Lucky Break (17 page)

She rolled toward him, and when his bare skin touched hers, the world seemed to stop spinning. Nothing existed except them. He urged her back against the mattress. With his knee, he parted her legs and positioned himself over her, his sexy gaze boring into hers.

She already knew she was ready for him, but
he surprised her by not reaching for the condoms they'd placed in the nightstand drawer. Instead, he propped himself up on one arm and stared into her eyes.

She glimpsed a wealth of emotion as he lowered his lips back to hers, kissing her more gently this time. But he didn't stop with her lips. He moved over the curve of her cheek, across her jaw, then down her neck and shoulder, pausing at what she thought of as his favorite spot. He nuzzled the sensitive area between her neck and shoulder, alternating soft love bites with longer laps of his tongue.

She shivered in delight and moaned aloud, her skin growing more sensitive. The rest of her body reacted, her nipples puckering tight against the cooler air.

The need for him to touch her there, to pull her breast into his mouth and ease the building ache, was strong. She also had an overwhelming urge to reach out to him, but he stopped her, placing her hands back on either side of her body.

“You can have your turn later. Right now you're mine.” His eyes darkened at the prospect of having her at his mercy.

“You're a tease,” she told him.

“And you'll love every second,” he promised.
Then, as if he'd read her mind and discovered her deepest desire, he dipped his head, catching one turgid nipple in his mouth.

She sucked in a sharp breath, exhaling slowly as he focused all of his attention on that single breast. But the wicked man wasn't happy with just one. With his hand he cupped her other breast and simultaneously worked on them both, intensely sucking and teasing one nipple, while plumping and kneading the other.

Sensations built and collided inside her. Nothing mattered but Jason and the deliberate attention he paid to her breasts until she writhed on the mattress, her lower body bucking upward and begging for relief.

“Is this what you want?” he asked in a gruff voice, firmly cupping her mound.

Lauren leaned her head back and groaned, thrusting her pelvis against his hand.

“I'll take that as a yes?” he asked, chuckling.

She forced her heavy lids open to find him staring at her, his own eyes dark with desire.

“You can take that as, it's nowhere near enough.” She needed him to thrust hard inside her and fill the growing emptiness.

“All you had to do was say so.” He dipped one finger inside her. “So wet,” he murmured. Using
her own moisture, he glided his fingertips over the delicate flesh, up one side, down the other, until finally he took pity on her and thrust his finger deep inside once more.

Lauren lifted her knees and squeezed her flesh around him, contracting and seeking relief from the unrelenting waves pushing at her body but never offering her real release. She knew she was close, just as she knew he was intentionally prolonging the combination of pleasure and agony. Watching her as she moaned, writhed, even begged him for more.

In the far recesses of her mind, she knew he must be sacrificing his own pleasure for hers, but she couldn't focus. Didn't want to.

Jason had never been more turned-on in his life. All his energy and thought went into pleasing her, and it was the most incredible high, watching her face contort with pleasure, viewing her body craving his and listening to the heavy, breathy moans as she came closer and closer to release.

“I need you,” Lauren pleaded with him, and he nearly came right then.

“What is it you need?” He wanted to hear her say it.

“Inside me. I need you inside me.”

He groaned and dove for the nightstand, pulling
a condom out with shaking hands. He yanked it on and moved over her, drawing her hands above her head, and sealing his lips to hers.

He broke the kiss only to look at her face as she spread her legs and he thrust deep. Her body shuddered around him and she exhaled hard, her breath warm against his neck.

He felt her. Every dewy moist part of her surrounded him. Jason wanted to draw the sensation out, make love to her for hours, but the minute he felt her wet heat, he knew he wouldn't last.

Especially when she pulled her legs back, urging him deeper. Jason lost control, pumping in and out as Lauren met him thrust for thrust. Her soft sighs punctuated the sound of their bodies joining, grinding,
making love.

The thought came to him suddenly in a blinding burst of light, as clear as any finish line. He pulled out and thrust back deep.
He loved her,
he thought, as the most intense orgasm of his life washed over him.

Jason collapsed on top of her. Their heavy breathing intermingled with what should have been satisfied silence. Except he was far from satisfied.

The sex had been incredible. Fantastic. Beyond anything he'd ever experienced. He now under
stood the difference between having sex and making love. Because until now, sex had always been about him. His wants. His needs. His satisfaction. Of course he'd always made sure his partner had been pleased, too, but his heart had never been engaged in the act.

This had been all about the woman lying beside him. She'd fallen asleep already and he got out of bed, pulling the covers over her to keep her warm. A quick trip to the bathroom and he returned, climbing back in beside her.

She woke long enough to snuggle in the crook of his arm, mutter something unintelligible and fall back to sleep. He pulled her close, toying with her long hair.

He appreciated everything about Lauren. She'd taken on the huge burden of this house all alone. She never complained as things went wrong and expenses piled up. She dug in and worked hard without expecting others to do it for her. She was beautiful inside and out. Sexy in ways that went beyond things he could see.

In Lauren he'd found everything he hadn't known he was looking for. Unfortunately he faced losing it soon. All he could do was make the most of their time together instead of counting down the days until the end.

 

T
HOMAS HAD PLANNED
on visiting Clara in her shop. He saw it as his duty to guide Edward in the right direction—into Clara's arms—and he still was convinced his plan had merit. If he could persuade her to date him, or at least get her to pretend an interest in him, Thomas believed jealousy would force Edward to confront his feelings. Yet instead of driving to Crescent Moon, Thomas found himself pulling into Edward's isolated street.

Thomas knew why he'd driven here instead. He'd been unable to shake the look in Jason's eyes when he and Hank had refused Lauren Perkins's invitation to come in for coffee. Thomas had allowed the past to affect the present, much as his brother Edward had been doing his whole life. As a result, he'd hurt his son badly. Thomas didn't like what he'd done, but his actions forced him to admit he wasn't as immune to the curse and the Perkins family as he'd like to believe. Which led him to a deeper understanding of Edward's troubles.

Judging by the way Jason looked at Lauren, he wanted her around for a long time to come. Which meant Thomas needed to get his act together and deal with the past.

There was no better place to start than by reaching out to his brother. He should have done it sooner. And he shouldn't have tried to put Clara
between them as a buffer because he was a coward. Afraid of having to have a real conversation with his brother for the first time in way too many years. Having driven by Crescent Moon first, Thomas knew his brother would be here alone.

He headed down the long driveway, pleased to see the jujus that used to hang from the trees and line the road as a form of spiritual protection against the curse were gone. Surely that had to be a sign Edward was moving in a more positive direction. That his medication and psychiatric sessions were working.

Thomas parked the car and stepped into the cool air, heading for his brother's front door. Before he could reach out and ring the bell, Edward greeted him, walking out onto the porch, skunk in hand.

“Go away,” Edward said, dangling the skunk in front of him like a shield.

Edward used Stinky Pete, as he called the animal, to scare away unwanted visitors, but Thomas wouldn't be deterred. “Put that descented excuse of a pet down and let me inside.”

“Hell no.” Edward met his gaze with more clarity than Thomas had expected. His hair, recently cut, was neatly combed and he was clean shaven.

That Edward felt he needed to use the skunk against his own brother pained Thomas greatly. But he wouldn't allow Edward to win this battle.

“I have something to tell you and I'm not leaving until I have my say.” Thomas folded his arms across his navy overcoat. “So we can stand out here all day or you can let me in and hear me out.”

Edward frowned.

“The quicker you agree, the quicker I'll be gone,” Thomas said, grabbing for the only bargaining chip he could think of.

“Come in,” Edward said gruffly. Turning his back on Thomas, he strode inside. He let go of the skunk, who darted out the door, much to Thomas's relief.

Before Edward could change his mind, Thomas followed him in.

Order. That was the first thing that struck Thomas about his brother's house. Though Thomas hadn't been inside often, the clutter of the past had always surrounded him. It had been there as recently as June, when Jason had come home. Not even Clara's cleaning had cleared up the mess inside. Until now.

“Place looks good,” Thomas said carefully.

“Clara enjoys puttin' the candles and scented crap around the house,” Edward said.

Thomas nodded. “And cleaning?”

“Some of that was me. You know what they say. Out with the old.” Edward swept his arm around, gesturing to neat, almost empty shelves and tables.
“You didn't come here to talk about my house-keepin'. What do you want?”

Obviously Edward wasn't going to offer to take Thomas's coat. “I want to tell you…I'm sorry. For a lot of things.”

“Can't change the past,” Edward said gruffly.

Thomas inclined his head, once again struck by his brother's newfound focus.

A kernel of hope grew inside him that maybe he and his brother could come to an understanding. “I agree. But I'd like to change the future.”

“How? By going after Clara this time?” Edward, shoulders stiff, turned away and walked into the family room, placing distance between them.

“No, that's not what I want,” Thomas said.

“Then what? You want to drive me insane by pretending you still want her?” Edward thrust his hands in his front pockets.

Thomas couldn't believe the irony of his brother's question. “I wanted just the opposite. You live with Clara. She cares for you and it's obvious to me you care about her. You act jealous, but when it comes to admitting you two have a future, you run for the hills.”

Edward shrugged. “That's my choice. It's my life.”

“Well, I just wanted to push you in the right di
rection, that's all. The other day, when you thought I was interested in Clara, you got all worked up. So I thought if I could get her to go out with me, I'd push you right into her arms.”

Edward turned to face him, disbelief on his face. “Are you sayin' you aren't interested in her?”

Thomas knew this moment was critical. Only the truth would win his brother's trust.

Or turn him away forever.

Thomas couldn't lie. So he opted for honesty. “I'm saying I won't ever make a move on her.”

Edward narrowed his gaze. “You're admitting you're interested?”

Thomas drew a deep breath. “Only a dead man wouldn't be interested. I'm saying she's off-limits to me.”

A sudden flash of confusion crossed Edward's face. “I don't understand. Why are you here now?”

A lump rose to Thomas's throat. His brother was so close to returning to full sanity, but the distrust he'd built up over the years was painful to watch.

To feel.

“I'm here because we're getting older, Edward, and I don't want to waste what time I have left estranged from my family, running from an ancient curse.” He drew a deep breath. “Do you?”

“I'm not running from the damn curse anymore.
I'm on medication and getting healthy!” Edward spoke too loudly, too forcefully.

“Then why are you running from the one woman who loves you and could make you happy?” Thomas asked, raising his voice to match his brother's.

Edward grew red in the face. “I'm not takin' advice from you. I still don't know if I can trust you.”

Those words took some of the bluster and certainty out of Thomas. “No, you don't,” he agreed. “You'd have to take my word for it. And my word's all I've got to give.”

Knowing he'd worn out his welcome, Thomas turned toward the door. “But if you don't trust me, at least trust Clara. You deserve some happiness,” he said to Edward before letting himself out.