Dating A Saint (16 page)

“Jim,” Lauren said brokenly, crying in earnest at the stroke of his fingers inside her, and the magic he was creating with his mouth. It took her beyond resistance, to a place where there was only her need for him.

Desire spiraled out of control despite the questions swirling in her mind. Lauren heard herself calling out his name one last time before erupting. Jim growled, an honest-to-God growl against her as she climaxed, the sound he made alarming her even as wave after wave of mind-numbing pleasure rolled through her.

When she had calmed slightly, Jim crawled up her body to glare down at her, eyes feral in his face, but with almost no recognition of her at all. He just looked angry at the world and it worried her to have him look at her that way in their current situation.

“Jim,” she said firmly, one more time raising a hand to his chest, and then it was simply too late to say more.

He thrust hard between her legs, sinking into her in one giant stroke, his fierce erection cleaving her semi-sated body like she was an overripe peach. He didn’t stop moving in and out of her until she climaxed again, not just once, but two times more. When Lauren thought she couldn’t stand another thrust, that Jim would go on forever stroking inside her, she felt Jim finally emptying himself within her depths.

Even then, it took a long time until Jim stopped moving completely, before he finally eased his full weight down on her again.

Her heartbeat slammed in her chest, keeping time with his as she tried to absorb the enormity of what they had done. When she heard him snoring softly in her ear seconds later, Lauren laughed because there was nothing else to do now. It was hard to believe Jim’s system had settled so quickly when her body was still vibrating and pulsing beneath his.

She couldn’t bring herself to be concerned yet about having unprotected sex—that would come later—when she would pray it had been the wrong time of the month.

At the moment, she was still trying to decide how willing she had been in the first place. She was certainly mad at herself for not stopping him. She was also mad at him for not being sober during the best sex of her life. Part of her knew those two concerns didn’t go well together. What did it make her? Confused? A horrible woman? Or just completely and utterly sated for the first time in years?

Lauren let herself have one more moment of weakness, one more moment where she wrapped her arms and legs around Jim in gratitude, until the snoring reminded her she was having the moment alone.

Then finally Lauren pushed his sleeping form off her body, even though it was a little late to be so forceful about it. Jim rolled to his side, his arm snaking around her possessively, missing her heat no doubt. She unwound his arm from her waist and slid off the bed to the floor.

Standing by the bed on legs weakened by great sex, she studied herself in disbelief. Her shirt hung in pieces. She didn’t know where the buttons had gone. Jim had destroyed the crotch of her shorts to get to her and what was left of the pajama bottoms hung now like a shabby skirt around her hips.

Shifting her tired gaze back to the man in the bed, she wondered how she could be so mad at him and still want to jump him again. Disgusted with herself and her hormonal reaction, she turned her gaze away. She for sure wasn’t staying here with him, didn’t want to curl up next to a man who had to get dead drunk to be with her. And the bigger truth was, she wasn’t emotionally strong enough to withstand his regret when he woke up with her beside him tomorrow morning.

When Lauren looked down at her clothes again, she saw the trashcan sitting on the floor by the bed. Casey and Ben must have put it there in case he got sick. Peeling off what was left of her pajamas, she dropped the tattered remains into the container. She found Jim’s dress shirt hanging in the closet and slipped it on. It mostly buttoned over her breasts and nearly covered her rear. If she stood straight enough, no one would get flashed on the trip back to her room.

She turned back to the bed and saw a completely naked Jim lying on his back again. Lauren didn’t even remember him removing his underwear, but they were now gone. Tempted by how good he looked, Lauren lifted a corner of the top cover, adeptly rolling him off onto the sheets. Jim never woke up, but did stop snoring. Then she flicked the cover over him to hide his body from her sight, not bothering to tuck the cover down. As much heat as the man generated, he probably slept outside the covers anyway.

Her hand was on the door to leave when she remembered the three orgasms Jim had given her. He had been a relentless lover, helped along no doubt by the liquor dulling his senses. Still he had provided three amazing trips to paradise. It put a few points back in the plus column for him since it had been years since the last time a man had given her even one.

Even in the beginning of her marriage, Jared had only managed to give her two a couple of times. Three big ones should be worth at least a little kindness.

She walked back to the bed, pulled a pillow down, and tucked it under Jim’s head.

The rest they would have to settle in the morning when she returned his shirt.

When her key card for Jim’s room didn’t work the next morning at seven, Lauren took it to the front desk only to be told the occupant of the room had already checked out.

Concerned, the desk clerk asked if there were any problems.

Lauren pushed the key card across the counter to him. “Evidently not,” she replied, lifting her chin and walking away.

She walked to the lobby area where Regina and Alexa were sipping coffee and waiting for her.

“Wow,” Regina said, standing up and yawning. “I thought my erotic dreams were realistic. Yours must be amazing. You even have a hicky.”

“What happened?” Alexa said, sliding Lauren a glance.

“Nothing worth talking about I guess,” Lauren said sarcastically. “Jim checked out at five this morning.”

“Checked out?” Regina asked, shocked—and it was hard to shock her. “Jim just left without talking to you? Is he insane? Didn’t you say he came here expressly to see you?”

“You’re the expert on insane, Dr. Logan. What do you think?” Lauren asked in return, glaring at the stupidity of the question.

“What do I think? I think,” Regina said more calmly, noting the mix of fury and pain in Lauren’s gaze, “—I think we need a champagne breakfast to toast the bride. Then I think after the wedding, we should help you do something exceedingly nasty to Jim Gallagher. But that’s just me.”

Regina rubbed Lauren’s arm, relieved to hear her giggle. “I can tell something happened last night. I’ve been biting my lip not to badger you for details. Are we plotting to kill him?”

“I’m too old be regretful and too tired to plan a murder,” Lauren said on a laugh. “Besides—I don’t want to kill Jim Gallagher. Even drunk, the man gave me three orgasms. I want to tie him to my bed and get some more out of him. I’m not even angry he destroyed my new pajamas and marked me as his territory again. I’m mostly mad this morning because I’m pretty sure he was too drunk to know it was me last night.”

“Well, look at it this way,” Alexa said carefully, glad Lauren was choosing to be angry instead of sad. She would have hated to have had to kill a man on her wedding day. “At least the cowardly cad gave you
something
before he ran away. Did you give him anything?”
Other than your heart
.

Alexa smiled bravely at Lauren as she waited for a reply.

Lauren snorted, shaking her growing mane of silver blond hair like an angry mare in heat. “I gave him nothing but a hard time, which is what he gave me. Wait—I did put a pillow under his head before I left. Does that count?”

Alexa laughed, drawing the attention of most of the men passing through the lobby.

“Of course,” Alexa said grandly, standing and hugging Lauren’s other arm. “Most women would have left a tearful note asking
how could you do this to me
on the pillow instead. Jim is lucky you’re older and more mature.”

“No. He’s lucky I didn’t break him in half,” Lauren said, cheered by their show of support. “I was too worn out afterward. I forgot how much better orgasms were with two people involved.”

“Well, good thing you held off hurting him or you’d have missed out,” Regina said, rubbing her arm again as they walked to the restaurant. “Honey,
never
hurt a man before the orgasm. Always do it after you’re done with him.”

Lauren laughed without much humor. “I know I could have pushed him off me, probably should have under the circumstances, but I was too desperate for release.”

“You have a right to have what you want, Lauren,” Regina vouched, not doubting it.

Lauren sighed as they were led to a table. “Who am I kidding? Truth is, I didn’t want to stop him—I just wanted him,” she confessed, knowing they’d understand. “He wanted me too. He just doesn’t feel good about it.”

“Shaun the stripper was very cute, but face it, Jim is a giant step up,” Alexa said, leaning on her hands. “At least you slept with right guy. I mean—if you’re going to sin sister, go for the best.”

Lauren sighed and closed her eyes. “Jim was definitely the best.”

She opened her eyes, got up from her seat, walked to Alexa, and bent to kiss her. “You were so right about Jim being a wolf. He actually growled at me while—well, let’s say more than once, and literally ripped the clothes off me to get what he wanted. Girlfriend, you definitely need to write a book.”

Alexa laughed. “I wondered what happened to your clothes. You were wearing Jim’s shirt when you woke up this morning. I thought maybe you dressed his drunk ass in your pink pajamas to teach him a lesson.”

Lauren laughed this time with genuine mirth. It hadn’t even occurred to her. Oh how she wished she had an imagination like Alexa or Regina. Maybe as she got older, she thought.

“In a way, having sex with Jim ended up being the ultimate practical joke on both of us. As drunk and tightly wound as he was, Jim would have attacked anything female that crawled into bed with him. I mean, I’m glad it was me, but this morning I’m hanging on to the memory of him saying my name when he first saw me so I don’t track him down and kill him. Last night was physically satisfying but emotionally disappointing in ways I can’t even describe yet.”

“My offer still stands. If you want to do something dastardly and ugly in retaliation, count me in,” Alexa offered. “Casey and I don’t leave for our honeymoon until tomorrow evening. I love you, you know.”

“I know, and I love you too. But I want you to just focus on your wedding. You’ve waited too long for this day to ruin it with something as petty as murder,” Lauren said easily, making Alexa laugh.

She walked to Regina, hugged and kissed her too. “My dear Dr. Logan, I understand now why I had to find out about Jim’s wife for myself. I hate the situation. I hate I can’t do anything to change it. And I hate—hate—hate the fact Jim can’t seem to change his thinking about it. But even if he hates what happened between us last night, I don’t—because of you. You are the best therapist in the world.”

Regina blinked and sniffed, close to full out bawling. “Want to borrow my handcuffs to chain Jim to the bed and get some more of what you want from him?”

“Maybe,” Lauren said, eyes twinkling. “Maybe I will when I stop being angry.”

Alexa smiled as the champagne was brought to the table. “We can plot later. Right now, let’s toast.”

Lauren lifted her glass. “Me first—here’s to the sullied reputation of
Saint McCarthy,
who willingly and knowingly had sex with a married man last night. Move over, ladies. I just joined the notorious club.”

They laughed and drank to her new status, and then toasted their good fortune all around.

*** *** ***

At the wedding, Sydney stood at Alexa’s elbow, practically leaning over her as she and Casey exchanged vows. Lauren, as a bridesmaid, stood at Sydney’s side in a shimmering column of blue, her white blond hair gleaming, and her matching heels making her as tall as the rest of the bridal party.

Alexa looked like a fantasy in her white lace dress with the bottom spilling around her ankles and more fanning lace streaming out behind her.

In a black tuxedo, Seth was the tallest man in the bridal party. He stood proudly next to Casey in his Marine uniform, watching things as intensely as Sydney. On the other side of Seth, Paul stood smiling. In fact, Paul hadn’t stopped smiling since the ceremony had begun. No one was any happier about Alexa’s marriage than her ex-husband.

The groom—fantasy groom that he was—hadn’t taken his eyes off the bride the whole time. Lauren watched Casey’s brown gaze shift and change with emotion as Alexa promised to be his wife. The man was so in love with her friend, and it was so obvious, it made Lauren weak with envy.

Seth winked, making Lauren aware of her too serious expression. She made herself smile back at Seth, sincerely wanting to believe he and Jenna would find love and their own happily-ever-after.

Then Lauren glanced at the front pew for the hundredth time while Alexa and Casey exchanged vows. Jenna, Regina, and Ben looked on the ceremony, smiling in pleasure. Regina occasionally dabbed her eyes. The seat next to Ben, where Jim was supposed to be sitting, was empty. The coward had failed to show.

Lauren tossed her blond hair back, determined not to care as Sydney passed along yet another giant armful of flowers to her. She already had one that practically covered half her body. The enormous wedding bouquets looked like florist advertisements, but then over-the-top was Alexa’s favorite style.

Lauren could have wept with relief when the minister finally announced it was time to kiss the bride. Cheers erupted from the church full of people. Photographers stood and cameras flashed as Casey bent Alexa over his arm.

Lauren smiled and looked on, wishing it were over, though she knew it wasn’t fair to Alexa to wish her big moment away. But finally, thankfully, and a couple hundred professional photos later, it was really done.

Casey and Alexa left the church happily heading to change clothes before the reception.