Chapter Thirteen
Jaime listened to the phone ring and rubbed the hem of her night gown. It was an ungodly hour in Chicago, but Carla had woken her with man troubles before. Turnabout was fair play.
“You’d better be dead, Jaime.” Carla’s sleep-filled voice immediately calmed her frazzled nerves.
“I’m screwed.” She hugged her knees to her chest.
“Literally? Because I’ll get up for details. Otherwise, I have to work tomorrow.”
“In every way possible.”
Carla laughed. “I doubt it, but I’m awake now so spill just in case.”
“I’m falling in love with him.”
“No, you’re not. Trust me. You think you should love him because you slept with him. That’s all it is. It is perfectly okay to have sex with someone you’re not in love with, Jaime.”
“Carla, he’s amazing.” Her eyes grew heavy, so she shut them tight.
“In bed? I hope so. After the duds you’ve put up with, you deserve a good fuck.”
She opened her eyes and shook her head. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Okay, if he sucks in bed, there’s really no point to this little adventure the two of you are on.”
“That’s not the issue.”
“Good, I want details. Like when, where, how long. Go on, spill.”
“That’s not why I called.”
“Oh, you owe me. Give me something here. You woke me up, for goodness sakes.”
“Fine. We went to a brothel today.” Her cheeks lifted in a grin.
“I don’t believe you.”
“And one of the girls helped us explore.”
“No fucking way.”
“We ended up locked in a haunted bedroom with a very squeaky bed.”
“Get out!”
Jaime started to laugh and covered her mouth to keep Xavier from hearing over his shower.
“I knew it was too good to be true.”
“It’s a museum, and the tour guides are octogenarians. But they did lock us in a haunted room and try to scare us.”
“Weird. You’re not teasing him the way you’re teasing me, are you? No one likes a cock-tease, honey.”
“Sex isn’t the issue.”
“Yes! You are having sex with him.”
Jaime cleared her throat. “I don’t know if I should be.”
“If he makes you come, you should be.”
“But all day, I’m feeling things for him I have no right to. Today, when the horses were running at him, I couldn’t breathe. And when we were locked in the room, I couldn’t keep him close enough. And he listens to me, Carla. No one really listens to me.”
“Excuse me, up in the middle of the night listening to you over here. No clue what the horses are about though.”
“You know what I mean. I like him more every minute I’m with him, at least when he’s not driving me crazy. If I keep on like this, I’m not going to be able to walk away. It’s going to be such a mess when we get to Oregon.”
“Okay, three things. One, calm the fuck down. You’re creating your own drama. Two, if Oregon is going to be a problem, delay getting there. Blame it on him, what does he care, he’s leaving the country. And three, stop convincing yourself you’re making love to him. Just fuck him, Jaime.”
“I wish I could. I’m trying, really I am.”
“You need some serious deprogramming. It’s healthy for adults to have sex. You’re not a child. Your parental dogma about premarital sex has no place here. Just because you’re enjoying his assets doesn’t mean you need to invest.”
Jaime laughed, then covered her mouth to hold it in when she heard the shower shut off. “You see, this is why I called you. How do I keep myself from falling for him, oh wise one?”
“You realize you should like the people you sleep with, but you don’t have to love them. The guy makes you crazy, and not in a good way. A lifetime of that would make you certifiable. You can ignore his annoying tendencies for a couple of weeks, but believe me, when he’s gone you’ll realize you dodged a bullet.”
“I don’t like thinking about when he’ll be gone. He talks about calling me.”
“For phone sex?”
She gasped. “How did you know?”
“Because, sweetie, I play this game. It may be your first time around the board, but I’m a champion. He’s not being nice to you because he’s in love with you. He’s enjoying your company. Enjoy his. Or get the hell out of dodge and you’ll be kicking yourself within a week for not accepting every ride he had on offer.”
Her stomach sank. “I’ll regret it either way.”
“Really? On one hand we have a hot, hot Frenchman who wants to take you on a cross-country adventure while numbing your anxiety with orgasms. On the other hand, we have your sister’s wedding drama, your mama drama, your stepdad wanting to know when you’ll have a car and be out of his house, and the stress of trying to secure a teaching position before school offices open. Yeah, Jaime, this is a really tough choice.”
“When you put it that way…” Jaime lowered her voice to a whisper as Xavier opened the bathroom door. “Thanks for listening.”
“Don’t thank me. I want some deets in return for this little therapy session. Spill.”
“Can’t.” He emerged wearing only a white towel slung low on his hips.
“Why, is he in the room?”
“I think we’re going to Mount Rushmore tomorrow.”
“Oh, he is in the room. You need to mount him before tomorrow. A good lay will calm your nerves. Tell me, is he circumcised?”
“Carla!”
Xavier turned to face her, his toothbrush in hand. “Are you talking to that hen again? No Spanish, you two get kinky and I am not into farm animals.”
Carla’s laugh rolled through the phone, making Jaime join in. “Okay, honey. I’m going to let you get to it with the French Kisser. But I’m begging you here, do something I would do. And then tell me all about it later.”
…
“Did you send me after your phone so you could call the bed breaker?” Xavier scrubbed at his teeth and faced the mirror, trying hard to ignore how domestic this felt. He didn’t play house. He didn’t take turns getting ready for bed or listen to half of phone conversations.
“You’re making a joke, but she actually did break my bed once.”
He paused with his toothbrush between his teeth and turned towards the bedroom. “Go on.”
“You don’t want to know.”
Jaime tucked her knees beneath her, the old-fashioned cotton nightgown hiding everything from the neckline down. And somehow, she made it irresistibly sexy. He spit out the toothpaste and rinsed his brush. “You can’t just put something like that out there and not expect to reel me in. How did she break your bed? Were you in it?”
“Actually, yes.” Jaime giggled and he started to wonder if he’d been completely wrong about her bland carnal experiences.
“Go on.” He wiped his face with a hand towel and avoided the mirror. He might not be comfortable being so relaxed and domestic with Jaime, but it didn’t change the truth. She set him at ease, even from his own apprehensions.
“I don’t kiss and tell.” She pulled the strands of her thick, dark hair over one shoulder.
“Sometimes a little bragging is good for the soul.” He noticed she’d moved the box of condoms to the nightstand as he neared the round bed.
“You want me to tell her what we, you know, do?”
“You know,” he teased, “this bed alone is worth mentioning.”
“She was after details.” Jaime slid her hand against the satin sheets.
“And what did you tell her?”
“Nothing. Either time.” She began to braid her hair, mesmerizing him with her nimble fingers.
“It’s a wonder you’re still friends.” He eased onto the bed, hoping Jaime would keep talking until he figured out how to do this banter before bedtime. He’d never had a sleepover-type of relationship, never wanted to deal with the mess of it.
“When Carla can’t get me to spill, she tries to tickle it out of me.”
“Not as kinky as I was hoping.” Yet the image still had him smiling.
She shook her head and abandoned her braid. “We were rolling around pretty good, and it was a dorm bed. They’re barely held together anyway. She decided to try this body slam move right out of TV wrestling. There was this loud crack and the whole thing splintered apart. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except I had the top bunk.”
“I see where this is going.”
Her cheeks pinked as she began to giggle. “We crashed onto the bottom bunk, and when it broke I hit the wall and she hit the floor. It hurt, but at that point we couldn’t stop laughing. Apparently laughing and moaning sound the same.”
“You’re kidding.”
“At least through the cement walls of the dorm, because the next thing we know, the RA is opening our door and people are peering in to see what we were doing. And we’re lying there in our underwear.”
He slapped his hand against the mattress. “See, start the story with hot girls in their underwear.”
She smacked his shoulder. “Don’t be a perv. After half the floor found us that way there were crazy rumors that we were lesbians, so every guy she dated asked her to do a threesome. Even my boyfriend asked about it.”
He didn’t know what to make of the story since she was still laughing. “Did you?”
She rolled her eyes. “What do you think?” The laughter stilled as she stared up at him, her dark eyes glistening.
“I never know what to make of you, J’aime.”
“I’m the most predictable person on the planet.”
“Not to me.”
She touched his face and her features softened. “Thank you. But I have to disappoint you here, no ménage romps for me. I struggle with the moral ramifications of sleeping with a boyfriend. This affair with you is as exotic as my narrow mind can handle.”
“You’re very open-minded.” He needed to get this conversation back to the light side. Somehow, he’d moved it into the personal.
“Not about sex.” She laughed again, but this held none of the ringing playfulness of before. “Commitment and intimacy go together for me. I’ve never managed to sleep with a man I wouldn’t have married, until you.”
“Why wouldn’t you marry me?” And who was using his voice to say that?
“You drive me crazy, and I do the same for you. Plus we live on different continents, and I doubt you usually date high school teachers, Mr. CFO. Besides, have you ever pictured yourself married with kids, concerned about whether restaurants have a children’s menu and if the babysitter will be on time for date nights?”
“Never.” Though as she’d said the words, he’d seen it, clear as crystal, and God help him, it looked like fun.
She reached out and turned off the bedside lamp. “That’s where I’m going in life. I want to build the kind of family I only got to view from the sidelines.”
The ridiculous urge to argue that he could give her what she wanted and more was tamed by her soft kiss. Yes, this. He wanted this.
“I think we should get an early start for Yellowstone tomorrow.” She whispered the words as her kiss moved to his neck.
“No Rushmore Caves?”
“We’ll find plenty to see in Montana. And on the way through Oregon, there are fossil beds we can visit. Plus, Crater Lake.” She inched her kisses south every time she paused. Made it damned hard to think.
“I’ve seen Crater Lake. And I know what you are doing.” Not that certain parts of him seemed to care so long as she kept doing it.
“I hope so.”
“You’re trying to use sex to manipulate me into doing what you want.” Except before, she always wanted to go straight home.
She leaned her body against his, easing them back against the mattress. “No, I’m just distracting you from hunting out-of-the-way photo-ops.”
Confusion twisted through his thoughts. Instead of wasting time trying to unravel her intentions, he opted to chase his. As time crawled towards midnight, enjoying the decadent bed filled his mind. And the mirror, sweet mercy, the mirror.
He slid his hands up her smooth thighs, pushing the cotton out of his way. He squeezed her bare ass in both hands and she gasped as he tightened his grip.
“Do you trust me, J’aime?” he whispered, his lips a breath away from hers.
“Intimately.” She darted out her tongue and licked his bottom lip.
The yellowed street lamps filtered dim light through the lace curtains, casting everything in a romantic glow. But romance would never work between them. Their futures were thousands of miles in opposite directions. They only had the now.
He pulled the cotton nightgown from her body and tossed it to the floor along with his towel. The smooth satin sheets slid off the edge of the bed with little effort, dropping to the floor and leaving them a blank canvas on which to play.
“I want to show you something.” He sat up and held out a hand to her.
Jaime leaned back against the remaining pillows. “I can see it from here.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Let me show you.”
“Gladly.” She began to slide her curvy legs apart.
He gripped her soft thigh. “I’m not so easily distracted, J’aime.”
She rose to her knees beside him. “Part of you certainly is.”
“I want you to see how beautiful you are.” He slipped behind her, snaking one arm around her bare middle. With his free hand, he turned her cheek toward the mirror, feeling the heat of her blush.
Her eyes seemed impossibly wide as she stared at the reflection. He threaded his fingers in her hair, the lingering dampness from her shower earlier held the strands together as he undid her braid. A few strands fell off her shoulder and curled around her bare breast. He couldn’t have created a more erotic pose if he’d tried.
In the mirror her hungry gaze met his. She reached an arm up and curled her fingers around his neck. Lust surged through him when she pulled his mouth to hers. The soft and playful kiss he’d grown fond of was replaced by a hungry, demanding swirl of lips and tongue. Before, Jaime’s eyelids would flutter closed when their lips touched, but now her attention remained fixed on the mirror.
The sensual undercurrent threatened to pull him under his own passion. Only her soft moans kept him focused on her pleasure. He wrapped his hands around her waist and moved up her ribcage until he cupped the weight of her breasts. He squeezed, hard enough for her to gasp and allow him to escape the heated kiss he couldn’t find the strength to break.
“Blink,” he whispered, nuzzling her ear. “It’s like taking a photograph. Have you ever seen anything so sexy?”
Her teeth worried her bottom lip as she studied their reflection, then slowly let her eyes drift closed. He pinched her nipples, drawing the tips out under the pressure. Her eyes shot open and a wicked smile played on her lips.
She drew her arms up over head, her body swaying to a rhythm more intoxicating than any he’d ever heard. His pulse quickened and he explored every pose his naughty mind could come up with. If his cock weren’t so hard and throbbing, he’d be tempted to play her body all night, until she begged for release. That would be something to watch.
Sliding one hand up her torso to her delicate neck, and the other to the thin strip of hair between her legs, he caught sight of his own image. He’d been so caught up in enjoying her exquisite sexiness he’d missed the crazed look in his eyes, the flare of his nostrils, the sheen of sweat on his skin.
Now, with one hand at the base of her throat and the fingers of the other spreading the slick folds of her sex, he had only one thought. Mine.
A primal instinct, a deep possession, a thought so out of place he threw it away. And yet it returned like a memory.