Jacked Up (14 page)

“You feel so good,” he told her, his voice holding a tone she couldn’t quite decipher.

It was almost . . . awe.

She could say the same to him. He felt so full, so real, so attuned to her own body that she couldn’t speak. It was then she realized he couldn’t possibly be wearing a condom. Which was why he felt so amazing. There was nothing between them, just Nolan as close to her as he could possibly get.

Unless she’d been taking birth control pills without her knowledge, this was a dangerous situation that she needed to remedy immediately. In a minute. After she had an orgasm.

Eve came with a soft cry, arching her hips back toward him. Even as she was telling herself she shouldn’t have allowed that to happen since it wasn’t really fair to him, who wasn’t going to be able to do the same, she was shuddering in ecstasy at the feel of him deep inside her body as she came. This was much better than any plans she’d had, she had to admit.

“Do I need to pull out?” he asked, his voice gravelly and intense. “I’m going to come.”

“Probably a good idea,” she told him, even though the timing was off. She was the kind of woman who charted her periods with a phone app because she didn’t want any surprises and she knew she wasn’t ovulating. But better to be safe than knocked up, she always said. Actually, she’d never said that. This was the first time in her entire sexual history she’d allowed a man to forgo a condom.

With a groan he was gone, and in her position she couldn’t offer him a hand. By the time she rolled over to face him, he was flat on his back looking spent. But he did pry his eyes open and give her a grin. “I’m glad you couldn’t sleep, cupcake.”

“Well how could I with a penis in me?” she said, going for the smart-ass response. Climbing out of bed, she padded across the carpet to her bathroom to get a towel for Nolan. She should be freaking out about what they had just done, but for some reason she wasn’t.

The worry would arrive later, when he was gone and she was alone with her thoughts. She was sure of it. She was capable of worrying about anything, from global warming to what was floating in her soup. She most certainly was going to worry about whether or not a stray sperm might have rappelled his way up into her fallopian tube.

Balling it up, she tossed a hand towel at him as she admired his naked body stretched out on her bed. Only her aim was bad and it landed on his face.

“You trying to cover my ugly mug?” he said, voice muffled behind the blue towel. He peeled it off his face.

Eve laughed. “Sorry.”

He made no move to use the towel. He just lay there, all muscular and sexy, his expression lazy and content. She felt a pang for her phone, like she needed to check her e-mail just in case, so she hovered for a second, admiring the picture he made and trying to gauge how many e-mails might have piled up in the last hour.

“Do not get your phone,” he told her, snapping at her thigh with the towel. “Lie down with me.”

It was annoying the way he knew what she was about to do all the time.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She slid into bed next to him, wondering if she could grab her shirt off the floor or at the very least her panties. Lifting her head, she peered over the side to scan the carpet for blue lace.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Then get over here and snuggle.”

“I am here.” She could feel his thigh touching hers. That was a quality snuggle in her book. But in the spirit of giving, she rolled onto her side and put her hand on his chest. That was no hardship. It was a tactile orgasm feeling all that hot and hard muscle beneath her hand.

Nolan had tossed the towel down south so it looked like he was wearing a blue loincloth. She loved that it never occurred to him that he looked stupid. He didn’t care. She needed to borrow some of that attitude.

“I should probably jump in the shower.”

“Probably.” And take that towel with him.

He didn’t take offense. She knew he wouldn’t. He just laughed. Then startled her when he grabbed her waist and pulled her up on top of him. She landed on his chest, her breasts colliding with him, legs falling between his. “Ack! What are you doing?”

“Getting a kiss.” He did just that, pressing his lips to hers in a nice smack.

Eve felt a little ridiculous, but at the same time, she liked it. Nolan didn’t fight with her, he didn’t get angry, he didn’t try to cow her, and he seemed to think that she had a soft side under her prickly exterior.

It would seem he was right.

She kissed him back, a warm fuzzy feeling growing in her chest. Maybe cuddling didn’t suck after all.

“You gonna party with me in Vegas?” he asked, nibbling on her shoulder.

“I think we’ll both be working.” She stared down at his face, amazed at how comfortable she felt. How easy it was to be with him like this. “But it is my birthday.”

“It’s your birthday? Well, hell, yeah, we have to party.” He smacked her backside. “How old are you going to be?”

“You’re not supposed to ask a woman that.”

“Which is stupid. I know you’re not eighteen or forty. So what difference does it make if you’re twenty-eight or twenty-nine?”

It must have been so easy to be a man. They lived in a much simpler world than women. “Then why did you ask?”

He made a face. “Okay, you got me there. I was just curious.” Then he gave her a grin. “Maybe I wanted to know how many spanks to give you.”

“I’ll break your hand if you try.” She meant that most sincerely.

“But no, it really doesn’t matter.”

“And of course it matters. We live in a society where age is the enemy. So if you want to run for the hills, I’m going to be thirty-two.” Eve paused. Wait. Was that right? It couldn’t be, because Evan had just turned thirty and he was three years younger than her. “Oh, my God, no, I’m actually going to be thirty-three.” She fell against Nolan’s chest, horrified. How could she be thirty-three? She hadn’t
done
anything yet in her life.

Maybe they should just forget her birthday was even happening. She could revisit turning thirty-three next year. Because right now she was feeling like she had a career she didn’t enjoy, a ticking biological clock, and probably a rapidly developing ulcer.

Plus it was just lame that she had reached her current age and still didn’t know how to date.

“Will you relax? Age is just a number. A birthday is a reason to celebrate with friends and family, nothing more. And you’re lucky enough to be in Vegas for your birthday, so I say live it up.”

Pfft. That’s what she thought of that. “Yeah, well, we’ll see. I have to be there earlier than usual because Elec has a morning show interview on Thursday. So maybe I can squeeze in time to hit the buffet.”

“That is not a birthday celebration. You need to go out dancing.”

He couldn’t possibly be serious. “You saw me dancing at the Oktoberfest. No one wants me to go out dancing.”

“Then see a show or something.”

“Hmm.” Eve laid her head down on his chest. She was starting to feel sleepy, and she’d much rather be unconscious when they discussed her birthday.

“I don’t get in until Saturday but maybe we can grab a drink together.”

“Sure.” Chances were they’d both be too busy and he knew it. But it was nice of Nolan to offer. Nice that he wanted to help her celebrate her birthday.

She’d just as soon celebrate a trip to the dentist but it was sweet.

He pinched her side.

Eve was yanked out of the dreamy almost asleep state she’d been in. “What the hell was that for?”

“A pinch to grow an inch.”

The man was cute. She had to admit. Amused, Eve trailed her fingers down his chest until she found his penis. She cupped him in her hand. “I have all the inches I need right here.”

His breath drew in sharply. “Damn, Eve.”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” Since he was going with childhood phrases.

Suddenly she found herself on her back. The shock of the quick position change and how easily he could move her had her inner thighs humming to life.

“I’m going to wear
you
out,” he told her, eyes dark with desire, arms enclosing her in a muscular cocoon.

He most definitely was not going to get an argument from her.

Eve wrapped her legs around his waist. “Is that how you treat an old lady?”

He plunged inside her without hesitation or preamble. “My old lady.”

The possessiveness should have horrified her. Dried up her desire. Made her run from her own house.

Instead, she came almost immediately at the intensity of him taking her hard, his words reverberating around her. His. She wanted to be his.

CHAPTER

TEN

NOLAN
cleared his throat and tried not to sound as awkward as he felt. “So,” he said to Evan, “I’m guessing you might have heard that I’m seeing your sister.”

He really wanted to just stare at the grease spot on his hands, but he forced himself to look Evan in the eye. He had no reason to be worried about anything. It was just everyone making him nervous about dating his bosses’ sister. Or maybe he was nervous because after the night before, casually dating Eve was no longer an option. He wanted to date her for real. He wanted to kiss her senseless on a regular basis, massage away her worries, laugh with her.

It was safe to say he was falling hard for her, and that made him just a little nervous. It had been a while since he’d felt this way about a woman. If he needed to remember exactly how long, he could certainly ask his mother. She seemed to have his dating history worked out on a spreadsheet.

Evan met his gaze straight on. He had stopped into the garage to check on his car for the Phoenix race. “Yeah, I might have heard about that.”

“Did Eve tell you?”

“No. Elec did.” Evan put his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

He didn’t look annoyed, which Nolan took as a good sign. “So you don’t have a problem with that? From a work point of view, I mean.”

“It’s not really any of my business what you do in your free time. But Eve is my sister, and I’m going to be honest with you, she’s not easy to get along with.”

Why did everyone feel like they needed to warn him Eve was a pain in the butt? No one ever seemed to notice her good qualities. He did. “Eve and I get along just fine. We’re having fun together.” If he sounded a little defensive, well, he had a right to.

Evan’s hand came up out of his pocket. “Whoa, alright, I’m not criticizing your relationship. I’m just saying dealing with her takes finessing, something I personally suck at. She and I fight all the time, but I love her. And I don’t want her hurt. Nor do I want the two of you going at it at work.”

Nolan wanted to argue. He wanted to say that they hadn’t fought yet and he didn’t plan on it. But he knew Evan had a legitimate concern and being defensive wasn’t really Nolan’s style.

“I think you can trust both of us to be professional. But you know what it’s like—you can’t help who you’re attracted to.” There really wasn’t any explanation for why he and Eve hit it off, but they did.

Evan laughed. “Well, you’ve got that right. Some people were telling me that dating Kendall was a bad move for my career. I didn’t listen. So I guess you shouldn’t listen either.”

“I plan on keeping my relationship with Eve separate from work. For the most part. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to take advantage of the traveling.” If he and Eve were both going to a race, he was sharing her hotel room, plain and simple. They had crazy schedules and he wanted to ensure they got to spend time together.

Evan made a face. “I really don’t need to think about you and my sister sheet diving, okay?”

Yeah, he could see that. “I meant spending time together. I wasn’t necessarily talking about sex.” He had been talking about sex. Spending time together with Eve meant a lot of things, one of which should always include sex. Now that he’d dipped his toe in that water, he wanted to go swimming on a regular basis. But he didn’t need to be discussing that with Eve’s brother. He wouldn’t want to hear that about his own sisters, so he needed to respect the boundaries before he ended up with Evan’s fist in his jaw.

“Let’s just not ever say the word ‘sex’ in relation to my sister and we’ll be fine.”

“No problem.” This conversation wasn’t going horribly, yet it was still making Nolan uncomfortable. “So let’s talk about Eve’s birthday instead. It’s next weekend.”

“Huh. I guess it is. I imagine we’ll do a family dinner or something during the week. You angling for an invite?”

“No, no.” Nolan had no idea how Eve would feel about him meeting her parents. That was for her to initiate, not him. But he had a few other tricks up his sleeve. “She’s feeling bad about turning thirty-three, which is stupid, because she looks amazing. She is amazing. Anyway, I was thinking of throwing a surprise party for her in Vegas.” Otherwise, knowing Eve, she’d sit in her hotel room and do push-ups.

“Oh, damn, Nolan, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Evan was shaking his head. “Eve doesn’t really like surprises. She’s not a surprise kind of girl. She likes to know the ending of every movie and book in advance and she’s a master at handling details. She could probably tell you every single article of clothing in her closet, categorized by color and type. No. No surprises.”

“I get what you’re saying.” He did. “But that’s the point. Eve has fun when she gets out of her comfort zone. Why let her stay home and dismiss her birthday when we can throw a party and she’ll have a great time?”

He knew she liked to plan things herself. Hell, she’d planned their having sex. But that was also why she’d gotten upset when it hadn’t gone according to plan. If there was no plan, then there was no way an event could disappoint. Not that he thought she’d been disappointed with their night together, but she hadn’t completely let go either. He wanted her so relaxed that she forgot to worry. That she forgot her phone even existed, let alone where it was.

“I think you’re insane,” Evan told him. “This has the potential to completely backfire on you. And when Eve backfires, everything around her feels the sting.”

Nolan was disappointed. “So are you saying you won’t be there?”

Evan sighed. “Of course I’ll be there. Kendall, too. She is my sister. But seriously, Ford, are you absolutely sure you want to do this?”

“Absolutely.” It was brilliant, he was sure of it. “I’m telling her I won’t be there until Saturday, but I’ll come in on Thursday and we’ll surprise her that night.”

“Okay. Count us in. Who am I to interfere with your nut racking?”

Nolan laughed. “She’ll be pleased. Trust me.”

Tilting his head slightly, Evan studied him. “You really dig her, don’t you?”

“Hell yeah, I do. She’s a rare one and I aim to stick around as long as she’ll let me.” Nut racking or not. No pain, no gain.

“Good. I’m glad to hear that. Eve deserves someone who thinks she’s the shit.” Evan grinned. “And who can put up with her. So you need a list of people to invite?”

“That would be really helpful, man, thanks.”

“I’ll get it to you later today.” Evan clapped him on the back. “I hope it works out for you. Now I’m taking off. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Nolan waved as Evan left.

Nolan had no clue how to go about planning a party in Vegas, but he had a feeling Suzanne Jefferson might be willing to help him. He seemed to recall she had done some wedding planning, and she and Eve were friends. Hopefully she’d be willing to give him some ideas on how to throw a party on a Big Mac budget. A room and a cake, that’s all they really needed.

Rhett strolled over to him. “He didn’t fire your dumb ass?”

“No, he didn’t fire me. He’s cool with me dating Eve, because he’s an adult.” It was starting to get really old that everyone seemed determined that he’d (1) lose his job, and (2) lose his sanity dating Eve. He didn’t remember everyone ever having this much of an opinion regarding women he’d dated before.

“Doesn’t it worry you that the Monroes are rich?”

Yes. “No. Eve doesn’t seem materialistic. If that mattered to her, she wouldn’t be seeing me.” But he had to say, his brother had hit on a fear of his.

All of this was making him cranky. He just wanted to spend time with the woman and throw her a damn party. Why was everyone making it so difficult?

“I’m going back to work.”

So there.

* * *

KENDALL
looked at her husband skeptically. “A surprise party? For Eve? Does Nolan understand she’s not really the type to get into surprises?”

“I tried to warn him.”

Evan flopped on the couch of their motor coach next to her. They had arrived in Phoenix earlier, and with the time change, they were both tired and ready for bed. Or at least she was. But it was only seven o’clock, local time.

“He’s kind of a stubborn guy. In a good way. Most men run away after one date with Eve.”

“Oh, come on, be nice.”

Evan put his hand up. “I’m not being a prick, I’m merely stating facts, babe. Eve is the kind of girl who makes men’s testicles shrivel up. They hit on her and she hands them their asshole back.”

“Why do you think she does that? I have my own theories, but as her brother, I’m sure you know her better.”

“I don’t know. She was born bitchy.”

That was not the answer Kendall was looking for. “That’s not a theory, that’s laziness. Maybe you and Elec should have spent more time getting to know Eve, trying to understand her feelings.”

Now he scoffed. “Yeah, sure, we’ll just get right on that. You don’t ask Eve about her feelings. Actually, I don’t ask anyone about their feelings, and I’m not going to ask the one person who feels perfectly justified in giving me a right hook.” Evan put his feet on the coffee table. “She has a mean right hook, by the way. Don’t let her get the jump on you.”

Kendall had knowledge of Evan being considerate enough to ask her about her feelings on multiple occasions, so she knew he was capable of it. “I think that Eve internalizes her stress. She needs an outlet and she’s relied on arguing for that.”

“Why would that be a stress reliever? It just makes my blood pressure go up.”

Wishing she’d brought socks since it was cold in the AC, Kendall tucked her feet under her legs. “Everyone is different. I think for her that keeps her from bottling it all up.”

“If Nolan is willing to argue back, then I guess I’m happy for them. I still think a party is a bad idea.”

“Agreed.” Kendall could visualize her sister-in-law’s face turning eight shades of angry. “But then again, you should have seen her when we were out for girls’ night and Nolan called her. She was so nervous. I think she really likes him.” Which would be a first as far as Kendall knew. Back when she and Evan had dated right out of high school, she hadn’t noticed Eve involved with anyone. Nor had she in the six months that Kendall and Evan had been back together. “How many boyfriends has Eve had?”

“I don’t know.” Evan’s hand had landed on her upper thigh and was moving north. It was obvious he was losing interest in the conversation.

Tempted to throw a sofa pillow at him, Kendall put her hand over his to stop it. “I’m serious. I think it would be great if this worked out.”

“I think that would be a good thing, too,” he protested. “Seriously, I want Eve to be happy. It seems like the last few years she’s been pretty damn miserable. If she can find a guy who can loosen her up and get her to have fun, I’ll buy him a car.”

Kendall laughed. “You’ll buy him a car?” And the thing was, her husband might be flippant but she knew he meant it. He was at heart a very good guy.

“Yep.”

“You’d better not mention that in front of Eve. She might tell you she’s happy just to stick it to you.”

He drained his drink and moved his hand farther up her thigh. “Good point. Now can we get to the real subject at hand?”

“What subject would that be?” Kendall felt the heat of his touch immediately. It always amazed her how just a stroke across her leg could have her glancing around for the nearest mattress.

“My horniness.”

Kendall laughed. She loved her husband, that was for sure. “Well, let’s get to work on that subject right now.”

He leaned over and kissed her. “Did you buy condoms? We’re out, remember.”

She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him back. “No. Let’s just skip the condom this time.” They’d been talking about starting a family for months. It felt like time to pull the trigger.

Evan pulled back and stared at her. “Are you serious?”

She nodded. “Yeah, what do you think?” The urge to be a mother had been growing steadily, and she loved her husband so much. She wanted to start a family with him.

He hugged her so tightly her ribs hurt. “I think we should do it.”

The way her heart swelled amazed her. She wasn’t sure she could love him any more than she did right then. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Then hopefully what they did in the next hour would result in baby makes three.

Or at the very least an orgasm.

* * *

NOLAN
glanced around the hotel suite in amazement. Suzanne was barking out orders, her infant son in her arms. The room was a whirlwind of activity with at least half a dozen women running around transforming the space into an explosion of pink and purple and yellow.

Suzanne came over to him. “So what do you think? How does it look so far?”

“It looks . . . amazing.” It looked like a whole lot of a whole lot. Nolan couldn’t believe what Suzanne had pulled off in such a short time. “I really appreciate you doing this.”

“It’s a fun challenge for me. You know you can’t rent a bathroom stall in Vegas on your budget, so using our suite for the night allows us to use all your cash for the décor and food.”

The budget that Suzanne had thought was so insanely small was going to give him a heart attack if he thought about it too long. Never in his life had he spent so much money on a party and certainly not on a woman he’d been dating for two weeks. But once the ball had started rolling, he hadn’t been able to catch it.

So now he was giving Eve a surprise birthday party in Ryder and Suzanne’s Vegas suite, and there was no turning back. It looked like a bakery had exploded in the room. When Suzanne had asked him if he had a theme in mind, he had told her no. But then she had tricked him by asking him if he had a nickname for Eve. He had answered “cupcake” without thinking why she might be asking that.

Now he knew. She had made the entire room look like an actual cupcake, with fluffy fabrics hanging from the ceiling and a giant towering display of individual cupcakes made to look like an enormous cupcake. There were dozens of colorful balloons and a table full of paper favors, including stick-on tattoos of baked goods. Plus hanging over all of it, like a giant sugary declaration of his feelings, was a sign that said
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CUPCAKE
in sprinkles.