the fabric, practically begging for his touch. “Tell me what it is you imagined doing on that couch, Doc.”
“How about I show you instead,” Shae replied, but not before she was able to unfasten the button on his jeans. “Follow my lead, Marine.”
Shae deliberately took her time standing before leisurely removing her clothing, relishing the mounting electricity that practically sparked from his darkening blue eyes. Standing in front of him in the nude was absolutely a heady experience. There wasn’t a part of her body that his gaze didn’t touch in their observation.
She raised an eyebrow in encouragement, waiting for him to remove the rest of his clothing. It was a nice surprise to see him pull a condom from his wallet before letting the leather billfold drop to the floor on top of his jeans. She would have taken the foiled package from his fingers had he not yanked it away at the last minute with a chuckle.
“Not so fast, Doc.” Jace wrapped an arm around her waist and spun her around so that it was she sitting on the couch instead of him. This hadn’t been part of her fantasy, but she didn’t care when he knelt before her. This was so much better. “I have a few delicious fantasies of my own that I’d like to act out.”
Shae wasn’t about to argue, especially when he lifted her right leg and began to show her exactly what he meant by delicious. She really did try to watch as he made his way from the inside of her ankle to the sensitive area of her thigh, but the stimulating tingles and shivers became too much. He rested her calves on his back as he began to love her in ways that her imagination couldn’t possibly begin to visualize.
And when he gradually slid his fingers inside her folds? She didn’t even bother to smother the moan that escape her throat nor care that she had a tight hold of his short hair. There was no leverage enough to help her through the escalating arousal.
Jace tongue was circling her clitoris with just enough pressure that the pleasure was immense, but not enough to push her over the edge. She was hanging on by a thread, but nothing she did made him cut her loose.
“Jace…”
“What a perfect angle,” Jace whispered in praise, shifting so that her ankles remained leveraged on his shoulders while he positioned himself at her entrance. He’d somehow managed to put on the condom and was ready to take her. This position offered him full access. “Hold on to the cushion behind you, Doc.”
Shae gripped the leather, but it didn’t give her nearly enough influence over the extreme pleasure that seized her as he began to slowly enter her, not stopping until he was seated within her core…fully. The backs of her legs were resting against his chest as he continued to gradually thrust into her, nowhere near relieving the slight sting of her sheath stretching to accommodate his width. If anything, the light spasms he initiated only became that much stronger.
“It’s not enough.” Shae cried out when his lips settled around her right nipple, intensifying the mind-blowing awakening of senses. She arched her back the best she could, which only managed to have his shaft slide more effectively over her sweet spot. “Jace!”
Shae couldn’t have stopped the tidal wave of her release if she tried, which had never been her intention. The vulnerable manner in which she was open to him gave her no choice but to embrace the orgasm and ride the endless waves of the beautiful deluge as he began to increase the pace of his rhythm.
By the time he joined her over the precipice, she was floating in an ecstasy that could never have been provided by a simple fantasy. Real life undermined imagination every time.
They had both promised each other there would be no regret, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be repercussions come morning.