“When I was eighteen, I was earning my own living. I’d been on my own for a couple of years.”
“Well. He’s in college. I still have to support him while he goes to school.”
Jason’s mouth twisted. “I suppose. I didn’t go to university.”
The touch of bitterness in his tone made her shift in her seat to look at him.
“That’s okay,” she said. “You had other talents.”
He nodded and accelerated fast to merge onto the freeway.
“Didn’t you finish high school?” she asked tentatively.
“Yeah, I did. I was playing major junior hockey and I was living in Brandon. With another family. They made sure I went to school, although it was kind hard keeping up with it when we were on the road a lot. But I did finish. I even took a few university courses.”
“That’s good.” It must have been hard to combine school and a hockey career at that young age. Kids that young weren’t ready to be living away from home. Yet Jason seemed to have done okay. “Was it hard for your parents to let you move away when you were so young?”
He glanced at her. “I don’t know. I never thought about it.” He tipped his head to one side. “It was just what we had to do. I guess it probably was hard for them, but…my parents made a lot of sacrifices for all of us so we could be successful.”
“That’s what parents do.”
“Yeah.”
She’d bet it had been a lot harder for his parents to let him go than he even realized. “Where are we staying?” she asked, changing the subject. Sunshine flashed and glinted off speeding chrome and glass surrounding them on the freeway.
“The Ocean Front, in Santa Monica.”
“Oh. I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s a small place, a boutique hotel, very nice.”
She was sure it would be, knowing Jason. More excitement tingled in her veins.
Her cell phone rang again as they were checking in. She moved away from Jason in the lobby, her boots clicking on the bamboo floor. She needed to get out of these winter clothes. “Hello?”
“It’s me again.”
Kyle. She sighed.
“Look, I didn’t tell you the whole story when I talked to you earlier.”
She slowly walked past white upholstered furniture and palms in chrome pots. “What’s the whole story?”
“I was sick yesterday.”
“Oh. Why didn’t you say that? Are you okay now?”
“Yeah, I feel fine now. But I couldn’t write that exam. I was just too sick.”
“Well, in that case…I suppose I could talk to the dean. Was it the flu?”
“Yeah! Yeah, it was the flu.”
Remi’s bullshit radar pinged. “Kyle, are you being honest with me?”
“Of course! Would I lie to you, Remi?”
“Yes. You would. You have. Many times.” She sighed. She’d bailed him out of situations more times than she cared to remember. Helped him with homework. Loaned him money. Jason was right. He was eighteen. He needed to take responsibility for his actions.
“I’m busy right now,” she said, seeing Jason turn from the reception desk. “I’ll call you back later.”
He lifted a brow as she moved toward him. “Kyle again.” She filled him in on this conversation as they rode the elevator to their room.
“He was hungover and missed his exam,” Jason said.
“He was not!”
Jason lifted one eyebrow and gave her a crooked smile as the elevator rose.
“You think?”
“I know. I know teenage boys. I used to be one.”
She sighed. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. Then thoughts of Kyle scattered as she walked into their room.
“This place is amazing!”
Their room—or rather, suite—was immense. Sliding doors opened on to a balcony overlooking red tile roofs interspersed with green palm trees and, in the distance, the pale sand of the beach, the azure Pacific Ocean.
She trailed her fingers along the creamy duvet that topped the king-size bed and flopped down onto the chocolate brown couch facing the balcony. “Wow.”
He stored their suitcases in the massive closet and went to shut the doors.
“Wait! I want to change.” She extended her legs. “I can’t wear these boots when it’s so warm here.”
But it took longer to change than she’d thought because once she started taking her clothes off, Jason attacked her. Or maybe she attacked him. Whatever. It didn’t matter, they were hot for each other after a couple of days apart.
Down to her black lace underwear, she went to take the boots off and he said, “Leave them on.” He knelt between her legs, admiring her in her bra and panties and stiletto boots. Her body heated up.
“Now that is a fantasy come to life,” he said with deep satisfaction.
Her toes curled inside her boots.
“Very hot,” he murmured, hands on her thighs. “Like a baby dominatrix.”
“You want to be dominated?” Her heart hammed ferociously. She wasn’t sure about…
“Not really.” He bent over to lick the sensitive flesh of her belly and she shivered. “How about you?”
Oooh. Her breath sighed out of her. She moaned.
He lifted his head. “You do, don’t you?”
She bit her lip and met his eyes.
“Oh, Remi, you naughty girl. My whips and chains are…uh…”
She laughed and pushed at his big shoulder. “You don’t have any whips and chains.”
“I can get some.”
“That’s okay.” She kissed his shoulder. “I don’t need that much dominating. I just need…”
“This.” And he rolled her on top of him and laid a firm pat on her butt. She moaned and turned to liquid. “I know you like that.”
She just moaned again and he pulled her face down for a blistering kiss. He gave he a couple more sharp little taps, sending heat shimmering over her buttocks, then rolled her to her back again. “And this.” He clasped both her wrists in one hand and held them over her head while his weight pressed her into the mattress and he kissed her, his tongue sliding in and out of her mouth, so sexy. He sucked on her tongue, bit softly at her lips. Molten pleasure spread inside her as he rubbed his body against hers, mesmerizing her with his heat, his strength, pinning her there, helpless.
“I missed you,” he breathed in her ear. Then he rose up and gazed down at her again and her breath caught in her throat at the expression on his face. “So pretty,” he whispered. He released her wrists and dragged a hand down from her shoulder, between her breasts, over her stomach. “Let’s take these off.” And he tugged the panties down over her thighs. She lifted her knees to her chest to help. The lace snagged on one sharp boot heel as he pulled them off and he freed them, then tossed them aside.
They exchanged a heated smile. “That’s what happens when you wear boots to bed,” she said in a breathy voice. “I’m just hoping I don’t stab you in the balls.”
He winced, but laughed. “Maybe we’ll take them off.” And he tugged the boots off too, one at a time, tossing them to the floor with one soft thud, then another.
Air on her bare legs felt so sexy and she kept her legs bent like that, feet crossed, and lifted her arms above her head on the bed. He kneed her legs farther apart, his own spread wide on the bed, his cock jutting long and hard over her. “Oh, Remi.” His eyes devoured her and then he directed his cock into her, his index and middle finger on each side of it. He filled her so perfectly, so beautifully. Her eyes fell closed and he moved over her, one hand going to her forehead and tipping her head back. He kissed her mouth, her cheek, her ear, all the while rolling his body against her, inside her, in a drugging rhythm. “You feel so good,” he said, rubbing his face against hers. “So hot and wet. So perfect.”
Heat spiraled through her, flames licking over her body. “So good,” she moaned. “Oh, Jason, it’s so good.”