Chapter Three
Trembling with excitement, Jill took a deep, steadying breath and opened the door.
And there he was, his smile reassuring, his demeanor hopeful, his tall, lean body even hunkier than she remembered.
When his gaze swept over her body, which she had wrapped in a hotel towel as though she had just gotten out of the shower, she giggled self-consciously. “I didn’t bring dating clothes. So it was either this or full-on naked.”
“Damn.” He stepped into the room, closed the door, then rested his hands on her hips. “You look so damned good.”
“You, too.”
“So we’re doing this?” Before she could answer, he withdrew the question by asking in a husky voice, “Should we have a drink first? Talk?”
“Maybe afterwards?”
To her delight, he laughed, the sound rumbling through the air between them. “Good answer.”
She laughed too, then stepped back and let the towel drop to the floor like it was the most natural, non-slutty behavior in the world.
Once again, his verdict was, “Damn,” as he moved into her again, his left hand stroking her bottom, his right fondling her breasts. “Man, your body rocks.”
“Oh, God,” she moaned, her own hands mobilizing, one lacing its fingers in his thick black hair, the other shamelessly adoring his left bicep.
Then he kissed her for the first time, and she almost wept with relief. He was so tender. So masterful. So ready to rock her world.
“Should I go down on you first?” he asked, his tone thick, almost plaintive.
“Oh God, no. I’m sooo over that.”
“Huh?”
“Can’t we just finish what we started? On the dance floor?”
He stared down at her for a confused moment, then assured her with a cocky grin, “Hell, yeah.”
When he scooped her up and carried her to the bed in three long strides, she laughed happily. It was all so absurd, yet also so perfect. They would do it. Really do it. Then he would go away forever, hopefully feeling good about himself. Feeling like he had “scored.” Never knowing Jill was the real winner.
After dumping her on the bed, he started to strip, and she thought she might actually hyperventilate. That rippling chest. Those hunky shoulders. The long, muscled arms. She had imagined it all, but without his shirt, it hit her right between the thighs.
Still, nothing could have prepared her for the guest of honor. Because when he pulled down his pants and boxers, she gawked in disbelief as her mind flashed back to her sessions in the sex therapist’s office, when she had been shown the range of acceptable sizes and shapes of a functioning penis. Small, medium, large. Straight, hooked, kinked. All capable of satisfying a woman as long as the couple was open to a little guidance.
It just hadn’t prepared her for this.
Straight and thick, it stood like a tower, mocking her entire belief system. Mocking but also subverting. Tempting. Drawing her into a crazy, yummy fantasy.
Just once before I die, she assured it in a giddy mix of shock and anticipation.
Everything else was a blur as Jayce made a cheerful show of producing a condom and rolling it into place. Then he stretched over her and kissed her again, murmuring all the right things as they eagerly fondled one another. Breasts, balls, bottoms, faces—they simply couldn’t get enough of each other. Then he dipped a thick, rough finger into her and pronounced reverently, “Damn, Jill.”
“Oh, God.”
Without further ceremony, he spread her thighs and entered her, gently at first, then with a wild sort of hunger that reminded her he hadn’t “gotten any” in a while either. He moaned, he groaned, he praised, he exalted, and then as Jill climaxed—her entire body stunned and eternally grateful—he ejaculated with a glorious rush.
• • •
It took a while for Jill to understand what had happened. For one thing, she was too busy with the aftershocks, which were legion. Then there was the unfamiliar intimacy. The way Jayce cuddled her, soothed her, made her feel safe despite the seismic shift.
The perfect orgasm. Made even more perfect by the inferior ones of her first twenty-seven years.
She had so many questions. Her body had so many questions. But she could deal with those later. For now, the important thing was to thank the man in her bed, so she focused on him, then winced to see he was staring at her, and not exactly like a conquering hero. More like a scientist studying a lab rat.
She had assumed he had been as cosmically satisfied as she. Was she wrong?
Still, she had loved every second of it, so she told him warmly, “That was amazing. Thank you.”
“Yeah, it was awesome,” he agreed. Then he leaned closer and asked in a wary, almost clinical way, “So what’s your story, anyway?”
“What?”
“It’s like you never had sex before,” he complained gently. “What’s up with you?”
She tried for defiance, failed, then reminded him, “I was married for seven years so—obviously—I’ve had sex. Dozens of times. Hundreds, actually. Right? I mean, seven years. Times fifty-two weeks in a year. Times two or three times a week . . .” Her bravado faltered. “Let’s just say it was a lot. And why are you questioning me? I mean, if you’re complaining, fine. I’m not in your league, obviously. But still . . .”
“I’m not complaining,” he said quickly. “It’s more like, well—what the hell?”
It was tempting to throw him out, but she actually wanted this to end on a good note. The best sex she had ever had. Ever dreamed of having. A benchmark by which to judge future candidates. Not that she expected to find another Jayce Spurling, but something closer to him than to Colin.
Was that so wrong?
While she hesitated, Jayce surprised her by chuckling. “Now I remember. You married a guy with a tiny dick, right? Geezus, Jill, why didn’t you just say so?”
“Oh God,” she groaned. “Remind me to strangle that brat. She actually told you that stupid story?”
Jayce was laughing out loud. “She says you searched for a guy with a tiny dick so he wouldn’t hurt you the first time. Then you actually married him. No wonder you’re so easy to impress.”
“That’s enough,” she warned him coolly. “Tess always exaggerates. I did not look for a tiny one. Just something manageable for the first time.”
His grin was so irresistible, she explained sheepishly, “Colin’s penis isn’t tiny. Not at all. It’s perfectly respectable. Nothing like yours, obviously, but then again, whose is?”
Still grinning, Jayce nuzzled her neck. “Man, you’re good for my ego.”
“Too bad it isn’t mutual.”
“Huh?” He propped himself onto one elbow and fondled her breasts apologetically. “You’re hotter than hell. Classy, too. Your ego should be through the effing roof.”
“That’s sweet of you to say,” she said, mollified. “My ego is fine, actually. And this was so much fun. So—well, thank you.”
“If it wasn’t small, how come you never got off before?”
“Seriously?” She tried to glare, but he was so charming, so sincere, she settled for exhaling loudly. “The truth is, I did get off. Lots of times. So kudos to him, right?”
“Huh?”
Regretting the prickly tone, especially because Jayce really seemed to care, she explained. “The problem with Colin wasn’t size, it was—well, stamina. He finished before I even got started. Which was frustrating. But he always made it up to me with oral sex, so problem solved.”
When Jayce just stared, she held her breath, wondering what he was thinking.
Then he flopped back onto the pillows and roared with laughter all over again. “That’s why you said I shouldn’t go down on you? That you were quote-unquote over it? That’s hilarious, Jill.”
She wanted to protest, but it really was funny, wasn’t it? After all these years of pretending it was normal. Pretending Colin was perfect. Pretending Jill was the problem.
She stroked his jaw with her fingertips. “The point is, this was fun. And now I guess you should go.”
“Huh?” He sobered quickly, then sat up and nibbled her earlobe. “It could be a while after this. For me at least. So how about one for the road?”
“You could do it again? So soon?”
And once again, Jayce howled in delight. “Your ex couldn’t get it up twice?”
Jill giggled. “Feel free to mock him, but remember: you’ll be a middle-aged man someday and you might have the same problem.”
“How old is he? Seventy?”
“Stop it,” she scolded him, but she was laughing because it really was absurd. “He’s forty-three. And even when I met him he was already thirty-six. So it made sense.”
“If I can’t get it up twice in one night when I’m thirty-six, I’ll shoot myself.” His gaze softened. “What were you thinking, babe?”
“It was fine for a while. Very satisfying. Can we please change the subject?”
“Sure.” He caught her hand in his own and guided it down to his latest, greatest hard-on. “How about this?”
“Oh God, it’s perfect,” she admitted, stroking him reverently.
“Give me a second.”
“Pardon? Oh.” She smiled as he rolled toward the edge of the bed and reached down to retrieve a fresh condom from the pocket of his khakis. “Good idea.”
“Yeah,” he murmured, donning the condom, then nuzzling her neck fondly. “Let’s get this party started.”
• • •
“The point is, things were fine at the beginning,” Jill was explaining as they languished in bed after an hour of nonstop fun. “We were devoted to making each other happy, and even if Colin got off before I was ready, he always made it up to me. Or at least, almost always. And in those days, I was sure it was partly my fault, so I made excuses. It wasn’t until later that he got so selfish. When as soon as we made love to his satisfaction, he just tuned me out and went to sleep.” She cuddled closer. “I suggested sex therapy, which made him super angry, since he was convinced my prudishness was the problem—”
“You? You’re freakishly easy,” Jayce teased.
Jill laughed lightly. “I’ll let that slide. Mostly because I dragged you into bed ten minutes after I met you.”
“Yeah, you were out of control. Calling me ‘virile.’ Like I’m a piece of meat.”
She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I went to therapy alone, which turned out to be a godsend. The doctor confirmed I was within the range of normal, quote-unquote. It was Colin’s rapid-fire ejaculations that were the problem. But there are techniques for that. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t even consider them.”
“Not even boner pills?”
“Nope.” She sat up and shrugged. “If I had been more submissive, he might have tried something like that. But I finally realized he used sex as a way of punishing me. Not by being rough. Just by withholding affection.”
“You’re definitely not submissive,” he agreed. “Trusting, maybe. But feisty, too.”
She smiled at the almost compliment. “Colin wasn’t just older in years. He was a law professor when I met him. A famous constitutional law scholar. And I was eager to learn from him. That’s what I mean by submissive. Because I was just a novice, and he was an expert, so it made sense. He became a federal judge, I went to law school, and we were still mentor-mentee. Then I graduated and he wanted me to clerk for one of his associates. Stay in the theoretical realm, right? But I wanted to make a real-world difference, and I was opposed to the death penalty on legal and moral grounds, so I went to work for a nonprofit that handled those kinds of cases. Colin tried to put his foot down, I stayed with it anyway, and after that, our marriage deteriorated.”
Embarrassed that she had babbled on and on, she rolled toward the side of the bed. “You should get going. You don’t want to wake up your nephew when you get in.”
“He’s up every two hours whether we’re noisy or quiet,” Jayce assured her. Then he reached for her hand and kissed it. “Are you gonna be all right?”
“Me?” She wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or mortified. “Yes, I’ll be fine. Better now, thanks to you. I just need to get on with my life. And you need to get your family back. So you should go.”
“Thanks for being cool about all that. About Beth, I mean.”
“Well, it works for me, too,” she reminded him. “It’s too soon to start dating again, but I’m clearly overdue for this.”
“Tell me about it.” His grin softened and he came around to her side of the bed, pulled her to her feet, and kissed her lightly. “Thanks, Jill.”
“Be serious. It was all you.”
“Like I said: you’re good for my ego.”
Touched, she backed a few feet away. “Have a good flight, Jayce. I’m just going to jump in the shower. So—well, thanks again.”
He caught her by the waist. “I could use a shower too. There’s only one problem.”
“Only one?” she drawled.
“Yeah. I don’t have another rubber. But I can run down to the front desk and see what’s available.”
He looked so hopeful—so adorable—she blurted out, “I’m on the pill. And I only slept with one guy in my whole life until you. So if you’re clean—”
“I never once cheated on Beth. Not in ten years. Not until tonight.” He caught her face between his palms. “I swear it, Jill.”
“Okay then.” She took a deep breath, grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him shamelessly toward the bathroom.
• • •
“We’re going to hell,” she decided aloud when they were back in bed, their bodies still damp and virtually glowing. He had been voracious in the shower, pleasuring her, pleasuring himself on her and in her, soaping them both up, then doing it all over again.
Just the best time ever.
“Was that another first for you?” he asked without a trace of modesty.
“You mean doing it in the shower? Or doing it so many times in a row? Because the short answer is ‘yes.’” She giggled happily. “I mean, Colin and I took showers together but only one of us climaxed, and you can imagine who it was.”
“What an ass.”
“Well, they can’t all be studs like you,” she teased him. “Your wife is a very lucky woman. Which means you should get dressed, get some sleep, then get back to San Diego and woo her until she begs you to come home.”
To her shock, he scowled. “That’s kinda hard to do with that egghead cock-blocking me.”
“Egghead? Tess said think-tank guy.”
Jayce shrugged. “She’s getting her doctorate in education, and he’s the head of some education consortium. I met him once. Total loser, obviously.”
“Obviously.” Jill snuggled closer. “She’s just testing the waters. Seeing what else is out there. But she’ll weaken, I promise. All kidding aside, you’re irresistible. Not just in bed, either. So hang in there.”
“I hope you’re right.” His eyes began to twinkle. “Any other firsts I can help with before I go?”
“I’m officially up to speed,” she assured him. “I just wish you were going to the barbecue tomorrow so we could sneak off somewhere and make out like randy teenagers.”
“Huh?”
She smiled in apology. “Just something else I never did. I was so busy studying. Getting into Yale. Making my parents proud. I rarely dated, and never did anything that might bring shame on the family. Not even in college. Little Miss Perfect, as Tess would say. And I guess she was right.”
“So what would it take?” he asked as he slid out of bed and pulled his jeans over his long, muscular legs.
“Pardon?”
“The party’s at Bam’s place, right? It’s huge, so there are tons of empty rooms. Plus, there’s a shed in Rachel’s garden and a boathouse on the lake. Take your pick.”
“What?”
He continued getting dressed. “I need to be back by Friday at noon since it’s my weekend with the boys. But I can stay one more day. And Rachel was bummed I wasn’t coming to her party, so this kills two birds with one stone.”
“I was just kidding—”
“Too late,” he announced cheerfully. “You can give me a nice send-off tomorrow. In the boathouse.”
“Jayce, wait.” She jumped up and slipped her arms around his neck. “Really? I know it sounds silly—”
“Why? I didn’t do much of that in high school either,” he admitted. “My pop was a total hard-ass. All studying and football. I mean, I was a teenage boy, so yeah, I snuck out with girls when I could. And college was fun for a year or two. But I met Bethie when I was nineteen, so—” He eyed her impishly. “A quickie with a hot blonde in a boathouse sounds pretty damned good.”
“What if someone sees us?” she asked breathlessly. “What if Tess sees us?”
“That’s what makes it fun, remember? So rest up. And don’t wear underwear.”
“What? Oh!” She collapsed against his chest, laughing happily. “I guess I really am easy, because I can’t wait.”
Jayce grinned down at her, and then, after waggling a teasing eyebrow, grabbed his shoes and was gone.
• • •
Man, what a night.
All he could think about were those sparkling blue eyes. The soft, fragrant hair. Perfect breasts, slender curves, long legs. It almost felt like a dream, especially after the nightmare of the last four months, which had been nothing short of brutal.
And things would get brutal again, no doubt. But for the moment, it was all worth it. Not only was his ego soaring as he drove toward his brother’s house, but he honestly believed his luck had changed. Not just because a hot babe had fallen into his lap, almost literally, but because his injured shoulder was feeling great. Then there was Baby Aaron, the coolest kid in town. Good friends. Hope for the future.
And it had been good for Jill Colby too, hadn’t it? After seven years of bad sex and neglect, she now knew for certain it hadn’t been her fault. None of it. Her douchebag ex had done a number on her, but after tonight, there was no doubt she was the sexiest babe on earth.
Jayce had been satisfied with their plan never to see each other again, knowing it was for the best. But she had been so cute when she talked about sneaking off like teenagers, he couldn’t resist giving her that. Not after everything she had given him. He had never felt so satisfied. So at peace. Ready to face whatever the future held.
Meaning Beth.
After four months, the shock of her tirade still stung. Their lives had seemed so effing perfect. Four great kids. A cozy house. A past and a future. And yeah, they had been arguing more than usual, but never harshly. Then in an instant she was rampaging through the place, terrorizing him and the kids. Smashing things, shouting near-obscenities, ordering him to “get out—now!”
He had tried to calm her down but it just made her crazier, so he had done as she asked, but not before assuring their shell-shocked sons not to worry. He would fix this. Then he had checked into a hotel, all the while believing she would cool down in a day or two. Maybe even less.
He had sent flowers. Apologies. Love notes. Left voice messages promising to be a better husband. Or father. Or whatever it was he had blown so completely. Christmas had been pure misery, since Beth took the boys to her dad’s house in San Francisco while the Spurling clan gathered at Johnny and Erica’s place, where Jayce got the distinct feeling they would trade his ass for the company of Beth and the kids in a heartbeat. His father in particular had been caustic, telling his youngest son, “You never deserved a great girl like her but you’d damned well better get her back.”
And Jayce had tried. And tried. Then she had shocked them all again by filing for divorce. Stymied and with great reluctance, he had moved into a depressing apartment with enough room for the boys to visit every other weekend, since that was apparently the way Beth wanted it.
And the pièce de résistance? She found herself another guy.
Driving now through the gated entry to his brother’s home, Jayce noted with satisfaction that the place was ablaze with lights, almost as if little Aaron were anxious for more time with Uncle Jayce. The feeling was definitely mutual.
Erica would be glad he was staying an extra day, assuming she didn’t figure out the real reason for it. Johnny was a different story, though. He might pretend to go along, but more likely would give Jayce that look—the one that said, “Shouldn’t you be in San Diego fixing your marriage?”
What a mess, he muttered to himself as he parked Johnny’s SUV and headed for the back door. Then he chuckled and reminded himself, At least you got laid. Let’s just hope John never finds out about that.