By Private Invitation (19 page)

“Spread your legs a little wider, sweetheart. And keep them open.”

His tone brooked no disobedience, and she briefly wondered when she’d lost her share
of control. Not that she really cared at the moment. All she could think of now was
how to get him to please her.

She did exactly as he said, cool air caressing the hot flesh between her legs and
making her burn even hotter.

“I’m going to put my mouth right here.” His finger touched the bud of her clit, too
lightly to give her any relief. “But first I want you to come on my fingers, Belle.”

He stroked her lightly, back and forth, coating his fingers in her juices. Taking
a deep breath, she looked down, his fair head almost touching her stomach, blocking
her view.

She didn’t need to see what he was doing to know he’d slipped two fingers into her
channel and began to fuck her with them. Slow and steady, he pushed into her then
withdrew. He provided enough thickness for her sheath to clench around him in need,
and he stroked her clit with his thumb on each upward thrust.

She felt her orgasm building, felt it begin to fire deep in her belly, then cried
out as it broke, her hands reaching for his shoulders to hold her steady.

“God damn, Belle. I can’t wait to taste you. A little wider now, baby.”

With her eyes closed, she only sensed that he was moving, but she did as he asked
and the next sensation she felt was his mouth on her clit, sucking the little bud
between his lips and teasing it.

Her body still tight from her first climax, the feel of his mouth on her threw her
into sensual overload. His teeth and tongue worked her pussy with deliberate abandon—licking
between the plump lips, nipping her clit. Fucking her with his tongue.

Her body felt energized and, at the same time, lethargic. She felt another orgasm
building, but wasn’t sure she wanted to come again so fast.

Her fingers slid into his hair, tugging at him to release her. She wanted to get her
mouth on him, to torment him, but he wouldn’t release her. His hands held her hips
more firmly, and he continued his sensual assault until she felt lightning racing
up her spine and bowing her forward with the force of this climax.

She barely heard his muttered curse but she felt his hurried movements as he rose
from the floor, towering over her for a brief second before he lifted her off her
feet.

Her eyes flew open but she only got a brief glance of his lust-hardened face before
he turned back to the couch and set her on her knees on the cushions, facing away
from him.

She put her hands on the backrest and arched her back, instinctively knowing what
he wanted. And he didn’t disappoint. After a brief moment of anticipation, when she
vaguely realized he was donning a condom, she felt him cover her from behind and thrust
his cock deep inside.

They both froze as he filled her completely, the heat of his shaft burning her, making
her tighten around him. He groaned and his hips flexed, burying him even deeper.

One arm wrapped around her waist, immobilizing her hips
when she would have ground against him. His free hand cupped her breast, pinching
the nipple and making her grind back against him.

“Don’t move, Belle,” he rasped in her ear. “If you move, this is gonna be over too
damn fast.”

She clenched around him, wanting to gain back a little bit of that control. “I’ve
already come twice, Jared. It’s your turn to burn.”

He leaned forward just a little bit more, easing his cock out an inch or so before
thrusting forward at a snail’s pace. “I already am. I just want it to last.”

She wiggled back against him as much as she could and was rewarded when he moaned
and gave a sharp push forward.

“And I want you to let go, Jared.”

She felt him freeze, as if the very notion of what she’d said was something he’d never
contemplated.

But his next retreat and re-entry was even slower. “No, you don’t. Just feel, Belle.
Let yourself get lost in the pleasure.”

She was. But she sensed the same wasn’t true for him. Still she couldn’t seem to wrap
her brain around that when the friction created by each controlled thrust made her
nerves flicker and snap with electricity, causing her sex to clamp around him.

His hand switched breasts, beginning another series of ripples straight to her womb.

“Jared. Please.”

“I want to, Belle. Tell me what you want.”

“Fuck me. Now.”

She didn’t know what it was that finally flicked his switch, whether her language
or the command. His entire body tightened around her and he began to thrust hard and
fast and with no mercy.

She didn’t require any. Her body accepted everything he gave her and still craved
more. Faster, harder.

Pleasure burst like fireworks in her blood, and her fingers clenched into the cushions
as her pussy clenched around Jared’s jerking shaft, milking him as he came with a
shout.

“Good morning, Belle. I hope you slept well.”

Jared walked through the door of the shop just before noon Tuesday morning, dressed
in jeans and a cream-colored fisherman knit sweater over a blue chamois shirt. He
held two cups of coffee from the café down the street and she didn’t know which to
reach for first. Him or the coffee.

His blue eyes shone and his smile brightened an otherwise dreary January morning.

The man was just too good to be true. Handsome, smart, successful, and freaking awesome
in bed.

What the
hell
was he doing here? With her?

“Morning, Jared.”

She damn well was not going to tell him she’d slept like the dead, sated and exhausted,
after he left. Or that she’d woken up reaching for him. Disappointed that he hadn’t
been there.

“I stopped at the café down the street for coffee.” He held out a paper cup.

Because she needed the caffeine, she reached for it and felt the tingle of anticipation
shoot through her as their fingers grazed. Trying not to show how much he affected
her.

“I see you found the best coffee in town.” And why didn’t that surprise her? The man
would never settle for less than the best.

She breathed in the rich aroma of Jamaican Me Crazy with a shot of cream. The coffee
smelled great but Jared…Well, Jared held an appeal that was on another plane of existence.

Images from last night bombarded her, remembered sensations making her pussy go wet
and soak her underwear.

“The woman behind the counter very kindly told me how you take yours.”

In the dry tone of his voice, she heard exactly what he hadn’t said.

Tracy Tate owned the coffee shop and made a mean pot of coffee and a wicked bear claw.
She also dispensed gossip as fast as she could whip up two mocha lattes and an espresso
to go.

Teddy had been busy yesterday. He’d probably hit every shop along the avenue. Hell,
maybe he’d stood outside the chip factory with flyers so he didn’t miss anyone.

She forced herself to hold his gaze. “And I’m sure Tracy attempted to pump you for
information.”

Unless Tracy fell under the Jared Golden charm and simply stood there with her mouth
hanging open. Tracy’s husband was a very adorable but overweight sweetheart of a guy
who thought his wife walked on water. They loved each other but no woman in her right
mind would not have drooled over Jared.

“Actually, we talked mostly about you.”

She caught herself before she rolled her eyes. Terrific. Jared had gotten an earful
about how weird Annabelle was, with her addiction to antique porn. How eccentric and
strange. How much time she put into her business and how little time she spent with
men, like her ex Gary, who’d had to go searching for comfort between another woman’s
legs.

She took a sip of her coffee and turned to walk to the counter, deciding she needed
to recount the cash drawer.

“I’m sure that was enlightening.” She didn’t bother to look up to see if he’d followed
her. She knew he had.

“It was more like a warning.”

Her fingers froze for a second as a whip of pain licked through her. “Oh, really?
Was she warning you away from me?”

“Actually, she seemed more concerned about you.”

Her head shot up. “What do you mean?”

Jared leaned on the counter, coming close. “I got the distinct feeling I was being
warned not to hurt you.”

She snorted before she could stop herself. But since she didn’t have a snappy comeback
to that one, she simply ignored it and went back to counting the money.

“I like your little town,” Jared said, filling the silence of the store. “It’s…compact.
So, you ready to get to work?”

Work, yes. But the look in his eyes didn’t exactly say work. At least not the kind
of work she needed to get done.

She did have a business to run, a business that took a lot of time. She did her own
books and currently she had twenty-three searches for customer merchandise she needed
to check on. The shop was open today and although she didn’t get a lot of traffic
during the week, she typically had at least one or two customers Tuesday through Thursday
in the winter. Weekends were another story.

With a sigh, she closed the cash drawer, knowing the money total was correct because
she’d counted it twice before he got here.

She leaned back against the opposite counter, farther away from him. “And where do
you want to start?”

He barely hid his grin of triumph. “Here.” He let his gaze roam the store before coming
back to her. “Since you’re going to be helping me, I thought maybe you’d like some
professional advice on the layout of the shop.”

“Excuse me.” She plunked the coffee on the counter and put her hands on her hips.
“What’s wrong with my shop?”

Holding up his hands in mock surrender, he shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong with it.
I just noticed a few things that might set your shop apart from the others in the
area.”

Picking apart her business hadn’t been part of the bargain. Her first instinct was
to tell him where to stuff his opinion and she opened her mouth to do just that. But
at the last second, she snapped her lips shut before the words could escape.

With a critical eye, she let her gaze roam.

It
had
been years since she or her grandfather had done anything more than move and replace
furniture. She kept the place as clean as she could, which was pretty damn clean,
if she did say so herself. But the paint had begun to show some wear, the wood floors
needed to be refinished, and—maybe she didn’t want to look at the ceiling.

Still, it was an antiques shop in Adamstown, not a trendy boutique in downtown Philadelphia.

She narrowed her gaze at him. “What kind of sprucing up are you talking about?”

“Why don’t you show me around and we can talk as we go.”

His smile nearly undid her and she clenched her thighs to try to ease the ache between
them. She’d have to watch that.
She refused to be one of his easy society women who fell at his feet. She’d seen them
at the party on New Year’s Eve, fawning all over him whenever he hadn’t been with
her.

Not that they’d had much opportunity. He had spent pretty much all of his time at
her side.

Still, she’d traveled the world, knew four languages, and owned and operated her own
business. People who knew her described her as steady, solid, and insightful. And
boy, didn’t that sound boring as all hell. No wonder she didn’t have a man in her
life. Not that she was looking for one…

Oh, for heaven’s sake, she was only twenty-eight. Still plenty of time for her to
find the man of her dreams and live happily ever after. And Jared was not happily-ever-after
material. He was happily-right-now material. A playboy.

And she refused to fall for another playboy, even one as gorgeous as Jared.

She plopped onto the stool behind her and picked up her coffee. “Who made you king
of the world this morning?”

The man must be made to stop smiling, she decided.

“Just in a good mood, I guess. What about you? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

Yeah, the one without you in it.
She took a sip. “No, just trying to figure you out.”

He shook his head. “Nothing to figure out. We’ll be spending a lot of time together
for the next month. Since you’re helping me with the spa, I just thought I’d give
you a few observations. You want to hear what I have to say or not?”

Of course, she wanted to hear what he had to say. Jared and his brother owned and
operated a successful hotel in a major metropolitan city. The man had brains as well
as good looks and didn’t that just make him too yummy for words?

However, Gary had seemed like a decent guy at first and look how that turned out.

But Gary was on a whole different plane of existence from Jared. Gary lived on the
plane for assholes.

Jared, on the other hand…

“Hey, Belle. You still with me?”

Oh, yeah. She was still here. Held in place by blue eyes that reminded her of sunny
days.