Chapter 46
DEJA
I’d never lived alone before, but the last couple days since I’d arrived in Chicago had been absolute bliss. In the past, I’d wondered why people would move out of their family homes as soon as they could afford it once they’d reached adulthood, and I’d finally gotten an answer to that question.
It was actually pretty simple. Having your own space was completely tantalizing.
In the mornings, all I had to do was slip a robe over my naked body before I went to make coffee or breakfast, and it was even better when Colin joined me, lifting me onto the kitchen counter to pick right back up from where we’d left off the night before.
Then there were the nights themselves.
All day long, Colin and I had acted like completely normal people. We’d gone to his office and checked in on the manufacturing facility they were converting for the perfumery. We’d gone golfing with Isaac, downloaded my pictures to his laptop, and even started a movie.
Totally normal, perhaps even mundane, things.
Yet here we were, with him carrying me to bed like a caveman with absolutely no manners. When I shouted with laughter, feeling like I was going to slide off his shoulder going up the stairs, no one came running to make sure I was okay.
I let out a loud, anticipatory moan when he dropped straight to his knees after setting me down, and again, nothing happened. There was no one around to hear me. I could be as loud as I wanted, and it was extremely liberating—and also extremely hot.
As Colin rolled my jeans and panties off, I lay down on the bed, my core already soaked and my whole body already on edge.
The mere thought that he and I could do anything we liked here and no one was about to stop us was addictive.
When I finally moved in here for good, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to let him leave the house for at least a month, but that was a problem for another day.
Colin’s fingertips dragged across my now bare calves, dancing lightly across my skin. I shivered, and he lifted his eyes to mine. “Cold?”
“Nah, it wasn’t that.”
“Well, just in case.” He reached for the air-condition controller and turned the temperature up a few degrees, once again proving that no matter what, he was always thinking about me. Needing to know that I was comfortable. Happy. “Better?”
I nodded, sat up on the mattress, and reached for the fly of his jeans. My eyes rose to watch him when I popped open the button. “You are any woman’s dream come true, Colin Thayer.”
“What?”
“I’m serious.” I smiled when he gave me a quizzical frown. “So many other men would’ve only focused on getting inside me once you had my pants off, but not you. You’re worried about the temperature.”
“Because it’s cold and you’re from a very hot country.”
“You’re very hot,” I teased, sliding the short length of his zipper down before lowering my gaze to take in the bulge behind it. “In more ways than one, it seems.”
“See, I wasn’t only thinking about the temperature,” he said, his voice was already a little huskier, but as ever, he didn’t rush me or push for more.
Instead, he waited patiently as I let my fingers glide below the seam of his waistband, the backs of them brushing against his skin from one hip to the other. His breaths started coming faster, and when I glanced up again, his eyes were closed and his Adam’s apple bobbed on a swallow.
I felt a fresh rush of heat between my legs, my own need building right along with his.
Finally lifting his waistband over his erection, I pushed his pants and underwear down while he kicked off his shoes.
His shirt went next, his chest heaving as he grabbed it at the back of his collar and just pulled it clean off.
Standing naked in front of me, he was the sexiest sight I’d ever seen and I didn’t waste any time wrapping one of my hands around his hip, moving my head forward to suck him into my mouth. Colin sucked in a sharp breath that ran into a groan, his fingers sliding into my hair.
I took him deeper, relishing every sound he made as I let my tongue glide across his tip. Bringing my fingers up between his legs, I squeezed him before wrapping them around the base of his shaft, moving my hand in unison with my mouth.
It wasn’t long before he was panting, stepping out of my grasp to push me back down on the bed.
Those gray eyes were slightly wild, his cock so swollen that I had a feeling he was only seconds away, but instead of reaching for a condom, he took the bottom of my sweater in a firm grip and lifted it over my head.
My shirt and bra vanished like magic, landing in a heap on the floor with his clothes. His mouth crashed down on mine in a frantic, fiery kiss that had me moaning and grinding against him in no time.
“If that’s the game you want to play, let’s see how long you last,” he murmured against my lips, immediately sliding down the length of my body and sealing his mouth over my clit. I moaned, my hips bucking at the sensation of his wet mouth on me.
And the suction. God, don’t even get me started on that.
“I wasn’t playing a game,” I protested breathlessly. “Let’s not see how long anyone can last.”
He let out a chuckle that vibrated right through me. “Yeah, I agree. You shouldn’t last, because I’m sure as heck not going to.”
Every word he said brought me closer, his lips moving against my folds, but I still found a laugh slipping out of me. “Says you. You always last.”
“Only because I’m trying to be manly.”
“Trust me, I know you’re a man.”
“Because I last.”
I about to laugh again when the bedroom door flew open. My eyes widened, but before I could even begin to warn her, Jasmine burst in. “Honeys, I’m ho?—”
She shrieked, cutting herself off as soon as she saw us.
I shrieked too and then Colin yelped, all three of us simply staring at each other for one perfectly synchronized, utterly mortifying moment.
Colin was the first to actually move, grabbing a blanket from the foot of the bed and somehow managing to throw it around himself while simultaneously yanking the sheet up over me.
“Jasmine!” I clutched the sheet to my still heaving chest as I sat up. “What are you doing?”
“I didn’t see anything!” she squeaked, finally slapping a hand over her eyes and backing toward the door. “I just wanted to come tell you I was home and say goodnight. So, uh, I’m home, and goodnight.”
She backed into the hallway with both hands still covering her face, and I dissolved into a fit of giggles but managed to call out a response. “Sleep well!”
“I’m never sleeping well again,” she yelled back, also laughing now. “Do you guys have any bleach in the house? I need it to wash my eyes. And my brain.”
Obviously, she left the door wide open behind her and Colin sighed, looking at the doorway like he was waiting to see if it was going to offer up another Saad. “Well, that was something.”
I started laughing all over again, rolling onto my back with tears gathering in my eyes and my cheeks starting to hurt. “I’m so sorry. She won’t tell anyone, though.”
“Either way, I think my dignity just packed its bags and moved to rural Alaska. I’m glad you find this so amusing.”
“I can’t help it,” I wheezed as I kept laughing. “I think I might be in shock.”
When I finally managed to crack open an eye, I found him watching me with a bemused smile on his face, but his cheeks were still flushed, beads of sweat still dotting his forehead. He arched an eyebrow when he saw me looking at him.
“Well, if nothing else, this proves that the condo was a good move.” He climbed out of bed and started pulling on a pair of sweatpants. “Remind me to get my keys back from Isaac, but in the meantime, I’m going to solve this problem.”
I watched him tug on a shirt, still smiling. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m driving Jasmine to the condo and giving her free rein over there.” Once he was dressed, he leaned over to press a chaste kiss to my lips. “Then I’m coming back here to finish what we started.”
“You’re going to drive her over there now?” I asked, my eyes widening with disbelief. “It’s almost midnight.”
“It’ll be worth it.”
I laughed again. “She’ll think you’ve lost your mind.”
“I did,” he said dryly, amusement lighting those eyes I loved so much. “She scared it away when she burst in here like it was another federal raid.”
I winced. “Did you really think it was that?”
“Nah.” He smiled and reached for his car keys on the dresser. “Honestly, I wasn’t thinking it was anything until I saw her. It happened too fast and I was too… otherwise occupied.”
“Okay, well, hurry back after you relocate my sister.”
“Always,” he promised, then surprised me by reaching out and smacking the side of my butt through the sheets. “Stay right here. I’ll only be twenty minutes.”
“What if she refuses to leave?” I asked.
“I’m not above bribing her with shopping opportunities,” he said easily, his eyes positively twinkling now. “I might even throw in permanent access to the condo if she behaves herself.” I laughed, but then he was striding out into the hallway. “Jasmine! Grab your bags. We’re leaving.”
“We’re what?”
“Leaving. Do you remember that gorgeous, modern, huge condo I bought for your sister? Well, it’s yours for the night.”
She squealed. “Are you serious? Yes. Give me two minutes.”
There was some scrambling and footsteps, but less than a full minute later, the front door opened and closed downstairs, and just like that, she was gone. I shook my head. Only Colin could turn one of the most embarrassing moments of my life into a bribe of luxury housing for my sister.
My heart gave a little squeeze, but then I flopped back onto the pillows and laughed again. Life in Chicago was going to be good—even if six thousand miles as the crow flies still wasn’t quite far enough away from my family to ensure uninterrupted privacy.