Fallen Woman(68)

“Surprise. He did.” Hart gathered his papers and told me he would be in touch. He expected Jase to be released this afternoon, but we would need to be in his office in the morning.

Though I was allowed to leave, I wasn’t dumb enough to believe this was over, nor that I wouldn’t be implicated in some way. Horrific thoughts ran through my mind from the time I left until the time Jase walked through the door that night.

~~~

The moment I heard the garage door open, I ran to meet him. I needed to see he was safe and whole—my imagination had him roughed up and bloody. I’d seen the pictures of what happened to Ryan when he was murdered, and I couldn’t stop replacing his face with Jase’s until I saw him in the flesh. His eyes drooped, evidence of his exhaustion written all over his face. My arms found their way around his neck as I buried my face in his skin.

“I missed you, too,” he cooed into my ear.

I struggled to maintain my composure. Somehow, our relationship had done a one-eighty in a very short amount of time. His confession allowed me to express my true feelings for him, and it was as if we’d always been together.

“Come on, let’s go inside. I want to see the kids and go to bed.” He kissed me on the temple and I reluctantly let him go, but he grabbed my hand to escort me in.

He called up the stairs to the kids from the kitchen, and the thundering hordes came racing downstairs to greet him. Emmy led the pack, launching herself into him from the steps.

“Daddy!” she cried out in joy. “Did you get to play with the policeman?” Her innocence made me smile.

The four of them crowded around him, all dressed in pajamas, wanting to hear his story. He offered it to them in exchange for bedtime and herded them like cats to Trace’s room. As much as I wanted to follow, I let him have time with them alone. They needed it, and I could tell he lit up when they all hugged his legs.

He finally joined me in our room—well, his room I now lived in. The moment he walked through the door, he started removing his clothing, throwing it on the floor as he moved. My breath hitched, caught in wonder inside my lungs, burning the longer I held it. The pounding of my heart pushing on my ribs, my pulse raced with anticipation. I knew he was tired, but I desperately wanted to feel him against me. I didn’t want to talk about the last two days or anything else. I needed to connect with him in a way we hadn’t before.

Walking turned into stalking as he approached me on the bed. The need in my mind was mirrored in his eyes. Lust. Desire. I should’ve been nervous, apprehensive…but as he reached for me, I was filled with warmth, and my lips turned up in a smile.

His hand grabbed mine, pulling me gently from the bed to stand before him. Every movement was calculated and executed with precision. A tiny gasp escaped my mouth when he released my hand, and his fingers trailed up my arm, around my shoulder, and behind my neck. I never took my eyes off his. The gray searched my face, and I hoped he could see the love reflecting back at him. Agonizing, waiting, anticipating his touch, I licked my parted lips and invited him silently to touch them. When his eyes closed, mine followed, and he connected us with a kiss.

It started slowly as he coaxed me to open and allow our tongues to meet—to dance in a desire-filled waltz. When his other hand cupped my ass, our tempo changed to a tango, and I couldn’t ignore his length pressed into me. His hands moved, caressing my skin, lifting my shirt over my head, breaking the kiss long enough to remove my clothing. But even as the excitement built, he took his time, as though he was capturing every inch he touched, committing it to memory. His lips moved down my neck, trailing kisses along the way, neglecting nothing. A shiver crept up my spine as he gave attention to my neck. My mind screamed at me to interact, take part in the game being played, but my body refused to move as I stood there, indulging in the pleasure.

We’d been naked in the shower once before, but somehow, this felt different, more intimate. I was completely vulnerable—bare. He handled me with care like he knew I was fragile. Or maybe it was his way of showing me how much he cherished me. Every stroke of his finger, every kiss of his lips, awakened a desire that had been dormant for so long. A serenity, euphoric bliss. Nerve ending after nerve ending was lighting a fire of sexual desire as he continued his exploration.

I stood, waiting for him to continue. My eyes remained closed to feel every sensation with sensory perception alone—no visual was needed. I wanted to experience Jase…not see him.

When he chuckled near my ear, I grinned. “You want to join me over here?” Slowly, my lids parted to find him perched on the bed behind me.

All I could muster was a moan of agreement. “Mmm.”

Lying down next to him, I stared longingly into the eyes that captured my heart long before my mind would admit it. I held his gaze as he moved over me, hovering, before he nestled himself between my legs. His chest was propped up, his weight on his forearms, while his hands played in my hair.

“I’ve thought about this so many times. I wondered if I’d ever get here, and now I can’t imagine ever leaving,” he confessed.

I didn’t get the impression he was referring to his physical location so much as his emotional one. Before I could respond, his hips made a slow, deep rotation, pressing his body into mine in the most sensuous way. I longed to be connected to him, feel him in a way I’d only felt one other man. Regardless of what had happened with Holland, I’d never have any recollection and refused to taint my idea of how special this union was between a man and a woman. Holland may have stolen something I didn’t offer him, but it was a gift I wanted to give to Jase.