If You Were Mine Page 15

  Regretfully I shake my head. “No. You need to take a few days and think about it.”

  Her brows snap together as the haze in her eyes clears. “I don’t want to think about it. I’ve already made my decision.”

  “After everything that’s happened tonight, the last thing I want is for you to feel as if I’ve taken advantage of you.”

  Amusingly enough, Claire rolls her big gray eyes at me. “You haven’t done that at all. And you could have so many times already.”

  “That’s right,” I agree. “I haven’t, and I don’t plan to. Not tonight.”

  She growls.

  It’s almost impossible to resist the smile that springs to my lips. I freaking love that she wants this so badly. That she wants me. It’s just the balm I need for the last three years of her shutting down every single conversation I’ve tried engaging her in. Before I can say anything else, she allows her legs to fall slowly to the sides.

  My eyes slide back down to her pussy, now spread wide for me to admire. A low groan rumbles up from deep within my chest as my eyes feast on every single hidden inch of her.

  “Claire, what the hell are you doing?”

  Fuck.

  I can’t rip my eyes away from her.

  “Trying to tempt you into doing what I want.” Her voice is soft, and even though there’s absolutely nothing funny about this situation, she snorts. “You have to see the irony here, right?”

  Yup, I do. This situation is rife with it.

  “I’ve…” Her voice trails off.

  When she says nothing more, I whisper, “Tell me.” I’m still unable to tear my eyes away from all that perfection.

  Clearing her throat, she pushes out the words, “Ryan and I never did that.”

  Once the meaning of those words sink in, my eyes snap to hers in both question and surprise.

  Sure. I knew she hadn’t had sex before. But I’d figured that they had messed around a bit. I mean, there are so many other delicious ways to give and receive pleasure without actually engaging in intercourse.

  “He didn’t go down on you?” I’m trying really hard to rein in my amazement, but it feels impossible. “Ever?” Lightly my fingers trail over her sensitive flesh. Every delicate part of her is silky smooth and open for me.

  Her teeth sink into her plump lower lip as she quickly shakes her head. “He wanted to. I just…” Again she shakes her head. Although it’s slower this time. “I don’t know why I didn’t let him. It just never felt right. For some reason, doing that feels even more intimate than having sex.”

  I never really thought about oral sex like that, but I suppose she’s right. It’s a lot more intimate.

  Tilting my head just a bit to the side, I ask softly, “But you want me to?”

  Hesitating for barely a second, she jerks her head into a tight nod. Her eyes stay locked on mine. I’m surprised at the trust I see shining within them. Surprised and humbled. “I do.”

  How am I supposed to resist that?

  How am I supposed to resist knowing that no other man has ever laid his lips against her flesh? And that for some odd reason she wants me to be the first?

  I can’t.

  Claire is my kryptonite. Having her ask something of me that I’ve been fantasizing about, something she’s never asked another man to do is my complete undoing.

  Settling between her legs, I lean down, laying a gentle kiss upon her heated flesh. A wispy sigh falls from her lips as I do before she arches, pushing herself against my mouth. And because I’ve wanted her forever, because I’ve imagined this moment a hundred times before, that’s all it takes to break me. Before I know it, my mouth is coasting over the delicate lips of her pussy.

  Needing more, I slide my tongue inside all that softness before slowly licking over her slit until I’m able to nibble at that tight little bundle of nerves. As I do, she moans, her body bowing upwards in response. She’s so damn responsive to my every touch and stroke.

  “I just want to eat you up until you’re screaming my name,” I mutter against her warmth.

  “Please, JT,” she whimpers, “please don’t stop.”

  Her husky words only spur me on. She’s so close to coming unhinged, and I want to give her that. I want to hear her scream because of the pleasure I’m giving her. As difficult as it will be, I won’t take it any further than that.

  I love the feel of her fingers tunneling through my hair, holding me in place as I continue nibbling and licking my way across her. She’s just so damn perfect. The way she moves her hips, spreading her thighs wide, trying to tug me as close as she possibly can. As if she wants my lips and tongue and teeth against her as much as I do.

  I never, not in my wildest dreams, imagined that I would be experiencing a moment like this. That she would be spread out naked and I would be taking my sweet time loving her with my mouth. Spearing into her soft, warm body over and over again with my tongue. Suckling her clit with my mouth.

  When Claire finally comes, she screams my name and it’s the best fucking sound I’ve ever heard in my life. Her hips continue to gyrate against me as I hold her firmly to the mattress. When she thinks about this moment between us, I want her remembering every single drop of pleasure I showered upon her.

  When her body finally goes lax, I lay one last gentle kiss upon her pussy before sitting up and wiping the sides of my mouth with my thumb and forefinger. Damn, but she was so creamy. I could eat her up all night long. I really could. Her taste feels instantly addictive.

  Looking slightly dazed, she continues to lay there, a sprawled-out mess. A contented smile curves her lips upwards. Her gray eyes are all soft and full of wonder.

  “That was…” Her words trail off as if she’s unable to think of a suitable adjective to describe what just happened.

  Eyes dancing, it’s lazily that I fill in the blanks. “Fucking amazing?”

  She laughs. It’s a low chuckle that does funny things to my insides. “Yeah. Fucking amazing.”

  I can’t help but respond in kind.

  I’ve never seen Claire like this.

  All mussed up.

  Loose. Arms and legs akimbo. She looks as though she could sink right into the mattress with her utter contentment.

  And the look in her eyes…

  I love it.

  I want more of it.

  I want more of her.

  Shit.

  I haven’t even fucked this girl yet, and already I can’t get enough.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Claire

  It’s slowly that I come awake. Just a little bit at a time before stretching my arms high above my head. Unlike last night, I know exactly where I am.

  JT’s house.

  In one of his guest rooms.

  I wanted him to spend the night with me, but he refused.

  Yeah… Seriously.

  The guy who has been trying to hustle me into bed for the last three years refused to have sex with me. And not only wouldn’t he sleep with me, but I couldn’t even cajole him into spending the night in my bed.

  It was like he had suddenly grown a conscience.

  Or morals.

  But still… what he did… it was pretty freaking fantastic.

  I mean, I never imagined a guy going down on me would feel so good. Okay, better than good.

  Amazing.

  Completely and utterly amazing. Like you could reach out and literally run your hands through the stars in the dark, velvety sky.

  It’s only when I throw off the covers, do I realize that I’m still naked. And my clothes… they’re still out on the back patio where I shed them before getting into the pool. Even though my bra and panties have to be around here somewhere, I don’t immediately see them. Wrapping a blanket around my shoulders, I get out of bed before padding to the door and then taking off down the hall towards JT’s bedroom. It’s still early. The sun is just starting to peek over the eastern horizon with its pink and purple hues. I’m tired, but feel oddly exhilarated.


  I don’t want to be alone.

  JT’s door is cracked open. As soon as I’m over the threshold, my eyes all but fall on him. Eating him up. The sheet is covering the lower portion of his body, which leaves his chest and abs exposed.

  I always knew he had a nice body. Why wouldn’t he? The man works out for a living. His livelihood depends on him being conditioned within an inch of his life. But I never imagined him being so impossibly hard and muscular. As if every part of him has been chiseled from granite.

  He makes Ryan look like a soft, barely developed teenager.

  JT is just so big and bulky. Every sinewy muscle is cut before being stretched taut across bone. I just want to run my fingers over every single delicious inch of him. Hell, I want to lick my way across his body. From head to toe.

  And when he climbed out of the pool last night… it never even crossed my mind that he would be naked. A light blush stains my cheeks remembering how I couldn’t rip my eyes away from his cock. I didn’t expect him to be so completely stunning. But he is. Sure, I might not have much to compare it to, but that doesn’t mean that I’m totally ignorant.

  And he’s huge.

  Long.

  Thick.

  Hearing his light snores coming from the bed, I clutch the blanket tighter as I creep closer. What I really want to do is crawl right in beside him and snuggle up. Biting down on my lower lip, I contemplate what to do for one silent moment.

  Screw it, I quickly decide. I’ve spent the last six years walking the straight and narrow. Focusing every bit of my attention and energy on school so that I could achieve my goals and make my family proud. And I’ve done that. Well, I’m close to doing that. I’ve sacrificed a lot of potential relationships along the way, and I’m not going to do it anymore.

  This isn’t something I ever expected to happen.

  I mean… JT Higgins?

  Come on now.

  Up until a week ago, I could barely stand to be in the same room with him. And yet… here we are. If I have my way, he’ll be the one who takes my virginity. After last night, and the way he made my entire body come alive, I have absolutely no doubts about going through with this.

  Letting the blanket slither to the floor, I carefully climb onto the bed. JT is lying on his back. One heavy arm is thrown over his eyes. His chest is powerful and broad. And so completely mesmerizing as it ripples with thick muscles and definition. A smattering of blond hair covers it. Everything about him is ridiculously masculine. For the first time, I truly understand why woman fall all over themselves trying to gain and hold his attention.

  He continues sleeping soundly as I slide in next to him. I have no idea how he’s going to react when he wakes up and finds me in his bed. He was so adamant about keeping his distance last night. About giving me time to mull things over. I can’t say that what he’s trying to do doesn’t touch me.

  It does.

  Deeply.

  Especially in light of what Ryan tried doing when I didn’t willingly offer myself up on his timetable. My entire body stills as it occurs to me that the motivation behind him giving me a piece of jewelry last night wasn’t simply to gift me with something pretty I would enjoy, but rather to give me something that would soften me up before trying to get what he wanted in exchange. It makes me doubly glad that I ripped off the gold chain before hurtling it at him last night.

  What an asshole.

  And then there’s JT…

  Who is somehow turning out to be so very different from the guy I always assumed him to be. Because here I am, practically throwing myself at him and he’s holding back. He’s not trying to rush me into a decision. He wants me to take my time, to think it over. He wants me to do what’s right for me.

  The thing of it is… I’m going into this with my eyes wide open.

  I’m not delusional enough to think that this is some sort of relationship.

  But you know what?

  If last night is any indication, then I think JT will be exactly what I need.

  And I’ll enjoy it for what it is.

  Sex.

  Pure and simple.

  When you go in with that mindset, it feels surprisingly cut and dry. No messy emotions or expectations or complications getting in the way. It’s just a physical act. And JT obviously knows what he’s doing. Without a doubt, he’ll make this experience good for me.

  He asked me to think it over, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. JT, believe it or not, is the perfect man to take my virginity. There’s absolutely no chance of me getting emotionally involved because I know exactly what to expect from him.

  Which is very little.

  Plus, I imagine that he’ll lose interest quickly enough once the deed is done.

  And then we can both move on with our lives.

  The more I think about it, the more sense it makes.

  As I settle in next to his big body, I allow my eyes to roam freely over him.

  The only downside to this arrangement is that I can’t ever imagine anyone living up to him. JT Higgins is absolutely stunning. I never thought that I would be a girl into super athletic men, but, all those muscles… I find them impossibly sexy.

  I wasn’t kidding about wanting to run my fingers and tongue over him.

  I do.

  I’m actually surprised that he doesn’t have a tattoo. Or maybe a few of them, but his flesh is surprisingly unmarred. It’s sexy. What I like is that there isn’t anything to distract the eye from all that gorgeous muscle.

  His shoulders are broad. His chest powerful and wide. Hair swirls across the center of it, tapering down his rock-solid abs before arrowing under the sheet. I nibble at my lip, eyeing the part of him hidden by the cottony material.

  I certainly got an eyeful last night.

  And he let me look, too.

  Just stood there in front of me like he wasn’t completely naked. Like it was no big deal.

  That being said, it wasn’t nearly long enough. I could have stared at him in fascination all night long. And it took everything I had inside not to reach out and stroke my fingers across him. He was so impossibly hard. And smooth. And beneath his cock were heavy-looking balls. Strange as it seems, I’d wanted to stroke my fingers over them as well.

  Bringing my fingers to the edge of the sheet, I pull it gently from his body. Slowly revealing more and more of his sun-kissed flesh. It seems to take forever until I’m finally uncovering the thick length of his cock. Edging closer, I try getting a better look.

  Even though he’s completely flaccid, it’s still rather impressive in size. It’s just lying there across the taut skin of his lower abdomen. Well… it’s not like I was expecting it to do some tricks or to start a kick line. I snort at the very idea. JT makes a little bit of noise and my eyes fly to his. His eyelids are still feathered shut. Even his eyelashes are ridiculously gorgeous. Long. Dense. Women would kill for lashes like that. I almost shake my head before my eyes drop to his chest. His breathing is still deep and even.

  Okay.

  Good.

  I’m not ready for him to wake just yet.

  I’m still busy taking him in.

  When I glance back down, JT’s cock is rock-hard. Not to mention erect. Eyes narrowed, I glance back up at his face. Now his eyes are slitted, and there’s just a bit of a sleepy smile curving his full, generous mouth.

  When exactly did I start thinking that his lips were full and generous?

  I’m willing to bet that it was probably around the same time I became preoccupied with his cock.

  “Good morning.”

  One side of my mouth hitches in response at being caught ogling his goods. “Morning.”

  He lifts a brow. “Find something interesting down there?”

  I shrug somewhat coyly, but clearly, I’ve been busted. “Maybe.”

  Before I can blink, he’s lunging. I shriek in surprise as he rolls his big, hard body on top of mine. Because it feels so impossibly right, I don’t even think about spreadin
g my legs to accommodate his girth. I just do. His thick erection presses against my opening, and a little sigh of pleasure falls from my lips as I arch against him, wanting to get closer. Realizing what I’m doing, he pulls away just a bit so that his cock doesn’t enter me.

  “JT,” I complain, “come on.”

  Wait a minute… Am I actually whining? Practically on the verge of begging for sex? How the heck did this happen? Has the earth somehow fallen completely off its axis? Because this seems pretty damn crazy.

  “I want you. I haven’t changed my mind, and I’m not going to.”

  He groans, swearing harshly under his breath before saying in a much firmer tone, “I want you to take a few days and think about it without the haze of sex and naked cocks clouding your judgment.”

  I snort. “Come on, stop playing so hard to get. It’s very unlike you.”

  “Hey!” He grins before thrusting his hips rather deliciously against me. “I’m actually trying to be a good guy here.” The contact has a little sigh escaping from my lips. “And you’re making it really difficult.”

  This side to him… playful and sweet… I’m kind of hating just how much I like it.

  With one hand, he gently strokes my cheek all the while gazing into my eyes. He really does have the most beautiful eyes. The green is such a soft yet brilliant color. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that particular shade before. “I just want you to be sure. That’s all. The last thing I want is for you to look back at something we did and decide that it was a mistake. I’ve wanted you for three years. Me wanting you isn’t going to change, Claire. It’s just not. No matter how much time you take.”

  I know what he’s saying makes perfect sense. There’s no reason for us to rush headfirst into something.

  “Okay,” I agree softly.

  As soon as the word is out of my mouth, he grinds his thick cock against me, and I whimper with pleasure. “Does that mean we can do other things?”

  He arches a brow although I suspect he knows exactly what I’m angling for. “Other things such as…”

  I groan. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”