Stroke of Midnight (10 page)

“You’re so beauti—” he said before he could stop himself. He didn’t want her to know how weak she made him. How easily she could take control.

She widened her stance on the blanket and tilted her hips to expose herself. The g-string was damp, the string that ran deep into her crease darkened with her juices. He couldn’t remember seeing a prettier sight.

His cock throbbed until he opened his zipper and released himself. Her gaze flared heat at the sight of his cock and he scored himself a point. She was as hot for him as he was for her. The past two weeks had only increased their appetites for each other.

How she could think of leaving him, he didn’t know.

She moistened her lips again, keeping her eyes trained on his crotch. The hot, hot fire in her eyes turned him on to the point of ache. She moved as if in thrall toward him.

“No. Stay there. You still haven’t done what I told you to do.” It killed him to keep up the pretense, but he had to win, had to prove he was stronger, harder, more than what she thought he was.

She stopped short, pulled out of her sensuous haze by the sharp tone of his voice. “Okay, you asked for it.”

The challenge she tossed him made him want to laugh out loud with the sheer joy it brought to his heart. “Bring it on.”

Something had changed with Alex. He was more in control than Jaye had ever seen him. He was fighting a battle with her he had no hope of winning.

“Why does it matter to you who’s in charge here? There’s nothing to win, Alex. Whatever happens here today, I’ll go back to my clients, my business, my college classes and my dreams.”

“Take off your clothes.”

“Oh, jeez, what’s the point of this? Just love me. The way we’ve been doing. Let’s keep it fun, keep it light.”
Don’t break my heart. Don’t make me love you.

“Do it.” The demand in his voice was steel and it chased a thrill through her belly and down deep into her center heat.

“Fine.” But the heat between her legs called to her and she knew what he really wanted. She wanted it too. She slid her finger into her mouth, wetted it with long licks of her tongue.

His gaze narrowed, focused on her.

She twined the rhinestone g-string around her finger and tugged it down her legs. The delicious pull of the string as it left her pussy caused a heated friction she liked. “Feels good,” she said.

He nodded.

She stood on her tiptoes and spread her feet wide so he could see her pussy from his reclined position.

She’d never done anything like this before, but the fun of it tickled her. Alex made her feel like his princess, his whore, his lover and his friend all at once. She loved him more than she ever thought possible.

And it would hurt like hell when she left him. But sex and fun were not love and with the losses he’d had, she doubted Alex could ever commit the way she needed. If she gave herself completely that commitment would have to be just as deep from him. Since he’d lost his family, he hadn’t committed to anything but light amusement. Love between two people had to be strong enough to survive the tough times.

With tremendous effort of will, she dredged up every bit of emotional strength she had and forced those thoughts away.

She couldn’t afford to think of love, of loss, of yearning. All she could do was keep this moment alive in her heart, to store the memories away for later.

She pulled herself back from the brink of tears and slid her finger to her clit. Massaging and tugging with two fingers, her tension built.

She let her head fall back as waves of desire rolled over her. Moaning deep in her throat, she closed her eyes against the tide of arousal.

She would do this for him. Her Alex. Her love.

Faster and faster she rubbed the blood thickened nub. Her pussy streamed juice, sticky and heavy with scent.

“Jesus,” Alex cried.

“Oh, I…I…” She rocked and boiled to her own rhythm, different from his, lighter, not as rambunctious and infinitely lonelier.

“Don’t come,” he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. “Not without me.”

She looked at him, watched his avid expression as he lunged for her. His hands slid up the backs of her thighs as he held her ass still.

His mouth, lips and tongue sucked and licked and pulled at her until she imploded on him. She sagged but he held her upright as wave crashed over wave of release. She cried, tears streamed down her face as release and truth pulled from the depths of her heart, washed over her. “I love you! Alex, what have you done?”

“Oh, what have you done?” she cried again.

At midnight, Jaye tapped on Carl’s bedroom door and waited while she heard him stumble to open it. She dashed a track of tears from her cheeks as the door creaked open.

“Carl, take me home, please.”

“Where’s Alex?” he asked, tugging his robe closed. He belted it and stepped into the hallway to face her.

“He’s asleep.”

He tipped his forefinger under her chin and tilted her face up. “Crying?”

“Pathetic isn’t it?” she scrubbed at her cheeks once more, determined to hold onto her pride.

“Love can make us that way, yes.”

She thought she’d hidden her feelings so well. Until that terrible blunder in the meadow, she’d convinced herself she could leave and go back to her old life with her heart intact. “You know?” she asked.

“From the moment I saw you with him. I’ve seen that look before, on his mother’s face when she saw my brother. You don’t forget something like that.”

She clutched his forearm. “Then take me home. Please, Carl.”

“Would it help to know he looks at you the same way?”

“For now, maybe. But when the novelty wears off for him, I’ll be devastated.” She couldn’t believe in forever with a man like Alex. She
wouldn’t
believe it.

“Novelty? If you think that little of the man, it is best that you leave.”

The sharp retort shook her, but she held on to her conviction. Jaye Sinns married to Alex Carmichael would never work, no matter how much she wished for it. Dreams like that never came true. It hurt even more that that he’d cried out the L word too. But he’d said it in the heat of passion. And once the rush had gone she realized it had only been a new ploy in his bed to keep her with him a while longer. Alex couldn’t feel the forever kind of love. It was in-the-moment love. The easiest kind. The kind that didn’t hurt. The kind everyone enjoyed, but no one really counted on.

He couldn’t dream of forever with her. Could he?

Two weeks later, her tears finally dried, Jaye walked into her mother’s beauty salon and strode through to the back office. None of the dryers stopped, no one spoke, but every head turned to watch her as she went past.

Every last one of her mother’s customers cared. Mrs. Healey brought her cookies. Old Miss Branch brought her home-made wine while Mrs. Stander let fly with epithets against stupid men. None of it mattered, none of it touched her. All she thought about, day and night, was Alex.

She’d had no word from him. It was for the best. A clean break and all that.

She wished Alex well, she reminded herself. Hoped he found a woman he could let into his heart. The thought crept in more often than she liked. Some other woman could find the deeper man beneath the playboy.

Besides, she was needed here. Alex would never need her the way these people did, she comforted herself with the thought.

She settled into her mother’s ancient, creaky oak office chair and powered up her brand new computer. Her mother claimed computers had been donated to businesses all over the neighborhood from a charitable foundation. The idea had barely made a ripple in Jaye’s mind. The new machine made her time in the shop go faster. Giving her more time to mourn.

She wasn’t convinced that was such a good thing.

She rifled through the stack of mail for invoices. A shadow appeared at her shoulder. She turned and faced her mother. “I don’t know how you managed to keep a roof over our heads all those years. You’re disorganized and what’s worse, you don’t care,” she said, flapping last month’s invoice from the hair products supplier in the air between them.

“I kept the roof over your head by watering down the shampoo and conditioner, of course,” her mother drawled. She leaned on the doorframe, her arms under her ample breasts.

Her green eyes, so much like Jaye’s, clouded with concern. “Baby, please talk to me.”

Jaye got up, went to her backpack and pulled out her laptop. “No time, Mom. I’m on the road again in fifteen minutes.”

It had been heaven to get out on her bike and pedal as far and as fast as she could. But no matter how she tried, she couldn’t escape her treacherous heart. Broken and bleeding, it still continued to beat, still yearned, still dreamed.

Tears sprang to her eyes and frustration rolled into her belly, toppling her intention to keep all the hurt to herself. She bit her lip, turned toward the one woman who would understand and forgive her foolishness.

But her mother’s attention had been drawn by some commotion in the shop.

“Oh my word, would you look at him?” her mother’s voice took on a note of wonder and Jaye leaned forward to see who had come in. It was Carl!

He turned and held the door open, his back straight, his shoulders as broad as Alex’s. She held her breath, and her heart stopped bleeding as Alex stepped through the door.

“What a man,” her mother sighed. She smoothed a hand across her smock, then up to her hair. With everything in place, she straightened her back and went perfectly still.

Carl strode, silver-haired and rugged into the middle of the gawking old ladies. His gaze settled on Jaye’s mother and he smiled masculine appreciation at sight of her. “You must be Jaye’s mother. I can see the resemblance. You have a beautiful daughter who is only going to get more so.”

Jaye heard a feminine squeak from her mother’s throat. She pushed her out into the center of the beauty shop floor, but kept her gaze locked on Alex as she moved stiffly through the middle of the shop.

Alex moved, too, faster and faster, his long strides full of purpose and then he was on her, his arms around her, his lips on hers. She clasped his head and kissed him back, with desperation and need in every cell.

Desperation? Yes, she accepted. Need? Definitely. She pulled back to see if her feelings were mirrored in his eyes. Yes! “Alex, you’re here. Why?”

The ladies in the shop started applauding, and this time the hood dryers were lifted as they stared, misty-eyed at Jaye and Alex.

Without a word, Alex ushered her out of the shop.

She’d tried to pretend she hadn’t dreamt of Alex turning up some day. Standing on a street corner with wilted flowers maybe. Or sending her dozens and dozens of roses, or running to catch the bus she was on, or chasing her on her bicycle or a million and one corny things. But never had she imagined him walking into her mother’s beauty salon.

Outside, a pearl white Hummer stood at the curb. Alex opened the back door for her and held out his hand in a courtly gesture. Her heart hammered, her breath disappeared and her mind reeled.
He’s here, he’s here!
She flashed on the memory of her daydream: her, climbing out of a carriage, him waiting to hand her down.

The strength of his fingers warmed her chilled ones. He tugged her close for a hug, then slid his hands to her butt to get her to climb into the vehicle. The familiar feel of his hands, the scent of his aftershave, the taste of his lips, dazed her.
He’s here, he’s here!

He followed her into the back seat and gathered her close. The black tinted windows gave them all the privacy they needed.

“I don’t understand,” she said. “I left you in the middle of the night, made Carl bring me home early. I abandoned you and reneged on our deal.”

“Shut up and kiss me.” He held her head still and waited. His eyes searched hers, so hungry she could weep.

“I’m afraid.” She couldn’t take it if this wasn’t real, if it meant nothing more than another good time. “If I kiss you, I won’t be able to stop. It’ll hurt when you leave. It’ll hurt worse than anything I’ve suffered the last two weeks. I can’t do that again.” She’d told him she loved him. And then she’d run away. What must that have done to him?

“You won’t have to.” His eyes, fierce and loving pulled at her in the old familiar way and she softened against his chest.

“Love me Jaye. That’s all I ask.”

She moved her head to his, touched his lips with hers and fell into love all over again. It swooped and grabbed her, held her, and she knew her love for him was forever. Terrified, she struggled against the tide of arousal, but soon faltered.

Her head had been turned again.

Heat exploded between them and Alex released her from thrall long enough to get her out of her bicycling shorts. She straddled him and slid down the length of his burgeoning cock and settled home. He cried out at the slick feel of her, and she laughed at the joy of their reunion.

She rocked and rolled three times before her release caught her and she rode it out, bringing him with her.

Replete for the moment, she tilted her forehead to his and chuckled. “How long?”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t manage to be away for longer than a couple days this time. Is that all right?”

But his eyes were not on her face, and his fingers were busy tugging her T-shirt up and off her. “I need to see you. All of you.”

She laughed and helped him remove her cycling bra. Her breasts sprung free and he gathered them to his lips. Her thoughts scattered when his mouth tugged a nipple inside. His teeth scraped across the achy bud and sent ripples of heat to her center.

She gathered his face to her chest and held on, burying her nose in his hair. He lapped at her breasts, pulled the nipples into his hot wet mouth. The smell of him was so dear, so loved, so arousing she squirmed on his lap. And found his cock hard and ready again.

She swirled a figure eight on his lap, and his eyes flared at the friction. She hummed her readiness.

He tussled her onto her back and draped her knees over his shoulders. Spreading her wide he thumbed her clit, smearing their combined juices around and around the aroused flesh. “This is not the time for teasing, Alex. Believe me, this is not the time.”

She bucked into his hand reaching for the magic he promised with his touch.

He bent his head to her slit, opened the hood that covered her clitoris and took the bud into his mouth. He sucked her until she cried out in frustration.

“Love me, Jaye.”

“I’m trying to but—”

“Love me, Jaye?”

“Just do it, put your cock inside me and—”

He slid back on the seat away from her. One finger tapped against her clit, keeping her on the edge of sanity.

“Love me Jaye?”

It was then she realized he was asking, not demanding, not ordering, but asking.

“I do love you. Why do you think I had to leave?”

“Tell me.”

“I love you. But you don’t need me. This is a fling for you. A…a…dalliance.” Even as she said it, she hoped she was wrong. He drew her close then rose onto his knees. The tip of his cock nudged her open crease.

“This is no fling, Jaye. I need you more than you’ll ever know.” He pressed his cock inside and slid in deep.

A cry tore from his throat as he pushed in further. “I love you. I need you. I always will.”

The kiss Alex gave her rocked through to Jaye’s soul. “Are you sure? Really sure? Because—Oh!—that’s good—yes, right there. Fuck me.”