Holly watches me until I grow uncomfortable under her stare. “Listen, J-dog, she let you meet Ben. You wouldn’t be here if she didn’t think you two had somewhat of a future.”
Holly’s words make enough sense that I’m able to relax again. She’s right. If Allie were seriously contemplating getting back with Trevor, she wouldn’t have let me meet Ben. The nagging fear that has been at the back of my mind since Riley shared her worry about my getting “hurt” dissipates for the most part. In fact, Holly’s insight has me beaming like a kid because Allie’s letting me meet Ben implies we’re far more serious than she’s ever let on.
I watch Allie’s bright smile as she pushes Ben.
Somehow, without my even considering it, I’ve come to want serious too.
It’s a relief to be in the car alone. All morning I kept the lustful thoughts from my head as I dutifully got Ben dressed, fed him breakfast, and dropped him off at school. Now driving back home, I’m very aware that Justin is in my apartment cooking breakfast. For me, for him, for just the two of us. Alone. The possibilities of us alone in my apartment roll through my mind. As I park the car, my thoughts can’t be contained. They should be, but they are like thrown blobs of paint—messy and vivid and lingering, running down a canvas.
I could blame my pent-up lust on the fact I haven’t been with anyone in over two years, but the reality is that I can’t resist Justin. His tall, lean muscled frame. The ink covering his body. Those green eyes. Those dimples. But mostly what gets me is the way he yearns for me to know him. And I’m beginning to want to know him in every way possible. The topography of the surface of his skin
The scent of bacon hits me as soon as I open the door. Standing at the stove behind the counter, he glances over his shoulder. “Breakfast will be ready in about five.”
I shut the door and whip off my shoes. Food is not on my mind. Feeling as sexy as he claims I am, I round the table and step into the kitchen. He’s moving bacon around a pan with a fork. Faded jeans hug his tight butt, and his right biceps ripples as he moves sizzling strips to a plate.
Lust and apprehension fight a war within me. This wouldn’t be confusing if there were nothing between us, if I knew that being with him would be safe and emotionless. But there are feelings between us. Lovely, growing feelings I shouldn’t but want to give in to. Even knowing this is a huge step—maybe a wrong step, I can’t help myself from sliding close behind him.
Wrapping my arms around his waist and pressing my body against his back, I say, “I don’t want food right now.” Beyond the bacon, I breathe in his sexy scent and then press my lips between his shoulder blades. His entire body freezes. “I want you even more than bacon,” I say, trying to lighten my brazenness with humor. “That’s a lot, you know, because bacon is really, really good.”
He stays frozen for a long moment, then flips off the burner, shoves the bacon into the oven, and turns into my embrace, his hands wrapping around my waist. “Say it again in that smoky voice of yours.”
I wonder if it will be harder with his hot green gaze boring into mine, but it isn’t. “I want you,” I repeat without hesitating.
His eyes flutter closed while he pulls me tightly against him. “Shit, Allie.” He bends and kisses me softly. I try to follow his lips but he pulls back. “I’ve been waiting since the first night we met.”
His words excite me more, because I know he’s telling the truth. I kiss him while backing up toward my bedroom. Lucky for us, it’s the first stop in the hall, right across from the kitchen. As our tongues slide together, I pull up his shirt and then lean back to see all his glorious inked skin on display. Holy wow. My hands itch to touch him. He hauls the shirt off over his head and drops it to the floor but steps into the hall.
“What?” I say in a rush, suddenly fearing rejection.
He smiles deep enough for a dimple to show. His fingers encircle my wrists and he draws my hands to his naked chest. I almost shudder at the touch of his skin. “It’s been a while for me too. We need to slow down or I’m going to devour you whole. Let me lead. Let me make this good for you,” he says, propelling me forward, then kicking the door shut behind us.
My room is dark and inviting. Though I would never have admitted it this morning, I had shut the blinds and drapes before taking Ben to school in preparation for this.
“The days don’t seem long enough, and the moonlit nights even shorter,” he sings quietly into my ear, brushing the sensitive skin of my earlobe with his lips and making me almost stumble. “
He turns and we sway into the small space between the bed and the dresser. “Since you’re my girl, I can’t help but be true,” he continues singing with a slight twang, then his teeth scrape a path down my neck.
“Are you singing me a country song?” I ask with a gasp.
His lips slide along my collarbone. “You don’t like country?” he asks, and his breath heats my skin.
Though I’ve never been a fan, I don’t hate it. But as Justin continues to hum while pulling me close, I’m thinking country is kind of sexy. A minute later I’m thinking it’s
We sway and he keeps singing. His hands slide across the fullness of my breasts as he peels my shirt off then draws me back to him. The contact of skin on skin—the cold metal of his nipple ring pressing into the tender skin above my bra—makes my heart thump to the tune he sings into my ear. His strong hands span my back as our slow dance turns into just the slow grind of our hips, with his melody controlling the rhythm of our movements.
I’m melting, and I give in to his seduction completely.
In a graceful sway and then a half twirl, he twists me around away from him, singing the chorus. His hands settle on my hips and his warm, heavy muscled chest slides along my back. As my head rests on his shoulder and the deep timbre of his voice fills me, he somehow loosens the clasp of my bra. Caught between his voice and his touch, I’m listless when he tugs at the straps and my bra drops to the floor.
The line “Make my heart tremble wild” has me opening my eyes. Then his hands cover my breasts. His palms caress me, and I tremble with want, then try to turn toward him. But he holds me tight, singing and swaying, the length of our bodies touching.
“Since you’re my girl,” he sings possessively in my ear. At the last “I can’t help but be true,” he turns me around and devours my mouth, his tongue plunging into me. My fingers move over his back. The contours are as marvelous as I imagined while inking him. I’m so lost in his kiss and the sensation of his skin that I’m almost startled to find myself lying on the bed when he tears his mouth from mine.
“Since you’re my girl,” he repeats in a whisper. He licks my lip ring and lowers his mouth to my breasts. I’m grasping and squirming while he sucks my quivering skin. His fingers find the band of my yoga pants and he yanks them off.
When his hand slips under the silk of my panties, his teeth let go of my nipple. “Say it.”
His hovering fingers have me panting as I try to understand what he wants.
His fingers brush me with the softest touch but don’t offer relief. “Say it,” he demands again.
Desperation offers enlightenment. “I’m your girl.”
“Don’t ever forget it,” he says roughly, and drags my panties down. After skimming his fingers from my ankle to my inner thigh, he touches me and my hips jump at the contact.
As he leans over me and turns my desire into pure fire, I twist and squirm from his touch. Even as his mouth stays fastened on my breast, I clutch his forearms. “Take off your
“Soon.”
I reach for the waistband of his jeans. “Now.”
“Soon,” he repeats, then kisses me while his fingers wreak havoc until I’m simply clutching at his belt loops
