Chapter Seven

Alexis:

I spend the afternoon thinking about the series of kisses we shared, and how I utterly failed to convey my apathy. It’s probably because it doesn’t exist. I guess I spent too many years following him and thinking myself in love with him to completely remove any reaction now that he’s finally paying some attention.

I know he only wants something physical, and that’s not what I want. I’m not the kind to just sleep with someone casually, though I certainly see the appeal, especially in situations like this.

I certainly didn’t prove I don’t want him this afternoon. I might as well have worn a neon sign advertising my arousal. If he’d reacted differently, we probably would’ve slipped into the nearest room, and I would’ve gladly surrendered to the passion and ignored common sense.

I’m afraid I’ll still do that, so I’m on my guard as I watch for him to return. I’ve been downstairs all afternoon and evening, since I can’t afford a front desk person, so I know he hasn’t returned to his room. I’m actually starting to worry about him as the clock edges toward ten p.m. Is he all right? Has he gotten lost?

Now, that’s a silly thought. He hasn’t lived in Sage Valley for ten years, but it’s essentially the same town as it was before, minus the loss of a few businesses and the additions of new ones. The streets are nearly the same, and most of the same families live in the same places. Whatever he’s doing, he’s not wandering around aimlessly lost.

Is he injured? I can’t help worrying about that. I know he didn’t take Cindy cross-country skiing, and she seemed sulky the few times I saw her over the afternoon, and then her husband checked in this evening. I can see why she’s interested in Jace, since her husband has to be thirty years her senior, and he hasn’t aged well, but I was happy to see him. I can’t believe I got jealous over Jace talking to Cindy when all the flirting was on her side.

The only time I’ve ever felt like this before was when Jace had girlfriends in high school. I always hated Tina Weinstein, but especially when she started dating Jace. She’d never been a very nice person to start with though, so I felt no guilt even to this day for harboring lingering resentment toward her.

It’s ridiculous to feel this way ten years later though. I’m a grown woman with grown problems, and Jace shouldn’t even be among the list of them. What am I thinking, sitting her dwelling on him, wondering if he’s all right, and continuing to replay that last kiss in my mind?

I shake my head at my own silliness and pick up my phone. I open the reading app, and though the book is compelling, along with being sexy, it fails to hold my attention. I’ve read the same line three times when I hear the front door of the B&B open, followed by footsteps a moment later. I look up, unsurprised to see Jace, but relieved he’s here. I try to go for an aloof air and nod at him. “I was beginning to think you might’ve gotten lost, Mr. Wilson.”

He rolls his eyes at the use of his last name. “I’m just fine, Ms. Taylor.” His tone is teasing.

I can’t help it. My lips shake enough to form a small smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

He shrugs a shoulder. “I guess I am.” Then he frowns as he looks at me. “You look like hell, Alexis.”

“No wonder you’re such a ladies’ man with like the lines like those,” I say as I put away my phone. “Did you get your cookie for the day?”

His eyes widen as he shakes his head. I reach under the desk and pull out one of the cookies. We have extras, so I take a second to give to him as well.

“You must’ve forgiven me a little if you’re giving me cookies now. I noticed I didn’t get one yesterday.”

I flush as I look away from him. “I must’ve forgotten.”

He snorts, but he takes the cookies, moving them out of range as though he’s afraid I’ll change my mind. “Yeah, that must’ve been it. You weren’t punishing me at all.”

I glare at him, my emotions swinging back and forth like a pendulum. “You didn’t really deserve a cookie, did you?”

He grins. “I’d like to think I do, but you’re right. Maybe I should earn one.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

He’s already coming around the desk, and though I want to open my mouth to protest, in moments, I find myself sitting on the counter as he lifts me up so he can take my chair. My feet are in his lap a second after that, and he’s removing my tennis shoe. I didn’t bother with snow boots, knowing I wouldn’t be outside for much of the afternoon and evening.

“What are you doing?” I frown at him in confusion as he takes off my other shoe and starts unrolling my sock. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but…” I trail off into a groan as he starts to massage my foot. He pays special attention to the arch, which is hurting from being on my feet off and on all day. I moan.

He turns me to putty in seconds, and he’s not even doing anything overtly sexual. “Whatever you’re doing, don’t stop.” I close my eyes and lean back, resting my head against the higher part of the check-in desk as he continues to rub my foot. It’s not the most comfortable position, but the pleasure he’s evoking goes a long way toward assuaging any discomfort from sitting awkwardly on the wooden furniture.

“You can’t keep doing this to yourself, Alexis. You look worn out, and it’s not healthy for you.”

There’s a hint of bossiness in his tone, but I can detect concern underneath it, so I choose not to respond in a combative fashion. “I know you’re right, okay? The thing is, I can’t afford any extra help, and I can’t just leave the front desk unattended while guests might be awake.”

“How do you handle calls in the middle of the night?” He’s glaring at me softly, as though daring me to lie to him.

“We don’t usually have that many.” I moan again as he finds a particularly sensitive spot and rubs it with his thumbs. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Who answers the nighttime calls?” He sounds like he’s an interrogator for the moment, and I’d assume he was an interrogator with military intelligence if I didn’t know he’s a pilot.

“I do, because there’s no one else to, but I’m saying it doesn’t happen very often.” That’s not entirely true. There is usually at least one call each night, but I do what I have to.

He sighs. “You need to hire some help.”

I can’t help laughing, though it’s a bitter sound. The topic starts to eat away at the relaxation he’s generating. Just thinking about the financial situation I’m in makes me tense. “It’s not that simple. You might not believe it, but employees actually want to be paid for their time.”

He sighs again, but all he does is change from one foot to the other, rearranging me so that the foot he just massaged is now stretched out on the arm of the chair as he shifts positions the other one. “Have you thought about taking on investors?”

I frown at the idea. “Not really. I want to do this by myself.” I’m sure Layne’s family would be happy to invest, but I can’t take money from the Bentleys, even though I’m close to them. It just feels wrong.

He frowns. “What about from a friend or family? Why don’t you take investments from them?”

My pride is stiff, but reality is also pressing upon me. With a reluctant nod, I say, “I might consider it under the right circumstances.”

“You should talk to people about it then. I’m sure there are a number of people here who would love to help contribute to the business and help keep it running until you get firmly established. This B&B has greater potential to draw in a lot of a different clientele than other places in Sage Valley.”

I shrug a shoulder, too exhausted to care about potential clients right then. His slow massage is making me tired, and my eyes start to close. “Yeah, maybe. I’ll give it some thought.”

“In the meantime, I’ll help out while I’m staying here.”

I want to refuse, but it sounds like heaven at the moment. My eyes close a little more, and I say, “Okay.” I sound like I’m talking from a distance.

“Are you falling asleep?”

“No,” I say, but I don’t really recognize the word. A moment later, I’m aware of slumping forward, but I land against a warm body, and I just lay there for a few minutes.

He holds me on his lap, and I’m awake enough to be aware of where I am, but too tired to acknowledge the danger of the position. I hear the clock chime eleven a while after that, and I murmur, “I can go to bed now.”

I expect him to place me on my feet, but instead, he stands up with me in his arms and starts walking up the stairs. I snuggle against him, enjoying having someone take care of me for the moment. I know it’s dangerous, but I’m not in the right state of mind to acknowledge I’m in a vulnerable state that might lead me to make poor choices.

He takes me down the hall, obviously determining where my bedroom is. There’s a keycard hanging from a lanyard around my wrist, since I have this part of the B&B closed off from guess. He lets us in and carries me down the hall to my bedroom.

He lays me on the bed. My arms twine around him, and I whisper, “Stay.” I don’t care about consequences right now.

When he pulls away, I think he’s leaving me. There’s an ache in my stomach, and I find it hard to breathe for a moment. I can’t believe how shattered I am that he isn’t going to take me up on my offer.

Instead, he starts to strip off his clothes, and I quickly realize he’s not going anywhere. I hold out my arms for him once he’s down to nothing, and he returns to the bed. He kisses me again, his mouth slow and gentle on mine. This isn’t the kind of devastating, devouring kiss we shared earlier. It’s gentle and sweet, full of caring, and though I’m not convinced of its sincerity, I allow myself to believe.

He might not love me, and he certainly doesn’t want a lifetime, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about me. I’m not in love with him either. That was a long time ago. This is all physical, along with addressing some residual feelings that I have no right to still carry around.

I convince myself this will be cathartic as his mouth moves lower while his fingers go to the waistband of my jeans. He pops the snap, and the zipper comes down. I lift my hips to assist him as he pulls down my underwear and jeans, breaking contact with me long enough to pull them off my body and toss them away.

When he returns, I part my legs, enjoying the feel of his bare body against mine. He’s hot against my skin, with just the right amount of hair, and firm muscles. He’s quite a bit larger than me, but he’s clearly tempering his weight as he hovers over me.

“Why don’t you sit up and take off that sweater?” He makes the suggestion as his fingers lightly flirt with my slit.

I’m breathless and gasping for air as I sit up. It’s been too long since I felt passion, and I can freely admit I’ve never felt like this before. It’s more intense than anything I’ve ever known. Even in the throes of my strongest feelings for him, I was still an inexperienced teenager and had no idea what to expect. Now my mind can fill in the blanks from experience, and I’m positive this is going to be the best sex of my life.

I strip off the sweater and the bra underneath, and then I’m as naked as he is. My hands don’t remain idle. I rub them down his back and across his dark skin, appreciating the smooth flesh. I frown when my fingers run across a furrowed ridge on his ribcage. “What happened?”

“One of the planes I was testing failed, so I had to eject. My parachute didn’t open completely, so I hit the ground a lot harder than usual. I broke some ribs.” He sounds blasé.

It’s too dark in here to see the scars, but they feel deep. “That feels like a lot more than broken ribs.”

“A few popped through the skin. I had to have some reconstructive surgery. No big deal.”

I snort. “Sure, no big deal.” I start to ask about his career choice, or maybe suggest he do something safer, but then his mouth covers mine again, and I forget all practical matters. His tongue delves into my mouth, and I stroke it with mine as the heat of his cock presses against my mound. I rub against it, making him groan into my mouth.

He breaks the kiss as he flips me over, his hands cupping my breasts as I sit upright on him. I’m still rubbing my pussy against the hard length of his cock, and he grasps my hips a moment later, straining against me in a similar fashion. He’s not inside me, but that tantalizing possibility is there, and it makes me even wetter.

My pussy creams, and he groans. His hands move from my hips to my thighs. I’m dislodged and start to fall as he picks me up to bring me higher up his body. I grasp the headboard for support as Jace positions my pelvis over his face. A moment later, his tongue is inside me, squirming and exploring, and I gasp at the sensation and the position.

It allows him to dip his tongue deep inside, and I arch against his face. My hands couldn’t let go of the bed frame if I tried. Holding it in such a white-knuckled grasp is the only think keeping me aloft. If I let go, I’m going to melt into him, and I don’t want him to be solely responsible for holding me up.

I don’t want to distract him from his self-appointed task. His tongue seems to be drawing figure eights inside me, slipping around my clit and downward before swiping the same area again. His rhythm is difficult to discern, but I’m just getting closer to coming when he suddenly changes again.

Instead of softly swiping, he starts tonguing the hood of my clit firmly. It almost hurts, and I draw in a deep breath. His mouth gentles immediately, but that change the stimulus yet again. Now, his tongue dips down to explore my opening again, and my clit pulses at the deprivation.

“Please, Jace, don’t tease me.” Is that my voice? I sound desperate and on the edge. It’s all I can do not to move my hands from the headboard to his head, bury my fingers in his short curls, and direct him where I want him to focus.

He laughs, which sends a vibration through me that enhances my pleasure further. I’m on the cusp of coming, but I’m afraid to embrace it. I expect him to change the tempo again.

Instead, he just sucks my clit into his mouth suddenly, and I shatter in his arms. I let out a keening cry that I can’t seem to stifle for a long moment as his tongue gentles, immediately switching to very light strokes as the orgasm ravages me.

There’s no other word for it. It tears me apart and puts me back together in some semblance of the woman I was just seconds before, but I feel completely changed. I’m shuddering, still in the throes of it, when I realize he’s pushing me toward another one.

His mouth is persistent, allowing no chance to escape, even if I want to. I most certainly don’t, already relishing coming like that again. I expect it to be less intense, since my first orgasm is usually the most powerful for me, but somehow, this is stronger still.

When my hips stop rocking, and my breathing levels some, his mouth moves away from me, and I’m aware enough to loosen my hold on the headboard as he starts guiding me down his body again. He places me firmly on his cock but doesn’t enter me yet. I can feel his bare skin against mine, and I focus enough to look down at him. “I’m on the pill,” I manage to say.

He groans low in his throat. “I don’t fuck without a condom.”

I bite my lip. “I don’t have any. I certainly wasn’t expecting this. It’s been the Saharan desert around here lately.”

He laughs, though he seems to be struggling to maintain control. “I mean, I never fuck without a condom. I’m completely clean. If you trust me, we don’t need to bother with it.”

It’s insane. Of course it is, but I do trust him. Even knowing his reputation, I also know Jace is a stickler for avoiding responsibility. There’s no way he’d risk knocking up someone, so I don’t doubt he always wears a condom. It makes me realize how much he must trust me as well, to take my word for being on the pill. I’m not lying, but it’s a risk for him also. I accept my share of the risk, and I nod. “I trust you.”

He pulls me into position, and I open myself for him using my hands that are still slightly numb from gripping the headboard so hard. Once we’re both in the right position, he slowly lowers me down, and I relax against him.

His cock is big. It’s the biggest one I’ve ever taken, and I gasp slightly as he pushes through me, slowly forging a trail into tissue that hasn’t been tried for a while. I’ve never accepted a challenge like this, but I won’t let it defeat me.

With a deep breath and some shifting, I find the right angle to take him fully inside me, and when he’s buried to the hilt, we just stay like that for a long moment, our gazes locked.

Jace is the first to start moving, and I rock against him, maintaining the slow and careful thrusts. I know he must be clinging to his control with rock-hard will, and I want him to lose that control. I want the wild side of Jace, the side that isn’t tamed and easily sated.

To provoke him to show it, I rake my nails done his chest, carefully ensuring I get both nipples at the same time.

He rasps, his breath going through his teeth in a harsh sound. His hands move my hips, holding me against him, and he starts to rock harder up into me. I’m pressing down against him as hard as I can as well, and we’re thrusting in a quick, ragged rhythm that makes no sense, yet we seem to pick up on each other’s instinctive shifts.

We share a seamless synchronicity as we fuck each other, each of us straining to take all of the other. I’ve never known anything like this, and as I stare down at him while desire permeates his expression, I realize I could get addicted to him.

Not just the way we’re having sex right now. I could get addicted to seeing Jace in my bed, feeling him inside my pussy, and having this moment whenever I want. It’s a heady thought, and it’s enticing in its own way, but I try to ruthlessly squash it with the reminder that this isn’t a long-term thing.

He hasn’t spelled it out, but I know enough from what I’ve heard from Jamie and observed over the years that this is going to be a short-term fling just like all his others. I’m nothing special in the scheme of things, and I need to remember that.

That doesn’t mean I can’t leave a mark on him, and it pleases me to think I might be the first woman he thinks about every time he has sex in the future. With that goal in mind, I slow the pace again, and he matches.

I massage him with my inner muscles, coaxing him toward completion as I scratch his nipples again. His fingers dig hard into my hips, and with a growl, he turns me over abruptly.

Were in reversed positions now, and he pounds into me as hard as he can. The bed and the position we were in before necessarily restricted his movements, but now he’s wild and unconfined. This was exactly what I wanted, and I strain to match his pace, feeling the same uninhibited ferocity as I dig my nails into his back while he rocks in and out of me. The headboard slams against the wall, and we’re both making grunting noises. It’s wild and animalistic, but it’s also perfection in the moment.

As we reach the penultimate moment, our gazes meet, and he bends his head to kiss me. In the maelstrom of our impetuous joining, his kisses are an unexpected anchor in the storm. We’re still thrusting hard against each other as our mouths connect again, and he kisses me with such gentle tenderness that it’s impossible to believe how quickly and aggressively our pelvises are our pressing against each other, in need of release.

The juxtaposition sends me over the edge, and I almost burst into tears at the overwhelming emotions from the moment. He continues to kiss me lightly, even as his cock twitches inside me, and he spills his seed a moment later. I hold on to him, still making small thrusts with my hips as I wring every last bit of pleasure from the moment, while he stays still.

He tosses his head back abruptly, making a low groaning sound, and the last of his spasms start to fade. My convulsions are dwindling away as well, and I cling to him as he turns us onto her sides.

We’re still joined, his semi-hard cock inside me, and I have a feeling it won’t be long before we’re rocking against each other again. For the moment though, we’re spent and content, and I take his hand, wrapping it with mine. It’s a tender gesture, and I’m almost afraid I cross the line with him, but he gives no indication that it worries him. Instead, his hand curls around mine, and he holds me against him as our rapidly pounding hearts slowly return to a more normal pace.

There’s no real normal to return to for me though. This night has changed everything for me, and I know I’m a fool to have indulged in it. Having a glimpse of what I could have with Jace, but knowing I never will, is going to break my heart.

It’s a mistake I can’t afford to make again.