By Private Invitation (24 page)

Her moans and attempts to get him to sink deeper fueled his own lust, the deep, pounding
need for her. His cock felt like heated iron against his stomach.

Pulling his hands free, he grabbed her waist and lifted her off her feet, turning
toward the wall of her bedroom. It was closer than the bed and every second counted.

Her back hit the wall and she gasped into his mouth. Freezing, he pulled away to look
down at her, afraid he’d hurt her.

“Belle…”

Her passion-glazed expression made his balls tighten to the point of pain and her
hands gripped his hair hard. “Don’t stop. I’ll kill you if you stop, Jared.”

Her raspy voice hit his system like a powerful aphrodisiac, and he bent to devour
her mouth as her hands reached for the button on his jeans and his went to push hers
down.

He couldn’t take the time to strip her. He had to be in her now. With a growl, he
ripped his lips from hers and spun her to face the wall. “Brace your hands and don’t
move, Belle.”

“Faster, Jared.”

He tried. Jesus, he tried. He stripped her pants down to her ankles and moved her
legs as far apart as they could go. Her shirt tails covered her beautiful ass, and
he pushed them out of the way so he could pet her with one hand while he ripped his
own jeans open and pushed them down far enough to release his cock.

The cool air of the room barely registered against his heated skin. When he slipped
his cock between her legs to coat himself in her juices, sensation shivered through
him.

He had the vague notion that he should slow down, that he
was out of control, but the pure ecstasy of her slick lower lips sliding along his
shaft short-circuited every synapse in his brain.

Pulling her hips just far enough away from the wall so that he could get a better
angle, he thrust into her and started a fast, hard rhythm that made her moan his name.

Pleasure fired in every cell of his body as his bare flesh pierced her, creating an
intense friction. Already so close to orgasm, he moved faster, going as deep as he
could get, one hand on her back to keep her bent, the other arm around her waist to
immobilize her.

She was his, completely under his control. Every action in response to his.

His
.

When he slowed down, she cried out his name and begged him for more. When he sped
up, she panted and told him how much she loved it.

Her slick essence bathed his cock in warmth and moisture, and her channel gripped
him tight, each thrust and retreat filled with friction.

Mine, mine, mine
kept running through his mind.

He had a millisecond to realize he was going to come before his cock jerked and shot
his seed deep into her body. Barely conscious of what he was doing, he flicked his
thumb over her hard little clit and felt her clamp around him in her own climax.

He heard her moan, felt her shudder against him as she ground back into him. For several
seconds, they stood silently, their heavy breathing the only sound in the room.

Bending over her, he pressed his mouth to her nape, trying to calm his racing heart,
which sped up the second he realized he’d screwed up in a big way.

“Annabelle.”

“Hmm?”

Her sexy murmur made desire twist in his stomach but he forced himself to ignore it.
Considering what he’d forgotten, he should’ve had an easier time of it.

“Annabelle, I’m not wearing a condom.”

She didn’t flinch, didn’t tense, didn’t do any of the things he’d imagined she would.

“I’m on the Pill, have been for years.” She paused. “Unless…you have something you
need to tell me.”

Something twinged in his chest and he assumed it was relief. Still, he held her a
little closer as he slid from her body. “No, I’m clean. In fact, I can’t remember
the last time I didn’t use a condom. I don’t think I’ve ever gone without one before.”

As she straightened, his arms tightened instinctively but she only stood there and
let him hold her.

“Gee, almost like I was your first, huh?”

Her teasing tone struck a chord in him, loosened something that had tightened into
a knot in his chest. “My first time was probably just as fast but definitely not as
much fun.”

“Glad to hear it. But even though it was quick, we still only have fifteen minutes
to get to Kate’s. And I’m going to need to change.”

With reluctance, he let her go, suppressing a groan as she bent over to hike up her
jeans, giving him another look at her beautiful ass.

He caught himself before he smoothed his hand over that soft white skin. Instead,
he reached for his own jeans.

“Give me a few minutes to clean up and change and I’ll be ready to go. I’ll get you
a washcloth, too.”

“Belle.”

From the door of the attached bath, she stopped and looked back at him with a smile.

He had no idea why he’d called to her, only that he wanted her again. Hard and fast
and a little dirty.

For a man who prided himself on his finesse, that last one caught him off guard.

“I’m glad I’m back.”

Her head tilted and she got that look on her face, the one that he swore looked into
his psyche. “Me too.”

Sitting on the wooden chairs around Kate’s kitchen table, Annabelle still tingled
from head to toe.

Hell, tingle didn’t come anywhere close to describing what happened every time she
thought about Jared nailing her to the wall of her bedroom.

It’d been the closest he’d come to losing control since she’d known him.

She had to admit she liked knowing she could do that to him. But she also knew he
hadn’t liked the loss of control. And she knew something had happened in Philadelphia
to affect him like that.

Jared had something weighing on his mind.

And she wished he’d confide in her. Wanted him to
want
to tell her.

Which was ridiculous. She had secrets to keep.

And they had a business arrangement. With benefits.

She pressed her thighs together. Damn good benefits.

Now, though, he was being his normal charming self. He kept the conversation moving
like a master. He made Arnie comfortable, even though she knew Kate’s fiancé had felt
completely out of his depth from the moment he’d met Jared.

She knew the feeling.

“So your family owns hotels?” Arnie said after a sip of beer to wash down the pizza.
“Must be tough right now with the economy?”

“My family’s been in the business for years,” Jared said in a complete understatement.
“We haven’t been hit as hard as the chains since we don’t rely as much on the vacation
crowd. We get a lot of business people.”

“Kate said you threw a pretty decent party on New Year’s Eve.” Arnie smiled at his
fiancée, who managed a fairly credible smile for him. Only Annabelle seemed to notice
it didn’t reach her friend’s eyes.

Jared’s grin, when he sliced it her way for a few brief seconds, burned. “I’m glad
Kate had a good time. That’s what we strive for. What good’s a party if you don’t
have fun?”

Heat burned through Annabelle’s body, hot and enticing as she remembered the secondary
party Kate hadn’t attended. She wondered what Arnie would think of her if she told
him about that. Arnie was by no means a prude, but having sex in front of a room full
of people might just make him keel over.

Arnie was a sweetheart of a guy. He worked as a truck driver for the potato chip company
in town and helped out as a mechanic at his parents’ gas station down the road. Steady,
solid, hardworking.

Annabelle knew he’d make some woman a great husband.

Just not Kate.

Her sarcastic, brilliant best friend with the wicked sense of humor became a wet dishrag
around Arnie.

Kate didn’t say much during dinner and dessert, and by the time Annabelle and Jared
got up to leave, Annabelle saw stress starting to take its toll on her friend.

Stress that seemed just a little more pronounced lately.

Annabelle held on to Kate a little longer as they hugged good-bye, while Jared and
Arnie shook hands by the door.

“Kate, are you—”

Kate shook her head, cutting her off. “Thanks for coming, Annabelle. I’ll call you
tomorrow, okay?”

Annabelle took the hint and smiled. “Sure. Thanks for having us over.”

With one more thank you, they left, beginning the short walk back to the shop down
the town’s deserted sidewalks.

“I like your friends, but you’re right about Arnie,” Jared said after a few minutes.
“He’s not the right guy for Kate.”

Belle let her head drop back as she sighed. “Thank you! Finally, someone agrees with
me. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I like Arnie. He really is a nice guy. But they just seem
so…uninspired when they’re together.”

Jared nodded, his expression thoughtful as he placed an arm around her shoulders,
drawing her closer. Before she could stop herself, she melted into his side. The cold
night air seeped through her clothing but pressed against him, she began to warm.

Was it possible to overheat in thirty degree weather?

“That’s a good word to describe them. Uninspired. And you haven’t been able to make
Kate see the error of her ways?”

“I tried, several times, to tell her she’s marrying the wrong man. But she won’t listen.
She’s decided Arnie will make a good
husband and never leave her. Kate’s parents didn’t have the best marriage. Bad scene.
She doesn’t talk about it much, but I think she believes Arnie will never treat her
like her dad did her mom so she’s determined to keep him.”

“Sounds like desperation.”

She nodded. “Yeah, it does. It’s sad, really. It’s not something you ever want to
be, is it?”

Something passed over his expression, but he quickly cleared it and smiled. “No, it
isn’t.”

He didn’t say anything else and they walked in silence until they arrived at her home.

As she shed her coat, she noticed Jared didn’t. He remained by the door, as if unsure
whether he was staying.

“Jared, is everything okay? You seem a little…distracted tonight. Is everything alright
at the hotel?”

He nodded, leaning back against the wall, staring at her. “Everything’s fine. Now.”

She took notice of his slight emphasis. As if there had been something wrong but it’d
been taken care of.

Turning away from his intense stare, she headed for the fridge. “Would you like some
wine?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

As she poured, he pushed away from the wall and removed his black leather jacket.
Hanging it on the coat rack by the door, he walked to the breakfast bar and leaned
against the counter, watching her every move with those beautiful blue eyes. She pushed
his glass across to him, then sipped at her own.

Since he didn’t seem inclined to start a conversation, and since she couldn’t stand
the silence, she said, “Will you need to get back to the hotel this weekend? I do
understand that you have a business to run.”

One golden brown brow arched as he tasted his wine. “Trying to get rid of me, Belle?”

She wanted to laugh out loud. No, unfortunately, that was the furthest thing from
her mind. God help her, but she wanted him to stay. For a very long time.

Forcing a playful smile, she shook her head. “Not at all. There’s still a lot of furniture
to move.”

Her tone was deliberately teasing and she knew he knew it. Still, his gaze sharpened
as if she’d said something enlightening. “So you find me useful?”

She heard something in his tone, something she just couldn’t figure out. “You’ve been
very helpful, Jared. Why wouldn’t I want to keep you around?”

His expression turned thoughtful. “Glad to hear it. So, are you planning on rewarding
me for my effort?”

That heated gleam had returned to his eyes. The one she couldn’t refuse. When he stood
and held out his hand, she gave up all thought of refusing him anything. She placed
her hand in his and let him draw her against him.

When he pulled her close to his body and began swaying in time to the music, Annabelle
closed her eyes and tried to let her mind drift.

But his scent tantalized her with remembrances of the New Year’s Eve ball.

That night she’d wished for some fun, a way to forget about her two-timing ex-boyfriend
and the rut her life seemed to have fallen into.

She’d wanted to experience just a little bit of the lust for life her parents had
had.

She’d experienced more excitement than she’d dreamed possible. And her fun had followed
her home.

But the ties she’d wanted to avoid were beginning to wrap around her heart.

And that could be dangerous to a woman with secrets.

Annabelle felt Jared’s every exhale against her hair and the warmth of his body against
her cheek. Each shift of muscle fanned the flames of her rapidly rising desire.

As if he’d read her mind, he lifted her hand to his shoulder so she could wrap both
arms around him. His free hand drifted to her hair, twining into the curls and holding
her to him.