Playing With Seduction (12 page)

“Your boudoir photography?”

She nodded, a glimmer of pride in her expression. “Yep. At first, I had to supplement my income with portrait photography, but once I found the studio I have now and I was able to get the right decor and furnishings for the boudoir settings, things just really took off.”

He heard the excitement in her voice and grinned, loving how passionate she was about her job. How passionate
she was
, period.

“And then I met Raina, who, as you know, owns Sugar and Spice,” she went on enthusiastically. “She started referring customers to me, and that’s been huge, too, in building my clientele.”

He absently skimmed his thumb across the back of her hand. “Why boudoir photography?” He had a feeling he knew the answer but wanted to hear it from her.

“I want to empower women to feel sexy and sensual and confident, no matter their size or shape,” she told him, confirming what he’d already suspected. “I love seeing the transformation as I’m taking the pictures, watching these women go from shy and timid to being bold and radiant and uninhibited.”

Did she even realize she was describing herself? That with him, she was becoming that sexy, fearless, self-assured woman she was talking about? She was like a sensual butterfly who’d just emerged from her cocoon, free and unfettered and wanting to experience all the erotic pleasures she’d missed out on.

And he was the lucky man to give her all that.

As he sat there and listened to her talk about her business, he realized that, without a doubt, he wanted more than easy sex with her, which contradicted her own request for a casual relationship. Which also meant he had to find some kind of balance, a way to get what he wanted while giving her what she desired and, in the process, building her trust and allaying her fears.

Not an easy feat, but he was determined to find a way, because there was one thing he knew with certainty: she was worth having in his life.

K
endall couldn’t believe
how much she’d rambled on about Pure Bliss, but Jase had remained engaged and focused on her. He hadn’t hesitated to ask questions, and it was nice to have a man who actually appreciated what she did for a living. A man who showed genuine interest in her photography business and wanted to know all about it.

Since returning to the bar, she’d spent nearly an hour and a half with Jase, and there hadn’t been any lag in conversation. No awkward silences like she’d experienced with Grant. Jase hadn’t made any derogatory comments about the chocolate cake she’d ordered—that would have been a deal breaker, for sure. They’d talked about their families, and her heart truly hurt for him and the less-than-ideal childhood he’d endured. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been for him to grow up alone and on his own, yet he’d become a competent, confident man who’d focused on his goals in life and made them happen.

Jase was the first man she’d ever opened up to and told about her lackluster sex life while married. He was the first man she’d trusted to reveal her forbidden fantasies to, in explicit, erotic detail. And oh, yeah, he was the first man she’d ever propositioned with an affair.

He’d agreed, and knowing that she was about to embark upon the hottest sexual adventure of her life, with a gorgeous, sexy man who promised to push her beyond those conventional vanilla boundaries, she couldn’t wait to get started.

Jase insisted on putting her chocolate cake and milk on his tab. After paying Mallory, he left a generous tip on the bar for the girl, then turned to Kendall.

“You ready to head out, puma?” he teased, laughter crinkling the skin around his eyes.

“Oh, you’re funny,” she said sarcastically as she slid off her barstool, but she was smiling, too. “And yes, I’m ready to go.”

She started for the exit, with Jase following behind. As soon as they were outside, he grabbed her hand without asking and laced their fingers together, much like he had back in the bar, but this time the gesture felt intimate and possessive. Like they were a couple, when they weren’t. It was something she tried very hard not to think about, nor did she want to analyze the little twist of disappointment that thought evoked.

His palm was big and warm, his fingers long, and her hand felt engulfed in his. Protected. Safe. Secure. All the things that had no business being a part of this fling of theirs. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to sever the connection, because if she was honest with herself, it was a novel thing for her to feel protected, safe, and secure, and she liked it.

It was easier to recognize now that those sentiments had been missing in her marriage. Not the physical aspect of being protected but the emotional comfort of knowing, and believing, that a person had her back. That hadn’t been the case with Drew, who’d been more focused on his own goals than on making sure that Kendall had everything she’d needed emotionally. He’d taken advantage of her willingness to put her dreams on hold, to work sixty-plus hours a week with two different jobs, so he could pursue his aspirations of being a trauma surgeon, while leading her to assume he’d return the favor once their massive school loans were paid off.

She’d believed him. Trusted him. He’d given her a false sense of safety and security, then left her reeling with the realization that she’d wasted ten years of her life on a man who had very easily replaced her with another younger woman.

“Hey, you’re awfully quiet,” Jase said in a low, concerned tone as they reached her car. “Are you okay?”

She exhaled a deep breath and pushed those dismal thoughts out of her mind. For the next few weeks, or however long this thing between her and Jase lasted, it was going to be all about the two of them—seduction, desires, and pleasure.

She glanced up at him in the shadowed darkness of evening and smiled. “I’m great,” she said, and meant it. “How about you?”

Letting go of her hand, he gently backed her up against the side of her vehicle, his hot, hard body pressing along the length of hers. “I’ll be much better as soon as I kiss you like I’ve been dying to for the past two hours.”

Her lips automatically parted in invitation, and she placed her hands on the waistband of his jeans.
Oh, yes, please.

Heat flickered in his gaze as he lifted a hand, slid his palm affectionately along her cheek, then tangled his fingers into her hair. He tightened his hold around the strands, giving him complete control of how he positioned her mouth beneath his.

Anticipation rushed through her as he made her wait for his kiss, deliberately letting the tension between them build while making sure that he was the one who decided when and how he was going to take her mouth. His eyes darkened, his expression reflecting a combination of escalating lust and need.

God, she loved him like this. In charge. A little forceful. And absolutely confident in his ability to give her pleasure.
Oh, yes, especially that
.

“Jase,” she whispered, her tone breathless and pleading.

He finally angled her head to the side and gradually lowered his. She closed her eyes, expecting to feel the crush of his mouth, wanting that desperately. But instead he nibbled on her lower lip and used his tongue to skim across the plump flesh, so softly, so sensually she felt that slow, hot lick right between her thighs.

She shivered against him, whimpered in the back of her throat, and he finally sealed his lips over hers and deepened the kiss, sweeping her senses into overload as his tongue stroked and tangled with hers, and his mouth devoured and consumed. He took what he wanted, stealing her sanity right along with her modesty. She didn’t care that they were outside in the open, that he had her pinned up against her vehicle. All she could think about was alleviating the growing, throbbing ache down below.

Moaning with the need for more pressure, more friction, she widened her stance and pulled on the waistband of his pants so his hips met hers, but the hem of her dress was a frustrating barrier between them. The solid length of his erection pushing against her mound was a grinding tease, and nowhere near where she ached for it the most.

He’d started a slow burn back in the bar, when he’d slipped his hand beneath her dress and rubbed her clit, then left her wanting. Now, the spiraling heat was escalating all over again. She could feel how wet she was, could feel the demanding pulse of her pussy, and she managed, just barely, to pull her mouth from his.

“Touch me, Jase,” she said raggedly, brazenly. “Make me come. Here. Now.”

He buried his face against the side of her neck, his breathing hot and damp against her skin. “Pull up your skirt,” he ordered gruffly.

She did, quickly raising the hem until it was bunched up around her hips. He slid his free hand down the back of her thigh, hooked his fingers around her knee, and pulled her leg up to his hip so that the length of erection was aligned right against her sex. It wasn’t at all what she’d been expecting, but the firm pressure was exactly what her body craved.

She was still wearing her panties, but as he started to move against her, the rough denim of his jeans scraped the insides of her thighs, and the stiff bulge beneath the zippered fly rubbed against her clit. He kissed and bit her neck and sucked on a patch of skin as he pumped his hips faster, thrust harder, and the exquisite combination of textures and the rhythmic, accurate strokes had her climaxing very quickly.

She gripped his T-shirt in her fists as she jolted against him, her leg tightening around his hip as she fell over the peak and straight into infinite pleasure. A soft cry rose up in her throat, but before it could completely escape, his mouth was on hers again, buffering the sound with a deep, tongue-tangling kiss while her body shuddered hard against him.

When the orgasm finally ebbed, he released her leg, freed her mouth, and tucked her face against his neck to give her a moment to regain her bearings. The hand in her hair gently massaged her scalp; the other slid around her waist to hold her close and keep her shaking legs from collapsing. As the fog of desire cleared from her mind, her surroundings came back into focus, reminding her exactly where there were.

“I can’t believe I let you do that to me in a public parking lot,” she murmured incredulously against his throat.

He chuckled, the low, rumbling sound vibrating in his chest. “I can’t, either,” he said, his voice husky with humor. “But I made sure no one was around.”

“At least one of us did,” she mumbled, her face flushing with embarrassment when she thought about the provocative show she could have given someone.

He continued stroking her hair. “Ahh, I guess exhibitionism isn’t another deep, dark fantasy you harbor?” he teased.

“No, not at all,” she replied primly. “I’m very old-fashioned that way.”

He laughed out loud and drew her head back to look into her eyes. “There is nothing old-fashioned about you when it comes to sex, and I like it that way.”

He shifted against her, his shaft still firm and heavy between them, a tangible reminder that he was still fully aroused when he’d just given her an amazing orgasm. An overhead parking lot lamp a couple of vehicles away cast a glow of light across his gorgeous face, revealing the tense set to his jaw and the banked hunger and need in his eyes.

She slid a hand down the hard plane of his muscled chest, past the waistband of his jeans, and stroked her palm over his erection. She heard him inhale a sharp breath, and squeezed him just enough to add to the sensual torment. “Come home with me, Jase.” Now that she was ready to be sexually adventurous, there was so much more she wanted to do with him and to him. And definitely not in public.

He groaned and pushed his hips against her hand, but his features were etched with regret as he shook his head. “As much as I’d like to go home with you, not tonight.”

His words said one thing while his body said another. She gave him a sultry, coaxing smile. “I’m a sure thing, Jase,” she said, knowing he’d remember the last time she’d said something similar to him, when she’d all but pushed him to go out with Nicole.

He laughed but didn’t give in to her offer. “I have an early morning tomorrow.”

“Oh.” The rejection stung. She glanced away, suddenly feeling hesitant and too damn insecure. “I guess I should go then.”

He stopped her when she tried to wriggle away from him, the big hands on her hips keeping her in place. “Kendall, look at me.”

His voice was soft but firm, compelling her to do as he asked. She met his gaze and lifted her chin, trying hard not to let her stupid self-doubts show.

He must have seen the uncertainty on her face, because he swore beneath his breath. His own gaze softened as he brushed an errant strand of hair off her cheek, his touch so gentle and caring. “It’s not that I don’t want you. Don’t
ever
think that, and especially not when you can feel for yourself how hard you make me. It’s taking every bit of restraint that I have not to fuck you up against the side of your car until you scream my name.”

She knew her eyes were wide, a bit shocked even. “Then why?”

He exhaled deeply. “So much has already happened tonight. With you and Grant. With you and me. And I don’t want to throw sex into the mix of everything else. I want us to start fresh and both to be clear-headed the next time we’re together. Just the two of us.”