Bad Boy's Lust (Firemen in Love Book 1) (25 page)

“Exactly why you shouldn't be messing with them!”

He opened the closet and surveyed his plants. To be fair, they
did
look awfully healthy, with lush, green leaves and new buds sprouting everywhere. I found it hard to believe Jayce had been so lazy, yet spent so much time and effort taking care of these things.

Well, at least he took care of
something
other than himself for once.

“I've kinda wanted to quit for a while now, but there's one big reason why I don't.” He stroked the biggest plant's leaves. “My friend Carter, from the station. And Freddy. Brian, too.”

“Who?”

“A heavy beam fell on Carter once when we were at a fire. Nearly broke his back. He's got this chronic pain that never seems to go away. The weed helps.”

I knew Carter, sort of. He had a family and was one of Jayce's few friends that had his head on straight. If a respectable man like him smoked on occasion, maybe it wasn't
that
terrible. Could I be overreacting?

“Brian has depression and anxiety. Says the pot works better than prescription meds. Less side effects. And Freddy, well... He's got cancer. Self-explanatory, I guess.”

Now it was my turn to put an arm around him. “God, Jayce. I'm sorry. It must be hard when all of your friends have such serious problems.”

“They're good guys. I know you think the lot of 'em are a bunch of troublemakers, but they've got honor. They're loyal. Trustworthy. The only men I can rely on in this world – because God knows my own father isn't one of those.”

I gazed at the plants. Earlier, I'd been so furious that I planned to throw them away. I didn't want a thing to do with having illegal drugs in our building.

But could I really go through with it? His friends relied on marijuana to relieve their pain and ease their suffering. It sounded like a hokey excuse, but I believed it.

These plants were helping people.
Jayce
was helping people. Maybe not in the way I'd prefer, but he was trying to do something good in this world.

My anger faded as he wrapped me in a hug. I wanted to yell at him for this, for all the stress he'd put me and the baby through. But I couldn't.

“So, now you know. If you want me to get rid of the plants, I will. I'll give them away to somebody who can use them. Your call.”

“I can't do that. I wouldn't feel right.”

He lifted my chin. The warmth returned to his eyes, and when he kissed me, it was more than just the tingle of his lips on my own.

I felt joy. Bliss. Love?

“Thank you, Pink. I didn't think you'd be so understanding. That's why I kept it a secret all this time. I was sure you would freak out.”

“Hey, just because I said you could keep the plants, doesn't mean I'm a hundred percent okay with this.” I gave him a stern look. “It's still against the law. And I don't like the idea of you smoking it.”

“Then I'll stop. No more pot unless you give the okay.”

I laughed. “Seriously? You think you can resist the temptation when you've got the stuff growing in your room?”

“I've gotten rather good at fighting temptation lately.” He eyed me up and down. “Except when it comes to you. You're the one woman I just gotta keep coming back to.”

We fell into each other's arms again. No matter how pissed off he made me, no matter what was going on around us, a kiss from him was enough to make me forget all of it.

All this time, I had denied myself him. No longer. Never again.

He tore off my shirt and stroked my breasts with a contented sigh. His touch made me realize something – my boobs felt different lately. A tiny bit bigger, maybe? If the baby gave me an extra cup size, I wouldn't complain.

“You look amazing. Like you're glowing, almost.” He nipped at my shoulder. “You been doing something different lately?”

“Maybe I just finally learned to loosen up.” I pulled his shirt over his head. “And enjoy myself for once.”

“Does that mean you're gonna stop worrying so damn much? I'd hate for my new bride to die of a heart attack.” Then he teasingly added, “You know I can't possibly run this place by myself.”

“Well, we can't all be as cavalier as you.”

I paused and admired his chest. Something was new about him, too. Wait – he'd gotten another tattoo.

This one had my name on it.

“What is this?” I stroked the ink he'd painted above his heart. It was an orchid. I loved orchids. How did he know?

“Oh, that.” He put his hand over mine. “I got it a couple of weeks ago. The night of the nasty strip club disaster, to be exact.”

He... He'd gotten tattooed with my name that night? The very same night he'd had those strippers rubbing all over him, too.

But it wasn't their names he had painted on his chest for the world to see. It was mine.

“Why, though?”

“The guys goaded me into it. They said if I really loved you, I would prove it somehow.” He grinned. “Didn't think our soon-to-be marriage was legit. I sure proved their asses wrong.”

I couldn't take my eyes off it. This wasn't some temporary tattoo; it was permanent.

“You got my name stamped on your flesh just to shut your friends up?”

“Couldn't lose face in front of them, could I?” He kissed me again. “Maybe that's not the only reason. Maybe there's more to it than that.”

I hoped he was telling the truth.

“Now, let's get these out of the way.” He eagerly tore off my underwear. “I've missed this so much. Don't you dare make me wait a whole month again.”

His fingers entered me, and I let out a quiet gasp. Yes, I had missed this too. How dumb had I been to deny ourselves this incredible pleasure?

“Never again,” I agreed.

His mouth found my nipple. “We gotta prove our marriage to the world? They won't doubt it for a second once they hear what we're doing in here.”

“Maybe we shouldn't be so loud. Mrs. Jackson will complain.”

When he kissed my belly, I flinched. The baby was in there. How long could I hide it before I started to show? No, I had to tell him before that.

But right now, there was one thing I
could
tell him. Something more I had to get off my chest.

“Jayce, you know I'm not as experienced as you.”

He chuckled. “I doubt there's
anyone
in town more experienced than me. Not that I'm altogether proud of that these days.”

“No, I mean...” I closed my eyes. “Before you and I slept together, I didn't have any experience at all.”

He paused. “Huh?”

“I was a virgin.”

For a moment, he had nothing to say. He cocked his head, as if confused how a woman my age could have lived so long without sex.

“But you're on the pill.”

“That's not for the reason you think. The doctor prescribed it for hormonal issues.”

His eyes widened. “I took your virginity.”

“Yeah.”

“Damn it, Pink, why didn't you tell me before?”

I looked away. “I was... embarrassed, I guess. Thought if I told you, it would be a serious turn-off.”

“You gave up your innocence to me. Me, of all people.”

“Oh, trust me. I'd been saving myself for years. Figured it would be some magical act with my soul mate.” I laughed. “But then you reached for me, and I gave in. The things you said and did to me, I couldn't resist anymore.”

His brow furrowed. “You deserved better.”

“Better than
you?
Impossible.”

“I mean, if I'd known, I would have made your first time special.”

The poor guy seemed genuinely upset, as if he'd let me down. He couldn't have been more wrong.

“It
was
special.”

“No wonder you were so tight. Oh, no. I hurt you, didn't I?”

I curled my hand around his girth and stroked him until he trembled with desire. “Not too much. Don't be so hard on yourself, okay? It was perfect. I never imagined sex could be like that.”

“But it should have been about
you
that night.” He scowled. “I'm a selfish bastard, Elle. All my life, I used women for my own physical pleasure and never really cared about theirs. All that mattered to me was getting off and then getting away from them. It was fine before, but now...”

“Now?”

“I just wanna make you feel good. Time to focus on someone besides myself, for once.”

We said nothing more as he lay me down in the bed, then continued his trail of kisses from my navel to my hips, slowly closer and closer to my slit. I shuddered as his tongue tasted me.

I couldn't live without this. Without
him.

He made me come in an instant. I wanted to wait, to hold on to this bliss for as long as I could, but he was too good for that.

His fingers sank deep inside me and I kept coming, twice, maybe three times? I was too delirious to know for sure. He would have kept going, given me endless orgasms until I couldn't take it anymore.

But I couldn't wait any longer. I
needed
his cock right damn now.

“Hurry up and fuck me, Jayce.”

“Mm, naughty language. I love it.” The tip of him teased my entrance. “This time, I'm not rushing it. We're going nice... and slow.”

He eased into me, one thick inch at a time. There was no pain this time, only pure pleasure.

I lay still, barely breathing, as he filled me completely. He studied my face, his gaze so searing it almost made me cry.

“So this is what it's like to
really
make love to a woman.” He pulled out. Rocked in. Closed his eyes. “Here's what I've been missing all this time.”

He held me tightly, wrapped in a powerful embrace, as if afraid to ever let me go. His thrusts were slow and deliberate, each one designed to make me moan, gasp, and beg for release.

Perfect.

His thumb found my clit. I grabbed his hand, eager to use his fingers fast and hard – but he wouldn't allow it.

“No rush, Pink. We have all the time in the world.”

Several times he tensed, getting close to the peak himself. He wouldn't let go yet. He was waiting for me.

“I'm gonna fill you up with my come.” His raspy whisper tickled my neck. “You're going to take every last drop of it.”

“Yes.”

He brought me just to the edge and held me there, moving in me teasingly, slowly, until I ached to let go.

“Come with me, Elle.” His eyes closed. “God, I love your pussy.”

“And I love your cock,” I murmured. “Oh, right there...”

I tipped over into an orgasm so strong that I lost all sense of time and place. The moment that first rhythmic contraction rocked my body, Jayce exploded in me. His hot come filled me; I lifted my hips to take all of him deeper inside.

If I hadn't been pregnant already, this would have done the job.

“Fuck me, you're amazing,” he growled, pushing me against the headboard and smothering me with wild kisses.

Someone knocked on the wall and yelled at us, briefly interrupting our reverie.

“Keep it down in there or I'm calling the manager! Some of us are trying to
sleep.
”

I laughed and knocked back. “Unfortunately, I don't think they're going to do much about it.”

We went on like that for hours, taking only a short rest to catch our breath before going at it again. Finally, halfway to dawn, both of us were spent.

We collapsed into bed under the cotton blanket, curled up together so tightly that neither of us could move. Jayce stroked my back as I began to doze off.

“You're not gonna make me leave?” I mumbled. “No more emergency calls from the station?”

“If they call, I'm ignoring it.” He sighed happily. “Forget smoking pot. Being with you is the best high I've ever had.”

He said he'd give it up, just like he promised he'd give up screwing all those random girls. I wanted desperately to believe him. But could it really be that easy to change his ways?

I felt something deep and intense as he held me. It wasn't just the endorphins from our non-stop sex marathon. No, it was more meaningful than that.

Against all reason, I was falling in love with Jayce.

It was the most foolish thing I could have done. But I couldn't help myself. It was far too late to erase my feelings now.

I should have told him how I felt – just like I should've said I was carrying his baby. Three little words; that's all it would take to let him know the truth.

I love you.

I was too scared. Afraid of how he'd react. Terrified he'd throw me out of his bed and out of his life.

Was Jayce really ready to give up his old ways? Was he even capable of committing to me? Of understanding what it meant to love one woman?

He answered my silent questions with a little snore. Already, he'd fallen asleep.