Avoiding Temptation (53 page)

“Lex, you don’t have to ever hold back with me,” he whispered into her ear as his pace quickened. “I’m always going to come with you.”

She pushed against him, harder and harder, until she knew that she couldn’t hold on to anything for another second. He groaned and thrust into her one more time as they both exploded, and her world seemed to shift out from under her.

All along, she had thought that Jack tilted her world off axis, but maybe she had been wrong. Maybe the rest of the world was off axis, and Jack was absolutely, perfectly right. Because nothing else on this world or any other could ever make her feel so utterly wonderful, could shatter every notion of what she should be feeling, and could leave her in a puddle of delirious happiness.

He pulled out and collapsed onto the bed next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and not letting her move an inch. “You…are the most…amazing woman I have…ever met,” he said as he struggled for breath.

She snuggled into his chest and rested her head on his arm. A sheen of sweat coated both of their bodies. Her hair was a rat’s nest of messy curls. And she was the happiest she had been in as long as she could remember.

“It was always different with you,” she whispered.

“Always,” Jack agreed.

“Better.”

“Definitely.”

He buried his head in her neck and kissed across the sensitive skin. Goose bumps broke out across her arms and down her chest. He laughed lightly and brought his hand up to follow the bumps down between her breasts. Her skin flushed under his hands, and she felt her heart rate picking up.

God, she loved him.

He adjusted her, so she was facing him, and their lips found each other again, slow and sensual. In that moment, she felt like she could kiss him forever. There was nowhere else she would rather be than locked away with Jack right now.

Before releasing her, he nibbled lightly on her bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth and drawing it back between his teeth. She pushed her hands back into his hair, loving how his breathing hitched when she grasped on to him.

“Tease,” she whispered.

“I said I’d take my time on round two,” Jack said, running his mouth down the hollow of her throat and nipping at her skin lightly.

Their bodies melded together, and she felt him stiffen against her stomach.

“You’re ready already?” she asked eagerly.

She was surprised but excited. It wasn’t like Jack was always a one-and-done kind of guy.
But already? Without even a break?

“Love, I’ve been missing out on this for years. I have a lot of catching up to do.”

And so, they savored each other’s bodies and the reuniting of their love.

Jack rolled Lexi over, on top of him, and she laid her chest across his body, feeling heated skin against skin. His hands moved up into her hair and tugged it as teasingly as she had. It was bliss.

She might have been on top, but when he moved up into her, there was no question that they were sharing control over the situation. She temptingly circled her hips in figure eights around him, causing him to groan, and his grip on her hair tightened.

Not able to take her teasing anymore, his hand landed heavy on her ass, and he started working her hips up and down on him until she felt herself losing control again. She couldn’t slow down or stop what was beating through her body, and if they kept up this pace, then she was going to lose it sooner rather than later.

Jack saw it in her eyes, and the smirk on his face told her that there was no way he was going to keep her from the orgasm about to rocket through her body.

“Oh fuck,” she said, burying her face in his chest, as she came unhinged all around him.

He waited for her to finish before rolling her onto her back and burying himself into her once more. He hoisted one of her legs up onto his shoulders, leveraging her body to get deeper.

“God, my little gymnast’s body,” he murmured into her ear.

She smiled through her satiated haze as he pumped faster and faster, bringing her blissfully to the brink again. She couldn’t believe that she was already there, but with the way he was pushing, she knew that she wasn’t the only one. They came together a second time, soaring far, far away and crashing back down into each other.

Lexi closed her eyes, letting the moment wash over her.

She let her breathing even out. “I thought you were going to take your time.”

“Are you complaining?”

“Definitely not.”

“Good. I’ll take it slow for round three,” he said, pushing her hair back out of her face.

“I might not be awake for that,” she said groggily.

“I’ll wake your body up,” he whispered seductively.

“You always do.”

She could feel herself slipping into a sex coma of record proportions. All of the exhaustion and anxiety had been wiped away and had been replaced by this incredible peace. And she knew she could sleep away the next couple of days, wrapped in Jack’s comforting arms.

“Hey,” he whispered, brushing his nose against hers.

“Mmm…”

“I love you.”

Lexi smiled and opened her eyes to stare up into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. “I love you, too.”

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” he admitted.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“I didn’t think you were going to be coming back.”

She trailed her hand down the side of his face and gave him a soft kiss on the mouth. “I can’t live without you. It was you. It was always you.”

“I’m going to spend every day of my life proving you right,” he told her.

His eyes were completely serious, and she believed him. They had been through too much for him to start lying to her now. He loved her, and he wasn’t going to give her up again.

After a short break, they indulged themselves in the feel of each other again before sleep captured them.

She didn’t know how long she had been out when she heard a banging coming from somewhere far off. She thought that she was dreaming for a second, and the disorientation of what had happened and where she was didn’t help anything. Then, it all came rushing back to her. She had broken off her engagement with Ramsey, then slept with Jack…and now, she was wrapped in Jack’s sheets.

Yawning wide, she rolled over and saw him sleeping peacefully next to her—his hair a mess, his eyes closed, his body rising and falling softly with his steady breaths. For a second, she didn’t know if she had overslept and was going to be late for work, but with one glance at the digital clock across the room, she knew that it was only seven o’clock—a full hour and a half before she had to be into work.

Then, the banging started again. This time, she was sure she hadn’t imagined it, and it definitely wasn’t a dream.

“Jack,” she murmured, rocking his shoulder, “wake up. I think someone’s at the door.”

“Hmm?” he asked as she slowly pulled him out of his slumber. He slung an arm around her waist and pulled her into him. “You smell like me.”

Lexi giggled. “I wonder why that is.”

“I had a dream that you came home to me, and we had sex all night.” He still hadn’t opened his eyes.

“That wasn’t a dream,” she said, pressing her lips to his lightly.

“Mmm,” he groaned. “Another round in the morning? Fuck, I love you.”

Lexi laughed aloud that time. “I love you, too. Maybe another round after you answer the door…if you’re lucky.”

“I have you, Lex,” he said, opening his eyes. The crystal-clear orbs stared wide-eyed up at her. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

Lexi sighed softly while she looked down at Jack. He smiled lazily up at her before cupping her face and pulling it down to meet his lips. She laughed as the banging started again and then pulled away.

“Go answer the door. Jesus,” Lexi said.

“All right. All right,” Jack said, rolling out of bed, completely nude.

She admired his gorgeous backside as he searched around for his boxers, shorts, and a discarded T-shirt that he hadn’t even bothered with last night.

“Don’t go anywhere. I want to think about you lying around naked in my bed.”

She laughed again, but he waited for her to nod before walking out of the door and down the hallway.

“Coming!” she heard Jack yell.

The banging on the door finally ceased.

Lexi stretched her arms up over her head as she waited patiently for Jack to return and ravish her body. She heard the door open, and soft voices echoed down the hall toward her. She hoped Jack would just tell whoever was there to get lost, so he could come back to her. She would give him a couple of minutes, and then if the person wasn’t gone, she would be happy to help him get rid of whoever it was.

The door closed again, and Lexi smiled until she heard the faint click of high heels on the hardwood floors.
High heels. Huh.
Lexi sat up, listening harder to try to make out what was going on in the living room.

Then, she heard what she had been dreading. That voice.

“Jack, please…”

Oh, fuck no!

Lexi swung her legs out of bed, and she pulled on a pair of Jack’s boxers and one of his T-shirts. She thew her hair into a high ponytail and walked down the hallway as if she were oblivious to what was going on.

“Jack!” Lexi called. “Is someone here?”

She crossed the threshold into the living room where she saw Bekah standing next to the couch with the coffee table between her and Jack.

“Oh, hey, Bekah,” Lexi said with a smirk that spoke volumes.

“What is she doing here?” Bekah snapped, her eyes shifting to Jack.

“She’s here with me,” Jack told her, leveling her with a serious gaze. “She’s with me.”

“She’s
with
you?”

“Yeah,” Lexi said evenly.

“I bet Ramsey would be very interested to know that you’re here,” Bekah said, turning up her nose snootily.

Bekah thought that she had Lexi then. It actually made Lexi smile.

“He already knows,” Lexi said defiantly. “And seeing as I broke up with him…it’s really none of your business.”

Bekah had the decency to look surprised. Lexi had actually surprised the Bitch who seemed to know everything. It was a gratifying experience.

“You weren’t good enough for my brother,” Bekah said, gloating.

Lexi glared at her. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Visiting my
husband
, you whore.”

Bekah’s eyes roamed Lexi’s body, clad completely in Jack’s clothing, like she was some two-cent slut Jack had picked up on the street. Lexi stood there, letting Bekah assess her, without so much as flinching.

She knew that Jack and Bekah had been legally separated for nine months, and as long as they weren’t living together, they could date whoever they wanted in that time. Lexi knew the law. There was absolutely nothing Bekah could do about it unless it had been happening before Bekah filed for divorce, but it hadn’t.

“Bekah, you’re divorcing me. I really don’t think that’s necessary,” Jack cut in right away.

“You know what?” Lexi said, stepping forward. “You remember the time I saw you after the temporary hearing? I really meant it when I said that none of this was your business. I still mean it.”

“Well, he’s still
my
husband,” Bekah said with a sadistic smile. “And we were having a conversation. So, you can just run along now.” Bekah actually rolled her eyes and flitted her hand at Lexi like she was a fly that needed to be shooed away.

Lexi took a deep breath before surging forward, ready to claw the Bitch’s face off, but she was cut short when Jack spoke up.

“The answer is no,” he said. “I don’t know what made you change your mind, but I don’t want us to try to work it out. Maybe nine months ago when you first gave me the papers. Maybe. Even then, I don’t know.”

Lexi stared with her mouth slack.
Bekah had come here…to try to win him back. What the fuck? What would possess her to do that after nine months into a divorce with only a week before the whole damn thing became official?
Bekah had worked her ass off to make sure that Jack was seen as the supposed cheater that he was, going as far as pressuring him out of her own company.
Why would she try to get him to come back? What possessed that crazy woman?

“It’s Lexi,” Jack said. He took a step toward Lexi, found her hand, and laced their fingers together. “She’s what I want.”

“You don’t think that it’s disgusting she broke up with my brother and decided to jump into bed with you?”

“No,” Jack said flatly.

“Oh, that’s perfect,” Bekah said, taking a step back. “You’re both perfect sloppy seconds. Not good enough for anyone else but another lying, cheating scumbag.”

“Bekah,” Jack warned, his eyes fiery.

She raised her hand and stopped him. “Oh, please…save it for court. You’ll need all the help you can get.”

“You should get the hell out of my place,” Jack said, raising his voice and pointing his free hand at the door. “Right now.”

“Allow me to leave you to your adulterous ways,” she said, throwing her hands up and backing out.

Bekah turned to say something to Lexi, but Jack cut in front of her line of vision.

“Don’t you dare say one more word to her. She’s too good for your bullshit, Bekah,” Jack growled. “Now, get out.”

Bekah opened her mouth to say something else, something likely villainous, but Jack snapped his fingers in front of her face.

He repeated himself, “Out! Get the fuck out!”

And Bekah did the unthinkable. She actually turned and walked out of Jack’s apartment without saying another word. Lexi wasn’t too sure if that was for the better with the way her devilish mind worked, but she was just glad to have Bekah gone. Jack had told her to leave…and she had.

Lexi was still reeling from the outburst when Jack scooped her up in his arms and started to carry her back into the bedroom.

“Wha—”

“I don’t want you to think about what she said for one second,” he whispered, walking into the bedroom and tossing her back onto the bed.

“I’m not worried about her, Jack.”

“I know you’re not, Lex,” he said, crawling across the bed to her and brushing aside the hair that had fallen out of her messy ponytail.