In Jack's Arms (Fighting Connollys) (10 page)

"I haven't ever gone latex-free," Jack said. "Finn and I had our annual checkups earlier in the year so we could get better insurance rates. I'm in the clear."

I swallowed as I realized what he was suggesting. "Do you want to make love to me without…?"

"Do you want me to?"

Something about the prospect of feeling Jack fill me with his seed, even if it couldn't take hold, struck

me as incredibly erotic. It would be a first for both of us and an experience we had shared with no other

lovers. The idea of sharing something new enticed me.

"Yes."

He brushed his lips to mine and tightened his hold on my wrists. My body blossomed with goosebumps

as he exerted so much control over me. Closing my eyes, I surrendered to him and welcomed his skills as a

lover. There was so much Jack could teach me, and I wanted to start our first lesson.

Taking his time loving me, Jack kissed and nipped every inch of my body. His mouth traveled from my

forehead to my toes before he flipped me onto my belly and traveled right back up again. When he had laid

claim to me in that way, he tugged me onto my back again and dragged me to the edge of the bed.

Sinking down to his knees, Jack placed my feet flat on the mattress and rested his hands on my inner

thighs. He gazed at my sex for a long time before separating the petals to examine the dewy center of me.

"What do you like, Abby?"

I blinked with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"When man goes down on you, do you like fast strokes or slow? Lots of pressure or light?"

I stared at the ceiling and tried to find the courage to admit how little experience I had in that arena.

"I've never… I mean…"

"None of your old boyfriends ever did this?"

"None of them," I confirmed.

"Selfish bastards," he growled.

Sliding a hand down to block him, I whispered, "You don't have to do it, Jack. I don't want you to feel obligated."

"Obligated?" He pushed my hand out of the way. "Sugar, if you only knew how many times I've imagined this while stroking myself."

"Really?" The idea that Jack had fantasized about me while finding pleasure made me dizzy.

"Really," he murmured and swiped his tongue through my folds. "I've been dying for a taste of this juicy cunt of yours."

My blood pressure skyrocketed, my blood rushing by my eardrums so fast and loud I couldn't hear

anything but the
whoosh whoosh whoosh
. Jack fluttered his tongue around my clitoris, and I nearly died. I honestly could not draw a breath into my oxygen starved lungs. The soft but firm tip of his tongue circled that swollen pearl and flicked at it. The sensation was unlike any I ever could have imagined. It was so

much better than my fingers or his.

Unable to contain myself, I cried out again and again and swiveled my hips. Jack grasped my waist and

used his wide shoulders to hold me open for his oral assault. He did such incredible things to me, flicking and fluttering and suckling at my inflamed clitoris until I was a sobbing mess. Pleasure jolted me, and I

came harder than ever before in my life. On and on the climax went, the waves of it slamming into me and

dragging me deeper and deeper into the dark waters of utter ecstasy.

He wiped his mouth on my inner thigh and dragged me into the center of the bed. Pushing my thighs

wide again, Jack grasped the base of his cock and nudged the weeping crown between my slick folds. He

gathered my nectar on his ruddy skin and used the head of his penis to stimulate my overly sensitive clitoris before finally—finally!—sheathing himself inside me.

Head thrown back, I shouted his name and clutched at his arms. His thrusts started slow and easy as he

let me acclimate to the length and girth of his impressive shaft. When I relaxed totally beneath him, Jack gathered my wrists again and pinned them to the pillow. The weight of him pressed me down, and I arched

up onto my shoulders to meet his thrusts.

They were harder now, faster, and I urged him on with my whimpers and moans. Jack plundered my

mouth, his tongue stabbing and taking while his cock pounded into me. In no time at all, I hovered on the

verge of another mind-shattering orgasm. He must have seen the need twisting up my expression because

he changed his angle. Four good thrusts, and I fell over the edge, shouting his name and wishing the joyful bursts would never, ever end.

But, like all good things, they did. Whispering my name, Jack slammed forward, the force of his final

thrust causing me to slide along the sheets, and touched his forehead to mine. We shared ragged breaths as he pumped his hot seed into me and shuddered against my body.

With an exaggerated groan, Jack fell onto his side. He grabbed the top sheet and dragged it over our

rapidly cooling bodies. "You're dangerous, Abby."

Curling into him, I stared up at him in disbelief. "Me? Dangerous?"

"One taste, and I can tell I'll never be able to get enough of you."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Hardly," he said with a grin and gathered me close. "Though I have a feeling we're both going to be very tired for the next few days."

Yawning, I snuggled tight and kissed his cheek. "Then we should probably sneak in a nap while we

can…"

Chapter Six

After a day spent with furious customers shrieking in my face and into my ear, I had never wanted to

hit the gym more. While it seemed my lawyer's best efforts to smooth over the issues with the police

department were working, the customers who had unknowingly purchased stolen goods were

understandably angry and disappointed. I had issued refunds and given gift cards to stores where they

could purchase brand new game systems, DVD players and televisions. The added complication of a bad

reputation was the last thing the shop needed after that robbery.

"Hey! I hoped to see you tonight." Bee Langston playfully bumped my hip as she pulled her long hair into a high ponytail. The tech goddess who had recently signed a jaw-dropping multi-billion dollar deal was dating Jack's youngest brother Kelly. They were a perfectly matched couple, and after everything they had

survived in the last few weeks, it was clear they had the strength to pull through anything. "I was so upset when I heard about the break-in at your shop and the brick through your window. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. The shop is good too." I didn’t tell her about the stolen property Dan had been fencing through my front doors. While I trusted that she would keep that info to herself, I couldn't trust the dozens of ears standing close. The word would get out soon enough, but I wasn't about to hasten it along. "How's the tech world going?"

"Busy," she said. Lowering her voice, she stepped closer and whispered, "I'm thinking about running away."

"What?"

She giggled. "Actually, I'm thinking about dragging Kelly with me on a long vacation. Just the two of us. Someplace quiet. Unplugged."

"You? Unplugged? Not possible!"

She laughed. "See? That's what I mean! I need to get away. I need to recharge. This is the perfect time to do it. I'm in between projects. My team is amazing. I need to go now before I get dragged into some new, huge undertaking."

"So go," I said and started working my way through the warm-up routine scrawled on the whiteboard at the front of the room. "What does Kelly say about a vacation?"

"He's surprisingly open to it." Bee stretched next to me and kept her voice conspiratorially quiet as she asked, "What about you and the oldest Connolly brother?"

A blush blazed across my face as I remembered our incredible night together. The morning had been

just as hot. After some of the things Jack had done to me, I would never again think of breakfast in bed

quite the same way. "We're good."

"Uh-huh," she said with a coy smile. "You know I want details, right? We should go out for a drink after class. We can swap yummy stories about our men."

Drinks? Swapping stories? I realized that it was the first time another woman had invited me out for

some girl-time since college. After graduation, I had thrown myself into the business. Not long after that, Granddad had started getting sick and Mattie had run into some minor problems at school. My friends—

well, the girls I thought were my friends—had slowly disappeared.

"I'd like that," I said, excited by the prospect of rebuilding my social life. "I can't tonight. Mattie's out with a friend of ours at a baseball game, and I have some laundry and household stuff I need to catch up on while he's out."

She wrinkled that dainty nose of hers. "You should really think about hiring a housekeeping service."

I chortled and kept stretching. "That's a bit pricey for me."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You know what's
priceless
? Having time to spend with your family and your friends. Running a small business is no joke, Abby. You're spreading yourself too thin. Hire help for home. Take off some of that burden."

Was she right? Would spending a little more money each month ease up the stress and time crunch I

constantly felt?

A loud clap startled me. I glanced toward the front of the room where Jack and Finn now stood. They

had entered while we were chatting and had completely bypassed us. Taken aback by the way Jack had

gone out of his way to avoid me, I frowned and wondered what the hell that meant.

"All right, ladies. Let's get started." Jack began the class with his usual review of our previous meeting, a short lecture and demonstration of the new technique he was teaching. Once we had watched him perform

the maneuver with Finn, Jack had us pair up and practice.

Bee and I squared off with each other. She had the worst form imaginable. I mean—it was shocking

how badly coordinated the poor woman was! Normally, Jack stopped by to correct her but not tonight. He

stayed near the front of the class and did everything possible to ignore us.

Finally, Finn stepped in and saved me from taking Bee's knee to the face by grasping her waist and

tugging her back at the last second. "Whoa, killer! Watch it with that knee. You almost bruised one of my favorite girls."

"One of, huh?" Bee asked with a laugh. "Sounds like you have quite a long list."

"What can I say? I never forget a beautiful face." He winked and then stepped behind me. "You need to adjust your stance. You're off-balance, Abby."

"Oh!" I issued a soft gasp when Finn grasped my hips, his long fingers spanning my waist, and adjusted my positioning. His well-defined chest pressed to my back as he clasped my wrist and showed me a

blocking move. The scent of him, the pleasing notes of chamomile and cedar, filled my nose.

"See?" He made sure to stay close to me—so close it was almost inappropriate—for a drawn out

moment. When he finally stepped back, he flicked one of my earrings. "You shouldn't be wearing these

hoops, sweetheart. It's dangerous." His amused gaze landed on Bee. "Especially when Miss Mayhem is your partner."

"Ass!" Bee playfully punched his arm, drawing an exaggerated
ow
from his mouth.

"Remind me to add a five dollar fine to your account."

"For what?" she demanded.

"Oh, it's a new policy. Mattie suggested it to me, and I ran with it this morning. If we hear you cuss, you owe the gym five bucks."

"For reals?" Bee asked, eyes narrowed.

"There's a sign at the front door. The new policy is right there in big, bright letters." Grinning, he left us to continue practicing. "Work on that block, Abby."

Bee and I continued battling each other, but I couldn't stop thinking about the way Jack was basically

pretending I didn't exist. I wasn't stupid. I knew exactly what Finn had been doing. He was trying to make Jack jealous—but why?

A strange sensation crept up my spine, invaded my chest and squeezed my heart. For all of Jack's

beautiful words and sweetness toward me, he hadn't yet taken me anywhere. Since that explosive kiss in my

kitchen, we had spent both nights since at my house. Sure, he had been publicly affectionate with me at my shop, but why wasn't he reciprocating here at his place of business?

Was that what this cold shoulder tonight meant? Was I going to be his secret? Was there something

about dating me that made him nervous or uncomfortable? I didn't want to think it was that but anything

was possible.

Or was it something else? Was he worried that if his large female clientele learned he was off the market

they would go elsewhere? Was he ignoring me and making me feel this way because of his bottom dollar?

I didn't want to believe anything like that was true, but as the class continued, I couldn't dismiss what

was right in front of me. Although Jack wasn't openly flirting with the other women, he was all smiles and laughs. I tried not to be hypersensitive about it but I couldn't stop myself. Self-doubt welled up inside me until every single pore in my body was saturated.

Bee turned her back on me so we could practice an evasive move, one that required me to put my arms

around her. Going through the motions, I fixed my gaze on Jack and the skimpily dressed nurse he was

helping. With those tiny shorts and too-tight tank top, she looked like she would fit in on one of Besian's stages. She rubbed against Jack in the most suggestive way, her high, round bottom brushing against the

front of his shorts, and smiled up at him with fluttering eyelashes.

The shock of what I witnessed overrode my common sense, and I lost my grip on Bee. She had been

expecting more resistance from me and threw back her elbow too hard. I didn't stand a chance at blocking

it. The pointy end of her bony little arm slammed right into my cheek and tossed me to the floor.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Abby!" Bee shrieked like a panicked banshee and practically fell on top of me. "Are you okay? Are you bleeding? I'm so sorry! Shit.
Shit!
"