Fallen Woman(62)
“If you felt that way about me, why didn’t you ever take me out?”
“I did. All the time. We went to lunch, I’d bring food over to your house, you guys came here…but if you’re asking why I didn’t take you out after the agreement, that’s simple. I never wanted to buy your time. I wanted you to spend time with me because you wanted to. I needed to know you gave that to me willingly…not because there was a dollar sign attached.”
“Do you think less of me for going out with your friends and taking their money?”
“I was jealous, but I never thought less of you because I thought it was on the up and up. I believed my friends were good to you.” He stopped and thought about something before continuing. “Please tell me Max and Drake didn’t do anything stupid.”
I shook my head. “No. The one night things were uncomfortable with Drake, he sent me to you. He knew didn’t he?”
“Yeah. He knew. They all did.”
“And I’ve told you how much I love Max, and I’ve talked to Ivy on the phone several times. I’d love to see her again. They’re both fantastic. The only one who ever challenged the original agreement was Holland.”
He got up and turned off the light before returning to bed. Once under the blankets, he snuggled up to me and held me like his life depended upon not letting go.
I felt him kiss the top of my head. “I promise not to let anything else hurt you.”
If only he could have ensured that; unfortunately, he couldn’t control what other people did or said, but none of that would come to fruition for several days. I laid in the darkness of his room, held tightly by the arms I’d longed to belong in for so long.
“Goodnight, Jase.”
“Goodnight, love.”
~~~
The next morning, I woke to the sounds of kids running around upstairs and the warmth of Jase still surrounding me.
“Are you going to work today?” His voice was groggy and sensual just before he shook the sleep from his day.
“Of course. That’s not optional, and the kids have school. We need to get up.” I stretched my body, pressing my breasts in his face. He smiled against them, causing me to giggle when I realized what I’d done.
I didn’t know what last night’s confessions had meant or if anything had changed. He’d only kissed me twice within minutes of each other, but each one had been life altering. Now, lying here in bed with him, I wanted more from him. Guilt ate at me for feeling this way after what I’d been through not so long ago, but I’d loved Jase before that ever took place, and those feelings hadn’t changed. As far as I was concerned, that night never happened, and I wasn’t going to live my life as though it had.
My hand fell back on his stomach, and my fingers traced the hard planes of his abdominal muscles. I had no idea how he stayed in such great shape—he ate like crap and never worked out. He allowed my hands to explore with a gentle touch. I wasn’t trying to start anything with the kids mere feet away, but it was nice to feel free to touch him where I wanted to, and his hands demonstrated the same need to uncover new territory. I hated to get up, but we both had to get ready for work and drop the kids off at their respective locations.
When I patted his stomach, he took the hint and hopped up. “I’ll get the kids moving; you get in the shower.” And he disappeared in the hallway.
I hadn’t been in the water five minutes before the glass door swung open, startling the crap out of me. I’d covered my breasts and my crotch with an arm and hand respectively before I realized Jase was standing before me in nothing but the dressing God gave him, and oh my…was he a stunning being. Apparently, we’d taken our relationship to another level I hadn’t been aware of, but I wasn’t about to complain.
Stepping aside, I allowed room for him to join me. He pushed a button on the wall, and suddenly, water came at us from all directions. I’d never noticed it before, but there were countless spigots in the tile, heads on three walls, and a rain spout above. Neither of us had to sacrifice warmth to be together. Gently, he washed my hair and then conditioned it. But when he took the bar of soap to my bare skin, I had to hold myself up against the wall. His touch was intoxicating, the way his hand covered my flesh as the soap lubricated his path. Somehow, his fingers were still warmer than the hot water flowing around us—everywhere our skin met ignited. He lathered soap in his hands, and my head fell back on his chest the moment he cupped my heavy breasts before sliding them over and back around. I reached behind me to pull him as close to me as I could get him and felt his arousal between my cheeks. He spun me around, capturing my mouth in a scorching kiss that promised to lead to the pleasure I was desperate for.
As quickly as it started, it stopped…abruptly.
“Mommy—can you make us breakfast?” Emmy’s face pressed against the glass door of the shower, her nose smudged like a pig, staring at my naked body, and I prayed Jase’s was covered by my own.
“Sure, Emmy, but you need to run along. You shouldn’t come in when people are in the bathroom.”
She scurried along, and I died of embarrassment while Jase released a deep, throaty laugh behind me. I swatted at his bicep, but he just trapped my arms at my side. “Might as well laugh, babe. I’m sure it won’t be the last time, and we’re lucky she didn’t catch more than that. Had she been two or three minutes later, she very likely would have found her mommy in a compromising position neither one of us is ready to explain to a child.”