Broken Resolutions (10 page)

She surrounded him with her hands, marveling at how hot he felt. How hard. His hands closed over hers, showing her how he liked to be stroked, where he was most sensitive. A bead of moisture welled at the tip of his cock, and she dipped her head to lick the salty drop away. At that, his hips bucked toward her, and he made a rough sound deep in his throat.

Then he took her hands in his, bringing them to his mouth. He placed a kiss on each palm, and then placed both firmly at her sides. “No more,” he said. “Or else I’ll disgrace myself.”

As he urged her down onto the stuffed animals, she hesitated.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I’ve seen what the kids do to those animals.” She frowned. “For that matter, I’ve seen what adults do to them, at least the poor giraffe. I’m not sure I want to be naked on them. My ass might fall off from some rare disease.”

“Ah. That would be a tragedy.” He looked around, and then strode for the snack table. Removing the platters of dried fruit, he claimed the tablecloth with a triumphant grin. He brought it back to their makeshift bed, spreading it over the creatures. “Better?”

“Much. And now they’re not looking at us anymore, either,” she said.

He laughed.

“Speaking of looking,” she added, “you walked naked in front of about a million windows just now. We’d better hope no one else was out and about near the library, or else the police will be arriving soon.”

“As long as we come before they come, I don’t give a fuck,” he told her. He lowered her down onto the tablecloth-covered animals.

“Fair enough,” she said, and then gasped as he spread her legs and knelt between them.

His mouth covered hers, his tongue immediately sweeping inside. It muffled her moan as his hand returned to her heat. Without her panties blocking the sensation, the feel of his fingers sliding through her wet flesh electrified her.

“Oh, God,” she breathed against his lips. She lifted her hips for more, and he gave her what she wanted. His fingers traced circles around her swollen clitoris and played among her folds until she groaned in need. Slipping a finger inside her, he began to stroke her clitoris with his thumb. She could feel herself grow wetter, hear the sound of his hand moving in her slickness. He added a second finger inside her, rubbing against the front wall of her vagina.

She arched, every muscle tightening in anticipation of imminent orgasm.

Then he withdrew his hand, a moment before she would have come all over it. She stared at him in disbelief.

“Together,” he said. “At least this first time.” He tore open the foil package and rolled a condom down his erection.

“If you leave me hanging, I swear to God I’m going to kick your ass.”

“I won’t.” He settled himself on the tablecloth, and then lifted her above him. “Up you go.”

“You owe me an orgasm,” she said, straddling his hips.

He rolled his eyes. “All right, all right. I get it. And you’ll get it too, if you’d stop complaining for a moment and climb on my goddamn cock.”

“If you stop like that ever again, I’ll never forgive you.”

“Jesus Christ, woman. If you want an orgasm, take it. Ride me.”

With one last narrow-eyed glare, she followed his advice. But not without torturing him a bit first. Lowering herself down, she let the tip of his erection slide through her wetness and nudge her clitoris. She moaned at the sensation. Wanting more, she took his cock in her hand and rubbed it back and forth over her clitoris until she was on the edge of orgasm again.

“Okay,” he gasped. “I’m sorry. I’ll never do it again, I promise. Next time, I’ll just make sure you come a second time with my cock inside you.”

His words sent a flash of heat through her, almost tipping her over the edge. Unable to wait any longer, she centered herself on his erection, taking him completely inside with one strong surge. They both moaned as he filled her. She shifted, whimpering as the angle of his penetration changed, nudging someplace sensitive deep within her.

Looking down at his face, she began to rock her hips. Jack’s teeth were gritted, his jaw tight. One hand was clamped to her hip, helping set the rhythm of her movements. He looked desperate. Despite that, the other hand he raised to cup her cheek was incredibly gentle.

“You feel amazing,” he said. “You look amazing. God, sweetheart, you need to come quickly.”

“If you’d let me come before,” she said, “this wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Time to prove I’m a man of my word.” He moved his hand from her face, sliding it down between her legs. “Lean back a little, baby. Give me some room to work.”

As soon as she obeyed, his thumb came back to her clitoris. He rubbed gently, and she moaned again. His hips began to rise to meet hers, his cock pressing inside her more forcefully. She braced her hands against his shoulders. Then it was just one stroke of his thumb and thrust of his hips too many. She tightened around him, and then came in a series of spasms that squeezed his cock tight inside her.

She cried out, clutching at his arms. As soon as he felt the start of her orgasm, he flipped them over and settled between her legs, fucking her fast and hard. His ferocity prolonged her climax, intensified it, and she cried out again.

Finally, with a shout, he buried himself deep inside her and shook through his own orgasm. Collapsing on top of her, he buried his face in her neck. “You smell good,” he rasped, his voice muffled by her skin.

“I’m glad,” she said, laboring to draw a full breath. “But you’re crushing me.”

“Oh. Sorry.” He moved to her side, and then dragged her up against him once again. Their sweat-slick skin stuck together a bit, but she didn’t care. As their breathing slowed, he began to stroke his hand up and down her back with light pressure. He pressed a gentle kiss against her temple.

“Was I too rough?” he asked, concern in his voice. “You’re so small, and I forgot to be careful at the end.”

“I’m glad you forgot. I don’t want you to hold back with me,” she said.

“Good.”

They lay in comfortable silence together for a moment.

“Penelope, you’re an incredible woman. I swear to God, the orgasm you gave me almost killed me. I saw angels playing harps. But I refused to go into the light, because that would mean no more sex with you. So it wouldn’t really be heaven.”

“The theological implications of that statement are staggering,” she said with a giggle.

He smiled back at her, his green eyes bright. “Plus, you’re really mouthy in bed. I mean, surprisingly mouthy.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Nah. I like a woman who knows what she wants. I thought it was funny. And hot.”

With one last soft kiss on her mouth, he got up and wandered off naked to the public bathroom. Since she didn’t see red and blue lights flashing through the library windows immediately afterward, she assumed no one had seen him.

He has the best ass I’ve ever seen in my life
, she thought.
I don’t
’t
know what I did to deserve an ass that fine, but I promise to keep doing it for the immediate future. In fact, I’ll go further than that. Whatever I did that earned me a smart, funny, honest, gentle man who looks at me like I’m precious . . . I’ll do it forever. For the rest of my life.

She blinked away happy tears.
Jack is the man I’ve always wanted. The man I’ve been looking for. I chose well this time. I finally got it right.

When Jack strode back into the children’s area, she beamed up at him.

Angie was right. It was a stupid New Year’s resolution.

10

P
enelope looked despondently at the dried apricot in her hand. “I’ll have you know that I left a perfectly good burger and almost half an order of fries at home to come here tonight.” Popping the fruit in her mouth, she chewed with a look of pained resignation.

“Poor baby,” Jack said, smiling at her.

“I don’t want more fruit. I don’t want more cheese. I want some damn beef.”

She sat cross-legged on the floor, wearing only his sweater and her panties. Her brown hair was ruffled, standing up in tufts around her head. Tired lines had appeared around her eyes in the last hour or so, but she refused to go to sleep. He hadn’t argued with her. This whole evening felt like a moment out of time for him, an idyll that could shatter at any moment. He didn’t want to waste a minute.

Even rumpled and exhausted, she enticed him. She made him want to plan a future with her. Which was crazy, given that he’d met her only hours before. Given that she had no idea what he actually did for a living. Given that when she found out, she might very well leave him without a backward glance. But he knew. Somehow, he knew. She was his. He’d staked his claim tonight, and he didn’t intend to relinquish it easily. Or at all.

He’d handle the inevitable confrontation when it came. For now, though, he simply wanted to enjoy being with his little librarian. Looking at her, touching her, talking with her—it was all so much better and more fulfilling than he’d ever imagined possible.

He hadn’t intended to make love to her tonight. Their first time together shouldn’t have happened under false pretenses, and he knew it. But no sane, straight man could have resisted Penelope offering herself to him. He couldn’t bring himself to regret it.

“Wasn’t the sex worth giving up a burger?” he asked.

She swallowed her apricot. “I suppose. But the burger looked really good, Jack. It seems like I should be able to have both sex and a chunk of ground cow.”

“Reach for the stars, baby. Reach for the stars.”

She laughed and took his hand in hers. “Want to look at the photos? I’m curious how they turned out.”

He grabbed the camera and sat on the floor beside her. She scooted until her hip pressed against his, and he put an arm around her shoulders.

“Yolanda and Tasha look adorable,” she said, clicking through a few pictures of the women embracing. “Angie did a great job setting them up.”

“What the hell is Red Tie doing in this one?” he asked. “Did he just photobomb them? And is that some sort of gang sign?”

She peered closer. “I think he’s indicating he wants the women to phone him.”

“I hope he’s not holding his breath waiting for their call.”

She chuckled, but only for a moment. Her face grew serious, and she looked him in the eyes. “When he refused to pair up with me earlier. . . it was kind of humiliating. Thanks for trying to help.”

“It wasn’t altruism. I wanted to be your partner for that scene-reading game. I was curious to see what passage you’d choose and find out why you’d chosen it.”

Jack heard his own words and closed his eyes in disbelief.
Shit
. If he didn’t intend to reveal his real occupation now, he shouldn’t have brought up his goddamn book in their conversation. And he didn’t intend to come out of the authorial closet immediately after having sex on various floppy creatures in the children’s area of the library. Especially since she’d only known him for about—he glanced at the dinosaur-shaped clock on the wall—eight hours. She’d think he’d used her for New Year’s sex and nothing else.

They just needed time. Over a few weeks of dating, he could prove himself to her. Show her how committed he was to a future together. A month or so together, and then he’d tell her. Not now. Which meant he needed to change the subject, stat.

“I can go get the book I—” she started to say.

“Let’s see the photo Red Tie took of the two of us,” he interrupted. “If it looks anywhere near as hot as it felt, I’m making it a life-size cardboard cutout and installing it in my bedroom. I may bring it with me to the grocery store, too, just to show off.”

She skipped forward to the last picture on the memory card. “Here we are.”

Miraculously, the image was in perfect focus. Penelope stood facing the camera with her head tilted back, her eyes half-closed. He knelt in front of her. His bound wrists lay behind him, brushing the top of his jeans. His head pressed between her spread legs, guided there by her hands.

She was fully dressed. He was almost fully dressed. But it was still the sexiest photo he’d ever seen in his life, almost solely because of the expression on her face. Soft. Unguarded. Desirous. Her lips were parted, and her lashes shadowed her eyes. A flush rose on her cheeks. She looked like a woman ready to be fucked. By him.

With a flick of his finger, he turned off the camera.

“Not as good as you remembered?” she asked, looking amused.

“Better,” he said, rising to his knees. “But still not as good as the sight of you right now.”

Her eyes widened as he eased her down onto the makeshift bed. “Really? Because I’m pretty sure I looked better a few hours ago.”

“You’re here. I can touch you. You’re naked.”

She shook her head. “I’m not naked.”

“You will be.” He pulled the sweater over her head and her panties down to her ankles. “See?”

She kicked off the panties. She was already breathing faster. Heavier.

Spreading her thighs, he slid down until his head lay between her legs. “Let’s recreate that picture, only lying down and without any clothes.”

At the first slide of his tongue against her clitoris, she arched up against him with a moan. He set to work, attempting to demonstrate with his body what he already knew in his mind.

He wanted her. Admired her. Worshipped her. God help him, he could even love her.

Falling in love with her would be so easy. He could only hope proving his love would be the same.

Penny looked over at the man snoring softly beside her. Poor lamb, he was exhausted, and for good reason. He’d kept his word, making sure she came once against his mouth and another time around his cock.

“Don’t want to hear any more bitching,” he’d gasped as he’d pushed inside, right before propelling her to her second orgasm.

Suffice it to say, she wasn’t complaining.

However, she also wasn’t sleepy. Or at least not sleepy enough to miss a second of their night together. Easing herself out from under his arm, she got up to look for something quiet she could do until he woke up again.