Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
After their heated interlude in the storage room, Stephanie expected Jarod to back off a bit. Instead, he became her personal shadow. Every night after his shift, he appeared in the bar, claiming what she’d come to consider his stool. They’d talk as she worked. After closing, he’d stick around to help her tidy up, then walk her to her car. He never invited her back to his place or accepted an invitation to hers. Instead, he gave her a sinfully hot goodnight kiss that never failed to leave her body aching and needy.
Somehow, Wednesday had become date night. He’d show up at her apartment at six and take her out for the evening. They’d yet to do the same thing twice. They’d been bowling, to an arcade, strolling by the river and they sung karaoke—badly. She’d never had so much fun with a guy before. Generally, she went out with her girlfriends for laughs and companionship, while her dating experiences had involved awkward conversations over dinner before they could get down to the good stuff—sex. Jarod had changed all of that.
The past month had flown by in a flurry of never-ending fun, but she was suffering from constant sexual frustration. Besides his too-hot kisses and constant hand-holding, Jarod hadn’t made a move to continue their physical relationship. She suspected he was trying to teach her a lesson, punishing her for the way she’d chosen to prove her point about their relationship residing in the lust-only category. Unfortunately, all he was doing was hurting them both. She was irritable from a serious lack of good sex. Ordinarily she could live without a man—taking care of business with her vibrator—but Jarod had triggered some hardcore horniness even her beloved battery-operated boyfriend couldn’t touch.
This evening, that was all going to change. Enough was enough. After a month of celibate Wednesdays, she was taking back control. She’d issued an invitation to dinner at her place, and she’d been pleasantly surprised when he’d accepted.
She tugged at her short skirt as she glanced in the full-length mirror one last time. She grinned at her reflection—enjoying the way her tight T-shirt emphasized her bra-less chest. Jarod had made no secret of how much he liked her tits. Tonight the girls were going to help her bring him down.
Jarod had been waging a ridiculous battle of wills, and she was tired of losing. She was going to take the lead, and she’d pull out all the stops, fighting as dirty— please God, let things get dirty —as she needed to.
The doorbell rang and she slipped on her strappy high heels. She loved the power the four extra inches of height inspired in her. She opened the door, anticipating Jarod’s face when he saw her.
What she didn’t expect was her reaction to him .
He was wearing a button-down shirt and dress slacks, an outfit she’d previously considered the safest attire on earth. However, on Jarod, it made her think all sorts of nasty thoughts as she pictured herself in the role of a naughty schoolgirl to his conservative teacher. Or better yet, a slutty secretary to his firm, powerful boss.
“Hi,” she said, wondering where that breathless quality in her voice had come from. She sounded like a fool.
He walked inside, put down the bag he’d brought on the table by the door, took the two steps necessary to reach her and kissed her. Really and truly kissed her. Stephanie was beginning to get spoiled by his lips. One touch and they sent her spiraling into orbit.
He cupped her cheek as he pulled away. “You look fucking hot.”
She grinned, running her hand along his muscular chest. “So do you.”
He’d been in the apartment less than five minutes, and she was already prepared to move things along to the bedroom. Unfortunately, Jarod—the coldhearted bastard—had managed to cool off, stepping away as if completely unaffected by her kisses. He picked up the bag, pulling out a bottle of wine and a couple of candles. “For our dinner.”
She wondered how he’d react if she shoved the wine and the candles up his ass. Forcing herself to take a calming breath, she focused on the task at hand. It was still early in the evening, and she had plenty of tricks up her sleeve.
Her cat appeared from behind the sofa and came to investigate.
“And who is this?” Jarod asked.
“My naughty baby girl, Heineken.”
“Heineken?”
“I call her Heinie for short.”
She was pleased when Jarod bent over to pick up her cat, scratching Heineken between the ears. Before long, her kitty was purring, and she wondered if there was any female—human or otherwise—who could resist the hot cop.
“Thanks for the dinner invite.”
His words drew her attention away from his strong fingers stroking Heinie’s fur. She was actually starting to get jealous of her own damn cat. “Speaking of dinner, I need to go check on the baked spaghetti.”
He followed her to the kitchen. “Smells delicious. Garlic bread too?”
“Would I forget that?” They’d recently discovered their shared love of garlic, joking that if they both ate it, they wouldn’t have to worry about bad breath. “I still need to make the salad.”
“Let me help.” Jarod washed his hands then grabbed the head of lettuce, cleaning it in the sink. Stephanie hit Pandora on her phone and sent the music to her Bluetooth speakers. They prepared the salad in companionable silence. When Jimmy Buffett’s Volcano started playing, Jarod took her hands, spinning her around the kitchen in an old-fashioned dance, both of them singing along. As the song ended, he dipped her, giving her a quick kiss before releasing her.
Just like that, she was on fire. And once again, Jarod regained control in an instant. If this night didn’t end with him in her bed, fucking her senseless, she’d kill him. It was as simple as that.
The oven timer beeped. She dished up the spaghetti and garlic bread while Jarod set the dining room table. When she carried out their plates, she was surprised to see he’d lit the candles he’d brought, dimming the lights.
There was no other word to describe the room. It was romantic.
Jarod fiddled with her phone until he found Adele. A slow, sultry tune completed the effect. Damn him, it was perfect.
As they ate, they talked about concerts they’d attended. Stephanie was a diehard Parrothead, and Jarod laughed as she described the tailgate parties prior to Buffett’s shows—complete with topless lifeguard stands and body shots.
His taste in music ran to classic rock. He’d seen Black Sabbath, Santana and Foreigner. She rolled her eyes when he actually bragged about attending a Bon Jovi concert.
“Oh my God. You can’t seriously think that’s cool.”
He raised an eyebrow. “First of all, I really like their stuff, and secondly, this criticism is coming from a woman whose idea of concert cool is Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts and leis.”
“Whatever,” she said, grinning widely at his jest.
After dinner, Jarod helped her clean up, loading the dishwasher as she wiped off the table and counters. He poured the last two glasses of wine from the bottle, handing one to her.
He tapped his glass against hers. “To garlic bread and double-parking.”
She added to the toast. “To handcuffs and sex.”
His eyes darkened and he shook his head. “You’re insatiable.” He paused for a moment before adding, “And irresistible.”
She frowned. He didn’t appear to have much trouble resisting her lately. He turned and walked to the living room, setting down his wine.
For a moment, she thought he was going to leave. She felt disappointed and somewhat desperate. Putting her glass next to his, she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her.
“Jarod,” she whispered, rising up to kiss him. She gripped the back of his neck, determined to keep him close.
He returned her kiss, his hands resting lightly on her waist. It wasn’t enough. She missed his hard, hungry touches, the way he pulled her against him as if he needed her body pressed to his. She tried to drag him into the web of seduction he’d securely wrapped her in, but he still managed to remain aloof.
She took a step away. She’d never met a man she couldn’t seduce, but Jarod wasn’t biting despite the fact she knew he wanted to. One glance below his waist proved he wasn’t as disinterested as he pretended. Goddamn reverse psychology. The more he resisted her sexual advances, the more she wanted him.
What really bugged her wasn’t the lack of sex, though. It was his reason for abstaining. It all centered on that fucking leap of faith Jayne mentioned. Jarod had taken it. Now he was waiting for her to follow him, but she couldn’t. She just couldn’t.
He caught her wayward glance and for the briefest moment, she thought she saw genuine pain in his gaze. Then he placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “Thank you for dinner.”
“Don’t leave.”
He gave her a funny look at her abruptly spoken plea. “That wasn’t a prequel to good night. I wasn’t planning to go home right away.”
“I mean, don’t leave tonight.”
His face sobered. “Steph, there’s nothing on earth I want more than to spend the night with you. You must know that.”
She glanced at his erection again, her fingers itching to touch it. She held back, something telling her it was the wrong thing to do. “Then stay.”
“I don’t want to have sex with you.”
She frowned. Bullshit . It was a lie his body wasn’t backing up. She was fully prepared to call him to task. “Jarod?—”
He didn’t give her a chance. “I want to make love to you, Stephanie.”
The Stephanie she’d been before she knew Jarod would have laughed at a line like that. The cynical bitch residing inside would have ridiculed the words and the idea.
She dug deep, looking for that response. It wasn’t there.
For several moments, they simply looked at each other, and then the truth came crashing down around her—the secret, the key to getting what she wanted.
Would it be so bad to bend on this one little thing? After all, it was just semantics. He could call it whatever he wanted. The end result was the same.
“I want the same thing.”
Jarod smiled, his face overflowing with undeniable happiness. He looked at her as if she’d just offered him the world on a platter.
Shit . Maybe she was wrong.
What had she just done?
Jarod’s hand shook a little as he took hers in his. The foolish part of him knew he should ask more questions, pin her down, but he was dying. The last month had been one of the best—and worst—of his life. As he spent more and more time with Stephanie, his belief that she was the perfect woman for him had been confirmed. Since her power play in the storage room, he’d vowed to refrain from sex, entirely aware that Stephanie would continue to use that act to justify them seeing each other, declaring their attraction based on lust and nothing more.
“Where’s your bedroom?”
She led the way, neither of them racing through this night like the hounds of hell were chasing them as they had on previous occasions. When they reached her bed, Jarod turned her, taking her face in his hands. “You’re so beautiful.”
She smiled and, for a moment, he thought he saw the slightest trace of tears in her eyes. Bending forward, he kissed her.
Undressing became a sensual feast as they took their time, caressing and stroking each uncovered bit of flesh. By the time they were naked, Jarod felt as if the temperature in the room had cracked a hundred degrees. His body was on fire and only she could quench the flames. He didn’t give a shit if he was reduced to ash by the end of the night. What a way to go.
Lying in the center of the bed, Stephanie reached out, inviting him to join her. Crawling over her body, he kissed her upper thighs, her stomach, her breasts, her neck, enjoying the feel of her soft skin beneath his lips. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling each time he hit a hot zone.
Completing his journey to her lips, he rejoiced when her legs wrapped around his waist, physically connecting them. Reaching down, Stephanie grasped his cock, dragging it through her sweet arousal, wetting his flesh with her body’s juices.
Bending, he took her nipple into his mouth, sucking on the tight nub until she squirmed and moaned, then he moved to the other breast to repeat the process. Stephanie’s hands explored his body, her nails raking the flesh of his back, her fingers digging into the muscles of his shoulders. He loved being able to drive her to this mindless madness.
At his wit’s end, he released her breasts, rising up to kneel between her outstretched legs. Her body was flushed, and she was struggling to catch her breath. It was a heady, amazing sight.
“I need to be inside you, Stephanie.”
“Yes,” she hissed.
“Condom,” he whispered, as he started to reach for his pants.
She shook her head. “Pill.”
He paused for only a moment. Again, he knew he should make sure. Ask the question. The words never made it to his lips when she gripped his cock and placed it at the opening of her cunt.
“Come inside me.”
He tried to remember if he’d ever heard sweeter words. He bent over her once more, kissing her as he pressed into her body. Without the condom, the incredible feelings he’d experienced before with her were amplified a thousand times.
When he was seated to the hilt, he paused to look at her. Her glowing face and lovable smile answered all his concerns in one fell swoop. Moving again, he thrust gently at first before he built up speed. Stephanie responded, accepting each forceful blow and answering with her own. No matter how many times they came together like this, he couldn’t deny their bodies were made for this—for each other.
Over and over, he pounded into her body. When he knew his climax was imminent, he reached down to stroke her clit.
“Come for me,” he demanded, rubbing the sensitive nub with more pressure. Her orgasm struck suddenly—powerfully—and her body lurched as she screamed out her pleasure.
“God,” she cried, her nails digging into his waist painfully. He loved her fierce passion, her fiery spirit. She’d never held back from him, never pretended to be someone other than what she was, and yet she’d never be tamed. Dating her would never be dull.
His balls constricted at the exact moment he realized the truth. He was falling for her—fast and hard.
As they both struggled to recover, he fell to her side, reaching out to pull her close. The last thing he saw as he drifted to sleep was Stephanie’s face resting, peaceful, next to his. At last.
The shining sun roused Jarod, alerting him it was morning, even through his closed eyes. He rolled over, reaching for Stephanie.
When his arm struck the mattress, a wealth of emotions attacked him at once and none of them were good—disappointment, anger, pain, annoyance. Opening his eyes, he looked at the empty bed.
She’d run away again.
Fuck.