He pulled back to savor her reaction.
She breathed out hard. Closed her eyes. Opened them again. Swayed toward him. Her chest fell against his and he could feel her br**sts through the fabric of her sweater. In a hungry voice, she rasped out, “Will you go down on me please?”
A grin slowly spread across his face. “I am at your service.”
He spun her around so her back rested against the wall in his hallway.
…
If it were possible to die from desire, then this might be Jamie’s last moment on earth. She wanted his touch so badly, it felt like a primal sort of need. An ache that had to be filled, and bless this man, he didn’t make her wait. He slid a hand between her legs, pressing his palm against her damp panties.
Then two hands were under her skirt, and he stripped off her underwear in seconds. Before he kneeled down, he returned his hand to her wetness. She quivered, her whole body trembling at his touch. He brought her finger to his mouth and sucked on it. “Mmm,” he said, shaking his head appreciatively. “You taste like you’re dying for me to lick you all over and make you come on my tongue. Is that fair to say?”
Heat flared through her, threatening to turn her molten. She could barely speak, could only nod and breathe out a strangled “Yes.”
He kneeled down, resting his strong hands on the inside of her thighs as he kissed her between her legs. His lips were made for this and he went down on her as if it was air, as if it was breath, as if the taste of her was the very thing he craved for sustenance and survival. He kissed and ran his tongue across her, and when she thought she couldn’t bear any more ecstasy, he slid one strong finger inside her, and that was all it took.
She’d been hovering near the edge, teetering on the crest of a mind-blowing orgasm, and with one more touch, and one more delicious slide across her, she was there, the pressure of her climax both exquisitely intense and freeing, as she called his name over and over. She grabbed his hair, pulling his face against her, as she came on his tongue.
She flashed back to their other times. He’d been rough and hard, and she’d loved that. But just now, she’d seen another side of his touch. He savored her, he delighted in her, he cherished her. She loved all these sides of him.
Soon, he rose, and though he looked pleased with his work, he also looked at her tenderly, and with such passion, she knew there was no turning back. Not from hope, and not from the possibility of heartbreak. She’d tried to keep him at arm’s length, but that had been all for naught. She craved him in every way, and while she knew this was ending, she wanted this time with him to be more than just sex.
Later, when they fell asleep together in his bed, she drifted off, thinking how very much she liked being in his arms.
That was the problem. It was absolutely the biggest problem she faced right now. She’d painted herself into a corner, and she had no idea how to get out.
Chapter Eleven
As she walked into The Panting Dog the next day, her heart fluttered at the prospect of seeing him there, and she wanted to tell the dumb organ to settle down. She had no clue what to do or say around him anymore. She didn’t know what they were, or whether they were coming or going. She was rudderless when it came to him, and that scared the heck out of her.
Focus on the friendship, she reminded herself. That was the most important part.
She found him quickly in the back of the bar, tools in hands.
“How did everything go with Diane?” she asked as she walked up to him, with her best friendly face on.
“Great. I think she’s going to be a tremendous help.”
“Good. I’m happy to hear that. I’m seeing her later for dinner at my parents’ house, so I’m sure she can give me more details.”
“Hey Jamie. I’ve got an idea,” he said, and she detected a touch of nerves in his tone, but he continued stroking her arm, as if that action steadied him.
“What’s your idea?”
“Why don’t you bring me along to dinner? I would really love it if you’d invite me to spend time with you and your parents and your sister,” he said.
Jamie froze. Like a computer with the blue screen of death. Her lips parted and she tried to speak but no words came. Then she knew. With blazing certainty. This was the line she didn’t want to cross. Because if she did, she’d be all in, and that was as good as asking for her heart to be broken. It was one thing to talk to Diane about his work needs, but entirely another to invite Smith into her world. Inviting him in meant they were real, and being real meant she’d get hurt. Sure, he knew Diane—Hidden Oaks was a small town—but they didn’t hang out together. If she brought him into her family as a romantic interest then she was admitting out loud that he was just that—more than a late-night affair. If he was more than an affair, he’d leave her in the dust soon enough.
Leave her with nothing to show for it.
She needed to move him back to the friend zone. Officially. It was better this way. Safer this way. At least they’d have something if they stayed friends.
Her chest felt heavy as she shook her head. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Let’s just keep this thing between you and me for now. Friends and all,” she added, as if to justify her reasons. She had to focus on the friendship simply to preserve it.
Something dark passed over his eyes, but then he nodded quickly, fixing a serious look on his face. He let go of her arm.
…
Smith prided himself on being easygoing. He tried hard not to let things get to him. And he certainly wasn’t known for a short temper. So it took every ounce of self-control not to say something hurtful to match what he felt inside.