The Beauty Series Bundle (33 page)

He holds up his glass. “Want a drink?”

“No. But thank you.”

He shakes his glass to settle the ice. “Come sit with me.”

I don’t say anything but I walk over and lower myself onto the seat right next to him. I don’t know if that’s where he wants me, but it’s where I want to be. I twist so I’m facing him—I have to look into his brilliant blue eyes. I don’t want to go another minute without searching them for all the things he’s about to tell me. Good or bad.

He puts his glass away and reaches for my hand. He brings it to his lips and closes his eyes as he presses a kiss into my skin and strokes my hand against his scruffy face. “I’ve missed you so much, Laurelyn.”

My stomach flips before it races my heart up toward my throat to see which can get there first. He’s facing me now and I can’t resist reaching out to touch his cheek. “I’ve missed you too—more than you could ever know.”

He turns his face toward my palm and covers the top of my hand with his. “Believe me—I know all too well what it’s like missing you. I’ve been a mess since you left me. I thought I would lose my mind before I found you. You didn’t make it easy on me, Miss Laurelyn Paige Prescott.”

He just said my name—the whole thing. “How long have you been trying to find me?”

“Since the week you left.”

Three months? My head is reeling. All this time I believed he hadn’t given me a second thought because he was too busy screwing number fourteen. I was wrong. He’s been looking for me all this time.

And that’s when I can stand it no longer. I have to feel him against me. I put my knees on each side of his hips so that I’m straddling him, as I’ve done so many times before. I bring my mouth down on his and he reaches for the back of my head to pull me closer.

We shared a multitude of kisses while we were together, but never one like this. I can’t label it because this isn’t the kiss of a man making a temporary arrangement with a woman he cares nothing about. This is different from anything I ever felt while in Australia.

He pulls away from our kiss but presses his forehead against mine. “Please tell me you’re not in love with him.”

Him? Oh. It takes a moment for me to realize who he means—Charlie. “No! I’m not in love with him.”

I look into his eyes and I can see that my denial isn’t going to suffice. “But you let him touch you… and kiss you,” he says through gritted teeth, as though it pains him to say the words.

I don’t want to have this conversation right now. And even though I want him to take me to bed and make up for all the time we’ve lost, I know we have to talk about what he saw. “I’ve spent the last three months in agony believing that you cared nothing for me. I just needed an escape from this emotional roller coaster. I thought Charlie might help me forget you for a little while.”

He drops his head back against the couch and squeezes his eyes shut. I can see he’s about to say something and his expression tells me it isn’t going to come easy for him. And that terrifies me.

S
hit
! Am I too late? Has she let this Charlie guy into her bed so she could forget me?

I am a selfish bastard, and undeniably a possessive one, when it comes to Laurelyn. I don’t want her happier with another man and I’m petrified that she is. I fear he’s giving her the things I didn’t. And telling her the words I should have but refused to say because I was too stubborn to see the truth.

I squeeze my eyes shut as I brace myself for her answer to the question I’m bloody terrified to ask. “Did you let him fuck you?”

Laurelyn won’t lie to me, but that’s only one of the reasons I’m scared to death. I stare into the blackness behind my lids. I won’t be able to bear it if she tells me she let him get inside her. I don’t know how to handle that.

I feel her hands on my face. “Look at me.” I don’t know if I can until I know she hasn’t been with another man. “Please, look at me.”

I’ve never been more frightened in my life, but I open my eyes because it’s what she’s asking me to do. Her face is so serious. I think she’s contemplating how to say the words, how to break my heart gently and kill me slowly.

I stare at her caramel eyes and wait for the verdict as she strokes her hands down my face. “Jack Henry.” I hear her say my name and I’m ready to fall at her feet. “There’s been no other man since you—not inside my head, my heart, or my body.” She reaches for my hand and brings it to rest over her heart. “No other man will ever reside here. It’s reserved for you alone.”

I hear the breath I’m holding escape in relief. Words don’t have a way of describing the solace I’m experiencing.

I feel her heart speeding beneath my hand where she’s holding it. It’s keeping pace with mine perfectly.

I bring my other hand to her chest and stroke my fingertips across her skin to push the robe away from her shoulders. I lean forward and inhale deeply after I place a single kiss between her bared breasts. She has her own feminine fragrance—despite the scent of my body wash—and it drives me crazy. I can’t get enough of it; I’ve missed it so much.

I reach for the velour belt around her waist and pull. I part the lush fabric and push it away so I can see her bareness, but simply gazing at her could never suffice. Looking has never been enough when it comes to Laurelyn. I have to touch her. And I do. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember.”

I grasp her thighs straddling me and run my hands up until I reach her hips and squeeze. My palm flat against her stomach, I slide it to her chest and back down again.

I lean forward and take her rosy pink nipple into my mouth and I feel it grow hard as I circle it with the tip of my tongue. She puts her hand behind my head and pulls me closer as she arches her back and drops her head. I hear a moan escape her lips.

She’s naked beneath her robe and squirming against my hard cock. Only the fabric of my pants and undies separates us, but I don’t think that will last much longer since it feels like I could potentially split my pants at any moment. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted her this badly.

In an instant, I’m off the couch and carrying her to the bed, her legs wrapped around my waist as she holds tightly around my shoulders. During our travel from the living room to the bedroom, she pulls her arms out of the robe and lets it drop to the floor.

I deposit her on the bed and she’s entirely naked—except for the diamond star pendant around her neck—and I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. “You’re wearing your birthday gift.”

She reaches up to touch it where it’s resting against the dip of her throat. “I haven’t taken it off once since the last time you put it on me.”

Bloody hell I love this girl.

It pleases me to no end that she has always kept this piece of me with her while we were apart. I think knowing she wore my gift so close to her heart makes me love her even more—if that’s a possibility.

I lower myself down against Laurelyn and bring our mouths together. I’m desperate to feel her tongue against mine and taste my American girl’s sweet lips. She opens her mouth to invite me in and it’s better than I remember. Her tongue rolls in waves against mine as they reunite to share an intimate dance they’ve not experienced in a while.

My kiss is aggressive because it’s been far too long since I’ve felt Laurelyn. I don’t know how to be anything but vigorous when it comes to her. She retreats to catch her breath and I glide my mouth down her neck toward her shoulder. “I love these little patches of freckles. I’ve missed kissing them.”

She giggles softly and I move my mouth down her chest. Her laughter stops and I hear a sharp intake of air as I suck her breast into my mouth. I hear her groan, “Ohh,” as I pull on her nipple until it’s hard and elongated. I use my teeth to scrape it gently because I know how sensitive her nipples are and how easily she’s turned on when I do that. I’m not playing favorites so I move to the other one and give it the same treatment before I migrate lower.

She’s stretched out on the bed and I can’t resist looking at her stomach. I rub my hand over her abdomen below her piercing and the memory of her half-taken birth control pack forces its way to the front of my thoughts. I can’t stop myself from wondering—or maybe even hoping—there’s a part of me growing inside her. It’s unbelievable that I can picture her with my baby on the way and be okay with that.

I lower my mouth to her belly to place kisses against it and I feel Laurelyn’s hand glide through my hair. I peer up at her. She’s lifted her head so she can look at me. “What’s with the special interest there?”

I’m not bringing it up now; it’s not the right time. I don’t want anything to stand in the way of me being inside her. “Nothing,” I whisper as I move lower but skip the place I know she wants my mouth most. I want to make this last for as long as possible.

I’m kneeling between her legs and I lift her foot to kiss it when I notice something that wasn’t there three months earlier—black script lettering wrapping around the inside of her ankle. “What is this?”

She props up on her elbows and gives me her patented smart-arse look that says what do you think it is? She doesn’t have to say the words because I can read them on her face. Some things never change, but I must admit I’m glad. I’ve missed her attitude. It’s refreshing. No other woman has ever given me hell like Laurelyn—except Margaret McLachlan.

I’ve always heard men marry women like their mothers. Maybe that’s why I love my American girl so much.

My thoughts return to the question at hand and I tilt my head so I’m able to see what the tattoo says as I read it aloud. “He is always the song I sing.” I look up at her. “When did you have this done?”

“A couple weeks after I returned from Australia.”

I think her tattoo refers to me—at least I hope it does—but I want to know for sure. I can’t assume anything at this point. “Tell me who he is.”

She sighs as she shakes her head. “Do I have to say the words for you to know?”

Yes. “Shit, yeh. I want to hear you say it.”

“It’s you, Jack Henry. It will always be you in every song I sing.”

“I love it.” She watches me kiss the spot where she has marked me on her body forever. “I want to be your song, Laurelyn.” I move up her leg and kiss the inside of her thigh. “Always.” Without breaking eye contact, I move my mouth to the inside of her other thigh. “And forever.”

She closes her eyes and falls back against the bed. I hear her panting as I inch my mouth closer to the spot where she wants it—where she needs it most. Her legs are trembling as I push them apart. I press my nose against the smooth skin there and inhale deeply. “I love the way you smell.”

She’s writhing beneath me. I lower my mouth until I’m hovering between her legs, but I don’t touch her. I make certain she can feel my warm breath. I hear her whisper, “Please… Jack Henry… don’t make me beg,” as she lifts her hips closer to my mouth. Her shifting tells me that she’s dying for my soft, wet tongue to lick her.

I bet I could make her come without even touching her, but we’ll save that little trick for another time.

I kiss her across the top of her pubic bone. “Do you remember how easy it is for me to make you come with my mouth?”

“No. Remind me,” she whispers, lifting her hips again.

“Let me see if I can jog your memory a little.” I butterfly kiss her drenching wet center before I slide my tongue up the middle. I hear her moan, “Ohh… ohh… don’t you dare stop.”

She tastes so fucking good, I wouldn’t dream of stopping.

She’s breathing deep and loud as she rocks her pelvis up and down against my mouth. I can tell how much she’s missed this. And I have too. Words can’t express how much, but her sounds of satisfaction are giving me a pretty good indication of the degree. I’m feeling sure that I haven’t forgotten her favorite way to get off.

I flatten my tongue against her and slowly lick her core up and down. I know how much she loves it that way. I’m reassured she’s getting exactly what she needs from me when she begins to rock her hips harder. I want to give her the best orgasm of her life, so I slide one finger inside her—and then a second—as I continue to use my tongue above the entry of my fingers. The stimulation of my warm, moist tongue combined with my fingers sliding in and out has Laurelyn screaming my name as she fists my hair to pull me closer.

Her legs are trembling and a moment later, she goes limp and releases my hair. Her breathing deepens and slows, a contrast to the panting of just moments ago.

One down.

I lick my lips to collect the last taste of Laurelyn before I sit up to remove my T-shirt. I toss it to the floor and slide off the edge of the bed so I can remove my pants and undies. When I’m as naked as she is, I crawl up her body, stopping along my way to place another kiss against her belly. God, I wish I knew if there was a little miracle growing inside her right now.

I settle between her legs and we’re face to face. Heart to heart. Skin on skin. She reaches for my face and strokes her fingertips down my cheeks. “This scruff is extra… stimulating.”

I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing. Maybe even great. “More stimulating, huh? Does that mean you want me to keep it?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely,” she says with a mischievous grin. “I would have hidden your razors had I known what that kind of scruff would feel like when you went down.”

She’s being funny but what I’m about to say isn’t at all comical. I prop on my elbows so I’m not crushing her with my weight, and I take her face in my hands so we’re eye to eye. “I love you, Laurelyn Paige Prescott.” Her eyes tear up and I press my forehead to hers because I can’t watch. I’ve never been able to stand seeing her cry. “Please don’t cry, baby.”

She grabs my head and pushes it away from hers. I’m forced to look at her and watch the tears roll down the sides of her face. “They’re happy tears—the best kind—because I love you too and I’m so very happy.”

She has a million and one reasons to tell me to fuck off—and she probably should—but I can see that she isn’t going to. By some miracle, she still loves me. “You’re the only angel in my life, Laurelyn.”

She grabs me behind my neck and brings my mouth down to hers. She kisses me softly and slowly and when she releases me, her mouth is still against mine so I feel the movement of her lips. “Make love to me.”

I’m still nestled between her legs. She brings them up and parts them wider for me to get closer. I’m hard and ready against her drenched entrance, but I don’t know if I should use a condom. I don’t want to ruin the moment by asking and frankly, I don’t want her to tell me I need one. I want to be inside her without anything between us, so I relinquish the entire control of contraception to this woman I absolutely adore.

She knows I’m about to go in. If she doesn’t tell me we need a condom, then there’s only two options: she’s either back on track with her pills or she’s already pregnant with my baby.

As if she senses the battle raging inside my head, she lifts her hips against me and coaxes my tip inside of her. She rocks her hips and it’s all the invitation I need. I slide my remaining length into her until I’m as deep as I can be in this position.

Oh, fuck! She feels so good. I have missed being inside of her so much.

I’ve only made love to Laurelyn one other time. I didn’t realize how I felt about her then. But now, I know I love her. There’s not a bit of doubt in my mind. “It’s been so long since I felt you—far too long.”

I’m sliding in and out of her and I’m overcome by the need to tell her what she means to me. I trail kisses up her neck until my mouth hovers over her ear. “I love you so much, Laurelyn. I swear I do.” I can’t stop feeling like I need to tell her over and over to make up for all the times I didn’t.

Her hands leave my back and she runs her fingers through my hair. Her nails gently scrape my scalp and goosebumps form all over my body. “I love you too, Jack Henry. So very much.”

I slow my thrusts because I want this to go on forever and ever. My hands find hers and I bring them above her head where I lace our fingers together tightly. She is my everything and I’m never letting her get away again.

She opens her eyes and they watch mine as I move above her. As I’m sliding in and out, I can’t help but notice how incredibly tight she is. There’s not a doubt in my mind—no other man has been inside her. I believed her when she said that there hadn’t been another, but feeling her like this gives me a bit more satisfaction. And pleasure.

I thrust the last few times before I’m about to come. I don’t ask her if I need to pull out. I’m sure she’d tell me if she wanted me to. “Oh, Laurelyn,” I groan as I squeeze her hands and thrust one last time as I come inside her. She brings her legs up around my waist and crosses her ankles behind my back. She uses the strength in her legs to bring me closer until there’s not a bit of space between us.

Mmm. Coming inside her. That’s something else I’ve missed.

I pull out after I’m completely emptied and satiated. I roll to my back and pull Laurelyn to lie against my chest. I rub my hand up and down her arm. She’s still cold, so I reach for the covers and bring them up over us.