Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
J ade’s heart began to gallop as they neared the yacht.
She’d made up her mind to go back with Liam the moment he’d asked her what she wanted to do with her life. When he’d admitted he had to make the reservation for their drink, it had sealed the deal. He could have made things easy for himself and accepted her suggestion they drink on his boat again. Instead, he’d taken her somewhere special. A place he clearly thought she would appreciate.
He didn’t date, but he’d phoned ahead and booked a table.
He wanted to have sex, yet he’d listened to her rabbit on as if what she’d said was important to him.
The hottest man she’d ever met had treated her with respect. And enjoyed her company.
As he helped her onto his boat, the butterflies in her belly reacted like they were on speed, flapping their wings a million miles an hour.
And that was before he slid his hand against her lower back and drew her to him, close enough she felt the heat of his skin through her top. Far enough away she wanted to fling her arms around his neck and jump into his arms so she could feel that lean, hard body against hers.
‘Kiss me.’ Her voice sounded scratchy, rough to match the feel of her top against her aching nipples. ‘Please.’
He groaned, dipping his head to do exactly that. Not a tentative first kiss now, but a full meeting of mouths, of tongues. She felt him everywhere, not just with the flicks of his tongue, the press of his lips, but his restless hands that smoothed up and down her back, then cupped her face. The press of his thighs, the hard length of him that pulsed against her belly.
‘I’ve been thinking of undressing you all afternoon,’ he rasped.
‘I’ve been thinking of you undressing me for some of the afternoon,’ she admitted, inhaling sharply as he slid off her top with a sure, deft touch before finding the zipper of her skirt and pushing it down.
‘Only some?’ As her clothes pooled at her feet, his fingers traced the edge of the lace of her bra before slipping under, his thumb rubbing her aching nipple.
‘Um.’ Her own hands dragged off his jacket before reaching into his jeans, their touch less practiced, less sure, but the need to feel him, to see him, driving her on. ‘The rest of the time I imagined me undressing you.’
He gave a strangled half laugh, half growl as her fingers curled round his hard, pulsing length. ‘What is it about you that I can laugh even when you’re holding my dick?’
Class clown, needs to spend less time making people laugh and more of making something of herself.
‘What do you usually do when someone holds it?’ she asked. She squeezed, and his groan reverberated through her.
‘I don’t feel like I do now. Like I’m about to shoot my load after two good pulls.’ He swore crudely. ‘If you don’t want this to end with you pressed into my mattress, you need to tell me now.’
Was she ready for this? Ready to have sex with a guy she’d be unlikely to meet again, yet would potentially ruin her for anyone else? ‘I want to see your bed.’
‘Thank fuck.’ He lifted her into his arms, but then paused. ‘Wait, is that see my bed or lie on my bed?’
Laughter bubbled out of her. ‘I want to have a nosy inside your bedroom.’ As his big body froze, she ran her nose up the side of his neck and inhaled. It was a close call, but he really did smell better than a paperback. ‘And then I want to test out your mattress. With hot, sweaty sex,’ she added, just in case it still wasn’t one hundred per cent clear.
For a brief moment his body seemed to sag with relief and then suddenly she was being carried like a fairy princess through the cabin lined with cream-leather sofas and downstairs, to a bedroom with dark walnut panels and a huge bed with rumpled sheets.
‘I wasn’t expecting a visitor,’ he huffed as he pushed the bedding aside.
‘You weren’t?’ He seriously hadn’t thought they’d end up here?
‘Hoped, sure. Expected, no.’
He eased her carefully onto the bed like she was something fragile, then gazed down at her like she was something he wanted to devour.
‘I want to taste you.’
Heat rushed between her legs and of their own volition her thighs separated. His eyes flared and he unfastened her bra before removing her underwear, sliding it over her hips and down her legs with a determination that caused her heart to thump against her ribs. She had a second to think it wasn’t fair, he was still dressed, but then his head dipped and his tongue found exactly the spot she needed it to find.
Holy crap, he knew what he was doing down there. His lips knew where to press, his mouth where to suck, his tongue how to go from soft to hard, the rhythm he set slowly building until her hands grasped at the bed sheet, all sensation focused on one part of her body, pleasure building, building.
‘Oh, my God. I’m going to come, like really detonate,’ she panted, her hands flying to his head, tangling in his hair. ‘Shit, that’s it. Mother of everything holy…’
Pleasure ripped through her, dragging her into a vortex of colour, of stars. When she finally came down from it, she let out a long, satisfied breath. ‘Whoa. What did you do to me? You are seriously good at that. Like one of those times I really want to give six stars but I know I’m only allowed five.’ He stared back at her, eyes full of arousal, yet bemusement bumped around the edges. ‘It’s a book thing.’
He eased up, hot gaze raking her body. ‘This needs to come off.’ Nimble fingers undid the front clasp of her bra, and he groaned as her breasts spilled out, immediately burying his head in her cleavage, licking, sucking, his hips thrusting restlessly against her thigh, reminding her he hadn’t come yet.
‘Um, you’re forgetting something.’ She clasped his head, pulling it up. ‘Much as I want your mouth to continue what it’s doing, I want to see you without your clothes on, more.’
His eyes burned into hers as he undid the buttons of his shirt. ‘You’re sure?’
The saliva left her throat as she stared at the sculptured planes of his chest, muscles rippling beneath tanned skin, a smattering of dark chest hair adding to the very powerful male image. ‘About you taking your clothes off?’ She licked her lips, almost tasting the salt of his skin. ‘Abso-flipping-lutely.’ He huffed and she put her hand up. ‘Yes, I’m sure I want sex with you.’
She barely had time to appreciate his wicked grin before he ducked to yank open a draw and pull out a square foil, which he ripped open with his teeth. A few moments later his jeans and boxers were shoved down, his eye-watering erection sheathed and he was levering himself over her.
Automatically her legs wrapped around his hips, pressing him against her core. She wriggled, trying to get more friction and he grunted. ‘You feel me? How hard I am for you?’
One flex of his hips later and he slammed into her, stretching her, filling her, sucking the breath from her. ‘Oh, my flaming God.’
Instantly he stilled. ‘You okay?’
‘I’m better than okay.’ Her hands clutched at the tight globes of his arse. ‘You feel so good. I mean big, really frigging big, like I can feel you everywhere, but so, so good.’ Mindless, she pulled at him. ‘More.’
He let out a deep, guttural groan and then his hips snapped, thrusting, thrusting, over and over, causing everything inside her to coil and tighten until she was a panting, needy mess. And then she broke, letting out a cry as pleasure spiralled through her again, flooding her senses, wave after wave until she dropped her head to the pillow, her body limp, her mind blank of anything except him, the feel of him still hard inside her.
A few thrusts later, he let out a quiet grunt of pleasure as he found his own release.
* * *
Liam let out a satisfied sigh as he rolled onto his back, drawing Jade to his side. There had been a time he’d enjoyed cuddling after sex, before he’d learnt that letting people close allowed them to fuck you over. Still, there was no chance of that with a one… or two-night stand, and he liked the feel of Jade’s skin against his.
‘How many of your stars was that?’
He felt her smile against his skin. ‘Definitely another six out of five.’
‘I agree with the sentiment, but not the rating scale. You book people are strange.’
‘I take it I won’t see you in the shop then.’
The hand that had been stroking down the curve of her spine, stilled. ‘Which shop is that?’
‘I’m working in the bookstore on the wharf for three months. You know, the Little Bay Book Shack. Though it’s hardly work, being surrounded by books in a cute shack overlooking the sea. More like the most exciting adventure of my life.’
His heart faltered, his mind began to race. It explained why she’d caught the resort transfer even though she’d admitted she wasn’t staying at the resort. Ashley had told him of George and Flo’s arrangement but she’d made him promise to let it continue, telling him it wasn’t doing any harm. Technically, Jade wasn’t an employee, though, at least not yet. Flo had signed, but until the money had been transferred, he didn’t own the shop.
Still, it was… messy. And that was a fucking understatement. With mounting dread he recalled the conversation he’d had with Flo. Think about the wide-eyed, eager young lady who’s travelled all the way out here to run a bookstore on Nantucket. He’d seen the dreamy look on Jade’s face as she’d discussed her love of books, the excitement as she’d talked about working in the shop, making her mark. His stomach clenched. Fuck. How could he have not worked it out before?
Jade’s hand wandered across his pecs, her fingers teasing his chest hair, and he sucked in a breath.
‘Do you like reading?’
Christ, she was talking about books and he was torn between wanting to fuck her again, and jumping out of bed to put as much distance between them as possible so he could think . ‘Not unless it’s a contract.’
The warmth of her laughter caressed his skin, and he hardened further as her fingers circled his nipples. ‘Oh, my God, that’s so sad. Reading is the best. Why don’t you let me find you a book? What are you into? Thrillers, action, autobiographies, travel…’
Dimly he was aware of her talking, but his mind was at war. Her breasts were cushioned against his side, her leg thrown over his, her fingers teasing the hairs on his abdomen, dipping lower…
I trust you. Enough to know you won’t take advantage of me.
Fuck, this was wrong, wasn’t it?
He groaned as her fingers curled around his girth, lust beginning to drown out all reason. The purchase hadn’t legally been completed yet. It could still fall through. And besides, he’d be compensating her. She wouldn’t lose out on her three months on the island. She could spend the time ticking off her tourist to-do list and reading all those damn books she loved so much. Hell, he’d let her raid the shop before he knocked it down. Take any of the books she wanted.
Automatically his hips shifted, pushing into her hand.
More laughter. ‘Why do I get the feeling you’re not listening to me?’
‘If you want a conversation you need to take your hand off my dick.’
She smiled up at him, giving him a sultry look. ‘Do you want me to?’
Mussed blonde hair, big blue eyes, large, naked breasts with rose-pink nipples puckered and begging for his tongue. She was the ultimate male fantasy.
You should use the balls she’s stroking and tell her who you are, what you have planned. Give her the opportunity to decide if she still wants you.
But lust fired through his body, frying his brain. All he could think was how hard he was, how much he ached to bury himself inside her again. He was strong when it came to negotiating business deals, but pitifully weak when it came to resisting women he was fiercely attracted to. He’d paid the price for that weakness, had it shoved in his face, been ridiculed for it, yet Jade made him want to throw aside his common sense.
It’s just sex, just a hook-up. They both knew that, so it didn’t matter what happened tomorrow, did it?
‘What I want,’ he said gruffly. ‘Is for you to sit on me and ride me until we both come.’
* * *
It was one in the morning and he was sitting on the aft deck, trawling through his emails. Sex had wiped him out for a good few hours but now his mind was alert, something he was well used to. The only time he’d slept through the night since boarding school was the night before, with Jade. He put it down to extreme exhaustion.
His eyes homed in on an email from his lawyer.
The funds had transferred. The wharf was now his.
He waited for the pulse of satisfaction, but all he felt was a wave of guilt. He should have told Jade who he was. Next time they met was going to be awkward as fuck. Casting an eye over another email, this one from Flo, he read that she was going to see the bookstore manager tomorrow morning to tell her in person and wanted him to come along to hand over.
What Flo didn’t say, but heavily implied, was she was going to make it clear to Jade that he was expected to honour their contract.
The guilt settled like a lead weight in his stomach. You’re going to pay her. She’ll be able to stay on the resort. Yeah, he was worrying over nothing. Chances are she’d actually be pleased to hear she had three months to enjoy the island without the hassle of running a damn bookstore.
Ten-year-old me dreamt of living in a castle made of books.
Shit.
At the sound of footsteps, he jerked his head up. Jade walked towards him, her clothes back on, her blonde hair flowing wildly around her shoulders. ‘I, um, thought I should head off.’
His body reacted to the sight of her, but now his mind was in control. Too fucking late . ‘I’ll walk you back.’
‘Er, if you’re worried I’ll get lost, I can see the shop from here.’
‘It’s not a matter of getting lost.’ He rose to his feet, closing the laptop, his grandma’s voice echoing in his ear. You treat women with respect, even if they sometimes haven’t given you the same courtesy . ‘It’s manners.’
The walk back along the wharf was quiet. He was all too aware of the unevenness of the current situation, yet now wasn’t the time to confess who he was. Not in the moonlight, when his body still hummed from the sex they’d just enjoyed and their clothes were wrinkled from being discarded on the cabin floor.
Tomorrow, in the cold light of day, when they didn’t both smell of sex.
She paused at the entrance to the shop. ‘Well, thanks for the escort. Whoever taught you manners should be proud of you.’
‘My grandma.’ But she wouldn’t be proud of what he’d done tonight . It was an uncomfortable thought.
‘Well, thank you Liam’s grandma.’
She smiled, and it was so guileless, so open, he felt a twist in his gut. Whether it was another dose of guilt or some other force taking over, he wasn’t sure, but he touched his hand to her face, keen to make sure that at least for now, they would part as friends. ‘Thank you for yesterday, and for tonight. I enjoyed spending time with you.’ Dipping his head, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. ‘Goodnight, Jade.’
She nodded, her eyes darting over his face, making him wonder what she saw. ‘No thanks needed. In case it wasn’t totally obvious, I had a good time, too.’ After giving him one final look, she pushed open the door to the bookstore.
Sliding his hands into his pockets, he set off back to the boat, not liking how he felt. Instead of relief at the amicable ending of a successful two-night stand, he felt unsettled, a sick feeling in his stomach that he knew would only get worse when she found out who he was. And what he had planned.