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“I can’t believe the trial is finally over and our lives can get back to normal.” Sapphire smiled at him as she dropped her small suitcase just inside the front door of the apartment she shared with her sister. But Topaz wasn’t here. She was off in a secluded cabin with his brother John. They were alone.
Jake closed and locked the door. His job as bodyguard was finished. He really had no reason to stay and knew he should take himself home. But he didn’t want to leave her.
She slipped off her coat and hung it neatly in the closet just inside the door. That was Sapphire. She liked order and for things to be in their place. He removed his coat and hung it next to hers.
“Do you want some coffee? Or maybe something stronger?” Her dark-brown eyes appeared even darker tonight. He knew she had to be tired. It had been a long few months and she hadn’t been resting well.
He was a bastard for not leaving immediately and letting her go to bed. His brain cells scrambled at the mere mention of the word “bed” in association with Sapphire. He’d spent many a long night lying awake, imagining what she’d look like naked and spread across her bed, waiting for him to take her. It made his dick hard to even think about it.
Not wanting her to see his arousal, he turned his back and walked over by her dining room window and peered out into the night. Lights of all shapes and sizes dotted the skyline. New York was alive and thriving. “I’m fine.”
He sensed her behind him before he felt the light brush of her hand over his back. He swallowed hard but didn’t turn around. No telling what he would do if he did.
“Jake, what’s wrong?” Her soft, melodic voice trailed over his skin, setting every nerve ending sparking.
“Nothing. I should leave.” Yet he made no move to do so.
“Stay.” Her softly spoken word echoed in his brain like a bomb blast. She couldn’t mean what he thought she did, could she? Of course not. She was probably just skittish about being alone. Her sister’s stalker was on his way to prison, but that kind of thing spooked a woman.
“Sure. I can stay on the couch and keep an eye on things.” Being tortured with hot knives would be easier, but he’d damn well do it. He’d do anything to make her feel safer.
She sighed and his cock was under enough control for him to turn around and face her. Her lips were turned down slightly and she looked sad.
He caught her chin with the edge of his hand and slowly tilted it upward until she was looking at him. “What’s bothering you?”
She bit her bottom lip and he swallowed a groan of arousal. She was the embodiment of everything he’d always wanted in a woman. Her curves begged a man to touch them, to stroke every mound and follow the arch of her hips. A man could drown in the depth of emotion shimmering in her eyes. It made him wish for things that would never be.
Sapphire shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it again. That wasn’t like her at all. She was the most honest and straightforward woman he’d ever met. “What?” he prompted.
A look of determination filled her face and she went up on her toes, grabbed his shoulders and kissed him.
Holy fuck! His hands automatically went around her waist to support her. He opened his mouth to say something and she slipped her tongue inside. A dull roar began in the back of his skull and by the time the noise reached the front it blocked out all other sound.
She started to pull away, but there was no way he could let her go. Not now. Not when he was finally experiencing what he’d fantasized about for months.
He angled his head and took her mouth in an all-consuming kiss. Her fingers dug into his broad shoulders, but he barely felt them. His body was alive in a way it had never been before. She tasted sweet. A combination of coffee and mint from the snack she’d gotten when they’d stopped for gas on their trip back to the city. But beneath the artificial scents was the pure essence of woman, of Sapphire.
He coaxed her tongue into his mouth and then sucked on it, savoring her husky moan of arousal. Her hips arched against him, stroking his erect cock. He growled and lifted her more snugly into the cradle of his body. Her feet left the floor and he started walking.
Keeping his lips on hers, he maneuvered them into her bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. Common sense and logical thinking had gone out the window the moment her lips touched his. He had to have her.
He leaned down until her feet touched the floor and pulled back. Both of them were panting hard and a lock of her hair was stuck to her cheek. He brushed it away, tenderly tucking it behind her ear.
He wanted to turn on the light, but was afraid she might balk. Thankfully, the drapes were open and there was more than enough light from the city shining in through her window to allow him to see her.
“Take off your clothes.” He sensed her surprise and her slight hesitation. He held his breath and almost roared with pleasure when she toed off her shoes and her hands went to the fastening of her jeans.
Jake took a step back, wanting a better view of her. His cock throbbed like a toothache as he watched her peel away layer after layer of clothing until she was down to her plain cotton bra and panties. He’d never seen anything sexier in his life.
“All of it.” He tensed, wondering if she would obey him. Jake wasn’t into bondage or pain, didn’t really understand why anyone would be, but he did like to be in control in the bedroom. It was as necessary to him as breathing.
Her hands slowly went behind her back and she unhooked her bra. Leaning forward, she let the garment slide down her arms and onto the floor. When she straightened, he sucked in a breath. Damn, he’d always known she had superior breasts, but they were even better then he’d imagined.
The mounds were firm and large, tipped with tight pink nipples. He reached out and thumbed one hard point. Sapphire moaned and leaned into his touch. He reluctantly pulled his hand away, knowing his control was tenuous.
“The panties.” His voice was hoarse and deep.
Sapphire hooked her fingers in the band and slowly shoved her panties over her hips and down her thighs. When they were around her ankles, she stepped out of them.
“Turn around. Slowly.” He almost came on the spot when she made a slow circle, letting him see every inch of her. “Lovely.”
She offered him a shy smile. “Like what you see?”
“Very much.” He crooked his finger toward her. “Come undress me.”
There was no hesitation as she came forward and splayed her hands over his long-sleeved waffle-weave shirt. “With pleasure.” She pushed it up and he helped her remove it. She gave a small murmur of pleasure and leaned forward to nuzzle his chest.
He groaned and stepped back. “Finish it.”
Her clever fingers had the snap open and the zipper open on his jeans before he could blink. She pushed them down but they got stuck around his ankles. She knelt before him, unlaced his boots and then lifted one foot and began to tug. When the boot was gone, she removed his sock and the jeans. Then she did the same on the other side.
Jake thought his body might implode at the sight of her kneeling naked at his feet. It didn’t get any sweeter than this. She was giving him everything he wanted without question. The amount of trust that took was staggering. After all, he was eight inches taller than she and outweighed her by at least sixty pounds.
She looked up at him, a mischievous expression on her face. Like she’d done with her own panties, she hooked her fingers into the band and tugged his boxer briefs down his thighs and off. His cock jerked toward her, more than happy to be free from confinement. She gave a low murmur of approval and captured his dick in her hands.