Friends & Fortune Cookies: A Sudden Falls Romance (17 page)

But then… I didn’t actually mind.

The first movie progressed somewhat predictably, which was good, because I found myself paying less and less attention to the television and more and more to the warmth of the side of his body against mine. Finally, I let my head tilt against his shoulder, and then his arm came around me. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt completely safe and protected. Ironic in the extreme since my heart was absolutely playing with fire.

We interrupted the second movie for a late lunch. Joe made soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, even though I was perfectly capable. By that time, I was over whatever evil had gripped me the night before. I suspected it might have been some sort of food poisoning since it had been there and gone within eighteen hours.

Once we finished our sandwiches, we resumed our places on the couch as if we’d never left. Joe’s arm came back around me, and I rested my head on his chest.

He leaned in, and I knew he was about to kiss me. I almost stopped him. I knew I should. After all, every time we’d made any sort of romantic overture toward one another, disaster struck. And he was leaving. He’d just said so. And yet... I didn’t stop him.

And I couldn’t have explained it to save my life.

His tentative lips tasted of soup and temptation. I let my eyes fall closed. He sipped at my lips until I opened and invited him in.

“Oh, God, Gracie.” His strong arms came around me and tugged me into place until the blanket was a memory on the floor, and I straddled his lap. Then things got very real, very fast. He groaned as the strength of his erection pulsed against the juncture of my thighs.

I felt a clenching deep in my womb and a crack even deeper in my resolve to keep myself emotionally safe.

His lips branded a fiery trail down the side of my neck. My heart, with no sense of self-preservation whatsoever, began to pound.

He slid his fingers into the hair at the base of my neck. The clip holding my hair back soon disappeared, and he sniffed appreciatively as the locks fell around us in a curtain. The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as chills danced their way up and down my spine. One of his hands dropped down my back to my waistband then slid under the tail of my tee-shirt. The work-roughened skin of his palms rasped against the smooth skin of my sides.

My nipples tightened against his chest as his tongue slid along the length of mine. Digging my fingers into the short hair at the back of his head, I enjoyed the soft brush against my skin.

This was getting out of control, and I didn’t care. Joe’s hand slid up and down along the length of my ribs a couple of times before sliding up to cup my breast.

Tears prickled behind my eyes. Was it because this was so very perfect or because I feared when it was over that we’d end up in a much worse place than where we started—which was already a little iffy?

I pushed the voice of dissension away and concentrated on the hitch of breath in the back of his throat, the feel of his thumb swiping over the satin of my bra, and the touch of his lips against mine.

I was losing the moment and reached to get it back. I didn’t want to face the harsh reality of what this might do to us. Because every kiss and most
more-than-friendly
touches had broken down the fabric of our friendship a bit.

Joe must have sensed that what I was thinking. “Everything okay?”

His eyes were tender. And so very close. I nodded, and my hands came up to cup the sides of his face. He was so precious to me. We’d been at odds so many times lately that I’d almost forgotten how much I did care for him.

I pressed my forehead into his, and he sighed. His shoulders deflated, and his hands came around to rest at the back of my waist. I wasn’t ready for this moment to be over, and the inevitable awkwardness and possible recriminations.

I pressed my lips against his for a fleeting second. But that was all it took.

Joe scooped his hands under my bottom and stood up.

I gasped. “Your ribs!”

I started to slip, and his grip tightened on me. “Don’t wiggle.”

I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he made a beeline for my bedroom. This was my very last chance to lodge a protest, but I couldn’t get the words past the lump in my throat. To be honest, I didn’t try.

Joe deposited me on the bed. Cool air rushed between us as he whipped his shirt over his head. My mouth went dry. It was one thing to see him in the hallway wrapped in a towel, fresh from the shower, with all those muscles showing. Quite another when I knew they were about to be pressed up against me in a very non-platonic sort of way.

The past week had done a lot to heal his bruising, leaving a trace of yellowish skin to mark where it had been. I reached out and brushed my fingers down his ribs.

Air hissed loudly between his teeth as he sucked in a sharp breath. “Your turn.” He tugged me into a sitting position and somehow my shirt disappeared.

Cool air washed over my bare, heated skin, pebbling my nipples and raising goosebumps over my entire body. Heat radiating from deep within my abdomen spread out. This was going to happen, and I couldn’t—
wouldn’t
—do anything to stop it.

But knowing that didn’t keep me from feeling like I was about to step out of an airplane, unsure whether or not my parachute would open.

Chapter 28 — Joe

“Are you sure?” I mentally kicked myself as the words escaped my lips. Just crown me the King of self-sabotage. Gracie Mendoza sat before me, her vulnerable eyes locked on mine and a vision in nothing but a pair of yoga pants and a bra.

Anyone else would have grabbed that opportunity and the girl. Not me. I had to give her one last chance to change her mind. She didn’t answer right away, and I was terrified she’d say no and call a halt. Part of me feared Gracie was too far in her head, and I wasn’t sure how to get her out.

She nodded. Never taking her eyes off mine, she reached up between her breasts and flicked open the front clasp. The cups popped apart, revealing her fully, and a groan escaped my throat.

Gracie reached for me, placed her hands on either side of my waist, and pulled me toward her. She didn’t have to ask twice. I slid her bra straps off, tossed it behind me, then followed her down to the bed. Her bare breasts made contact with the skin of my chest, and it was all I could do not to whimper.

Heaven could not have felt so good.

Her arms came tight around my body even as her lips met mine. No hesitation in her touch… no question in her kiss. She wanted this as much as I did.

Her legs wrapped around my waist, and I felt a single-minded determination to get our pants off and bury myself in the hot depths of her body.

She made a disappointed mew in the back of her throat as I pulled away. But the second she realized my intent, her fingers dove into assist – though I’m not sure she helped or hurt the process.

Her black knit pants and her silky underwear came off in one fluid motion. My jeans, belt, and shorts hit the hardwood floor with a thunk. The sound of Velcro opening echoed through the room, and soon my walking cast joined our clothes on the floor. She welcomed me back into her arms, using her legs to pull me into the center of her body.

I feared for a moment that I would embarrass myself by coming too quickly as the head of my cock found paradise for the first time in seven years. Not that I had been celibate for seven years. But sex with other women hadn’t felt like this. Not physically on my skin, not in my brain, and definitely not in my heart.

I dipped in just an inch, overwhelmed by the hot clasp of her body around mine. I pulled back, and she whimpered. I didn’t want this to be over too soon. I’d spent years and years dreaming of this moment, and I wanted to savor every second.

I kissed a hot path down her neck, loving the sound of her breath catching in her throat. My lips found the hard point of her nipple, and I sucked it into my mouth. Her breath escaped on a little moan, and it was almost enough to make me abandon my savoring plan.

Her legs wrapped tighter around my waist as I tried to ease my way down the bed. Her nails raked my back, and I reached, grabbed her wrists, then pinned them to the bed. I looked up, and her wide-eyed gaze caught mine. I rose to my knees, and her legs fell from around me, thighs open. I missed the contact but relished the control I had of her at that moment.

“Wha—?”

Tucking her hands in next to her body, I nibbled a trail down her stomach, my eyes not losing contact until my lips captured her clit and her eyes closed on a moan. I let go of her hands so I could arrange her to my satisfaction and, let’s face it, ultimately hers. Her fingers found their way into my hair as I licked and nibbled and stroked. The sounds she made in the back of her throat became hoarser and more desperate. I dug my hands under her hips, loving the satiny glide of her skin against my fingers.

I lifted her up a fraction of an inch more and concentrated my attention on the nub of her desire, stroking her with my tongue and suckling until she arched her back and screamed her release. Slowly, I eased her back down to the mattress and kissed my way up her body.

Her half-lidded eyes tracked my progress. She was completely boneless as I dropped a kiss on her cheek.

“Wow.” She ended on a giggle. Her eyes went fully open for a moment. “God, that was…
amazing.”

Her hand went to cup my jaw. It felt like a million years since I’d been touched like this. My eyes fell closed as I nuzzled into her palm, but snapped open when she firmly pushed my shoulder to the bed and straddled my hips.

Her hot, wet center raked the length of my shaft, and I lost all the control I’d fought to gain. Her hands caught mine and pinned them above my head. “Turnabout is fair play, you know.”

My only answer was a groan.

She moved away. My hands followed as if they were drawn by a magnet.

“Don’t move.” Her voice sounded shockingly forceful. My hands obeyed, falling back to the pillow on either side of my head, even though my brain found itself completely stymied.

She rooted around in her nightstand for a few moments before coming up with a condom wrapped in plastic.

I reached for it, and she gave me a stern look. “What did I say?”

My hands returned to the pillow. “You’re a surprisingly bossy little thing.”

She raised one eyebrow then locked her eyes on mine as she leaned down, gently nipping my belly just south of my naval. Before I knew what she was about, she wrapped her lips against my cock, taking as much into her mouth as she possibly could. Unexpected, I found myself grabbing the pillow and clenching my teeth in an effort not to end things before they got started.

“Gracie! Oh, God.”

She slid her lips up to the top and then down once more.

I grabbed her by the arms and dragged her onto my lap.

“You win.”

It was all I had to say. She tore the condom wrapper with her teeth and unrolled it over me with
almost
enough haste.

I put my hands on either side of her hips and guided her down. Inch by blessed inch, her body covered mine until she was buried to the hilt.

We both stopped for a moment. I pushed her curly hair back behind her ear. The vulnerability in her gray eyes slayed my heart. I didn’t know where we would go from this moment on, but this was easily the happiest one of my life. I vowed that no matter what happened I wouldn’t regret it.

She moved at that moment, and I knew I wouldn’t last. My hand slid from her hip, thumb burying itself in her soft folds, until I found the bundle of nerves that would send her over the edge again. Our breathing increased in speed until we were both moaning in unison. Finally, the pitch of her voice changed, and her eyes squeezed shut. She threw back her head, and I let myself go, groaning as waves of ecstasy rolled over me.

Afterward, I pulled her into me so we were lying on our sides, facing one another.

“Oh wow indeed.”

She laughed. “So that happened… What now?”

“Hell if I know. That was about the last thing in the world that I expected.”

“I feel like I ought to stay very still and not say a word.”

“Why is that?”

“Every single time we’ve done anything…
more than friendly
, things have immediately backfired.”

I didn’t answer. We were on the cusp of something. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing because she was right, and I felt exactly the same way.

“Let’s not do that,” I said finally. “We both acknowledge that we’re standing in the middle of paradise surrounded by landmines. And we need to carefully disarm them one at a time.”

She raised an eyebrow and grinned slowly. “So we’re basically the advance team into Cuba?”

I laughed. “Something like that.”

“First landmine defused without any casualties.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve acknowledged that we’re in the middle of a minefield. We’re not blindly dancing around, pretending they don’t exist. For us, that’s progress.”

The sun was setting, and the gold hues coming in the windows bathed her face in their warm glow. I brushed a curl off her cheek. “I guess so. Is that what we’re going to do now? Pick up landmines and see how many we can defuse before one detonates in our faces?”

“To carry the analogy a little further, how about we mark the active ones with a flag and throw the duds out so we don’t trip over them.” She started nibbling on her lip. “Let’s try not to
detonate
any of them.”

I leaned in to kiss her, partly to reassure her and partly because every time that I’d seen her worry her lip in the last few weeks I’d wanted to kiss her. This was the first time I was certain she might let me.

“Plant the first flag,” I said quietly.

“You’re leaving in about four weeks.”

“Ahh. Decided to start with the nuclear ordinance, I see.”

She pulled back a couple of inches. “Might as well.”

I didn’t like the space, so I tugged her back into my body. “I don’t know what the answer is for that. I have to go back. Brian needs me.” I sighed. That wasn’t the only problem. “And frankly—I’m not sure whether this is a dud or a live mine—I need the money. I’ve put every cent I’ve saved into the
Rehab-a-rama
house. If we can’t get the house finished in time or it doesn’t sell well, I’m completely broke.”