Strike (Completion Series) (7 page)

Jon wasn’t happy.
“So we’re moving in?”

“I’m
planning to work for Reed. We need to be at his house when he’s out of town and it’s easier if we live there. I’ll be sharing a room with Bitsy so you can have your own room to yourself without having to sleep on a couch.” Reed had discussed Jon moving into the main house, but I put my foot down. My brother would remain with Bitsy and me.

“You think I’m stupid. I know exactly the kind of work he wants from you.”

I had to tighten my fingers to keep from slapping his face. “It’s a job, Jon. I’m not having sex with Reed and I don’t plan on it.” That was the biggest lie of my life. I sighed loudly and looked straight into my brother’s eyes. He deserved honesty even if my face flushed bright red. “Okay, I might have sex with him, but it’s not your business. I promise it won’t be in exchange for anything he gives us.”

Jon looked away
, but his voice carried his concern, “I like him, Jaycee, but I don’t want him hurting you.”

“I’m not our mother
, Jon.” He turned back so I could see the look in his eyes. His lips tightened, but I didn’t let it stop me. “Don’t take that wrong, I loved her too, but she was far from perfect. So am I, but I promise to use birth control.”

“TMI
, sis.”

I gave him a blank look.

“
Too Much Information
. You have a cell phone. You need to get with the program and learn how to talk.”

I laughed
, but it was a nervous one. I’d dodged a bullet and realized once more how much Jon had matured.

I would continue working two nights a week at Tasty Burger. Reed didn’t like it
, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t afford to lose the job if the one with him didn’t work out.

I spoke to Dwaine the next day and he
was a doll. “Go for it, Jaycee. If anyone deserves a break, it’s you, Jon, and Bitsy. I’ll take you off the emergency fill-in call list unless you tell me to add you back.”

I gave Dwaine a huge hug and received a
tentative pat on the back. My show of affection made him uncomfortable, but I didn’t care. “Thank you, Dwaine.”

I worked
my double shift. Like my other late nights since breaking into Reed’s house, he stood outside waiting for my shift to end. He was helping us move our stuff in the following morning and this was moving too fast. Reed was a steamroller. He’d called Jon and Bitsy’s schools, driven by Tasty Burger earlier in the day with un-enrollment paperwork, and basically paved the way. I knew exactly what he was doing. Reed wasn’t giving me a chance to change my mind.

After I left the restaurant, h
e pulled me in for a light kiss. I wondered how he could stand the smell of fried food that clung to me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked after the kiss.

I had no idea how he knew I was uncomfortable. “Nothing.”

He moved away and pushed a few loose strands of my hair
that had fallen from the bun behind my ear. “You are the worst liar.”

When it came to him, I was. “I smell.”

He had the audacity to laugh.

“Thanks,” I said with all the sarcasm I could muster.

“You smell wonderful.”

“Now who’s the liar? I smell like burned grease and burgers.”

He pulled me back in close, his nose going to the hair under my ear, sniffing me.

Oh
, God, I was probably sweaty too. Reed had some serious issues.

He started kissing the same spot he sniffed
, traveling down along my jaw to my chin. I couldn’t help giggling like an idiot. “What’s gotten into you tonight?” I managed to say.

“Hmm, you I guess. I also got permission from your
guardian to take you on a date.”

“What?” H
is kisses made me crazy and I must have misheard.

“Jon
—your brother, surrogate father, fighter of evil baseball players who try to take advantage of his sister, keeper of the key that unlocks your chastity belt.”

“Stop
, please.” I started laughing so hard it was hard to talk. “I do not wear a chastity belt.”

His tone lowered to that oh
-so-sexy deep whisper. “That’s what I wanted to hear, baby,” he said then kissed me again. Dwaine unlocking the front door startled us out of our lip lock.

“What are you
still doing out here?”

Reed gave a low groan I
hope only I could hear and replied to Dwaine’s question, “We’re going on a date, but like everything else, I needed to talk her into it.” Reed backed away from me and clasped my hand.

It was dark
, but the nightlights from the restaurant allowed us to see Dwaine’s expression. “I know it’s a Friday night, but you shouldn’t have her out too late.”

Reed’s fingers tightened ever so slightly around mine.
“Yes, sir. I spoke to Jon already and he gave me the rules for dating his sister.”

I moved in closer to Reed and elbowed him in the ribs.

“Goodnight, sir,” Reed said as he led me to his car while rubbing the bruise I hoped I’d left behind. He buckled me in like a child before we took off. I started laughing and his groan was louder this time. His fingers rubbed his chin. “You have a legion of guardians. It’s a date. I’m not running off to Vegas with you or getting you so drunk you can’t resist me. You’d think you were sixteen.”

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing again.
“I’m sorry you went through all that trouble, but I’m not going on a date with you while I’m in my uniform and smelling like a day-old hamburger.”

He gave me an exasperated glance.
“I told you I like the way you smell.”

“You need to take medicine for your stuffed nose then. But back to my point, I’m not going on a date with you while I’m wearing
my ugly uniform either.”

“I wasn’t expecting you
to, though. I don’t mind and with you in it, that uniform is far from ugly. We’re going to my house so you can change.”

Talk about
maddening. “I don’t have anything to change into.”

“Your brother packed you a bag.”

Annoyed anyone?

I seriously wanted to slap him
and then get ahold of my brother. Anger made my voice hard. “Is this what you do? Take over people’s lives, pre-plan what they’re doing and when they’re doing it? Do I even have a say?”

He ignored me and continued driving until we pulled into his driveway. He stopped the car in front of his door and turned off the engine. Quiet settled around us. He unfastened his seat
belt and turned. I couldn’t quite see his face in the shadows, but I was thinking that was a good thing at this point.

“You always have a say
, Jaycee, but…”

I made a low grumbling noise in my throat.

“But…you live in a world where your sister and brother always come first. You’ve never come first. I understand how hard it must be, even if you think I don’t. I want to help and it’s not only because I’m trying to be a nice guy. You turn me on, drive me insane, and bring out all my protective instincts. I’ve never been unsure about anything in my life, but with you, I don’t know if I’m coming or going. I want to explore whatever this is. I want you living over the garage and working for me because I actually need the help, and it will help you at the same time. I want to take you on a date because you deserve a date, so I’m asking.” He hesitated, taking a deep breath then releasing it. “Would you like to go out with me tonight?”

We were both insane
, but he put me in a place of constant hunger for sex…for him…frustration that I could no longer live with. And he wanted a date. I didn’t think I could take any more. I went for broke. “No, Reed, I don’t want to go on a date. I can’t sleep at night because I’m turned on and ready to explode. It’s driving me crazy. It’s not a date I need from you.”

He didn’t give me a chance to say anything else. He opened the door and literally jogged around his car and opened mine. When I tried to stand, he swung me up in his arms and I had no choice but to wrap
my arms around his neck. I’m not sure how he managed to unlock the door and enter the security code on his alarm system, but he did.

He carr
ied me up the stairs. I finally decided I needed to say something because the last statement I made in the car got me pressed against his warm hard chest and had left me temporarily speechless. “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting something out of the way.”

“Umm, I need a shower if your plans include us both naked in your bed.” I so hoped that’s what he planned.

His grumble made me smile
, but he didn’t say anything, just carried me through his bedroom into a bathroom that was bigger than my entire trailer. Muted light came from some kind of lighting system that blew my mind. It was a bathroom for god’s sake. He hit a switch on the wall and the lights began changing colors—blue, green, red. He could not be serious.

He read my mind.
“Before you say anything, I bought the house with the lights like this. It was owned by some movie star who had a thing about lighting.”

“A stripper thing?”

“Possibly.”

How could I not smile?
“Stripping out of my orange uniform will make me feel good, but I don’t know if the enticement will be what you need.”

This time
his groan was loud and rumbly against my chest. Dropping my legs, he pulled me close, pressing his erection into the part of me that craved him most.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” That damn husky voice of his left me with only one answer.

“I’m very sure.”

“And you’re still moving in tomorrow, I mean over the garage, no strings attached, I mean…
Hell, I’m screwing this up.”

He was so incredibly cute and I had to put him out of his misery
. “I’m moving in tomorrow, no strings attached. As your household secretary, and you haven’t screwed up yet, but we’ll see.”

He pulled away, moving his hands so he cupped my face. “I’ll
rock your world, baby, and give you the best mind-blowing fuck of your life.”

This was the Reed Tyler I knew. “We’ll see. Let me take a shower
, and could you bring in my bag?”

“I’ll put it inside the door.”

“Thank you. You need to go.” I gave a small pelvic thrust in an attempt to move him along.

“Like that’s going to happen
now.”

“Reed.” I put a slightly frustrated whine on the end of his name.

“I’m afraid you’ll disappear once I leave this room.” His whisper was so incredibly sexy, his insecurity so incredibly sweet.

“I think we need to hurry.” Yep
, the breathy voice was mine. I couldn’t help myself. I had an explosion of heat pooling between my thighs, my discomfort growing as big as his cock each second we waited.

He released me.
Turning, he spoke over his shoulder, “Towels on the rack are clean, and everything you need is in the shower. I’ll be back with your bag in a minute.” He stopped and turned more fully toward me. “Don’t leave, Jaycee, please. If all we do tonight is talk, I’m okay with that.”

“If that’s the case
, I promise to leave. As you said earlier, we need to get this out of the way or I might explode. Go get my bag, Reed.”

He closed the door behind him. I swore
to myself if I didn’t get sex tonight, I’d find a gun and shoot him. I quickly peeled out of my uniform and left it in a pile on the floor. I needed to be in the shower when he came back in.

The cold water heated quickly.
As soon as I had it adjusted perfectly, there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”

The opaque glass of the shower and the low multi-colored lights gave me some privacy.
But I could still see Reed standing in the open bathroom door without moving. I cracked open the shower door and peeked out. He was staring at me with an almost quizzical look.

It was impossible not to read his mind.
“No, you can’t join me. I’ll be out in a minute.”

He blinked twice and then his expression changed to determination.
“Fuck that.”

He took the steps to the shower
so quickly I didn’t have time to react. He pulled the door wide and stepped inside, clothes and all.

“Reed.” Yep
, it was a squeal.

He kissed me
—his taste washing through my system, heating me hotter than the water. I thought I was in control, but when his hands grabbed my ass and ground me against the wet jeans covering his erection, I knew it was an illusion.

Reed Tyler was in charge
and always had been.

He started speaking between kisses
. “I’ve wanted you so fucking bad, Jaycee.” Kiss. “Since the first night.” Kiss, with a bite to my lower lip. “I haven’t jacked off so much since I was thirteen and discovered I could.” Kiss, plus tongue, plus hand movement.

I gasped when he captured my breasts, molding his hands around them.

“I want these.” Pinch to my nipples. “I want them swinging above me while I watch us fuck.” One hand moved back to my ass, his fingers digging in at the same time his hips bucked forward. “I want to bury myself deep and make you scream my name.”

He kissed me again
, but a few moments later, I managed to break away from his lips.

“I can
’t take any more, Reed.”

He was still fully dressed
, though he’d at least taken his jacket off before he brought my bag into the bathroom. He moved me so my back hit the shower wall a foot out of the water spray. Going to his knees, while his hands ran down my waist, he lifted my thigh so I had to rest it over his shoulder. This wasn’t what I meant by not being able to take any more, but fuck, I wasn’t stopping him now.

His tongue licked my wet folds
as my hands sank into his hair. I thanked God his hair was just long enough for me to curl my fingers through it and hold tight. He kissed me, the small smacking noises making me hitch in a breath because they were suction kisses. I felt them throughout my body. No fantasy I’d ever had did justice to what his mouth was doing to me.

His lips moved to my clit
, causing me to cry out. His hands remained on my ass, digging his fingers in hard, possessing me. One hand moved slightly and his finger entered my swollen center. I yearned for that touch. It was too much, but at the same time, not enough.

“Let go
, Jaycee. I’ve got you.”

He did have me and it had been this way since he tied me to his kitchen chair. I was so caught up in everything Reed Tyler that my life
had been on hold until now.

“Just feel
, Jaycee.” God those husky words almost took me over the edge. He knew me too well.

“You are so tight and wet and you taste like heaven. The sweetest piece of candy I’ve ever eaten. Come for me
, Jaycee.” He bit down slightly on my clit and I was lost. Lost in an ecstasy so intense I didn’t know how to stop it. I didn’t want it to stop. I wanted this to go on and on.

When I came back to earth, he was still on his knees with soaking wet clothes that had to be uncomfortable. And he was gazing at me with such intensity I
fought to keep myself from panicking. But then he smiled, his slow, reckless, kissable smile, and I was lost again.

“You’re beautiful when you come
, baby. So damn beautiful.”

“You’re wet.” It was all I could think to say.

“So are you.” He looked at my pussy, bending forward slightly and kissing me there, just a soft touch of his lips.

He lowered my leg to the tiled shower floor and stood while removing
the wet shirt plastered to his body. I helped him until it was over his head and made a splat sound on the shower floor when he dropped it. His jeans, oh shit, I looked down, and he still had his shoes on. I started laughing and he gave his little boy mischievous grin as he managed to get his athletic shoes off followed by his socks. He hopped around while doing it, sometimes using me for balance. How he could make this look so sexy was beyond me, but the man had the corner on erotic striptease—soggy clothes and all.

I
’d been watching his dance so closely I hadn’t noticed him just poking out of the top of his low-riding jeans until his hand undid the top button before pulling the zipper down.

Oh shit.

He was so big, too big. There was no way that would fit and it must have shown on my face because after he stepped from his pants, he lifted my chin.

“We
were made for each other. I’ll make it good for you, I promise.”

I knew he would try
, but I started to panic, unable to help myself.

“I’ll go down on you
, Reed. It’s okay, I’ll give you what you gave me.”

He started laughing as he pulled me close
, running his fingers through my wet hair. “Have you had sex before, baby?”

I nodded against his chest. “Once.” I spoke so quietly I didn’t know if he heard me.

“Was it good?”

Oh
, God, how could he ask? It was the most humiliating experience of my life. The guy was a complete jerk.

He
moved my hair out of my eyes and palmed my cheeks, moving me back from his chest until we looked at each other.

“Tell me.”
His voice was as low as mine, but there was steel behind it. The serious look in his eyes gave me courage.

“It was in the backseat
of his car—quick, ugly, and demeaning.” I tried to glance away, but he wouldn’t let me.

“We didn’t even undress all the way. He got mad because I told him he had to use a condom. He told me before we started that he had one. It ended up being an old ratty thing in his wallet that he didn’t think he would really need. The experience was awful and I was mad at myself that I gave it up to him.”

So much sympathy showed on Reed’s face. “I promise this will be good. I’ll make it good.”

I couldn’t even smile
; I needed him so badly. “Then hurry before I chicken out.”

“No
, baby, there’s no way I’m hurrying this,” he said as he pulled his jeans and underwear completely off.

He laughed at my groan
while picking up a bottle of shampoo and washing my hair, massaging my scalp and drawing another moan from my lips. After applying conditioner and rinsing it out, he began washing my body—slowly. Stubbornly—slow. Every blessed inch of me, including the bottoms of my feet.

I was shaking by the time he finished, needing so much from him. He wrapped me in a towel
, dried himself then my hair. He took a comb and slowly worked out the tangles. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to cry, but tears welled behind my eyes and I had to fight them back with everything I had. I didn’t deserve him, and nothing in my life turned out good. This couldn’t possibly be any different, but I wanted him so badly. Too badly.

“Trust me
, Jaycee.” The whisper had me looking up into the most gorgeous face on earth, and all I could do was nod.

He led me
into his bedroom, the side lamps casting a soft glow over the beautiful comforter. He pulled it back, sat down on the edge, and shifted me so I was between his legs. Leaning over, he opened the drawer to his nightstand and removed a condom then laid it on the pillow. After discarding my towel and throwing it off somewhere, he kissed my belly, cupping my breasts.

“I owe you an apology.” He spaced the kisses about an inch apart as he spoke. “It’s just hard to apologize when I wouldn’t take
what happened back for all the money in the world.” More kisses. “I should never have tied you to that chair or cut away your clothes. I wasn’t thinking straight that night, but it’s no excuse.” Now the kisses moved up to my breasts. “I’ve thought about these every night since then. I can’t get your breasts out of my mind. I think about you tied to that chair and I’m hard as a rock.” He stopped and peered up at me. “What I did was wrong, but I just can’t be sorry, baby.”

“Don’t be sorry
.” And I meant it.

He buried his head against my abs
, groaning deeply. “If this isn’t what you want, stop me now.”

My words were breathy soft.
“I’m not stopping you, Reed. I need this. I need you.”

He swung me up using his powerful arms, twisting his body
around on the bed, and arranging me so I lay full length on top of him. My legs naturally straddled his hips, his cock jutting up between us. I couldn’t help staring at it.

“Touch me
, baby.”

I tentatively lifted my hand and touched the
skin just under the head with trembling fingers. His flesh was silky smooth, which I didn’t expect. And warm…no, hot. His cock jumped and I couldn’t help the startled laugh that escaped me. I gazed up. He smiled, passion written on each line of his face, his eyes hooded.