Full Moon (3 page)

He led her home, neither of them speaking along the way. Josie noticed it wasn’t an awkward silence. In fact, she felt more at ease than she’d anticipated. She wasn’t suffering from the slightest bit of nervousness. If anything, she wished he’d walk faster.

“I haven’t had sex in over two years.” Where the fuck had that confession come from? She winced. “I mean—”

Jake squeezed her hand. “I think I understand that horniness now. Maybe we better hurry up.”

She laughed as he picked up the pace. Jake was funny and easygoing. As far as howling went, she couldn’t have chosen a better partner to help her check off the first item on her sex list.

Taking his keys out of his pocket, he opened the door to his second-floor apartment, flicking on the light switch as she entered.

Mercifully, Jake’s place wasn’t bachelor-pad gross. There were no soiled dishes piled up on every surface, no dirty-gym-sock odor in the air, and the furniture wasn’t stained, with stuffing coming out at the seams. Apart from some clothes and shoes scattered about, the place was actually quite clean.

“Nice,” she murmured as she looked around.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s okay. Rent’s cheap, the neighbors are quiet and I have my own washer and dryer. It’s not a bad place to lay my head at night.”

“Having your own washer and dryer is huge. I have to lug my laundry across the commons and drag it down into this humid basement laundry room my landlord set up for all the tenants. Costs a quarter a load, so I’m forever digging for change.”

She wasn’t sure where all that had come from. Now that she was in Jake’s apartment she couldn’t figure out how to move things to the next level. While she’d initiated the invitation, she was clueless when it came to seduction. She’d been with one man in her life—Tony—and he’d always been the instigator when it came to sex.

It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy the act. It was just that Tony’s libido seemed to run on high all the time. She never had a chance to be the pursuer.

“So,” she said at last, “where’s your bedroom?”

Jake stepped closer, his grin growing. He lifted his hands and cupped her cheeks. It was a sexy move. Josie’s stomach flip-flopped. “What’s the rush, brown eyes?”

“We both know why I’m here. I don’t see the need for chitchat. Seems sort of pointless.”

Jake studied her face. She could feel her cheeks flushing. Crap. She hadn’t blushed since she was fourteen. There was very little that rattled her, but Jake’s hungry gaze left her flustered.

“Who said anything about us talking? Sure. Sex is a given tonight. But I’m not skipping the foreplay just because we know how this is going to end. Getting there is half the fun.”

She sucked in a deep breath, but the air didn’t penetrate her lungs. “Oh.” She was in over her head. And loving every minute of it. “Okay.”

Jake led her to the couch. “When’s the last time you made out with a guy?”

She started to give him her standard two years answer, but she realized it had been longer than that. Toward the end of her marriage, she and Tony had stopped taking the time to kiss and touch. They’d adopted the wham, bam method of lovemaking, usually because they were too tired or because they were trying to finish quickly in case Tommy woke up.

Her silence lasted too long.

“What a waste,” Jake muttered. “A woman like you should be kissed every fucking day. For hours at a time.”

“Could you be any hotter?” The words slipped from her lips before she could think better of them. She was finding it difficult to play it cool with Jake. When she’d envisioned this night, she always saw herself as the aggressor. She imagined raw, hot, meaningless, quick sex. She didn’t expect to laugh, to have fun, to be wooed, seduced.

Jake chuckled, then grasped her hand and pressed it to the placket of his pants, letting her feel his erection. “If the temperature goes up any higher, I might be in danger of bursting into flames. I want you, Josie.”

She pressed his cock more firmly. “I’m here.”

“So you are.” He stepped closer and pressed her toward the couch. She was about to sit down when he stopped her, sank down on the cushions and pulled her onto his lap.

She laughed at his unexpected move. “Smooth.”

He didn’t bother to respond to her joke. Instead, he placed his hand at the nape of her neck and tugged her to him.

Josie’s heart began to race as she pressed her lips to his. Fear and arousal mingled together to notch up her desire. While she was the queen of spontaneity when it came to safe things, she’d never taken a chance like this. She was sitting on the lap of a man she’d known all of three hours with every intention of having sex with him.

Some rational part of her brain was yelling at her to think about this a little longer, but Jake’s kiss kicked her common sense to the curb.

His lips parted, his tongue seeking entrance to her mouth. His kiss was warm, the perfect mix of gentle and demanding. Her body softened in his embrace as she tried to move closer.

Josie felt his erection against her hip and a wave of lightheadedness wafted through her. Had she ever wanted a man this much?

Jake maneuvered them again, laying her down on the couch. He never broke the contact of their lips as he shifted and climbed over her.

His large frame caged her beneath him—it was the most beautiful captivity of her life. He rested his weight on his forearms, as his fingers tangled in her brown hair. He deepened the kiss.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, determined to keep him close. Josie tried to recall the last time she’d made out like this. She and Tony had stopped kissing long before the marriage ended, and while she’d been on dates since the divorce, there’d been no spark, no chemistry, nothing.

Jake was pushing every hot button inside her with no more than his lips on hers, his hands in her hair and his rock-hard body pressing her deeper into the plush cushions. He didn’t seek to go further, to advance the play. Instead, he seemed perfectly content to spend the rest of the night holding her, just like this.

It was flattering. And frustrating. Her breasts ached to be touched. Her pussy clenched with need.

Finally, she turned her head slightly, gasping for breath. “Jake. More.”

Strong fingers on her jaw turned her face back to his. “Soon.”

When he started kissing her again, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Josie wrapped her legs around his hips, grinding her pussy against his denim-covered cock.

He groaned against her lips, but didn’t give way. Soon it became a test of wills as Jake continued to torment her—with slow, deep, leisurely, amazing kisses—while she tried to drive him out of his mind with touches on his back, his chest, his cock.

Unfortunately, the more Josie tried to tempt Jake to move to the next level, the more painful her own arousal became.

Any doubts she might have harbored about the wisdom of the adventure gave way to pure lust.

“Jake, please.”

He ran his fingers along her cheek. “Come on.”

He stood, reaching for her hand to help her rise. Her legs were wobbly, but his strong arms provided the support she needed as he led her to his bedroom.

His room, like the rest of his apartment, was tidy. His bed was even made. Josie wasn’t sure why, but the idea that he took the two minutes necessary to make his bed in the morning made her even more certain of her decision to come here. He wasn’t lazy and he took pride in his home.

He turned on the bedside lamp, so the bedroom wasn’t overwhelmed with light, but allowed them to see each other more clearly.

Jake reached for the hem of his T-shirt and tugged it over his head.

God bless America. The man was built. Mega-built. Jake’s six-pack chest would make Ryan Gosling weep with envy.

“Damn,” she muttered.

Jake grinned good-naturedly at her compliment, then pointed to her shirt. “Fair is fair.”

Josie had never turned down a dare in her life. She unbuttoned her blouse and slid it off her shoulders, making the disrobing a peep show for his enjoyment.

Once the shirt hit the floor, he gave her an appreciative wolf whistle. “
Damn
is an understatement in your case.”

She’d anticipated the evening would be awkward, uncomfortable. After all, they were virtual strangers. Instead, Josie was having the time of her life. She put her fingers at the fastening of her jeans. “Should we go for broke?”

Jake followed suit, hastily unbuttoning his jeans. He slid the zipper down, then paused when he noticed she hadn’t moved. She’d forgotten what she was doing, too excited about seeing if what he was packing beneath that skin-tight denim was as promising as it felt.

“Don’t leave me hanging, Josie.”

Her gaze returned to his face and she rolled her eyes when he gave her a cocky wink. Then she gave him exactly what he was asking for. She unfastened her pants. Without pausing, she shimmied her jeans over her hips, kicking them off until she stood before him in nothing but her lacy bra and thong.

She giggled when she realized it was Jake’s turn to forget what he was doing. “Jesus,” he mumbled reverently.

“You’re awfully good for the ego, Mr.—” She paused. “Shit. I don’t even know your last name.”

He started to tell her, but she quickly cut him off. “No! Don’t tell me. It’s sex-with-a-stranger night. If you tell me your whole name, it diminishes the fun of that.”

He tilted his head. “Is this a fantasy thing?”

She shrugged lightly. “Something like that.” She had no intention of telling him about her Howl List. She’d shared her goals with the wine girls and that was as far as she planned to go with the information.

Jake was simply helping her mark off number one on her list. If the rest of her full moons were as perfect as tonight, she was about to have one hell of a year.

“I don’t mind being a fantasy, Josie.” As he spoke, he pressed her back until her legs hit his bed. She sank down onto the mattress.

Jake didn’t join her. Instead, he knelt in front of her, his gaze landing on her breasts. One of the perks of motherhood was she actually had some now. She’d been rather small-chested all through high school, but since Tommy’s birth, her barely B cup had developed into a healthy C.

Jake reached behind her to undo the snaps while Josie ran her fingers through his hair. It was as soft as it looked. She dragged her hand along his face, stroking the rough feel of his beard.

He gave her a lopsided grin, accentuating the laugh lines by his blue eyes. Their appearance proved he was no stranger to smiling. She liked that.

Then he pulled her bra away.

Josie let her hands rest on his shoulders, her fingers tightening in the muscles there when he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on the top of each breast. His hands entered the play, cupping her, holding her up so he could suck her tight nipple into his mouth.

She didn’t bother to hold back the quiet “Oh” when he increased the suction, his ministrations the perfect mixture of pleasure tinged with the slightest discomfort. So much for Jake’s easygoing nature. His increasingly rougher touches told Josie he’d be a potent lover.

The thought made her giddy. Sex with Tony had been easy, predictable, and—once the newness of it had worn off—passionless.

Jake’s grip on her breasts tightened and she cried out. He didn’t bother to slacken his hold. If anything, her small whimpers drove him further.

She reached out to grip his hair, clasping him to her breasts when she sensed he might let go. This felt too good and she didn’t want it to stop. Jake continued to suckle, nip, squeeze.

Josie tried to press her legs together, to seek some sort of relief, but Jake was stationed firmly between them. She squirmed restlessly, her pussy seeking, clenching the air.

“Jake,” she finally said, when the desire grew too painful. He released her and glanced up. She wasn’t sure what he saw there, but it convinced him to take pity on her.

Rising, Jake stripped off his jeans and boxers.

Josie licked her lips when she got her first look at his cock. Jake was long and thick and definitely ready to roll. He caught sight of her hungry stare, but shook his head when she started to lean forward to take him into her mouth.

“Not tonight, Josie. You put those pretty lips of yours anywhere near my dick and this game will be over before it starts.” He bent over to retrieve his wallet from his pants, digging out a condom. “Take off that thong.”

She lifted her hips and shed the final piece of clothing as Jake donned the rubber.

Moment of truth.

She lifted her arms as Jake approached, lying back on the mattress as he came over her. She parted her legs and he was there. He touched her briefly, found her wet. Then his cock nudged at the entrance to her body. He didn’t pause as he slowly drove inside.

It had been too long since she’d had sex. Though she was wet and ready for him, it was still a tight fit. Her fingers dug into his upper arms and he stopped, buried to the hilt.

“Okay?” His eyes were concerned, kind.

She was so glad she’d found him. That Jake was the man to bring her out of hibernation and back into the world of sex. She nodded, surprised by the tear that escaped. She tried to bat it away before he could see, but Jake caught her wrist, held it away from her face.

“Crying?”

“It’s been a long time and this feels really good.”

He considered her answer for a moment, then he bent over to kiss her cheek, his lips absorbing the wetness there. “You’re beautiful, Josie. I’m glad you picked me.”

She turned her face, finding his lips with hers. Jake accepted her kiss, then lifted his hips and helped her find her rhythm again. She’d been out of synch with the world for too long. As he moved in and out, he showed her exactly how much she’d been missing.

They stopped talking as Josie let herself be swept away by the moment, the magic. Jake pressed into her, each return going deeper, stroking places inside her she didn’t know existed. When his fingers grazed her clit, she gasped. Then she came.

Jake didn’t stop as she writhed beneath him, crying out her pleasure. Instead, he continued to push her on, forcing her higher.