18. James
18
JAMES
T hank God for Alexander Hamilton.
After wanting to devour Kaitlyn for our entire meal, I welcomed the chance to cool down as we learned about the ten-dollar founding father. When the show ended, we went for a stroll along Navy Pier at a respectable distance from one another. It was after ten and the tourist area was officially closed, but I had a knack for making things swing my way. The lights from the various attractions cast a beautiful glow on Kaitlyn as we strolled.
“I’m so inspired by the show,” Kaitlyn breathed, her eyes shining. “I’m a little like him, you know? Without the support of a family, just trying to make it. Young, scrappy, and hungry.”
I was instantly intrigued when I realized she’d opened the door to talk about her background. I wouldn’t push if she wanted to keep it to herself, but I couldn’t deny that I wanted to learn everything I could about her.
“Tell me more,” I said gently.
Kaitlyn shook her head and hugged herself. “It’s not a happy story, that’s for sure. Obviously Cassie and I are tight, but my mom?” She frowned. “Our father walked out and she always blamed us for it. We were kids. And then Cassie got into a rough spell in high school and decided she didn’t want to go to college. I was already working on my degree, so I was out of the house, but Cassie told me it got really bad. Our mom was drinking a lot. She tossed Cassie out, so she came to stay with me. When I went to my mom to try to play peacemaker, she told me that if I was going to take Cassie’s side…I should leave and not come back. Since then it’s been us against the world, basically.” She paused. “Except…”
“Except what?”
“Recently, my mom has started trying to make amends with us. She went through rehab, and she reached out to me. We talked for the first time in ages. It’s…odd, you know? I’m glad she’s taking those steps, but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to react. Does she think we can wipe away the past and just start over? It’s not that easy.”
“But it’s something, right? It proves that she’s making an effort.”
“It does,” Kaitlyn agreed. “And you know what? I hope we’re able to work through our past. Because I want what you have. You and your family. It’s perfect.”
“Oh, hold on there,” I laughed at the thought. “We’ve had our fair share of bumpy patches.”
Kaitlyn was staring at me, and I could tell she wanted me to keep talking.
My laughter faded as I debated how much I was comfortable saying. But Kaitlyn had been so honest, so open about the pain of her past. I couldn’t offer her anything less. “I, uh, I lost my father when I was in college. Heart attack. I was away with a girlfriend, a rare spur-of-the-moment getaway. I had no cell reception, so I didn’t get the call when he died. My mom…well, she had a hard time with the fact that I wasn’t there. We got into some pretty nasty fights right after that.”
“I’m so sorry, that’s awful,” she whispered.
I didn’t like thinking about that part of our history. “She went to therapy and we got past it, obviously. We’re good now.”
“You and Jess are tight, right? You seem super close.”
I laughed at the way she could peel back my layers. “You’re hitting all of my hot buttons tonight. Yeah, we’re good-ish. We still have our disagreements. Jess made some mistakes that are going to follow her for a long time.”
“Like what?”
“Well, she started dating this guy, Lucas Rushing, who was a lot older than her,” I explained. “He swept her off her feet and basically took over her life. They started partying a lot, really hitting the night scene. She’d only just turned twenty-one, and she’d always been a little sheltered. She was in over her head, but she didn’t want to admit it. I tried to talk to her, tell her that he was bad news, but she didn’t want to listen—she said they were in love. It all came to a head when she got busted for drunk driving. Some paps had been following her and they got a ton of photos of her falling out of his Ferrari. She was wearing a short skirt so they were, uh, indiscreet photos. The pictures were everywhere after it happened—she even got made into a meme—so I had to tighten the reins a little.”
“Hmm,” Kaitlyn said.
I glanced over at her and she seemed deep in thought.
“After that, she finally realized that being with Lucas wasn’t good for her, so she ended the relationship.” Pissing Lucas off and wounding his pride to the point where he seemed to make it his personal mission to undercut my business any way he could . There was no need to get into the whole mess I was dealing with thanks to that nuisance of a man. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that family can be complicated. Sometimes, you have to get through the bad stuff and learn from it before you can get to the good. As for your mom, I think you should hope for the best, but prepare yourself for the worst. Know what I mean?”
Kaitlyn took a deep breath. “Yeah. That’s a wish and a warning.”
“Exactly.”
Kaitlyn wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
“You’re cold, take my jacket.” I slipped it off and turned to her, sliding it around her shoulders.
“Thank you.” She smiled at me shyly, looking up through her lashes. “So what’s next tonight?”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired. I have two rooms reserved at the Waldorf Astoria, and then we’ll get an early start home tomorrow.”
Kaitlyn stepped backward, her face falling. “Oh, okay. That’s fine.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Do you want to leave tonight? Because I can call Dave and he can have the jet ready?—”
“No.” She shook her head slowly. “No, it’s just that I…I…”
I closed the distance between us, desperately wishing I could take her hands, but they were hidden beneath my jacket. “What? You can tell me.”
“I was assuming we would…share a room.”
It came out in a whisper, and for a moment I wasn’t sure I’d heard her correctly.
My body definitely heard it though. My body heard it loud and clear. My voice came out rough. “Really? You want that?”
Her face flushed. “Um… No, never mind, forget I said that. Let’s talk about something else. Like U.S. history. Who knew the battle of Yorktown had such great choreography?”
She turned quickly and started walking away, but I grasped her by the shoulder and turned her back to face me. “Wait. It’s what I want. Desperately. But I have to be honest with you…this date…it’s not who I usually am.”
Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t go on dates. Or have real relationships. And I’m not sure what all of this means, to us. I want more, but… I’m not sure how much I can give you.”
Her head was bowed. I couldn’t tell if she was embarrassed for putting herself out there, or disappointed in me for falling short. “I understand,” Kaitlyn said. “Why don’t we just go back to our separate rooms and figure things out? Reconsider where we are.”
I nodded. That sounded… like the absolute last thing I wanted to do.
What the hell was I doing? Slamming the brakes on what’s been an amazing ride so far? I wanted Kaitlyn more than I’d ever wanted anyone, and there was no way I was going to miss out on the opportunity to prove it to her.
What scared me was that I didn’t just want Kaitlyn. I needed her. And I wasn’t sure what to do with the emotion.
The way she was looking at me, all big eyes and pouty mouth, was more than I could take.
To hell with it.
I stepped closer and pulled her into my arms, bending her into a sweeping kiss without any warning. I felt her startle against my mouth, and for an instant I worried she’d push me away.
But no, my delicious Kaitlyn circled her arms around my neck, letting my jacket fall to the ground as she clung to me for warmth instead. All I wanted to do all evening was kiss the damn girl, and now I was finally getting the chance to do it.
She was mine for the night, and I was going to love every second of being wrapped up in the beautiful mystery that was Kaitlyn Thorn.
The first time we had sex it had been frantic, sweaty, and hot as hell—at least until the abrupt finish when I hadn’t actually gotten to, well, finish. But this time was going to be different. I wanted to worship every inch of the woman, all night long.
We strolled through the hotel lobby looking like any other couple coming in from an evening on the town, but the second the elevator doors closed, I pinned Kaitlyn against the wall to kiss her again.
Fuck , she tasted incredible. She bit my bottom lip then giggled against my mouth, which made me want to pull her dress over her hips and take her right there. I started inching it up her legs, slipping my hand along her silky thighs.
“Damn, your legs are strong,” I marveled.
“All of that running,” she murmured, tracing kisses along my jawline.
The ride to the penthouse was taking longer than expected, so I dropped to my knees in front of her.
“James!” Kaitlyn exclaimed, backing farther into the corner. “There are cameras in here!”
“Then let’s make the people monitoring them jealous,” I growled, grabbing her ass and pulling her toward me. She made a noise that sounded like a cross between a shriek and a whimper as the dress crested the tops of her thighs, exposing the most exquisite lacy black panties I’d ever seen.
I pressed my lips against the thin fabric and her knees buckled.
“James,” she panted. “You can’t...”
I slid my thumb along the fabric and let it slip beneath to the dampness between her legs. “You want me to stop? Because I will.”
As much as I wanted to tease my finger back and forth along her soft folds, I let it rest there. I was close enough to plant a kiss on her mons, and I’m sure she could feel my hot breath. But I wasn’t about to make another move until she said yes. I didn’t mind nudging her boundaries, but I wasn’t going to push her into anything she truly didn’t want.
I glanced up at her and she was supporting herself on the handrails, eyes half closed.
“Don’t…don’t stop,” she breathed.
I immediately wrenched the fabric to the side and placed my mouth against her slick skin, sliding a finger inside her at the same time. The noise she made drove me insane.
I was so caught up in tasting her that the ding of the elevator barely registered. She let out a cry of anguish and pulled her dress down, panting.
“There’s no one else on this floor,” I reassured her as I stood up. “I could continue having you right here if I wanted without worrying about anyone walking in on us, but I’d prefer to take you on the bed.”
Kaitlyn nodded and looked so discombobulated that she could’ve been drunk.
“You okay?” I asked as she stumbled out of the elevator.
“I don’t trust my legs,” she said, looking at me with hungry eyes.
“Fine, let me help you then.”
I swept her into my arms and strode down the hallway kissing her until we got to the door. I pulled the key card from my back pocket and opened the door without even pausing.
For a moment I hated the sweeping penthouse with the bedroom at the far end. I hated anything that stood in the way of our bodies finally connecting.
When we finally got to the bedroom, I placed her feet on the floor with one last kiss then turned her around.
“I’ve been waiting all night to do this,” I said as I unzipped the dress, kissing down her back as I went. The dress dropped to the ground, and she stepped out of it then turned to face me in her bra, panties, and pumps. “Keep the shoes on, please.”
“And you take yours off, please,” she retorted with a cheeky smile. “Because now it’s my turn.”
Kaitlyn dropped to her knees then unzipped my pants, pulling them off without ever taking her hungry eyes off the bulge straining against my boxer briefs. I slipped them off quickly, and she took my cock into her beautiful mouth. Within seconds I felt like my legs were about to give out.
Her tongue slid along my shaft, taking me in deep then pulling me out slowly, her tongue teasing every inch. Fuck, what her mouth could do . It wasn’t long before I was going to lose it.
I pulled away quickly.
“You’re killing me, Kaitlyn. Have mercy, please. I want to last,” I managed in a strained voice.
She looked up at me with a mischievous smile then licked her lips. “We’ve got all night. And the morning too.”
The words this time hung unspoken between us.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” I growled, picking her up off the floor in a fluid motion and walking her to the bed.
“Maybe a little,” she murmured as she kissed my neck. “And if you touch me again you’ll know exactly what you do to me.”
She was still in her bra and panties, so I placed her in the middle of the bed and made short work of the bra. I pushed her back against the bed, more roughly than I meant to.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Take Charge,” she laughed.
I pulled at the panties, nearly ripping the delicate fabric because I was so desperate to get to her sweetness again. Once they were off, I dove between her legs, pushing them wider apart with my shoulders so I could taste every inch of her.
“You’re soaked,” I murmured.
I slid a finger inside her as my tongue explored her, focusing on her quivering nub. Within seconds I could feel the tension increasing in her legs, then she let out a moan that nearly made me come, too. She bucked, but I never stopped licking her, tasting her, until she pushed me away.
“Your fingers aren’t enough! I need more,” she cried out.
It was the only thing I wanted to hear. I rolled off the bed to my discarded pants and fished a condom from the pocket.
“Hurry!”
I slid back onto the bed.
“C’mere,” I said, drawing Kaitlyn to me. “I want to see your beautiful face.”
I knelt on the bed and pulled her onto my lap so she was straddling my thighs and facing me.
“I don’t think we’ve tried this position yet,” she said with a saucy smile.
“We’ll try all the positions,” I promised.
Kaitlyn linked her legs behind my back and started moving on top of me, undulating against my hardness at her own pace. She crashed her mouth against mine, her nipples gliding along my chest. I let her take the lead and ride me until I thought I was going to explode, until I couldn’t control myself any longer. In a single, swift movement, I flipped her onto her back and ground into her. I slid my hand down to caress her as I got closer to the edge. I wanted her to come once more, but I was so out of my mind that I could barely focus. I buried myself deep inside of her, trying to take it slowly. But I couldn’t hold myself back, she just felt too good.
And then she moaned the one word that almost drove me over the edge.
“Harder.”
I abandoned any pretense of chivalry and fucked her as hard as I could. I was glad there was no one else on our floor because she wasn’t quiet as I pounded into her. Right when I was about to lose it, Kaitlyn let out that shuddering sigh that signaled she’d come, and this time, it kicked me right over the edge.
I fell hard and fast, clutching her to me like I’d never let her go.
When the tremors subsided, I lowered myself on top of her and wrapped her in my arms.
Damn it. I’d never been happier.