Sanctuary, page 20
“Jack.” The way she said my name was part moan, part whine, part sigh. All three sounds went straight to my cock, causing it to flex against her inner thigh.
“Say it again, Nishia. I need to hear it.” My teeth nipped at her earlobe, making her whine louder, her nails sinking into my sides, clawing at me.
“I-I love you,” she breathed.
“Again,” I ordered, reaching between us to pull up her shirt.
“I love you, Jack!” she cried.
My tongue became glued to the roof of my mouth at the sight of her amazing tits, the rosy pink tips begging for my mouth. I didn’t know what was sweeter, her saying she loved me or the taste of her nipples on my tongue. Her back arched and she whimpered as I sucked her, gently at first but harder as her sounds grew more insistent.
While I sucked on one, I plucked the tip of the other, keeping her lost in the pleasure.
Hips lifted off the bed, she rubbed her panty-covered pussy over me, seeking relief. Her sounds became more strangled, and I kissed my way down her stomach, pausing only for a quick dip into her belly button before moving to the top of her panties. Her lips were wet and swollen, I could see that much through the thin material, made sheer by how wet she was.
Biting back a curse, I tore each side away, just as desperate for her sweet pussy as I had been for her mouth.
She jerked at the first swipe of my tongue up her slit.
“Oh God!” she screamed, twisting her hips up against my face. “Jack, please, please, please!”
My worry that she would be scared of this side of our relationship evaporated, and I settled in to drink up every last drop she had to give me. She twisted her fingers in my hair, pulling and then pushing me closer. Tugging me away, only to grind up against me, soaking the scruff on my face.
Too late, I realized how rough my jaw was against her delicate skin, but when I tried to pull back, she followed, seeking the end to the torture deep inside that heavenly pussy.
“Yes,” she panted. “Yes, please, there. Feels so good. So good. Right. There!”
Needing to feel her, I pushed my middle finger into her and nearly came in my jeans at how tight she was. My invasion into her sacred wonderland sent her spiraling, her entire body tightening for a moment before she began to shudder. Her pussy tried to milk my finger, sucking it deeper.
Fuck, I’d never been so hard in my life.
The pressure in my balls hurt so good.
I licked her through the aftereffects, her entire body racked with tremors. But when I spread her lips and focused on her clit, she spread her legs wider, invitingly. “Baby,” I groaned against her mound. “So fucking perfect.”
“Jack…” That whine that made my dick pulse was back. “I want you.”
“Shh,” I soothed, flicking the tip of my tongue over the bundle of nerves. “You have me.”
“No, inside me.” She tried to pull my new favorite dessert away from my mouth. With a growl, I dived back in, hungrily devouring the sweetness that was still dripping from her center.
“Mine! You don’t take a starving man’s sustenance from him, Nishia. That’s dangerous.”
“Jack, I feel so empty. Please.”
“Gotta get you ready, little fairy. Can’t hurt this sweet pussy.” I swirled my finger around her entrance, teasing before thrusting inside—once, twice. Then back to teasing. Adding a second finger, I thrust deeper, feeling her inner walls clenching so tight around me, I knew it was going to kill me when I finally put my cock in there.
“I’m ready,” she panted. “So ready it hurts.”
“Not yet,” I snarled, kissing her clit tenderly before attacking it again. My hunger made my voice savage, the throb in my cock echoing my heartbeat. One pump and I’d blow in that tight cavern, and I didn’t even care.
“Now!”
Her voice was so full of confident command that I had my jeans undone and down my hips before I even realized my hands had moved. Leaning back, I took a moment to savor the sight before me.
Her eyes were glassy, her face pink from her first orgasm and the growing need for another. I’d left scruff burn on her tits, but the redness was worse on the insides of her thighs. Remorse pulled me out of the moment for half a second before she whimpered and thrust her hips up invitingly, a mixture of her desire and my spit on her sacred pussy.
Licking my lips, I gloried in the sweetness coating them. Wrapping my hand around my cock, I stroked it up and down her slit, the tip already leaking uncontrollably. “I wanted to be gentle the first time. Make it so good for you that you can’t get enough,” I rasped. “But I’m going to blow as soon as I’m balls deep.”
“Yes. I want that. I want you to blow it all. ” She shook her head side to side, her body convulsing as if she could already feel me inside her. Hands trembling, I grabbed the protection out of my wallet and rolled it over my cock while she begged me so prettily. “Please, Jack. Please, give it to me. It’s already good. I’m addicted to you. To how good you make me feel.”
Jaw clenched in a last-ditch attempt to control myself, hold back so I didn’t hurt her, I eased the tip of my cock through her glistening folds. Fuck. It was so good. Like her pussy was made just for me. The light in my dark world. My beacon. My precious little fairy.
Halfway in and she thrust up to meet me, forcing me deep. Pleasure exploded all around me so good that I nearly lost consciousness. Stars flashed before my eyes, my entire body strung tight. If she so much as blinked, it would be game over.
It felt like I’d waited my entire life for this moment. Having her wrapped around me like a tight glove, so hot and wet and fucking perfect. Her eyes glowing from want and love. That she had a sense of safety with me, that she could even give herself to me—without fear, without hesitation—it was humbling. I wanted to be the man who deserved her, and I knew I wasn’t, but I was too selfish to care.
Because she was mine.
“I love you,” I choked out. “I’m going to love you for the rest of my life.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
nishia
Fighting back a yawn, I picked up my phone and quietly exited my apartment, leaving Jack to sleep. My entire body felt like it was glowing, and I had a smile on my face that I didn’t even try to fight as I made my way to the kitchen in search of a quick breakfast and coffee.
As I walked, I sent Elias a short text, asking for a ride to work since I didn’t want to bother the beautiful sleeping bear in my bed.
“Good morning.”
My happiness only increased at the chorus of greetings. “Good morning,” I responded, moving straight toward the coffeepot.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Gracie called as she stood from the table. “Did you sleep well?”
“Very,” I assured her, feeling my face fill with heat. Oh Lord, I hoped she couldn’t tell what I’d been doing all night with her son. “Um, Elias is picking me up.”
She beamed at me. “I already spoke to Jos. How about I stop by for lunch, and we can celebrate your new job?”
It sounded like something normal mothers did to commemorate major milestones in their daughters’ lives. I pushed down the pain that tried to invade my happiness and embraced the love Gracie so selflessly offered. “I would like that. But only if you have time. I don’t want to pull you away from work if you’re busy. You have clients who need you.”
“Pfft,” she said, waving away my concern. “This is important. Just us so we can talk about…whatever you feel like chatting about. We need girl time.”
“Okay.” I didn’t want to argue, not when it felt so good to have motherly attention and affection. “I’ll see you at lunch.”
“Definitely.” She picked up a napkin and two muffins and pushed them into my hand. “Better take one for Elias. He’s a sucker for Marcy’s muffins.”
Staring down at the offered breakfast, I swallowed the knot that wanted to choke me and pull me out of my happy place. I threw my arms around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. It was over quickly because I knew I would burst into tears if I didn’t leave. Grabbing the treats and thanking Marcy for the to-go mug of coffee, I rushed out of the kitchen.
Elias pulled up in his huge truck just as I closed the front door behind me. Hopping out, he jogged around to the passenger side to help me inside. Instead of the usual jeans, T-shirt, and leather MC cut, he was dressed in black dress pants and a blue-button down that almost perfectly matched his eyes. It was a major contrast to the casual look I was used to seeing him in, with the ink on his arms hidden. “Morning, beautiful! Oh damn, that muffin looks delicious. Please tell me you’re going to share.”
Laughing, I offered him the second muffin. He had half of it stuffed into his mouth before he even got behind the wheel again.
“Jack give you a hard time about working for us?” he asked after pulling out into traffic.
I felt my face heat all over again, but I shrugged. “The topic didn’t come up.”
“Oh shit,” he groaned. “He’s gonna beat my ass.”
I side-eyed him as I nibbled on my muffin. His gaze drifted longingly to the blueberry goodness I held. His was already gone, and I honestly didn’t know how he’d scarfed it down without choking.
Elias was a little shorter than Jack but not by much, and he was wider in the shoulders. It was obvious he worked out, and not just by lifting heavy stuff at work. His entire body was cut from what I could see. The man was a beast—a handsome, cocky beast.
I had no doubt Jack could kick his ass, but I also knew Elias wouldn’t go down without a hell of a fight.
He paused at a stop sign, and I glanced at him to find him smirking, but I still saw wariness in his magnetic blue eyes. “Seriously, Nishia. He’s gonna be pissed with me.”
“Like I said, the topic didn’t come up.” Stuffing a bigger bite into my mouth, I offered him the rest of my muffin as compensation for the trouble I no doubt would stir up when Jack found out where I was. “Do you still want me to work for you?”
“Absolutely. We need help, and Jack will cool off.” He grimaced as he took a bite of my muffin. “Eventually.” Sighing, he grumbled, “I’ll take payment for the harassment I’m about to endure in more muffins.”
Laughing, I settled back into the passenger seat more comfortably. “Deal.”
Barker & Reid Construction had their own building on the opposite side of town from Sanctuary. It was a modern-style building with lots of windows to let in natural light, and it had solar panels on the roof. Elias and Reid’s mom, Jos, was all about clean energy, and from the history of their main office that Elias gave me on the drive over, they had designed the building around her desire to be green.
Reid, their dad, and uncle ran three of the bigger construction crews, but Elias was their leading architect, while Jos was in charge of the office. I’d seen plenty of their work at Sanctuary and around Creswell Springs. Barker & Reid was the top construction company in three counties, so they were always busy.
Elias wasn’t lying about needing help. The phone was already ringing when we walked in. He didn’t have much time to show me around before the constant ringing got to us both.
“Mom will be out with your new hire paperwork soon,” he said with an annoyed glare toward the receptionist’s desk. “Our last front office person quit about two weeks ago, and we’ve been trying to find the right fit. But so far, no one is sticking around.”
After a crash course in the phone system, Elias guided me through answering a few calls, transferring them to the right person, whether they were in one of the offices or to the construction site foreman’s cell phone. One call led to him showing me how to schedule meetings. Luckily for us both, I was a quick learner, and by the third call, I felt comfortable enough to handle the phones on my own since he had a client who showed up an hour early for their meeting.
“Shit,” he grumbled, glancing at the clock on the computer screen. “Samara isn’t here yet, and she’s taking point on this project.”
“Go take care of business, boss,” I urged.
“You sure?” He frowned from me to the client, a blond woman in an expensive-looking business suit that hugged her curves. She gave Elias a wink, her red-painted lips pouting up at him, and he muttered a curse under his breath.
“Positive,” I assured him and picked up the phone as soon as it rang. “Barker & Reid Construction, this is Nishia. How may I help you?” I listened and pulled up the day’s schedule.
Elias still stood behind me. Turning my head, I cocked a brow at him and motioned toward the phone. “Do you mind? I’m kind of busy. It’s rude to stand over a person’s shoulder.”
He laughed and shook his dark head. “I don’t care what Jack does to me. I’m not letting you go, Nishia.” Walking around the reception desk, he held out his hand to the blonde. “Lynn, how are you?”
“Elias, hi. It’s a typical Monday.” She gave a breathy giggle that didn’t suit her at all. It was a mixture of flirty and shy, and from the way she was dressed and looking at Elias like she was going to suck the life right out of him, she didn’t appear the least bit shy. “How was your weekend?”
I briefly glanced at them while I was checking on the next available day for a new client meeting, and I saw something flash across Elias’s face. “It was interesting, let’s just say that.” He pulled his hand from hers. “Let’s talk in the conference room. Samara will be here soon, and we can finalize the last few details before we set up a date to break ground.”
“Perfect.”
I nearly rolled my eyes at the purr in her voice but restrained myself as I focused on work. I didn’t know why she annoyed me, but just the sound of her voice made me grit my teeth.
As they passed my desk, Elias paused. “Tell Sammy to join us as soon as she gets here.”
“Okay.”
His blue eyes darkened. “Like, as soon as she walks through the door.”
Pulling the phone away from my mouth, I assured him I would. “All right, Elias. I will.”
“Don’t let her go to her office. Just tell her to come straight into the conference room.”
My brows shot up at his insistence. He was always so confident, but right then, he looked uneasy. “I heard you the first time. I’ll give her the message.”
“Right,” he muttered, giving Lynn a tight smile. “Shall we?”
“Yes, please.”
I couldn’t help rolling my eyes as I watched them walk down the hall. Elias kept at least eighteen inches between them, moving away whenever the woman would drift closer.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one annoyed with the blonde.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
nishia
Ten minutes later, after I took another three calls, Samara walked through the front door. She had a tote bag with tubes containing blueprints and sketches tossed over one shoulder and a coffee in each hand. Her smile could have easily lit the entire building on a rainy day. Like with Elias, I was used to seeing her dressed casually. For the office, she wore a knee-length black pencil skirt and silky black top that dipped ever so subtly across her chest. It was sexy, yet classy.
“Happy first day!” she greeted, setting one of the cups on the desk. “I hope you like white chocolate mocha. Wasn’t sure what you prefer, but I don’t know another woman who doesn’t like chocolate.”
“Thank you.” Picking up the cup, I took a sip. “This is perfect. You’re the best.”
“Just a little something to hopefully make you feel welcome. If it means you don’t leave us, I’ll bring you goodies every morning. Jos spent an entire day figuring out what the last temp had screwed up. Clueless idiot. I really want you to stick around. So, if there’s anything you need, or if I can help in any way, just let me know.” She pulled her cell out of her bag. “Ugh, sorry, my mom is already blowing up my phone. It’s like she expects me to be up to no good.”
“Elias is in the conference room,” I told her before she could answer. “He asked me to tell you to join him and your client as soon as you got here.”
Her head jerked in the direction Elias and Lynn had disappeared, as if she could see through the walls. “She’s here already?”
“She arrived about ten or fifteen minutes ago.”
Something flickered in her eyes before her bright smile returned. “Well, I guess I should hurry. Don’t want to get fired before I complete my internship.” She sent the caller to voice mail and tossed her phone into her bag. “Thanks, Nishia.”
“I should be thanking you. This coffee was definitely needed since I already finished what I brought from home.”
The phone kept me busy for the next hour. At one point, Lynn left, but I wasn’t sure exactly why. She didn’t look happy as she stomped out the door, and a few minutes later, I thought I heard raised voices in the conference room. But I wasn’t certain because the newest caller distracted me with how loud the background noise was on their end.
“Nishia, I’m so sorry I didn’t get these out to you sooner,” Jos Reid apologized as she walked toward me from her office, a small stack of papers in hand. “It’s been a crazy morning.”
“Tell me about it,” I laughed. “I’ve already talked to more people today than I did while waiting tables back in New York. I thought Elias was exaggerating and just trying to give me a job because he felt sorry for me.”
“No way. We’re thankful to have you. With Samara’s talent, we have even more clients begging for attention. I’m trying to convince her to come back full time once she graduates. Not sure if I’ll be able to, but I can dream.” Smiling, she placed the papers on the desk beside the keyboard. “These aren’t too complicated. Just some new hire paperwork that I need for tax purposes and all that. It looks like you’re already settling in, which is a relief. The last few receptionists…” She grimaced. “Well, if I’m honest, I don’t know how they made it to adulthood.”
