Pining For You: Jasper Falls Read online

  He took her slowly. Tenderly. But Skylar said he was holding back. She ordered him to be real with her, and goddamn, he wanted to do just that. She was unlike any of the other women he’d met.

  When the scent of Chinese food filled the office that was his cue to leave.

  Grabbing his coat and keys, he mumbled an excuse and rushed out the door. Five minutes later he pulled into his driveway.

  His heart raced and his body heated as he unlocked the door. He came in quietly.

  Skylar appeared at the top of the stairs, her hair down and her smile shy. She wore black leggings and a pink fuzzy sweater with deer antlers sewn on the front, around a red sequin Rudolph nose. She was everything he shouldn’t want, yet he’d never been more attracted to a woman.

  “Is she asleep?”

  “She just went down.” Her socked feet silently descended the staircase, and his body hardened. “How much time do you have?”

  “About twenty minutes.”

  “I made you a sandwich.”

  He’d been skipping lunch. Of course, she would see that he ate. She was just that kind of woman.

  Like a dog after a bone, he followed her into the kitchen. His eyes tracked her every move, and his hunger grew by the second, ravenous, but he wasn’t after lunch.

  She pushed a plate across the island. The diagonal cut peanut butter and jelly sandwich made him chuckle. She’d even set three carrot sticks on the side. It was the perfect lunch, the kind made with tender loving care that his classmates used to bring to school, while he ate whatever the teachers gave him out of pity.

  “Do I get a glass of milk with this?”

  She turned to fetch the milk out of the fridge, and he rounded the island. Catching her arm, he pulled her to his chest, his front pressing hard against her back. His hand slipped under her soft sweater and cupped her breast through her bra. She sank her weight into him.

  “I want you,” he growled, teasing her nipple into a hard point.

  “You have to eat.”

  “I’m hungry for you.”

  “Rhett…”

  “Don’t make me suffer. I waited all morning.”

  “Fine.”

  Thinking of how greedy he’d been, he delicately slid a hand into the front of her pants and teased her folds. “I want to kiss you here.”

  She moaned, her head leaning into his chest as her body softened with consent.

  Pushing down the tight, cotton pants, he crouched in front of her, and yanked her to his mouth. Her hands caught his shoulders, holding on for balance as he licked the seam of her slit.

  “You always taste amazing.” With her leggings bunched at her knees, she had limited range of motion. Her hips cocked forward and he swiped his tongue deep inside her folds, tasting warm honey.

  Her soft moan filled the kitchen and he tenderly worked her into a delicate frenzy. Her body was so responsive, so inviting. As her warm cream coated his tongue and she came, he smiled against her flesh, pressing a kiss to her throbbing clit.

  “Beautiful.”

  Her eyes were dark and her cheeks flushed when he stood. She was a vision.

  He pushed the plate aside and turned her body, pressing her forward, and guiding her hands onto the granite countertop until she rested her cheek on the surface. The clink of his belt buckle mixed with the soft hum of Christmas carols that seemed a constant backdrop since she arrived in their life.

  His hand slipped into the waistband of her pants again, and her wet flesh greeted his returning touch. She was always ready for him. He removed a condom from his pocket, and filled her with one determined stroke.

  She gasped and rose to her tiptoes, keening with every thrust. His clothes were bulky as he’d not even taken the time to remove his coat, but he couldn’t stop now.

  Her body welcomed his. She was a warm place that felt like home—even if he’d never understood what a home should feel like. He believed the warmth in his chest he experienced whenever she looked at him was what people meant. Home.

  Her pliant body met his every stroke. He worked his fingers over her sensitive flesh as he approached finishing. When his pleasure mounted, he brought her with him.

  Short, sweet, and exactly what he needed. But he wanted more. It wasn’t just the sex he craved. He wanted to talk and hear how her day was going. He wanted to munch on carrot sticks and eat the lovingly prepared sandwich she made him. He wanted to sit around and simply watch her move throughout the house, magically turning every room she entered into a home.

  His body folded over hers as he caught her chin and turned her mouth to his, showing her how much he enjoyed their stolen moments together. She was a secret sanctuary for him, a place of warmth and welcome he never wanted to leave.

  But he had to.

  Slowly, and regretfully, he pulled out and righted her clothing. She should hate him for being so abrupt and demanding, but she never complained.

  They righted their clothing, and only then did he greet her properly, kissing her with gentle appreciation and smiling into her eyes. “Hi.”

  She grinned up at him.

  “Join me for lunch?”

  She sat beside him while he ate and told him about her morning. He loved the way her eyes lit up every time she mentioned his daughter. It was only second to the way she would get excited about some crafty idea she planned for the afternoon.

  Now that he understood how natural she was with children, he harbored a bit of shame for keeping her all to himself. She should be in a classroom with dozens of kids, sharing all her wonderful skills and care.

  But he was selfish and didn’t want to share her. He never lived in a house that played music or hung finger paintings on the fridge. Other than business lunches, he hardly ever ate at a table before she came along.

  Skylar was maternal in a way his mother had not been. She was civilized with antiquated charm. She was everything good, and he wanted to bask in the light she’d brought into their world.

  After lunch, they chatted for a little longer, and he resented having to go back to work. She and Addy were making Christmas cards today, and he wanted to stay and watch them work.

  He’d always taken an interest in his daughter’s life, but before Skylar, that interest had mostly revolved around her safety and security. He never wanted her to feel ashamed of who she was. As a parent, his priority had always been making sure she had nice clothing, a safe home, and food in her belly.

  But, to Skylar, caring for a child was so much more. She covered the basics, such as food and shelter, but she brought something more to the table, something he didn’t know how to deliver. Everything Skylar did, no matter if it was something as simple as making a sandwich, she did with love.

  Skylar loved. She injected love into every task and every chore. She listened with love in her eyes and spoke lovingly when she addressed others. The girl emanated love, and he, once again, felt like a thief because he was stealing all that love she offered with no chance of offering anything quite as valuable in return.

  He was empty, unsure where people found such affection. Sooner or later, she’d discover the hollow secrets he hid. She’d learn that, like Jasper Falls, the illusion of normalcy was just an impression. Beneath the surface, he was nothing more than a basic man—a greedy one at that.

  “The other night…”

  Her words stole his attention and he held his breath waiting for her to finish her thought. He grinned when her face flushed with a fiery blush.

  She drew in a breath and glanced at her lap. “You said that we…wouldn’t see other people. Did you mean that?”

  Hot-blooded male ego thrummed through his veins. He’d never been a territorial man. Never had a right to anyone that he could be territorial with.

  “I won’t share you.” It wasn’t sensible and he had no right to be so demanding, but something dark and greedy inside of him knew he’d kill anyone who tried to take her away from him.

  Rather that appear concerned by his possessiveness, she
smirked. “Well, I don’t want to share you, either.”

  “You won’t have to.” All she had to do was accept him for who he was. It wasn’t a tall order, yet no one had ever accomplished such a feat. Paranoia crept in. “Just…be honest with me.”

  She nodded. “Maybe now is a good time to discuss our past. I know you’ve been with Addison’s mom, but I don’t know if there’s been anyone else.”

  His mind thrust a wall up, as if he could somehow protect himself from her questions. He stood and put on his coat. “It’s getting late. I have a meeting—”

  “Then we can finish this conversation after work. I want to know you, Rhett.”

  An uncomfortable knot formed in his gut. He briefly pressed a kiss to her lips and carried his plate to the sink. He didn’t want to have this conversation now and he didn’t want to have it after work.

  “There’s nothing to know.”

  “Sure, there is. Who were you before you were the mayor of Jasper Falls? Where did you live? Who was Addison’s mom? Were you married? Did you love her?”

  Love… The word landed like a grenade, pin pulled and spoiling the peaceful moment with the impending threat of disaster. Time to go.

  “I worked with hedge funds before moving here and I lived in a lot of different places, none of them half as nice as Jasper Falls. I’ve never been married and Addison’s mom is a person who lives in my past where she belongs. She didn’t love me and I didn’t love her, but she’ll always be Addy’s mother and that means something. Now, I have to go. Thanks for lunch.”

  He could see his cold, blunt response hurt her feelings, but he’d given her as much as he could manage. He hated feeling vulnerable and her questions left him exposed.

  Why couldn’t she just accept him, no questions asked? Why did she have to probe into his past? If she dug too deep, she’d end up like all the rest and he wasn’t ready to lose her.

  He hesitated at the door, looking back and reading the confusion in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m just not…good with sharing.”

  “Okay.”

  But it wasn’t okay. He felt like a total jerk. He wished he could give her something but he wasn’t sure he had anything of real value to give. She deserved better.

  Walking back to her, he kissed her softly, letting his affection come across in the caress. She smiled, the expression genuine and full of forgiveness he didn’t deserve.

  “Have a good rest of the day,” she whispered, letting him off the hook.

  Like a true coward, he accepted the out. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  It wasn’t her age or innocence, but her kindness that shamed him. He was taking advantage of her, using her softness to fulfill a void that had been gaping inside of him for years. Maybe she was healing him, but no matter how much she might make him a better man, he’d never be the kind of man she deserved. He’d never be good enough for a woman with her gentle heart.

  Soon, she’d realize that.

  But, for now, he wanted her. And like many other things he possessed in his adult life, he couldn’t stop until he had her.

  Love… that was something he knew nothing about, something she wouldn’t find no matter how deeply she dug under his surface. Until her, he had never known love could fill a house like furniture, tangible and comforting. And while it fascinated him to watch her act so lovingly with others, he didn’t have a clue how she did it.

  Boundaries were good. They kept him in check and reminded him that everything had a shelf life. But even the most intentional lines started to blur after emotions got involved.

  When he wasn’t around her, she was on his mind. And when they were together with Addison, they made a perfect picture, the sort a stranger might stop and stare at through a window.

  But when they were alone, they were one. He spent what felt like lifetimes getting lost in her body, as if he could risk his own life for just one glimpse of her soul.

  For seven days, everything was picture perfect. He should have known it wouldn’t stay that way forever. He should have guessed that eventually reality would intrude and spoil everything.

  16

  “No, this can’t be right.” Skylar scanned the grades. Each one was listed next to a student ID, and hers was the lowest on the email.

  She rifled through her books and paperwork, making sure she had the correct ID. Sure enough, that was hers. “How is this possible?”

  Her vision blurred with unshed tears of frustration. She needed to fix this before she fell apart. There was no way she could be flunking this class. She’d studied her butt off and done every assignment.

  Shaking, she signed into the Home Access Center and investigated. Her unit project was a mid B. Her homework assignments all showed complete. Then she found the problem. Her first exam, the one she’d spent days preparing for, was destroying her average. How the hell had she scored a forty-eight? How had she not realized until now?

  She let out a jagged breath and quickly emailed the professor, asking for more information. Her hands were trembling so severely, she had a difficult time typing. If she failed this class, she’d never get invited back.

  Addison was still sleeping when she heard the front door open. Shutting her laptop, she wiped her eyes and tied back her hair. Rhett must have forgotten something because he typically didn’t sneak home until Addison’s nap time, and Skylar hadn’t even finished her first cup of coffee yet.

  Usually, rendezvous with Rhett were the highlight of her days, but right now, she didn’t feel like seeing anyone. When she heard him enter the den, she again blotted her eyes but didn’t turn around, not wanting him to see her cry.

  “I can’t today. I have some school stuff I need to handle.”

  “Can’t what?”

  Her gaze jerked to the doorway. “Erin.” It seemed too early for a visit from the Wicked Witch of the West. There must be low broom traffic today.

  The PA hitched her designer bag higher on her shoulder. “Were you expecting someone else?”

  She wiped her nose, shoving down any emotion and stood. “No, I was just… I thought you were…”

  The woman eyed her from head to toe. Skylar hadn’t bothered to put on a bra that morning. With the fire burning, the house was warm, and she only wore shorts and a white camisole, which Rhett loved because he could see her nipples through the thin material. She now regretted her wardrobe choice.

  “Is this how you walk around in your employer’s home?”

  It was her home, too. Skylar picked up her laptop, since it was the only thing within reach and clutched it to her chest. “I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

  “It’s in your best interest to dress as if you’re always expecting company.”

  Her molars ground tightly. “What do you need?”

  “I assume Mr. Buchanan informed you about the art gala tonight.”

  “He mentioned something about a fundraiser.”

  “Right, well, the event’s been relocated to the mansion.”

  “Here?”

  “Do you see another mansion? We only have nine hours to get everything up to par. All personal items will have to be hidden away, and the kitchen will need to be accessible to the catering staff.”

  “Hold on. I’m confused. Why is the gala being moved here?”

  “A complication with the hotel. It’s irrelevant. This is where we are now, and this fundraiser is important.” She walked to the powder room door where Addison’s tissue paper collage of a Christmas tree hung. “Unsightly decorations will all have to come down.” She glanced at the actual tree. “I’ll send someone over here to deal with this.”

  Skylar frowned. “That’s the Buchanan’s family tree. They decorated it that way.”

  “I don’t have time to explain why that doesn’t matter. I’m just here to give you a heads-up.”

  Well, at least that was a nice change, considering she usually got no warning at all about the schedule. “How formal is the event?”

  Her head cocked and she smirke
d. “Very. It’s an elegant fundraiser for the fine arts. Black ties and gowns, but that doesn’t concern you. Mr. Buchanan asked that you stay out of sight for this one.”

  She drew back. “He said that?”

  “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  “What about Addison?”

  “It’s not for children.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t know why she was disappointed to be excluded. The last time she had to find a dress for an event, she’d been extremely stressed. She should be grateful she didn’t have to participate.

  “Your job will be to keep the little one completely out of sight. Do you think you can do that?”

  According to Erin, she was wildly incompetent. “I think I can manage.”

  “Good.” She tugged the picture of the Christmas tree off the door. “I’d start taking this stuff down. And get dressed. An event coordinator will be stopping by any minute.”

  Erin set up a temporary work station in the kitchen, so Skylar took Addison upstairs to get changed, not wanting to be anywhere near the other woman.

  She wanted to call Rhett and hear his voice. Was Erin telling the truth about tonight? Did he really want her out of sight?

  Once Addison was dressed, she told her to play in her room for a few minutes. Skylar went to the third floor to change and called Rhett.

  He answered on the third ring and sounded harried. “Skylar, what’s up?”

  Jarred by his direct greeting, she hesitated. “Um… There’s going to be a gala at the house tonight—”

  “It’s a total cluster fuck. Erin should be there soon to take care of everything. You just worry about you and Addy.”

  “She’s already here.” It amazed her how he never seemed to get the tyrant side of his PA the rest of them had to deal with.

  “Oh. Well, good. Did you need something?”

  He was obviously busy. “No, I just wanted to hear your voice.”

  “That’s sweet.” His tone softened. “We can talk after the event.”

  So, perhaps he didn’t expect her to attend after all. “Okay. I’ll see you later.”