Phoenix (32 page)

“I won’t try anything. Don’t worry.” Jack got up off the couch and took her hand, smiling when she didn’t let go. He led her into the bedroom, kicking off his shoes and stretching out on the bed. “Let me do this. Let me take care of you. I’ll leave after you fall asleep.”

“Okay.” She was too tired to argue. Maybe she didn’t want to. Caroline laid down next to him, burrowing into his chest.

He tightened his arms around her, squeezing one of her hands in his. “Why do you have such trouble sleeping?”

“I don’t want to say.”

“How about you tell me anyway?”

She shuddered. “I don’t like what I see when I close my eyes.”

He tucked her hair behind her ear. A smooth, seamless gesture. “What do you see?”

If she said it out loud, would the visions go away? “I see monsters,” she whispered. “And I’m always afraid that one of them is me.”

Caroline bit her lip, trying to hold back another tidal wave of emotion. Jack kissed her forehead.

“No more tears today,” he said. “There are no monsters in here. And there won’t be anymore. Go to sleep.”

She closed her eyes. She wanted him to kiss her forehead again. Hold her tighter. Never let her go. Maybe this could work. Or maybe this was just a few hours of reprieve from the nightmare her life had become.

Don’t cry. You’ll hurt him more if you do.

She couldn’t help it. She couldn’t control anything she did, least of all her emotional responses. A few tears leaked out and he whisked them away without comment.

Jack started to stroke her hair. “No dragons,” he said softly. “No demons. No fiends or ogres or brutes. You’re safe, sweetheart. Safe with me. No one will ever hurt you ever again, I promise.”

He sounded so convincing that as she drifted off, she almost believed him.

They headed down the hallway to the Presidential Suite. As if her husband would stay anywhere else. Caroline turned to Jack’s campaign manager. “How’s he doing?” she asked.

Greg frowned. “It’s hard to deal with him when you’re not around. He turns into a giant asshole…more so.”

She laughed. She’d received more than a few calls from Greg over the past several months, begging her to get Jack out of yet another pissy mood. “It can’t be that bad.”

His frown metamorphosed into a discreet non-expression. “Let’s just say I’m very glad you’re here.” Greg knocked on the door, which was propped open. “He knew I was coming,” he explained. “Told him I had a donor he needed to talk to.”

The prospect of big campaign money was the only thing that would keep Jack from having a stiff drink and taking a nap before facing another fundraiser. “Nicely done,” Caroline said.

She heard Jack call to Greg to come in, and as they entered the room his tired manufactured smile relaxed into a grin. He’d taken his jacket off and his sleeves were rolled up. He was wearing suspenders. Caroline loved his suspenders. Jack was obviously fatigued but his face continued to brighten as he moved toward them.

“This is my donor?” he asked.

She returned his smile. “I like to spend my husband’s money.”

Jack took Caroline’s luggage out of her hands then grabbed her around the waist and kissed her much more deeply than she would have expected with his campaign manager in the room. He cut to the chase when he pulled away from her. “Greg, I want to be alone with my wife. Leave now or be scarred for life.”

Caroline winked at Greg, happy that Jack had been so pleased to see her. “What is seen cannot be unseen,” she said solemnly.

Greg backed toward the door as Jack started caressing Caroline’s hair. “Yes, sir,” he said.

She tried not to laugh when Jack moved behind her and kissed the back of her neck. He wasn’t wasting any time. “Let him get out of the room before you start mauling me, darling.” She turned to Greg. “I’ll get him to the fundraiser on time.”

“I find that highly doubtful,” he replied, his back to them. “Keep your voices down so you don’t traumatize the interns down the hall.” He walked out of the suite, shutting the door quickly behind him.

Before Caroline even had the chance to react, Jack spun her around and kissed her again, longer this time. He nibbled at her lips and teased her tongue before pulling back and pinching her chin. How cute. “Hello, Mrs. McIntyre.”

She threw her arms around him, burying her face in his neck, enjoying the very masculine smell of his cologne. “I missed you, Jack.” Caroline hated being at that giant estate even if the girls were with her, hated making campaign appearances without him, hated sleeping in their bed alone.

“Me too,” he said. “But I’m glad you’re here now.” He led her to the couch and sat down with an expectant look on his face. Caroline took off her suit jacket, pulled up her skirt, and straddled him.

“I have a proposal for you,” she whispered, nuzzling his neck.

She managed to distract him pretty quickly. It took him a minute before he responded.

“Mmm….what’s that?” he murmured.

Caroline leaned back to look him in the eye. “I’m interested in a job with your campaign.”

“Isn’t it a little late in the election cycle for that? It’s October.”

“It has come to my attention that the candidate may be in need of some personal services.” She pulled down his suspenders and began to loosen his tie.

“Oh, and what’s your skill set?”

“I’m a hands-on kind of gal,” Caroline said, undoing the tie completely and unbuttoning his dress shirt. “I can bring a lot to the team.” She pulled up his undershirt and kissed his chest. “It seems like the future governor could afford to relax a little more.” She reached down to stroke him through his zipper.

Jack groaned. “Jesus, Caroline.”

She kissed his jawline. “Plus, I have extensive experience with oral communication.” She slid off his lap, knelt on the floor, and began caressing his thighs. Caroline unzipped his dress pants and was startled when his cock popped out of his boxers. She had no idea a few kisses would give him a full erection. “Honestly, Jack. It’s like you don’t want to give me anything to do.”

He groaned again as she began running her hand up and down his cock. “I haven’t seen you in two weeks. Just looking at you makes me hard.” Caroline gazed up at him unassumingly and Jack touched her face. “I’ve missed you,” he said.

The waning months of the campaign had been wearing on them all. “I know.”

He loosened her French twist, a signal she knew well. She lowered her head and took him inside her mouth.

“Oh, God.” Jack wrapped his fingers around the cushions on the couch as she began to tease him with her tongue, massaging his balls with her hands. “Caroline. Fuck.”

Her hair fell to her shoulders and she felt his hands on the back of her head. He was satisfied by her technique so she kept going, and soon he was growling her name, telling her all the dirty things he was going to do to her, cursing like a sailor. He pushed her away from him.

“I don’t want to come inside your mouth,” he said. Jack grabbed her shoulders and forced her to the floor. She liked when he got rough after a little foreplay. He tugged her skirt up even further and practically ripped her panties off before lifting up her leg and examining one of her red patent leather shoes, which she hadn’t bothered taking off. 

“I love these,” he said. “But they’re very impractical right now.” He slipped the shoes off her feet one by one, kissing her legs in turn before lowering them to the floor. He locked eyes with her briefly before lowering his gaze down the rest of her body. “These garters. You vicious woman.” He snapped one of them against her bare skin. “You know what they do to me.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Caroline gasped, as his hands drifted back up her legs.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Jack said. “But I forgive you.”

His fingers. Those goddamn fingers. Magical and torturous. “I thought you would,” she whispered.

“I want to be inside you.” He swiped his thumb across her clit and she moaned, grabbing his shirt. “You’re so wet,” he said, sliding a finger in and out of her. He shoved her legs apart and entered her so quickly that she gasped. “That feel good, baby?” He glided out and plunged inside her again.

Caroline tightened her grip on the lapels of his shirt and pulled him close to her, panting with every thrust. There was a certain sweetness to making love but most of the time there was nothing like a good fuck. He thrust deeper and she couldn’t contain herself. “Oh, Jack.”

“You like that?”

He kept a steady, almost ferocious rhythm, and a familiar warmth built inside her. “Yes,” she said. “Please-”

“I’m not going to stop.”

He drove in and out of her again and she screamed his name, begging him to go deeper, harder, faster, clawing at his chest and yanking on his hair, writhing on the floor beneath him, until he came inside her with a shuddering breath.

Jack kissed her on the lips. “Jesus Christ, woman. You’re going to kill me someday.”

Caroline smiled lazily, tousling his hair. “I love when you do that to me.”

“Not as much as I love doing it to you.”

She motioned to him to get up but he held her down.

“We’re not done,” he said. “Your turn.”

“But-”

He grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms above her head, pressing them to the floor. “No arguments.”

Caroline hadn’t planned on protesting much beyond that and knew he’d get the message as she closed her eyes and leaned back on the carpet. He’d been so caught up in what they were doing that he’d finished first, something that didn’t normally happen. He was obsessed with making her orgasm well before he did.

Jack pulled out of her and she sighed. He kept one of his hands wrapped around her wrists and brought the other down to her lower body, adjusting himself so he’d have a better angle. “I know you like it when I use my hands,” he whispered. He slid one finger inside her, smiling as she raised her hips. She’d been close when he’d been inside her a minute ago and it wouldn’t take long for him to finish her off. Jack slid another finger inside her, feeling her wetness mingled with his. “Oh, Caroline. I can’t wait to be inside you again.”

She moaned softly, responding to his touch. Jack moved his fingers up to her clit. He massaged it and she moaned again.

“Open your eyes,” he commanded. “I want you to watch me make you come.”

What Jack was doing to her felt so good that she wanted to lay back and enjoy it, but it made her hot as all hell when he talked to her like that. Her eyes sprung open. His fingers moved rapidly, spreading their shared wetness over her clit, and she continued to moan. She saw the heat in his eyes; he was clearly enjoying her response.

“I love you, Jack.” She struggled against the hand holding her down, feeling an almost painful desire to touch his face. Jack released her wrists and caressed her cheek with his free hand. Caroline pressed her fingers to his lips, amazed that this incredible, dominant, and devoted man belonged entirely to her. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

He kissed her fingers and pushed her hands away from his face. “I’m not going to stop until you come for me.”

Jack grabbed the back of her neck and a powerful river rushed up to burst inside her. She clung to his open dress shirt, keeping eye contact with him the entire time. His blue eyes penetrated her with a tremendous intensity. She wondered how much longer she could take it before she’d have to look away.

“Monty,” she whispered, using the pet name he adored hearing her say. “Oh…”

He could sense her building orgasm and brought his lips to hers, feeling her explode against his fingers, her cries of ecstasy muffled by his kiss. Caroline convulsed against him, almost wailing her release. He kept his mouth clamped down hard on hers, relishing the sense of control it gave him. She stilled and turned her head, pushing his hand away from her. Her legs were trembling and there were tears in her eyes.

“That’s enough,” she said weakly.

“For now, my love.” Jack swept the perspiration off her forehead and kissed her cheek, pulling her into his arms. “For now.”

*              *              *              *              *

Caroline sat up in bed with a start, sweat pouring down her face. Jack was standing in the doorway.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” he asked.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to collect herself. “What are you doing here?”

He hesitated. “I didn’t want to leave you alone so I stuck around for a little while.”

There was no way he could have known what she had been dreaming about. Unless… “Was I talking in my sleep?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, not looking at her. “What would make you think that?”

Fuck
. She’d said something. She knew she had. She talked in her sleep all the time and when they shared a bed it was more than obvious to him when she had X-rated dreams. And it was more than obvious now. He would have looked her in the eyes otherwise. She yanked the covers off and stood up. “Maybe you should go.”

“You didn’t answer me. Are you all right?”

He kept asking her that stupid question, knowing damn well what the answer was. “I’m fine,” she said. “Thank you for staying but it’s okay for you to leave.”

“Caroline-”

“Look, tell me what I said so I won’t feel weird.”

“I don’t-”

“Tell me.”

He stuck his hands in his pockets. “You were saying my name.”

She’d figured that much out. “What else?”

“That’s all.”

He was lying. She knew he was. Caroline brushed past him into the living room. “I appreciate you staying with me but I’m really fine by myself.”

“You’re not, but I’m not going to argue with you about it.” Jack brushed a thumb across her cheek. “I wish you’d talk to me.”

She’d made a mistake, getting closer to him. Opening up. Letting him touch her. She couldn’t let that happen again. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

He pulled her to him. “I know you were thinking about me. About us, together. What were you dreaming about?”

Caroline shuddered. “Jack, I can’t-”

“Please tell me,” he whispered.

She knew she should push away from him but the smell of his cologne triggered the memory again. “That night in Pittsburgh, right before the gubernatorial election. Your last big fundraiser. When I surprised you.”

Jack chuckled. “That explains a lot.”

Caroline blushed. Clearly she’d done much more than say his name.

“Don’t be ashamed,” he said. “That was a great night.” He tipped her chin up so she was looking at him, then laughed again. “We covered every inch of that room by the next morning. I don’t think we slept at all.”

Caroline closed her eyes, trying not to remember his lips on hers, his fingers inside her, the closeness they’d felt. Or the fact that she’d had to scramble to iron a pair of pants and pull a long sleeved blouse out of her luggage before they checked out the next morning since she had once again gotten a wicked case of rug burn and discovered that a skirt suit wasn’t going to cut it. And she definitely didn’t want to think about how his hands felt right now.