Signed, Sealed, Delivered (11 page)

“Is that what you want, Connor? A relationship?”

“Yeah, I do. I’m not a player. I don’t need a parade of women. I’m very discriminating. Only the best for Connor Wilson.” He tossed her a smile. “You’re exactly what I want. And I hope you feel the same about me.”

This was uncharted territory. She’d never had the kind of relationship he’d described—two adults being both partners and lovers. Could that even work? Her experience with men was limited to jerks, which made her a poor judge of their motivations. So she thought of one of the few good men she knew. Ben.

He’d been wonderful with Mallory from the moment they met. While they might have encountered a few bumps in the road, the couple was a shining example of what a caring union could be.

That was what Juliana wanted with all her heart.

Connor eased his Escalade into her driveway, killed the engine, and then swallowed hard. His nervousness was touching.

“The choice is yours, Juliana. I’d love nothing more than to take you inside and make love to you tonight. I want to wake up tomorrow with you still there in my arms instead of sneaking away as though we’ve done something wrong.”

“It wasn’t wrong,” she snapped. The picture he painted hurt, probably because of his honesty. She did run away, although not for the reason he believed.

Juliana had escaped the emotions he inspired that night, the same ones now forcing her to squirm in her seat, wanting nothing more than to feel his hands on her body again. Yet she knew once she let him back in her bed, he was only a few short steps away from her heart.

He framed her face in his hands and gave her a gentle kiss. Then his gaze searched hers. “What’s it gonna be? Do I stay or do I go?”

Connor held his breath, waiting for Juliana to decide.

He’d taken a chance in pushing her after she’d set the ground rules that they not be romantically involved. If she turned him down flat, he might have screwed up any chance of ever holding her in his arms again. At least the kisses they’d shared revealed a hunger that seemed every bit as deep as his.

It took supreme effort not to slide her onto his lap and try to convince her with his mouth and his body since his words weren’t effective. All she had to do was give him something resembling a nod and he’d be dragging her inside, heading straight for the bedroom.

Giving in to his desire, he leaned closer, slipping his fingers behind her neck. Slowly, steadily, he tugged her closer, pleased she didn’t resist. When his lips were close to hers, close enough he could feel her heated breath brush his face, he stopped.

Their eyes locked, and he searched for something—
anything
—that could help him know what was tumbling through her mind. He was taut with need, his cock already hardened in anticipation. “I want you, Juliana. Let me come in. Let me make love to you again.”

She made no sound, no motion. Just sat there still and quiet, her incredible eyes wide.

Connor touched his lips to hers, a gentle kiss he hoped would reach whatever held her back and knock it aside. “Let me in.” And he didn’t just mean her house. He wanted her heart, but for now he would take whatever she would offer.

With a soft cry, Juliana looped her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts against his chest. Then she kissed him, slipping her tongue past his lips and seeking his.

Fire shot through his body, a lightning strike of desire he’d felt for no other woman. A growl rumbled deep in his chest, and he scrambled to pop his seat belt. He might as well have been trying to remove a straightjacket. Never had he been so awkward, but he wouldn’t be deterred. After the latch finally gave up the fight, he slid his seat all the way back and pulled her over onto his lap, her legs dangling between the two leather seats.

She fits.
That was all he could think. Her body so tightly against his felt right.

Connor ravaged her mouth, not able to get enough of her taste. He tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling out and then tossing aside the clip that had been holding it up. The moonlight shone bright through the windshield, painting shimmering highlights in her hair.

She pulled her mouth away, but not her hands. Those she slid over his chest to the row of buttons. She popped open the first. “Let’s go inside.”

Tweaking her hard nipples through the thin material of her silk shirt and her bra, he nodded at the glove compartment. “Grab the sack.”

“Sack?”

“I shoved the package of condoms in there after the last night we spent together. Glad I didn’t toss ’em.”

“Me, too.”

Her sweet ass rubbed against his erection as she wiggled and reached for the handle, forcing a grunt through his lips.

“Got it.” She dangled the white sack in front of her. “How many are left?”

“Don’t know.”

“Hope there’s enough.”

“No worries. I can always run out and get more.”

Connor opened his door, grunting again when Juliana slipped over his lap and out onto the concrete. His cock was hard enough to crack a walnut. As soon as they got inside, he was opening the zipper and letting the poor thing breathe and expand a little more.

And now it wasn’t only his fantasy. It was his reality.

There really is a God.

Outside the office door, she fumbled with the lock as the keys jingled in her trembling hands. This time, he took charge, taking her keys and opening the door with ease that belied his inner disarray.

They stumbled through the office, stopping every few feet to kiss and stroke and tease. He wasn’t going to pause long enough to give her a chance to focus on anything that might change her mind or think about the consequences to Kelley-Wilson Realty. Not that she seemed to be reconsidering. Her tongue was wild. Her hands were everywhere.

When she reached the door to her kitchen, she stopped and tossed him a seductive smile.

Like he needed any encouragement.

He scooped her into his arms, held her so she could turn the knob, and then shoved the door open with his foot. Once inside, he kicked it shut behind him.

While he might’ve had breakfast with her every morning, he’d never been given the grand tour of her house. She seemed to want to keep the office and her home as separate as possible. After tonight, that line wouldn’t just be blurred, it would be obliterated.

So be it.

He’d meant every word when he’d told her this partnership could work, both in the office and the bedroom.

“Down the hall,” she whispered in his ear. “Second door on the right.” Her teeth tugged on his earlobe, making his head swim.

Connor tried to take in as much of her home as he could, but with his blood flowing south, his brain wouldn’t cooperate. The only thing that caught his attention, other than the beautiful redhead in his arms, was a wall full of framed photos. Later—
much
later—he’d have to take a look and see if he could learn anything about Juliana from those pictures.

Her bedroom suited her personality, tastefully decorated yet messy. She’d left a light on, an antique Tiffany lamp that cast a kaleidoscope of colors over the unmade bed.

Neither of them were neat freaks, tending more toward organized chaos. Probably a good thing they were compatible because he was too old to change his ways. Then he realized he
had
changed in a lot of ways. Hell, if she wanted him to start being obsessive-compulsive about his stuff, he’d do his best to accommodate her.

She jerked her shirt over her head and flung it aside while he finished unbuttoning his. They both stripped quickly, raising his hopes that her need was running as hot and deep as his. When he opened his zipper and swept down the waistband of his briefs, his erection sprang out, seemingly searching for her. As soon as she’d banished her bra and panties to the hardwood floor, she stroked his length.

“So hot. So hard,” she purred. Then she dropped to her knees and licked him from tip to root and back again before taking him into her mouth.

Connor didn’t care how absurd he looked, standing there with his pants and briefs around his ankles. His mind was full of Juliana and the way her hot, wet tongue swirled around his cock. He raked his fingers in her hair, gently pumping his hips and praying for the self-control to make this interlude last.

* * *

Juliana smiled as she pressed her lips against the crown of Connor’s erection. Each of his groans and low growls fueled her passion. How she’d managed to work side by side with the man for so many weeks without giving in to the urge to touch him, to love him, was a miracle. Everything about him appealed to her. His startling eyes. His muscular physique. The wonderful taste of his lips and his cock.

“Red.” He let out a moan. “You better stop now.”

She glanced up to see a flush on his face. “Why? Don’t you like this?”

“Shit, yes.”

She took him as deeply into her mouth as she could and sucked hard.

“Juliana, I’m gonna…” Whatever he was going to say ended up in a strangled cry as he came.

She held tight, wringing every last drop from him and loving the power she had over him at that moment. Not until he carefully pulled his fingers out of her mussed hair did she ease back, hoping it wouldn’t be too awkward to look him in the eye.

“I can’t believe you did that,” he said, shaking his head.

“Are you complaining?”

He scoffed at her. “Not even close. I just thought, you know, women didn’t like that.”

Not like that unique taste and the way she could make his body sing? It had been heaven, and she was glad she’d followed her instincts. “I suppose I do.”

“You mean, you’ve never…”

She gave her head a shake as she got to her feet. It took all her fortitude not to start grabbing for her clothes. She suddenly felt too exposed, too vulnerable because of the disbelieving tone of his voice.

Had she disgusted him?

He wouldn’t drop the topic. “Then why—”

“You know what, Connor? You have a nasty habit of looking a gift horse in the mouth.” A laugh bubbled out. “Bad pun. Sorry.”

His laughter followed hers before he tugged her into his arms. “That was fantastic.”

What was wrong with her? She wasn’t some simpering virgin. So she’d swallowed. So what? Yet she could feel herself blushing, and she tried to hide her face in the crook of his neck. “Glad you enjoyed it.”

“Did you do that just to please me?” His tone had changed to scolding.

She shrugged, unable to keep up with his rapidly changing moods. “I figured you might be a little too… needy since it’s been a while.”

He lifted her face to his. “I don’t want you to ever do anything you don’t want to. Got it?”

“Oh, I wanted to.” Since she saw nothing but humor, sincerity, and a lingering sexual haze in his features, she relaxed.

Juliana had never shied away from sex, always doing whatever felt good. There had been times her adventurous nature hadn’t been received so heartily. Jimmy had called her a pervert when she’d suggested tying him to the bed.

Stop comparing Connor to your asshat ex!

Connor was not only unique, he was twice the man Jimmy had ever been. Although her marriage had started out passionate, that fire had quickly cooled. She’d grown bored with their vanilla, missionary, who-gives-a-shit-if-my-wife-comes sex. With Connor, she could, and would, be anything she wanted to be.

Even a sex goddess.

“You don’t wear neckties very often,” she mentioned. That had been one of the favorite fantasies she’d never been able to try.

“Pardon?”

She’d obviously changed topics too quickly. “I was thinking about tying you up, and neckties work best.”

His cock had softened, but now it was growing right before her eyes. She wrapped her fingers around his returning erection and stroked.

“I have plenty of neckties. Feel free to borrow as many as you’d like.”

“Trust me. I will.” She rubbed her thumb over the cap of his erection.

“Enough.” He gently pulled her hand away. “It’s your turn.”

A squeal escaped her lips when he picked her up and tossed her on the bed. Then he joined her, his tongue finding a sensitive nipple as he slipped his hand between her thighs.

Connor certainly knew his way around a woman’s body. In short order, he had her squirming as his thumb rubbed her sweet spot and he slipped a long finger deep inside her.

Juliana’s thoughts scattered as every nerve seemed to drift to her breast and her core. Heat rose to a crescendo, her muscles tightening with each stroke, each touch. She dug her heels into the mattress, meeting each thrust of his finger, which was joined by a second, stretching her and making her feel full and tight. The splendor he gave her had to be because of the way he made her feel so free in body and mind. Her orgasm consumed her, making her buck beneath him as he pulled every last spasm from her.

He held her close, nibbling at her neck and toying with her breasts as she slowly drifted back into herself.

“Wow.”
Great.
Now she was inarticulate.

“You’re welcome.” He took her earlobe between his teeth, sending shivers racing over her. “Where did you put the condoms?”

Thinking was too tough when she was sated and content to simply lie next to him. “Don’t know. Dropped ’em on the floor, I think.”

He rose over her and let the length of his body rest on hers for a few tantalizing moments before rolling off the bed. A quick search produced the white bag. He fished out a condom and tossed it on her stomach.

“Ack! Cold!” She snatched it up.

“Sorry.” After he crawled back on the bed, he licked the place the packet had rested. “Better?”

“Much.” Juliana combed her fingers through his hair as he kissed his way up her body. As he feasted on her breasts, her body came back to greedy life. “Mmm… That feels—” She choked on the last word because he bit her nipple hard enough to sting, a kind of pain that increased her pleasure.

His lips smoothed across her collarbone before he nuzzled her neck. “I want you.”

“I want you, too.” She moved out from under him as he rolled to his back. She fumbled with the wrapper, finally ripping it open with her teeth while Connor stuck his tongue in her ear. She giggled as she rolled the condom over his cock.

He picked her up and tossed her back on the bed, blanketing her with his body. His tongue was in her mouth, and she sucked hard on it before reaching between them to grab his cock and guide him between her thighs. Then she wrapped her legs around his hips.

The man was smart enough to follow her directions as he rubbed against her before thrusting deep.

“Perfect,” he whispered in her ear.

“Damn right.”

Slowly, in an easy rhythm that teased her, excited her, he withdrew and pushed back inside her. While she enjoyed the slow, deep strokes, her body was demanding rougher, faster. She scraped her fingernails across his tight buns, which had the desired response. Connor seemed to lose control, and their bodies met in a rough ride to fulfillment.

Juliana won the race, her body exploding in a burst of heat that made a spray of bright lights dot her vision. A few more rough plunges and he let out a shout that was a blending of her name and a call to God.

He collapsed against her, but she enjoyed the weight of his lethargic body, tracing her fingers up and down his spine and cupping his butt. She nipped at his shoulder, knowing he needed to move soon to get rid of the condom.

With a sigh, he withdrew. “Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh?”

“Condom broke.”

“Uh-oh.”