Chapter 22
22
MAGNOLIA
I ’ll never forget the sound of his voice in my ear when he came up from behind me in the club. How it sent a shockwave down my spine and made all of my senses stand at full attention. I knew it was him without even needing to turn around because I could pick out his voice no matter how loud the room was. Deep, strong, and something I could feel throughout my entire body.
When I asked him if he wanted to leave the club with me, I fully expected him to tell me no. To tell me that I was just a client or some other bullshit like how we were ‘just friends.’ But I took my shot anyway because that’s what Sinclairs do. We take the shot to get what we want, even if we don’t think it will work out in our favor. When he told me to wait here so he could go tell his friends he was leaving, I didn’t try to hide my smirk of triumph.
He came back out of the club quickly and grabbed my hand, pulling me down the sidewalk towards the direction of a car that had just pulled up. He opened the door for me and signaled for me to get in before sliding into the backseat next to me. We sat in silence as the driver took us in the direction of his place. When we pulled up, he handed a hundred dollar bill to the driver, told him to have a safe night, and helped me out of the car. He held my hand as he punched in a keycode to the front door and when he heard the lock unlatch, he pushed it open and let me go in ahead of him.
While this wasn’t the first time I’d been to his place, being here this time felt different. I felt different. Like every one of my nerve endings were buzzing with the anticipation of what might happen tonight. What he might do to me tonight—what I would let him do to me tonight. We were standing in the foyer a few feet apart, waiting for the other person to make the first move. I’d asked him to leave with me, so in my head, it was his move to make. If he wanted this, wanted me, he was going to have to show his hand first. My nerves frayed at the edges as he stood with his back to the door, looking at me as if he’d just caught a fresh meal. His typically solemn eyes were now burning into me, full of desire and want. Unable to take the silent tension between us any longer, I spoke first.
“What’s wrong, Jack, cat got your tongue?” I tried to make my voice flirty and coy instead of agitated and flustered which is how I was growing more and more with each second he stood there unmoving.
“There are three rules,” he started, setting his shoulders back and taking a predatory-like step closer to me. I stood up straighter and squared my shoulders to his.
“I don’t care much for rules. I’ve had to follow them my entire life and at this point, I’m over it.” I cocked my head at him, challengingly.
“Then I’ll call you a ride and you can text me when you make it home safely.” He matched my movements exactly before taking a step around me, heading down the hallway. I huffed out a breath and turned to face him again.
“Fine. What are the rules?” If I had to follow his stupid rules to get what I wanted, so be it. He paused mid-step and turned his head to look at me over his shoulder. When I caught the flash of the smirk on his face, I almost told him to fuck off and send me home. But I wanted him something fierce and I knew he wanted me, too, so I held my tongue.
“First rule.” He turned around and took a few steps closer to me. “Your parents cannot find out about this. No one can know about this. About us?—”
“Oh there’s an us now?” I cut him off.
“Not if you interrupt me again.”
I swallowed hard and waited for the next rule.
“Second rule,” he added as he took a few steps closer. He was within arms reach and it took everything in me not to reach out and grab him. “You will do as my men say when they’re working. You will not make their job any harder and I better not hear about you being difficult again. Unless you want to be punished for your poor behavior.” I wanted to make a quip about how he can punish me any day of the week but knew that if I interrupted him again, my chances of getting what I wanted would be gone.
“And finally, rule number three.” He had moved even closer and his body was now flush with mine and his hand was reaching down for the wrist that held the bracelet he’d given me on Christmas morning. I hadn’t taken it off since he put it on me in front of my place and when my mother oooh’d at it, thinking Daniel gave it to me, I simply rolled my eyes at her and told her I bought it for myself.
“Rule number three is that you never, ever, take this off.” With my wrist tucked into his firm hand, he pulled it to his lips and kissed the soft spot of the inside of it. The move was gentle but did something unworldly to my insides. His eyes were on mine as he pressed his lips there and I wanted nothing more than to know what it felt like to have his lips on every inch of my body.
“Do you agree with those rules?” he asked, not letting go of my arm as he fluttered kisses up it, getting closer and closer to my face. It was as if the feeling of him kissing me flipped a switch in my brain and it could no longer form words. The only thing I seemed to be able to do is watch as his fine features got closer and closer to my face with every kiss. When he’d made his way up my arm, bending over significantly because of the sheer size difference between us, he held me in place and leaned into my ear.
“What’s wrong, flower, cat got your tongue?”
His deep, smooth voice rippled throughout my body and snapped me out of whatever trance he had me under. I blinked a few times at him before looping my arm around his neck and pulling him into me. Our mouths clashed together with a force I hadn’t experienced before but wanted to be able to experience every day for the rest of my life. His obvious want for me could be felt in the way he pressed his mouth into mine and held the side of my face so I couldn’t pull away. I looped my arms around his neck as he started to straighten and jumped, wrapping my legs around his strong center. He caught me without hesitation and never broke our connection. Our lips meshed together feverishly as he carried me up the stairs where I knew the bedrooms were.
“I take it you agree to my rules?” he teased with a laugh, speaking between kisses.
“Let’s just say I’ll think about them.” I pulled away to answer and he took the opportunity to bury his nose into my neck and gently nip at the sensitive spot behind my ear. Unable to control it, a soft moan escaped from the back of my throat and I felt his hands grip my legs a little harder.
He walked us up the stairs and into his bedroom effortlessly. When we reached an empty wall, he pressed us against it, my back flush to the wall and my silver sequin skirt now pushed all the way up my hips. I dug the heels of my boots into him to hold myself in place as we hadn’t even taken our shoes off. As he held me against the wall he pressed soft kisses to my throat.
“You know I haven’t gone a day without thinking about you since I nearly ran you over with my board?” I gasped as he kissed my collarbone and moved his hands from under my legs to holding me by my bare ass. The thin, lace thong not leaving anything to the imagination since my skirt was no longer covering me. “No matter how hard I try to keep you out of them, you always seem to seep into my thoughts and dreams.”
“What have you been dreaming about, Jack?” My words came out thick and my eyes rolled into the back of my head as his fingers started to creep closer and closer to my center. A tingly feeling was starting to grow there every time his fingers inched closer.
“Let me show you,” he nearly growled, before pulling me from the wall and setting me down on the bed with care. Then, he dropped to his knees in front of me and carefully pulled off my boots, setting them next to the bed side by side. He rested his hands on my knees and glanced up my skirt for a beat and then brought his eyes to mine.
“Are you sure you want this?” he asked, leaning away from me half an inch. My body was tired of waiting and I was about to burst at the seams with desire and lust. Lying my hands on top of his, I gave him a sultry smile before spreading my knees wide and opening my hips up for him.
“Show me what you’ve been dreaming about,” I purred.
His eyes went wide as he feasted on the view under my skirt. And this is why you always keep your house clean , I thought to myself as I watched him devour me with his eyes. His fingers crept up my legs at a painfully slow pace and pushed my skirt further up my waist. Once he got a hold of the waistband, he slipped my underwear down my legs and tossed them free before pushing my knees even further apart. I dropped my head behind me, ready to feel his mouth on my center, and was greatly disappointed when I felt it on my knee instead. I lifted my head to look at him and watched as he carefully and meticulously kissed his way up my legs. Pressing a kiss in one spot on one leg, then kissing the same spot on the other. I groaned when he had finally made it to the top of my thigh and then pulled away again.
“You’re taking your sweet time with this.” My voice had an edge to it that I couldn’t disguise.
“What’s the hurry?” he teased, trailing his fingers up my thigh and dragging them just to the inside of my leg. I lifted my hips up as an invite to give me the friction my body was aching for.
“The other guys I’ve been with just generally move a little faster than this,” I gruffed. His fingers grazed the inside of my thigh again and I almost grabbed his hand and forced it where I needed it. “They always seem to be in a rush.” He pushed off his knees and braced his arms on either side of my head, bringing his face close to mine. His features cut sharper by the shadows cast across them.
“Then you’ve clearly only ever been with boys. Tonight I’ll show you what it’s like to be with a man and I promise, you’ll never want to rush again.”