Defy the World Tomatoes (38 page)

To save one good man, she’ll have to let her inner bad girl out to play…

Just Right

© 2010 Erin Nicholas

The Bradfords, Book 1

ER nurse Jessica Bradford is a good girl. Okay, a reformed bad girl, but she’s done her late father proud. Now she’s one step away from landing Dr. Perfect, aka handsome, sexy, heroic Ben Torres—the hot fudge
and
 cherry on top of her hard work scooping out a respectable life.

Ben learned the art of sacrifice from his missionary parents, but when a drunk driver he saved kills three people, he quits. To be precise, the fist he plants in the man’s face gets him suspended. And the first dish he wants on his newly empty plate is Jessica—preferably naked.

Jessica can’t believe the Ben she’s found drowning his sorrows in a bar is her knight in shining scrubs. And he won’t be pried loose until she bets 48 hours of her time in a game of pool. She loses. And the next morning she stands to lose much more.

The Chief of Staff’s recommendation for the promotion she’s been after rides on her ability to keep Ben out of trouble until things blow over.

Except “trouble” is all Ben wants. And despite herself, Jessica finds that she’s more than willing to go down with him…

Warning: Contains hot love in a store dressing room and in the front seat of a car—at the expense of a very nice strawberry patch, unfortunately—oh, and hooker boots. Can’t forget the hooker boots.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Just Right:

Jessica sat on the plump upholstered chair, then paced across the relatively large dressing room and leaned back against the wall. That put her directly across from the mirror that took up an entire wall, which unnerved her, so she paced back to the chair and sat. In less than two minutes she was up pacing again. What was Ben doing out there?

At that moment, the door to the dressing room banged open. Jessica swung around to find Ben smirking triumphantly in the doorway, holding a shiny red gift bag that said,
Tease
on the front. “Are you ready?”

She had a very distinct feeling that she was, in no way, ready.

“Of course.”

He moved into the dressing room and the space, which she had been feeling was huge, suddenly shrunk dramatically. Not only that, but it got considerably warmer as Ben kicked the door shut behind him, locked it, then advanced on her, a predatory gleam in his eyes and a sexy grin on his face.

He stopped in front of her, looking down, studying her face. His hands stayed at his sides but she felt like he was touching her. Her body strained toward him.

“We’re doing this my way, Jessica.”

It was a blatant dare. She knew it and she knew that he knew she recognized it for what it was. She used to love playing Truth or Dare. And she always took the dares.

Her heart raced as she lifted her chin. This was Ben. If there was one thing she knew for certain it was that he was a good guy. He would not hurt her or endanger her. There was absolutely nothing to worry about, which meant that all she had to do was enjoy.

She could totally do that. In fact, she could hardly wait.

“I’ll do whatever you want,” she answered, moving in closer to him, but keeping her hands carefully by her side as well.

That seemed to further stoke the fire she saw in his eyes.

“Jessica,” Ben said, his voice low and gruff, “you are a dream come true.”

He moved in even closer, one of his feet inserted between hers.

“Take off your shirt.”
The tone in his voice went from husky to commanding just like that.

It probably shouldn’t have excited her, but it did.
Jessica had always been the one in control in any man-woman situation. Whether it was who she let buy her drinks, or how close they danced, or how far she let the interested hands get, she always called the shots.

With Ben, though, she was willing to let go of that control, and that surprised her.

She wet her lips, but said nothing. There was nothing to say. She grabbed the hem of her scrub shirt and pulled it up and over her head. She knew exactly which bra she had on too. She’d put on the leopard print one, thinking of Ben that morning.

“Nice,” he drawled.

She let the shirt drop to the floor.

“Now the pants.”

His tone was firmer now and Jessica had difficulty breathing.

Ben’s eyes were on her face rather than the body parts she had bared and he looked very aroused. Ironically, her nipples puckered in reaction. The way he watched her, she knew that none of her responses, physical or emotional, to him or his actions or words, would go unnoticed. She also knew that was his intention. He wanted to know everything that turned her on. Interestingly,
that
was a major turn-on.

Jessica undid the tie at the front of her pants, surprised to have no trouble with it in spite of the adrenaline making her hands shake. She jumped as Ben put a hand on either hip, sliding the pants down and letting them drop to the floor.

“I was going to keep my hands to myself,” he said, before pressing his lips to her shoulder. He flicked his tongue over her skin. “I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”

Ben was still completely clothed while she stood there in a satin leopard-print bra and panties. She definitely felt naughty.

And she liked it.

Ben found himself intensely aroused by the fact that his fantasy was playing out just as he’d pictured it. The undressing her in the fitting room part had come to him when they’d stepped into the store and found it empty of anyone but a sales clerk who he correctly guessed would be cooperative for money and lack of hassle. But the rest was right on.

“Now the bra,” he said gruffly.

“The bra?”

“You can’t wear one with the shirt I picked out,” he said unapologetically.

“I’m going without?” she squeaked.

Ben smiled. Jessica had probably never gone braless in public and the idea that she would tonight, for him, made his already present erection pulse with anticipation. Jessica wasn’t tiny on top but neither was she even a C cup. She was probably a B and her breasts were firm. She was going to look great in the top he’d picked out.

“Come on, give it up.”

Surprisingly, she reached behind her, undid the clasp and let the black straps slip off her shoulders without another word.

She stood proudly before him in panties only and Ben knew if he didn’t touch her he’d lose his mind. He stepped in, turned her to face the mirror and moved behind her, his chest against her back. She leaned into him and he wondered briefly if she was even aware of it. Then he had to touch her, it was that simple.

His hands came up and he cupped both breasts at once. Enjoying the soft fullness, the tips begging to be touched, the way she arched to get closer to his hands. But most erotic was the sight in the mirror. Jessica’s eyes were trained on the reflection in the mirror, her hair tumbled around her shoulders and fell over the backs of his hands, her lips were parted as she breathed in quick, short breaths. Her hair slightly obscured the view, though, so he lifted one hand and gathered her hair back, out of the way. He took a moment to run his fingers through the warm, silky mass, loving the idea of messing up the style, giving an outward sign to the world that he’d touched her; that he’d pleasured her.

But her breasts beckoned him, her excited, short breaths quickened his own breathing and he moved his hand again, this time taking her nipple and tugging gently.

She gasped and moaned and Ben smiled.

He teased both breasts similarly, loving how her eyes slid shut and how she pressed back against him and the sounds she made. Then he flattened his hand on her ribs and slid it down over her stomach.

Her head tipped back to rest on his shoulder and the short little pants stopped as she held her breath.

“We’ve got to take these off too,” he said near her ear.

Her head came up fast, but he kept her shoulder blades against his chest by keeping his hand on her breast, her rock-hard nipple peeking between his middle fingers. He squeezed and she breathed in deep.

Feeling smug, he dropped both hands, hooked the waistband of her silky panties with his thumbs and pulled. They slipped easily over her hips and he let them drop to the floor on top of her pants.

As she stepped out of them, Ben paused, eyes glued to the mirror and the sight of Jessica bare-assed naked on display for him under the bright lights designed to show every detail of what the room’s occupants wore—or didn’t.

“Jess,” he said hoarsely. “You’re gorgeous.”

He brushed his hand over the curls between her legs before she could complete even a word. She gasped as his palm cupped her mound and his middle finger slipped into the hot, silky folds that parted in welcome. “Damn, you’re wet for me,” he murmured with approval.

Her hands came back, grabbing the material of his slacks along the outer seams for support as her head fell back onto his shoulder again. He stroked in and out of her, closing his eyes in pleasure, then quickly snapping them open so as not to miss the exquisite sight in the mirror.

Jessica’s back arched, pressing closer to his hand,
her eyes pressed tightly shut
. She moaned softly as he stroked her. But Ben didn’t want soft responses. He wanted loud, hard, unrestrained.

He slipped another finger into her and his thumb found her clitoris, rubbing over it with enough pressure to cause her hips to buck. He held her steady with his other hand on her hip and watched his hand move on her, incredibly turned on by being able to watch in the mirror and wondering why the hell he’d never thought of this before.

“I want to touch you, too,” Jessica said in between gasps.

“But this isn’t about what you want,” he said. “I want you to see this. Open your eyes.”

He could tell that having someone else take command—of anything—was new to Jessica, and that she liked it. He loved that it was him she felt safe enough with to be adventurous. It shouldn’t matter, probably. In a casual affair it didn’t matter how the other person was feeling as long as everyone had a good time. But it did matter. She met his eyes in the mirror and wet her lips. He reached up and tugged on her nipple while he caressed her deeply, keeping his eyes connected with her.

“I can’t walk out of here without taking you,” he said gruffly against her ear.

“Good,” she said emphatically. She pushed his lower hand away, pivoted and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled him forward, and kissed him deep and hard with lots of tongue.

He gripped her hips in his hands, pulling her up against him, settling her mound right against his painfully hard erection and then rubbing.

“Yes,” she breathed as she pulled her mouth free. “Yes, right there.”

He obliged, grinding into her, even as he smiled. “What about right here, right now?” he asked, fully intending it to be right here, right now.

“
Yes
.”