CHAPTER 19
JACKIE
The only reason I invited Fury to my house for dinner, instead of accepting his invitation to go out, was to avoid all the prying eyes that I knew would follow us everywhere we went. I’m single, I can see whomever I please, but I also knew just how fast news traveled in this town.
The fact that Pete told Hank right away that I’d been sitting with Fury at the bar was proof of the sorry state of this town.
You couldn’t spit without everyone knowing where it landed.
I had nothing to hide, but I could do without the drama. Having Fury all to myself wasn’t half-bad, either.
All day, I’d endured sweaty palms and gut-wrenching anxiety. He was so fucking sexy and I was pretty sure those kisses were only a prelude to what he’d unleash on me tonight. The question was: Was I ready?
I mean, who’s ready for a man like him? What would one do to prepare for a night alone with a man that oozes masculinity like juice from a peach?
Jaw exercises to warm up for those intense kisses?
Jumping jacks to get my heart moving?
Kegels!?
I tried to keep myself busy at work but I was kicking myself all day that I’d not prepared better. I don’t mean the kegels, I could (and did) do a few of those at work and nobody was the wiser, but I’d not taken into account the fact that I had to work all day, go to the store for groceries, whip up something to impress him — the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? — and still find time to somehow hide the bags under my eyes and make sense of the out-of-control mop on my head.
Not to mention a little shaving down under, if you know what I mean.
It’s been a while. A long while.
A girl needs time to prepare for a man like Fury, that’s all I’m saying.
“Tara, you gotta cover the dinner rush for me,” I finally broke down and begged.
“I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “My feet are killing me.”
“Tara!” I said, knowing she just wanted to hear me beg. “Please? I’ll trade a shift with you next week. I just need more time to cook tonight.”
“That man is not going to give you time to eat dinner,” she said. “Why bother?”
“Because I offered,” I insisted. “Please. I’d do it for you.”
“I know you would,” she said. “I just wish I had something to get excited over, too. I’m happy for you, I am. But seeing you all giddy and smiling makes me sad.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, please,” I said. “You’re in love and happy. You just like to complain. It’s not your man that’s boring, it’s this sad-ass town.”
“You might be right,” she shrugged. “Either way.”
“So will you cover for me? I want to make this lemon-meringue pie and it needs time to chill.”
“Okay, okay,” she said. “But you owe me.”
“I told you I’d switch with you next week.
“No,” she smiled. “You owe me all the juicy details tomorrow. I want to hear everything. And I mean everything, Jackie. Promise not to leave out anything?”
“Pinky-swear,” I said, hooking pinkies with her and kissing her on the cheek. “You’re the best friend ever.”
“Everything, Jackie!” she shouted before I ran into the back office and collected my things. I bolted out of there like a woman on a mission, but really I was a woman on the verge of a panic attack.
What the hell had I gotten myself into?
Could I handle a man like him? Even for one night?
I guess I was about to find out, I thought, as I headed to the grocery store. Fury might be the death of me, but I couldn’t think of a worse way to go.
At least I’d die with a smile on my face.
***
I couldn’t eat.
Butterflies fluttered around my stomach and just the vision of Fury sitting at my dining room table was enough to make my hands tremble. He wore all black tonight. Black jeans, a tight-fitting black t-shirt that accentuated his enormous muscular biceps, with heavy black boots. He’d arrived in a roar of vibrations on his bike and I’d peeked through the window to watch him park and remove his helmet.
Now, after a quick kiss hello and a tiny tour of my house, he was sitting across from me like he’d always been there. His voice boomed through the house, a low growl that cut right to my center with each word.
“This is the best steak I’ve ever had, Jackie,” he said between bites. “And these twice-baked potatoes are incredible.”
I might not have had an appetite, but he was devouring the meal like he’d not eaten in weeks, which made me smile.
“I’m glad you like it,” I said. “It’s my grandma’s recipe.”
“She must have been some cook,” he said.
“She was quite the lady,” I replied. “Strong as an ox, smart as a whip and the very first woman to own a business in this town.”
“Is that so?”
“Yep,” I replied, lifting my chin with pride. “I loved her and everyone who came into contact with her did, too. Except for Bodhi Green’s father, whom she fought with throughout most of her life.”
“What did they fight about?”
“Her business, mainly. She wanted to name the diner after herself and he fought her tooth-and-nail the whole way. Eventually, he gave in and she would never say what she did to change his mind, but she was eventually the first business in town not to have ‘Green’ in the name.”
“Impressive,” he said.
“She was amazing,” I said. “When she retired, she signed over the business to my mom, Jane, who worked there since she was a teenager. And then Mom left it to me when she died.”
“I see, that’s great,” he said. “And this house?”
“My grandpa built it,” I nodded.
“Must be great to have such deep roots,” he said.
“It is,” she said. “It’s a gift. I’m grateful for it all.”
“I know you don’t like him, but this might be a good time to tell you that I got a job with Green today.”
“What, really?” I asked, my gut churning with dread.
“I heard he was the only person in town hiring,” he shrugged.
“What will you be doing?”
“Security,” he said. “He’s had a few break-ins recently.”
“Well, I’m sure he deserved it, the prick,” I said, shaking my head. “Just be careful. He destroys everyone he touches.”
“I’m not very easy to destroy,” he said, winking, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening. I was struck by his handsomeness. Underneath all those tattoos, the gruff voice, the larger-than-life frame, he was classically handsome, his square jaw and high cheekbones prominently dominating his features. His dark eyes smoldered each time he turned them on me, like a flame of heat he blew my way.
“Tell me about your life,” I said, suddenly wanting to know everything about him.
He shrugged, looking away.
“Not much to tell,” he said.
“Come on,” I urged.
“I told you I grew up in Salem.”
“Where’s your family?” I asked.
He cringed, his eyes slamming shut.
“Still in Salem,” he shrugged. “I don’t really see them. They haven’t been a part of my life for a long time.”
“Oh,” I said. “Why not?”
“I don’t really talk about them,” he said. “My real family is a different story. My two best friends are brothers and their family took me in pretty early, around the sixth grade, I guess.”
“Tell me about your friends,” I said.
“Eli and Nate?” he asked, his eyes lighting up. “They’re two of the best dudes you’ll ever meet. Great guys. Great friends. And their father was more like a dad to me than my own old man.”
“What was his name?”
“Asher.”
“He’s still with us?”
He paused, a slight hesitation that told me there was much more to the story.
“He’s still alive,” he nodded.
I nodded, trying to piece it all together, but his vague details and his obvious discomfort told me something wasn’t quite right. I had a feeling under that sexy exterior, there was a huge story lurking in his past. I couldn’t expect him to spill it all immediately, so I didn’t press any further. Getting to know someone takes time, and I know men take a long time to open up. I was happy to give him all the time he needed.
“Are you ready for dessert?” I asked.
His eyes lit up again. He nodded gleefully, and I couldn’t help but smile. His joyful expression gave me a glimpse of what he might have looked like as a little boy and my heart melted.
“Lemon meringue pie, coming right up!” I said, standing up and clearing away the dinner plates, which allowed me to move closer to him. My stomach fluttered, my fingers trembling as I carried the plates to the kitchen, the heat of his intense gaze following me as I put the dishes in the sink and walked to the fridge, turning away from him for a few moments.
I opened the door, leaning down to pull the pie from the shelf. I froze as I felt his arms slide around my waist, his body pressing against mine. I leaned back into his chest, the pie in my hands. Bending his head, he pressed his lips against my neck, sending sparks of electricity through my entire body. My knees weakened and I sighed, letting my head fall to the side as his lips slid over my skin.
His palm was on my belly, pulling my body into him, his fingers gripping me tightly as he pressed me into his hardness. My hips moved into him and a growl sounded in his throat as he turned me around, his lips crashing onto mine.
His kiss was a thunderous wave of passion, full of longing and lust, my body instantly coming alive. I kissed him back, meeting his desire with my own, still cradling the pie in my palm. He leaned down, scooping me up in his arms without breaking the kiss. Quickly, he carried me over to the dining table, pushing away the remaining glasses and dishes as he placed me on top. I laid the pie to the side and he hovered over me, gently pushing me backwards until I was half-lying on the table, staring up at him.
His eyes flashed with hunger and his lips crashed into mine once more, breaking away and sliding down to my throat, his warm kisses brushing against my skin like rough silk. Arching my back, I pressed my breasts up towards him, opening my thighs for him to slide between.
His hardness pressed against me, my entire body quivering with yearning for him. My hands ran over his back as he kissed me deeply, his tongue sliding between my lips and searching for the same connection I was starving for.
I pushed his shirt over his head, my skin itching for contact. I gasped as his body came into view. Slathered in tattoos and rippling muscles, he was a sculpted fantasy of virility, a sex dream come true.
Quickly, he pulled off my dress, leaving me staring up at him, my breasts threatening to spill from the lacy push-up bra I was wearing. His lips descended to the tops of them, sending sharp flickering flames shooting through me as I arched my back, my fingers sinking into his soft black hair, pulling him closer.
His tongue darted out, sliding along the edge of the lace, breaking through the imagined barrier and slithering under my bra to search out my nipple. I arched my back harder, my breasts escaping from the fabric, allowing him to fully engulf my hardened bud.
Echoing through the house, my moans soared above us, a testament to his touch. Sliding around one nipple, then the next, his tongue worked against my shivering skin until I was trembling uncontrollably. He pulled away, his lips finding mine again, his body pressing hard between my thighs. I pressed up to meet him, shuddering at the passion flowing between us. He broke away from me again, his eyes peering deeply into mine, as if he was trying to break clean through to my soul.
“Jackie, you’re the most beautiful fucking woman I’ve ever seen,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I want you so badly.”
Speechless with desire, I licked my lips, tasting him as I pressed up into his hardness again.
“Please, Fury…” I whispered, the only words I could muster.
He smiled down at me, a slow, sexy grin that spread across his face like wildfire, his eyes blazing with lust. He reached down, unhooking the front clasp of my bra, his lips finding my nipples once more. Trailing down my ribcage, his kisses fluttered against me, gently nibbling at the skin, his tongue sliding against me deliciously as he moved down to my belly.
“Fury, Fury…”
He paused when he reached my panties, his breath hot against my skin as he hooked his fingers into the sides and pulled them over my thighs with a devilish gleam in his smoldering eyes. Brushing his lips against the sensitive sides of my hips, I gasped, my breath catching in my throat. Trailing kisses down the side of my thighs and back up the middle, I trembled with painful anticipation.
Finally, the sweet sensation of his white-hot breath hit my center, my thighs open and welcoming him into my warmth. His full lips covered my mound, his tongue darting out to claim me, sliding between my folds and tasting my flowing desire for him.
I sunk my fingers in his hair again, pulling him in closer.
“Yessss,” I sighed, my strength abandoning me as I fell back onto the table, submitting to his delicious assault. His tongue worked against me, pulling waves of pleasure from the depths of my body, reminding me how amazing it was to be a woman, to be wanted by a man, to be lost in the passionate dance that could only be found in a dreamy connection like this.
A thunderous storm of ecstasy rolled over me, leaving me gasping and gripping at his shoulders as he sent me crashing over the edge, his fingers firmly digging into my hips as he held me still. Afterwards, I lay panting and spent, weak as a kitten, as he lifted himself over me, his kiss now hard and urgent as he reached down, the sound of his buckle and zipper a delicious promise of everything I’d been waiting for.
I sat up, looking down just in time to see his cock burst from its confines, hard and beautiful and smooth. I reached for him, hot and throbbing in my palm as I wrapped my fingers around him possessively. He moaned deeply, his eyes flashing a silent warning of no return.
“Jackie,” he growled.
I smiled, my eyes begging for him to take me.
Gently, I pulled him towards my center, guiding him until he was pressed against me. His lips parted slightly, his eyes widening as he slid inside of me, inch by inch, until an exquisitely gratifying sensation of satisfaction rippled through me.
I lay back again, my hands over my head, my body offered to him in complete submission.
“I’m all yours,” I whispered, as he gripped my hips once more, his fingers digging into the softest part, pulling me closer, his cock sliding deeper and deeper until he was all mine.
My thighs wrapped around his hips as he leaned down and kissed me hard, his cock buried inside of me as he began to move, his growls and moans vibrating into my mouth. Harder and harder, he slid into me, his thrusts deepening with each delicious slide, heat rolling off his naked body onto mine as we collided.
It was the best ride of my life.
His muscles rippled under my fingertips, my body quivering as he took me, his hardness pounding into me over and over until my entire body seized, every inch of my skin tingling with pleasure as I crashed over the edge with him, his heat swelling inside of me, my center gripping him in waves of release as we cried out together in lustful, animalistic bliss.
Throbbing and wet, he stayed pressed inside of me, his kisses returning, soft and gentle now, yet even deeper than before, the connection we’d searched for now forged in invisible steel. His hand cradled my cheek as he pulled away, his gaze so soft, so open.
“That was amazing,” I whispered, my voice thick with lust and awe.
He leaned down, brushing against my lips once more, before pulling back and nodding.
“You’re amazing, Jackie,” he replied, his low voice gruff.
I smiled up at him, my thighs still firmly wrapped around his hips.
“We didn’t have dessert,” I said, teasingly. “I worked on that pie for hours.”
“Oh, yeah?” he replied, cocking his head to the side. “Hmm…”
He reached over and sank three fingers into the pie, slicing through the meringue and scooping out the bright yellow center. Bringing his fingers to his lips, he tasted the pie and shook his head.
“Not bad, but I think it’s missing something,” he said.
“Missing something?” I asked. “That pie is perfect. What’s it missing?”
He smiled a mischievous smile and smeared the pie on my left nipple, then my right. I burst out laughing as he lowered his head, licking the pie from my nipples slowly, his tongue trailing around them firmly and removing all traces of the sweet, sticky filling from my skin.
“Much better,” he growled, his cock growing inside of me again as his hips started moving again. I wrapped my thighs tighter around his hips and pulled him deeper.
“More?” he asked, his eyes filling with lust again.
“Always.”