Pining For You: Jasper Falls Read online

  He drew back and slid forward slowly, holding her just as she asked and staring into her eyes. It was incredibly intimate and he felt strangely bonded to her in a way he’d never experienced with past lovers.

  Once she matched his rhythm and grew accustomed to his size, her body came alive. She gave him everything. When he kissed her, she met his kisses with equal fervor, and when he touched her, she melted into his caresses. He couldn’t recall ever being with such a responsive woman. It was like she was made for him.

  Her nails dug into his shoulders as he shifted his hips and angled his body deeper. She clung to him, moved with him, actively tried to give him as much as she possibly could.

  When he stared into her eyes, finding a storm of emotion swirling in shades of midnight blue, he feared losing himself there and battled with the instinct to hold part of himself back.

  Yet, he wanted to give her everything, the good, the decent, the dark, and the depraved. He wanted to see if she was truly as accepting as she seemed.

  Her lashes lowered and the link they shared broke, leaving him emotionally flailing for the connection he’d just felt.

  “Look at me,” he commanded, and her eyes opened. “Keep looking at me, just like you were.” He thrust deep and she cried out. He was a selfish prick, but he needed whatever she stirred in him to stay alive. He’d never felt something so soothing before.

  Holding himself still, buried inside of her to the hilt, he struggled to tamp down the surge of emotion rising in his chest. The pad of his thumb traced over her delicate throat, landing softly on her rapid pulse.

  “I want you to feel me inside of you tomorrow and remember this moment.”

  “Oh, I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” she teased, her body clenching tightly around him.

  He nearly finished and the constricted grasp of her body and pushed his hips deeper, until it was impossible to sink any further into her. She was so petite in his hold, so delicate and tempting, yet so sensual and hungry for more. He sensed her desire building as her body shifted and adjusted to his intrusive presence.

  They hadn’t even started and he was greedy for more. He feared he’d never have enough of her. “Will you let me have you again?”

  “Yes.”

  He drew back and pumped his hips hard, drawing a gasp from her lips. “And again.”

  “Yes.”

  “Every time I want to feel your body wrapped around me, will you let me have you?”

  “Yes!”

  He lifted his weight and thrust in and out, driving fast strokes of his hard body into her tight sex. “All of you? You’ll hold nothing back?”

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s how I want you. Do you hear me? I want you just like this. Open. Needy. Raw. Mine.”

  He pushed himself to the edge, foregoing the pressure to be gracious and ever-diplomatic. That’s not the man he wanted her to know in his bed. He wanted her to see the real him, because he actually believed she might accept him. She might like the man he showed the town, but he suspected she wanted to meet the parts of himself he hid, the parts that were private that no one else knew.

  Then a possessive thought occurred. “This is us, Skylar. No one else touches you this way while we’re doing this. Understand?”

  She nodded. “Just us.”

  “Good girl. And if there’s something you need, you tell me and I’ll do it. I’ll take care of you so long as you take care of me.”

  Maybe that was it. Maybe some sick and twisted, unloved part of him envied how completely she cared for others. She was so good at anticipating people’s needs.

  He gripped her thigh possessively, digging his fingertips into her flesh and stroking her tempting curves. “Will you take care of me?”

  “Yes.” Her legs wrapped around his hips. “Tell me what you need.”

  His nostrils flared. Was it really that easy?

  He caught her wrists and pinned them over her head. “I need this.” He drove into her and she gasped.

  Her breasts swayed with every hard thrust. The more vulnerable she appeared, the more he wanted her surrender. The more accommodating she became, the more he wanted her care and affection, her acceptance.

  He’d never dared to act so freely with another. He was greedy. Needy. And he, without a doubt, would shamelessly take every act of care she willingly offered.

  “I want all of it. Every inch of you. Every minute of the day. And I want it without asking.” He released her arms and cupped her breasts, plumping the flesh hard enough to leave bruises. More than anything, he wanted the freedom to be himself with her and know she’d like him anyway.

  “I don’t want to have to be a gentleman with you, but I’ll never disrespect you. I want all my desires to be perfectly okay with you.” He hesitated, then confessed, “I’ve never been that open with anyone before.”

  Her arms gracefully fell to the bed, a show of utter surrender and beauty. “I want the real you, Rhett. If you cross a line, I’ll let you know. But until then…hold nothing back.”

  He stilled and swallowed. This was a very dangerous game they were playing. Too dangerous.

  His conscience beseeched him to reconsider his request, but her body felt too damn good, tightly wrapped around his, clenching and milking the last of his logic away.

  He pulled out and jumped off the bed. She opened her mouth to protest, but before she could form a single word he caught her ankles and dragged her ass to the edge, wrenched her legs wide. “I’m sorry. You’re gonna be sore tomorrow.”

  He plunged into her wet sex, angling his body deeper and thrusting hard. He lost himself in the following moments, drunk on lust and pushing with unquenchable need, greedy for every comfort she could offer, every comfort he could steal.

  Her body trembled in his arms and he sensed her close to finishing. He pushed her, wringing out every ounce of her pleasure until the last moment when she shattered.

  He held her through the storm, cradled her close, sheltered her in his strength, and once he knew she was done, he let himself go.

  No experience came close to what they just shared. He was in uncharted territory, and when the final chills of his release vibrated every muscle in his body, dancing wildly along his spine, he found himself compelled to do something else he’d never done. He pulled her close and held her in his arms.

  14

  Skylar trembled as he clutched her shaken body to his. He was strength and heat and fire, and she was tender uncertainty and inexperience, gifted with trusting consent. She hoped she’d done everything the way she was supposed to.

  When his body pulled out of hers, it seemed to steal a layer of her soul with it. She expected it to end after he finished, but he held her for a long time, stroking her arms with the soft side of his fingers and pressing kisses into her temple and hair.

  A vacant ache filled her core. Swollen folds were tender and over sensitized, sore but satisfied. The tender muscle aches she anticipated were already setting in, but as he continued to caress her, she found her aching limbs an easy inconvenience to ignore.

  She shivered, her body cooling as she came down from the rush. He pulled the covers over them, cradling her to the hard plane of his chest.

  His hands traveled her body as he laid claim to parts of her no man had touched before. She drew comfort from the steady beat of his heart.

  The room was dark, and her limbs ached with a gentle throb she feared would grow in the hours ahead. He warned her she’d be sore in the morning, but at the time she hadn’t cared. Now she wondered how sore. She wondered what it said about her that, despite her discomfort, she still wanted him again.

  His breathing kept a steady rhythm in the silence, and her mind sung with every rise and fall of his chest. Safe. Sheltered. Desired. She’d never existed as the center of someone’s attention before. It was heaven.

  “Are you thirsty?” he asked, voice a low, delicious timbre from more than an hour of masculine moans.

  She was thirs
ty, but she’d rather die a painful death of dehydration and hunger than ever leave the sanctuary of his arms. “I just want to stay here, like this.”

  He chuckled, sounding as relaxed as she felt. “Me too.”

  The tension in his muscles gave way to ease, and his body softened beneath her. She had no basis for comparison, but she had a strange hunch they just had really good sex. Maybe she was just being cocky. She smirked at her corny pun.

  “What’s that smile for?”

  She cleared her throat, too embarrassed by her juvenile train of thought to share it. “Did you like it?”

  He groaned, the sound rich with male satisfaction. “You’re incredible. I’m convinced there isn’t a single thing you don’t do well.”

  Her lips curved into a full grin. Though she’d been rather shy in the beginning, his praise bolstered her confidence and she pressed a kiss to his chest. “I loved it.”

  His easy expression faltered as his face blanked.

  Silence.

  Chilly, frigid silence.

  She should have chosen her words more carefully. She knew better than to casually toss out the L word to a man early on in the relationship, even if she had only been applying the adjective to the act. She’d seen enough spoiled plotlines to know that word was poison to anything concerning casual sex.

  Although, they hadn’t fully defined how casual this was. He’d mentioned not seeing other people, but that wasn’t exactly a testament of affection as much as it had been a hot and sweaty, grunting display of territorial male ego.

  Her heart raced as she desperately waited for him to say something back, anything to confirm he knew she was only saying she enjoyed the sex and that he understood she wasn’t confessing love or anything so drastic.

  His body shifted, and he gently transferred her to the pillows. “I’ll get that water.”

  When he left the bed, it felt personal. An ache formed in her chest and part of her soul trembled as if about to cave in.

  Aware of how overly delicate she suddenly seemed, she blamed it on too many hormones and the shaken effects of sex.

  Don’t you dare cry…

  Clarifying anything or mentioning what she’d just said would only make matters worse, so she swallowed back the lump of fear forming in her throat and suffered through the lonesome silence as she waited for him to return.

  It was unbearable. She scrambled off the bed, her legs nearly buckling under her weight as the ache in her overused muscles screamed. She quickly scooped up her sister’s dress and draped it over the chair in the corner, sneaking into the bathroom to freshen up.

  The bathroom lights were startlingly bright, casting her in an unflattering, clinical glow, and she winced. Her skin was rosy and whisker burned. Her makeup was smeared, making her eyes appear twice their usual size. And her hair was destroyed. No wonder he left her there.

  She quickly washed her face and combed her fingers through her hair, pulling down the bun and making matters worse. Tangled hair framed her face in a wild cloud of auburn.

  She tsked, unsure how to fix such a mess without fully showering. But that would be weird, wouldn’t it?

  She heard a sound from the bedroom and did a three-sixty, searching for a towel or anything to cover nakedness. Why had she left the dress in the other room?

  “Everything all right?”

  “Everything’s fine!” She winced at the shrill sound of her voice. She needed to chill.

  Staring at her reflection, she propped a fist on her hip and adjusted her posture. Women walked around naked in front of men they had sex with, right? She rolled her eyes, not satisfied with any posture she tried.

  She could play a lot of roles, but sophisticated bed partner might not be one of them. Peeking out of the bathroom, she looked for any possible way of making it back into the bed unseen.

  Rhett placed a glass of water on the nightstand and paused when he caught sight of her.

  Her blush burned from her cheeks to her breasts to her other cheeks, too much of a novice to bear the walk of shame.

  “You don’t have to be shy with me.”

  “I know.” It was literally like the distance from the bathroom to the bed was growing. She typically wasn’t shy. But she was naked and, well, a bit frizzy and blotchy—not that she was complaining. “If you could just turn around for a second—

  “Not a chance.” He crossed the floor and pulled her from behind the bathroom door then tipped up her chin, brushing a sensual kiss across her lips that quickly turned into more.

  Her body unraveled and she leaned into him, never realizing kisses could be so sheltering. His reassurance was incredibly appreciated, bolstering her confidence and casting some of her doubts aside.

  When he broke the kiss, she looked up at him and smiled. She’d been pretty good about denying her feelings up until now, but who was she kidding? He touched her and she turned into pudding.

  “I got you water.”

  She was no longer thirsty—or she was, but she didn’t want to break their stare because then he might look down and recall that she was naked.

  Her hips shifted, casually stroking her body against his and his eyes darkened. “I think I like when you’re not a gentleman,” she confessed, and his nostrils flared. “Wow, you give great smolder.”

  The hardness in his jaw and the intensity of his stare shifted with a burst of laughter. “Is that what I was giving?”

  “Mm-hm.”

  Everything about him seemed carved out of hard masculinity. He was an unmoving boulder, lodged in place by time, and she was a fleeting snowflake, tumbling recklessly down a knoll, collecting speed and rolling into an unstoppable avalanche.

  She didn’t need experience to know he’d eventually hurt her. She didn’t need him to say a single word to predict that she would be the one to eventually say too much.

  But she didn’t care. She wanted to be real with him. She wanted to be reckless. And, for once, she wanted to do something solely for herself without thinking of others.

  No one knew what was going on between them. Rhett was her deepest, darkest secret. And she was feeling especially indulgent.

  She followed all the rules, lived on the Nice List, and always did what was expected. Up until tonight, she never got into trouble or did anything worth keeping secret.

  “After tonight, I think we’re definitely on the Naughty List.”

  “There’s still a chance for you to redeem yourself.” His hands continued to map out her curves and she couldn’t get enough of his caresses.

  She could bask a lifetime in his attention. The thought of disappointing him in any way gutted her. She should probably examine the reaction she had to him and this strange need to please him, but, at the moment, she was too consumed with the desire to do as he asked.

  “I’m glad you kissed me.”

  He cupped her jaw and stepped closer. She kept her eyes focused on his expression, which told her so much about the things he wanted. The hunger in his eyes lured her to him, tore down her insecurities, and filled her with a dark desire to please.

  “I want you again.”

  Her breath hitched and the ache in her muscles vanished in place of desire. “I’m yours.”

  “Are you?”

  She nodded and he reached for a pillow on the bed, tossing it to the floor.

  “Show me.”

  Understanding dawned and she lowered to her knees. Unsure but not ignorant, she waited and let him take the lead. It was much more intimate than she expected. He was incredibly gentle, gliding his rigid flesh over her lips and guiding his length into her mouth. He watched her closely, eyes smoldering with desire, as if the sight was better than the actual act.

  Soft, whispered commands told her what he liked and how to make it better. She pleased him and he praised her, his endless flattery raining over her like a baptism of intimate attention nothing else could match.

  The longer it went on, the more frenzied his breathing became. When he was close, he
lifted her body off the floor and carried her to the bed. His mouth covered hers, kissing her swollen lips with bruising force, as he rolled on a condom and found his way back inside of her.

  This time, when he took her, he took more than before. He moved with slow intensity, brow pressed to hers, hand gripped tightly at the back of her neck as he rocked into her with long, intentional strokes.

  He took her mouth. He took her cries. He took her most secret desires. He may even have taken a piece of her soul. He was insatiable. He took everything.

  In the end, she had nothing left of herself that felt untouched by him. But that also meant she had no space for regrets.

  15

  Rhett checked his phone again and grimaced. The day was lagging, and it was killing him to sit in his office pretending to work when his mind was so clearly elsewhere.

  “We’re ordering Chinese for lunch. What do you want?”

  He glanced at Erin standing in the doorway, a notebook and pen poised in her hands. “Nothing for me. I have to run an errand. I’ll grab something while I’m out.”

  “This is the third day you’ve missed lunch. Eat, Rhett. I don’t feel like dealing with your hangry ass when four o’clock rolls around.”

  “I will eat, just not here.”

  Her eyes narrowed, but she gave up and walked away.

  He busied himself for twenty more minutes then sent a text, warning Skylar he was leaving soon.

  He’d been a greedy bastard, taking every bit of comfort she offered. Never in his life had he been so insatiable with a woman—so satisfied. So grateful.

  After their first night, he insisted she let him take care of her. Using a soft washcloth, he bathed her folds in warm water, wincing at how swollen he’d left her. She was too sweet to complain, but he knew enough to tell she was sore.

  The following morning, he insisted she take the morning to soak in the master tub while he took Addison to breakfast in town. He truly tried to give Skylar time to recover, but he only made it a few hours before finding himself inside of her again.