If I Loved You (Harper Falls Book 1) (18 page)

“Don’t you dare.” Jack tugged on her hair
until her head was tipped away from his chest and towards his
face.

“Sorry,” she said, not at all contrite. “I
keep getting distracted.” Rose finally gave in to the one thing
she’d wanted since he dropped his towel. Smiling innocently, she
let her hand travel the short distance down his chest to grab hold
of his straining erection. She felt a small twinge of guilt when
she saw how hard Jack was gritting his teeth.

“Relax.” She soothed the rigid line of his
jaw with her other hand. “I wouldn’t want you to ruin that
beautiful smile by breaking some teeth.”

“Then let go of my dick.”

Sighing with obvious disappointment, Rose
did as he asked. “Do you remember what you said to me the night
you, you know,” now was not the time to blush, “went down on
me?”

“Sweetheart, right now I’m having trouble
remembering my name.”

“Fair enough,” Rose chuckled. “You told me
it was all about me. At that moment you were there to give me
pleasure, not to receive it.” She kissed his shoulder, then his
cheek and finally his lips. “Right now is about you, don’t think
about anything but what you need and how you want to get
there.”

“I have a choice?” Jack closed his eyes,
enjoying how the sound of her voice was washing over his skin like
a cooling caress only to have her lips heat him up again. It was
the sweetest form of torture.

“Always,” she breathed against his mouth.
“The choices are infinite but right now I’m going to help you out
and narrow it down to three. And remember, it’s all about you. What
you want.”

She scooted back so he could see all of her.
When she was sure that she had his slightly glassy-eyed attention,
she began.

“Would you like my hand?” Rose held it up
and made a slow motion to mimic what she would do to him. “My
mouth?” Raising a finger she slowly slipped it into her mouth, in
and out, in and out.

“I'm about at my breaking point, Rose,” Jack
warned, his eyes transfixed on the glossy digit as she ran it over
her lips. He felt dizzy. He moved his feet further apart, locking
his knees. Knowing what was next, he held his breath.

“Or,” Rose slid her hand down her body with
an excruciating deliberation. “My pussy.” She moved that same
finger that had moments before been in her mouth down through the
slick, sensitive folds. She kept her hand to the side so he could
watch as she penetrated herself for just a moment. Showing him the
proof of her arousal, Rose left a wet trail up her body then
circled one tight nipple until it glistened with her juices.

Jack couldn’t stand it any longer. He
swooped down pulling her nipple into his mouth, savoring the taste
of her. Oh, yes, he remembered that sweet, heady taste. And there
it was, that little moan she made in the back of her throat. The
sound that had been teasing his restless dreams ever since the
first time he heard it.

For a moment Rose let herself give into the
pleasure of his mouth on her breast. But gathering her resolve she
pulled away, her skin cooling quickly and longing for the return of
his touch.

“I told you; this is about you.”

Jack ran his tongue over his lips, seeking
every little drop.

“Believe me,” he said, “it was my
pleasure.”

“And me helping you,” she glanced down at
his weeping penis, “will be mine. Now, what shall it be? Keeping in
mind that just because you chose one doesn't mean the others will
then be off the table. This is just to take the edge off.”

Jack wasn’t sure he was in any condition to
make a conscious thought. All he knew was that his dick was
screaming for him just to do something. But when his eyes roamed to
her mouth, that lush, warm mouth, his decision was made.

“Good choice.” Rose took his hand and pulled
him down so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Giving him one
last kiss on his shoulder she slid to the ground and positioned
herself between his legs.

Jack sucked in a deep breath. Now here was
every heterosexual male's dream come true. A gorgeous, eager woman
kneeling in front of him, her mouth poised to do wicked things to
his cock. He raised his eyes to the calming picture that hung on
the wall across the room. Concentrate, make this last. Green hills,
contented cows, gently swaying trees—Rose’s hands running along his
legs. To hell with that stupid painting, his attention needed to be
completely on the woman whose only goal was to give him pleasure.
He was going to savor every moment of this no matter how long it
lasted.

Truth be told, Rose was pretty much running
on instinct. She’d done this exactly twice before, and though the
guys seemed to enjoy it, she hadn’t. Everything had seemed
mechanical and slightly embarrassing. They had been by the numbers
blowjobs, over and done as quickly as possible. But it felt
different with Jack. She had offered this because the thought of
taking him into her mouth was appealing, exciting. His penis wasn’t
this alien object waiting to do its business and the hell with her
needs. He was beautifully made. Long, thick and hard. But she
didn't find him the least bit intimidating.

Bracing her hands on his thighs, Rose raised
her gaze to his. What she saw there gave her all the courage she
needed. Jack’s blue eyes blazed with need and tenderness. He ran
his hand through her hair, not with aggression, not to pull her
closer, but to sooth and to encourage.

Holding his eyes, she swiped the pooling
moisture from the top of his erection. He tasted clean and
masculine. She could see how he was trying to control himself, how
desperate he was not to give in too soon. But that’s not what she
wanted. Rose wanted Jack wild with need, coming apart in her mouth.
She wasn’t going to let him hold anything back from her. She gave
him a final lick and then took his length into her mouth.

Jack almost lost it. Between the incredible
suction of her mouth and the visual of Rose, his Rose, taking him
with such enthusiasm was better than he could have anticipated. He
was so close. She pulled away just long enough to lightly scrape
her teeth across the head of his penis and then she pulled him back
into her mouth. Jack knew he’d reached his limit. He tried to tell
her, give her time to pull away but his orgasm hit with a force so
strong all he could do was grip the bed and let out an exultant
shout.

After taking all he had to give Rose sat
back. She wiped the side of her mouth, unable to hold back the
laugh that bubbled up inside of her.

Jack had collapsed onto the bed, unable to
stay upright a second longer. Hearing Rose’s laugh, he cracked open
one eyelid.

“That’s a joyous sound.” He held out his
hand for her to join him. Jack sighed with contentment and wrapped
his arms around her and pulling her close. “Are you alright? I was
afraid I might have…”

“Drowned me?” she finished for him. She
laughed again when Jack winced.

“I may have had a bit of a reserve stored
up. I meant to warn you but, there at the end my mind melted down
into a pool of pure bliss. I couldn’t have spoken if my life
depended on it.

Rose kissed his cheek then snuggled closer.
“I’m not complaining,” she assured him. “I liked it, all of
it.”

“So you weren’t doing it just because you
thought I wanted you to.

“I found out a long time ago that if you do
things only to please other people you’re never going to be happy.”
Feeling her shiver, Jack pulled the comforter over them. “If I get
on my knees for you, Jack, it’s because I want to. But I will say
that was the first time that I've enjoyed it. And I’ve never
finished and wondered right away when I would be able to do it
again.”

“I’m always at your disposal. And now that
my heart has recovered, and the rest of me is well on the way, let
me have the pleasure of taking care of you.”

“Can we wait just a bit?” Rose asked. “It
feels so good just to lie here in your arms.”

“And it feels good to have you here. I got
this gigantic bed because I’m tall and I like to spread out when I
sleep, but lately it’s seemed lonely.”

“I’m sure Edgar would keep you company,” she
teased.

“Edgar does not sleep with me.” Jack ran his
hand down her back; the movement easy and affectionate. “He has
insinuated his way into every other corner of this house but my bed
is off limits.”

“Are you sure he knows that?”

Jack looked over to the foot of the bed to
see Edgar watching them; head cocked to one side and tail wagging
furiously.

“You don’t think he saw us, do you?”
Strangely, Rose found the thought more embarrassing than if a human
had seen them.

“Don’t worry, he won’t tell anyone.” Jack
got up and shooed the reluctant dog out of the room. “I’m playing
with Rose right now but if you’re a good boy I might convince her
to join us later for some outdoor fun.” He gave Edgar a quick
scratch behind the ear, then firmly shut the door.

“Jack,” Rose said, thoroughly enjoying the
view. She could get used to naked Jack.

“Yes, Rose.” Jack rejoined her in bed,
sliding down so that they were face to face.

“I know I’m not telling you anything you
don’t already know, but you have a rather rabid looking bunny
tattooed on your shoulder.”

"It’s a jack rabbit, not a bunny,” he
informed her quite firmly. It wasn't so much a case of out of
sight, out of mind but he'd had the tattoo so long he forgot until
someone else noticed it. He could tell Rose was curious, so he
settled them under the covers and told her the story of how he got
it.

“Seriously, Jack," she laughed several
minutes later. "You can never get drunk again. I shudder to think
about what you might get talked into next time." Then after a
minute she suddenly made the connection. “Of course. Jack. Rabbit.
Was Jack Rabbit your nickname in college?”

Jack considered changing the subject. She
didn’t need to know the truth. But since it was only mildly
embarrassing what harm could it do? Besides, he’d sworn to himself
never to lie to Rose again, even by omission.

“No, not a nickname. It’s my actual
name.”

“You’re parents named you Jack Rabbit? It’s
on your birth certificate?”

“My full legal name is Jack Rabbit Run
Winston. Go ahead and laugh, if you hold it much longer you might
blow a blood vessel.”

“I’m sorry.” Rose collapsed in a fit of
giggling. “I think I could have suppressed it if you hadn’t added
the Run.”

The word set her off again and Jack
patiently waited for her to finish. It wasn't an unusual reaction.
Which was why very few people knew his full name.

“Done?”

She thought for a moment. “Yes," she said
decisively. "I’m done. But do you mind if I ask how they came up
with such an original name?”

“Mom thought that with six girls my dad
needed a boy.”

“
Needed
?”
Rose asked. “What did your dad think?”

“I doubt Dad cared,” Jack shrugged. “Not
that he didn’t love having a son. He was great at all those dad
things like playing catch and teaching me to spit. But he loves my
sisters with all his heart. Another girl wouldn’t have mattered to
him, just more to love.”

Rose felt a pang of envy, but just a small
one. It would have been nice to grow up with siblings and a mother
and father. But in her experience Jack’s family wasn’t the norm.
Sometimes family, any family, caused you more pain than pleasure.
No, she was glad that Jack had happy childhood memories, but Rose
had found her family with Tyler and Dani. Sisters of the heart. She
figured she was better off than most.

“So what does that have to do with your
name?” Rose prodded.

“Patience, my dear. There’s a process to
telling a story, and you can't rush it.”

“Fine.” Rose gave him an affectionate shove.
“But I need a visual aid to go with your story. Turn over and let
me get a better look at your bunny.”

“Why does it sound dirty when you say bunny
that way?” Jack rolled over so his back was to her. “And it’s a
rabbit,” he reminded her.

“Finish your story, Jack Rabbit Run.” Rose
traced her fingers over the snarling rabbit. It was beautifully
done—a work of art. Considering the drunken state Jack had been in
when he got it, he was lucky it hadn't turned out to be a cute
little Easter Bunny.

“As I was saying, my mom decided even before
I was conceived that I was going to be a boy. She read up on the
subject and started eating boy foods and doing boy exercises.”

“I had no idea there were such things.” Rose
replaced her fingers with her lips, outlining the tattoo with
lingering kisses.

“Oh, you'd be surprised.” Jack moaned when
Rose ran her tongue along his shoulder blade. What was he saying?
Oh, right, his name. What was his name?

“If you want to hear the rest of this you’d
better stop that.”

“Don’t you like it?” She gave the rabbit one
final kiss before wrapping her arms around his waist so she could
spoon him. “I want to hear the rest. I’ll be good, I promise.”

Having her naked body rubbing his back
wasn’t helping his concentration but it sure as hell felt good.
Might as well enjoy. He pulled her arms tighter until she was
molded to him completely then continued.

“But what made my mother certain all her
efforts had worked was what happened the day my dad took her to the
doctor to confirm her pregnancy. It seems that just as they were
leaving the house a brown and white rabbit jumped up onto the
porch. Mom being Mom, she decided it was a sign. And then when the
rabbit ran off into the field, well, she knew what she was going to
name me.”

“I like your mom,” Rose said. “And I’m
growing very fond of this jackrabbit.”

“And me?” Jack turned to face her. “How do
you feel about me?”

His words were teasing, but Rose felt an
undertone of seriousness she wasn’t comfortable with. She liked
things light and playful and didn’t want to go any deeper, not now,
maybe not ever. So instead of answering his question she shifted
the subject to one she was more than happy to deal with. Sex, and
how amazing Jack made her body feel.