Fever (40 page)

that made him dizzy.

“I love you, Bethany.”

“Jace!”

But he wouldn’t allow her to cry. Not in his bed and not while he held her. He wanted only her

happiness and as long as he had the power to keep those tears at bay, he’d do so.

“Make love with me, baby. Again and again. This time with us both knowing that you belong to me

heart and soul.”

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled him toward her until she folded beneath him,

falling back on the mattress. He went with her, pushing her firmly into the bed, his mouth devouring

hers, his body covering hers.

“Never felt like this for a woman,” he murmured against her skin. “Never before. Never will

again.”

“Jace,” she whispered, a husky catch in her voice. “Love me. Please.”

“I do. I will. Love you. You never have to ask for that, baby. It’s yours. I’m yours. That’s never

going to change.”

He kissed his way down to her breasts, tonguing one nipple into a rigid peak before turning his

attention to the other. He licked and then sucked, loving the excited hum that emanated from her. Her

entire body went taut beneath him and she arched into his mouth.

Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling and then holding him firmly against her breast.

He smiled. “My baby likes that?”

She groaned. “The only thing I love more is when you have your mouth down . . . there.”

Still adorably shy. He loved that about her. How hesitant she was when it came to telling him her

wants and needs.

“Never let it be said I didn’t make every effort to satisfy my woman,” he purred as he moved down

her body.

He spread her thighs, opening her sweet pussy to his gaze. He traced a finger down the delicate

folds, opening her wider so he had access to the swollen, pink flesh. It glistened with her moisture

and his dick went even harder as he imagined her taste on his tongue.

He licked roughly, swiping the entire pad of his tongue over her entrance and up to her clit. He

swirled delicately around the velvety nub and then carefully pulled it between his lips with a light

sucking motion.

She bucked beneath him, arching, her fingers diving into his hair to hold him in place. He feasted

on her. Eating, licking, sucking, sliding his tongue inside her, fucking her with liquid strokes.

He couldn’t get enough. He’d never have enough of her taste, the sensation of her, silky and sweet

against his lips. He loved how she trembled beneath his touch, her little gasps and breathy sighs.

Never had he imagined being so gutted over a woman. He hadn’t lied when he’d told Bethany that she

held immense power over him. Far greater power than he’d ever wield over her. Because without

her, he had nothing.

Without her, his money, wealth, prestige, none of it meant a damn thing. She didn’t believe herself

worthy of him because he had material things she didn’t. But what she gave him was sweeter, was

without price or measure.

“Jace,” she said on a soft moan. “Baby, please.”

It was the first time she’d ever used an endearment and he liked it. He liked it a hell of a lot. He’d

never considered himself a man who wanted his woman to call him cutesy names. He himself had

never used them with another woman. But with Bethany, the words came so easily. Affectionate terms

that slipped from his lips before he even knew they were coming.

“Say it again,” he said huskily.

She lifted her head, her eyes soft with love and warmth. “Say what?”

“You called me
baby
.”

A smile curved her lips and her eyes shone as her smile broadened. “You liked it?”

“Yeah,” he said gruffly. “I did.”

“Baby,” she whispered.

He closed his eyes and licked over her sweet pussy again, enjoying the intense shiver his mouth

forced from her.

“Tell me how you want it,” he said. “Do you want to come in my mouth or do you want me inside

you?”

“I get a choice?”

There was amusement in her voice and he lifted his head to see the teasing glint in her eyes. God,

he loved this. The comfortable, easy rapport that had built between them. He could well imagine them

laughing and loving this way for the next several decades.

“Yeah, baby, you get a choice. Either way, you come, so I figure it’s a win-win for you. And it’s a

win-win for me as well. Either you come all over my tongue—definitely no downside to that choice

—or you come with my dick so deep inside your pussy that my balls are straining to get inside you

too.
Definitely
not a downside.”

She laughed softly and her head fell back against the pillow, a contented sigh escaping her chest.

“Well. It is a hard decision because you have such a wicked, wicked tongue. But I really love it when

you’re inside me.”

“Say no more,” he growled as he shifted up her body until their mouths lined up.

He kissed her, stroking his tongue deeply over hers, allowing her to taste her essence, the sweet

musk he carried on his tongue.

“Help me inside you, baby. Guide me in.”

He nearly lost it when her fingers curled around his rigid cock and then with her other hand she

spread the folds of her pussy and positioned the head of his dick at her opening.

She paused a moment, stroking lightly with her fingertips, sliding them up to cup his balls. She

massaged and rolled gently until he was damn near panting with need. He was so close to spending

himself all over her pussy before he ever got inside her.

She did that to him. Made him crazy with need. Made him forget his control, his patience. He

closed his eyes and held his weight up off her with his forearms.

“You ready?” she whispered.

“Little tease,” he whispered back.

She grinned and then arched up, sheathing him an inch. Then her hand left him and she wrapped her

arms around his shoulders, pulling him down so he was flush against her body.

“Take me. Make love to me, Jace.”

He slid inside, slow and gentle, pushing until his hips met the backs of her thighs. She hooked her

ankles around his back, moving with him, countering his thrusts.

He kissed her lips, moved to the corner of her mouth and then kissed a line down her jaw to her

ear. He nibbled playfully at the lobe and then sucked it between his lips, mimicking the attention he’d

given her breasts.

She went wet around his cock, bathing him in instant heat.

“My baby likes that too,” he murmured.

“Mmmm,” she moaned. “My ears are so sensitive.”

He licked the lobe and then traced the shell of her ear until she shivered violently beneath him. Her

pussy contracted and then clenched tightly, sucking him deeper.

“She really, really likes that,” he said with chuckle.

Her teeth sank into his shoulder and it was his turn to shudder and tighten over her.

“Hmmm,
my
baby likes that,” she said smugly.

“Hell yeah, I do. I like your teeth, your mouth, your tongue. Any part of you I can get, baby. I like it

all.”

“In that case . . .”

She nipped her way up his neck to his ear and then back down again. His nerve endings sizzled and

went haywire. His cock surged forward, hammering into her until he feared hurting her. But he was

beyond control, his body taking over his need and instinct to find release.

“Get there,” he gritted out. “Get there, baby. I’m close. Won’t last much longer.”

She circled his neck, hugging him against her as she lifted her body to his as if seeking more.

“I love you,” she whispered, the words fluttering over his ear.

Those words. God, those words. It was the only thing left he’d wanted from her. The one thing she

hadn’t given until now. It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard in his life.

Euphoria filled him, spreading to the darkest recesses of his soul and shining light on every

shadow.

“Bethany,” he choked out. “God, baby, I love you too. So damn much. Come with me now.”

“I’m already there.”

The sweet words, her sweetly whispered
I love you
still echoing in his mind, sent him into free

fall. His semen erupted from his cock, jetting deep into her pussy, the heat and friction nearly painful

in its intensity. And still he kept coming and coming, his orgasm an unstoppable force. He bathed her

pussy in his release and then he pushed deep and held himself locked against her, wedged as deeply

as he could manage. He remained there, wanting to plant himself into her womb.

In that moment, he cursed birth control. He had a savage need to give her his baby, to make her

pregnant with his child. Their child. A son or a daughter. The image of her swollen with his baby kept

him hard when he should have been losing his rigid erection.

He slumped over her, falling into her delicate softness. God he loved the feel of her underneath

him. She sighed in contentment and kissed the side of his neck as her hands rubbed up and down his

back and down to his ass.

“If I had my way, I’d stay inside you forever.”

He felt her smile against his skin.

“Tell me again,” he urged. “I want to hear the words again, Bethany.”

She didn’t hesitate. Didn’t misunderstand what it was he asked for.

“I love you.”

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He would never ask for more than this. For what he had

right here and now in his arms.

“I love you too, baby.”

chapter thirty-three

Jace woke to the sound of a ringing phone. He roused and glanced at his watch and then swore. He

never overslept. Not even in college had he ever been late to a class. It was past nine and he hadn’t

even stirred until now. It was the second time he could ever remember waking late and unaware. And

both times had been after a soul-stirring night with Bethany.

He glanced down to where Bethany’s dark head lay on his shoulder. She hadn’t stirred either.

They’d made love countless times until they’d both fallen into an exhausted sleep.

He reached for his cell phone lying on the nightstand and saw that Kaden was calling.

“Jace Crestwell,” he answered.

“Mr. Crestwell, I thought you’d like to know that Kingston returned to the apartment.”

“He’s there now?” Jace asked in a low voice.

“Yes, sir. Came in a few minutes ago. Let himself in and he hasn’t left yet.”

“Make sure he doesn’t,” Jace said curtly. “I’ll be right over.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jace disconnected the call as Bethany stirred beside him. She lifted her head and gazed at him with

sleepy eyes.

“Everything okay?”

He kissed her forehead. “I have to go out for a while.” He hesitated a moment. “Jack came back to

the apartment.”

Her eyes became more alert, shaking off the veil of sleep. “I’ll go with you.”

He shook his head. “No. I’ll handle this, Bethany.”

She became agitated and before she could work herself up and become more upset, he said firmly,

“I don’t want you involved in this. We had an agreement on this. I need you to trust me. I’ll handle it.”

“Okay,” she said quietly.

He kissed her again. “It’ll be fine, baby. Trust me.”

“I do,” she whispered.

“While I’m there, I’ll arrange for your stuff to be moved here.”

She bit her lip.

“Are you having second thoughts?” he asked warily.

She shook her head. “No. I want this. I want you. And I do trust you, Jace. Please don’t think I

don’t. This is hard for me. Jack is important to me. You both are. I know he’s not perfect. I know he’s

done things that aren’t . . . good. But I just want him to be safe and have things most other people take

for granted.”

“I know you do, baby. Don’t worry. I’ll call you when I finish up with Jack, okay? Is your cell

charged?”

She shrugged and he rolled his eyes.

“I’ll plug it in before I leave. It’ll be on the kitchen counter.”

He pushed aside the sheets and slid out of bed but then he leaned over, wanting to kiss her again, to

savor the feel of her under his lips one last time before he handled the issue of Jack.

This wasn’t a situation he wanted to be in. But for Bethany he’d do it, even if his preference was to

tell Jack to fuck off and stay the hell out of Bethany’s life from now on. But Bethany would never

forgive him that, and he wasn’t going to risk losing her when helping Jack would make little

difference in his life other than the inconvenience of confronting the other man.

A part of him relished it. He wanted to see for himself what Jack’s position was regarding

Bethany. While Bethany considered him a brother, Jace wasn’t convinced that Jack’s feelings toward

her were very brotherly.

That he’d keep to himself because Bethany was naïve when it came to a lot of things, Jack

included, and she’d never see the situation the way someone with perspective might. But then, Jace

had little perspective when it came to her.

“I don’t want you to worry about this, baby. It’ll be all right. Jack can call you and you can call

him. I don’t even mind if you see him as long as Kaden or Trevor is with you when I can’t be.”

“Thank you, Jace.” Her eyes were bright and earnest. “This means so much to me.”