Seeds of Desire (7 page)

She didn’t like the idea of being weak in front of him, but
she had to admit she was still a bit woozy from the pain. Or maybe it was from
the medication. She waited for Jared to open her door, then allowed him to help
her out of the car and into her room. She gratefully settled onto the bed with
her feet up and her head propped against the pillows.

Jared picked up the spare pillows from the chair where
Cassidy had set them the night before and added them to the pile behind her
head. “Stay here and rest,” he ordered. “I’m going to go check out the planting
site and see where things stand. And let everyone know you’re all right.”

“Thanks,” she murmured, wishing he wouldn’t leave. She
didn’t dare ask him to stay, though. Then he’d know she wanted him around. Just
plain wanted him, if she was honest with herself. She wasn’t ready for him to
find that out quite yet.

“No problem.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “Do you want
anything to eat or anything? I can stop on the way back and pick up takeout at
one of these restaurants, I’m sure.”

Even though she still felt a bit queasy, the rumbling in her
stomach informed her that food would be a good thing. “Hamburger. Fries.
Chocolate milkshake if they have them. Cola if they don’t.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Hamburger? You only had a salad last
night. I thought you were vegetarian or something.”

She closed her eyes and squelched her irritation with him.
After all, he’d offered to be nice to her. She didn’t want to snap at him for
that. “I don’t eat much red meat. Right now, I need some. Protein equals
energy, and after that freaking debacle, I need energy. Don’t question me, just
follow orders.”

He laughed. “Yes, Mistress. Your wish is my command. I’ll be
back in about an hour. If you become too hungry before then, there are some
snacks in my overnight bag. Here’s the key to my room.” He handed it to her.

“Aren’t you going to need this when you come back?” she
asked, turning the key over between her fingers.

“This way you’ll know I have to bring you your food first.
And no looking through my boxers. I know how much those must turn you on.” He
left before Cassidy managed to come up with a retort.

She stood slowly, making sure her legs would hold her.
Injured or not, she refused to stay in her bloodstained shirt and filthy jeans.
As quickly as she could manage, she changed into a clean T-shirt and
loose-fitting shorts that she generally wore only for sleeping. Settling back
on the bed, she turned on the TV to flip through the handful of channels.
Apparently this place didn’t bring in enough money to spring for the big cable
package. It had only the first thirteen channels on the cable system’s lineup,
which included the three network stations in the area. It didn’t give her much
option for something to watch, so she set it on a sitcom rerun and lay back to
rest.

She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew,
Jared’s arms were around her. He lay on the bed beside her in only dark blue
boxers. “I’m back,” he murmured.

“What are you doing?” She tried to push away from him, but
he only tightened his embrace. His hard-on pressed against her side and she
barely resisted the impulse to stroke it. “You can’t take advantage of an
injured woman.”

“I don’t think I would be.” He nuzzled her neck just below
her earlobe. She shivered as the heat of arousal rushed through her. “I think
you want this, Cass. As much as I do, maybe more. Look.” He turned from her without
completely releasing her and gestured at the bulge in the front of his shorts.
“Do you see how hard I am for you? I’ve been like this every fucking day you’re
around, Cassidy. I just have to look at you, and all I can think about is
fucking you.”

Her cunt tingled and her nipples hardened. She barely
believed this was happening. All the teasing and fantasizing, and now here he
was, practically begging to fuck her. She wasn’t about to let the chance pass
her by.

She gave in to her desire and reached out to touch his cock.
It twitched beneath her hand. “Let me see it.”

With a smug grin, he held her with one arm and used his free
hand to push his boxers down, freeing his cock. A tiny drop of precum sat at
its tip. “You see?” he said hoarsely. “I already want you that bad. What are
you going to do about it?”

From the way her cunt contracted, it had a pretty good idea
of what to do. She didn’t want to go straight to fucking, though. That
tantalizing little droplet called to her, and she bent and touched her tongue
to it.

The slightly salty taste aroused her, starting a strong
pulse between her legs. She slid her lips down over his cock. He moaned his
appreciation and twined his fingers through her hair as he’d done before. “So
good,” he murmured. “So good.”

Better than Cassidy remembered. The texture of his skin
seemed to tingle against her lips and tongue. The rush of power she gained from
having him so completely under her control tightened her cunt. She could hardly
wait to have him inside her, but first she wanted to taste his climax.

Someone knocked on the door. Startled, Cassidy opened her
eyes. Her body ached from arousal, but now the aches from her fall accompanied
it. Jared was nowhere in sight. The sitcom had ended and the channel was now
showing an infomercial, so she’d definitely lost time somewhere.

Damn dreams!

Chapter Six

Sighing with disappointment, she opened the door, revealing
Jared loaded down with takeout containers. “What did you do, buy everything at
the restaurant?” she asked, chuckling.

“Not exactly.” He came in and set the containers down on the
bureau. “Some of the locals who’d been at the planting site were there and
insisted on buying you food. I guess they figure you can finish it up for
breakfast. The site’s looking good, by the way. We planted almost all the
saplings, and the locals who’d stuck around said they’d finish up tomorrow. You
and I are due back at the office by noon tomorrow, by the way. Dad called.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I thought cells didn’t work up
here.”

“Spotty reception. They work in some places.” He grinned.
“Besides, we’re JaBro. We only pay for the best. Including the best cell phone
coverage.”

“Figures.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “Okay, so did you
bring me my hamburger and fries?”

“Absolutely. Along with some chicken fingers, a couple hot
dogs, home fries, coleslaw and various assorted desserts.” He emptied the bags
onto the bed. “Told you they wanted to feed you. Someone said I should have
kept you away from there. ‘She’s a pretty woman, shouldn’t be down there
digging in the dirt’.”

She rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh, and how old was that guy, a
hundred?”

“Might have been.”

He looked intently at her. That same jolt she’d felt at the
planting site shot through her. To hide the heat that rose to her face, Cassidy
sorted through the food until she found her burger and fries. As she picked
them up, Jared reached for another container and their hands touched. She
jerked back as if from a static shock. “Sorry.”

“I didn’t mean to make you jump like that.” Jared licked his
lips nervously. “Go ahead. You’re probably hungrier than I am.”

Her stomach rumbled, proving his point. She hadn’t eaten
anything since the bagel that morning and she was hungry. She took the food and
hurried back to the bed, where she sat against the headboard and began to eat.

“Didn’t think a cute little woman like you would eat that
fast,” Jared said as she gulped down the burger.

“Stop calling me cute or I’ll stick my high heel up your
ass,” she muttered around a mouthful. She hid her smile behind her food. His
words warmed her, but she didn’t want to show him how much the compliment
pleased her. Not until she figured out what the hell was going on between them.

He appeared to ponder this. “Hmm, kinky. I’ve never had
anything in my ass. Sounds fun.”

She choked on a laugh. A tiny part of her mind wandered to
how he’d react to having something in his ass while she sucked his cock, and
she quickly shoved the image from her mind. She hadn’t come down yet from her
dream and definitely didn’t want to rev up her libido again. Especially with
him sitting so close his body heat caressed her skin. It would be so easy to
reach out and touch his chest, his thigh. His cock.

Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. “You are such a
perv.”

“Yeah, I’m a perv who brought you food.” He reached out and
touched the side of her head. “Sitting this close to you without my thoughts
wandering a certain way isn’t easy, you know.” He stroked her hair. “I promised
not to mention it, but you’d better believe I’m thinking about it.”

She shuddered, remembering his fingers twining through the
strands, tugging as she gave him head. Her cunt tingled and she quickly looked
down at the mattress to hide the arousal she feared showed in her expression.
Sitting
right here… I could kiss him without even trying. Lick his lips.
She grew
wet.

Keeping her imagination in line definitely wouldn’t be easy.

He took his hand away. “I think I know a way you can clean
this without disturbing the bandage. I’d have to help you, though.”

“You just want to see me naked.” She couldn’t resist the
jab. Secretly, she hoped he’d say that was exactly what he wanted. As if
anticipating being seen, her nipples stiffened.

His eyes sparkled. “Oh, absolutely. Those juicy tits of
yours and your sweet little pussy? Damn straight I want to see them.”

Breathing faster, she closed her eyes against the impulse to
strip and let him see her again. Let him run his hands over her, tweaking her
nipples, fingering her hardened clit. “Not a chance,” she said, forcing each
word out past her desire for exactly that.

“Figured you’d say that. Really, all you’d have to take off
is your shirt, unless you don’t mind it becoming a little wet. I’m genuinely
trying to help you, Cass, not hit on you.”

Of course that was all he wanted to do. She should have
known after what had happened, he would only want to be helpful. Disappointed,
she finished off her burger and ate a few fries while she mulled it over.
Washing the gunk out of her hair was definitely a priority. She just didn’t
know whether she trusted herself to let Jared help her without trying to turn
it into something more. Having him so close to her, with those images running
through her mind, she didn’t want his assistance to be purely innocent.

She didn’t have much choice, however. She couldn’t just sit
here with dirt and blood in her hair all night.

“Okay, what’s your idea?” she asked.

He leaned back on his arms. “When people can’t shower, they
take sponge baths, right? If I use a washcloth and some shampoo, I should be
able to get your hair at least passably clean. I think it would be easier if I
did it, because I’d be able to see where the shampoo is and rinse it out
better. If you’d rather try it yourself, go for it.”

His hands would be on her hair. Roaming over her scalp,
maybe moving down along her neck. Touching the spot just below her left ear
that always made her tremble. And if she had her shirt off, his hand might even
slip down to fondle her breasts, to rub his thumb over her hard nipples.

She shuddered at the heat of arousal and forced anger onto
her face. “I wouldn’t need to take my shirt off for that,” she argued. “At
most, a little water might drip on it.”

“Okay, so maybe that was partly me wanting to see you
without a shirt,” he admitted. “Water’s going to drip. Your shirt will probably
wind up a bit damp. If you don’t care, I don’t either.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She didn’t plan to take off her shirt
in front of him again if she didn’t have to. No matter how much she wanted him
to see—and touch—her naked body.

“So do you want my help?” he persisted.

He wanted to make her ask. Figured. “Yes,” she snapped.
“Would you please help me wash my hair?”

He smiled broadly. “Absolutely. I’ll be right back. I’m
going to ask the desk clerk if there’s some kind of bucket or basin we can use
so we don’t have to cram into the bathroom together. Though it might be fun to
be in close quarters with you.”

“Dream on.”

“Oh, I do,” he assured her. “Every night.”

Before she could respond, he left the room. Stunned, she
stared at the door. Had he been serious? Obviously he’d fantasized about her
when he’d jerked off the night before, though he might have just been
pretending. He certainly hadn’t objected to her aggressive seduction. Arrogant
or not, he was hot and seemed to have at least a tiny tender side. Still, it
surprised her that he would admit to dreaming about her. She would never have
expected to hear that from him.

She wanted him. Needed him so much it hurt. Having had him
once, her body craved more. His cock had felt so good inside her, filling her,
touching her just right. Desire to have that again burned in her, building to a
peak so strong she almost opened the door to call him back.

Almost. She didn’t want him to know how much he turned her
on. His effect on her still shocked her. She’d spent so much time trying to
hate the man that even now she didn’t want to admit the impact just being near
him had on her body. The shivers of arousal, the way her skin seemed to
anticipate his touch. The tightening in her pussy.

The dream she’d had about him returned to mind. If it had
gone on a few moments longer, she might have come in her sleep, it had been
that intense. That realistic. Until the knock on the door had interrupted her,
she’d believed Jared was there with her, touching her the way she’d imagined so
many times. The way she hadn’t allowed him to the night before.

Through her shorts, she pressed the heel of her hand against
her slit, hoping to stop the throbbing there. She rocked her hand back and
forth, bringing herself further into the arousal, closer to the orgasm she’d
almost reached in her dream. If he came back, maybe she would remove her shirt
like he wanted.