In Jack's Arms (Fighting Connollys) (9 page)

"Me?"

He tapped the tip of her nose. "You."

She bit her lower lip. "You're sure?"

He chuckled. "Yes, Abby. I'm sure."

"But—"

"No." He pressed his finger to her lips and repeated his earlier statement. "I said it. I mean it."

She seemed to finally understand what he was trying to tell her. Like Mattie, he was a man of his word.

She needed to realize that she could always count on hearing the absolute unvarnished truth from him.

The taut stress that had been tightening her expression melted. The corners of her mouth lifted and her

eyes sparked mischievously. Like a naughty little kitten, she bit down playfully on his fingertip and touched the very tip of her pink tongue to his flesh. The brief contact ignited his desire for Abby. Suddenly, he

couldn't get her home fast enough.

"Mattie is hanging out with Finn tonight so we have your house to ourselves."

Her neatly shaped eyebrows lifted with mock annoyance. "You fix one dishwasher and one window

and now you're acting like you own the place."

Though she said it with a teasing smile, he heard the light censure in her voice. "Abby, would it be all right if we spent the night at your place? Just the two of us?" He lowered his face and dotted ticklish kisses along the curve of her neck. "You. Me. A bottle of wine. A hot bath." He bit down gently, just enough to make her inhale a shaky breath, and then flicked his tongue over the reddened spot. "What do you say, Abby?"

Shivering against him, she grasped his hand. "Take me home, Jack. Make me forget about the awful day

I've had."

Her husky, needy voice spilled over him like a silky caress that went right to his throbbing dick. Before

the night's end, he planned to be buried to the hilt in Abby's slick heat, but first he would give her

everything she wanted. All of this bullshit with Dan would be a distant memory once he tucked her close

and let her drift off to sleep in his arms, sated and relaxed.

Already forming his plan of sensual attack, he gave her hand a tug and took the lead. He would have

Abby sobbing with ecstasy and screaming his name in pleasure before he was done with her.

Chapter Five

Eyes closed, I sank a bit deeper into the steaming hot bath. The soothing warmth eased the ache from

my shoulders and neck. I tipped the glass of wine to my lips and enjoyed a long, slow drink of the slightly sweet Australian Riesling.

"You need me to top that off before I slide in with you?"

A smile played upon my lips at the deep timbre of Jack's voice. "No, thanks. I'm a one glass a night

girl."

"You can let loose tonight, Abby. I'm here, and Mattie is perfectly safe with Finn."

"I'm good." Though I was tempted to have another glass, I stuck to my rule. Finally opening my eyes, I glanced at Jack and nearly had a heart attack. He had stripped down to just his boxer-briefs and—oh my

God—he looked absolutely delicious. Last night, when he has slipped into bed with me, he had stayed

almost totally clothed, just in case more trouble had arrived on my doorstep. Tonight, I was getting a much desired look at the full package.

And I do mean the
full
package. Already rock hard, his long, thick cock jutted out against the gray fabric of his boxer-briefs. The outline of his massive shaft told me I was going to be one very satisfied

woman. Just as Jack handled everything else in life, I had no doubt that he would soon prove to be an

incredible lover.

Not showing the least bit of discomfort, he confidently peeled out of his underwear and dropped them

with his small pile of clothing. He motioned for me to sit forward in the tub and climbed in behind me.

Water and bubbles sloshed over the edge and spilled onto the towels he had smartly arranged beforehand.

Leave it to Jack to be prepared for every eventuality.

Those big, strong hands settled on my shoulders. I melted back against him, loving the way his hot,

hard body pressed to mine. Soon I hoped to have all that heat and strength on top of me and inside me. I let out a low sigh as Jack's thumb worked a knot in my shoulder. He was so much bigger than me that his

hands easily manipulated my shoulders and arms, easing out the tense, painful aches and leaving me limp

and relaxed.

He grabbed one of the sea sponges I kept in a basket in the corner, dipped it into the steamy, bubbly

water and dragged it along my arm. Sipping wine and being bathed and massaged by the man I had been

crushing on for years was like something out of my wildest fantasies. The luxurious experience left me

feeling so feminine and pampered.

"You're awfully quiet tonight, Abs."

"Just enjoying all of this," I said, dropping my head back to his chest. "It's been a long time since I've had a break."

Jack wrapped his arms around me. "We'll have to do this more often." He kissed my temple. "Maybe we should make it a standing date. You know—the last Tuesday of every month or something like that."

I noticed the way he was dropping these subtle reminders of his intent toward me, toward us. It would

be so easy to believe that he really meant that he wanted a long-term thing with me, but I had been burned so many times in the past. My lack of a real, solid relationship wasn't for lack of trying. I had had plenty of great boyfriends over the years, but none of them had been able to handle the added responsibilities that

came with my family dynamic.

But Jack was different. Although I really,
really
wanted to guard my heart, I found myself falling deeper and deeper for the sexy Marine gliding that soft sponge up and down my arms and along my belly.

If ever there was a man who could be all the things I needed, it was Jack Connolly.

He was the sort of take-charge, in control man I had always craved. He ran a successful business. He

was good with money. He loved his family and would do anything for them. I had seen firsthand the way

he had fought to drag Finn out of his alcohol-fueled downward spiral. Even now, Jack had opened his

home to the father who had abused and hurt them so he could recuperate. That said a lot about his character and his loyalty.

What I wouldn’t give to have a loyal, hardworking, loving man like Jack as my partner in life. It was

too easy to imagine coming home to find him making dinner with Mattie's help or working in the yard or

taking care of one of the household repairs that crept up every now and then. I wouldn’t have to ask. He

would know it needed to be done, and he would take care of it. It would be the silent, simple way he

communicated his devotion and love.
I'm here. I've got this. I'll take care of you
.

Tempted by the possibilities, I traced the tattoo on his forearm. I decided to be brave. "I've had a crush on you since you walked into the shop that morning to pawn your motorcycle." Jack started to laugh.

Miffed, I asked, "What?"

He noisily kissed my neck. "I nearly tripped over my own damn feet when I spotted you behind the

counter. You were the prettiest thing I had ever seen. Hell, you were so distracting I screwed up the

negotiation and walked out two grand lighter than I had expected."

Jack's admission sent a deliciously exciting flutter through my core. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"You were really young, Abby."

"Twenty is really young?"

"At that time in my life, it was. I had a lot of shit I was trying to sort out from leaving the Corps and trying to fix the gym and save Finn from the bottle. I wanted you. I wanted you so bad it fucking
hurt
to walk away from you, but I knew that I couldn't give you what you deserved."

"And now?" I held my breath and waited for his reply.

"Now I'm right where I need to be." He pulled me in a little tighter and pressed his lips to my cheek.

"Now you're right where you need to be."

He palmed my breast and brushed his thumb across my nipple. The sensitive nub responded to his

teasing touch and started to harden. I tried to push away the nagging voice that reminded me of my

inadequacy in the bust department, but it was hard to ignore when I'd beaten over the head with lingerie

advertisements featuring lush, voluptuous figures since my pre-teen years.

Despite my hang-ups on my small breasts, Jack seemed to find them rather interesting. His gentle

caresses grew more arousing. He pinched my nipples, not hard enough to hurt, but with enough pressure to

my clitoris pulse. My pussy throbbed now, the core of me heating up in anticipation of the lovemaking that would soon happen.

Like me, Jack was getting more worked up too. He nibbled my neck and teethed my earlobe while

massaging my breasts. I could feel his hard cock pressing against my bottom. I wiggled my hips and lifted

my backside, widening my thighs and welcoming the long length of him between them. When I reached

down and wrapped my fingers around that big, thick shaft, he growled, the low, rumbling waves of it

rolling through my chest. "Abby."

Smiling at the way I had so much power over him, I stroked him from the wide base of his erection to

the ruddy tip and then back down again. His hot flesh filled my palm. When I slipped my other hand down

to cup his sac, Jack swore softly and then grazed this teeth over the sensitive spot where my pulse beat so erratically in my throat.

Jack shifted slightly and his cock rubbed against the slick feminine center of me. It would be so easy to

lift up just a little and let the broad head of his cock breach my pussy. I could sink down on him, letting him stretch and fill me, and rock myself to a mind-blowing orgasm on the cock I had craved for so long.

But I didn't.

Yet.

Stroking Jack's shaft, I tightened my fingers and added a little more pressure. He responded as I

expected he would, thrusting up into my hand and rocking against me. Letting my thighs fall apart, I

dropped back against Jack's chest, molding my body to his, and welcomed his seeking hands. He used both

of them to frame my pussy. His long fingers gently pried apart my folds while his thumbs settled on either side of my pulsing clit. He massaged them up and down, stimulating that tiny pearl while licking at my neck and teething my ear.

Jack cupped my breast in one massive paw but kept the other hand between my thighs. He played with

my pussy like a master, his fingertips circling and tapping until I was shaking and panting. Nestling his face against my ear, he whispered, "I can't wait to get you in bed so I can replace my fingers with my tongue."

He swirled them around my throbbing clit. "I'm going to suck this little berry into my mouth and lash it with my tongue until you come hard."

My face was so hot now. Breasts aching and nipples electrified, I closed my eyes and imagined all the

things Jack described. I could just imagine the feel of his tongue on my sex, probing and flicking until I screamed his name.

"Are you going to let me eat this sweet pussy of yours, Abby?" He tweaked my nipple, making me gasp.

"Are you going to let me wiggle my tongue here?" His finger slid down to my entrance. "So I can taste your honey?"

"Oh God." I hovered on the verge of a wickedly strong climax. No man had ever spoken like this in front of me. No man had ever said such erotic things. His words were like an aphrodisiac. I couldn't get

enough.

"Come for me, Abby. Show me how much you want my tongue here." His finger tapped my clitoris,

and I exploded with wild spasms of pure delight. Water sloshed around me, spilling over the edge of the

tub, as I kicked and rocked to the rhythm he played.

"Jack!
Jack
!"

"That's it, sugar. You come for me." His fingers rubbed right through my orgasm until finally he stopped. I sagged against his broad chest. He curved his hand over my bare mound in a protective gesture. I enjoyed the ticklish kisses he peppered on my neck and lazily stroked his cock.

"Abby, we need to move this out of the tub."

Grinning impishly, I continued to stroke his cock. "Where to?"

He groaned and pushed against my hand. "Baby, you keep that up much longer, and I'm going to throw

you down on the bath mat and take you right here."

An illicit thrill rushed through me. "Sexy as that sounds, I'm pretty fond of mattresses."

"Then you had better get that sweet little ass of yours moving," he urged.

Laughing, I climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel. Jack joined me on the mat and made hasty

work of wicking the moisture from his skin. I started to pick up the soaking wet towels on the floor but

Jack popped my bottom. "Leave it."

"But—"

"No." He swung me up into his arms, turned sideways to get me through the door and then tossed me onto the bed. Taken aback, I gasped and then succumbed to a fit of giggles when Jack hopped onto the

mattress with me. He pinned me to the bed, grasping my small wrists in his big hand, and dragging them

high overhead. My breaths quickened at the taboo thrill of being held captive. Jack must have seen the

spark of interest in my eyes because he nipped at my full lower lip. "Do you like being tied down?"

"I haven't ever tried anything like that," I admitted. Feeling a bit nervous but wanting to be honest, I confessed, "I haven’t had sex in over a year, Jack." I calculated the time since my last serious boyfriend.

"Actually, it's more like sixteen months."

"It's been a while for me, too." He traced my lips with his tongue before sucking the tip of mine in the most delightfully naughty way. "We'll take our time and make it good."

Wanting to get the birth control discussion out of the way before things got too hot and heavy, I

explained, "I have an IUD but I've always insisted on condoms. I still get tested at my yearly exam."