Outside The Lines (8 page)

“
Christ.” Blake’s fingers delved under the hem of her top, and he traced a hot trail of kisses from her neck to her ear. “You taste so sweet.”

She pulled back to look at him, feeling every inch of his dark, seductive stare in return. Wordlessly, she twined her fingers around his, both of them lifting her shirt over her head before letting it flutter to the floorboards.

“Where’s your bedroom?” he asked, and the hoarse edge to his voice
sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine.

“Down the hall.”

Blake nodded, raking a gaze over the sw
ell of her breasts edging past the top of her petal-pink bra. “Now.” He coasted a finger over the edge where the fabric met her skin, following it with his mouth. “Unless you want this to happen right here.”

They moved through the arched entryway and down the hall in a tangle of
tongues and desire and cast-off clothing, finally reaching her bedroom with nothing but the panties that matched her now-discarded bra and a pair of boxers between them. Blake guided her backwards toward the shadowy outline of her bed, and when the back of her thighs bumped against the mattress, Jules knelt over the rumpled covers to pull him in toward the cradle of her hips.

“Oh, God.” Even with part of his weight braced against
the forearm now pressed into the mattress by her shoulder, the pressure on the spot where his cock slid hard against the furrow between her thighs sent a spark of need through her blood. Unable to help it, Jules thrust her hips, once, then twice before reaching to where their bodies touched most intimately.

“Jules.” The rough edges Blake put on her name curled a smile over her lips, but it didn’t stop her from wrapping her fingers around his erection
, even as he pressed against her. “Do you… remember what I said this morning?”

“About lasting more than thirty
seconds?” She moved her hand in conjunction with her hips to stroke him with both at the same time, and Blake’s gaze glittered near-black over hers in the barely-there light from down the hallway.

“
No. About how I’m going to make you come first.”

With a nimble pull
, he broke from her grasp, sliding down the length of her belly with friction that made her bite back a moan. Nudging her knees apart with his shoulders, he settled in at the seam of her body, trailing first a finger, then his tongue, along the soft line where her panties curved against her sex.

He was totally going to get what he wanted
.

“
Blake
.” The word escaped on a puff of breath, the heat between her legs burning even brighter as he slipped the scrap of fabric from her hips, leaving her completely bare.

“
You are so beautiful.” Blake placed an open-mouthed kiss on her hip bone before moving to the other side. “You’re strong.” More wet heat from his lips and tongue, and oh God, she was going to fall apart if he didn’t touch her.

“Blake, please,” she whispered, unable to keep from tipping her hips in an obvious invitation.

But he refused to be hurried, and his words rushed through her with the same intensity as his touch. “You’re bright.” Another kiss, on the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, then one to match it on the other side. “And honest.”

He
looked up at her for one brief second, eyes locking on hers with no argument or hesitation as he finished, “You’re perfect just the way you are.”

Blake
lowered his mouth to her core, and Jules nearly arched off the bed at the sheer intensity of the connection. With each movement of his hands and lips and tongue, she shifted from raw desire to absolute demand, and his response never wavered. Tension coiled, low and sweet at her very center, threatening to unravel with quickening speed. But Blake didn’t tease or hesitate, and his absolute focus on nothing but her pleasure made holding back impossible.

“Oh.
Oh
.” The scant syllables were all Jules could manage before he drove her straight over the edge, the bright release of her orgasm crashing through every last space in her body. He softened the contact between them in slow strokes, working her gently through the mind-blowing intensity still rolling under her skin like tiny aftershocks of pleasure.

And now she was going to get what
she
wanted.

“Come here.” Bending her knees, she levered up from the mattress, hooking her hands around the upper part of Blake’s torso to lift him flush against her.
She anchored one leg around his waist, using the leverage in conjunction with a just-hard-enough push on his shoulder to reverse their position so he was flat on the mattress, looking up at her.

“You might have gotten your way, but now I’m getting mine.”

She dragged her palms over his bare chest, making her way past the lean ridges of his abdominal muscles before reaching the crisp scattering of hair leading into his waistband. The thin cotton of his boxers offered just the right amount of friction, and he groaned as he thrust along with the movements of her hand.

“Please tell me your way involves me inside of you,” Blake ground out, his hand finding her waist and holding her tight
as she teased and stroked. “You’re killing me here.”

Jules chuckled and slipped from his body, but only long enough to snag
a condom from her bedside drawer. Tearing the package open, she freed him from his last piece of clothing, sheathing him with efficient movements before settling back into his lap.

“Better?” she asked, framing his face with her palms as she tightened her thighs to balance her body over his.
The tips of her breasts brushed over his chest, triggering the demand for more in her belly, and she leaned in to kiss him deeply before he finally pulled back.

“
Be sure you want this, Jules,” Blake whispered, but she answered him without words. Keeping her eyes steady on his, Jules slowly sank back, pressing her aching center against his cock until there was no space at all between them.

“
Perfect. Jesus, you’re perfect.” His hands went tight around the flare of her hips, guiding her into a rocking motion that hit every pleasure point in her body. They moved together in deliberate rhythm, unhurried at first, before the swirl of desire rebuilt between her legs, low and insistent. Blake angled his hips, bending his knees just enough to tip her forward, and oh
God
she wasn’t going to last.

“Don’
t stop. Please, don’t stop.”

His fingers dug into her skin
in reply, relentless but not forceful, and he pressed his forearms tight to her thighs. Keeping her locked into place, he thrust up into her core, arching up off the bed sheets to fill her over and again. Jules dropped her chin to direct her gaze downward, and the sight of their bodies joined together so flawlessly turned the tremble in her body into release. At the sound of her keening sigh, Blake’s pace became urgent, his body going completely taut for just a split second before he held her close and breathed out her name on a shudder.

T
hey lay joined together for a few minutes, nothing passing between them but ragged breath and tender touches. Blake shifted her gently to his side, burying his face in the space between her neck and her shoulder.

“You are perfect,” he repeated on little more than a whisper.

And in that slice of suspended time, with nothing but breath and darkness and his arms around her, Jules believed him.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Blake awoke to several realizations all at once. First was that
he was not on one of the narrow cots the hospital allotted for catching up on sleep during downtime, as rare as it was, nor was he at home. Second was that, as best he could tell, he wasn’t wearing a single stitch of clothing.

Third— and definitely most important— was that Jules was tucked up against his chest,
her face softened by the throes of early-morning sleep, and from the feel of things, she was just as naked as he was.

This was the best morning of his fucking life.

Okay, yes, he’d torn out of the gym last night led by little more than hot impulse, and no, he hadn’t expected his conversation with Jules to turn to his brother. He
definitely
hadn’t intended to go all touchy-feely over Jeremy’s death, especially when he had never admitted feeling guilty or helpless to anyone before. Hell, he hadn’t even realized he’d felt those things so profoundly, really. But rather than giving up the standard sympathy pat and canned line about things easing with time, Jules had delivered a straight-up answer in that straight-up way that made him absolutely crazy for her.

And what’s m
ore, she hadn’t been wrong. Blake
should
be living his life out loud and in Technicolor. He’d been spending all this time trying to fight being impulsive about Jules, it had never occurred to him that doing exactly that, being impulsive and taking the risk to be with her, had been what he’d wanted all along.

Just as long as she didn’t run again.

The thought had barely made it to Blake’s still-half-asleep brain before an obnoxiously loud ringtone ripped through the hush of the bedroom, startling the ever-loving crap out of him. Jules sucked in a breath, eyes flying wide and unseeing as she jerked away from his body toward the sound, and Blake’s arms tightened instinctively around her ribcage in response.

“That’s mine,” he murmured,
finally recognizing the sound of the phone while simultaneously cursing its very existence. “Sorry. I have to make sure there’s not an emergency at the hospital.”

Shifting so he could let go of her while still keeping her close
, Blake reached over the side of the bed. He fumbled for the spot where Jules had thrown his jeans after they’d gotten up to finally get something to eat last night, only to end up right back where they’d started in her bed.

Twice.

His iPhone fell out of the back pocket of his jeans after one good shake, and Blake pressed it to his ear without checking the caller ID to avoid having the call go to voicemail.

“Blake Fisher.
”

“Aw, did I wake you, Princess?” Aaron’s laughter rumbled over the line, and shit. Blake
knew
better than to skip caller ID.

“It’s…” He yanked the phone away from his face to squint at the display. “Eight-thirty in the morning on my day off
, jackass. Yes, you woke me.”

“
Yeah, sorry about that,” Aaron said, actually sounding contrite. “I got up early to go rock climbing. Kickass sunrise in Cedar Point Park. Anyway, how’d it go last night? Did you talk to her, or what?”

Jules slipped from the bed
to slide into her bathrobe, and damn it, Blake couldn’t catch a glimpse of her face to read her expression. “Ah, I’m a little busy right now. Let me call you back.”

“Wait a second… are you
still…oh shit!” Aaron barked out a laugh, and Blake seriously considered strangling the guy the next time he saw him, blood ties be damned.

“
Busy
,” Blake hissed. “I’ll call you later.” He punched the
end call
icon, flipping his phone to vibrate and shoving it under a pillow, just in case. “Sorry about that. I should’ve ignored it.”

“No, it’s fine,” Jules said,
her street-tough veneer locked and loaded as she perched on the edge of the bed, twisting her hair into an efficient knot. “Now that we’re up, I’ll make some coffee.” She shifted her weight to stand, but damn it, he’d come here last night because he didn’t want to let her get away again.

I
f he was going to get reckless, he might as well go all in.

“I don’t want coffee, Jules,” he said, wrapping an arm around her to capture
her in the tangle of covers still around his waist. “I want you.”

The words froze her into place
, but her expression slipped. “It’s not that easy, Blake.”

Jules
let go of the words on a whisper, and hell, she smelled so sweet and indulgent, he couldn’t help but press the back of her silky robe against his bare chest.

“It’s
also not that hard. Look, I’m not saying I want to dive into anything here.” As much as Blake didn’t want her to run, he wasn’t about to hand his heart back over on a silver platter, either. “But I’m not going to lie. Being with you feels good. And it’s been a long time since I had that.”

He swung her around
to face him side by side on the mattress, and she moved willingly, the guarded expression she normally wore like armor suddenly soft. “What about the carnival? I can’t lose this contract for Mac’s.”

Blake nodded. “I understand. But what we do outside of the hospital is nobody’
s business except ours. Hell, even my parents used to serve on committees together. There’s no rule against it, as long as we don’t get carried away in the building again.”

“But your mother—”

“Will get over what happened yesterday,” he finished, brooking no argument as he leaned in to taste the lush bow of her bottom lip. “I just want to be with you, like this.” He kissed her again, lingering over her mouth as he whispered. “Nothing complicated. Just us. What do you say?”

For a second, that to
ugh shell of resistance flickered in her eyes, but then it disappeared, replaced by a mischievous flash of heat.

“I suppose that means you’re sticking around for breakfast?”

“Hmm.” He cinched up his brows, pretending to think about it. “Let me check my calendar. I might have— oof! Okay! Okay!” His laughter mixed in with hers as he caught her expertly placed elbow to his ribs. “Yes, I’d like to stay for breakfast.”

“Good.” Jules
smiled before she slid from the tumble of covers, and damn if he didn’t feel the happiness on her face everywhere. “Meet me in the kitchen in five minutes. I plan to keep you busy all morning.”

#

Jules angled her back against the inside arm of Blake’s buttery-soft leather couch, skimming the twelve-page event plan update he’d just pulled off the printer in his home office. They’d spent a considerable slice of the last three weeks on the Carnival For A Cure, finalizing everything from food service volunteer schedules to emergency evacuation protocol. The fact that they’d also spent a considerable slice of that time in bed (and on the floor…and in the shower…and maybe once against Blake’s living room wall) wasn’t lost on Jules, either. But as much as it scared her senseless, she simply couldn’t get around the truth. 

If they kept taking each day as it came
just like this, she was going to fall in love with him all over again. And there wouldn’t be a damned thing she could do about it.

All over again.

“Wow.” Jules jammed a lid on the thought, sliding her bare toes over the cool, smooth cushions to nudge Blake’s pajama-clad thigh with a grin. “I can’t believe you got seventeen doctors and nurses to sign on for this bachelor-bachelorette auction. Even if you did have to take one for the team and put your own name at the top of the list.”

Blake’
s laughter mixed in with a don’t-remind-me groan. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t forget the six firefighters, two members of the Brentsville Rescue Squad, and one paramedic we just added. Although I think
you
had a lot more to do with that than I did.” He ran his hand lazily over her ankle, and even the benign touch sent little sparks over her skin.

“
I just brought a quick meal to the station house when your cousin was on shift the other day. No big deal.”

“
Jules.” He took a deep draw from his coffee before putting the cup on the side table at his elbow. “Aaron said you made six trays of homemade mac and cheese and nine dozen double-chocolate brownies. That’s hardly a quick meal.”

“
Hey!” She laughed, not wanting to cop to the buttered green beans and fresh lemonade that he’d left off the list. “Those guys work hard. Plus, you should see some of the things they try to pass off as meals. I mean, I know they’re busy and all, but Ho-Hos are not a food group. And anyway, Serenity and Violet helped,” she said, trying to spread the credit where it was due, but Blake shook his head.

“Oh, n
o you don’t.” With a firm but gentle yank, Blake scooped her into his lap, his palms tight over the low rise of her pajama pants as he anchored their bodies face to face. “When are you going to admit it? This carnival wouldn’t be half the event it is without all your hard work.”

“I’
m organizing the catering. Yes,” Jules held up a hand to stave off the protest brewing on his already parted lips. “It’s a lot of work. But this is my job, remember? It’s just what I do.”

“I see.” He slid his palms from her hips to the hem of her tank top, and oh God his hands felt so strong and hot and undeniably good. “And is it part of your job description
to recruit Brentsville Police detectives to volunteer as extra security on the day of the carnival?”     

Her laugh
ter doubled its efforts. “That’s not fair! Jason and Noah wanted to pitch in, and they couldn’t volunteer for the bachelor auction since they’re off the market. I suggested security detail, but they’re the ones donating their time and expertise.”

One sandy brown brow lifted. “There are seven volunteer detectives from two different departments on this list.”

“What can I say? Jason and Noah are friendly guys.”

“
Uh-huh, fine then.” Blake’s hands moved up, skimming her bare arms and leaving a spray of goosebumps in their wake. “Is it also
just
part of your job to garner nearly double the donations for the silent auction from local business owners?”

“A lot of those guys come to Mac’
s for lunch and dinner. All I did was mention that we were catering the event, and they decided to donate extra.” Okay, so she might’ve also encouraged a teensy bit of friendly competition between a bunch of them to see who could donate the
most
. But it had been all in good fun, and the more money they raised, the more it would help people with cystic fibrosis. Win-win.

“You know,” Blake said, pressing up to brush a kiss over her mouth. “The standard response when someone compliments your hard work is usually
thank you
.”

“Haven’t we established that nothing about me is standard?”
Although she meant the question as a sassy joke, Blake hooked a finger beneath her chin so she had no recourse but to meet the seriousness behind his smoky green stare.

“
Nothing about you is sub-standard, either. I’m not letting you up until you say it.”

“
Come on,” she laughed, shifting to push up from his lap even though it sent her libido into pout-mode. “You have to be at work in two hours, and you need to eat.”

“Nope.” He circled his arms around her in a tighter grip, pulling her forward until her chest met his. “
Uh-uh. Not until you admit that you’re doing an amazing job.”

“
No.” She wrapped the word in just enough northie-tinged knock-it-off for him to relent, unwinding herself from the comfort of his lap to head toward his kitchen.

But the honesty on his face hit her like a hope-filled sucker punch, and
something deep within her chest refused to let her cross the threshold.

Blake
believed what he’d said. Jules owed him the truth, no matter how much it scared the hell out of her.

“
I can’t say I’m the great person you think I am, because I don’t believe it.”

Jules’s heart hammered hard enough for her to hear the whoosh of blood in her ears, and O
h God, she really needed to shut up, to take it back, to bite her tongue silly. But when Blake moved behind her, turning her around to cup her face and look right into her with those eyes that missed nothing, Jules knew he saw past the road blocks and fast talk. He saw
her
.

And he
truly believed she was worthy.

“I’m not sure why,” Blake said
, and his quiet, matter-of-fact calm was all it took to let the floodgates open wide.

“You think you know who I am, but you don’t. You don’t know where I came from
. Not really,” she blurted, the admission burning a path of heat over her cheeks.

“Does this have to do with you being an orphan
?” Blake’s forehead creased, but before he could work up any more questions about the vague story she’d given him when they first met, Jules forced herself to keep talking.