Chapter Fourteen
Jamie
Eric didn’t question when I guided him off the trail, deeper into the trees.
Even people who thought they loved adventure didn’t usually stray this far from the path. But Eric followed without hesitation, stepping over roots and rocks like he trusted me to know where I was going.
This forest and I were like old friends. Getting lost here, intentionally or not, was something I’d done often.
This time, I knew exactly where I was going, but I planned for us to get lost together all the same.
I stepped over a fallen log and ducked beneath the angled trunk that leaned against a rock overhang, creating what looked like the mouth of a cave. It wasn’t a cave, but it was a hidden pocket carved out by time and gravity and luck.
The waterfall was close enough that the rush of water still filled the air, soft and constant. But the trees muffled everything else, making it feel private.
Inside, the space narrowed. A curved rock wall rose along one side, evergreens crowding in from the other. The fallen trunk sealed off the entrance behind us, leaving only open sky above.
I’d hidden here as a kid. Cried here as a teen. But I’d never brought anyone with me. Especially not for this.
Eric squeezed in behind me, shoulders nearly brushing the rock, and the space shrank instantly. Or maybe it just felt that way because he took up so much of it.
“Is this your secret clubhouse?”
“Why?” I turned slowly, forcing myself not to react to how all-encompassing his presence was. “Do you want to join my club?”
“Hell yes, beautiful. That’s an offer no sane man would refuse. What’s the admission price?”
My pulse raced. “Why don’t you show me what you’ve got, and I’ll let you know if it’s enough.”
I slid two fingers into the waistband of his jeans and dragged him closer, popping the button with my thumb. Forget the teasing preamble. I wanted him to know exactly what I was doing.
I’d never been shy about sex. But with Eric, it felt different. I felt bolder somehow, like he’d knocked down some invisible wall and stepped back to see what I’d do with the space.
And what I wanted was to take the lead.
Power hummed low in my veins as I eased his zipper down, watching his face.
God, that look. A little dark, a lot devious, and, best of all, patient.
Until he brought his hand down hard on my ass. Not a slap exactly, but a claim.
He slid his other hand into my hair, fisting it at the base of my skull. Every little tug sent a riot of sensation rippling through me, skittering down my spine and making my nipples pebble.
He wouldn’t hurt me. Not unless I asked him to. That conviction steadied the rush, giving me something I could lean into instead of fear.
And it gave me the nerve to keep going, to act like I was setting the pace, even though we both knew damn well he was the one in charge.
I tugged at his jeans, my gaze dropping to the band of his boxers, pulse thudding, body coiling tight.
“Jamie.” His voice rumbled against my ear. “Give me your mouth.”
Heat pulsed between my thighs, and I almost sank to my knees. But he was guiding my head up, not down.
I lifted my face and lunged for him.
He caught my mouth in a quick, deliberate kiss, then pulled back to drag his tongue over my bottom lip. When he slid back in, he deepened the kiss with lazy control, taking his time like he had nowhere else to be.
If he thought he could undo me with slow burning desire…he was absolutely right.
My fingers skimmed down his stomach, nails grazing lightly over the hard plane of muscle. His abs flexed under my touch, a subtle reaction I felt more than saw.
But his mouth…
Dear God, his mouth.
It was overwhelming and addictive. Every slow sweep of his tongue, every measured pull of his hand in my hair, kept me right where he wanted me.
Casually, like I wasn’t trembling inside, I curved my hand over the elastic of his boxers and worked them down inch by inch, my fingers brushing over his cock as I exposed him.
One second his mouth was on mine. The next, he was breaking away with a growl and grabbing my wrists.
My breath caught as he lifted both my hands over my head and pinned me back against the rock, his body pressing in, locking me in place.
“You first.” His breath was heavy, eyes dark.
Keeping my wrists secured in one hand, he dragged the other slowly down my arm. Over my shoulder. Across my collarbone. His fingertips skimmed the curve of my breast, light enough to tease.
My chest arched toward him, chasing his touch, and his mouth curved into something devilish. His hand came back, full this time, cupping and squeezing until a low moan escaped me.
His hand left my breast on a pained protest that died the moment he reached the hem of my shirt. The second my wrists were free, he stripped it over my head, his gaze never leaving my face.
I wrapped my arms around his neck without thinking, holding him there.
“Look at you.” He watched his fingers trail over my skin. “All flushed.”
“It’s your fault.”
“Good. I like it.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “You’re fucking sexy.”
His hand slid down again, dragging the cup of my bra aside before he bent his head. The first brush of his mouth against my nipple sent a sharp pulse straight through me to my aching core.
My fingers fisted in his hair, but he didn’t rush.
He took his time, tongue circling, drawing out every reaction, his fingers working the other peak with slow, knowing pressure.
I writhed against him, caught between wanting more and wanting to make it last.
Slow and gentle gave way to something more demanding. His mouth grew more insistent. His grip firmer. The measured control turning rougher as I arched further into him.
“Eric. Oh God. I need… I need…” The words fell apart as his mouth moved up my neck, and whatever grip I had on myself unraveled fast.
“I’ve got you, beautiful girl. I know exactly what you need.”
Before I could catch my breath, he pressed in closer, grinding his hard body against mine, reminding me exactly what I’d started.
His hand slid down, possessive and sure, slipping beneath the waistband of my leggings.
Heat flared as he pushed past my thong, slicking his hand through my folds, and discovered exactly how worked up I was.
A pleased-sounding growl rumbled through his chest, and I whimpered as he circled my clit.
My hips lifted on instinct, but he didn’t let me rush him. He took his time, stroking, teasing, drawing out the ecstasy until I wasn’t sure I could handle any more.
By the time he finally pushed one finger, and then a second, inside of me, I was ready to combust.
My fingers dug into his shoulders as he set the pace, watching my face like he was studying every reaction.
The world narrowed to his hand. His mouth at my throat. The solid rock at my back.
“Fuck, that’s it, Jamie. Let me feel it.”
I barely registered the scrape of stone against my spine or how loud I’d gotten. Nothing existed outside the rhythm he controlled.
Embarrassment didn’t stand a chance.
I spread my legs wider, silently demanding more.
He answered by tightening his grip and driving me right to the edge, slow enough to make me beg, steady enough to prove he wasn’t losing control.
He had me. And he knew it.
“You like that, beautiful?”
“Yes,” I moaned.
I was right there. Balanced on the edge. His voice in my ear, low and filthy, the steady, deliberate way he touched me like he knew exactly how far to push. It wasn’t just what he was doing. It was how focused he was. Like my pleasure was the only thing in the world that mattered.
“That’s it. Come on my hand, beautiful girl.”
The command made my knees week. But I didn’t want to leave him behind.
My hand slid between us, finding his hard cock. I wrapped my fingers around him and stroked in rhythm with the pace he’d set, determined to give back even a fraction of what he was doing to me.
His head tipped back slightly. “Fuck. Don’t stop.”
The sound of his hunger. The weight of his body braced around mine. The pressure building inside me with nowhere left to go.
It was too much.
“Eric—”
My body seized as release tore through me, hard and blinding. Every muscle tightened, then shuddered. I clung to him, riding out the waves as he held me steady, not letting me slip, not letting me collapse.
“That’s it. Good girl.”
The world slowly came back into focus. My pulse thundered in my ears. My back still pressed to stone. His hand eased away.
But I didn’t let go of him. I’d come but he hadn’t.
I lifted my head and kissed him, tasting the smug satisfaction on his mouth.
“Your turn,” I whispered, and dropped to my knees before he could protest.
With my gaze held to his, I licked him from root to tip, watching as the most glorious man I’d ever laid eyes on took pleasure from my mouth. Arms braced against the rock. Chest rising and falling. Eyes dark and blown wide.
He was too big to take fully, but I hollowed my cheeks and sucked him down until I gagged and pulled back. Then I did it again.
At first, he tried to hold back—one hand in my hair, breathing hard but keeping still. Like he was worried about pushing me too far.
But I didn’t want him to be sweet. I liked him dirty. I wanted him real.
“Use me,” I pleaded, spit trailing down my chin.
Finally, he let go, the look on his face collapsing to dark, greedy lust. His grip turned rough. His breathing ragged. The controlled pace dissolved into something more instinctual.
He thrust himself into my mouth, forcing me to take what I could.
And God, it was fucking perfect.
I moaned around him and that was it.
The sound of my name in his mouth as he lost it, sent heat straight through me. He tried to pull back at the last second, but I held on, determined to take every drop as he came down my throat.
When it was over, he sagged slightly against the rock, chest heaving, and satisfaction settled over me. The air between us shifted as the rush faded. My skin cooled and pulse steadied.
This was the part that could have turned awkward.
But it didn’t.
He looked at me like I was something to be handled carefully now, not because I was fragile, but because the moment mattered. His thumb brushed the corner of my mouth, and then he kissed me without hesitation.
I pressed back into him, kissing him deeper, needing to anchor myself. The contact should have felt simple. This was only meant to be physical—just two bodies working out tension.
So why did kissing him feel like stepping onto something unstable?
The lines weren’t supposed to blur. This thing could only be temporary.
I had a son. A life I’d built with careful, deliberate boundaries. The past week had already turned that world into a minefield. One wrong move and everything could detonate.
Wanting Eric the way I did…that was already dangerous.
Feeling anything more than that? That could be catastrophic.
Still, I couldn’t pretend this was just sex anymore. Something had shifted. Something that wasn’t going to disappear just because we’d both come.
Call it fear. Call it self-preservation. I wasn’t ready for anything bigger than this. My life didn’t have room for complicated. Not now.
But my body hadn’t gotten that memo.
What we’d just done felt like a beginning, not a finish. A taste. Enough to wake the hunger, not quiet it.
My mouth left his on a slow exhale, and his finger traced down the side of my face.
“I think I like being in your club.”
A laugh burst out of me, sharp and reckless. I slipped my hand under his shirt and pinched his nipple hard.
“Fuck.” He jerked. “That hurt.”
“Who said you’re in?”
His eyes narrowed in mock offense, but there was heat under it. “I thought an orgasm was the price of admission.”
“You thought one would do it?” I smiled as I adjusted my bra, reaching for my shirt where it hung from an evergreen branch.
He stepped closer as I pulled it over my head, crowding my space without touching me. “So what’s the buy-in?”
“New deal.” I met his gaze. “You get temporary full-time membership, along with all the usual rights and privileges. Revocable at my discretion. But you have to come back to my room at the resort, right now. We skip the hospital until tomorrow.”
The playful edge in his expression faded just enough for me to see the calculation behind it. “I can live with that. But one question first.”
“Of course.”
“How many members are in this club?”
I lifted a brow. “Past or present?”
“Both.”
“You really want my entire sexual history right now? That’s a heavy conversation for a man I barely know.”
“I’d argue you know parts of me pretty damn well.” His jaw flexed as he seemed to come to a silent decision. “Fine. Past can wait. But present is non-negotiable.”
It wasn’t jealousy or insecurity talking. Eric had standards. And even though I was slightly worried about not living up to them, I had to admit I was glad he did.
“That’s fair. For almost a year and a half, there’s only been one member.”
His expression sharpened. “Dylan?”
The name hung between us.
And for the first time since we’d started this little game, Eric wasn’t smiling. Maybe there was a hint of jealousy there after all.
“No. Not Dylan.”
His hand stilled at my waist.
“Who?” The word wasn’t loud and yet it was still an uncompromising demand.
One that sent a whole new surge of heat rushing through me.
“Me. I’m the best partner I’ve ever had.”
I meant it as a joke. Mostly. But despite the slow smile spreading across his lips, the heated amusement lighting his eyes, he didn’t laugh.
“I’m serious, Eric. I haven’t had sex in almost two years.”
“Two years?” His gaze dragged over me like he wasn’t just assessing but appreciating. Claiming. “That sounds like a challenge, beautiful girl.”
“Does it?” I lifted my chin, stomach flipping. “Funny. It just sounds like honesty to me. No pretending, remember?”