Chaser (Dive Bar #3)(62)

*

Later that night, she opened her apartment door with my name on her lips. A whisper like a secret. Guess it was a secret, mostly. What we got up to after hours. Or basically any hours we could steal when Ada was asleep and I wasn’t working. I’d always scoffed at the idea of people with kids making appointments to get it on. As if sex was a job to get done, tick it off a list. Sex as something to fit in around the household routine and all that shit. But now I got it. Big-time.

“Hey,” I whispered back hoarsely because oh boy.

The woman had on some silky gray robe with a matching slip underneath. It was sexy as fuck. The lingerie, the heat in Jean’s eyes, and the general quiet of the place told me Ada was down for the night. Or, please God, at least for a couple of hours. Third base was officially in the cards. And maybe, just maybe, the glorious possibility of fourth. My heart beat double-time in my chest.

After looking around to check that the hallway was empty, she grabbed the front of my jacket, dragging me into her apartment with a quiet “Get in here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I half smiled, shaking my head.

“What?” she asked, the door softly closing behind us.

“You, checking for witnesses.”

Her nose crinkled in question.

“All of the people living here at least suspect what we’re up to. If they don’t already know what we’re up to,” I said. “Are you ashamed of me or something?”

“What? No, of course not,” she told my shirt.

I tipped her chin up a little. “Tell me again, looking me in the eyes this time.”

“You’re the one in fear of castration if Nell finds out,” she said. “I’m just making sure nothing potentially interferes with my new favorite hobby.” She met my gaze squarely. “Now, can we save the talk for after the kissing … please?”

There was every chance I might be one of the great idiots of our time when it came to this woman. But I just couldn’t resist those lips. Same went for her impatience, her greed when it came to this. I tried to kiss her sweetly and lightly, to ease into things. Heaven help me, the plan lasted last all of about half a second. The press of her mouth on mine and I was lost. Hands wound around my neck, her body against mine. My palms slid down her spine, going straight for her ass yet again. Because apparently I continued to be incapable of smooth moves when it came to her. Our tongues tangled, one or both of us moaning as she climbed me like a tree. From there, we kind of stumbled into the bedroom.

“You bought more candles,” I said, but the words came out garbled. Apparently, the ability to kiss and talk at the same time took more skill than I possessed.

“You demanded at least three.”

“Mm.”

I set her down on the mattress, her hands pushing my jacket off my shoulders. “Everything off.”

“Okay.”

We disconnected long enough for me to ditch everything but my boxer briefs. Boots and socks hit the floor, while the jacket, shirt, undershirt, and pants got tossed onto a chair in the corner. Nowhere near any of the dozen or so candles because we did not need the fire department interrupting our together time. Meanwhile, Jean slipped out of the robe, but kept the rest on.

“What about you?” I asked, eyeing the slinky shift. “I like your taste in lingerie, but I like it when we’re skin-to-skin too.”

She didn’t answer.

Fine. Lingerie it was. I crawled back onto the bed and on top of her. It was my brand-new happy place. Though I’m pretty sure being under or beside her would result in the exact same feeling.

But this time her head stayed back, not arching up hungrily for my lips. “Everything okay?”

Her chest rose as she took a deep breath. “I think I’m having a moment.”

“About?”

“Watching you at work tonight.” She gathered up my hair, holding it back from my face. Fingertips slid along my jawline while a line appeared between her brows. “I’d forgotten the effect you have on people.”

“The effect I have on people?”

“You’re the whole package … funny, charming, handsome,” she said. “Not only can you string a full sentence together, but you’re also gainfully employed and without a criminal record. I’ve been on dating apps. Believe me, that combination is rarer than you think.”

I smiled warily. “Thank you. But what does that have to do with you not wanting to get naked?”

Neck arched, she kissed me slowly. Her tongue slid into my mouth, completely derailing the damn conversation. Without thought, I let some of my weight rest against her, pressing her body into the mattress. Jean eased her legs out from underneath me, her wiggling and me shifting until I lay between her thighs.

Forget happy place. This position made me fucking delirious.

“Sweetheart,” I mumbled eventually, my face buried in her neck. Christ, she was so sensitive there. One of my hands slid a strap off her shoulder, acting completely separate from what little remained of my brain. Not that I didn’t approve of the move. “Jean. Baby. We were talking.”

“No,” she moaned.

I swear the sound traveled straight to my dick. There wasn’t a single inch of me not strung out and tense with need. “But—”

“I was just having a moment of insecurity. It’s nothing.”