Secret Storm (6 page)

Sara pulled free and picked up her phone.
"Hi, David, what do you want?"

Jack shook his head at their friends standing
in the doorway. "You guys go ahead. We'll catch up with you."

"Okay." Austin pulled Jane out the door.

Jack watched Sara pace the living room,
arguing with her ex.
Was
David still her ex?

"I told you I have a date tonight."

He smiled through gritted teeth.
That's
good to hear.

"No, he's an old friend."

Ugh, not so good.
Did those kisses and
whispers mean nothing?

"I know you want to talk, but I don't know
what else to say." She made a wild gesture he couldn't interpret.
"Now is not the time to talk about getting back together."

His gut twisted.
I do not like this
conversation.

"I don't know. I don't think there
is
a good time."

At least we agree on something.

"Look, I have to go—"

Yes, you do.

"We'll talk later."

No, you won
'
t. Not if I can help
it.

"What?" She pinched the bridge of her nose
and hung her head. "You can't keep doing this to me."

I'm gonna beat that guy for hurting her.

"David, please, I don't want to hurt you. I
understand you need to talk, and we will—"

"No." He snatched the phone from her hand.
This conversation couldn't continue—not now, not ever.

"What the hell are you doing? I'm not done
talking to him."

He pressed the end button and tossed the
phone across the room. "You are now."

Sara snarled and went after it, but he
grabbed her arm. "Let go of me." She tried to jerk free.

"Not until you let him go." He tightened his
grip, careful not to hurt her. "I thought you told me you were done
with this guy."

"I am, but he thinks—"

"I don't care what he thinks."

"Will you let me finish?" She wrenched her
arm free. "He thinks we can work it out, but I told him I needed to
learn to trust him again."

"Why bother? He cheated once. He'll do it
again. Guys like that don't change."

"Austin changed."

"Austin never cheated on you." He cut her off
before she could argue. "And you know it. Austin is a good guy, but
this David is a worthless piece of shit. He knows he'll never do
better than you, and that's the only reason he wants you back."

Her phone rang again and she dropped to her
knees to search for it, finding it on the floor of Jack's bedroom.
She grabbed it, but Jack snatched it away and turned it off,
throwing it under his bed. She turned to face him and hissed. "Why
won't you let me—"

"Because I care about you!" He took a deep
breath and lowered his voice. "I can't stand to see him hurt you.
Do you have any idea how long I've stood by and watched you go out
with all these losers? I saw what Austin did to you. I saw how much
he hurt you."

"Why didn't you do anything?"

"I tried, but you always kept me at arm's
length. Every time someone hurts you, you withdraw, you run away
and hide. You never let anyone take care of you." To prove his
point, Jack reached for her, holding out his hand for her to
take.

Sara crossed her arms over her chest and
backed away. "I don't need to be taken care of."

"Okay, I get that. You don't need it. But
don't you ever
want
it?"

"What?" She stared at him, eyes wide.

"Don't you ever want someone to... I don't
know...."
What am I trying to say?
He wanted the pain and
confusion in her eyes to go away. "Sometimes when you're hurting,
you have to let someone else in to help take care of you, whether
you need it, or want it, or not."

"Jack, I...."

He wanted to reach for her, to touch her and
hold her, but he didn't move. If he was the man she wanted to let
in, she would have to invite him. "What do you want from me, Sara?
From anyone?"

"I don't know." She turned away, looking
toward the front door. "What I want always comes second... if at
all."

"What do you need?"

"I need...." She covered her face with her
hands, her fingers splayed across her forehead as if to ease some
pounding pain. "I need to feel close to someone."

"I'm right here." He still didn't move. "I
always have been."

"I know." She turned to him. "I want to let
you in, Jack, but I.... Oh hell, I just want you. I have for a long
time. I know you're not what I need, but I don't care. Take me to
bed now and we'll sort the rest out later." With three determined
steps, she closed the distance between them and kissed him,
pressing her body against him and driving him back toward the
bed.

When Jack's legs hit the mattress, they
crumpled beneath him and he fell with Sara in his arms. He
shouldn't let her do this—shouldn't take advantage of her emotional
state—but he would ask forgiveness later. The woman he'd craved for
so many years was finally in his bed. Nothing would get in their
way tonight.

She pulled his shirt off and crawled on top
of him, kissing him until neither one could breathe. They rolled
over and he crushed her into the mattress, or maybe she pulled him
down. It didn't matter because they were both doing the same thing:
kissing, touching, nibbling, groping. Somehow, her shirt and bra
ended up on the floor. Then her shorts disappeared. They rolled
across the bed, tangled up in each other.

She sat up and he yanked his jeans down to
his knees, kicking them off while she caressed his hard cock, and
he pulled her back down beside him. Before he knew what had
happened, he was lying on his back with her kissing his chest,
slowly working her way down. She flicked her tongue on his stomach,
tasting his hot skin.

He moaned as her lips touched his cock. She
curled her tongue around it and he trembled at her mercy. She could
do anything she wanted to him—he couldn't resist if he wanted to.
He'd waited forever to do all these wicked things with her, and he
couldn't wait any longer. He grabbed her shoulders as they rolled
over. Her skin, her hair, her lips... softer than he'd imagined.
Now that he could touch her, he would never stop.

"Perfect breasts," he said as he caressed
them. She smiled and arched her back, offering herself to him. They
fit into his hands just right, with fat pink nipples practically
begging to be kissed. How could he refuse?

And then he kissed her—her lips, her neck,
her breasts, her thighs—unable to decide which he liked better,
kissing or touching. He did both. His hands caressed her breasts
while his mouth caressed her thighs, slow and gentle, but with a
nip or a pinch to make things interesting. He slid his hand between
her legs, sticking one finger inside her, then two, with a twist
and a stroke. She moaned his name and he knew right then he would
always love that sound. He held her nipple between his teeth and
flicked it with his tongue.

She gasped and grabbed his hair as if she
wanted to pull him off.

***

Not the best idea, but oh God, he feels so
good!
This felt like exactly what she needed—exactly what she
wanted. Held prisoner under his hot, hard body and relentless
mouth, she gave no thought to escaping. Instead of confining her,
his grasp somehow comforted her. Comfort. She'd never had that with
David. Sara closed her eyes and banished her ex from her
thoughts.

When she opened her eyes again, Jack smiled
above her. He looked so happy that she nearly panicked.

What does he want from me? What does he
need?
She closed her eyes again and focused on the moment. He
slid his hand down her thigh, igniting her long-neglected body.

God knows I don't get enough moments like
this.

He slowly moved away from her breasts and
kissed his way down to her thighs, teasing between her legs. He
took his time getting there, kissing her close but not close
enough.

Sara gasped as he kissed her in that perfect
spot... on his way to somewhere else.
Damn it.
She growled
and raised her hips, trying to redirect his path. He chuckled,
giving her what she wanted, and she draped her legs over his
shoulders so he couldn't escape. Thorough and single-minded, he
kissed, licked, and even gently bit her pulsing nub while she
moaned and squirmed. He slipped his tongue inside her, pointed and
firm, and she gasped and arched for more. His fingers entered,
curling and deep. Maybe he wanted to go slow, but she came in a
heated rush that lifted her off the bed. She flung her arms out and
clutched the comforter, riding out the tingling waves crashing
through her again and again.

Jack lifted his head and crawled on top of
her. "I'm done waiting." He claimed her mouth like a prize.

She breathed hard. "So am I."

He sank into her, taking her body with one
hot, slick, deep stroke. "Do you like it slow and gentle?" He
pulled out and sank back in, pushing her patience to the limit. "Or
do you like it hard and fast?" He suddenly changed pace, pounding
into her.

"Oh!" She ran her fingers through his long
dark hair. "I like it hard... and slow."

"Mmm... best of both worlds."

He pulled out so slow she thought she would
lose her mind. When he slammed back into her, she lost it. Helpless
and senseless, she held onto him, begging him to never stop.

He slid his fingertips down her spine,
lightly scratching her skin. She had no idea her back was an
erogenous zone, but it didn't seem to matter where he put his
hands, as long as they were on her body. Tiny shivers sparked along
her flesh, and she arched again.

***

Barely aware of his own actions—a dangerous
state for him—Jack held her tight. He had no idea where this might
lead, but it felt good—no, better than good. Better than...
anything. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her neck, her body soft
and hot beneath him—nibbling, kissing, wrapped around each
other.

Oh God, how can any woman feel this
amazing?

When he opened his eyes, she sat on top of
him, still moving slow and hard. He slid his hands over her
beautiful naked body, lifting her and pulling her back down. He sat
up, kissing her while she straddled him, and massaged her back,
still not able to touch her enough.

"Don't stop," she groaned.

"Never. I can't believe you're finally
mine."

"I'm not—oh God—we're not—" She gasped and
shuddered.

He felt her heat wash over him.
"Sara...."

He came right after her, unable and unwilling
to contain the fire that had been smoldering for so long. It burned
through him, leaving him sweaty and shaken. He caught her as they
fell back on the bed, holding her while she trembled on his chest.
He caressed her until they stopped shaking, keeping her close,
fearful she would run out the door at the first chance she got.

She rolled off him and turned her back,
pulling up her knees and crossing her arms over her breasts.

"Sara." He rolled on his side behind her,
kissing her shoulder. "I'm not gonna say I'm sorry." He would never
be sorry for taking this chance with her.

"I don't want you to." She turned toward him,
but didn't meet his eyes. "I enjoyed this."

"I did too."
Like I never have with anyone
else.

"But I don't—"

His mouth closed over hers before she could
finish that awful sentence. "Don't say it." He wrapped his arms
around her, holding her close to his heart. "Go to sleep, and we'll
figure things out in the morning."

***

What did I just do?
She wanted Jack—no
denying that—and had needed to get laid.
Ooo boy—no denying that
either.
She wasn't sorry she'd slept with him, but somehow it
just hadn't seemed right.

Unable to sleep, Sara waited until his hold
on her relaxed and his breathing turned deep and even. She slipped
away from him quietly, then searched for her clothes and pulled
them on.
Where's my phone?
It had to be somewhere....
In
the dark... under the bed, damn it.

She wasn't about to crawl under there, so she
decided to leave it. She wanted a good excuse to see him again,
anyway. Why did she need an excuse? Jack was her friend; she could
see him whenever she wanted, good reason or not. Of course, now
that she'd slept with him, things were bound to be different. She
looked back at the bed and a familiar wild thrill shot through her
body at the sight of him lying there naked, his chiseled body hers
for the taking—if she wanted it. He wouldn't say no.

Oh yeah... things are definitely
different.

She did want to see him again, didn't want
this to be over, not when it had just started. Jack sighed and
rolled toward the spot where she should have been, reaching for her
in his sleep. She fought the urge to get back in bed with him, but
no—she had to get out of there so she could think.

The air conditioner kicked in and she
shivered at the blast of cold air. She took one last look at him
lying naked and peaceful on the bed, and went to grab an extra
blanket from his closet to drape over him.

Sara leaned over to kiss Jack's cheek before
leaving. "We'll make this work... somehow."

***

Sara was gone when he woke up. He knew even
before opening his eyes, as the bed beside him felt as cold as the
room.

Where did the blanket come from? Still
dark outside—inside too.
He pulled the blanket over his head,
wishing he could stay there, but he couldn't hide. He'd accused
Sara of doing that very thing. He had to find her and....

And what?
He'd gotten what he wanted.
She had too, apparently. Was there more between them or was this
it?

The front door opened, and Austin and Jane
came in, laughing and talking, probably all over each other.

Oh God, I don't want to hear that all
night.
He stuck his head under his pillow, but they suddenly
got quiet.