Love Required (21 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

TORI grabbed her make-up bag and stuffed it in her overnight bag. When she left the bathroom, she tried to think of what else she would need for the night. Excitement and nerves warred with each other as she thought of their plans for the evening. Over the past month, she and Jason had developed a routine of sorts—they spoke on the phone every day, sent each other messages, shared meals whenever time allowed it, and basically built their schedules around each other. On days when she worked in the afternoon, he would try to go in late and work late, so he could spend the time in the morning with her. She never asked him to do it, he just did. Of course, he asked if it was okay with her, which was so not what she was used to in a relationship.

It was obvious he was being cautious and trying not to smother her, and it only emphasized exactly how different he was from Damien. Even though she didn’t compare the two men any longer, she couldn’t help but notice simple things Jason did that had never been done for her in the past. A phone call when he was on the way over to see if she needed anything. Asking her preferences for dinner and if she even wanted to go out. All questions that never existed in her marriage to Damien.

Even before she’d married Damien, he’d simply made decisions based on his needs and expected her compliance. To him, it was her job to meet his needs. Getting lost in thought, she hadn’t realized her hand had ventured up to her scar. It was an unconscious move and she didn’t do it as often as she used to, but wanted to stop altogether. Refocusing on the night ahead, she prayed she wasn’t out of line in assuming Jason wanted her to stay at his place. Over the past month, they had slept together plenty of times, but always at her place, and she had yet to actually sleep in his bed. Sure, they’d had sex at his place, but it was always stolen moments when Lexi was asleep or with a sitter. There was even a time or two on his lunch break. She was ready to get a little more carried away with him—to feel sexier with him.  

Throwing a change of clothes into her bag, she zipped it up as Tessa strolled in the bedroom. “Okay, I have to ask, are those clean sheets on your bed?

“Of course I changed the sheets for you,” Tori answered, irritated that Tessa would think she was a bad host. But when Tessa muttered a curse of disappointment under her breath, Tori looked to her in question.

Tessa flopped down on the comforter and mumbled, “I was hoping I’d be able to smell Captain Orgasm on his pillow. That way it would be like I was sleeping with a man, too.”

Tori laughed and shook her head. “I don’t know how you still surprise me with the shit you say, Tess.”

“That’s because I keep coming up with new and improved shit,” Tessa said as she waggled her eyebrows. Sitting on the corner of the bed, Tori pulled on her new boots. They were a lot like a pair she used to own that Damien had thrown away, among other things of hers. Smiling down at them, she hoped Jason liked them.

Standing up, she moved to the mirror and took in her appearance. Her hair was falling in soft curls down her back, contrasting the light color of her dress. It was a strapless, cream-colored dress with a layer of eyelet lace and a thick brown belt resting high on the waist. The dress was shorter than she preferred, with the hem landing just below mid-thigh, making her legs look longer. And the position of the belt seemed to emphasizing her breasts. Overall, she was happy with how she looked, and she hoped for Jason’s approval, as well.

Turning to get a view of the back, she made sure the curve of her rear didn’t shorten the dress too much. From the bed, Tessa said, “You look hot, all you’re missing is a cowboy hat to match your boots.”

Tori smiled. “I know, right; it would totally make the outfit. I used to have one … maybe next time.”

She grabbed her bag, and Tessa followed her into the living room. Tori leaned forward and kissed a napping Lexi. It was the first time she would spend the night away from her, and she couldn’t help the small dose of anxiety that surged through her system. She wanted to be alone with Jason, but didn’t like feeling as though she was abandoning her daughter—no matter how irrational the thought.

“She’ll be fine, Tori; don’t worry about her. As soon as you leave here, you get to have Jason all to yourself. Parents do this all the time.”

Taking a deep breath, Tori let it out slowly, feeling some of the apprehension lessen at Tessa’s words. “I know, but I still feel a little guilty.”

“Totally normal,” Tessa said as she slung her arm around Tori’s shoulder. “Now, did you bring something sexy to wear later? Alone time doesn’t happen often so you have to make the best of it.”

“Honestly, I thought about it, but I think Jason would be just fine with me in nothing but my boots and panties.” She smiled at the image of her standing before him like that.

They both turned at the sound of Jason pulling in the drive. Tori slung her bag over her shoulder and went to the door, wanting to escape without waking Lexi. If she woke up before they left, it would be too hard to leave. Waving to Tessa, she grabbed her cropped denim jacket to wear after the sun went down. As she gently closed the door, she heard Jason before she saw him. “Holy shit …”

She looked over her shoulder to find Jason staring at her from a few yards away. Flipping her hair back, she turned and smiled before walking to him. By the time she stopped in front of him, he hadn’t said anything else, but his expression screamed loud and clear—he was a fan of her outfit. The ability to render him speechless was empowering.

With her best flirty voice, she said, “Hey handsome, you wanna be my date for the night?”

His hand met her waist, and she found herself anchored against a hard, very aroused man. He let out a long, shaky breath and with a low, husky voice, he answered, “Your date? Hell, Tori, I want to be your
everything
tonight.”

Holy shit is right
. She didn’t know what to say to that, so she just smiled. With his eyes locked on hers, the hunger and passion he showed her so well was there, lingering in the icy depths. After finally pressing his lips against hers, she could feel him trembling, holding back. She knew if she said the word, he’d unleash all that hunger. It made her feel like she was
his
everything. 

Pulling his lips from hers, he bent down and wrapped his arms around her legs, before standing back up. Tori squealed as her body was lifted straight up in the air—against his. Now looking down at him, she giggled, resting her hands on his shoulders as he turned and carried her to the truck.

“I so badly want to throw you over my shoulder and carry you back inside, but I’ll settle for carrying you like this. Because at least you’re against my body.”

“Sounds good to me,” she said, kissing him again. He groaned and placed her on the ground by the passenger door. Opening it, he took her bag and helped her in.

“What’s in the bag? Cupcakes by chance?”

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “No. Have you thought about having your cupcake addiction to checked out? It’s borderline obsessive.”

Jason started the truck and said, “Oh, I’m addicted for sure, but it’s not the baked goods kind.” He winked and turned his attention to the road.
Damn, he really said the best things.

“Got the charm on full force tonight I see. You hoping to get lucky or something?” she teased.

“Hell, I’ve already gotten lucky, anything else is just a bonus,
Cupcake
.”

~*~*~*~

JASON was ready to call it a night. He was ready to blow off the rest of the concert and find a place where he could devote all his attention to Tori. Friends be damned. The only thing keeping him from storming off with her—caveman style—was the smile on her face. She was enjoying herself, and he wasn’t about to ruin that. Scanning the crowd, he tried to find her again. The three women had ventured to the bathroom, leaving the men to stand in line for drinks. Personally, he thought one of the men should have gone with them.

The ratio of men to women at the concert was definitely tipped on the testosterone side. Everywhere he looked there were cowboys prowling around everything in a skirt. And Tori was wearing a skirt—a very short skirt in fact. He perused the crowd again, anxious to lay eyes on her. Focused on finding her, he was startled a moment later when he felt a hand on his arm. Looking down, he found a young woman smiling up at him. The line moved so he excused himself and stepped forward, tapping Jake on the shoulder.

When Jake turned around, Jason moved in to tell him he was going to look for the girls, but a hand on his arm held him up. Thinking it was Tori, he was disappointed to find it was the same woman from a minute ago, and she was now leaning into him, wearing an expression that could only be described as an invitation. While it wasn’t an invitation he would’ve accepted ever, it especially irritated him right now. He wanted Tori’s hands on him.

“Excuse me,” he said more curtly and moved his arm. Ignoring her, he looked back to Jake. “I’m going to find the girls. It’s too much of a meat market around here, and I don’t like it.”

Jason laughed and gestured behind him. “Relax Jay, they’re right there.”

He spun to look for Tori, relaxing when he finally laid eyes on her. Taking the water Jake handed him, he moved quickly. Once she was close enough, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Giggling, she asked, “Whoa, did someone miss me?”

“I don’t think you should go anywhere without me the rest of the night,” he grumbled, giving her the water.

She took a sip. “Hmm, well, if you insist. I bet you’ll have loads of fun in the ladies room.” With a wink, she continued, “There would be plenty of admirers … like that one in line with you.”

Jason huffed a laugh and wrapped both arms around her, “Well, if you want to bring up admirers, you should know there are at least ten sets of eyes on those sexy legs of yours right now. And every one of them is trying to figure out a way to get them wrapped around their waist.”

Her finger trailed a path up and down his chest, teasing him. She smiled coyly and asked, “What about you? Is there a set of legs around here that you’re wishing were wrapped around your waist? ‘Cause I can totally be your wingman. You just show me who, and I will definitely talk you up.”

She wanted to play, huh
? Jason loved her sarcastic side, but also knew he didn’t want to joke about some things. He wanted to make sure she understood her legs were the only ones he was thinking about.
Only hers
. “Baby, the only legs that have my attention are yours.”

She smirked, and he felt her slip one of her legs between his, rubbing up and down like a cat. He wanted to purr at her sexiness.

“So, you’re not the least bit interested in any other legs?”

“Not in the least,” he assured her, giving her leg a squeeze between his.

“Positive? Because we might be able to find someone who would be open to joining us.” The sultry tone of her voice coupled with her words were almost his undoing.

Jason’s eyes widened, and he sucked in a breath. “Did you really just say that? Holy shit … are you trying to kill me?” His beautiful little smartass was playing hardball.

Again, she giggled. “What?” she asked with feigned innocence. “Are you saying that’s not something you’d like? Tessa has offered plenty of times. I could just call her …”

His nostrils flared, and he pressed firmly into her, his erection obvious through his jeans. A man could only handle so much. “You feel that?” he growled in a low tone.

Tori nodded, unfettered desire sparkling in her eyes. “That’s all you. I’ve been dealing with
that
since you walked out of the house wearing that dress and those boots.” His body ached as he pressed into her again to emphasize his point. “
You
are the one who got me like this, and only
you
can satisfy my cravings.” Jason hoped his expression conveyed just as much as his words did.

The world around them had already disappeared, but when the lights in the venue fell, shrouding them in semi-darkness, he could feel the hum of their combined arousal cloaking them. The music for the main act began to fill the air, followed by excitement of the crowd, but all he could see was her. Shielded in the darkness, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up.

Unable to wait any longer, his lips descended on hers, and he took. When he felt her legs wrap around his waist, his hips pushed forward on reflex, seeking more contact. He moved his hands to her ass, securing her tightly against him. She whimpered as she ground herself against the bulge of his jeans, torturing them both. His hold was firm as held her immobile, trying to prevent instincts from taking over. They were in public, and her pleasure was for him alone. When she tried to move again, he growled and dropped his lips to her ear. “You are playing with fire my little Cupcake.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

TORI wanted to crawl out of her skin from the anticipation. She and Jason had been torturing each other all evening. As the concert progressed, it became harder not to just grab his hand and drag him out of there, all while making demands like ‘
Take me to your place and make me scream your name over and over.
’ Every time she came in contact with Jason’s body, she realized he was suffering all the same. Between the straining bulge in his jeans and the rumbling growl she felt coming from his chest, she knew he was right there with her. Thankfully the concert was over.

Their whole group walked out together. At the beginning of the evening, she’d thought it silly that they all had their own vehicles. Now, though, she was grateful. She didn’t want to deal with dropping people off. It might have been a bit callous of her, but she was dying to be close to Jason. After saying quick goodbyes and making promises to drive safely, Jason was finally helping her into his truck.

Before he closed the door, she felt a breeze as her skirt lifted, followed by the undeniable presence of his teeth pressing into her butt cheek. She let out a squeal and turned to look down at him. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat, obviously happy with her reaction. Keeping his gaze on hers, he lowered his lips and kissed the area he’d just bitten. Then the grin was back as he said, “Couldn’t help myself. I’ve been dying for a piece of that ass all night.”