Chapter 24 Jonathan
Jonathan
Riding back on this loud coach bus is driving me absolutely insane and not because of the noise.
It’s because all I want to do is grab AJ from her seat, pull her onto my lap and kiss those full lips until we forget anyone else exists.
But I can’t. For a few painfully obvious reasons.
One, we’re surrounded by coworkers. Sure, they all think it’s cute when we sneak a peck, but full-on grinding and groaning make-out mode?
Not exactly retreat-appropriate. Two, there’s the Manny factor.
He knows we’re supposed to be pretending and if he saw us going at it like we did back at the club, he’d know something was up.
I’m not ready to hurt him, not yet. And then there’s Marcus.
God, I’d love to let him watch me touch AJ.
Just so he knows he lost. Just to flip him a massive, metaphorical middle finger.
But he’s technically my boss now, so yeah… I have to chill.
AJ is sitting beside me, thankfully Tanya didn’t steal her this time. She’s tracing her fingers across the palm of my hand, staring at me with those big, sapphire eyes. She bites her bottom lip and smiles and I swear I feel my self-control snap one fraying thread at a time.
I slide my hand onto her thigh, discreet and careful not to draw attention. She shifts, just slightly but enough to let me slip my fingers a little further down her jeans. She giggles and I fucking melt.
The drive back to the main house isn’t long, but it feels like an eternity with AJ sitting so close. As soon as we unload, Tanya and Manny are already begging us to hit the resort’s karaoke bar with them.
“Come on, Grandpa!” Tanya yells at me.
“Bro, you have to sing again,” Manny chimes in, already swaying a little.
I shoot AJ a look and like the queen of quick exits she is, she’s already pulling off one heel like it’s Exhibit A in a courtroom.
“I need to change out of these heels,” she says, holding it up. “These things are killing me.”
“I’ll drive you,” I say immediately. No one’s going to question me giving my girlfriend a lift back to the cabin to change her shoes.
“We’ll meet you guys in a few,” she adds, wobbling off toward the golf cart like a woman on a mission.
“Okay, fine, but you better come,” Tanya shouts as she heads toward the bar, already dancing to some imaginary beat.
Manny throws his hands up in a dramatic sigh, then shrugs and slings an arm around Tanya.
The two of them stumble off together, already half-singing, half-yelling some throwback anthem.
Manny’s going to be too drunk to remember we were ever supposed to come back.
And that’s perfect because we’re not coming back.
I glance at AJ and she winks, just a flick of mischief that sends heat shooting through my chest. I’m not even sure golf carts have a speed limit, but I slam my foot down like we’re in the Indy 500.
She squeals and slides closer to me, wrapping her arms around my torso, gripping the front of my shirt like she can’t get close enough. I love her touch. It’s not just the way she feels, it’s the way she reaches for me, like she needs me back just as much.
When we reach the cabin, we both pause, still sitting in the cart. It’s not nerves, it’s the weight of knowing. Knowing that once we cross that threshold, everything changes. There’s no going back from this.
But AJ? She doesn’t hesitate long. She hops out first and jogs up the porch steps, glancing back at me with fire in her eyes. She waits by the door, lips parted, heart pounding. I can see it in the way her chest rises and falls.
I join her, key in hand, but I don’t open it right away. Instead, I tilt her chin up and press my mouth to hers.
It starts out gentle. Like we’re savoring the last calm moment before everything ignites.
Her lips are warm and patient, but beneath that patience, there’s hunger.
It doesn’t stay soft for long. She tugs at the waistband of my jeans, finding the button and popping it open with ease.
Her hands trail up under my shirt, dragging heat across my stomach and chest. I groan against her mouth, already losing whatever grip on control I thought I had.
We’re not even inside yet and I’m already undone.
I can’t take it any longer. I jam the key into the lock and shove the door open, practically bursting through it like a man starved.
I scoop AJ up, her legs wrapping around my waist and we stumble inside; still tangled in kisses, still clawing at each other like we’ve been waiting years for this moment.
She’s tugging at my jeans, I’m juggling her weight and somehow I manage to slam the door shut behind us. I twist the lock because, let’s be real, with nosy-ass Manny and stealthy Tanya roaming around, we’re not taking any chances.
She drops her purse, I drop the key and we leave everything else behind. I set her down on her feet and yank off my shirt in one motion.
She steps back and lets her heated gaze roam. Her eyes flicker over my chest, my stomach and the look she gives me? Pure want. I’ve seen that expression on women before but this time it lands different. This time it’s AJ. And that changes everything.
She starts walking backward toward the bedroom, laughing under her breath, then crooks a finger at me to follow. I do without a pause.
When I catch up, she unties the strap behind her neck and tugs the halter down, revealing the kind of mouth-watering breasts that belong in naked art museums and daydreams. They’re round, perky and were made to fill my hands and my mouth.
Not too big, not too small. Just… perfect.
Of course they are. She’s perfect and I’m about to lose my goddamn mind.
I’m right in front of her now and I drop to my knees.
I press my lips to the smooth skin of her flat stomach, trailing soft, open-mouthed kisses upward until I reach her breasts, exactly level with my face from this angle.
She lets her head fall back with a moan as I kiss, suck and playfully bite at them, tasting every inch.
Her fingers thread through my hair and tug hard, like she can’t stand how good it feels.
I grip the small of her back and pull her closer, burying my face between her breasts as she gasps again.
“Jonathan,” she breathes, her voice strained with need. “Take me to the bed.”
There’s no world where I’d argue with AJ.
Not when she sounds like that. I rise to my feet, sweep her into my arms and carry her to the bed.
I lower her down and crawl over her, bracing myself as she unzips my jeans completely and slips her hand inside my boxer briefs.
I’ve been hard since the dance floor but now that I’m in her hands?
I swear I get harder. Her eyes flick up to meet mine and when she smiles, it’s a look that tells me she likes what she feels. A lot.
I lean down and kiss her again, because at this point I’m officially addicted.
Her taste, her mouth, the way she kisses me back like I’m the only man she’s ever wanted.
I shove off my pants, then my boxers. She grabs my hips and pulls me down until our bodies are flush, chest to chest. I pull the rest of her top over her head and some strands of hair tumble into her face.
She giggles, eyes sparkling, breasts bouncing as she laughs and I nearly lose it right then. That sound, that view, it’s lethal.
I toss her top to the floor and push the hair from her face, letting my fingers skim her cheek. Her skin’s warm, her cheeks flushed and for once, she looks completely at ease. She looks happy. And somehow, so am I. The woman underneath me is sexy as hell and she’s mine.
I reach for the button on her jeans, pop it open and take my time sliding them down her legs. What’s left is something I’m not forgetting anytime soon: AJ laid out in nothing but a black lace thong, legs shifting around me like she already knows what she’s doing to me.
I kiss my way down her body, starting at her neck, then lower to her chest, her stomach. She shifts beneath me, already restless. When I reach her panties, I catch the lace between my teeth and pull. Her breath hitches and when I glance up, her lips are parted in a sound I feel in my spine.
I slide the thong off and toss it aside, then move back over her, pressing my hands to the mattress on either side of her. And I stop, for just a second. Because this view? This woman? It’s unreal. Her eyes on mine, the way she breathes like she’s bracing for impact.
“You okay with this?” I ask.
She nods without hesitation, then pulls me in by the face and kisses me like she needs it. Like she needs me.
I shift between her thighs, guide myself to her and push in.
She tears her mouth from mine, head tilting back as a sound slips out; something between a gasp and a curse.
“Oh…my…” she breathes, her back arching under me.
I’ve never felt anything like this. Like she was made for me. Like I was made for her.
I start to thrust, delicate at first. But it’s almost impossible to hold back.
The buildup, the tension, the way she feels wrapped around me…
it’s been simmering for days. Years, if I’m being honest with myself.
I’ve always wanted AJ. I just didn’t let myself admit it until now. Until I’m buried inside her.
I cradle the back of her head and pull her lips into mine, kissing her through every breathless moan.
I speed up, driving deeper inside her as we’re both unraveling.
The sounds rising from us grow louder, needier, until she gasps and digs her nails into my back.
Her thighs tense around me, then relax completely.
She just came. I hear it in her voice, feel the wetness in her and I’m not far behind because that’s all it takes, pushing me faster into her.