Chapter Four
Ty
I follow her into the small living room, and it’s like stepping back in time. We used to hang out here when her mom was at work, and I didn’t think twice about choosing her over spending time at the club or with my brothers. It wasn’t all about sex, either.
Not back then. I shove the memories aside. Now it’s all about the damn sex.
“Make yourself at home.” She picks up a shoebox and trash bag from the couch and gives me a strange smile, as though she’s remembering the times we made out on that faded, flowery monstrosity. I sit and pick up the half-empty bottle of wine.
“Your tastes have changed.”
She dumps the box and bag next to half a dozen other trash bags, hands me a wineglass, and then curls up at the other end of the couch. “Guess I grew out of drinking soda. Sorry I don’t have any beer.”
I tip some wine into the glass. She’s not the only one whose drinking habits have changed. When I’m alone I enjoy a good red. Not in public, though, or when I’m with my brothers. It’s beer or hard liquor, the same as I’ve always drunk since I was sixteen. I lean back and glance around the room. Her mom’s taste was weird, but it’s all in good condition. “You keeping any of this furniture?”
She flips open the lid of a pizza box on the smoky glass coffee table and avoids looking at me. “No. I don’t have the room, and in any case, it’d cost a fortune shipping it over to Florida.”
“Need some help getting rid of it?” I drain the wine and refuse to analyze my question. It’s got nothing to do with wanting to see her again after tonight.
“Thanks.” She sounds guarded. “But I’ve already arranged to have it picked up at the end of next week. Pizza?” She offers me the box.
It might be cold, but having food waved under my nose reminds me it’s been hours since I’ve eaten, so I take a slice and shove it into my mouth. It’s good she’s made arrangements for all this junk. Means I don’t need to feel guilty or offer to help her move stuff out of a warped sense of responsibility.
“You’re staying until the end of next week?” Not that it makes any difference to me. I take another slice of pizza.
“My flight’s next Friday. I’ll just leave the keys with the landlord.”
From the corner of my eye, I see her glance around the room. Her mask slips, and I see raw grief etch her face. It’s gone within seconds, but the pizza lodges in my throat, and I toss the rest back in the box, my appetite gone.
“How’d she die, Jas?”
She leans the side of her head against the back of the couch and stares at me for a long moment. Her hair’s all messy from where I raked my fingers through it, and I have a hard time not grabbing her hands and pulling her against me.
Hell, I could do that. She’s just lost her mom. Except I can’t. It crosses some kind of line I can’t even explain.
She lets out a long sigh. “According to the coroner it was unintentional poisoning.”
Our gazes clash, and I can’t look away. Unintentional poisoning covers so much I don’t even know what to say. Does Jas know her mom was still using? Hell, was Kelly still using? I don’t know anything for sure.
“Right.” The pain in Jas’s eyes is killing me, and I grab the bottle and pour more wine so I don’t have to look at her anymore.
“She had a heap of prescription drugs.” There’s a defensive note in her voice as though she thinks I won’t believe her. “It wasn’t suicide.”
That hadn’t even crossed my mind. “Nah, course it wasn’t.” I frown down at the wine, wishing it was something a lot stronger. Wishing I could somehow take away her pain.
There’s another silence, and I risk glancing at her. She gives me a small smile. “Sorry. You don’t want me crying on your shoulder. It’s hardly the deal we made, huh?”
It takes a couple of seconds to figure out what she’s talking about. How did I forget that tonight it’s all about the sex? I don’t talk about personal shit with chicks I fuck. Not interested. They know the score.
Jas knows the score.
Yeah, it’s all about the sex, but fuck. We’ve got all night.
“My shoulders can take it.” My grin is faint because I know she won’t take me up on the offer. What the hell am I thinking? I don’t want her crying all over me. Even after all this time and how things ended between us, I wouldn’t be able to stand that. Never could. Once I would’ve taken on the world for her, to stop her tears.
Once, I did…
I can’t think about that. Not now, not ever.
“I know they can.” She swirls the dark wine in her glass, apparently fascinated by it. “But that’s not why you’re here. It’s not why we’re here.” Her gaze clashes with mine. “Is it?”
It’s not a challenge. It’s like she’s reminding me, as though she thinks I’ve forgotten. It shouldn’t matter that she doesn’t want anything but sex from me. It’s all I offered. All I damn well want.
“I’m only here for one thing.” I toss the rest of the wine down my throat and bang the glass onto the table. “It’s all that’s left between us.”
The words ring hollow in my ears, and I ignore the ache in my chest. It was always so much more than just sex with Jas, but it shouldn’t be this hard, after all this time, to relegate her to the horde of forgettable one-night stands.
Her smile doesn’t light up her face in the way I remember. Damn my memories. I thought I’d killed them all years ago, but they’re still here, swarming beneath the surface.
“And this time it’s legal.”
I snort out a laugh, even though a part of me balks that she’s so easily pierced my armor. “You never complained.”
“Why would I? You kept me waiting a year after we first started seeing each other.”
“I kept you waiting?” Before I can stop myself, I grab her hand and pull her toward me. “That’s not how I remember it.”
“Selective amnesia.” This time her smile warms something deep inside me, and I don’t even try and stop it. “I had to get you drunk and pin you down on my bed before you got the hint.”
I leer at her, and she snuggles against me as she shakes with silent laughter. “Best birthday present you ever got. Admit it.”
“I do admit it. You were worth waiting for.”
So were you. I keep that locked down tight. Not going back there, ever, and I fork my fingers through her tangled hair as she slides her hand beneath my cut.
“Fuck, this takes me back.” The words are out before I can stop them, and for a second she freezes, then our gazes clash. I don’t want to think about the past. Why is that so fucking hard? It’s all I’ve done since meeting her again.
“At least this time we don’t have to worry about being caught.” She wriggles on top of me, straddling my thighs, and grasps my shoulders. “Not that it ever seemed to bother you.”
I grip her naked ass and haul her closer. “You got off on the danger.” She didn’t, and always used to worry about everything, but I’ll be damned if I let her know how much I used to enjoy looking out for her. Being her protector. “Get this dress off.”
I half expect some sass, but she straightens and then slowly tugs the dress up over her head, rocking her hips like she’s performing a show. I’ve had plenty of lap dances in my time, but nothing as hot as seeing Jas toss her dress onto the floor and fling back her head, her hair falling over her shoulders in a black wave.
“Take off your cut.” She unclips her bra and dangles it from one finger, but I can’t tear my gaze from her gorgeous tits.
“Not happening.” Sure, I want to get naked with her. And I will. But on my terms. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close so I can suck one tempting nipple into my mouth.
My dick strains against my zipper, and the way she sighs and digs her fingers through my hair doesn’t help any. I run my hands over her back and thighs. She arches into me, lifting her ass from my lap, and I take full advantage.
She’s wet and hot, and I play with her pussy, dipping inside and teasing her clit as she bucks into my hand. “Why’re you still dressed?” Her voice is slurred, and it’s so fucking sexy I almost punch a hole through my jeans.
“Why’re you still talking?” I tangle my fingers in her hair, and she kisses me, soft and sweet like she’s tasting me for the first time, and my eyes close as I savor the way the tip of her tongue teases mine.
I forgot how much I used to love kissing her.
No, I didn’t. The memory of her kisses has tortured my dreams for years.
She trails feather light kisses along my jaw and nibbles my earlobe, and it’s crazy how good that feels. Her breath whispers across my skin. “Tell me you brought more than one condom with you.”
“Never leave home without them.” Damned if I don’t need one right now. I retrieve one from my pocket and slam it next to me so there’s no chance of another screw up.
She cradles my face between her hands, and her gaze roves over me as if she’s committing each feature to memory. I don’t usually like it when chicks do shit like that. Too personal, I guess, when all I want is release.
This time I just sit there, soaking up the way she’s looking at me, with her uneven breath dusting my jaw and the gentle touch of her fingers on my skin. She’s naked and wet for me, but I’m frozen as though I’m under a spell and one wrong move will shatter everything.
Christ. Get a grip. I’m not falling for her sad brown eyes and sinfully sweet smiles again.
It goes against everything I crave right now, but I wrap my hands around her wrists and pull her to my groin. “That’s the only part of me I want you touching.” Liar.
She doesn’t say anything, just releases my belt and zip like a pro, and I raise my hips so she can tug my jeans and briefs down my thighs. I cup her tits and they fill my palms, her nipples hard and ripe, and she sighs and presses herself into me.
Her hands snake under my T-shirt, her nails raking my flesh, her pussy grinding against my dick, and I love it too fucking much.
“Put the rubber on,” I tell her, a harsh demand before I lose my mind and sink into her again, and to hell with all the consequences.
Her hair falls over her face as she reaches for the condom and tears it open. Then she wriggles back on my thighs, and my hands slide to her hips as she tilts her head and focuses on my junk.
“Jas,” I growl. Not because I don’t like what she’s doing. It’s because it reminds me of the first time she ever saw my dick, and the look of awe on her face.
Yeah, that’s not awe anymore. It’s hunger, and damn if that doesn’t make me want her more than ever.
She trails a finger from my root to the tip, and I grit my teeth. Then she glances up at me, and there’s a truly evil smile on her face. “Nicest cock I’ve ever seen.”
“Seen a few, have you?” Mine was the first. Fuck, this woman is driving me crazy.
She wraps her fist around me, and for one mind-bending second, I think she’s going down on me. “Well, sure. It’s been a while since we were together.”
I know that. She’s had other men. There’s no reason why I should care, and yet I do. She’s not my girl anymore. “You plan on doing anything with that condom or not?”
“Don’t rush me. We’ve got all night, right?”
Chicks never give me this much sass, especially when they’re naked. Neither did Jas, but this new side to her is damn hot. “You’ve learned some new tricks over the years.”
“No tricks.” With torturous care, she rolls on the condom. It’s obvious she’s waiting for me to lose control and take over, and a perverse satisfaction grinds through me when I manage to keep my hands on her hips. “How’s that?” She glances up, clearly trying not to laugh. I abandon her hips, grip her shoulders and pull her toward me.
“Very funny. Remember, I always pay back with interest.”
“Looking forward to it.” She hooks her arms over mine to give herself some leverage, and her pussy glides over the tip of my cock. I bare my teeth in a feral grin and battle the urge to pull her onto me. She wants to play games, fine by me.
Hell, it’s more than fine. She’s blowing my fucking mind.
She pauses, her face so close to mine it wouldn’t take any effort to capture her mouth, but somehow, I hold back. Right now, for a few seconds, it’s enough just having her here, her hair tickling my arms and her breath warming my jaw.
Her faintly mocking smile wavers, and that’s all it takes to slam me back to reality. I don’t want moments. Especially not when it comes to Jas.
“Ride me.” It’s not a request, and she knows it.
Slowly, she sinks onto me, as though she’s committed to making me suffer for every slick inch of penetration. My groan sounds agonized even to my own ears, but I don’t call her out on it. I just sit there and take it, because if she plans on killing me, then what a way to go.
“You feel so good inside me.” Her whisper is ragged, and satisfaction pumps through me, even though I get the weird sensation she doesn’t realize she’s spoken out loud. “I’d almost forgotten…”
“I hadn’t.” The words are out there before I can stop them, but I don’t care. Not when she grips my shoulders and flexes her pussy so damn tight the world tips sideways.
I wrap her hair around my fist, and her gasp is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. Her tits bounce an inch from my face with every thrust, and I’m torn between watching them and watching her face. Goddamn, she looks like a fucking fallen angel with her gaze fixed on me like I’m her everything.
My control slips, and I cup her face, her tits, her sexy ass. I can’t get enough of her body, or the way she arches into me and makes those throaty sighs. And when she digs her nails into my neck and shudders with release, she pulls me right over the edge of the world with her.