Lila's Thunder: The Almeida Brothers, Book One (12 page)

Lila and Jack met eyes, both trying to think of a gentle way to tell his grandmother just how much that was not going to happen.

“So it’s decided,” Bitsy concluded, tossing her head back and standing tall. “I’ll set up Frank and my things in the guest room. We’ll be staying until Monday morning.  This was lovely Lila but I'm positively exhausted and must sleep. See you at six."  Bitsy kissed Jack on each cheek, gushed over her “gorgeous friggin’ grandson” and began out of the kitchen, calling for Frank as she went.

Lila stared at Jack, astonished.

---

"Why did you lie to her?"
  Lila asked later as she and Jack washed the tea cups in the kitchen sink. Bitsy and Frank had since retired to the guest room. "Is it just some horrible tick that all lawyers have?  You just can't help but lie about
everything?
"

"I know my grandmother, Lila.
  Trust me, I was just saving us all a very long and uncomfortable conversation. She knows how Chase feels about you."
 How I feel about you
, he thought to himself, handing Lila the clean dishes so she could rinse them and put them on the drying rack.  “And unlike us, she’s not afraid to acknowledge the elephant in the room.” They stood shoulder to shoulder, their arms a breath away from touching.  Jack yearned to lean in and close the space as he looked down at her with the sleeves of her white button down rolled up and her eyebrows curled into an adorable frown.  "She was about to cross examine the shit out of you.  Where do you think I learned all my best moves?  It wasn't at Harvard, I'll tell you that."

"The University of Bitsy,"
Lila whispered, "I'm sure she'd give the Ivy’s a run for their money."

Jack’s face grew frustrated. “You know, s
he always does this.  She shows up out of the blue, drills her way into my life, up-ends everything and expects everyone to yield to her.”

“She sure loves you,”
Lila said dryly, looking up at him and laughing out loud when she saw the distressed look on his face.  “Oh, come on, we should all be so lucky to have a grandmother who worships the ground we walk on.”

“Don’t let that silver
hair fool you.  Grandma has many a trick up her sleeve.” He stared down at her. "I shouldn’t have lied… but I was just trying to protect you."

Lila tried to focus on rinsing and keeping her hands from shaking.
  "Well... you don't have to do that. The truth always comes out and I don't want to lie to your family. I knew it wasn't a good idea that I come in."

"I'm glad you did,"
Jack said. 
They need to get used to seeing us together
, he thought.

Lila opened her mouth to speak and, thinking the better of it, snapped it closed.

But Jack was watching her too closely.  “What is it?” he asked.

“Did you donate that m
oney for the kids at school?” she blurted, staring straight ahead at the kitchen wall instead of him.  Eventually, her eyes met his.

Jack looked confused.
  “What money?”

Lila knew Jack was
a lawyer, but she’d never known him as an actor. A small smile crossed her lips.  “Nevermind,” she said, going back to the dishes. “Forget about it.”

He dropped the soapy teacup in his hand back into the water and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her to him.
  The soapy suds dripped from his fingers and penetrated her shirt immediately. He tugged her body to him and sighed contently when he felt it mold to his.

Lila
held her arms out in surprise, craning her neck to look behind her at his dripping wet hand on her back. “Why do you always seem to be getting me soaked and wet?”

“Because you’re so much more pleasant that way.
  Why fix what isn’t broken?” He pressed his body against hers tighter. Like he knew she would, Lila tried to step away. 

"Jack, what are you doing?" She pointed a thumb at the kitchen door.
  “Your grandmother is right down the hall.”

"Do you have any
idea..." He ran his wet hand down to the small of her back, lingering just above the swell of her ass.  "How hard it was to sit across from you, sipping tea, after what you did to me in my truck?"

"
Okay, I get that."  She nodded. "I do.  But not here."

"Where?"

She stared into his eyes, smiling, but her smile quickly vanished when she saw how serious he was.  "I don't know, Jack.  Maybe this is all a mistake."

"A mistake."
  He looked to the closed kitchen doors over her head.  "Okay... A mistake."

"I'm serious."

“It’s a mistake,” Jack agreed with a mock frown, backing her into the kitchen sink as he took in her wet, parted lips.  He could already feel them wrapped around his dick.

Lila licked her lips, trying to calm her frantic breathing.
  “Yeah.”  She nodded, pressing up against the moist counter and clutching it.  “We were… drunk.”

Jack nodded, as well, placing his hands on the counter on either
side of her.  “Really drunk,” he whispered.

“We
didn’t know what we were doing,” Lila said, gasping when he pressed his hips against hers, his hardness persistent against her thigh.

“Not at all,”
 he said, slowly, wrapping his arm tighter around her waist.

“It was ju
st for that one fleeting moment,” Lila reminded, taking his slim hips in her hands and tugging him against her harder.

“Yeah…”
  Jack began to nod, but crushed his lips to hers instead, inhaling heavily when he felt her lips part beneath his before diving in for more.

“Oh god,”
 Lila whined when Jack’s lips went to her neck, sucking at her skin hungrily.  It felt amazing.  He reached up and took a breast in his hand before dipping his finger into the folds of her shirt and ripping it open entirely.  The buttons of her blouse flew all over the kitchen floor and she threw her head back when he forcefully pulled down the cups of her bra, releasing her heaving breasts and desperately taking a nipple in his mouth, tasting her. 

“Okay,”
 she breathed. “Just for tonight.”

“
Mmmhmm,”  Jack mumbled, suckling her softly while working her other nipple around the tips of his fingers.  He released her from his mouth and stared down at the glistening numb.  “You’re so beautiful, Lila,” he whispered, cupping both of her breasts in his hands before moving his mouth to her other nipple, showing it ample attention, as well.

Lila
, swallowing thickly, quickly lost her grip on reality as waves of pleasure rolled through her.  Staring down at Jack, licking and sucking at her, she almost let herself disappear into the amazing abyss he was creating for her, but placed her hand on the back of his head just in time. 

“Wait,” s
he said, pushing him softly away before grabbing a chair and hurrying to the doors of the kitchen.  She pushed the chair under the handles of the French pocket doors and closed the curtains she was sure had never been closed, reveling in the sight of the burgundy cloth closing the world outside completely away.  Before she could turn back to Jack, he was behind her, sucking the side of her neck and grabbing her arms, placing them above her head on the door. He pushed his throbbing cock against her skirt, letting it sink into the folds of her ass until her entire body was flush against the wood. 

“Oh my god,” s
he cried, throwing her head back as his hands slid up and down her body, eventually cupping her exposed breasts, again.  “Fuck me,” she gasped, losing any and all control.  “Please, Jack. Fuck me.”

Jack had lost control, as well, his eyes clasped shut as he grinded his hips against hers, furiously undoing the button of his pants with one hand while slipping the other into her skirt and down to the s
oft panties she was wearing. They were already damp.  She reached behind her and frantically slid down the zipper of her skirt as Jack freed himself from his pants.  He tucked his fingers into her skirt and underwear, sliding them both down her legs and leaving her naked from the waist down.  Crouched beneath her, he took in the beautiful sight of her plump ass and her swollen pussy, wet and throbbing before him.  Taking her thighs in each of his hands he tucked his head between her legs from behind and dove his tongue into her slit, spreading her, tasting her.

Lila screamed out against the door, digging her fingers into the wood when Jack
’s fingers found her clit, twirling around it while lapping at her pulsating entrance.  Rhythmic gasps shook her body and begged for more as he ate her out expertly, sending her into overdrive.  Her knees buckled beneath her and Jack caught her around the waist as she fell, taking her with him as he lay back against the cold kitchen floor, gripping her soft thighs when she straddled him.

"Oh Jack."
  Lila pressed a passionate kiss against his lips, growling when he returned it with just as much feeling.  She reached behind her hungrily, taking his throbbing heat into her hand and guiding it to her moist center, her eyes fluttering shut when she felt him brushing against her entry, hard and ready.  "Oh god,” she whispered as he sank slowly into her, stretching her inch by glorious inch.

"Oh Lila."
 Jack's eyes grew moist. He jammed then shut when he felt her surrounding him, so tight and warm.  At that moment she was nobody else's, just his.  The possessiveness he suddenly felt was suffocating and when he pulled out of her almost completely, hearing her scream when he slid his cock all the way back in, he knew he would never be able to turn back.  "You're mine,” he breathed, turning them so her back was to the floor, legs wrapped around his waist.  He took in the sight of her, breasts heaving as they spilled out of her black lace bra, legs spread, fingers digging desperately into his waist, begging for more with swollen lips and lidded eyes.  He'd never seen anything more beautiful.  Unable to control himself, he slammed his hips into her, lost in the glorious pleasure and feel of her pussy wrapped around him, holding tight.  It was the closest thing to home he could remember having in many years.

"Harder,"
 Lila breathed, gripping Jack's hair and pulling his head back.  She opened her mouth to speak but when their eyes met, his cock moving in slow circles inside of her, moisture filled her eyes.  She couldn't recall a single moment in her life where she'd felt the way she felt at that moment.  It left her nearly speechless.  "Harder," was all she could say.

Jack obliged, tucking his head into her neck and increasing his pace, sending wave after wave of pleasure through her bones until
an indescribable warmth curled up in her toes and slowly rolled up through her entire body, rendering her speechless as her orgasm hit. 

"Oh, fuck,"
 she cried.

Jack felt her climax, walls p
ulsating around him, and gritted his teeth.  Not yet, he silently begged, wrapping his arms around her tighter.  He wasn't ready for this to be over, but couldn't help it. His body gave in to Lila's power, making him cry out with her as he came over and over, spilling inside her, muffling his grunts helplessly into her neck and giving her all he had until there was nothing left.

"Oh fuck, oh god...."
  Lila covered her face with her hands, reveling in Jack's weight when he all but collapsed on top of her.  It had been too long-- far too long, since a man had done that to her.  "Jack, Jack, Jack..."  She couldn't stop saying his name.  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she hugged him as tightly as she could, closing her eyes in contentment when he returned her hug, their breathing slowly relaxing while they laid together on the kitchen floor.  Her eyes slowly closed, and she was sure she could easily fall asleep right there without a care in the world.

Jack's head remained tucked in the side of her neck, lost in the glorious scent of her and the feeling of her wrapped around him, still warm, still pulsing, still his.
  This was home.

Chapter 7

“So…” Ashley
Carrington tossed her waist length blonde hair over her shoulder and bent down, exposing a pair of full breasts that had inspired many envious glances in her eighteen years on Earth.  She was all too happy to place them squarely the face of the guy she’d been after for years. “What finally made you call me?”

Chase subconsciously leaned back in the chair as Ashley placed her hands on both handles, blocking him in.
  His green eyes searched her bright blue ones and he swallowed hard.  Taking in her flawless face, high cheekbones, perfectly teeth and full pink lips, Chase could barely answer that question himself.  Ashley wasn’t the type of girl who was used to the word “no.” Having put herself on the line to win him over time and time again Chase was now convinced that her feelings for him were far from genuine.  She now wanted him only for the sake of her ego, and she wanted him bad. He was the only man who’d ever told her no—and more than once.  Now here he was, sitting in her enormous bathroom-- one of many in her parent’s Manhattan estate-- wishing he was anywhere else.

“I
uh…” His eyes narrowed over her shoulder and he caught sight of himself in the mirror.  What the hell was he doing here?  Reluctantly, his eyes met hers again.  “I hear that you give one of the best haircuts in the state.”

“Well, that’s not true, but I do come at half
the price.”

His eyes narrowed again and he tried to laugh, but it came out sounding painful instead.
  “Sounds good.”

She popped the gum in her mouth and looked him up and down, lingering on the belt of his jeans.
  “What kind of cut did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know.
  I just want to look… older.”

“Older?”

He shrugged and nodded his head.  She was asking so many questions.  Why couldn’t she just cut his damn hair?

“Well, I’ll be honest, Chase…
that Leonardo Dicaprio circa 1990 haircut you’ve been sporting since eighth grade has never been my favorite.  Lucky for you, you’re gorgeous…”  She looked him up and down again with a smirk. “So you can pull of pretty much anything.”

“I don’t want to just pull something off.
  I want to look…”  Chase paused.

“Older?”
  Ashley offered.

He looked away.

With a wink, Ashley finally stood tall and reached behind her to grab a pair of scissors from her bathroom sink.  With an evil smirk, she faced Chase while snapping the scissors.  “I know the perfect cut for you.  It’ll be hot as fuck… sexy…”  She smiled softly. “Older.”

“Okay…”
  Chase sat a little taller.  “Good…”

“I’ll cut your hair on one condition, and only one condition.” She snapped the scissors again, and leaned down, blocking him in once more.
   “After I cut your it I’m going to let you take me out on a date. If you’re going to have a new do, you need a hot girl to go with it.”

---

                            The morning had been a rough one for Jack and it hadn't even started.  He squinted his golden eyes against the rapidly rising sun as he stared out of the kitchen window.  He willed himself to take slow, steady breaths to calm his heart and his mind, but try as he might... nothing seemed to be working.  When his pounding heart stole his breath completely he gripped the counter below him like a vise and jammed his eyes shut.

T
here was Lila-- where she had always been-- right behind his eyes, waiting for him.  The sight of her bent over the counter, gently grinding her hips against his, eyes big and filled with lust, seized him.  Jack's eyes popped up with a gasp and he snatched his cell phone up from the counter.  Her name and phone number blared from the screen as it had been for the better part of the morning.  His finger lingered over the 'call' button, breathing lapsed, and just as he was about to press the green button that had been torturing him all morning, he released the phone in disgust, allowing it to clatter violently back down onto the kitchen counter.

"God damn it,"
 he cursed, reclaiming his grip on the counter as his head fell into his chest.

---

Lila brought the steaming cup of coffee to her lips and her eyes fluttered shut as she took her first glorious sip which she promptly spat out when the sound of her cell phone ringing sent her senses into overdrive.  The coffee burned her lips before splattering all over her clothes and she held her arms out at her sides to review the damage.

"Get a grip, Lila," s
he mumbled to herself.   She was ashamed to admit that she had been staring at her cell phone for the better part of the morning and was sorely disappointed to see that it wasn't a call from the person she'd been expecting.  She didn't recognize the number and would usually ignore it completely, but at that point she would do absolutely anything to be distracted. 

So she answered, "Lila James."

"Good morning Lila, this is Katrina Jenkins. I'm the assistant to Allen M. Brandt, Dean of Students at The Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.""

Lila perked up. “Yes, yes," s
he began straightening out her pajamas as if the woman on the other line could somehow see that she was in disarray. "Yes, I'm very familiar with Allan Brandt... yes..."  She struggled to find something-- anything, intelligent to say, "Yes..." she stumbled again, before biting her tongue in disgust.

"Well I'm calling you this morning because the Dean has been following your work at The Dalton School for quite some time and he would be very interested in setting up a meeting with you."

"A... a meeting?" She rolled her eyes at herself.  When had her vocabulary taken such a dive?

"Yes,"
Katrina said with a smile in her voice.  "He'd like to speak to you about a job opportunity."

"A... job opportunity?"
  Lila hated that she'd been reduced to repeating every word this woman was saying but she was honestly confused.

"Yes, Ms.
  James.  He thinks you would be a great asset to our faculty... primarily in teaching our course in Childhood Trauma..."

Teaching?
  This woman must have had the wrong number... right?

"I...."

"He'd like to fly you out at the end of the week.  All travel accommodations will be taken care of if you agree to meet with him."  Katrina paused, having sensed that Lila was somewhat blindsided. "Ms. James?" she pressed.

"Yes,”
Lila finally blurted.  "Yes, absolutely.  It would be an honor."

"Fantastic.
  I'll get everything underway as soon as possible and you'll be hearing from me shortly."

Lila held her hands out in the air, still speechless.
 

"Thank you, yes, thank you." She hung up with Katrina and stood in silence in the middle of her kitchen for what fel
t like an eternity.  "Holy shit," she whispered, before holding out her phone and staring at it like it was an alien life form.

Did that just happen?

---

Jack still hadn’t moved from his place in the kitchen.
  The night before had taken a tight hold of him, mentally and physically, and all he wanted was to see her, again.  A secret smile crossed his face when he turned and saw that the curtains to the French Pocket doors were still closed.  The smile on his face fell, however, when Chase came through those very doors, dressed for school. He stopped in mid-step, took in the sight of his older brother leaning against the counter and sipping a cup of coffee, then regained his composure and made his way in.

Chase made himself a cup of coffee, his heart pounding as he and Jack stood in a stony silence.

As he mixed sugar into his coffee Jack caught sight of Chase out of the corner of his eye and lost his breath for a moment—looking away.  He cleared his throat. “Your grandmother is here,” he said, throwing Chase a look.

Chase took another sip of his coffee, continuing to stare straight ahead.
  “I know.  She woke me up at 6am to do The Biggest Loser Yoga DVD with her.”

“Sounds riveting.”

“It really was,” Chase said, dryly. Then he added, “It was actually really fucking hard.”

A small smiled jumped to Jack’s face,
then he laughed softly.  It had been years since Chase had grown wider than him, taller, stronger, and Jack found it hard to picture him struggling through a workout of any kind.

“Look Jack,”
 Chase started, still staring ahead. “I’m sorry about… all that shit I said the other day.  Bringing up Mom and Dad… that was a dick move.” Finally, after a long moment, he looked at Jack.

Jack did his best to keep his cool, having forgotten the last time Chase had allowed him to stand this close and just look at him. His heart seized in his chest as the night before came rocketing back to his consciousness, and he’d never felt so torn in two.
 

“I know.”
  He clapped a hand on Chase’s shoulder before going back to his coffee.  “Don’t worry about it,” he mumbled.  Another long silence passed with neither brother in a hurry to move before Jack looked back to him.  “I like the new do.  Grams?”

Chase smirked.
 “Nah. Some girl from school who’s been on my jock forever.”

“Hot?”

“Yeah.”

“
Brunette?”

Chase shook his head.

“Blonde?”

Chase looked at Jack.
“Yeah.”

“
Hm…”  Taking his coffee, Jack threw Chase a look. “I didn’t think you liked blondes.”

Chase finished off his coffee before throwing the cup into the s
ink and announcing, “I don’t,” before making his way out of the kitchen.

Jack waited until he was sure Chase was gone before taking his first real breath in minutes, clutching the edge of the counter for support.
  Before he could talk himself out of it he dialed a number on the phone that might as well have been super glued to his hand.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” he said, softly, staring down at his fingers which were still holding the counter—except even tighter now.  “It’s Jack.”

“I know who it is.”
 

“Stop smiling.”

“How do you know I’m smiling?”

“I can hear it in your voice.”
He took a deep breath.  “I just talked to Chase.”

“Yeah
?…”

“Yeah.
 An entire conversation.  And we both walked away with all our teeth.”

“Unbelievable.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” He looked over his shoulder to make sure the kitchen was still empty.  “Can I see you right now?”

“You can see me any
time.”

---

Lila opened the door to Jack before he even had a chance to knock and was surprised by how excited she was to see his face.  His brown eyes danced with a mischief that he rarely possessed and the flawless suit on his body was begging to be rumpled and removed.

Lila’s eyes lit up, as well, “Hey--“ Her greeting was cut short when Jack stepped through the threshold and bent down in front of her, grabbing the back of her legs and throwing her body over his shoulder.
  She screamed as he lifted her clear off the ground.  He kicked her front door closed with his foot before making his way towards her bedroom.

“Jack!
Oh my god!”  Lila cried, her hysterical laughter betraying any false anger she wanted to show.  She couldn’t believe he’d just walked right into her place and thrown her over his shoulder like some caveman.  You could put him in an Armani suit but at the end of the day a man was only a man.  “Jack, wait!  I was thinking we could--” She screamed, again when he squeezed her side, one of her most ticklish spots, before bursting into laughter.

“So… wait!”
  Lila curled her legs around his strong arm as he carried her across the living room, “So, what did you and Chase talk about?” She asked, laughing out loud when he threw her down onto the middle of her bed. She laughed boisterously as she bounced up and down on the mattress.  Jack took both of her ankles and pulled her towards him until her ass was hanging off the edge.  He caught her eyes, his own brown orbs already drowning in desire, and began to undue the button and zipper of her jeans.  Lila’s smile slowly fell until she was returning his lust filled gaze just as strongly.

“Stop talking,” h
e said, holding her eyes as he slowly peeled her jeans off of her.  Lila grabbed the jeans when they were halfway down her thighs, challenging him with a glare.  He took her wrists, challenging her right back, and forced them above her head.  He held them there as his lips lingered above hers.  She lifted her mouth to his but he pulled his head back,

"Stop,"
 he demanded, eyebrows raised.  He held her challenging gaze for a second longer before reclaiming his hold on her jeans, tossing them to the floor once they were off.