Chapter 7 Jane
JANE
“You shouldn’t be here.” The whispered warning sends a chill racing down my spine, and my breath catches as goosebumps erupt across the back of my neck where soft lips brush my skin.
Strong hands grip my hips from behind, pulling me back against a solid wall of warm muscle.
That same giddy anticipation I’m familiar with ripples through my body, and a pulse throbs between my legs as my panties dampen.
“That’s what you say every time,” I murmur, and I don’t know why.
I don’t recognize this place. I can’t recall whether I’ve been here before.
Then again, the nondescript tree line that sprawls before me doesn’t lend itself to being identified.
Still, I can’t help this deep-seated feeling that I’m right where I belong.
“What am I going to do with you, vita mia?” the man teases in his low, rumbling baritone that vibrates through my very bones.
The prickle of facial hair tickles across my skin, and the sound of his deep inhale makes my pulse quicken.
Then his arms snake further around me, his hands splaying across my stomach as one palm brazenly explores the curve of my breast.
Eyes rolling into the back of my head as he massages the supple flesh, I lean my head back against his collarbone, lacing my fingers through his short, thick curls.
“Whatever you please?” I suggest, my core throbbing with the need to have his hands all over me.
A deep, approving growl issues from his chest, and I gasp as he rocks his hips forward to show me just how much he likes that idea.
My hips press forward into the hard sandstone of the veranda, and a sense of deja vu sweeps over me as I get the feeling that we’ve done this before.
Or maybe it was water I was looking out at that time.
A river of sorts? I can’t be sure.
“God, I want you,” he rasps, his thick, hard erection pressing into my tailbone through our clothes to reinforce his statement.
Then—unlike before—he spins me in his arms.
My breath catches as I peer up into gold-flecked hazel eyes. Dark stubble colors his strong jawline and wraps around his sensual lips. I recognize him immediately—Gio, he said his name was. My new neighbor.
But… this isn’t my townhouse.
Confusion ripples through me as the scene around us fades, almost melting until the world around me is a swirl of vague colors and shapes.
But Gio remains, his wild shock of dark curls falling into his face as he leans closer, his striking light hazel eyes dropping to my lips.
He’s going to kiss me.
And without thinking, I lift my chin, tilting to meet him.
A jolt of electricity warms my skin where it meets his.
My lips tingle, the sensation washing through my body and out to my fingers and toes as I cling to his broad, muscular shoulders that fill out his soft dress shirt.
His hands boldly palm my ass cheeks, bringing our bodies flush as his tongue delves into my mouth, tasting me deeply as it tangles with mine.
Holy hell, he can kiss.
Each tantalizing flick of his tongue’s tip sends bubbles of pleasure fizzling to life in my stomach, and my arms snake around his neck, pulling him closer as I arch into his powerful chest.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he groans, his hands roaming lower, spreading my thighs before sweeping me off my feet entirely so he can wrap my legs around his waist.
He’s six foot three inches of strength and virility pressed against me, and the pulsing desire inside me has already completely soaked through my panties.
“There will be no dying on me,” I warn, tangling my fingers in his hair once more as I claim his lips for my own.
I’ve never been this forward, but I’m so intensely attracted to this man, I can’t seem to stop myself—and he’s certainly not stopping me either.
I can feel us moving, but I refuse to pull back and open my eyes to confirm it.
Then, for one weightless moment, we’re falling. I gasp as my back meets something soft and… bouncy.
A bed.
But I don’t have time to gather more details before Gio’s strong, dexterous fingers are sliding beneath my top, guiding it over my head so he can cup my breast and playfully nip it through the lace of my bra.
“Come away with me,” I pant as I let my nails scrape lightly across the rippling muscles of his back.
Where I think we’re going, I’m not entirely sure, but away sounds like a good start, and something tells me it’s where we ought to be.
“You know I can’t,” he murmurs against the swells of my breast as he slowly works his way down my center line.
“Not even if I beg?” I tease.
Gio’s groan sounds tormented as he gently nestles his face against my abdomen by way of silent apology.
His facial hair scrapes lightly across my sensitive skin, making me giggle.
I tug gently at the roots of his hair, dragging him back just enough to stop it from tickling.
He peers up at me with those fathomless light eyes, and I’m ready to melt into a puddle. I’ll give him whatever he wants.
“If I asked you to abandon your garden—to never touch a plant again—could you do it? For me?” His tone is soft, achingly so, and yet it brings tears to my eyes.
With a sad smile, he brushes his lips across my belly button ring. “That’s what I thought.”
Then his hands return to his task, taking the button of my jeans and popping it open before slowly, tantalizingly lowering the zipper.
His fingers hook around the waist of my shorts, tugging them efficiently down my hips, right along with my drenched lace panties.
I bite my lip as his strong hands hoist my hips off the bed, slinging one knee over each shoulder as he buries his face between my thighs.
All thoughts of arguing with him vanish from my head as his lips find my slick seam and his tongue delves inside me.
A cry escapes me, and my fingers curl around soft sheets as my back arches up off the bed.
“Shh.” Gio chuckles against my folds, amused by my response but unwilling to stop what he’s doing. “If you don’t keep it down, someone will hear you,” he murmurs against my pussy. Then he returns to lavishing my clit with his tongue.
God, his mouth is sheer perfection against my feverish flesh, and the way his fingers press into my tender flesh sends a shiver of pleasure up my spine.
I press my lips together, pinching them between my teeth to try and keep the moans inside me.
But I’ve never felt anything quite so exquisite.
Everything about this man drives me wild.
His touch, his taste, his smell.
Even the sound of his voice turns me on, and I feel that undeniable draw pulling me closer to him—like a magnet.
It doesn’t matter that he has me almost entirely naked and spread wide on his bed while he hasn’t removed a stitch of clothing.
All I know is that I want him.
I want all of him with a consuming kind of hunger.
I don’t quite know how we got to this point.
But I would give just about anything to be here.
“Gio,” I whimper, the rising crests of my pleasure building into something I can no longer control.
“Come for me, amore,” he rasps, his breath hot against my flesh as he peers up the length of my body to meet my eyes.
His lips curl into a wicked grin, then wrap around my clit as his hand shifts so he can slide two fingers inside my molten core.
I couldn’t care less if someone hears us.
I scream as an explosive orgasm rips through me, releasing fireworks behind my eyes.
And with a jolt—I wake.
Rising onto my forearms and bracing my elbows against the mattress, I pant as I stare down at the clean white sheets covering my legs.
My body still throbs with my release, but the gorgeous, hazel-eyed man is no longer buried between my thighs, his wicked gaze daring me to disobey him.
Tingling euphoria races through my veins as I try to clear the fog from my brain.
And as I slowly come down from my momentary bliss, a mortifying realization hits me.
It was another of my vivid dreams—only this time, my subconscious slapped the gorgeous face of my new neighbor onto the shadowed figure I can’t stop dreaming about.
It must be my mind’s way of trying to make sense of why they always seem so realistic—and wow, did this one feel real.
It’s the first time I’ve ever actually seen the man’s face—so of course it would have to be someone I already have complicated feelings about.
Groaning, I fall back onto my pillow, covering my face with my hands.
What is wrong with me?
I can’t deny I’m attracted to Gio.
He’s a gorgeous man by anyone’s standards.
But we only just met, and even if Jackson likes him, I need to be careful about making any connection that might hurt my son in the long run.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I release it slowly.
I force thoughts of Gio to the back of my mind as I turn to look at the clock.
Is that really the time?
“Jackson!” I call, leaping out of bed.
We’re definitely going to be late this time.
“Jackson, it’s time for school!”
“I’m up!” I hear faintly through the door.
Scrambling to pull myself together, I determine I’m going to have to get a new alarm clock if this keeps happening.
Or I could just stop having sexual dreams about my new neighbor…
Just thinking about the dream makes my core clench, and I shove the thought away as fresh heat curls beneath my skin.
I need to pull myself together if I’m going to get out the door.
I can feel the flush in my cheeks as I finish zipping up my dress and slip into a pair of flats, then step out into the hall.
Jackson’s already there, his hair a rumpled mess but his outfit put together.
“How does a banana and a protein bar sound for breakfast today?” I ask, cringing at my failure to cook him a hearty breakfast. But Jackson never complains.
“Yeah,” he agrees, stooping to scoop up his backpack as I make a beeline for the kitchen.
We’re out the door in record time, and I hurry Jackson down the walkway to our front gate.
But as I pull it closed behind me, my eyes drift toward the point along our fence where I stood across from Gio just the other day.
And I can’t help wondering when our paths might cross again.