Authors: Lynn LaFleur
His hand stilled on her back. “Is that a possibility?”
“No. Not at all. I don’t love Carl anymore.”
She lowered her head again. Content to simply be in Zach’s arms, she remained silent. The gentle touch of his hands on her sated body made her totally relax. She sighed and closed her eyes.
“I think you’re a fascinating woman, Jade.”
Opening her eyes, she propped up on one elbow and looked at him. “Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s how I feel. You’re beautiful and sexy, but also kind and funny and charming.” A crooked grin turned up his lips. “And a bit naughty.”
She giggled. “I’ve never been naughty. It’s fun.”
“I take it you’ve never asked a man to lick his cum from your pussy.”
Groaning, Jade covered her eyes with one hand. “I can’t believe I said that.”
“Why?” He pulled her hand away from her face and kissed her palm. “It’s what you wanted. There’s nothing wrong with telling a man what you want sexually.”
“I’ve never spoken that way, used that kind of language. Breanna tells me I’m an old-fashioned prude.”
His gaze passed over her face. “You are most definitely not a prude. There’s nothing wrong with being old-fashioned. I’ve never been impressed with women who say ‘fuck’ every other word.” He squeezed her hand. “Does my saying…graphic words bother you?”
“No. You don’t use them except when we’re making love or you’re teasing me. If you were a total gutter mouth, it would bother me.” She shrugged. “See? Hopelessly old-fashioned.”
“Hopelessly charming.”
His compliment warmed her heart. She smiled. “Thank you.”
He tugged on her hand until she leaned over for his kiss. He cradled her head and kissed her softly, breaths barely mingling. His tongue stroked her bottom lip, along the seam of her lips, but gently. It was a kiss of love, not of passion.
Everything inside her melted.
Don’t fall for him, Jade
, she told herself firmly.
Two kisses later, Jade raised her head. She ran her finger over his lips. He playfully nipped the tip of it. Her heart lurched.
Do not fall for him!
“I rented a DVD while I was out,” Zach said. “How about if we watch it while we have our snack?”
“What did you rent?”
“A chick flick.” He grinned. “The gal at the video store guaranteed it would make you cry and fall into my arms.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Ten minutes later, Jade sat on the floor between Zach’s legs, her back to his chest. He’d pulled the afghan from the back of the couch and covered them with it. She fed him bites of food with her fingers and he returned the favor while they watched the movie. Such a simple evening, but it felt so right to her.
Zach had money. The car he drove proved that, as did the custom-fit tuxedo. He could be out on the town, blowing money as if he printed it himself. Yet he was here, with her, and seemed to be content to do nothing more exciting than watch a movie while sitting on her floor.
Had she known him only one day? It seemed much longer. He was so in tune with her. He had tons of experience with women, yes, but that didn’t mean he’d automatically know what she needed sexually. Women were different in bed with different desires. Some wanted sex slow, some fast, some raunchy. She hadn’t told Zach anything, yet he’d known exactly how to please her, how to bring her to orgasm again and again.
Not even years of marriage had given Carl that gift.
“You aren’t watching the movie,” Zach whispered in her ear.
The brush of his warm breath pebbled her skin with goose bumps. “Sorry.”
“What are you thinking?”
She shifted in his arms so she could see his face. “I’m thinking about you.”
He smiled. “I like that.” His hands slid up from her waist to cup her breasts. “Are you thinking about jumping my bones again?”
Jade laughed. “Not exactly.”
“Then what, exactly?”
“I was thinking how in tune we seem to be with each other. You’re a fantastic lover. I know you’ve been with a lot of women, but that doesn’t explain how you seem to know
me
. You made love to me as if you’ve known me forever, as if you knew exactly what pleased me.”
“I did.” He cradled her jaw in one hand, his thumb caressing her chin. “I don’t know how I knew, but I did. Yeah, I’ve been with a lot of women. It isn’t always easy to understand what they need sexually, and some women won’t tell me. But with you…” He moved his thumb to her lower lip. “I just
knew
.”
Jade stared into those gorgeous blue eyes and her heart swelled. It was too soon. She couldn’t be feeling such strong feelings so soon. She couldn’t
let
herself feel such strong feelings. Falling in love with Zach would be incredibly stupid.
His thumb dipped inside her lower lip. He picked up the moisture from her mouth and spread it over her lips. “Do you have to work tomorrow?”
Unable to speak with the lump of emotion in her throat, she nodded.
“Any chance you could play hooky?”
“Why?” she croaked.
“I’d like to spend the day with you. I want to show you the house I’m building.”
Jade never played hooky. She stayed home if she was sick, but she never blew off work just because she wanted to.
It was time she did exactly that.
“I have a lot of personal time coming to me. I could take the day off.”
A slow smile played over his lips. “Does that mean I can spend the night with you again?”
“Don’t you have to…work?”
He shook his head. “My time is mine. I want to be with you.”
She should tell him no. She should tell him to go home. She should tell him she could never see him again.
Instead, she smiled and said, “I’d like that.”
Chapter Fourteen
Jade grabbed the telephone receiver after the first ring. Zach was still sleeping and she didn’t want the phone to wake him. “Hello?” she said softly.
“Mom? Why are you whispering?”
Propping the receiver on her shoulder, she returned to the sink to finish filling the coffee carafe. “I’m not whispering.”
“Sounds like a whisper to me. Are you okay?”
An image popped into Jade’s head, one of Zach spreading creamy dip on her nipples and licking it off. She smiled. “I’m great.”
“Then why did your assistant tell me you’re sick?”
Jade poured the water into the coffeemaker and pushed the “on” button. “I didn’t tell Claire I’m sick. I told her I wouldn’t be in today.”
“Why not? You
never
miss work. Mom, what’s going on?”
“Can’t I take a day off without getting bombarded with questions?”
“Not you. When I look up ‘workaholic’ in the dictionary, I see a picture of you.”
“I don’t need this abuse before I’ve had coffee, Bre.”
“Okay, okay. I guess even workaholics deserve a day off every now and then. Now, on to the good stuff.” Her voice took on a teasing note. “Tell me
all
about your night with Zach.”
“Which one?”
Breanna remained silent the length of two heartbeats. “Which
one
?”
Jade grinned. She could picture the confused look on Bre’s face. It wasn’t often she could pull something on her daughter. “Saturday night, or last night?”
“Ohmigod, he spent
two
nights with you?”
“He did.”
“Mom, that’s so cool! Now I
really
need details. Was the sex good?”
“Absolutely incredible.”
“Is he hung?”
Jade removed a carton of eggs from the refrigerator and placed it on the counter. She pictured Zach on her bed, holding his hard staff in his hand while she lowered herself over it. “If his cock was a measure of intelligence, I’d call him Einstein.”
“Mother!”
Jade giggled.
“Mom, you’re
giggling
. This is
so
cool! More details.”
“Shouldn’t you be in class?”
“No classes ‘til this afternoon. Don’t change the subject! What did he do to you?”
She sighed. “Everything.”
“Oh, God, I’m hurting. It’s been forever since I’ve had sex.”
“You were going out with what’s-his-name two months ago.”
“Okay, it’s been forever since I’ve had
good
sex. C’mon, more details. ‘Everything’ doesn’t cut it.”
“Breanna, I will not give you a step-by-step description of making love with Zach.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s personal.”
“Mom, we’re not talking about sex with Dad. I’d never ask about that. Kids don’t think about their parents having sex. That’s an ewwww moment.”
Jade chuckled while reaching for a bowl from the cabinet. “It’s an ewwww moment with my parents too.”
“It’s a double ewwww moment to think about my
grandparents
having sex. And you’re changing the subject again.”
Pausing in the act of cracking an egg into the bowl, Jade let her mind wander over the last day and a half with Zach. She couldn’t possibly put into a few words the way he made her feel. “He’s a wonderful man, Bre. Charming, kind, funny, considerate, fantastic in bed. He is
so
fantastic in bed. And on the living room floor.”
“Not the shower?”
She could hear the amusement in her daughter’s voice. “Not yet.”
Breanna laughed. “You go, Mom!”
Jade returned the eggs to the refrigerator and removed a block of cheese and plate of sliced ham. She’d decided ham and cheese omelets would be perfect for breakfast. She planned to prepare everything and serve it to Zach in bed.
“I noticed you referred to it as ‘making love’ and not ‘sex’,” Breanna said. “Are you falling for him, Mom?”
“Absolutely not.” The lie made her stomach clench.
“If he’s as wonderful as you say, I don’t see how you could help falling for him.”
“Breanna, he’s ten years younger than me.”
“So?”
“So a relationship with him would be impossible.”
“Why?”
“He’s
young
, Bre. He’ll want to get married and have a family someday. I can’t give him that family.”
“Maybe children aren’t important to him. Don’t assume anything, Mom. Talk to him about it.”
“I’ve known him two days! And not even two full days—more like…thirty-nine hours.”
“So?” Breanna said again. “The amount of time doesn’t matter. What matters is the way he makes you feel. How does he make you feel?”
Jade paused in the act of removing a wire whisk from the utensil drawer. “He makes me feel good about myself,” she said softly. “He makes me feel attractive and sexy. I’m not a chubby divorcee to him. I’m a woman he wants to be with, a woman he wants to please. He makes me feel…”
She stopped when the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Slowly, she turned. Zach stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame.
He was gloriously nude.
Zach smiled to himself at the stricken expression in Jade’s eyes. He’d caught her talking about him. Although he’d only heard her last four sentences, he liked what he’d heard. He liked knowing he’d given her self-esteem a boost.
He sauntered toward her. Her gaze moved down his body to his groin. As if on cue, his cock began to harden.
“Your daughter?” he mouthed when he stood in front of her.
She nodded.
Zach took the receiver from her limp fingers. “Good morning, Breanna,” he said, his gaze locked with Jade’s.