MisMatch (A Humorous Contemporary Romance) (16 page)

It was only after she'd done a complete
one-hundred-and-eighty degree revolution around the house that her
other senses kicked in. As soon as she smelled the rosemary and
thyme, her stomach grumbled. “What’s for dinner?”

“Chicken picatta. I take it you’re
hungry?”

She giggled. “It's like you read my mind.
But here’s a hint. I’m always hungry.”

“Noted. Wine?”

“Yes, please.”

***

For the rest of the dinner, they danced
around each other like two strangers who hadn't already spent a
whole night screwing their brains out. She remembered past
etiquette training, and he was the consummate host. It wasn’t until
he’d filled her with chicken picatta and wine that she said, “So,
are we ever going to talk about that night?”

He shifted his angle against the window to
give his full attention to her. “I thought you said it was off
limits.”

Jessica shook her head. “I changed my mind.
The enigma of you is too intriguing.” She rolled her lips in to
moisten them. “That night, you held onto me tight. You were so
controlled one second, and the next, you were so…”

“Like a maniac.”

“I was going to say raw. So, what are we
going to do?”

“You mean besides screw each other
senseless?”

His response shocked her a little, and she
giggled. “Yes, besides that. I'm not into doing the hook-up thing.
Contrary to what happened the first night, I don’t currently make
sleeping with random men a habit.”

His expression serious, he nodded. “Neither
do I. I prefer women.”

She blinked as if trying to decipher his
joke. Had he intended to make one? He was so serious she could
never tell.

She indicated the room across the hall. “You
keep looking over there. Why?”

He shook his head. “I'm focused on you, I
promise. I'm doing my level best to keep my hands off of you and
not rip that dress to pieces.”

Jessica sputtered around her glass of wine.
“Nice deflection, but what is that room? Is that where you lure
your dates then chop them up into little pieces?”
I swear to God, no more serial killer TV shows for me.
“You going to tell me?”

Eli twisted his lips, looked at the
closed-off room, then back at her. He caressed her arm with the
backs of his fingertips before taking her hand and tugging her
toward the door. “I guess you can call this place my telltale
heart.”

When he opened the door and turned on the
light, Jessica gasped. In the corner, there were large to median
slabs of soapstone, alabaster, and marble. There was a table with
chiseling tools with a well work chair. On another table in the
corner sat several finished pieces of the female form that were as
seductive and provocative as his paintings. “Are these yours?”

He nodded. “Yeah, it's only, a, hobby
though.”

“Oh, Eli, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what? There’s nothing to tell. I'm
not a sculptor.”

“Yes. You are.” Jessica fingered the
finished pieces and stared at him in awe. “These are incredible.
I’d love to use this for the opening.”

He gave her a firm shake of his head.
“Forget it, Jessica, not happening.”

She studied him for a long moment. “Okay.
It's your call. We don’t have to show these.” He might not want to
show these pieces, but they were excellent. She simply needed to
get him to understand. She had time though, no need to shut him
down. Jessica understood artists and their insecurities, if nothing
else.

The serious frown was back between his eyes,
and she tried to distract him. “Since you’re giving the world tour,
isn't there anywhere else you want to show me?”

***

“Once we do this, I can’t go back to merely
being friends.” Eli’s hands were shaking, he was so on edge. He
shook his head, trying to clear it. “I thought we agreed that it’s
not the best idea.”

Jessica’s slight shoulders lifted and fell.
“I can’t seem to get you out of my head. And honestly, you make me
feel something different. I-it scares me.”

Eli frowned. “Why? I would never hurt you,
Jessica.”

“No, I know. It’s just so intense with us.
We burn so hot that there’s no way something like that can be good
for me.”

Eli fought the inner
battle with himself. He made a commitment to Samson before he even
met Jessica. He wasn’t being truthful with her, but he wanted
her.
Bad
. “Jess,
we—” He swallowed hard. He took a step back. “We should go have
dessert.” Then realizing what he said, he amended, “In the
kitchen.”

Jessica pursed her lips. “Okay. So you’re
being the good guy. Carry on. I’m right behind you.”

He led the way back into the living room.
“So do you want some wine or—” The sound of a zipper broke the
silence in the room. Eli whipped around to find Jessica with the
zipper of her hot little number down. Fuck. All tenuous threads of
nobility ended there.

“What are you waiting on, Eli?”

His gaze flicked to her lips. “To be honest,
I haven’t the foggiest.” Eating up the expanse of hardwood with his
strides, he pulled her up against him and dipped his head to place
a soft kiss on her surprised lips. He didn’t devour, but he
savored. Even though the pumping need inside him urged him to take,
he seduced. All his rational protestations smothered.

The kiss had a tender intensity to it that
broke something inside him. He could care about her. If he let
himself, he could fall hard for this girl with the feathers in her
hair and the sassy mouth.

When he pulled back to look at her, he met
her slumberous gaze and whispered, “Last chance to run.”

Her lips parted into a wide smile. “You’re
stuck with me, for now.”

For now.
Those words burned, but he’d deal with them
later. “Fair enough then.” He tugged up her dress, giving her room
to move her legs freely.

He scooped her up so she wrapped her toned
legs around his hips and carried her into the bedroom. He deposited
her on the bed and followed her down. When his lips returned to
hers, it wasn’t quite a kiss, instead he used the tip of his tongue
to trace the outline of her heart-shaped lips. Beneath him, she
shuddered.

Jessica reached her arms around him, lacing
her fingers in his hair and keeping him close. She writhed
underneath him, and he moaned. His dick burned in his jeans, like
he’d spent hours on foreplay. That’s what she did to him—made him
feel like he was burning from the inside out.

With a frustrated moan, Jessica dragged one
of his hands to her breast. A chuckle rose from his throat. “All
right, all right, I get the message.” Settling his body between her
thighs, he caressed her breast. As he circled a thumb around her
nipple, she moaned into his mouth. Teasing the turgid tip, he
rolled it between his fingers before tugging on it gently.

Jessica’s hips bucked, and she tossed her
head back. Eli took advantage of the exposed column of her neck and
placed hot open-mouthed kisses along her throat. She wrapped her
legs around his waist clasping them tight around him as she aligned
her hot, slick core with his aching cock. Her hands moved from his
hair to score down his back and shoulders. Everywhere the pads of
her fingers traced, his muscles bunched.

When she switched from the pads to her
nails, he growled, “God, Jessica.”

“Yes?”

Reaching for the hem of her dress, he
scooted back. “I want to feel all of you. We’re wearing entirely
too many clothes for that.”

“You’re right. I’m wearing way too many
clothes. We both are.”

Eli grinned crookedly. This was the minx he
was used to. Sassy. The one who had tempted him on the dance
floor.

He agonizingly raised the hem of her dress
until it just reached the top of her head. From that position, he
had clear access to her breasts, but her hands were secured. He
leaned down and breathed soft kisses first on one, then another
nipple, each responding to his caress by instantly budding into a
hard little peak. God, she was responsive. Unlike their first time
together, he wanted to take his time. Not rush it. Taste every inch
of her.

He tugged the dress the rest of the way off
and went straight for her white thong. The brief material had
barely covered much, but at the sight of her nearly naked, he
hissed and stared. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her naked before,
but seeing her petite frame laid out for his enjoyment made him
ache to have her. He stripped the thong down over her thighs and
heard the soft fabric tear. “Shit. Sorry.”

“You don’t sound sorry.”

He grinned. “Maybe you should stop bothering
with underwear all together.”

Jessica ran her hands over his back and
pulled his sweater up and over his head. Her eyes roved hungrily
over his chest. She leaned over and pressed a delicate kiss to his
pec as she traced each muscle in his stomach.

Eli squeezed his eyes tight and tried to
rein in the need. When Jessica reached for his belt, a devilish
grin spread across her face. “There’s something I’ve been dying to
try since the other night.”

“I do hate to disappoint a lady, but it’s my
turn. Now hold still.” Unable to get enough of her taste, he
continued to trail open-mouthed kisses along the column of her
neck, nipping selectively and soothing the nips with tiny
licks.

When he reached her breasts, she arched her
back, effectively putting them on a platter for him. He knew what
she wanted. Her breasts were so sensitive. Just him sucking the
rosy tips had been enough to bring her near orgasm. He blew air
across them and gently tugged on her nipple ring with his teeth,
before continuing his travels downward. She tried to drag him back,
but he stayed her hands. “Tsk, tsk. I’m very busy. You’ll get your
turn eventually.”

Gripping her trim waist, Eli placed kisses
in her navel and abdomen, swirling his tongue inside her belly
button. He tickled and teased her by placing soft kisses on her hip
bones. Occasionally scraping the flesh with his teeth. She squirmed
beneath him. Her breath came out in ragged puffs as her hips rose
and fell in desperate abandon.

Eli ran his hands down the inside of her
thighs, careful not to touch her dew-slick lips and splayed Jessica
wide. She smelled spicy and tangy, and she was all woman. His. Need
drove him as patience abandoned him. Seeing her like this, all open
and wet for him, slick with need, made his blood roar, and he
couldn’t think.

Her hips rocked forward, seeking attention.
Instead of kissing the slick, dewy button that begged for attention
between her parted thighs, he placed soft kisses on her inner
thighs. Left, then right. Flicking his tongue over her burning
flesh.

“Jesus, Eli. Please hurry.”

Chuckling, he slid back up her thighs and
positioned his mouth at her center. Slowly, with long, meandering
strokes, he explored her swollen folds. When he reached her clit,
he traced his tongue round it, once, twice, three times, until she
was mewling and calling out his name. “Eli, Eli. Eli.”

He continued even while she begged. Stroke,
lick, tease, flick. When he could feel her thighs start to quiver,
he backed off, gently kissing her lips, never allowing her release.
She raised her hips in time to the ministrations of his tongue,
trying to urge him to go faster.

With his fingers, he gently separated her
folds and explored all of her secrets. Using one finger to slowly
penetrate her slick core, he flicked his tongue again and again
over her clit.

“Yes, Eli…” Her voice trialed as she started
to moan.

With his middle finger he stroked the flesh
deep inside her over and over again. He inserted another finger and
gently probed in time to his flicking tongue: in, out, insert,
withdraw. Jessica’s thighs quaked. “Oh…My…God…Eli…”

The demon of lust that rode Eli hard,
stopped screwing around. He needed Jessica to come. When the walls
of her pussy started to quake around his fingers, he quickened his
pace and began gently suckling her clit.

Writhing and calling his name, Jessica shook
and convulsed in his arms for a moment, then collapsed against his
pillows, spent.

Eli gritted his teeth against the need
churning his gut and held Jessica while she dozed. He’d never
experienced anything like that before. She’d completely trusted him
and let herself go. It was the most arousing thing he’d ever been a
part of in his life. Every inch of him craved release, but he’d be
damned if he rushed it. He’d suffer a million nights of torture if
it meant he could see her respond like that again.

Forcing his mind to relax, he held her to
him and stared up at the ceiling. His erection bobbed against his
abdomen, but he ignored it. After thirty minutes of torturing
himself, thinking about all the ways he could have her, he drifted
off to sleep.

As he slept, his lust-crazed mind conjured
imagery to torture him. He imagined Jessica’s lips wrapped around
him and giving him a taste of heaven. Her tongue caressed the
length of him, stopping just short of the most sensitive spot at
the underside of the tip, and then gently flicking that spot with
her dexterous tongue over, and over, and over again. Eli grabbed
handfuls of the sheets as she caressed him.

Jessica worked her tight,
wet mouth around him and sucked until his eyes had rolled into the
back of his head. One of her delicate hands stroked the base of his
cock while the other one massaged his balls.
God, damn.

Her hot little mouth
sucked him in again, taking all of him to the back of her throat,
then relaxing enough to take him just that much further.
Ah God. So sweet. So hot. So
willing
.

Eli’s muscles bunched, and blood rushed
through his veins. He jerked his eyes open as the tingle in his
balls signaled impending orgasm. His eyes met directly with
Jessica’s bright blue gaze as she once again bathed the length of
him.