Off Limits (9 page)

CeCe looped a curl about her fingers. “My mom says it’s a bitch to comb.”

Zach choked on his beer.

“Can I touch your face?”

Zach looked from CeCe’s outstretched hand to Paige and raised his eyebrows. She shrugged. No telling what CeCe wanted.

“Why, CeCe?” she asked the girl.

“He has hair on his face. I want to know if it’s soft or scratchy.”

Zach sighed, set his beer and pizza on the coffee table and lowered his face to her reach. The sight of CeCe’s pudgy little hands against the masculine cheeks sent a tug of longing through Paige so strong that she had to look away.

“What’s the verdict? Soft or scratchy?” Zach asked when CeCe dropped her hands to her lap, frowning.

“Kinda both.”

“Come on, CeCe. Finish up your pizza and we’ll finish your story, then time for bed.” Because God help her, she wanted to be alone with Zach.

He lounged on the couch watching the game when she returned from tucking CeCe in. She’d had to wash the girl up after eating the snack, and brush CeCe’s teeth. And yes, she’d slapped some foundation and mascara on herself before she rejoined him.

“Good game?” She plopped on the couch behind him, her voice too loud, making her wince.

Instead he passed her an opened beer over his shoulder. “It’s okay. Is she asleep?”

“Probably not for a few more minutes yet.” She sipped the beer and gave in to the desire to thread her fingers through his hair. “Thanks for the pizza. You made her night.”

He twisted to look at her. “Only a side benefit. What about you? Did I make your night?”

“So far.” She tightened her fingers in his hair.

He understood the invitation and was on the couch beside her in a flash, his long body against hers, pressing her into the cushions as he covered her mouth with his. The kiss was deep and languid, his fingers stroking her waist in time with his tongue stroking deep in her mouth, filling her with his taste.

“You smell really good,” she murmured when he lowered his mouth to her throat.

“You feel really good,” he returned, cupping her breast.

God.
She rolled her hips against his erection, and he groaned. “We can’t…get naked,” she managed when he tugged her nipple. “She might need me.”

“Not a hardship,” he said against her throat, sliding his fingers from her navel to her cleft and stroking her through the thin knit of the yoga pants.

His name came out on a squeak, and she clutched his shoulders, wanting him to continue, knowing that it would only lead to nakedness. She closed her hand around his wrist and removed it, but rolled onto her back so that he was over her, his legs between hers, his mouth teasing as she moved against him. He shoved up her shirt and reached inside her bra to lightly pinch her tight nipple, and broke their kiss to close his lips around it, drawing it deep. He crept his fingers down her belly again, this time easing beneath the waistband of her pants, then her panties. She arched beneath him when he reached the slick folds of flesh.

She shoved at his shoulders and sat up.

“Paige,” he protested when she slipped from beneath him.

She held out a hand. “Come with me.”

Zach’s pulse thrummed in his ears, in his chest, in his cock. Just having her under him had felt so good, and now she was going to kick him out. Reluctantly, he took her hand, resisting the urge to sweet-talk her. She tugged him to his feet, but when she led him down the hall, she passed the front door and opened another.

Her bedroom.

He felt a little light-headed as she guided him inside, pushed him into a sitting position on the corner of the queen-sized bed, and stood before him with her hands on her hips.

“You’ve been very patient. I think you deserve a reward.”

“Come here,” he said. “This is one of my favorite fantasies.”

She placed her hands on his shoulders and bent to brush her mouth over his. “So I’ll have to do my best.” Her lips drifted down his throat to the opening of his shirt, her fingers floating lower, over the buckle of his belt, which she fumbled with a moment before loosening it. She let her knuckles brush over his erection through the fabric, and he groaned.

She knelt before him, unzipped his slacks and freed him. Her breath gusted over his hot skin, and he squeezed his eyes shut, fighting for control when she wrapped her fingers around him. But he had to see, had to watch her, that gorgeous hair spilling over his thighs as she guided the head of him to her mouth, running her tongue up the length of him, circling the rim of his cock before taking him deep, until her lips met her caressing touch.

He braced his hands on the bed behind him, curling his fingers in the blue and white comforter so he wouldn’t bury them in her hair and thrust against her mouth. As aroused as he was, he wanted to feel what she’d do to him.

She pumped him slowly as her tongue stroked along his length, and she pulled with gentle suction. He ground his teeth as she moved up and down, holding back the orgasm when he wanted to lift his hips and let loose. He angled back on the bed so he could watch her face, those fantasy-inspired lips wrapped around him, the adoring expression on her face. His balls drew up, and her tongue fluttered right below the ridge of his head, then she slowed again, easing him back from the edge.

“Christ, Paige.”

She released him with a smile. “It’ll be good, I promise.”

Of that, he had no doubt. She was amazing, applying just the right amount of pressure, varying the rhythm, Jesus, even nibbling. Where the hell had she learned how to give head?

He pushed the thought away, not wanting to imagine her between any other man’s legs.

Finally he could resist no longer. He lifted one hand to curve around the back of her head, meeting her rhythm. She shifted her touch so her fingernails teased his tight balls and he lost it, no longer able to hold back, heat shooting through him, and he came with a groan in slow, hard pulses. She removed her hand to take him deeper, into her throat, licking until he dropped back to the bed, spent.

“I was a very, very good boy,” he said to the ceiling.

She laughed and stretched beside him. “Yes you were.”

He turned his face to her, sweeping his thumb over her swollen lower lip. God, she was a fantasy come to life. “I also have excellent manners. If someone does something nice to me, I return the favor.”

“You don’t have to.” But she rolled on her back when he rose over her, toying with the tie of her yoga pants. “Don’t take my clothes off.”

“I like a challenge.” He could already smell her arousal. He shifted so she parted her legs for him. He tweaked her nipple, kissed her belly where the T-shirt had ridden up, and closed his mouth over her pussy through the thin knit of the pants.

She bowed beneath him, having no qualms whatsoever to digging her fingers into his scalp, holding him to her. The sound she made, a low, guttural, needy sound was sexy as hell—and alarming, with a kid in the next room. He lifted his head to look up at her chidingly.

“You want me to gag you?”

The catch of her breath made him think she found the idea arousing, and he made a note to try it at some point in the future. Right now he wanted to drive her out of her mind. He circled his mouth above her clit and she bumped her hips against him, wanting more. Teasing her wasn’t enough. He wanted to fill his mouth with the taste of her. She protested when he pulled down the front of the knit pants and panties to bare her pussy to him. He glided his tongue along the slick folds, stroking her entrance with the flat of his tongue, before flicking against her swollen clit, feeling it quiver, feeling an echoing shudder run through her body. He repeated the playful caress, and she lifted her hips, burrowing her fingers in his hair to guide him back to where she wanted him. As much as he didn’t want to end this yet, he obliged, parting her for his mouth, sliding one finger inside her.

He managed to cover her mouth as she came with a cry, pumping against him, filling him with her taste and an odd sense of triumph. A glance up the length of her body showed her throat stretched, her body arched in the pleasure he gave her. Sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

He wanted to be inside her again but wanted all night to enjoy it, not stolen moments while she was babysitting.

He rose to kiss her, the taste of his come on her lips enough to make him stir already. But then she tucked her head under his chin, her fingers curling in the front of his shirt, murmured something he didn’t understand, and soon, her breathing evened out in the rhythm of sleep.

Well, hell.

A pounding on the bedroom door woke Zach. For a moment, he didn’t know where he was, but the cloud of curls around his face clued him in. Paige’s bed. God knew what time it was.

“Aunt Paige!” cried a frantic voice, followed my more knocking. “I threw up in my bed.”

Paige tensed, then scrambled from beneath his arm, leaving him to realize too late that he’d spooned against her in his sleep and held her breast.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “Watch the light.”

He closed his eyes too late and saw spots when she flicked on the bedside lamp. Before he recovered and looked up, she’d twisted her hair up in a scrunchy and opened the door.

“Oh, honey,” he heard her say before the scent of pizza vomit wafted toward him.

He rolled to his feet, not quite awake. “What can I do?”

“Don’t worry. I’m just going to bathe her and clean it up. I’ll be back in a few.”

She guided the crying child out of the room, and a few minutes later he heard the water running. He glanced at the clock. Not even midnight. When was the last time he’d been asleep before midnight?

He staggered into the hall, where the scent of vomit was stronger. He swallowed his own gag. CeCe said she’d thrown up in her bed. Easy enough to find the open door. He flipped on the light, and wow. Yeah, she’d thrown up. He wouldn’t be eating pizza again for a while. Taking a deep breath in the hall, he strode across the room and stripped off the soiled bedding, inspecting the stuffed animals for any residual damage. Nothing too bad, nothing a sponge couldn’t take care of.

Once the bedding was wadded, he carried it into the hall. The air was a bit more breathable now. He tapped on the bathroom door.

Paige opened the door, brow furrowed, hair frazzled, sleepy eyed. Gorgeous. He took a step back. “I’ll take the clothes down to the laundry room. Give me her pajamas.”

Her eyes widened as she looked from the pile of clothes to his face. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Paige. I’m holding pukey laundry. Give me her pajamas and tell me where the laundry room is.”

She ducked back in the bathroom and returned in seconds with towel-wrapped pj’s. “There’s a laundry room on every floor. Go right all the way to the end of the hall. You need a code. It’s seventy-two, seventy-three. And you’ll need quarters and the laundry detergent is under the sink.” She sagged against the door. “You don’t have to do this,” she said again.

“I’ll be back.”

He located the detergent, then slipped into the hall and down to the laundry room. He entered the code, loaded the washer and dropped into one of the molded plastic chairs as the washer filled with water. What the hell was he doing here? He didn’t want a connection like this, didn’t want to care like this. Just because she was beautiful and gave great blowjobs and was funny and sweet—this wasn’t in the plans. Maybe someday, when he was forty, tired of going out all the time, he’d find a woman like Paige and settle down, maybe even have a couple of kids of his own. He’d have the money. He wouldn’t struggle as his own parents had done. His kids would go to private schools, get new cars, have college paid for so they didn’t have to work so hard. And he wouldn’t have to scrimp to make that happen. He wasn’t there yet, and so he wasn’t ready for a woman to charge into his life with her need for romance.

He scrubbed his hands over his face. Time to bail.

As soon as the laundry was done.

When he returned to the apartment, he followed the sound of quiet singing to Paige’s bedroom. She was curled around CeCe on the bed, stroking her curls and crooning to her. The child’s eyes drifted shut, opened again, then drifted. The sight made his gut ache in a way he couldn’t define. Without changing her movements, Paige shifted her gaze to him and smiled.

“The bedding’s in the dryer,” he told her. “It’ll probably be a while.”

“Thank you,” she murmured in the same singsong voice. “You helped me a lot. I would have had to leave her alone to wash, or carry her with me.”

“Yeah, well, I was here. And it wasn’t my first time.” His youngest brother was always throwing up—on the bus, in bed, on the lunchroom table. He shuddered at the mortifying memory. “But I’m going to go.”

He thought he saw disappointment flicker in her eyes before she turned her attention back to CeCe.

“Okay. Thanks again. Good night.” Without taking her gaze from the girl, she angled her face as if for a kiss, but he backed out the door and bolted.

Chapter Six

Paige shouldn’t have been surprised to get the call from Zach breaking their Friday date with the weak excuse of a business dinner, but the message hurt nonetheless. Worse that he left a message, instead of having the balls to speak to her and have her ask why.

Though she knew why. Last night came too close to domesticity for him. He was enough like her brother that she understood that. The two of them fed off each other when it came to the lifestyle of confirmed bachelors.

The two men had come to accept whatever the other was doing as favorable. What she didn’t know was why any other choice was so distasteful to them.

She wanted to charge over to Zach’s and demand he man up, that he at the very least admit the truth about why he broke the date. But that would only make him defensive. So she’d wait, and see if his guilt—or better, his desire for her—brought him around.

She never thought she’d have enough patience, especially as the weekend dragged. She agreed to go out with her friend Teresa and half-expected to see Zach at one of the clubs they hit Saturday night. She danced with a number of guys, and imagined Zach walking in and having a fit of jealousy, maybe storming over and laying a kiss on her, proclaiming his love in front of everyone. But of course that didn’t happen, and despite the best efforts of several of her dance partners, she went home alone.