PartyNaked (11 page)

The past month had flown by in a flurry of never-ending fun,
but she was suffering from constant sexual frustration. Besides his too-hot
kisses and constant hand-holding, Jarod hadn’t made a move to continue their
physical relationship. She suspected he was trying to teach her a lesson,
punishing her for the way she’d chosen to prove her point about their
relationship residing in the lust-only category. Unfortunately, all he was
doing was hurting them both. She was irritable from a serious lack of good sex.
Ordinarily she could live without a man—taking care of business with her
vibrator—but Jarod had triggered some hardcore horniness even her beloved
battery-operated boyfriend couldn’t touch.

This evening, that was all going to change. Enough was
enough. After a month of celibate Wednesdays, she was taking back control.
She’d issued an invitation to dinner at her place and she’d been pleasantly
surprised when he’d accepted.

She tugged at her short skirt as she glanced in the
full-length mirror one last time. She grinned at her reflection—enjoying the
way her tight T-shirt emphasized her bra-less chest. Jarod had made no secret
of how much he liked her tits. Tonight the girls were going to help her bring
him down.

Jarod had been waging a ridiculous battle of wills and she
was tired of losing. She was going to take the lead and she’d pull out all the
stops, fighting as dirty—
please God, let things get dirty
—as she needed
to.

The doorbell rang and she slipped on her strappy high heels.
She loved the power the four extra inches of height inspired in her. She opened
the door, anticipating Jarod’s face when he saw her.

What she didn’t expect was
her
reaction to
him
.

He was wearing a button-down shirt and dress slacks, an
outfit she’d previously considered the safest attire on earth. However, on
Jarod, it made her think all sorts of nasty thoughts as she pictured herself in
the role of a naughty schoolgirl to his conservative teacher. Or better yet, a
slutty secretary to his firm, powerful boss.

“Hi,” she said, wondering where that breathless quality in
her voice had come from. She sounded like a fool.

He walked inside, put down the bag he’d brought on the table
by the door, took the two steps necessary to reach her and kissed her. Really
and truly kissed her. Stephanie was beginning to get spoiled by his lips. One
touch and they sent her spiraling into orbit.

He cupped her cheek as he pulled away. “You look fucking
hot.”

She grinned, running her hand along his muscular chest. “So
do you.”

He’d been in the apartment less than five minutes and she
was already prepared to move things along to the bedroom. Unfortunately,
Jarod—the cold-hearted bastard—had managed to cool off, stepping away as if
completely unaffected by her kisses. He picked up the bag, pulling out a bottle
of wine and a couple of candles. “For our dinner.”

She wondered how he’d react if she shoved the wine and the
candles up his ass. Forcing herself to take a calming breath, she focused on
the task at hand. It was still early in the evening and she had plenty of
tricks up her sleeve.

Her cat appeared from behind the sofa and came to
investigate.

“And who is this?” Jarod asked.

“My naughty baby girl, Heineken.”

“Heineken?”

“I call her Heinie for short.”

She was pleased when Jarod bent over to pick up her cat,
scratching Heineken between the ears. Before long, her kitty was purring and
she wondered if there was any female—human or otherwise—who could resist the
hot cop.

“Thanks for the dinner invite.”

His words drew her attention away from his strong fingers
stroking Heinie’s fur. She was actually starting to get jealous of her own damn
cat. “Speaking of dinner, I need to go check on the baked spaghetti.”

He followed her to the kitchen. “Smells delicious. Garlic
bread too?”

“Would I forget that?” They’d recently discovered their shared
love of garlic, joking that if they both ate it, they wouldn’t have to worry
about bad breath. “I still need to make the salad.”

“Let me help.” Jarod washed his hands then grabbed the head
of lettuce, cleaning it in the sink. Stephanie docked her new iPod on a set of
speakers and turned on some music. They prepared the salad in companionable
silence. When Jimmy Buffett’s
Volcano
started playing, Jarod took her
hands, spinning her around the kitchen in an old-fashioned dance, both of them
singing along. As the song ended, he dipped her, giving her a quick kiss before
releasing her.

Just like that, she was on fire. And once again, Jarod
regained control in an instant. If this night didn’t end with him in her bed,
fucking her senseless, she’d kill him. It was as simple as that.

The oven timer beeped. She dished up the spaghetti and
garlic bread while Jarod set the dining room table. When she carried out their
plates, she was surprised to see he’d lit the candles he’d brought, dimming the
lights.

There was no other word to describe the room. It was
romantic.

Jarod fiddled with her iPod until he found Adele. A slow,
sultry tune completed the effect. Damn him, it was perfect.

As they ate, they talked about concerts they’d attended.
Stephanie was a diehard Parrothead and Jarod laughed as she described the
tailgate parties prior to Buffett’s shows—complete with topless lifeguard
stands and body shots.

His taste in music ran to classic rock. He’d seen Black
Sabbath, Santana and Foreigner. She rolled her eyes when he actually bragged
about attending a Bon Jovi concert.

“Oh my God. You can’t seriously think that’s cool.”

He raised an eyebrow. “First of all, I really like their new
stuff, and secondly, this criticism is coming from a woman whose idea of
concert cool is Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts and leis.”

“Whatever,” she said, grinning widely at his jest.

After dinner, Jarod helped her clean up, loading the
dishwasher as she wiped off the table and counters. He poured the last two
glasses of wine from the bottle, handing one to her.

He tapped his glass against hers. “To garlic bread and
double-parking.”

She added to the toast. “To handcuffs and sex.”

His eyes darkened and he shook his head. “You’re
insatiable.” He paused for a moment before adding, “And irresistible.”

She frowned. He didn’t appear to have much trouble resisting
her lately. He turned and walked to the living room, setting down his wine.

For a moment, she thought he was going to leave. She felt
disappointed and somewhat desperate. Putting her glass next to his, she grabbed
his hand and pulled him toward her.

“Jarod,” she whispered, rising up to kiss him. She gripped
the back of his neck, determined to keep him close.

He returned her kiss, his hands resting lightly on her
waist. It wasn’t enough. She missed his hard, hungry touches, the way he pulled
her against him as if he needed her body pressed to his. She tried to drag him
into the web of seduction he’d securely wrapped her in, but he still managed to
remain aloof.

She took a step away. She’d never met a man she couldn’t
seduce, but Jarod wasn’t biting despite the fact she knew he wanted to. One
glance below his waist proved he wasn’t as disinterested as he pretended.
Goddamn reverse psychology. The more he resisted her sexual advances, the more
she wanted him.

What really bugged her wasn’t the lack of sex, though. It
was his reason for abstaining. It all centered on that fucking leap of faith
Jayne mentioned. Jarod had taken it. Now he was waiting for her to follow him,
but she couldn’t. She just couldn’t.

He caught her wayward glance and for the briefest moment,
she thought she saw genuine pain in his gaze. Then he placed a quick kiss on
her cheek. “Thank you for dinner.”

“Don’t leave.”

He gave her a funny look at her abruptly spoken plea. “That
wasn’t a prequel to good night. I wasn’t planning to go home right away.”

“I mean, don’t leave tonight.”

His face sobered. “Steph, there’s nothing on earth I want
more than to spend the night with you. You must know that.”

She glanced at his erection again, her fingers itching to
touch it. She held back, something telling her it was the wrong thing to do.
“Then stay.”

“I don’t want to have sex with you.”

She frowned.
Bullshit
. It was a lie his body wasn’t
backing up. She was fully prepared to call him to task. “Jarod—”

He didn’t give her a chance. “I want to make love to you,
Stephanie.”

The Stephanie she’d been before she knew Jarod would have
laughed at a line like that. The cynical bitch residing inside would have
ridiculed the words and the idea.

She dug deep, looking for that response. It wasn’t there.

For several moments, they simply looked at each other, and
then the truth came crashing down around her—the secret, the key to getting
what she wanted.

Would it be so bad to bend on this one little thing? After
all, it was just semantics. He could call it whatever he wanted. The end result
was the same.

“I want the same thing.”

Jarod smiled, his face overflowing with undeniable
happiness. He looked at her as if she’d just offered him the world on a
platter.

Shit
. Maybe she was wrong.

What had she just done?

Jarod’s hand shook a little as he took hers in his. The
foolish part of him knew he should ask more questions, pin her down, but he was
dying. The last month had been one of the best—and worst—of his life. As he
spent more and more time with Stephanie, his belief that she was the perfect
woman for him had been confirmed. Since her power play in the storage room,
he’d vowed to refrain from sex, entirely aware that Stephanie would continue to
use that act to justify them seeing each other, declaring their attraction
based on lust and nothing more.

“Where’s your bedroom?”

She led the way, neither of them racing through this night
like the hounds of hell were chasing them as they had on previous occasions.
When they reached her bed, Jarod turned her, taking her face in his hands.
“You’re so beautiful.”

She smiled and, for a moment, he thought he saw the
slightest trace of tears in her eyes. Bending forward, he kissed her.

Undressing became a sensual feast as they took their time,
caressing and stroking each uncovered bit of flesh. By the time they were
naked, Jarod felt as if the temperature in the room had cracked a hundred
degrees. His body was on fire and only she could quench the flames. He didn’t
give a shit if he was reduced to ash by the end of the night. What a way to go.

Lying in the center of the bed, Stephanie reached out,
inviting him to join her. Crawling over her body, he kissed her upper thighs,
her stomach, her breasts, her neck, enjoying the feel of her soft skin beneath
his lips. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling each time he hit a hot zone.

Completing his journey to her lips, he rejoiced when her
legs wrapped around his waist, physically connecting them. Reaching down,
Stephanie grasped his cock, dragging it through her sweet arousal, wetting his
flesh with her body’s juices.

Bending, he took her nipple into his mouth, sucking on the
tight nub until she squirmed and moaned, then he moved to the other breast to
repeat the process. Stephanie’s hands explored his body, her nails raking the
flesh of his back, her fingers digging into the muscles of his shoulders. He
loved being able to drive her to this mindless madness.

At his wit’s end, he released her breasts, rising up to
kneel between her outstretched legs. Her body was flushed and she was
struggling to catch her breath. It was a heady, amazing sight.

“I need to be inside you, Stephanie.”

“Yes,” she hissed.

“Condom,” he whispered, as he started to reach for his
pants.

She shook her head. “Pill.”

He paused for only a moment. Again, he knew he should make
sure. Ask the question. The words never made it to his lips when she gripped
his cock and placed it at the opening of her cunt.

“Come inside me.”

He tried to remember if he’d ever heard sweeter words. He
bent over her once more, kissing her as he pressed into her body. Without the
condom, the incredible feelings he’d experienced before with her were amplified
a thousand times.

When he was seated to the hilt, he paused to look at her.
Her glowing face and lovable smile answered all his concerns in one fell swoop.
Moving again, he thrust gently at first before he built up speed. Stephanie
responded, accepting each forceful blow and answering with her own. No matter
how many times they came together like this, he couldn’t deny their bodies were
made for this—for each other.

Over and over, he pounded into her body. When he knew his
climax was imminent, he reached down to stroke her clit.

“Come for me,” he demanded, rubbing the sensitive nub with
more pressure. Her orgasm struck suddenly—powerfully—and her body lurched as
she screamed out her pleasure.

“God,” she cried, her nails digging into his waist
painfully. He loved her fierce passion, her fiery spirit. She’d never held back
from him, never pretended to be someone other than what she was, and yet she’d
never be tamed. Dating her would never be dull.

His balls constricted at the exact moment he realized the
truth. He was falling for her—fast and hard.

As they both struggled to recover, he fell to her side,
reaching out to pull her close. The last thing he saw as he drifted to sleep
was Stephanie’s face resting, peaceful, next to his. At last.

The shining sun roused Jarod, alerting him it was morning,
even through his closed eyes. He rolled over, reaching for Stephanie.

When his arm struck the mattress, a wealth of emotions
attacked him at once and none of them were good—disappointment, anger, pain,
annoyance. Opening his eyes, he looked at the empty bed.