Chapter Seventeen
“Are you upset?”
At the sound of her mother’s voice, Jaime turned her head, her hands still in the soapy dishwater. “I’m not upset.”
“Are you sure? You’ve been quiet all night, and as soon as dessert was over you ducked in here.” Linda joined her at the sink. “I wish you’d had more time to get used to things before the wedding.”
That would have been nice, not having the shock of knowing the person she’d relocated across the country to be closer to was moving. Her mother and stepfather were retiring to Arizona, which was great for them.
Her mother pulled a dishtowel from a drawer and began drying the china Jaime had set in the rack. “Should I have told you before you left? I thought it would be better in person. It’s not that far away.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t planning on staying in Medford. I have interviews lined up in Portland and Seattle.” Finished with the plates, she started in on the silver. Her grandmother’s silver, which an hour ago her mother said she was giving to Allison. She squeezed her eyes shut at the ugly thought.
She’d never been jealous of Allison in their entire lives. Alli was eight years younger, and after brother after brother, she’d wanted a sister so desperately she’d indulged Allison most of her life. But having to watch their mother give Allison everything―from china to silver to their great-great grandmother’s Shabbat candlesticks―turned her insides puke green.
It was touching, loving, absolutely beautiful, except there was nothing left for her if she ever got married. Nothing with a history, a memory attached to it. Every egg was in Allison’s basket.
“Nick is in Arizona.”
Jaime’s hands froze beneath the warm water. She’d barely given a thought to Nick since she left DC. “Nick is engaged, Mom.”
Linda gave a patented motherly shrug. “You two were together a long time. If you were closer to him, you never know what might happen.”
She rinsed the silverware quickly and reached for another towel to dry her hands. “He went back to his college girlfriend. We were comfortable, but we weren’t in love.”
The words sounded tinny in the empty kitchen. She’d thought she loved him, thought she’d loved the two other men she’d slept with as well. But now that she’d actually been hit with the emotion full force, however stupid she was for getting sucked in the undertow, she’d never felt anything this deep or resonant for anyone. No wonder Nick ran back to that feeling. She would’ve made the same choice.
“I’m sorry, honey.” Her mother gave her shoulder a sideways squeeze. “It’s probably too soon to think of someone new, but the young man taking over Daddy’s branch is single. We sat you next to him at the reception, just in case.”
In case of what? She felt desperate from all the attention showering down on her sister and the look of sullen disappointment thrown her way from her mother and grandmother about what a disappointment her life had become. If she felt that self-destructive she’d attack Xavier. At least he could be discreet.
At dinner, he’d captivated everyone with stories of their trip, carefully editing out the naughty interludes. Allison had been more interested in hearing about fashion design, which opened Jaime’s eyes to just how powerful Xavier must be in his own realm. Both her sister and her brothers’ girlfriends made sure to give him their addresses so he could send them samples of the designer duds.
It made her crazy to watch. She’d wanted to tell them to leave him alone, let him have what was left of his vacation before he had to go back to a world where women picked at him like vultures, but she had to play her part as well. What should she care if everyone wanted a piece of him, wanted to be close to him for what they could gain by the association?
In some ways it made what they’d shared all the more special. If women only wanted what they could get from him, they’d never see the soft look in his eyes when he confessed his sadness over losing his mother, the grin when he talked of his hopes for his sister. And it helped her understand why he froze up whenever he thought she was trying to manipulate him. People must try to all the time.
“Did your dress fit?” Her mother broke into her thoughts. “There probably isn’t time to get it let out, but maybe we could find some of those body slimmers.”
Jaime clenched her jaw to keep it from dropping open. The undercurrent in this house was too much. She was never getting married, should have followed a man who didn’t love her, and now she was fat. No, she wasn’t built like the rest of her stick-thin family, but she wasn’t ashamed of her curves.
She tossed the towel on the granite countertop. “The dress fit fine.”
“Oh honey, I didn’t mean anything by that. It’s just the other girls in the wedding party aren’t shaped like you. I wasn’t sure if it would be flattering.”
“I know, Mom. It’s fine.” She let her frustrations out on a sigh. “It’s been a long day, and there’s so much to do tomorrow. I’m going to make my goodnights and head to bed.” She gave her mother a peck on the cheek.
“Jaime, honey, I’m sorry all this is piled on you in one day. I wish you hadn’t taken so long to get here.” The hug held the warmth and affection Jaime had crossed the county to find. She sank into it, not pulling away until her eyes felt heavy.
In the living room, she found more of the same. Hugs laced with her grandmother’s perfume and scratchy kisses on her cheek from her grandfather. Everyone else seemed to take her goodnight as a cue to leave themselves. She was careful to disappear before she might be expected to hug Xavier. In this mood she might not let go.
Instead of climbing the stairs to her bedroom, she snuck out to the yard. The tree house loomed in one corner, calling her to remember days when she’d hid from the world, deep inside the fantasies contained in her books.
With the impending sale of the house it looked as if the hideout had been recently spruced up. As she climbed, she noted a few of the rungs were new, and the floor had been replaced. The tiny room above the world smelled of new pine and fresh leaves, just as it had when her stepdad had it built. She stretched out on the bare floor, letting her mind spin with possibilities.
…
Moonlight filtered through the rustling leaves in the slight breeze. As a boy he’d read about tree houses like this one, but his childhood hadn’t been about being a child. Moreau children were groomed to carry on a legacy. For Jaime, the possibilities had been endless, and yet he didn’t envy her that.
Knowing who he was and who he would become gave him a confidence she lacked. Strangely, that vulnerability also drew him to her. He climbed the last rung of the ladder and pushed himself up into the room.
Jaime turned her head, her hair pooling out on the floor like strands of spun silk. The dappled shadow of the tree and the thick fringe of her eyelashes veiled her expression. She might be annoyed or carnal, he could never tell. Though with the way she usually felt about him, it was likely the same look.
He sat on the wood slatted floor, stretching his legs in front of him. “How are you?”
She blinked. “What are you doing here?”
“I asked a question first.” He smiled, enjoying the way her breasts pushed against the fabric of her blouse as she sat up.
“I’m fine, and you are?”
“Checking on a friend. I thought you might be bothered by your parents’ announcement.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be happy to spend winter break in the Arizona sunshine. You should go before someone wonders where you are.”
“I left. Drove around the block and parked a few streets over.”
“You’ve been watching too many spy movies.” Finally, she smiled, but it was fleeting. “I’m fine. You should go.”
Stillness hung in the air around them, something raw and unfinished hovering on the edges. She wasn’t fine. They weren’t over. And he wasn’t going anywhere with things as they were. He trapped her with his gaze, his cock swelling, unyielding and urgent against his slacks.
His hands itched to touch her, his mouth watered to kiss her back to the way she’d been before he’d left her alone at this house for a few hours. Sure, she was wound too tight and a bit frazzled about what to do next with her career, but the vibe she gave off now was nothing he’d ever seen. Defeated, dejected, deserted.
“You know what would make you feel better?” He scooted closer.
She held out her hand. “Don’t. I don’t deserve to feel better.”
He scrunched his brows. “What? That doesn’t make sense.”
Jaime groaned and lay back on the floor. “I’m being stupid and I don’t need a witness. Please go.”
“I’m a master of discretion.” He moved across the floor so he could sit next to her in the small space. “Why are you stupid?”
Her face lifted in laughter, which she tried to silence behind her hand. “Why am I stupid?” She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then folded her arms behind her head and stared up at the wooden ceiling. “You know, sometimes I forget English isn’t your first language. My ear’s become so tuned I don’t even notice your accent anymore. But then at dinner everyone was talking about it and I started to hear it again.”
He stretched out beside her. “It comes and goes. I think because my mother was American I have an easier time with the language, but sometimes certain phrases stump me. I still don’t know what you told Carla to do with a monkey.”
Her shoulders shook in a silent laugh. “That was Spanish.”
“I speak Spanish, but I’d never heard that before.”
“It must be Mexican then.” She covered her eyes with her forearm, giggles erupting in quiet bursts.
“You’d think we were talking about cuisine, not languages.” He reached for her, placed his hand on her warm throat and felt her pulse leap beneath his palm. “Luckily there are some languages that don’t need translation.”
“Xavier, all you think about is sex.” She tucked her arm behind her head.
“Me? I was talking about laughter. Don’t blame me because you can’t look at me without wanting to take my clothes off.” He trailed his hand to her décolleté, popping open a button on her blouse with a flick of his fingers.
“About today. At the park?”
“Oui?” His fingers worked out two more buttons and he felt a rush of excitement when he found the hard plastic front closure of her bra.
“We weren’t careful.”
His hand stilled. “What are you telling me?”
“I’m asking if you need to tell me anything.” Her throat undulated as she swallowed. “You know, about your history.”
“If there was anything to tell, it should have come before the first time.”
“I agree, but there is nothing to tell on my end.”
“Mine either.”
“Good.” Her body relaxed beneath his hand. “My students are right, that is a hard conversation to have.”
“That’s why it should come before, not after.”
“I’ll remember that.”
His stomach dropped as he realized why she’d need to remember. She was planning to move on. Not that he wasn’t, he just didn’t like to look at the reality of it too hard.
“I’m on the pill, in case you were wondering. So it was okay. I mean, we should be careful, but it’s not―”
He silenced her nervous chatter with a kiss. He’d sought her out to comfort her, make her feel better about the whirlwind she’d come home to, and this conversation wasn’t helping that. She returned his kiss with such sweetness a wave of longing overcame him and he shuddered.
Her lush lips parted in a grin, and that was all the invitation he needed. Teasing kisses fluttered down on her forehead and nose, her cheeks tight from smiling, the spot just under her chin that always made her squirm.
“We really shouldn’t do this,” she whispered, her fingers massaging his scalp.
“Are you afraid you’ll give us away?” Flicking open the last of the buttons of her blouse, he parted the material and quickly unhooked her bra and pushed it aside.
“Me? I can be quiet.”
“You’ve never been quiet before.” A row of kisses led him across her jaw and down her neck, his hands roaming the golden skin he’d bared.
“I was quiet today.” She tugged at his shirt, pulling it free of his slacks.
“Yes, but you bit me. Which might become a problem if I have to dress in front of anyone.”
“I did?” Jaime sat up so quickly she nearly bopped him in the nose. Undoing a few buttons, she pulled his collar aside and gasped. “I’m so sorry. Does it hurt?”
“Yes. You need to kiss it and make it better.”
Passion surged between them as her lips touched his tender skin. She made quick work of his shirt, pushing it off for better access. He followed suit, discarding her blouse as well. He pulled her on top of him, moving her so her supple breasts were in line with his face.
With her hands braced on either side of his head, he traced the tender circle of one areola with his tongue, one hand free to roll the other nipple between his fingers, the other roaming the soft skin of her bare back. He raised one leg slowly, pressing it between her thighs as he pleasured her breasts. When she began to rock against his leg, he knew she was ready for more.
He pulled a nipple deep into his mouth, flicking the tip as his hands worked to free her of her jeans. The button and zip went fast enough, but when his hands slid along her bare bottom, pushing the material away, Jaime sat up, her nipple popping from his mouth.
“I can’t.” She rolled off him and onto her back. He followed, rising above her.
“You will.” Their eyes locked in a challenge which startled him in its intensity. If she hadn’t reached between them to grip his hardness, he might have gone mad wondering if she’d really take it this far and then deny him.
“I meant my knees. The wood floor might scrape up my knees and people will see me changing clothes.” She released her hold, sliding down the zipper. “Do you know how often I fantasized about having a boy up here?”
“You never did?”
She shook her head. “I was a very, very good girl. I’ve been making up for it quite well lately, don’t you think?” She freed him from his pants, the skin-on-skin connection inflaming his desire.
“I think it’s good you waited until you could get a man to come up here with you.” He swallowed, fighting for control as her hand worked him. “And I think if you don’t stop that, I won’t be able to go slow enough for you to be quiet.”
“Promises, promises.”
He pulled her hand away and grabbed her other arm to lift them both over her head. “You made me promise no one would find out. Do you trust me?”
The teasing air in the tree house vanished. “We would never have been together if I didn’t.”
“Then we’ll go slow and breathe through it, and none of your neighbors will be asking me to inspect their backyards. But if you make noise, you’ll need to play bodyguard and protect me from a gang of horny housewives.”
She rolled her eyes. “You wish.”
“You don’t believe me? I guess I’ll have to prove it to you.” He peeled off her jeans and tossed them against a wall where they slid down onto the flip-flops she must have kicked off when she climbed up.
Ribbons of moonlight filtered through the leaves and fell across her naked body, adorning her skin like lace. He knelt between her legs, running his hands from her knees up her body, enjoying the way she trembled when he skimmed the sensitive skin of her hips and the back of her arms.
Dangerous electricity crackled between them, threatening to bolt from them like lightning if he didn’t do something to break the tension. He dipped his head and explored her body with his hands and mouth in a slow thoroughness sure to make her forget about anyone and anything except him and the pleasure he could bring her.
She tensed each time he neared the apex of her thighs, and he enjoyed every anxious moment he brought her to. He felt that way, excited and eager simply by standing next to her. Bringing that same sensation to her brought him a surge of power.
With a fingertip, he traced his name across her belly, then reached for his pants to find a condom. Jaime rested her hand on his arm.
“Let’s not. I want to feel you.”
He grew impossibly harder at her husky words, pushing down his pants and readying himself for what always felt inescapable with her. When they were this close they were like magnets drawn together. Who was he to fight the laws of the universe?
With his palms on her inner thighs, he gently drew her legs apart, opening her secrets within. She was a vision as she lay back, her knees bent, her entire body on display. It was the most erotic image he’d ever had the pleasure of seeing, much less experiencing. He’d planned on drawing it out and keeping them here all night, but when she stretched her arms overhead and arched her back, he couldn’t see any point in waiting to be inside her.
On his knees, he gripped her hips, tilting her body so he could see their joining. Taking himself in hand, he traced his name against her sex, making her writhe before entering her with a series of short, fast thrusts. With her hips tilted, he could feel the head of his penis rubbing against the spongy soft area within her.
He rocked into her, watching the blush spread across her breasts and up her neck, her hands clenching and relaxing as he brought her higher and higher. He wanted her to scream, wanted to hear her cry out, but knew she wouldn’t. She wanted the pleasure he could provide, but she didn’t want anything more from him.
A sadness spread within him, but instead of retreating he redoubled his efforts, rubbing his thumb in slow circles over her clit until her breath was ragged and her body clenched around him. He looked into her eyes as they flashed with desire as she climaxed, her legs falling open and the muscles of her stomach quivering.
Without withdrawing, he pressed her legs back, then lifted them together over one shoulder, giving himself an amazing freedom within her. While his hands roamed the smooth expanse of her legs, he pressed deeper with fast, smooth movements, grinding his pelvis against hers.
She bit her lip and reached for him, but in this position she wasn’t able to control, could only receive what he wanted to share with her.
“I can’t wait,” she rasped. “Come with me this time.”
He parted her legs again, moving between them and up her body. Time stood still as he peered down into the brown depths of her eyes. Desire and need bloomed in the darkness of her gaze, urging him to complete the sensation.
In that moment, he knew with a fatal simplicity this feeling wouldn’t wane simply because he put something as insubstantial as an ocean and a continent between them. Whatever this sensation was, it existed outside of space and time. It would always be, and he’d never have his fill of it.
Half-crazed with need and driven to distraction by the thoughts swirling in his mind, he couldn’t contain all he felt in his own body. He pushed the feelings deep into her, praying she’d understand them better than he did. She lifted her shoulders, her mouth finding his the moment his climax took them both over the edge.
She pulsed around him as he spilled himself deep within her, relishing the sensation. Jaime’s kisses continued, but in his current state it was all he could do to roll her on top of him and receive. She stretched out along his body, no part of her touching the hard wooden floor as she rocked against him.
Within her, he remained so sensitive he wasn’t sure how much of it he could take. He reached down, gripped her bottom in both hands and helped her find another climax. Her body clenched and pulsated around him, pleasure and pain mixing to drain him of everything he had.
Long moments later, Jaime shifted on his chest, her face rising to his. “This was such a bad idea.”
He shifted, intensely aware of still being inside her, no matter what she thought of the situation.
“All I want to do is fall asleep right here, and somehow I’m supposed to get dressed, climb down a ladder and make it into the house.” She dropped her head again, her hair tickling against his chin.
He smoothed the strands down to her shoulders, relieved she hadn’t thought being together here was a bad idea. “You do tend to fall asleep after. I hadn’t noticed that until now.”
“Beats the heck out of trying to walk.” With a sigh, she rolled off him, the night air biting at his wet cock.
While Jaime found her clothing, he did the same. He smiled at the situation once they were completely clothed. Even though the scent of sex hung thick in the air, he’d be able to keep his promise that no one find out their affair if someone spied them together.
“Thank you.” Jaime grinned, buttoning up her blouse. “You did make me feel better.”
“You should feel fantastic.”
“I would if I could sleep here.” She leaned closer and grazed a kiss on his cheek as she crawled to the hole in the floor and slipped down onto the ladder. “Wait until I’m inside to come down, okay? Just in case someone is looking outside.”
“Now who is acting like a spy?” He leaned down to kiss her as she descended. “You could come with me.”
“My mother would know if I don’t come down for breakfast.”
“No, I mean to Paris.” The words surprised even him. What was he saying?
“And do what?”
“Teach. You speak the language and many others. You’d have no trouble finding a job.”
“Xavier―”
His gut clenched, his heart racing. She was going to say no. “Marie-Chloe keeps apartments in the city. You could have one of those.”
“And what about us, Xavier?”
“We could keep on. I’m living at the family house, so there would be no pressure.”
“Thank you for making this easier.” Emotion made her voice thick. “I needed the reminder. I came back to start my life, not to put it on hold for another year to be your mistress.”
“I can’t stay here, Jaime. I have responsibilities in Paris, family.”
“I’m not your responsibility, Xavier. I can take care of myself. What I can’t do is hang up my hopes and dreams to move to another country so that we can continue to have sex and nothing else.”
She ducked down the hole and made it to the ground with a thud. He scrambled to his feet, but her hissing voice warned him off.
“If you follow me, Xavier Moreau, I will never forgive you.”