The Guy Next Door (4 page)

“I can tell you like the idea.” His jaw tightened. “You’re so damn wet.”

When he moved inside her, she made a sound of pleasure.

“You look so fucking sexy right now.”

She
felt
sexy. “Mmm. How so?”

He continued the slow, easy thrusts, even as he whispered, “Your eyes are darker, your face flushed.” He leaned closer, his mouth just barely touching hers. “You look just like you do when you come for me.”

That should have embarrassed her, but it didn’t. “I wonder how I’ll look when I have you tied down.”

Expression arrested, Jett went still over her. “I don’t know if that scares me or turns me on even more.” He kissed her hard and fast and then grew serious again. “I’m working on a hair trigger here, so before I lose it, I want to make a suggestion.”

Would he switch positions with her right now? “I’m listening.”

“Let me make love to you, because God knows, we both need it.”

She couldn’t agree more.

“But stay afterward.”

Her heart tripped. Oh God, so many times she’d thought about how nice it would be to cuddle with him
afterward, to just be with him. She dampened her lips. “For…what?”

“I like you, honey. I
love
having sex with you.”

Natalie wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“But sometimes I’d like to get out, too. Dinner, a show, whatever. Only I don’t want to go with anyone else.”

Her breath caught. “You don’t?”

He shook his head. “And I don’t want you with anyone else, either.”

That wasn’t a problem. She didn’t date. Ever. “I don’t—”

He didn’t let her finish. “Since we’re compatible, is it really such a big deal?”

“I don’t know.”

“You could try trusting me a little.” He touched the corner of her mouth with his thumb. “Can you do that?”

She wanted to tell him that it wasn’t about trust. But more than that, she wanted him. Right now.

Could it really hurt to stay, to talk?

Possibly. But at this particular moment, she just didn’t care.

T
HREADING HER FINGERS
into Jett’s silky black hair to keep him close, Natalie sought his mouth with her own.

With a ragged groan, he kissed her back, voracious and hungry and out of control.

As his tongue stroked hers he flexed his hips, withdrawing, entering her again, over and over in a driving rhythm that she knew would quickly take her to a climax. She suspected her agreement accounted for his enthusiasm as much as his heightened state of arousal.

She wrapped her legs around him again and wrung another groan from him. Each hard thrust rocked the bed and escalated the heat building inside her.

And wow, the man knew how to kiss.

He knew how to make love, too.

Natalie gave up trying to think; with Jett inside her, loving her, it was pointless to do anything but feel.

With one hand under her, he tilted up her hips so he could go even deeper, and with the other he cupped her breast, using his thumb to stroke her nipple. His mouth ate at hers, his tongue mimicking the movements of his body.

She breathed in his rich scent, felt the strength in his big body—and a climax shuddered through her,
stiffening her legs, making her pulse and throb with the unbearable pleasure of it.

Just as her orgasm began to recede, Jett lifted his mouth away. He put his head back, fisted his hands in the sheet at each side of her and came with a deep groan of release.

Watching him through dazed eyes, Natalie admired his broad shoulders, his solid chest, the way his jaw locked as he spent. A light sprinkling of dark hair covered his chest, trailed down his abdomen in a thin line then spread out again at his groin. His bones were large, his body unyielding.

He had such striking good looks.

But he was so much more than a gorgeous body and face.

By small degrees, Jett lowered himself back down over her, balancing on his forearms to keep his weight off her. With his dark-eyed gaze now mellow and replete, he looked sexier than ever. They both breathed heavily for several minutes.

Natalie recovered first. Now with the gripping need temporarily eased, talking might actually be possible. Not that she looked forward to it, but she knew she couldn’t dodge Jett without looking ridiculous. “Mmm. Much better.”

Expression warm, his touch light and easy, he bent to kiss her mouth. “God,” he whispered, “you’re beautiful.”

Natalie smiled. “I was about to say the same.”

Eyes so dark they looked black in the dim light of his bedroom glittered with amusement. On other men, such long, black lashes might look effeminate; on Jett, they only emphasized his rugged masculinity.

He put his forehead to hers. “If you think I’m beautiful, then you must have come harder than I thought.”

She chuckled. Now
this
talk she was used to; they often indulged in silly sexual banter before she slipped away from his apartment.

Natalie looped her arms around his neck. “You are beautiful, Jett Sutter. All over.” She touched his jaw and realized she hadn’t given him time to shave before coming over to knock. “It’s a rugged beauty made up of oh-so-sexy eyes, a rock-solid bod and tons of irresistible charm.”

“Irresistible, huh? I like the sound of that.” He lowered himself down against her, and that sort of squished her boobs, leaving them plumped up high on her chest. He bent to kiss the top of each one. “Trust me, honey, I have no complaints about your body, either.”

A safe enough topic. Being philosophical, she said, “Most men like big boobs.”

He didn’t smile when he looked into her eyes. “I like you, so your bra size wouldn’t matter.”

“I see. So…” Natalie tried not to grin at him as she shimmied her shoulders, making her breasts jiggle. “These aren’t something you noticed right off?”

Still too serious, he said, “I did, sure. You, Natalie Alexander, are extraordinarily stacked.” He toyed with her hair, letting one long ringlet twine around his finger. “But I also noticed your reserve and the way your incredible hair sort of dances when you walk.”

Her hair was like dandelion fluff on humid days, but she enjoyed the compliment all the same.

“I noticed your smile and your pretty brown eyes that are always so sincere. How you greet every neighbor in
the building and how you talk to yourself when you’re trying to remember things.”

Wow, that sounded as though he’d been plenty observant. “I talk to myself?”

He traced her lips with a fingertip. “You do, usually when you first get home. You come across the parking lot, arms loaded down with books and bags, and you say things to yourself, like
Check the mail, get the chicken out of the freezer, call Molly, sort the tests.
” As if he couldn’t resist, he bent to her mouth for a soft but sensual kiss. “Things like that. Mental note-taking, I guess.”

“I had no idea.” But it sounded like the things she worked to remember each and every day.

“Molly is your sister, right?”

He’d admitted to snooping into her background, and now she knew he’d listened to her inane mumblings. Her defensiveness came crawling back in on her, but she tried to sound playful rather than offended. “You mean a supersleuth like you doesn’t already know the answer to that?”

Sighing, he eased away from her and sat up.

Natalie realized that, without the use of a condom, she was on the…messy side. It was a novel thing for her. She’d never had sex without a rubber. She’d never before wanted to.

Being a sensible woman, she took responsibility seriously, and from the day she’d wanted to become sexually active, she’d been very cautious.

It went beyond that, though.

Jett was the first man she’d been with long enough, and trusted enough, to want to forgo condoms. Other
men had asked, but her answer was always a resounding “no.” Without the use of a condom, she didn’t have sex.

Until now. Until Jett.

With his back to her, Jett asked, “Are you going to keep taking jabs at my profession?”

“What? No!” She hadn’t meant it that way at all. “I wasn’t ridiculing your work.”

“Yeah, you were.”

That annoyed her. “Wrong, Sherlock.”

He eyed her.

“Sorry. Figure of speech.” Natalie sighed. “I just don’t like having anyone snoop into my business without permission.” She looked beyond him to the open bathroom door. This was going to be tricky.

Why had no one ever told her about cleanup?

His gaze turned speculative, intent. “Hang around awhile and I’ll explain about that.”

Hang around—to be with Jett, to just talk, to learn more about him.

Oh, she wanted to, she really did.

But before she could even think about that… “Jett, I, ah…need to make a dash into the bathroom.”

As her meaning sank in, his expression lightened. He smiled at her. “Stay put, honey. I’ll take care of it.”

Appalled, Natalie watched as he went into the bathroom. Through the open door she saw him dampen a washcloth under running water.

No way.

When he came back to her side of the bed, Natalie snatched up the sheet to cover herself. “What do you think you’re going to do?”

“Clean you.”

“Oh no, you are not.”

As if she hadn’t spoken at all he sat beside her, one hand on her thigh, his demeanor one of pure masculine possession. “I don’t skip condoms, Natalie. Ever.”

They had that in common. “Me, either.”

He coasted his hand up and down her thigh. “Even though you’re on the pill?”

With the washcloth held in his free hand, concentrating on the conversation took effort. “Doubling up is safer, and besides, pregnancy is only one concern these days.”

“True enough.”

And honestly, she hadn’t been with that many men. For a twenty-seven-year-old woman, her sexual experiences were few and far between.

He studied her with lowered brows and grave intensity. “But you let me.”

They both knew they’d just crossed some boundaries into new intimacy. Very softly she replied, “Yes.”

Still holding her captive in his gaze, Jett whipped the sheet away from her, causing her to yelp. “I think you and I are going to share a lot of firsts together.”

She tried to block his hands, but he laughed until he got her pinned down then coaxed her, saying softly, “Let me.”

And she caved.

Jett didn’t realize it, but he’d already been her first in many ways. Her first fling. Her first orgasm—at least through intercourse. Her first spontaneous encounter. Her first time being tied.

And now this.

It unnerved her, the complete and varied ways she enjoyed him. But it also felt so
right
.

She didn’t fight him as he cleaned her body. She didn’t look away from him either. What she’d expected to be horribly awkward just…wasn’t.

Not with Jett.

He was so earthy, so comfortable with all things sexual, that he put her at ease with his attitude alone.

When he finished, he kissed the inside of her thigh then cupped his hand over her. “I like taking care of you.”

Natalie wanted to touch him, to go to her knees and kiss him.

To have him again.

She started to move and he said, “Be right back.” He returned to the bathroom but was gone only a few minutes.

Natalie stared at the ceiling, attempting to sort her thoughts, to order her priorities.

He returned to his side of the bed, sitting with one leg bent on the mattress, his gaze all over her body again. Neither of them could ever deny the physical attraction—it showed whenever they were together, in the way they watched each other, how they touched and that sharp level of awareness.

“Before we get sidetracked again, tell me that you’re going to stay.”

She wanted to pull him down to her, but she held herself in check. “How long?”

At her reply, his shoulders stiffened. “Is it really asking so much?”

Of course it wasn’t. She felt like a heel. “Sorry. As you said earlier, old habits die hard.”

One brow rose up. “Meaning you’re used to deflecting guys in bed after they’ve just had sex with you?”

That
brought her to her knees. She poked a finger at his chest. “Don’t you dare judge me, Jett Sutter! You can’t very well claim inexperience.”

He eyed her breasts. “No.” Catching her finger, he tugged her closer. “But you’re different from every other woman I’ve been with, so I sure as hell don’t want to be the same as every other guy.”

Oh, God. He wasn’t. Molly gave an exasperated sigh. “What I meant is that I’m not used to letting
anyone
get close, regardless of the circumstances.”

“Not even family?”

She didn’t want to explore the possibility, but if Jett did have any illusions about easy money, she could set him straight right now. “Especially not family. Well, except for Molly.”

“Your sister.”

She nodded. “We’re close.”

He caught her chin and lifted her face. “You’re estranged from your father.” It wasn’t a question.

Damn. He really had been snooping. When she started to withdraw, he caught the back of her neck.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care about that.” Then he shook his head, and his voice firmed. “No, that’s not precisely true. I do care.”

Of course he did.

As if he’d read her thoughts again, he gave her a look of censure. “It’s one hell of an insult to be called a gold digger.”

“I didn’t.”

“But you’re thinking it.” He dragged her in close for a hard smooch. “I bought land a few years ago and was saving to build my own house. I have about half the cash up front in the bank and can easily afford a loan on the
rest. I would have started on the house already, but I met you, and since then I haven’t been in a big hurry to move out of here. But I will eventually.”

He’d stayed in the apartment complex for her? Staggered, she asked, “How much land?”

“Only ten acres. But it’s secluded, and pretty. A stream runs through it.” He gave her a look. “You want to see it? Maybe check out my bank account so you’ll know I’m not in desperate financial straits?”

She couldn’t blame him for getting nasty. “Jett…”

“What I have is nothing compared to your father’s money. But you can believe me when I say I’m happy. I have what I want, and I got it on my own.”

“I’m sorry.” What else could she say?

“I care about your relationship with your father only because I think that’s one of the reasons you’re shutting me out.”

And…he wanted in?

Natalie put a hand to her head, trying to think. Maybe all this could wait until she’d had time to think about it. “I’m leaving tomorrow for the lake. I’ll be gone for a week—”

He surprised her by saying, “I’ll go with you.”

Her eyes widened; he couldn’t be serious. But one look at his set face and she knew he was. She scrambled for a reply. “You don’t have to work?”

“I take time off when I want—that’s a perk to being your own boss.” He stood, stretched elaborately and went to his dresser to get out boxers. As he stepped into them, he asked, “How long is your break?”

Well. Natalie knew he was bulldozing her, but the idea of having Jett along tempted her. She had almost
dreaded the time away because she would miss him and their special time together.

She licked her lips. “Ten days.”

“No problem.”

But she emphasized, “In isolation.” Jett might be expecting a real vacation with dinners out, live performances, something more than a quaint cabin on a secluded lot at an off-season vacation lake.

“Sounds great.”

She couldn’t help but fret. Never had she taken a vacation, especially such a lackluster vacation, with a guy. “You might get bored.”

He shot her a look full of meaning. As his gaze went over her body he cocked a brow. “Not a chance.”

And still she felt compelled to make him understand. “It’ll probably be pretty cool there still. Even though the cabin is on a big vacation lake, there won’t be any swimming. I’m not sure we’ll even be able to take out a boat.”

He found a T-shirt and jeans. “What did you plan to do there?”

“Not much.” Watching him dress, Natalie decided that their bed activities must have ended. Disappointed, she slipped her legs off the side of the bed and stood. She realized that her clothes were in the other room, but she’d look foolish if she wrapped up in the sheet.