Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
WILLOW
Jace’s mouth crashes into mine.
There’s nothing gentle about the way he kisses me back. It’s urgent, demanding, and consuming. He devours me with his lips and I let him, meeting him with the same bruising kiss. His one hand circles around my hips, pulling my body flush to his as the other wraps around the back of my head.
It doesn’t even matter that the lights are on in the store and anyone could walk by and see us. It’s late and Main Street is usually deserted at this time. I’ll take my chances.
He spins us around, his knee pressing between my legs as he urges me backwards.
I move with him, our mouths still locked together, until my back presses against the shelves behind me.
A few bottles of syrup topple over, but we’re too absorbed in each other, and the moment that we don’t stop to fix them.
Jace’s mouth slows as if he’s gaining control of himself and the situation.
What started out as a lust filled, need driven kiss, shifts into something teasing—tantalizing.
His tongue strokes mine with precision and skill, until they are tangling and dancing together.
His hand is in my hair, his fingertips digging into my skull as he cranes me farther back farther, demanding access to my neck.
And then his mouth is gone.
We break apart and I come up for air. My head is in a daze, warmth and lust coursing through my veins as I slide my hands up and over his shoulders, feeling the taut muscle beneath his shirt.
Jace’s lips trail along my jaw, tasting and teasing my flesh as he licks and sucks my skin, moving down to my neck.
“Jace,” I breathe, tipping my head back as my eyelids flutter shut. Leaving his shoulders, my hands find the top button of his shirt and slip it through the hole. He pays me no mind as he runs his tongue along the column of my throat, stopping to nip at my earlobe.
His mouth is back on my jawline, then at the corners of my mouth.
“Yeah, baby?” he murmurs against my lips before dragging his tongue along the other side of my neck.
Shivers run down my spine. Grabbing his shoulders, I take control and turn us around, pushing him back against the shelves with broken syrup bottles dripping liquid gold onto the floor.
I slip the last button through the hole, pushing his dress shirt open. He sucks in a sharp breath as I grab for his head, my fingers plunging through his hair, gripping his locks tightly. A chuckle rumbles in his chest as I tug his face away from my neck and guide him back to my mouth.
He doesn’t protest as his lips meet mine and he breathes me in.
His tongue slides along the seam of my lips and I part them, meeting his energy as he deepens the kiss.
Our mouths are melting together, tongues tangling, fingers roaming.
His hands are on my hips, pulling me flush against him, as if he can’t get me close enough.
Unthreading my fingers from his hair, I let my hands explore his body, tracing and memorizing the ridges and planes of the torso I’ve wanted to touch for years.
Every muscle, every dip, every flat smooth surface—they’re all cataloged inside my brain now.
This shouldn’t be happening in the first place and I’m quite certain this will never happen again.
So there isn’t a part of me that’s going to let this opportunity go to waste.
Dragging my lips from his, I suck in a shallow breath, my heart pounding erratically in my chest as we’re both breathless.
Jace lifts a hand, cupping the side of my face as he runs the pad of his thumb along my bottom lip.
“Goddamn, Willow,” he breathes, his eyes scanning my face. “I want you so fucking badly.”
“What are you waiting for?” I ask, my fingers slipping beneath the waistband of his dress pants, along with the elastic of his boxer briefs. “Take what you want.”
He groans, his eyelids fluttering shut as I slide the leather of his belt through the metal clasp.
His erection presses against his pants and I inhale sharply as I run my fingers over it, marveling at his length.
“Not here,” he growls, his throat bobbing as he tilts his head back.
“When I fuck you for the first time, it’s not going to be a quickie in the middle of the shop. ”
My heart pounds harder against my ribcage as my finger slips the button through the hole. He doesn’t stop me as I tug on the zipper, slowly sliding it down. “Where’s it gonna be then?”
The tips of my fingers brush against his cock and he sucks in a sharp breath.
“Fuck.” He lifts his head, his eyes hooded as he stares down at me. Flames of desire burn brightly in his irises. He’s practically panting. “Somewhere I can strip you naked and spend hours exploring every inch of your body while I bury myself deep inside you.”
“Mmm,” I murmur, dragging my teeth across my bottom lip as I slide my fingers along the waistband of his underwear. Jace’s fingers trail up and down the sides of my arms, then the length of my torso and up again, and along the underside of my sports bra. “I like the sound of that.”
“Good,” he half moans as his hands move over my breasts, sliding the straps of my sports bra down over my shoulders. “Willow,” he breathes, pulling my bra lower and the cool air sends a shiver down my spine as my nipples are exposed. “I meant what I said and if we don’t stop now—”
“What if I don’t want to stop?” I ask, pressing my forehead to his as he slides his hands under my breasts, his fingers tugging on my nipples. A moan falls from my lips without my permission and Jace’s pupils dilate. It’s addicting, watching the way he’s so affected by my touch.
I don’t even care about finding a release for myself right now. I just want to watch him come undone under my fingertips.
“I don’t want you to fuck me,” I say, the words barely above a whisper as I take half a step back. His hands are still on me, but as I trail my fingers along the front of his body, his muscles tremble. “I want to do something for you.”
His lips part, a ragged breath escaping him as I begin to lower myself down onto my knees. His hands trail along the sides of my neck and then to my face. He dips his chin to his chest, his palms cupping my cheeks as he tilts my head back to look up at him.
“What are you doing?”
The corners of my mouth twitch, my eyes searching for his permission while I reach for the top hem of his pants. “Let me do this for you.” His eyes widen slightly, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. He gives me a swift nod and I slowly drag his underwear and pants down.
As I pull them down, his cock springs free and throbs in front of my face, pulsating from the way his heart races.
It’s swollen and long, much thicker than I thought from the outline in his pants earlier.
Swallowing roughly, I look up at him through my lashes, blinking twice as I wrap my hand around the shaft.
Jace blows out an exaggerated breath, the muscle in his jaw clenching as he drags his fingers over my lips. “The image of you on your knees about to take my cock in your mouth is going to be engraved in my fucking brain for the rest of my life.”
A smirk tugs on my mouth. “Good,” I breathe out. I slide my hand along his length, stopping once I reach the tip. He sucks in a breath as I run the pad of my thumb over the head, a bead of precum collecting on my skin. “I don’t know what you like.”
A chuckle rumbles in his chest as he pushes his hand through my hair. “Anything you do, I know I’ll like.”
There’s a moment, just a small blip, where rationality begins to creep in, but as he speaks those words, it’s all chased away. I don’t need to think right now, because if I do, I know it will sever the moment.
And instead of severing it, I want to savor it.
Warmth washes over me and I open, my lips stretching to accommodate his size as I slide him into my mouth. My tongue presses against the vein along the underside of his cock and he pulsates against it.
“Oh fuck,” he moans as his hands plunge into my hair, his fingers tangling close to my scalp. His eyelids flutter shut as I take as much of his length into my mouth that I can.
The tip of his dick brushes against the back of my throat and I gag around him, unable to stop it from happening.
Jace lets out another moan, this time low and guttural, like it’s coming from deep inside of him.
He reaches for my hand and wraps it around the base of his cock, slowly stroking himself in tandem with my mouth as I bob my head.
Sliding him out of my mouth, I glance up at him, watching his expression grow with confusion as I reach to the shelf to my right, grabbing one of the bottles.
Jace’s eyes are on mine as I unscrew the lid and pour a trail of syrup along the length of his cock. His tongue darts out to wet his lips and his hand is still wrapped around mine as I lick the syrup from him.
“My god,” he breathes, his eyelids fluttering. A smile tugs on the corner of my lips and I taste him and the syrup on my tongue as I take him back into my mouth.
He releases my hand, letting me take over by myself as he grabs the back of my head once more. Sticky saliva drips from the corners of my mouth and my lips are spread wide as I take him as deep as I can. Staring up, I watch the way his face contorts, the way the cords in his throat move.
His grip tightens on my hair and his hips flex as he plunges deeper. He hits the back of my throat once more and I breathe through it, refusing to let myself gag again. I suck him into my mouth, dragging my tongue along the underside of his cock as I take him in and out, over and over.
My hand pumps, tightening around his shaft. His entire body trembles, his grip tight, hips thrusting, matching my movements, as he loses himself in the pleasure.
“Oh, Willow baby,” he moans, my name rumbling inside his chest. “That’s it,” he breathes, his fingers digging into my scalp. “I’m so close.”
He looks down at me, lust and need swirling in his heated gaze, as he uses my mouth.
“Look at you,” he growls, working the muscle in his jaw. “My cock looks so fucking good with your lips wrapped around it.”
I never thought I’d enjoy the view from my knees, but seeing him like this and knowing I’m the reason behind it has me soaring through the clouds, riding a high of my own. My center clenches and there’s a blazing heat building in the pit of my stomach.
“I’m gonna come and if you don’t want me to in your mouth—”
My hand tightens around his cock and I level my gaze on his, silently telling him that’s what I want. I want to taste him, I want to feel him as he loses himself inside my mouth.
He thrusts his hips as I pump my hand, swallowing him back. Once. Twice. And on the last stroke, his entire body stiffens. His hands feel like they’re going to pull my hair from my head.
“Oh god,” he moans, the sound vibrating through my entire body, as he stares down at me. His body relaxes, his hips jerking as he shoots his come into the back of my throat. Swallowing, I continue to suck him, stroking my hand along his length until there’s nothing left for him to give.
My jaw aches, my clit throbs, and my knees scream in protest. Rocking back onto my shins, I release him with a pop. Jace cups the sides of my face, his thumbs stroking the corners of my mouth as he wipes away the spit. His face is flushed and his lips are parted as he tries to catch his breath.
“That… was unexpected,” he pants, a ghost of a smile dancing across his lips. His hands trail down the sides of my throat and under my arms as he urges me to my feet. My heart races as reality and conflict settle around us, forcing me to take a step back.
What the hell just happened?
Jace’s eyebrows tug forward and he pulls up his pants, securing them around his waist. Once his pants are buttoned and his belt is secured, he snakes his arm around my waist, pulling me back to him. Sliding his forefinger beneath my chin, he tips it back, his mouth immediately finding mine.
He kisses me slowly, his tongue swiping mine like he’s trying to draw my soul from my body. “Don’t do that,” he murmurs against my lips before we break apart. “Don’t pull away from me.”
I swallow hard, my eyebrows cinching closer. “I—We both just got caught up in the moment there.”
He clicks his tongue, slowly shaking his head at me. “No, I don’t think we did. I think we’ve both been waiting for that to happen.”
His words strike something inside my chest. I guess I was wrong about this all being one sided, but I don’t dare question it. The last thing I’m going to do is make this messy by dragging any emotion into it. That’s a recipe for failure.
“I think I’m the one who’s in your debt now,” he says. His thumb rubs slow circles on my lower back. “When are you going to let me pay you back?”
Is that what this is now? Just the two of us trading sexual favors?
“The ball’s in your court, Miller. I’m sure you’ll find the right time to make a move.” Winking for good measure, I pull away from him and take a step back. “Now get down on your knees… and help me clean up this mess.”
He lets out a low chuckle, shaking his head as he grabs the roll of paper towels and tosses them to me. “Yes, boss.”
I don’t know what we’re really doing here, but it’s too late to take any of this back now.
There’s no way for me to not get my emotions wrapped up in these fleeting moments with him.
However, he doesn’t have to know about them.
If he doesn’t know, then he won’t get his feelings involved either. We’re both safer that way.
The less he knows, the better.