Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Jarod walked into Books and Brew at exactly six o’clock on Thursday with his romance novel tucked under his arm. He grinned in anticipation, anxious to see Stephanie again. He’d thrown her for a loop the previous night. He’d seen it in her face when she’d quietly mumbled good night and got out of the car.
Knowing what a powerhouse she was, it appeared no man had ever stood up to her and given her a run for her money. He intended to change that, to keep her on her toes.
Jayne and Gladys lit up when they saw him walk in. Unfortunately, a quick glance around the bar confirmed Stephanie was nowhere to be seen. He knew she wouldn’t back out of this meeting. They’d struck a deal and while he was only just getting to know her, he had no doubt she kept her word. Pride wouldn’t let her stay away, even if that was what she truly wanted to do.
Gladys quickly ushered him to the table of women and Jarod suppressed a laugh. Obviously she was afraid he’d come to his senses at any moment and hightail it out of there. As Gladys and Jayne made the introductions, he politely said hello to the other eight women at the table. He gave up trying to remember names after the fifth woman shook his hand. All he knew was there were two Lisas and too many names that started with C.
“Do you want something to drink?”
He looked over his shoulder and found Stephanie standing there with a tray full of Screwdrivers.
“Is that the mandatory beverage?”
“For these ladies, yes. I’m having something much stronger.” He watched her place the glasses in front of the other participants. She put her drink down at a spot exactly across from him before walking around the table to stand next to him.
“What is that?” he asked, gesturing at her shot glass. “Tequila?”
“Yep. Patron. Figured it might make this book discussion a bit more bearable. Sure you don’t want one?” She leaned closer. “Or maybe you’d like another Party Naked?” Her words were softly spoken, the tone seductive, and they had the effect she’d intended. He was reminded of their clothing-optional sex fest last week. His cock twinged. Shit. She was getting revenge for him dropping her off at her door last night. This wasn’t going to end well.
Jarod looked around at the other women at the table. They were chatting amongst themselves, not paying any attention to Stephanie’s antics with the shot of liquor. They were all well aware she was there under duress.
He shook his head, refusing her offer of a drink. “Think I might need to keep my wits about me tonight.”
She winked at him and shrugged, before putting the tray down on a nearby table and taking her seat.
“Funny,” she said, lifting the glass to her lips, “that’s what I was trying to wipe out.” She downed the shot, eschewing the salt and the lime.
What a woman.
Jayne returned to the table. “I just called Denise and she has a sick kid at home, so she can’t come tonight. I think everyone’s already met our special guest, Jarod. He’s a local firefighter, ladies.”
Jarod winced as he recalled the lie he’d told the previous week. He’d forgotten to correct the mistake. Stephanie shrugged, indicating it was no big deal. They’d pull Jayne aside later to explain.
Jayne continued speaking, this time pointing to Stephanie. “And, miracle of miracles, our very own Stephanie has agreed to step out from behind the bar and join us as well. She’s assured me she’s made a very large pitcher of her world-famous Screwdrivers, so all Sophie has to do is pour them.”
The ladies cheered.
Gladys, seated on Jarod’s left, elbowed him lightly. “Thank the lord for that. Sophie is a little heavy-handed on the O.J. I like my ’drivers to have a kick.” She gave him a wicked wink and he laughed, wondering if the older woman was coming on to him. Glancing across the table, he caught Stephanie’s mirthful expression as she confirmed his suspicions.
Jarod was impressed with Jayne’s organization as she claimed the seat on his right. The book discussion progressed like a well-oiled machine, with Jayne asking thought-provoking questions. Each woman contributed something and many of them, like him, had highlighted passages of the book. He’d never participated in a book group, but he could definitely see the appeal. He’d always enjoyed reading, though his job didn’t leave him a lot of free time for it. He’d never picked up a romance novel prior to this one—his taste running more along the murder mystery and horror lines. He recalled Stephanie mentioning the mystery book group, and he made a mental note to ask Jayne more about it after the meeting.
A couple of times he was asked for the male perspective on certain sections, and he was happy to give his opinion on the plot points.
Carol piped up. “I guess what I’m wondering is if real men actually think the way the hero, James, did in the book?”
Jarod hated to burst Carol’s bubble. She looked genuinely hopeful. A quick glance at her hand confirmed she was single. At the same time, he felt like he needed to protect his male comrades as well. “I should point out that the story was written by a woman. There are a few times in the book when James went on and on about his desires. It didn’t sound very guy-like to me.”
“So men don’t talk about their desires?” Jayne asked.
Jarod shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it was the word I was hung up on. We know what we want, but I don’t think we use the same terms the author did or even think about it that much. James constantly referring to his ‘most passionate desire ’ was definitely chick lingo.”
“How would a man say it?” Gladys asked.
“I want to get laid.” His response was too quick and too easy, but mercifully, the women laughed and concurred that they’d suspected as much.
Stephanie was suspiciously quiet throughout the discussion and, at one point, Jarod began to question whether she’d read the book at all. As the conversation wound down, Jayne asked everyone for their final impressions of the book.
Jarod stared at Stephanie until she was forced to meet his gaze. When she did, he raised his eyebrow, daring her to speak up, to express the ideas she’d shared with him last night.
She narrowed her eyes then glanced around the table. “I think it’s a nice fantasy, but don’t you all think the whole story was a bit unrealistic?”
Stephanie’s question triggered a spark that sent the other women into a loud flurry of protests. It took Jayne several attempts to quiet them down. “Why do you say that?”
Stephanie looked directly at him as she spoke. “First of all, I think the hero and heroine were confusing lust for love. There’s a big difference between those two things, but the author blurred the lines, pretended like they were one and the same.”
Jarod leaned forward in his seat. This was what he’d hoped would happen since sitting down at the table. She was challenging his assertions from last night. Putting up a fight. He was ready for her. “So people who are in love can’t be sexually attracted to each other?”
“Don’t be silly. Of course they can. I just think these two characters crossed that line awfully damn fast. Real life doesn’t happen that way.”
Gladys tapped her fingernail against her drink glass. “Are you saying you don’t believe in love at first sight?”
“Hell yeah. That’s exactly what I’m saying. That sort of thinking is shortsighted and impractical. How can you look at someone and fall madly in love based only on a first impression?”
Jarod agreed with her…to a point, but they’d progressed way beyond the first-impression stage. “I don’t think you can fall in love with just one look, but I’m not going to deny it’s possible to meet someone and feel a click, a connection.”
“A spark,” Jayne added.
Jarod nodded. “Yeah. A spark.”
Stephanie shook her head. “Love doesn’t come that easily.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“In order to fall in love, it’s important to really know the person and trust them. Trust isn’t something you can win overnight or even in a week. It’s something that’s earned over time. A lot of time.”
“I can understand that,” Jayne said, “but I think the author was saying sometimes there is beauty in taking that one leap of faith, in letting your guard down and opening your heart to the unexpected.”
“In following your gut,” Jarod added, purposely trying to remind Stephanie of their conversation the previous night.
Stephanie rolled her eyes. “In making an ass of yourself and setting yourself up for heartbreak. That sort of bullshit is a surefire way to misery.”
He wasn’t surprised by her words. The pain of her mother’s failed marriages was evident. Stephanie put on a tough exterior, but Jarod suspected there was a whole world of terror residing inside her. She was proud and stubborn. She wouldn’t let herself make the same mistakes her mother had made. She preferred the safe route—never letting herself feel anything deeper than friendship, never letting herself experience anything other than casual sex. When he’d asked her about her last relationship, she couldn’t remember one. He wondered if she’d ever taken a leap of faith with her heart, ever trusted someone enough to fall in love.
“You’re wrong.” His declaration tweaked her temper just as he’d known it would. The other ladies fell silent when Stephanie stared at him.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re mistaking cowardice for practicality, shutting yourself off from an emotion you can’t control.”
She frowned. “I wasn’t talking about me. I was discussing the book.”
He didn’t respond, though his silence made it clear he didn’t think she’d been talking about the book at all. He was deliberately baiting her. Stephanie needed her foundation shaken up a bit. She might pretend this conversation was all hypothetical, but he knew better and he wasn’t letting her hide from it.
She looked at Jayne. “Is the book discussion over?”
Jayne nodded slowly. “I, um…yeah, I guess it is.”
Stephanie rose and looked directly at him. “Do you have a minute, Jarod? I’d like to speak to you in private.”
He rose from the table slowly. “Thank you for letting me join your group this evening, ladies. I had a lot of fun.”
The women said their goodbyes, but he felt their gazes piercing his back as he followed Stephanie down a hallway toward some stairs.
They walked to the second floor without speaking. Once they hit the upper landing, he broke the silence. “If you’re dragging me up here to murder me, you just left a shitload of witnesses down there. Better make sure you hide the body good.”
She turned to look at him, and he was surprised to see humor in her eyes. He’d thought she was pissed off. “We rent both floors of the building. Jordan keeps an office up here to handle accounts, and we store stuff in the other rooms.”
She opened a door and took him inside one of the storage rooms. There were boxes lining three of the walls, while a couple of broken bar stools lay in the middle of the floor. Once he crossed the threshold, she shut the door and locked it. Grabbing him by the shirt, she pushed him against the nearest wall and kissed him.
As far as reactions went, he wouldn’t have seen this one coming from a mile away. Not that he was complaining. He let her direct their kiss, her fingers gripping his hair, holding his face to hers.
She forced his mouth open, her tongue driving in fast and hard. Jarod followed her lead, trying to separate his mind from his body long enough to figure out what the hell was going on. He’d purposely goaded her downstairs, thinking an argument would drag her out of her imperturbable mindset long enough for him to see what he was up against.
She was too closed off, too in control, and he needed to shatter some of that composure. He was tired of feeling like he’d been ridden hard and put away wet whenever he was with her, only to discover her still cruising along, cool as a cucumber.
He placed his hands on her hips, intent on pushing her away, but she read his touch as an invitation and moved closer, pressing her lower body against his. At that point, his cock stopped giving a shit about anything except relief.
He grasped the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head, his fingers immediately tackling the clasp of her bra. She mimicked his motions, pulling his shirt off and dragging her fingers along his chest.
As he worked on releasing the button and zipper on her jeans, he pulled away from her continued kiss. “Is there a meaning to this that I’m missing?”
She didn’t look up as she attacked the fastening on his pants, shoving them and his boxers down in one fluid movement. “A deeper meaning than I’m horny?”
“I thought you’d be pissed off at me.”
She shook her head, dropping to her knees in front of him. His head flew back, striking the wall hard when she wrapped her hand around his erection. “Angry? Horny? What’s the difference? They both make me hot.”
He tried to offer some witty reply, but the words turned into a groan when she engulfed the head of his cock in her mouth.
“Jesus,” he muttered. Her mouth was a warm, wet cave—paradise. She took him to the back of her throat on the third stroke and he gritted his teeth. While the idea of coming in her mouth was enticing, he knew it wouldn’t be enough. He wrapped his fingers in her hair as she moved along his rigid flesh faster. She sucked harder, and he couldn’t repress the shiver that rumbled through his body.
When he realized time was running out and his climax was imminent, he pushed her head away.
She released his cock with a pop and a complaint. “Hey!” She tried to reclaim her hold on him, but he was finished playing this game by her rules. He reached for her upper arms, pulling her to a standing position.
“Dammit, Jarod. I wasn’t finished.”
He unfastened her pants, shoving them and her panties to her ankles. “Kick off your pants and shoes. I’m going to fuck you.” The words were harsher than he intended, but his body was flying this plane. Finesse wasn’t going to be an option.
She hastily shed the rest of her clothes as he reached down for his wallet. Pulling out a condom, he covered his cock as he shoved off his own jeans. Switching positions, he pressed her against the wall that had previously been at his back.
“Wrap your legs around my waist and hold on.”
Putting her arms around his shoulders, she allowed him to lift her, watching as he placed his cock at the opening to her pussy and pressed in. She was soaking wet and more than ready for his possession.
He thrust in hard, relishing her gasp, her moans.
Conversation between them disintegrated into a series of curses, demands and groans.
“Fuck yeah. Just like that, baby,” he said when she arched her back slightly, allowing him to go deeper.
“Harder,” she cried, groaning when he increased the force of his blows.
“God damn,” he said through gritted teeth, pushing her legs down.
She snarled when he pulled out. “Not stopping again.”
“Turn around. I want to fuck you from behind.”
“Yes,” she hissed.
He gripped her hips, pulling them back until she was bent over at the waist, her palms pressed flat against the wood.
“Hold on.” His words were as much for him as for her. He was too close to coming, and he suspected he only had a few more good thrusts inside him before he blew.
Stephanie glanced over her shoulder and gave him a wicked grin. “Make it good.”
He closed his eyes, lined up his cock and shoved in with all his might. Damn, he loved a dare. She met each of his thrusts, both of them racing toward the end together. Maybe one of these days they’d trade in their sprints for marathons. For right now, he just wanted…
He groaned as her pussy clenched around his cock, her orgasm triggering his own. They clung to each other, seeking physical support lest they both fall over.
He was still breathing heavily when she finally stirred. Christ, he liked to think he was in good shape, but she’d given him one hell of a workout.
She slowly straightened, using the wall for support in her efforts to resume an upright position. “Holy fuck,” she said, pressing her forehead against the wood.
He couldn’t have said it better. In her efforts to stand, she’d moved away from him. Jarod missed the physical connection, so he took a step closer, placing his palms on the wall and caging her in.
As his breathing slowed, his wits returned. “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”
She didn’t respond immediately, and he wished she’d turned around, needing to see her face, read her expressions. He felt like he spent too much time flying blind with her.
Finally, she turned to face him, and he knew he wasn’t going to like what was coming next. “I was trying to prove my point.”
“What point?”
“This isn’t love at first sight, Jarod. It’s lust. Pure and simple.”
“Wrong,” he refuted. “You didn’t listen to what I said downstairs. Two people can be in love and in lust with each other.”
She narrowed her eyes. Clearly she thought she’d won this round and left him at a disadvantage. What they’d just engaged in couldn’t be misconstrued as anything other than unadulterated, hardcore, fuck-the-walls-down sex. But that didn’t mean other emotions weren’t involved. They sure as hell were for him.
When she smiled up at him, that cursed coolness covering her lovely, flushed features, he felt the urge to punch the wall in frustration.
“It’s only sex, Detective. And when it burns out, it burns out.”
Mark up another evasion to the bartender.
Jarod returned her smug grin with an even cockier one, enjoying the suspicious concern that entered her gaze. She may think she prevailed in this battle, but he was definitely going to be the victor in the war. Confidence bloomed. He could afford to be generous.
“Touché, Steph.”
She looked uneasy. “So you agree I’m right?”
He shook his head. “Nope. You’re still wrong.”