Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Jarod stepped over the threshold with Stephanie, trying to calm the nervous anticipation stirring inside him. He wasn’t a monk. He’d dated lots of women, and he’d held more than a few overnights in his house, but for some reason, he was putting some sort of significance on this night. He wanted Stephanie to like his house, and he was praying they were compatible in bed. God knew they seemed to be a perfect match out of it.
He’d laughed when she’d asked what his flaws were. He suspected she hadn’t meant to speak that question aloud, but he agreed with the sentiment. For the past few hours, he’d talked to and listened to Stephanie Harper, wondering how in the hell she was still single.
“How old are you?”
She didn’t seem shocked by his abrupt question. “Twenty-nine. How old are you?”
“Thirty-three.”
He walked to the end table by the sofa and turned on a lamp.
She looked around as he studied her face for a reaction to his house. It was ridiculous to be so proud of four walls and a roof, but he’d put a lot of blood, sweat and some serious cash into the place, and for some strange reason, Stephanie’s opinion of it mattered.
“I didn’t peg you for a colors guy.”
“No?”
She shook her head. “Saw you as off-white all the way.”
He grinned. “I hate white. Grew up in an all-white house—spotless walls, spotless floors, everything pristine and perfect. Sort of made life rough for a boy with dirty hands who tracked mud wherever he went. Always swore when I got my own place, I’d make it hard to see the dirt.”
“All boy, huh? Now that I can see. And this place doesn’t look that dirty. Pretty neat for a bachelor’s pad.”
He shrugged. He’d cleaned the house top to bottom as part of the special dinner celebration he’d planned for Cheryl—pre-breakup. Jarod wasn’t too keen to let Stephanie know what a schmuck he’d been for trying to impress his ex-girlfriend on the night she’d dumped him. Usually, the place looked a lot more lived-in and, well, messy.
“Want a tour?”
She tilted her head and gave him a sultry smile. “Can it start and end in the bedroom?”
“Jesus. Anyone ever tell you you’re perfect?”
“Horny equals perfection?”
He reached out to grip her by the waist. Pulling her close, he relished the nearness of her body and was reminded of her question in the car. “I’ve been watching you for hours, Stephanie Harper, and with the exception of your questionable parking habits, I can’t find a damn thing wrong with you, either.”
She snorted, dismissing his compliment out of hand. “I’m bossy, sarcastic and I tend to think I know it all. I hate spinach, cooked fruit and I never put the cap back on the toothpaste.”
He winced. “Gotta admit I hate that last one. Nothing worse than toothpaste globs in the sink.”
She put her hands on his chest, letting her fingers drift down his shirt. “It’s still early, Jarod. Chances are pretty good this is a fluke. Come morning, we’ll wonder what we saw in each other.”
He moved his hands from her waist to her hips, dragging her closer to his cock. “You always so optimistic?”
“I prefer realistic.”
He leaned forward, letting his lips drift over the soft skin of her cheek. “Fair enough. We’ll enjoy tonight and let the battle begin tomorrow.”
“Have we talked enough?”
He nipped her earlobe, and then pressed a long kiss on her neck, enjoying her satisfied groan. “Definitely.”
As they made their way down the hallway to the master bedroom, they left a trail of clothing in their wake, making a lot of pit stops along the way for kissing and touching. By the time they arrived in his room, he was shirtless, shoeless and his jeans were unzipped. To his delight, Stephanie was in a similar state. Leading her to the bed, he wrapped his arms around her to unhook her lacy bra.
“Wait a minute,” he said, when she started to pull the material away. He turned on the nightstand lamp. “I want to see you.”
She gave him a seductive wink as the room was cast in soft lighting. She was confident, sensuous, beautiful. He hadn’t met many women so comfortable in their own skin.
“I think we’ve entered the party-naked phase of the evening,” she teased.
“Thank God for that.”
She pulled her bra off, dropping it to the floor. For one long moment, Jarod was rooted to the spot. Stephanie was built. He was a breast man and proud of it. Her breasts were full, perky and made for sucking. Unable to resist, he bent forward and took one nipple into his mouth, claiming the other with his hand.
She gasped at his hasty touch before reaching up, gripping his hair tightly in her fingers. “God that feels good,” she murmured as he increased the suction, teasing the tight nub with his teeth.
He switched breasts, pushing slightly until Stephanie sat on the edge of the bed. He followed her down, kneeling on the floor between her legs. “I want to fuck you here,” he said, pinpointing his desire by dragging his tongue along the valley between her breasts.
“Mmm. Okay. I have a bit of free time now. I think I could work you into my schedule.”
He chuckled at her haste. He shared that same impatience. He wanted to take her a thousand different ways at once. One night wouldn’t be enough.
“Later. After.” She’d reduced his vocabulary down to single words. Soon he’d be grunting like a fucking caveman. He gripped the waistband of her jeans and panties. She rose slightly, helping him pull them over her legs and off. The second she was naked, he pushed her legs apart and bent forward once more, this time aiming lower.
She moaned loudly as he swept his tongue along the slit between her legs, getting his first taste of her sweet juices. Her hands flew to his shoulders, and he suspected she was simply looking for something solid to hang on to. Her legs hung loosely off the edge of his bed as he rubbed her clit with his tongue, rapidly.
“Fuck. I could come right now.” Her fingers tightened on his shoulders, her grip almost painful. He wondered if he’d have bruises there tomorrow. Her rough passion matched his.
“Do it,” he urged, nipping her clit with his teeth as he pushed one, then two fingers into her pussy. He’d thrust no more than half a dozen times when her inner muscles contracted, clenching forcefully against him, flooding his fingers with her arousal. Her climax was fast, hard, and he liked how vocal she was.
“God, yes,” she yelled. “Jesus, Jarod.”
He continued to press inside, drawing out her orgasm as long as possible. He felt light-headed from a lack of blood supply to the brain. His cock was about to burst. He’d been too hard, too long. He’d warned her the first round would be fast, but as she continued to thrust and gyrate against his fingers, he worried this inaugural event would actually be a solo mission. He was seconds away from coming in his pants.
Jarod pulled away slowly, taking several deep, painful breaths as he tried to calm the demands of his own body. For a few moments, both of them remained still. Stephanie had fallen back on the bed, her breathing heavy, labored as she recovered.
He closed his eyes and counted to twenty. When that failed to bring his cock under control, he headed to fifty.
He was on sixty-two when Stephanie spoke. “You okay?”
He opened his eyes and looked at her. Shaking his head, he tried to smile. “If I try to take off my jeans, I’m going to come.”
She reacted exactly as he expected. She laughed, a beautiful, trilling sound that resonated right to the heart of him. Stephanie might not believe in love at first sight, but he sure as hell was starting to.
After a few mirthful moments, she sat up, her face still covered with a mischievous grin. “How about if we’re veery, veery careful?”
“This isn’t funny.”
“You’re right,” she said, her voice belying her words, “this is a serious situation.”
“Laugh it up now, bar girl, because I promise you, payback is a bitch.”
She wasn’t chastened. “Stand up.”
He took one more deep, steadying breath and gritted his teeth as he rose. His cock twitched and his eyes drifted closed as the denim rubbed against a sensitive pressure point.
“Wow,” she said, looking up at him from where she sat on his bed. “You weren’t lying. You are close.”
She reached out to grip his waistband and he grabbed her wrists. “Gently,” he cautioned.
“Don’t worry,” she said as she slowly worked his jeans over his hips. “I have a plan.”
He held his breath as she worked the material of his pants and boxers away from his cock. Jarod didn’t suck in an ounce of air until he felt his jeans hit his ankles. For a split second, he thought he was home-free. He’d take a few minutes to get his act together then he’d put on a condom and give Miss Harper a hard, albeit fast, ride.
That plan was wiped away the second Stephanie’s lips engulfed the head of his cock.
“Fuck!” He gripped her head, intent on pushing her away, but she moved fast, taking him deeper into her hot, wet mouth.
He was a goner. She sucked him deeply, retreating only twice before taking him all the way to her throat. His fingers tightened in her hair and she moaned. It wasn’t a pained sound; rather, it had a sexy, do-that-again tone. He pulled with more force and she hummed. The vibrations pushed him over the cliff and into the abyss. He came quickly and Stephanie was there, drinking down every red-hot drop.
When she released him, Jarod dropped to his knees in front of her, pulling her face to his. He needed to kiss her. She was rocking his world, pulling him from his comfortable existence and showing him paradise.
Their tongues tangled for dominance. Jarod pushed her back, rising to crawl over her. He kicked off his pants as he moved, resting on his elbows as he devoured her. She met him halfway, wrapping her legs around his hips and welcoming his kisses with warm ones of her own.
He’d never been much for kissing. He figured it was a part of foreplay women expected and wanted, but he’d never found much pleasure in the act as a whole. For him, it was a means to an end, a way to get into a woman’s pants.
Kissing Stephanie opened his eyes to a whole new world. He gripped her face, tilting it this way and that as he let himself be swept away by the overwhelming sensation of his lips pressing against hers. He wasn’t sure how long they kissed, but he was aware of his cock thickening against her thigh.
Stephanie turned her head, gasping for a breath, and he reluctantly let her go. “Round two already? Thought there was going to be a two-hour break.”
He grinned. “What can I say? You’ve stirred up the hornet’s nest.”
“So hurry up and sting me.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “I’d like to revise my previous statement. I’m thinking several times isn’t as far out of the ballpark as I thought.”
“Lucky me.” She reached down and grasped his cock in her hands. He sucked in a deep breath.
“Jesus, I love your hands on me.”
“I need you inside me. Now.”
Turning, he opened the nightstand drawer and grabbed a condom.
“Let me.” She took the foil wrapper from his hands and mercifully had it in place in two shakes. He expected the blowjob to take the edge off his arousal, but that wasn’t turning out to be the case.
Stephanie placed the head of his cock at her opening. Both of them paused and looked at each other. Jarod wasn’t sure what Stephanie’s feelings were, but tonight was ranking fairly high on his list of best nights ever. He moved closer, kissing her as he pressed into her body. Her legs tightened around his waist, pulling him closer as her arms encircled his neck.
They were connected at every point, their bodies merging as he pushed to the hilt in a continuous forward motion. Both of them moaned in unison when he completed the journey home.
Moving closer, he let his lips explore her face, drifting down to her neck. As he notched up the intensity of his kisses, Stephanie writhed beneath him.
“God,” she whispered when he bit her shoulder. “Fuck me, Jarod. Hard. I want to feel you. All of you.”
It was a beautiful invitation and a sentiment he shared. She’d awakened something primitive inside him, and he felt the need to claim her, mark her, destroy her for anyone else but him.
He gripped her legs and dragged them over his shoulders. He wanted her open, vulnerable, under his control. She shivered slightly as he studied her face.
Without speaking, he took her. Exactly as she’d asked. He retreated rapidly, pistoning back into her body without cease. Her cries grew louder, more frantic as her pussy clenched around his cock, silently begging for more.
“Harder,” she yelled, and he took her at her word. Her legs were locked around his neck and her hands gripped his upper arms, seeking support. She met him blow for glorious blow. He cupped her ass in his palms, loving the firm handfuls she provided. He tightened his grip and she gasped. He started to release her, but she cried out, “No! Harder!”
Impossible as it seemed, his cock thickened even more with her demand. She wanted exactly what he wanted. Hell, she wanted more than he’d ever dreamed of taking from a woman. He slapped her ass and she groaned.
“Again,” she begged.
He smacked the other cheek, his hips still thrusting, moving inside her body with the force of a freight train. He smacked her several more times, alternating the placement and power of his blows, then he reached down and touched her clit.
She exploded, screaming as she came. Jarod couldn’t stop, couldn’t resist the pressure of her cunt as it clamped down on his cock. He burrowed deeper, faster, and felt his eyes roll back into his head as he came.
“Fuck,” he said through gritted teeth. “Holy fuck.”
His wits were shattered, his resistance to this woman and what she would mean to him utterly destroyed. He didn’t move from her body. Instead, he dropped to his elbows and together, they struggled to find their breath. With each gasp, each pant, her breasts rubbed against his chest, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he’d want her once again.
Stephanie stirred and glanced around at her unfamiliar surroundings. Then she remembered. Jarod’s bedroom. She’d slept the sleep of the dead and wouldn’t be surprised to discover she’d been unconscious for years. Typically she was a light sleeper, but he’d worn her out—deliciously so.
A light kiss brushed her shoulder and she realized what—or should she say who—had woken her.
“Round two?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I think this is round three.”
“Ah, we’re counting orgasms. Then you’re right.”
Jarod pushed her onto her stomach, rising to straddle her upper thighs. He ran his hands along her bare back in a half-caress, half-massage and she sighed, the sensation blissful, soothing, relaxing.
“If you’re trying to wake me up, that’s not working.”
He chuckled, placing another kiss on her shoulder. “I’m not worried. We have time.”
She considered that, trying not to let it bother her.
Why was she still here? She’d had every intention of leaving after her last orgasm. Problem was he’d fucked her into oblivion. She didn’t even remember crawling under the covers and falling asleep.
His hand brushed her bare ass and she grinned. Lucky for her, she’d stuck around. Jarod was a killer in bed, slashing all previous lovers from her mind. Her pussy went wet merely thinking about how amazingly his cock filled her.
Jarod nipped the spot he just kissed. “Still with me?”
“Mmm hmm,” she hummed against the soft pillow beneath her head. “Sort of.”
He planted a line of wet kisses along her spine and she shuddered. A previously undiscovered erogenous zone. Interesting.
No man had ever kissed her as much as Jarod. She would have said she didn’t need the kissing. Would have confessed she wasn’t interested in it, but Jarod changed that. Made the act exciting, almost vital.
“I love your lips on me.” She’d also given up attempting to hide her thoughts from him. It seemed like her voice and head were two separate entities in that regard. She’d never revealed so much to past lovers, yet with Jarod, she found it impossible to shield her feelings, one truth after another falling from her lips.
She dismissed that uncomfortable thought from her mind. She’d try to figure out what the hell was going on tomorrow. Right now, she was just going to enjoy the ride.
Rather than reply to her admission, Jarod drifted lower, planting kisses on her ass. His five o’clock shadow tickled her sensitive skin and she giggled. She felt his lips tip up in a smile. After several idyllic moments of Jarod’s lips and hands caressing her body, he moved away, kneeling above her once more.
“Lift your ass,” he prompted, grasping her hips and moving her into the position he desired. “Put your knees underneath you.”
She felt boneless and edgy—two emotions she would have thought impossible partners. Jarod left her completely relaxed, while unbearably horny. She needed sex more than she’d ever needed it, an odd realization in light of the fact she’d already had two remarkable orgasms earlier.
“I want to fuck you from behind.”
She arched her back and tried not to purr like a well-loved kitten. Doggy-style was one of her favorite positions. “Hell yeah,” she whispered.
She heard the tearing of a wrapper and then his covered cock rubbed against her clit. She groaned as he taunted her with long, strong strokes along her slit, his cock never quite making it to the spot where she needed it most.
“Put it inside me,” she pleaded.
“Not yet.”
Her impatience got the better of her. She hated being denied. Reaching back, she tried to grasp his cock, determined to guide him to her opening.
He pulled back. Looking over her shoulder, she shot him a dirty look, but he wasn’t moved by it.
“Hurry up.”
He shook his head, the touch of his cock on her body gone completely.
“You’re not in charge. My bed, my rules.”
She snorted. “I’ll remember that. The next time we have one of these sleepovers, we’ll stay at my place and revenge will be sweet.”
Crap. Had she just invited more of this, another night with him? So much for playing it cool, keeping things casual.
Jarod’s erect cock rode high against his stomach, but he didn’t move it back into play. Instead, his next touch came from his fingers. Stroking her clit, he applied a steady pressure until she was squirming beneath him, panting and on the verge of begging. She was so close.
His fingers drifted to her pussy and he pushed two inside. She winced slightly at the sudden invasion. He’d used her hard earlier—just the way she liked.
“Sore?”
“A little.” She didn’t care. “Keep going.”
“You’re a demanding little thing. What part of I’m in charge are you struggling with?”
She wanted to call him to task for his words, but before she could utter a sound, he pulled his fingers out of her cunt and moved even farther back. The tip of his wet finger rimmed her anus and she froze.
“Want to play?” he asked.
“What did you have in mind?” As if she didn’t know.
He wiggled his finger. “Guess.”
She tried to think of a witty response, but her mind was drawing a complete blank. Jarod had sexed her stupid. “Okay. Play away.”
He reached into the nightstand drawer and, for a moment, she thought she might have been smarter to ask for more details when he pulled out a tube of lubrication.
Jarod pressed some lube onto his finger then rubbed it around her anus. “This might make things a bit easier.”
She struggled to take a breath as he continued to rub the lube around the tight hole.
Slowly he applied more force, the finger going deeper into her ass with each subtle pass. She wasn’t a stranger to anal play. She’d bought a butt plug at a sex shop once because she was curious about the act. However, her solo attempts had fallen flat, and she’d given up before she’d really tried. Her plug play was nothing compared to Jarod’s explorations.
He delved deeper and Stephanie moved into each thrust, trying to capture more of the refreshingly wicked feeling.
Once his finger was completely lodged in her ass, he wiggled it inside her.
“Dear God.” She rested her face against the pillow, her pussy empty and jealous. She was on the verge of the mother of all orgasms. She just needed…more. “Jarod. Please.”
He leaned forward and placed a kiss on the nape of her neck. “You look so beautiful.”
Damn him. With his soft touches and sweet words, Jarod was making it hard for her to remain aloof. Sex was sex. It had never meant anything more.
But with him, it felt like it did mean more. It felt like it mattered. He was getting under her skin and touching parts of her she’d thought impenetrable.
She tried to shake off the unwelcome thought. She’d made a commitment to her friends. Three years of hard work and dedication to make Books and Brew a success. She had one more year left on that promise. She didn’t have time for a serious relationship. Shit. She didn’t even want a man in her life. Did she? In the past, she’d always been happy to be footloose and fancy-free. Why would she invite this complication?
Jarod’s cock washed away all her anxieties and troubling thoughts as it breached the opening of her cunt. His finger was still buried deep in her ass and, as he thrust inside, she was caught up in a tidal wave of red-hot sensations.
Placing her hands flat against the headboard, she forced her body back as Jarod propelled forward. She saw flashing lights behind her closed eyelids as she strained for more—harder, deeper. She loved rough sex, craved it. In the past, she’d never found a lover willing to step over that line between pleasure and pain. Jarod didn’t just step over. He bought property and moved in. With his finger and his cock, he proved his willingness to give her exactly what she wanted.
They moved together in a flurry of hard, fast motions, and Stephanie couldn’t keep quiet as she came. “Ohmigod. Ohmigod. Ohmigod.” She fell face-first into the pillow, her body trembling with her orgasm.
Jarod’s voice mixed with hers, and his hand tightened on her hip as he joined her. “God dammit,” he groaned, his pleasure sounding almost like agony.
Stephanie faded in and out of consciousness for several minutes—dizzy, light-headed, overwhelmed. She felt Jarod leave her body, heard him walk to the bathroom. She was vaguely aware of him returning to the bed, crawling in beside her and spooning her. The last thing she recalled was his hot breath on the back of her neck and his quietly muttered, “Good night.”
When she opened her eyes again, morning was breaking. A quick glance at the clock on the bedside table told her it was almost six a.m. She’d spent the entire night—with Jarod. She sighed. She wasn’t an overnight kind of girl. Always in the past, she’d either left or shown her lover to the door before falling asleep. Last night with Jarod, she hadn’t had the strength to drive home.
It was Jarod’s fault. He’d well and thoroughly fucked her.
Liar. You didn’t want to leave.
He’d wrapped her up in his strong arms and she’d been too enthralled by the feelings surrounding her to even consider escape. Now, with the harsh light of day, she knew it was time to go. Rising slowly, she crept from the bed, quietly pulling on her pants and bra. Her shirt and sandals were somewhere between here and the living room. Finding an old receipt and a pen on the nightstand, she scratched out a quick note.
J—
Thanks for last night. I had a NICE time.
S
Short, simple, to the point. She hoped he’d laugh at her inside joke about how nice he’d been and forget to be annoyed that she’d left without saying goodbye. She wasn’t ready to wake up in bed with him. Wasn’t ready for what that could mean.
She wasn’t ready for any of this. Taking one last look at his sleeping form on the bed, she smiled at his mussed-up hair and devilishly handsome face, then willed herself to keep moving.
Down the hall. Out the front door. Home. Alone.