She was his, completely under his control. Every action in response to his.
His.
When he slowed down, she cried out his name and begged him for more. When he sped up, she panted and told him how much she loved it.
Her slick essence bathed his cock in warmth and moisture, and her channel gripped him tight, each thrust and retreat filled with friction.
Mine, mine, mine kept running through his mind.
He had a millisecond to realize he was going to come before his cock jerked and shot his seed deep into her body. Barely conscious of what he was doing, he flicked his thumb over her hard little clit and felt her clamp around him in her own climax.
He heard her moan, felt her shudder against him as she ground back into him. For several seconds, they stood silently, their heavy breathing the only sound in the room.
Bending over her, he pressed his mouth to her nape, trying to calm his racing heart, which sped up the second he realized he’d screwed up in a big way.
“Annabelle.”
“Hmm?”
Her sexy murmur made desire twist in his stomach but he forced himself to ignore it. Considering what he’d forgotten, he should’ve had an easier time of it.
“Annabelle, I’m not wearing a condom.”
She didn’t flinch, didn’t tense, didn’t do any of the things he’d imagined she would.
“I’m on the Pill, have been for years.” She paused. “Unless…you have something you need to tell me.”
Something twinged in his chest and he assumed it was relief. Still, he held her a little closer as he slid from her body. “No, I’m clean. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I didn’t use a condom. I don’t think I’ve ever gone without one before.”
As she straightened, his arms tightened instinctively but she only stood there and let him hold her.
“Gee, almost like I was your first, huh?”
Her teasing tone struck a chord in him, loosened something that had tightened into a knot in his chest. “My first time was probably just as fast but definitely not as much fun.”
“Glad to hear it. But even though it was quick, we still only have fifteen minutes to get to Kate’s. And I’m going to need to change.”
With reluctance, he let her go, suppressing a groan as she bent over to hike up her jeans, giving him another look at her beautiful ass.
He caught himself before he smoothed his hand over that soft white skin. Instead, he reached for his own jeans.
“Give me a few minutes to clean up and change and I’ll be ready to go. I’ll get you a washcloth, too.”
“Belle.”
From the door of the attached bath, she stopped and looked back at him with a smile.
He had no idea why he’d called to her, only that he wanted her again. Hard and fast and a little dirty.
For a man who prided himself on his finesse, that last one caught him off guard.
“I’m glad I’m back.”
Her head tilted and she got that look on her face, the one that he swore looked into his psyche. “Me too.”
Fourteen
Sitting on the wooden chairs around Kate’s kitchen table, Annabelle still tingled from head to toe.
Hell, tingle didn’t come anywhere close to describing what happened every time she thought about Jared nailing her to the wall of her bedroom.
It’d been the closest he’d come to losing control since she’d known him.
She had to admit she liked knowing she could do that to him. But she also knew he hadn’t liked the loss of control. And she knew something had happened in Philadelphia to affect him like that.
Jared had something weighing on his mind.
And she wished he’d confide in her. Wanted him to want to tell her.
Which was ridiculous. She had secrets to keep.
And they had a business arrangement. With benefits.
She pressed her thighs together. Damn good benefits.
Now, though, he was being his normal charming self. He kept the conversation moving like a master. He made Arnie comfortable, even though she knew Kate’s fiancé had felt completely out of his depth from the moment he’d met Jared.
She knew the feeling.
“So your family owns hotels?” Arnie said after a sip of beer to wash down the pizza. “Must be tough right now with the economy?”
“My family’s been in the business for years,” Jared said in a complete understatement. “We haven’t been hit as hard as the chains since we don’t rely as much on the vacation crowd. We get a lot of business people.”
“Kate said you threw a pretty decent party on New Year’s Eve.” Arnie smiled at his fiancée, who managed a fairly credible smile for him. Only Annabelle seemed to notice it didn’t reach her friend’s eyes.
Jared’s grin, when he sliced it her way for a few brief seconds, burned. “I’m glad Kate had a good time. That’s what we strive for. What good’s a party if you don’t have fun?”
Heat burned through Annabelle’s body, hot and enticing as she remembered the secondary party Kate hadn’t attended. She wondered what Arnie would think of her if she told him about that. Arnie was by no means a prude, but having sex in front of a room full of people might just make him keel over.
Arnie was a sweetheart of a guy. He worked as a truck driver for the potato chip company in town and helped out as a mechanic at his parents’ gas station down the road. Steady, solid, hardworking.
Annabelle knew he’d make some woman a great husband.
Just not Kate.
Her sarcastic, brilliant best friend with the wicked sense of humor became a wet dishrag around Arnie.
Kate didn’t say much during dinner and dessert, and by the time Annabelle and Jared got up to leave, Annabelle saw stress starting to take its toll on her friend.
Stress that seemed just a little more pronounced lately.
Annabelle held on to Kate a little longer as they hugged good-bye, while Jared and Arnie shook hands by the door.
“Kate, are you—”
Kate shook her head, cutting her off. “Thanks for coming, Annabelle. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
Annabelle took the hint and smiled. “Sure. Thanks for having us over.”
With one more thank you, they left, beginning the short walk back to the shop down the town’s deserted sidewalks.
“I like your friends, but you’re right about Arnie,” Jared said after a few minutes. “He’s not the right guy for Kate.”
Belle let her head drop back as she sighed. “Thank you! Finally, someone agrees with me. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I like Arnie. He really is a nice guy. But they just seem so…uninspired when they’re together.”
Jared nodded, his expression thoughtful as he placed an arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer. Before she could stop herself, she melted into his side. The cold night air seeped through her clothing but pressed against him, she began to warm.
Was it possible to overheat in thirty degree weather?
“That’s a good word to describe them. Uninspired. And you haven’t been able to make Kate see the error of her ways?”
“I tried, several times, to tell her she’s marrying the wrong man. But she won’t listen. She’s decided Arnie will make a good husband and never leave her. Kate’s parents didn’t have the best marriage. Bad scene. She doesn’t talk about it much, but I think she believes Arnie will never treat her like her dad did her mom so she’s determined to keep him.”
“Sounds like desperation.”
She nodded. “Yeah, it does. It’s sad, really. It’s not something you ever want to be, is it?”
Something passed over his expression, but he quickly cleared it and smiled. “No, it isn’t.”
He didn’t say anything else and they walked in silence until they arrived at her home.