Fun With Rick and Jade (17 page)

What he did was similar to the scene on the television, but with emotion and tenderness she didn’t expect. The woman on the screen struck her as a captive, to be used and abused, instead of being cherished. “Oh, yeah.”

Rick hooked his arm under Jade’s knee, nipping at her flesh with playful bites as he thrust his cock into her pussy over and over. He couldn’t get enough of her. He’d never been a smoker, a gambler, or much of a drinker, but he could see himself getting addicted to her. He hankered for her whenever they were apart.

“You’re so soft,” he whispered against her flesh, “so beautiful.”
So tight. So flexible
.

She shook her head at his words, eyes closed against his compliments. “The game.”

The game was over. He didn’t give a fuck what happened on the television. All that mattered, everything that meant anything, was right here, under him, with him. He was inside the meaning of life, what drove civilization to go on. Love. Commitment. Family. She’d laugh at him for saying so. She’d smack him upside his head. So instead he told her what she’d understand. “You feel so good against my body. So right.”

He moved off her without withdrawing from inside her. He had to be crushing her. She turned slightly to rest on her back, swinging her leg around him. On his knees, he gripped her hips, pushing into her while pulling her to match each thrust. With him off her, she pressed her pussy to meet him each time.

“God, you’re so gorgeous.” He choked out his accolade.

She turned her head. He didn’t know how to reach her, to connect with her emotionally.

“Please look at me, Jade.” The harder he plunged into her, the more it seemed he pushed her away. “Jade, baby.”

She didn’t look, didn’t respond, closing her eyes and moaning instead. The muffled sound was like an aphrodisiac he didn’t need, but he’d take it. She grabbed for the remote and muted the ugly sounds from the television. He recognized the progression of her arousal from the few times they’d made love. She was close—so close. He could shoot into her at any time, but held his desire away to wait for her to come again.

She lightly caressed the cleavage spilling out from her bra. Snaking her hand down the length of her belly, she gasped when her fingertips pressed against her mound. Combing through her curls, she began rubbing at her clit in tight little circles.

Rick drove into her faster, feeling himself lose control. “That makes me crazy, babe.” He shook his head clear. “You know it makes me lose it.”

The more he protested, the harder and faster she rubbed at her bud. Her chest heaved and she panted. “Oh!” Her head rolled back. Her eyes closed. “Yes, Rick.” Jade tensed and moaned, her passage pulsing around his cock before she went limp beneath him.

Rick released her hips, inclining into her, skin touching skin from chest to toes. He wrapped her in his arms. He sought her lips, his tongue dipping into her mouth in tempo with his cock pounding into her sweet pussy. “I love you,” he murmured against her soft lips as he drove deep, holding there for his climax to run its course. Every nerve ending sparked with an overload of feeling, both physical and emotional. His head spun as colors flashed behind his closed eyelids until darkness overtook the light. Silence followed.

Like a true professional, she let his words of love go unacknowledged. He probably wasn’t the first man to go gaga and let regrettable words spill out during an incredible sexual experience. He thought he might actually mean the words.

His energy zapped, Rick’s body cried out for sleep. Instead, he feathered soft caresses along her limbs, shoulder to wrist. He peppered affectionate kisses on her face and neck. “Don’t shut me out.”

It was like that first night when she’d physically gotten up and walked out. At least the next night she’d waited until he fell asleep to bail on him. The night after that, he wasn’t sure how long she’d stayed. When he woke, she’d been up and in the shower already. Was that progress?

His declaration set them back to square one, if the vacancy in her eyes was any indication. Rick rolled off her, severing their physical connection, since she’d already severed the emotional one. “What do I have to do? Pay you for a little affection?”

Jade rolled to the foot of the bed, away from him. “My affections are not for sale.” She sat up. Her long hair curtained her face.

“If you didn’t hear me, I said I love you.” He stabbed the words at her.

“I heard.” She pushed off the mattress and crossed the room.

Rick listened as she probably washed away any trace of him. He rubbed at his eyes. She returned draped in a short robe. Without a word, she left. He had no idea if she’d return or not. His bed wasn’t the only option in the big house. His heart thudded, and he wondered if he should leave her be or go after her. A shouting match might ensue and with guests in the house, that was a bad idea.

She tiptoed back into the room.

“Coral asleep?” he asked, assuming she’d left to check on the baby. He was pretty in tune with her thoughts and the emotions she kept bottled up.

“Yeah.”

“Are you back? You going to stay?” Rick wrung his hands. “Or go?”

She flipped the TV off. “You want me to go?”

“I want you to stay. All night. I want to hold you, Jade. I want to actually wake up with you next to me without having to beg. Is that too much to ask?” It was too late. He’d already essentially begged her to stay. From the look on her face, she wasn’t too keen on staying all night, nor forever in his life. “Never mind. I’ll go.” He sprang to his feet.

“I’m…I’m not used to sleeping with anyone,” she stammered.

Marching over to her, he grasped her shoulders. “Get used to it.”

“I can’t sleep with your legs draped over mine and your arms pinning me down and your warm breath on my face.” Jade squeezed her eyes shut. “You breathe really loud and thrash around a lot. You keep me up and wake me up.”

Releasing her, he said, “I’ll be on the couch if you need me.”

“Rick. Think about it. You can’t be married to a call girl. You don’t have it in you to love me.”

“Ex-call girl,” he reminded her. “And if Bob can do it, so can I.” In truth, he was regretting his declaration of love. Blood to the brain equaled common sense. He felt like an idiot, especially in light of her not returning his feelings.

She waved him off. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

He wanted to yell and fight with her, but they had houseguests. He didn’t want to wake Coral. And he knew he couldn’t make Jade love him, no matter how loudly he demanded her compliance. “Good night.”

***

Voices from the pool area woke Jade. Or maybe it was Coral humming and cooing from her crib in the other room. She really was a happy baby, waking in fine spirits. Sleeping easily. When she fussed, the kid had a good reason: hungry, sleepy, or a diaper issue.

Throwing back the covers, Jade climbed out of bed and meandered to the other room. She changed her daughter’s diaper and returned to the master bedroom. She glanced out the window to find Rick conversing with the pool guy. Seeing Rick made her heart seize. As she remembered the sex, her stomach dipped, followed by churning as she replayed the ensuing quarrel.

She sat on the chaise lounge overlooking the pool area to nurse. When not glancing at her baby, she watched Rick. The way he stood. The way he talked, using his hands to emphasize his point. She couldn’t hear his words, but his body language said so much. Clearly he was more comfortable conversing with the pool guy than with Dave Honeycutt.

I do love him. I do deserve him. I do deserve to be loved
. Was love a right or a privilege?

He’d be happier with a collegiate-type wife with a moderately successful career in middle management. Not so successful that she outshined Rick. His ego was fragile. His and every other man she’d ever met, despite their false bravado. Jade could see him with the artsy type who shunned the corporate world to pursue her passion for poetry. Either scenario was
so
not Jade. She had no goals or aspirations outside of being the best mother ever. Could she add best wife ever to her ambitions?

Jade could
not
see him with the likes of her. If she knew nothing else, she knew men wanted one of two things: sex or food. If they didn’t have an erection, call for room service, or in his case, pizza delivery. She chuckled, picturing him splashed across a bed naked in the aftermath of sexual frenzy, a pizza box on the bedside table. He’d be as blissful as a pound puppy with a bone.
I can do this. I can make him happy
. Clearly they were sexually compatible, although men were easy in that department. And she knew the phone numbers for several restaurants that delivered a variety of different foods: Chinese, submarine sandwiches, and pizza. For anything else, there was takeout.

I could take cooking lessons. How hard could it be?
They should eat together around a dining table, anyhow. She needed to prepare well-balanced meals for Coral. And Rick. But she needed to avoid the pitfalls of failed relationships. Men grew easily bored of housewives with their small worlds.
I’ll get a part-time job. Maybe commit to charity work. Take a few college classes. Perhaps find a third passion in life beyond wife and motherhood
.

Jade set Coral on her shoulder, rubbing and patting her back.

Rick peeked into the room like an intruder. As if he might be infringing on her privacy. Even after all they’d shared together. “Hey.”

She brightened, eager to return his love, even if she lacked the skills or experience. “Hey. What’s up?”

He grimaced. “We think that missing condom made its way into the filtration system.” Rick broke down and chuckled. “Bob’s going to kill me.”

“And that makes you happy?”

Shrugging, he said, “Some things in life are worth dying for.”

She wasn’t sure if he meant the sex or the delight of infuriating Bob. Whatever the reason, he seemed over the unpleasantness of their fight. That was half the battle. She admired his ability to heal quickly from emotional wounds, unlike her.

“I’m glad you’re here.” She flashed him a reticent smile. “About last night….”

“Don’t give it another thought. Please.” He gathered Coral up in his arms, cradling her. “I’m sorry. You know how it is,” Rick planted a soft kiss on her daughter’s forehead. “My blood-to-brain ratio was suffering. Not that I’m complaining. Far from it. It was a slip of the tongue, a trick of the mind.”

“No. I get it.” Jade felt a stab of hurt in the region of her heart, followed closely by the relief that came with dodging a bullet. “I shouldn’t have made such a big deal of it, knowing you’d be cured of your lovesickness by morning.”
If it even took that long
. She didn’t mean for the hurt to leak through, but it did. Being a man and all, she doubted he noticed her obvious pain.

“Let’s forget it ever happened, okay?”

“Sure.”

“It’ll never happen again,” he vowed, and she believed him.

Oh, boy, did she ever believe him. She’d either narrowly avoided a nasty heartbreak or blown her one chance at a real relationship with a normal guy. “Perfect.”

“Then we’re good?” He made funny faces at Coral, captivating her attention.

“Never better.”

Rick helped the Honeycutts carry their luggage to the car later that afternoon. His feelings about their departure were mixed. The visit had gone off without a hitch, despite his fears to the contrary, but he didn’t have a definite commitment about the money. Additionally, he and Jade had avoided any talk about where the marriage was headed after the Honeycutts left. He knew he’d see her again—in court—if nowhere else. Family court and divorce court. At least he had that to look forward to.

Rick braved shaking Trudy’s hand, followed by Dave’s. They both hugged Jade and cooed at Coral before driving off in their rental car. A good portion of his stress left with them. He slung his arm around her shoulder as they both waved good-bye from the curb.

“Now what?” With his arm still around her, he tugged her close and kissed Coral’s forehead before letting Jade loose.

“I got a text from Ewan.”

He groaned. “I hate that guy.” But he was Coral’s father.

He guessed that gave McShane some sort of access. Growing up without a father in his own life, Rick sort of thought fatherhood was a privilege, not a right. His father should have fought for him, wanted him, valued him. Bob’s dad had come around infrequently, but he came around. And sometimes he’d let Rick tag along on their outings. He suspected that’s why their mother favored him ever so slightly over his brother. Bob had a dad. Rick had no one.

“I know.” She sighed. “He wants to meet.”

He’d appreciate if she’d echo his sentiment and hate the guy, too. He feared she actually loved Ewan, the reason she wouldn’t or couldn’t love him. It was an easier pill to swallow than the alternative of Rick being completely unlovable and unworthy.

“I’ll go with.” A face-to-face with McShane wasn’t on his top-ten list of things he wanted to do that day. He was a little afraid it topped her list.

“All right.”

All right?
He’d expected a fight on the matter. His wild imagination had her and Ewan rolling around in a big bed while Coral napped. Not that he and Jade hadn’t done the same. And despite the ring he’d put on her finger, he had no claim to her.

“He wants me to bring Coral,” she whispered, looking up at him through glistening eyes for…reassurance…words of wisdom? “What if she adores him? What if her first word is Daddy?”

Reaching for Jade, he squeezed her shoulder. “I don’t think we need to worry about that yet.”

“What if he rejects her?” A tear spilled out and ran down her cheek.

Rick wiped the drop away with his finger. “Impossible.” He knew first-hand it happened. Or maybe it only happened to him. No one with a heart, even a small, black heart, could reject Coral. Her smile ought to be bottled and sold as pure, undiluted joy.