Ask For It (10 page)

“Idiot.”

“It worked though. The brown hair and contacts. I guess I was inconspicuous enough. I wouldn’t say my career is where it was before he came on as editor, but I’m not as far off track as I was.”

Damn. Trevor wanted to punch the asshole. But he bit back his temper. Right now was about them. No one else.

She looked so irresistible he skimmed his hands from her hips, up her ribcage, and stopped just below her breasts. Somehow, he found the strength to resist cupping the dreamy mounds. He could tell by her smile and the quirked up eyebrow that she was surprised by his restraint.

“I want you naked. Now.”

Her smile kicked up a notch and she reached for the dress, pulling it up and over her head in one smooth movement.

“Good God, Julia.” His tongue practically rolled out of his mouth as he took in the fire engine red lace covered satin. He stared, taking in each detail, for several minutes. The entire time, she sat there, straddling his hips, watching him.

He swallowed and tried to form words with a tongue that suddenly felt too big for his mouth.

“Unfortunately, that’s all gotta come off.”

The delicious smirk gracing her lips made his blood pressure spike. Heat raced over his shoulders, a sure-tell sign that he was turned on, as if the pipe hard cock between her legs wasn’t enough proof.

“Are you sure about that?”

Her gaze dropped to where their bodies touched. She shifted her hips forward ever so slightly. The glide was so smooth and her wetness covered his cock so readily that his heart stuttered.

Crotchless panties? Was she for real?

“I got them as soon as I got back from New York,” she murmured shyly.

“Were you thinking about me when you bought them?”

She nodded.

That did it. “Marry me,” he uttered fiercely, swiftly switching their positions.

Flat on her back, she laughed up at him. Damn, she was sexy
and
beautiful. Some women pulled off sexy but looked trampy. Other women pulled off beauty but never quite looked sexy. She, the lovely little vixen, accomplished both.

He gave a couple of test thrusts against her silky lower lips and quickly realized what a mistake that was. It was harder than hell to pull back, slow down, and concentrate on foreplay.

“You’re gonna be the death of me woman.” And he meant it. Lingerie like that was sure to give a man a heart attack no matter what shape he was in. Right now he’d call it
severely-achy
.

“I wouldn’t want that.”

Sitting back on his heels, he let his hands wander over her body. Touching, teasing, occasionally tickling. She nibbled her lower lip, but he knew she was bubbling with laughter. Laughing and sex was an unusual combination for him, but as he stared down into her lovely blue-gray eyes he realized he liked it. The exploration. The fun. It transcended the ache between his legs and a fast finish.

In fact, as he ran his palms up her torso, he skipped her breasts and headed straight to her collar bones, wanting to extend the exploration for as long as possible. Tonight, he’d explore every inch of her, driving them both wild in the process.

CHAPTER NINE

They were halfway to Cindy’s apartment the next day when JJ’s phone buzzed in her pocket. Like Pavlov’s dog, she automatically reached for it. Her brain had just enough time to register Greg’s name before she hit the answer button.

“Hey Greg.”

“Hey. I think I found your next project.” That was so like her brother. Always on the lookout for another property and not one to start a conversation with small talk. She couldn’t fault him though; being task oriented had come in real handy in their little venture.

Despite the fact that he’d already contacted their Realtor who said she had an interested buyer, JJ really didn’t want to talk about flipping condos.

Nevertheless, she heard herself answer “oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” He sounded excited. “It’s a loft. I know how you’ve been keeping your eye out for one.”

Okay, so that got her attention. She did want to redo a loft one day. The thought of exposed brick, high ceilings and massive windows got her creative juices flowing. “Sounds great. What part of town?”

He rattled off an address. Not a fabulous location but certainly up and coming. And MARTA was nearby so future tenants could make use of Atlanta’s public transit.

“It’s in a building that was converted in the late nineties. Looks like a flipper started on updating but didn’t finish. It’s half gutted.”

She smiled at the disappointment in his voice. “I know how you’re going to miss using your sledge hammer.”

What was it with men and demoing things? Not that she didn’t find it therapeutic to occasionally don goggles, gloves and whack the heck out of things. But she preferred the rebuilding. Watching new cabinets go in. Freshening up a space with paint and new flooring. Staging a property so that it looked magazine ready.

As it was, she hadn’t even had time to tidy up and put out the modern (but stark) decorations she kept on hand to make a flip look move-in-ready. But if their agent managed to find them a buyer without the hassle, she was all for it. And it was smart of Greg to be on the lookout for her next place. If they got an offer soon on the condo, she’d need to move in the next thirty to sixty days. And thanks to work, a busier than usual freelance schedule, and the dreamy man at her side, she hadn’t even begun to start looking for a new place yet.

“Do you want to see it? Your current place is ready, minus the staging. I was going to call the Realtor tomorrow and see if she can show us the loft.”

“Yeah. I want to see it.”

Trevor swerved and she shot him a look of alarm. He mouthed an apology.

“Greg, call Laney and then text me with the details. We’ll set up a time to do it.”

“Will do. Later.”

“Bye.”

She clicked the off button and put her phone in the console.

“Who’s Greg?” Trevor asked.

Why did he sound so tense?

“My brother. The one I flip houses with.”

There was a long pause and she swore she heard him exhale.

“What?” she asked, glancing over at him as he negotiated Friday afternoon traffic.

“Nothing.”

His answer was just a little too terse for her to leave it alone.

“I want to know.”

“Just…your answers…part of town…use your sledge hammer…you want to see it—”

“Your mind ran away with you didn’t it?” she asked with a laugh. Perhaps that conversation had sounded a little… perverse.

JJ knew him well enough to know that even though they’d both just melted with an out-of-this-world orgasm, sex was still very much on his mind.

“Totally.”

She laughed again. “Naughty boy.”

“I didn’t like it,” he uttered, hitting the turn signal with more force than necessary.

So he’d been jealous. That was kind of sweet, especially since they’d only been lovers for two weeks. Two rather blissful weeks.

“No need to worry, handsome. We might be step siblings but there’s absolutely nothing going on between me and Greg. Or anyone else for that matter.”

He quirked an eyebrow at that.

“Anyone but you,” she amended, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

They arrived at Cindy’s apartment at six twenty seven. JJ tried to hide it but she was a bundle of nerves. Trevor slid his hand to her hip and gave her a reassuring squeeze. She seemed more stressed over this meeting than he was.

She didn’t let on, but he sensed that she wasn’t quite ready to embrace him into her world. One thing he’d learned about her these past two weeks was she was a master at compartmentalizing her life and her time. Which was probably why she was so successful, despite an asshole boss.

But that was tough. He planned to infiltrate and hunker down for as long as she’d let him. Which made the various meetings and sponsorship events he had to attend next week all the more annoying. In a little less than twenty four hours he’d become accustom to her apartment, her tastes.

It was a seamless fit. So seamless that it scared him a little. Nothing was ever this easy, which made him worry what monster lurked around the corner.

The door swung open and a lean man in a Grateful Dead T-shirt smiled at them.

“You must be JJ,” he said, offering her a smile. Then his gaze flicked up to Trevor. “Holy crap, you’re Trevor Wyatt.”

His eyebrows formed a high arch above surprised blue eyes. Trevor was used to that reaction. He stuck out his hand and gave the obligatory “Nice to meet you.”

JJ stepped forward and shook his hand too. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Adam. Cindy talks about you all the time.”

Her sweet southern accent drew Adam’s attention away from Trevor.

“All good, I hope.” He gave JJ a hesitant smile.

“Of course,” she said, leaning into the shelter of Trevor’s arm.

“Come on in. Cindy’s almost ready.” He stepped back into the condo. Bright pops of color reminded Trevor of Cindy’s personality. The floors were dark, the walls a rich, medium blue and the light fixture in the corner looked like a thousand daisies clinging together and lit from the inside.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Adam asked.

“Wine for me, please,” JJ said.

The scent of roasting vegetables made his taste buds water. “I’ll take a beer if you’ve got one.”

Adam nodded, his brown hair swinging forward over his forehead.

“Hey Babe, they’re here,” he called, pausing outside a door just off the dining room. A female voice called back but Trevor didn’t understand what she’d said.

“Cindy’s got an amazing view, doesn’t she?”

JJ crossed the simply patterned white and orange shag rug and stopped in front of the floor to ceiling window. The sun had started to set, casting a red glow across the skyscrapers. The view reminded him of his own apartment and suddenly he wanted to see JJ standing in front of his window, looking out as if she had the world at her feet.

“I’m amazed how clean the air is here.”

She laughed and he was glad she wasn’t wearing the contacts. Without them, her eyes were much more expressive.

“You say that like Atlanta is small town America.”

“I’m ready as I’ll ever be.” Cindy’s voice sounded behind them and they turned to their hostess.

The blonde wore a tight, barely-there, red dress. Trevor’s gaze darted from her to Adam. The other man’s expression went from friendly to lusty in the blink of an eye. Trevor’d felt the exact same way the night before when he’d seen Julia in the hallway of her apartment, her dress hugging her in all the right places.

“Wo-w,” JJ stuttered. “That’s…some dress.”

Knowing what an incredible package lay hidden beneath JJ’s form fitting jeans and soft gray sweater turned him on far more than any scrap of silk ever could. He’d be thinking about stripping her bare, one article of clothing at a time, for the rest of the evening. Slowly, until he’d tortured both of them.

“I see Adam’s taking good care of y’all. Isn’t he a peach?” Cindy hugged her lover in a way that pressed her breasts against his chest. Then she turned a grin to him and JJ.

“The peachiest,” JJ replied, but the words sounded forced to Trevor.

He slid his hand down to the small of her back and let a finger trail beneath the fabric. She leaned into his touch and gave him a look of relief. Surely she wasn’t jealous of her friend. It irked him that she could be self-conscious about anything. But women were a whole different species from men sometimes. Too bad he didn’t have any sisters he could call for advice.

Before Adam could hand him his beer, Trevor cupped Julia’s chin in his hand and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Did I mention that you look amazing?” he whispered.

The smile he loved so much appeared then and all was right with the world. It was amazing how one touch and a few honest words could put her at ease.

“Once or twice.”

“Okay, love birds. Let me pull the roast out of the oven and we'll eat,” Cindy called from the adjoining kitchen.

“Need any help babe?” Adam asked, following her.

Drinks in hand, Trevor escorted Julia to the dining table. The room was a mix of old and new: thick moldings, a chunky well-worn table, and funky metal chairs. More boldly patterned artwork on the walls.

“She painted those herself,” JJ murmured, looking at the large square canvases.

“Nice. I like your paintings, Cindy,” he called.

“Thanks. Wasn’t that hard. Gold spray paint, then painters tape followed by colorful acrylics.”

“What can I do to help?” Julia asked.

“Not a thing.”

He heard a drawer slam and then lowered voices. His stomach rumbled as another tendril of roast and garlic wafted beneath his nose. JJ smirked and bumped her hip against his. No doubt she was thinking of how they’d worked up an appetite today. Being on constant alert, having so much of his attention finely focused on the woman at his side wore him out. And he enjoyed every second of it.

She gulped a long sip of ruby colored wine before setting the glass by one of the place settings. He watched her gaze sweep the table. A finger came up and she quickly pointed to each of the plates as if she were counting in her head.

“Cindy, you set too many places.”

“Gretchen and Baby are coming.”

As if she’d summoned them, there was a knock at the door.

“Speak of the devil,” Cindy said.

Adam emerged from the kitchen and headed for the front door. Trevor didn't miss the way he covertly readjusted himself. He could sympathize with the other man’s condition. It was hell to be horny all the time.

Two other women burst through the door, chatting the whole way down the hall. The moment they stepped into the dining room, silence reigned and they gave him a thorough once over.

“Good gracious, JJ. Where've you been hiding him?” the petite blonde asked.

Trevor was used to 'the look' as he called it. Pure unadulterated lust based entirely off of an attraction, one which had nothing to do with the man that he was. 'The look' had helped him get lucky over the years, but he was past that now. Long past it.