Make Me Scream (13 page)

J
amie stepped into her apartment and looked around. All the glass had been cleaned from her carpeting, and the new window was sparkling clean. So clean, in fact, it would be like living in a fish bowl, with anyone who desired being able to look right in at her.

She strode to the curtains and jerked them closed. Next she did the same with the other window, not stopping until every curtain in the apartment was snuggly closed.

“You know,” Devon told her, “you don’t have to stay here tonight if you’re uncomfortable.”

A denial was on the tip of her tongue. Her shoulders slumped. Who was she trying to kid? The idea of spending the night in her apartment again was definitely unappealing.

“I don’t have anywhere else to stay.” She held up her hand to stop whatever he was about to say. “And before you say it, no, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay with you.” A quick smile flashed across her face. “Too much temptation. That’s already gotten us into enough trouble lately.”

He gave a slow nod and wry grin. “Much as it pains me to suggest this, maybe you should stay another night at Todd’s.” He glanced back at the door. “Meanwhile, I’ll get someone out here to install a new lock and dead bolt.”

Jamie hummed and carried her second cup of coffee into the bathroom the next morning. Devon was right. Spending another night at Todd’s was exactly what she needed. The morning sunshine had woken her with new hope for the day, and she was anxious to get back to her little apartment and begin making it her home.

After her shower, she wiped the steam from the mirror and inserted her contacts and then brushed her teeth.

Towels around her torso and head, the empty cup in her hand, she opened the bathroom door only to come to an abrupt halt.

An impressive backside, encased in worn denim, faced her as its owner bent to look in the refrigerator.

“About damn time you got out of the shower,
princess
,” the deep voice said from within the interior of the fridge. “Man, Todd, don’t you ever eat anything that’s not healthy? I feel like I should be grazing or something.” The man shoved stuff around on the shelves. “I just got back to town about an hour ago and came straight here after checking in. Sorry, bro, it was another dead end. Hey, how old is this pizza in the back?”

He straightened and turned. Dark hair framed a face made for magazine covers. His front was even more impressive than his back. He was holding a withered-looking piece of partially tin-foil-wrapped pizza. His eyes widened. “Whoops. Didn’t know Todd had company. Who are you?”

“Jamie.” She edged toward the door of her temporary room. “I live downstairs. Todd let me stay here while my apartment was being repaired.” She reached the edge of the study and gauged the distance to her cell phone. “Who are you, and how did you get in? The door was locked. I checked it twice before I went to take my shower.”

“Oh, man, I’m sorry—Jamie, was it?” She nodded. “Todd and I have keys to each other’s places. Since I’ve been out of town, I came over here to grab something to eat before I crashed. Didn’t feel like stopping for supplies on my way home. I didn’t realize anyone was here. When I heard the shower, I assumed it was Todd. I didn’t mean to scare you. Oh, yeah.” He wiped his hand on the leg of his jeans and took a few steps toward her, hand extended. “My name’s Rick. I live downstairs on the other side of the laundry room. Todd and I work together.”

She stared at his hand until he dropped it to his side.

“You’re a dancer, too?” she asked.

A strange look passed over his face, almost a wince, but it was gone so quickly she didn’t have a chance to decide.

“Ah, no.” He turned to lay the pizza on the counter. “Did I say we worked together?” He gave a short bark of a laugh. “I meant we
used
to work together.” He shrugged. “I guess I’m still not used to the idea of him being a stripper.”

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Rick.” Clutching her towel to her chest, she backed toward the door to the study. “I’ll tell Todd you stopped by. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get dressed and go home.” The apartment was suddenly crowded.

Safely behind the closed door, she paused, willing her heart rate to slow down. With his shiny black hair and deep turquoise eyes, Rick was even better looking, if that was possible, than Todd.

After throwing on a pair of white denim shorts and a tank top, she shoved the remaining clothes in her beach bag and headed for the bathroom for her shampoo and toothpaste. To her relief, Rick was nowhere to be seen.

She hurried and stripped the bed. A cursory look turned up no clean sheets, so she scribbled a note telling Todd she’d wash and return the bedding.

With a last look around, she stepped into the sunshine and locked the door.

Devon stared at the blinking cursor. “C’mon, Mac, you can do this. You know you can.” Trent had just had his big love scene, and the girl was putting her clothes on. Unbidden, his mind pictured Jamie, sexily rumpled as she pulled on her clothing. What kind of underwear would she have on?

With a sigh, he rocked back in his desk chair and swiveled to look out across the courtyard. If he leaned just so, he could see her door.

Funny, she never mentioned the rose he’d left on her mat. Maybe she didn’t like roses. Maybe someone else had walked by and taken it before she found it. It could happen.

Leaving a rose was kind of a sappy thing to do, but his budding relationship with Jamie had put him in a sappy kind of mood.

A trip to the kitchen failed to yield anything of interest, so he returned to his chair. Jamie should be home by now. Maybe he should go see if she needed anything.

Decision made, he saved what few words he’d written and shut down his computer.

Jamie bumped the oven door shut with her hip and set the cake on the stovetop to cool. Inhaling the warm, lush scent of homemade pineapple upside-down cake filled her with a sense of well-being she hadn’t felt in quite a while.

A knock sounded. With a glance back at the cooling cake, she made her way to check the peephole and then opened the door to Devon.

“Hey, wow! Is that pineapple upside-down cake I smell?” He bussed her cheek on his way to the kitchen. “When can we have a piece?”

She laughed. “Not until it cools a little. Is does smell good, doesn’t it?”

He nodded and drew her into his arms, nuzzling her neck. “So do you,” he said against her skin, sending goosebumps down her arms. “I can think of a great way to pass our time while we wait for the cake to cool.”

He bumped her with his pelvis, taking playful nips of her neck.

Instead of reciprocating, she stepped out of his loose embrace. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

“Really? ’Cause I think it’s one of my more brilliant ones.” He ran the tip of his finger along the caramelized edge of the baking dish and then licked it clean. “Mmm. This is seriously good cake. And I can tell it’s from scratch. You bake a lot?”

“Whenever I can.” She shrugged. “I guess it’s my version of stress relief.”

Finger in his mouth, he stopped and looked at her and then slowly dropped his hand. “Really? So do I.”

“No way.”

“Yes, way. I started baking when I was in college. Before long, I noticed I baked when I was stressed. I also noticed it helped, so I ignored my friends razzing me. And they didn’t have a problem with eating the bounty, so eventually they got used to it.”

“My grandmother loved to bake. She always said troubles lessened when her hands were busy. I guess that’s why I started baking more and more as my relationship with Fred deteriorated.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Oh…yeah. But I don’t want to talk about it. The sun is shining, and I’m finally settling into my new place. For an old oven, this one cooks great. I think if Fred will just drop off the face of the Earth, I could like living here.”

The haunted look in her eyes was not masked by her bright smile, so he had no choice. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her. The mercy kiss deepened until they were both breathing hard.

Jamie did a little shimmy that made his blood boil.

“How long does the cake need to cool?” Nipping kisses took him up her neck to lick her earlobe. A graze of his teeth had her grinding against his erection. “I could probably come up with something for us to do to pass the time.” He snaked his hand under her top to tweak her hard nipples.

Within two minutes, he had her naked.

“Oh…yes,” she whispered, widening her stance, while his fingers did wicked things to her.

Hooking her thumbs in the waistband of his shorts, she tugged until they and his boxers fell to his ankles. His polo shirt joined them, to be kicked aside with his sandals.

“You’re all I’ve been able to think about,” he said in a husky whisper, running his hands all over her body. “I missed you. Missed this.”

Holding her high against his chest, his fingers still working their magic deep within her, he staggered in the direction of the bedroom.

“Can’t. Wait,” he said, panting, while he let her slide to her feet. “I can’t make it to the bedroom. Would it be okay if we did it here?”

While he talked, his hands remained busy, sliding over her skin, squeezing her breasts, lightly pinching her nipples.

It wasn’t enough.

Hand in hand, she led him to the dining room table.

But instead of climbing up with her, as she’d envisioned, he pushed against her until she lay sprawled before him, her legs dangling on either side of his hips.

The look of intensity on his stubbled face took her breath. With a gentle touch, he parted her, running the pad of his thumbs in slow motion over her wet, swollen folds.

“So pretty,” he whispered, petting and probing. “Lush is the only word I can think of to describe it. Maybe delicious.” He bent, his breath hot against her weeping flesh, and then swiped his tongue in a long, languid movement up and down. Down and up. Only occasionally varying by pausing to suck her swollen nub or insert the tip of his tongue in the spot begging for him.

The cool, hard surface of the table bit into her spine while she writhed, vacillating between clutching his hair to pull him closer for more and wanting to drag him up for a kiss that would align the parts for the perfect penetration she knew was imminent.

Close, so close. But she didn’t want to come without him inside her.

Frustrated, she bit her lip, spreading her legs wider, tugging on his hair.

Her blood roared in her ears, her heart thundering to every nerve ending in her body.

Just as she thought she could stand no more, he flipped her over. The table cooled her heated breasts.

Behind her, Devon spread her legs, canted her hips and plunged into her.

Her climax roared through her, wetting the table, making the surface slippery.

Gasping for breath, she tried to remain an active participant while Devon continued to pound into her receptive body. The edge of the table dragged along the front of her thighs with each thrust. Her sensitized labia and clit slipped back and forth on the wet surface. It wasn’t unpleasant.

Then Devon reached around her, insinuating his hand between her and the tabletop, to flick and pinch her nubbin to screaming awareness.

She’d have sworn her previous orgasm had milked her of all her strength. But climax number two had her total attention now as it set flames of sensation streaking through her.

Outside her window, he took a deep breath and counted to ten, fists clenched. He needed to see this, to see her fucking someone else, to heal. If he was ever going to get over her and get on with his life, he had to stop reacting to the hurtful things she did.

The edges of his nails cut into his palms. The little cunt actually seemed to be enjoying it. She’d never been that active when his cock was inside her.

Despite all he’d learned, he felt the anger bubbling up inside until it was a white-hot rage threatening to engulf him.

He should be the one fucking her brains out.

“Oh!” Beneath him, Jamie stiffened. She struggled in an obvious attempt to get out from under him. He should move, let her up. And he would. In a minute. As soon as his muscles once again obeyed his command.

“Shhh,” he said, stroking the side of her breast. “Let me catch my breath. Then we’ll go for our new personal best in the bedroom.” He kissed her between her shoulder blades, where his head rested.

“Devon!” She wiggled again, severing their connection and squirming to the side until she broke free. “There’s someone outside the window!”

Instantly alert, he jerked to a standing position. “Where? Did you see who it was?”

Hopping around while attempting to put on his pants, he watched Jamie. She was genuinely upset. In all probability, no one was outside, unless it was Petunia again, but he would look like a hero if he went to investigate, so he made a big production of finding his shoes.

Jamie clutched his shirt to her chest, eyes wide.

Being a basic coward had its disadvantages. Like now. He’d really prefer to stay right where he was, but one look at Jamie’s stricken face had his feet moving toward the door.

“Where are you going?”

He paused and looked back. “I thought I’d take a look outside…unless you would prefer me to stay in here with you?” She hesitated, and he heaved an inward sigh.

One hero coming up.

“Stay inside while I go take a look around.” He turned the knob and looked back. “It’s going to be all right. I’ll just take a quick look and be right back. I promise.”

It came as no surprise, but it was still a giant relief when he found no one loitering outside Jamie’s apartment.

By the time he’d checked the almost empty parking lots and worked his way around the complex back to her door, Jamie was once again fully dressed.

It helped only marginally that she rewarded his bravery with a huge piece of the best pineapple upside-down cake he’d ever eaten.