Nineteen
Annalise
The air suddenly shifted, that one little innocent question potentially changing everything. Well, maybe it hadn't been so innocent. The thoughts in my mind were anything but innocent.
All that bare skin in front of me, those glistening muscles, the image of the bulge Jared had sported that one night in the office, and the fact that he'd implied he was now hard? Because of me?
It all combined to make me so incredibly turned on, I had to hold myself back from jumping Jared's bones.
The words I'd just spoken seemed to echo around us, like I'd lobbed a tennis ball into the air, and I was waiting to see what he'd do with it.
Leaning forward, he pinned me with his glance. "You don't want me to be a gentleman?" he asked, enunciating every word carefully, making me squirm with the deep, husky timbre of his voice.
"No," I admitted quietly. "I really don't."
The already sky-high tension ratcheted up, thickening the steamy air, and I had a bit of trouble breathing, wondering what the hell this man might do. We were officially in unknown territory, and I had no idea what would happen next.
"Then come here," he said, a gleam of challenge in his eyes, like he was daring me to get closer, daring me to make the next move.
I probably should have debated it, should have weighed the consequences like I tended to do, but something about this night, something about the late hour and being so all alone out in the middle of nowhere, made me feel reckless, like I could throw all caution to the wind, like no one would ever know my dirty little secret.
For once, I didn't fight it, and I only hesitated a split second before I closed the distance between us and slid over to his side of the hot tub. Not quite having the guts to straddle him like I wanted to do, I sat next to him, his strong arm going around me in an instant, pulling me in close.
I let myself lean into him, feeling the warmth and slick heat of his body, the heat of the water, heat all around me. I didn't want to fight this attraction anymore. So why not just give in and see what happened?
Glancing up into his eyes, his lips were oh so close, and I found myself staring at his mouth. Which moved even closer. And closer still.
And then his lips were on me, devouring me, the passion a million times more than it had been in the forest earlier, something I hadn't thought was possible. He tasted incredible, everything about our kiss perfection, Jared doing this alternating thing that drove me crazy, slowing down like he was savoring me, then turning almost feral with this need that was electric.
I wanted more. I had to have more.
Not able to get close enough to him in this position, I let my body drift and float off the seat, my legs going around him like he was my anchor. And now I was indeed straddling him.
He made a low noise in his throat as our bodies connected, his eyes dark with pure desire. "Jesus," he muttered, taking a deep breath.
That I had this kind of effect on him did something to me, filled me with confidence, the headiest sensation I'd ever had. Brimming with want, my hands went up around his neck, bending his head to me, taking initiative with another kiss, not holding back as I tasted him with my tongue.
I let myself melt completely into him, wet body against wet body, and then I sat down fully on top of him, a moan escaping me as my core made contact with his erection. Holy shit. He was huge. And hard. And utter perfection.
Not able to help myself, instinct taking over, I slid over him, rocking my hips, his cock perfectly aligned with my slit.
"Oh, my God," Jared groaned.
Taking charge and loving it, I claimed his mouth in another kiss, our tongues colliding, Jared's arms pulling me into him like a vise.
My hips going back and forth, the friction between us was pure heaven. His hands moved down from my back to my ass, gripping my bare skin.
"Cordelia..." he said, his voice strangled.
"What?" I asked, kissing my way down his neck, marveling at the way we fit together.
His hips moved in time with my own, his fingers sliding under my swimsuit and digging into my ass cheeks.
"If you don't stop..." he breathed. "I'll come in my fucking swim trunks."
"So?"
"So..." His strong hands stopped me, and before I knew it, Jared had reversed our positions, flipping me like I was weightless, which I supposed I kind of was in the water. But then he effortlessly lifted me out of the hot tub, placing me right on the edge. "I'd like to try something else," he said, staring at my lower half like I was a tasty snack he wanted to devour.
"Oh," I answered breathlessly as I glanced down to see what had caught his attention.
With all my grinding, my bikini bottoms had given me a wedgie, front to back, not leaving much to the imagination. I debated fixing them or just taking them off, wondering if that was too much too soon, but Jared stepped in between my legs, his hands gliding up my thighs.
"I want to taste you," he said. "I need to taste you."
Oh, God. As if I could get any more desperate for this man...
That answered my previous question, and I didn't hesitate to shimmy out of my bikini bottoms, tossing them away, the whole time Jared watching me, the look on his face turning even more feral, his chest rising up and down with every heavy breath.
"Fuck..." he whispered as I sat back down, my bare bottom on the smooth wood.
As soon as I sat, his hands were all over me, gripping me, exploring me, running up and down my legs, my arms, the sides of my waist. All the while, he kept up a litany of praises that warmed my soul.
"So fucking beautiful. So damn sexy. So soft and smooth... a fucking goddess."
Oh, my. All this praise could easily go to my head, especially as he seemed not to notice or care about anything that I deemed an imperfection—the stretch marks on my hips, the scar above my knee, the lovely bumps and bruises I'd acquired this weekend.
He reached for the edge of my bikini top. I started to help him, needing to be free, desperate for his hands and mouth to explore my chest. But at the last second, I remembered something... something dire that would completely take me out of the moment.
"Wait." I clamped my hand over his. "No."
His confused eyes, hazy with lust, met mine. "What?"
"You can't take this off. You can touch me. But only the outside, over my bikini top."
He stared at me, not quite comprehending, but there was no way in hell I could tell him the truth... that it'd been ages since I'd remembered to pluck that stray boob hair that grew so annoyingly long. So instead, I grabbed his hands and placed them over my breasts, letting him feel me up the old-fashioned way.
It only took a beat for us to get back to where we'd been, Jared thankfully not questioning me or pushing for more, simply doing as I asked, his hands cupping me, his thumbs toying with my hardening nipples through the fabric.
Arching my back, I pushed into him, my butt sliding forward, my legs going around him. He gave me a savage kiss then licked, kissed, and lightly bit his way down my body, spending extra time on my neck, then my cleavage, and lastly my legs.
When he reached my inner thigh, stubble grazing the sensitive skin, my hands fell backward, thankfully landing on something that kept me from falling farther. But only physically. Because mentally and emotionally, I was definitely falling.
That praise I loved so much continued when Jared spread my legs even more, lowering himself to be at eye level with my pussy. "Damn, woman," he said reverently.
I felt his warm breath on me just before he made contact, kissing me so sweetly, it made me melt. Then he licked me, the feeling so divine, I let out a loud moan.
Looking around, I momentarily remembered where I was, wondering if anyone could spot us if they happened to peek out their window. But we were well hidden by the lattice and vines, thank goodness.
"Relax, Dee," Jared said. "No one can see us."
His words had a direct line to my emotions, helping me to relax into it, and then, his mouth did the rest, devouring me, making me forget every damn thing in this world except this carnal connection between us.
After kissing and licking his way all over, I was so ready for him to find my clit, but I had the feeling he was teasing me, warming me up and bringing me closer to the edge. My hands went to his head, my fingers in his hair, and I opened my legs even wider to him.
Normally, I might have felt vulnerable in this position, especially the first time someone went down on me. But with Jared, for some reason, I felt safe and secure, which was kind of shocking and totally unexpected.
If you'd asked me before this retreat, never in a million years would I have imagined doing this with Jared on the last night. Never.
I squirmed closer, and Jared's tongue plunged inside me, a delicious feeling spreading through my limbs. And then he licked his way toward my clit, making the connection, sending a zing of electricity all throughout my body.
"Oh, God, that feels good," I managed to say as he slowly made a circle with his tongue, tracing me, studying me and learning what made me tick.
He began to flick me then, back and forth, in a slow, deliberate pattern that drove me wild, all while making a rumbling groan that caused me to realize the best thing of all.
Jared was enjoying this. As much as I was maybe.
And that took everything to new heights. Certain guys in the past had treated this like a chore, a means to an end, all about reciprocation and expecting a blow job for their lame efforts.
But with Jared? I knew that wasn't the case at all.
His fingers digging into the flesh of my ass, he pulled me into him, so much so I wondered how he could breathe.
But all thoughts fled my head as he continued to tongue my clit, turning relentless, driving me closer and closer to the edge.
"Oh, God..." I moaned, clenching his head tighter.
Don't stop, I wanted to say. Please don't stop . But nothing came out.
Because the wave started to crash over me just then, my climax hitting me full force, Jared not letting up, giving me the best orgasm of my life.
When the waves finally subsided, he kissed my clit so sweetly and raised his big body upright, standing between my legs, our eyes meeting in the glow of the lanterns.
"You tasted even better than I thought you would," he said.
This man. How had he gone from annoying-as-hell co-worker to cunnilingus king Jared? I smiled at the unintentional alliteration.
"What's the smile for?" he asked.
"Just that if you were Max Sterling, I'd call you the cunnilingus king..." Wait, that hadn't come out the way I'd intended.
His smile fell. "What?"
"I mean... I don't know. I just called you that in my head, and... and..." It was definitely not cool to bring up our hated CEO right after that . "Please just forget it. It was the alliteration. And my brain's all scrambled by the most amazing orgasm I've ever had."
And his easy grin was back. "Really?"
"Really." I beamed up at him. "By far."
He tucked some loose hair behind my ear, the gesture heart-meltingly sweet, his expression thoughtful, his eyes suddenly serious.
"Dee, I... I, um..."
My eyes were distracted by what was right in front of me, the gigantic bulge in his swim shorts. Holy shit. He was huge, making my mouth water at the thought of what I wanted to do back to him.
Reaching for his trunks, I had just barely had a feel of his tantalizing skin when his hands stopped me. "You don't have to do anything, you know," he said. "I wanted this night to be about you."
Oh, fuck. What was that stirring in my heart? Was I seriously starting to catch some feelings here?
"And now you should probably try to get some sleep," he added.
Was he kidding? "So you're just going to go upstairs with that ?" I pointed at his massive erection. "And suffer through blue balls?"
He laughed. "I'll survive."
I could hardly believe it, and I had no idea what to say at this strange turn of events.
"I really don't want to come in the hot tub," he said wryly.
"But what if I swallowed?"
"Jesus. You're not making this any easier, this whole trying to be a gentleman."
"But remember? I don't want you to be a gentleman?"
There was a sudden noise that drew our attention, making my heart stop for a split second as I waited to see if someone might appear on the deck. Jared quickly stepped out of the tub and grabbed my bikini bottoms for me, handing them over. While I shoved them back on—not an easy feat to put on a wet swimsuit—Jared wrapped his towel around himself.
Once I was covered, my heart slowed from its frantic beat. Now, there was no proof that we'd done anything. And thank goodness Jared had reacted so fast, because a second later, Chris opened the door and walked out, heading straight toward us.
"Hey, guys," he said when he neared. "I take it you can't sleep either?"
"Yeah," Jared said. "Insomnia sucks."
"Sure does," I agreed, stifling a fake yawn. "But I'm exhausted now. So I think I'm going to head in."
Without waiting to see what Jared would do, I flung my towel around me and said a quick good night. It was cowardly, for sure, but I needed to get away.
We'd completely lucked out that time had been on our side. If Chris had come out a few minutes earlier, he would have had an eyeful, seeing Jared's head between my legs. Or any later, if I'd had my way, Jared's cock would have been in my mouth.
Damn.
As I went up the stairs, an unexpected thrill shot through me. Living life on the edge was kind of fun. And a mind-blowing orgasm certainly didn't hurt.