16. Jareth
“Did they tell you where to find him, Terri?” I asked my godfather while I paced the living room of the villa, stopping by the floor to ceiling windows to look out at our private pool, the afternoon sun glinting off the water. I’d already finished my follow-up calls to the staff at the resort who were helping me find what I needed to make Hazel’s Christmas here special. What they couldn’t acquire I’d pay to fly in overnight.
“It was an off-hand comment my contact heard the Sultons say. All I had was the location and the name Bill Jones. He worked with us at the same factory. I’m sorry to say it might just be a wild goose chase.”
“It’s fine. No lead is too insignificant to follow. I’ll have Amelia locate him.” The name Bill Jones sounded familiar. There was a guy my dad used to grab coffee with after their shift. Maybe it was him.
The front door to the villa opened and Hazel’s sweet voice belted out, “Silent Night.” I’d encouraged her to spend time at the spa this morning.
“It sounds like Hazel has returned.” My godfather chuckled.
“What gave you that idea?” I laughed.
“Good luck, son. I’ll tell you if I hear anything else. Tell Hazel I said hi.”
“Will do.” I hadn’t told Terri about my change in status with Hazel.
I wanted to keep us in this isolated bubble for as long as possible. Our time together had an expiration date. It didn’t matter that I’d agree to give us a try. Deep down I knew we only had a finite amount of time. And the side of me that wanted to protect her, to keep her safe decided to be a fucking selfish bastard. If word got out that I was in a relationship any enemy I acquired throughout my life would target Hazel to get to me. To exact revenge.
“Jareth, you should’ve gone with me. The massage was amazing.” She turned the corner and threw me a wide grin. Her gorgeous skin pinked from the various treatments called to me, asking me to run my hands over her to see how far it spread across her delectable body.
“Next time, Sunshine. I’m happy you had a good time.” My raspy voice was the only indication my will power was at an all-time low around her.
As if sensing this she drew up next to me and threw her arms around my neck. Her touch sparked a tremor in me, unleashing the control that was already frayed around her. Every thought of why we were wrong together was erased by her touch.
When she placed the sweetest kiss on my cheek, I turned my head so her lips met mine. Her soft moan had me reaching for her thick waist, making me wish I hadn’t waited so long to give in to the connection between us. I pulled her close, loving how her body melted, her soft curves a sweet contrast to the hardness of mine.
I needed to claim her even if it was only temporary.
A jolt ran through me as she placed one trusting hand on my bicep and the other slid to the back of my neck. How could she see anything good in me? I had no idea. I’d fought so hard to keep us apart. Made sure I held her at a distance in order to keep her safe. Yet having her pressed against me, I was finding it hard to remember that motivation. Hard to remember that any enemy I’d incurred their wrath would see her as a weakness to be used against me. And even harder to remember that any relationship I had was likely doomed.
A sense of rightness washed over me. Contentment filled my veins. I let both invade my body, relishing how they felt, already sensing their loss when the time came.
I let go of her hip and traced her jaw with my fingertips before tugging her head right where I wanted it. Now that it was unleashed, need ravaged my body. On some level I recognized that I had to take this slow even though my body demanded I make her mine. When I rimmed her mouth with my tongue and pressed into the seam she eagerly opened for me. I groaned at her sweet taste. Each sigh, each touch, every moan she made I filed away to take out at a later date.
Even though I knew we’d part, I couldn’t stop myself from giving in. I promised her I’d give us a try, and if this trip was all we had, I was determined to give her the parts of me I could.
I kneaded her round ass, letting my hands rest under each perfect globe. I picked her up and immediately her legs wrapped around my waist. Her core nestled tight against my hardened cock. With each step I moaned as her body rubbed provocatively over mine. I headed into the nearest bedroom, our mouths hungrily fused together.
A greedy groan rumbled in my throat and I nibbled down her neck, breathing in deep, letting the honeysuckle scent of Hazel’s lodge deep within my chest. I sat down on the edge of the mattress and leaned back when she released a shaky sigh.
Noticing her wide, anxious eyes I framed her face within my hands. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
At my words, she let out a relieved breath. She dropped her chin, her fingertips tracing the tattoos from the edge of my black t-shirt to my wrist. “I want to, but I’m nervous.”
I shifted her in my lap. “There’s no rush, Hazel. We’ll wait until you’re ready.” There was no doubt I wanted her. My cock pressed painfully into the zipper of my shorts and there was no way she hadn’t noticed while wrapped around my body.
She sighed. “I don’t want you to regret choosing to be with me.”
I tucked her head under my chin and hugged her close. Her pliant body tensed further with each word. Every instinct said I needed to soothe her. To care for her. I ran my hand up and down her back in even strokes. “You’re more than just a quick fuck, Hazel.”
I felt her breath catch beneath the palm of my hand and her heartbeat pick up. At least I knew she was listening.
“If that’s all I wanted, why would I jeopardize our working relationship?”
Her shoulders gave an almost imperceptible shrug.
“I know. Logically, I get that, but illogically, I keep comparing myself to the women I’ve set up dates for you with. How they all seemed so much more experienced than me,” she grumbled.
I inhaled, letting the oxygen fill my lungs and keep me from blurting out a response. To hear her compare herself to any woman I dated when she was leagues above them pissed me off. An emotion I wasn’t used to, regret, flashed through me leaving a pit in my stomach. “I was an asshole to have you schedule them.”
She gave a wry chuckle. “You didn’t exactly know I liked you.”
“It doesn’t matter. If I could change that, I would.” I paused for a minute, knowing this moment was important. “You’re right. You’re nothing like any of those women.”
Her sharp intake of breath speared me. Hurt and anger permeated the air around us.
“You’re so much better. If I was having you schedule dates with them, it’s because they didn’t matter to me. You do.”
She sniffed. “You could’ve led with that dummy.”
“I probably slept with less of them than you think.” I was careful about who I let into my inner circle. Besides, I needed the women I had sex with to understand what we shared wasn’t anything more.
Her hands twisted together in front of her, giving an exasperated sigh. “And I don’t know what I like and I hate thinking that it won’t be good for you.”
She had no idea how sweet she was. It was my job to make sure her pleasure was my top priority. Not just her first time, but every time. I let out a low chuckle and quickly ended it when Hazel lightly smacked my arm. “Trust me, Sunshine, I have no doubt we will both enjoy it.”
“What if it takes me a while to be ready for that next step?”
“I’ll wait.” It might slowly kill me, but I’d never push her into doing something she might regret. That would kill me.
“What if?—”
I gripped the side of her neck and forced her gaze up to meet mine. “I will only say this once. It doesn’t matter how long. You’ll tell me when you’re ready. And when you finally agree to let me sink my cock into your sweet body, you’ll be begging for it. Until then, I wait. Got it?”
She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, and my dick twitched. I was going to have a lot of cold showers in the future. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do other stuff, right?”
I raised my eyebrow. “Other stuff?” It probably wasn’t nice, but I couldn’t help but bait her. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
A faint blush stained her cheeks. “We can still make out and touch each other.”
My hooded gaze roamed her body. “Where do you want me to touch you?”
“Everywhere,” she whispered.
I brushed the pads of my fingers down her arm. She shivered. “That’s nice, but not what I was talking about.” The first sign of frustration edged her words.
“Oh, then you must have meant here.” I shifted my hand to cover her soft stomach.
A low-pitched growl left her mouth. “No, like here.” She grabbed my hand and placed it in between her thick thighs.
“Good girl, Hazel. Now tell me exactly what you want me to do.” Her pupils grew wider. She liked praise. My hand lightly caressed her core over her baby-blue shorts.
She pressed her hand harder against mine. My words seemed to give her courage. “I want you to touch me. To use your fingers and your mouth on my pussy.”
I wanted to stand up and applaud at how quickly we got to this point. “It’s fucking sexy when you ask for what you want. You want it now?”
“Yes, please,” she begged, her hips rising as though trying to prove her point. She yanked at the button of her shorts, getting frustrated when her trembling hands fumbled.
I laid her down on the bed. There was no way to hide my tortured groan at seeing her laid out before me. “Let me.” I slid my hand up and popped it free.
With a shimmy, she helped the light fabric down, exposing her lacy pink underwear. “Don’t tear them.” She bit her lip, her worry clearing some of the hazy lust from her eyes.
I grinned, pretending not to understand her. My fingertips lightly caressed the edge of her panties, teasing her. “Tear what?”
Her breath hitched, making me grin in satisfaction. “My underwear. I bought them at Ashlyn’s shop. I love the style and the message.”
“And you’re afraid I’d tear them off you?” Now that she mentioned it, I did see the pale aqua stitching, ‘You are enough’ along the side.
“In a bunch of the romance novels I read, the guys tear them off and keep them.” I loved how she felt like she had to explain that to me. I wondered what else she read about in her books.
“So no to the tearing, but yes to the keeping.” I liked the idea of taking this pair and having it as a souvenir from our time here in Bali.
She frowned, clearly not sure she should say yes.
“I’ll buy you a whole new set in any color with every saying your heart desires if you let me do what I want.”
Interest flared in her irises and a wicked grin tipped up the corners of her mouth. “Then have at them.”
I laughed at her exaggerated wink.
I’d never stopped an ongoing seduction to have a conversation with a woman I was hell-bent on showing how much I desired her. Yet, I quickly realized that this was Hazel and I. We were comfortable being who we were. There was no reason to pretend otherwise.
It created a different dynamic than I was used to and a whole new layer of intimacy to what was happening between us. My stomach clenched as I wondered if I would be able to walk away when it was time or if maybe someday I could be the man she needed.