Testing Recipes for Disaster (Emberwood #2)

Chapter 24- Jeremy

H er gaze may have been focused out the window of my car, but her fingers were actively tracing each of mine. I thought about driving for the next half hour and seeing if she noticed. However, I reluctantly steered us toward her townhouse. I was acutely aware of the parallels between this scene and the one that went terribly wrong after Sam and Jesse’s engagement.

I now knew the outcome if I tried to be good and stay away from her, and I knew the outcome of giving in and being absolutely selfish. Being selfish felt a million times better, even if it made things a hell of a lot messier. It hadn’t resulted in the silent treatment when we crossed the line on the Fourth of July. Which was why, no matter how bad of an idea, I was not going to try to walk away if she invited me in tonight. The best I could do was not invite myself in and accepting her good judgment if she didn’t.

“Do you really think I might have ADHD or something?” she asked, still playing with my fingers.

“I don’t know, Laur. I just... I don’t think there’s any reason for you to feel that awful. I think it’s worth trying to figure it out because you deserve to enjoy your life. It sounded like maybe you haven’t been lately. That’s all.”

“Maybe you’re right. I’ll try to make myself call for an appointment.”

“Do you want me to set it up for you?”

“Oh. That’s sweet. I can do it. I’m just the worst about making phone calls. It’s why all my client appointments are done online.”

“I make phone calls literally every day to our suppliers. So, if it’s an issue, tell me, and it’ll be done.”

“Okay. Thanks, Jer. For everything,” she said, yawning, as I pulled up to her complex and we got out.

“Do you think I can blame the hypothetical ADHD for why I suck at relationships? Or do I have to shoulder the responsibility for that one?”

I appreciated her attempt to bring things back to the light as we meandered up to her door.

“Have you considered the possibility that these previous men simply weren’t very good in bed?”

She snorted.

“And you think you’re any better?”

Her voice was teasing, but her eyes were saying something else. She was already backed up to her house, and it was too easy to step forward to cage her in.

“Baby, I know I’m better,” I murmured in her ear.

“Prove it,” she whispered back.

The earth stopped turning then. We hadn’t discussed this like we had at the Fourth of July, and I didn’t know what domino I was knocking over by doing what I wanted to do next, and I didn’t care.

“Do you want to talk about anything first?” I asked, the words coming out slowly; I wanted her to hear them.

My hands were practically vibrating with how badly I wanted to put them on her body.

“Nope.”

She threaded her fingers through my belt loops instead. Our eyes found each other as the word left her mouth. We both knew there were reasons we shouldn’t do this again, but none of them seemed to exist while we stood right here. She opened the door from behind and crossed the threshold. I followed, and in a moment, I had one hand on the back of her neck and the other on her hip, pulling her into me and twisting us to press her back against the door.

Our mouths crashed together harshly, teeth grazing and our tongues frantically trying to get enough of each other. I dragged my thumb down the side of her throat and felt her heart racing at her pulse point. Her nails raked through the hair at the back of my neck as she arched against me. I traced my fingers from her throat up her jaw until my hand was gripping her hair and tilting her head back, allowing me to press my tongue to her neck and taste the salt on her skin.

The little breathy sound she gave away when I bit down lightly spurred me on, and I gripped her under her thighs and picked her up, her dress bunching up around her hips, and carried her to the kitchen. I placed her on the counter, stepping in between her legs and enjoying being able to look straight into her eyes before our mouths met again.

“Jer, please,” she groaned, grasping my hand and placing it high on her inner thigh.

“You want me to touch you, Princess?”

“ Yes .”

“Are you saying I am better in bed?”

“I need more evidence. And I swear to god, if you don’t put your hands on me, I’m going to—” I captured the rest of her retort with my mouth and gave her what she wanted.

“You’re so wet,” I groaned, tugging her panties to the side and pressing a finger inside her.

“Fucking finally,” she gritted out. “More.”

I added a second finger, sweeping my thumb over her clit. I relished being this close to her and being able to go slower, less afraid of snapping one of us back to reality than I was last time. We were both choosing this now, regardless of the consequences. Maybe we were both stupid, but she felt so right.

“So tight, so perfect. You’re so, so good, Laur.”

Her hands traveled from being tangled in my hair to gripping my biceps to digging into my shoulders, and I had to stop myself from losing focus.

“I’m going to... Jer, fuck ,” she moaned, tightening around me.

I kept steady pressure as she rode out her orgasm, only stopping when she put her hand on my wrist.

“Good girl,” I said against her lips.

“Why do I like it when you talk to me like that?”

I huffed a laugh.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“Not even a little.”

“Good. Bedroom?”

“Shower.”

“Good call.”

I picked her up and carried her up the stairs to her room, not hating her mouth on my neck while I climbed. I set her on her feet in her room, and she disappeared to start the water. She reappeared and turned her back to me, gesturing for me to get to work on her buttons.

“How pissed will you be if I rip this dress off of you?”

She gasped.

“Very. I went to four thrift stores looking for a dress to match your stupid vest.”

My heart swelled at the fact that she took that much time making sure we matched.

“But I’ll make it worth your while.”

I could hear the smile in her voice as she reached behind her and undid my belt. The chore of undoing seven thousand loops on buttons was made infinitely better with her hand down my pants.

She was finally free, and I pushed her sleeves down her arm gently, letting the dress pool at her feet. She was left in only a green lace thong.

“Jesus, Laur.”

She flipped around and returned the favor, unbuttoning my vest and dress shirt, and I helped make that journey more fun for her.

“Shower, now,” she demanded.

I dutifully freed her from her underwear and followed her into the now steam-filled bathroom.

The reality of the shower was not living up to the fantasy.

“Was this shower made for hobbits?” I complained, trying to get a turn under the water and feeling like I was awkwardly smooshing her against the wall.

She laughed and kissed my chest, but the angle at which the water hit my head went almost directly into her eyes on its way down.

“This is wholly unsexy,” I decided. I started laughing in earnest now.

She was shaking, trying to hold in her giggles. “Just get clean and get out. I have to wash my hair, and I can’t even move my arms with you in here, you fucking giant.”

I surrendered and hurried up, wanting her back in some sort of open space where I could have my way with her. I kissed her hard, my fingers digging into her ass before I got out, hoping it would encourage her to go quickly. Hair hastily dried and a towel around my waist, I laid myself out on her bed. Her sheets smelled so good—sweet and floral mixed with whatever fabric softener she used, and I wanted to stay there forever.

Fuck. Where did that thought come from? I wondered a little surprised at the strength of that want.

I felt my body relax as I pushed the surprise away and concentrated on staying awake—I wasn’t going to miss this because I was dog-tired. I had at least two more orgasms in store for her. The water had been off for a few minutes, and it was taking Herculean restraint for me not to go in there and toss her over my shoulder. She finally emerged, wrapped in a matching fluffy white towel, her hair braided in pigtails down her back. Her eyes were wide, but a playful smile still played on her lips when she saw me taking up most of her bed.

“Come here, baby.” I patted the bed next to me.

“Ah, your sex voice is back. Good, I like it.”

That made me chuckle.

“I don’t think I have a ‘sex voice,’ but if you like it, then we’re good.”

She crawled on the bed and ended up straddling me. I started at her knees and slid my hands up her thighs, sinking them in at the crease where they met the rest of her body. Her pupils took up most of her bright green eyes when I met them. She dropped her towel and let my gaze roam over her unhurriedly. Her skin was pale against the brightness of her hair, and the smattering of freckles down her chest and arms made me want to kiss all of them. Our eyes met again, and that was that. I grabbed the back of her neck as gently as I could and pulled her toward me, loving the feeling of her breasts pressed against my chest and her fingers now winding their way into my hair.

“Reach up and grab the headboard,” I muttered.

She did as I asked, and I grabbed her ass firmly and nearly lifted her off me, making her squeak in surprise. I settled her exactly where I wanted her and dragged my tongue all the way up her slit to circle her clit. I repeated this over and over, stopping to suck harder every time she whimpered until her legs were shaking under my hands.

“Mmmmm, let go, baby,” I murmured against her center.

I latched onto her clit and felt her come apart around me. I would do this all night long to feel her walls crumble like that again and again.

I put her back where she started in a similar fashion, but she was ready for me to move her that time. She collapsed on my chest, her breathing coming back to normal, and I made lines up and down her back, trying to see how many times I could watch goosebumps spread across her skin.

“You’re not so chatty now,” she said into my neck, changing the game and sending goosebumps down my arm.

I laughed.

“I can be if you want. Do you want me to tell you how good you taste? And how I was lying here thinking I would do that all night long to feel you come apart above me over and over.”

“Do you plan these things out ahead of time, or do dirty things naturally roll off your tongue.”

“All natural, of course.”

“Hey, Jer?”

“Yeah? Everything okay?”

“Oh, everything is perfect. I was going to ask if you were planning on fucking me anytime soon or if I should go get ready for bed.”

I felt the smile on my shoulder.

“So sorry for giving you a recovery period. Next time, I’ll do with you want I want,” I threatened playfully, digging my fingers into her sides and making her shriek.

“Don’t tickle me!” she yelled.

I stopped, but I flipped her to her side and dropped my own towel, grabbing her hand and putting it where I wanted it. I rocked into her grip and bit down on her neck, letting her know I wasn’t done with her.

“Then keep your attitude in check, Garrett.”

“You like my sassiness.”

I smacked her ass lightly.

“Maybe.”

I leaned over to her nightstand and fumbled around for a condom.

“And don’t think we’re not going to get into your toys at some point,” I promised while rolling it on.

“Oh my godddddddd, I expressly forbade you from looking at anything else. I moved everything after that night.”

She reached up to cover her face, and I grasped her wrist firmly and pinned it above her head.

“Ah, ah. You’re sexy as hell, and I love it.”

She bit her lip in a way that made me insane. I reached down to line myself up with her entrance and tugged that lip between my teeth while I pushed into her. She whimpered, and I switched to her tongue, sucking it into my mouth.

“You know that, right? How fucking sexy you are?” I asked, pulling back and pushing in again, groaning at the feel of her.

“I like it when you say it,” she admitted breathlessly.

“That’s a good enough reason for me to tell you as many times, in as many ways as I can dream up, then.”

I put my focus into exploring her and finding out which angle and pace made her react most favorably. Getting her to make those sounds was a recipe I needed to get right.