Release (25 page)

She bit into the
decadent truffle, and licked her lips, enjoying the creamy texture of the rich
chocolate.  “Mmm, this is really good,” she moaned around the chocolate in
her mouth.

He popped the
rest of it into his mouth, then kissed her, eating at her, swirling his tongue
around in her mouth, mixing their two flavors together.  He licked her
lips clean, then made a smacking sound.

“There’s
something else in the bag, but that will be for after dinner,” he said with
promise. 

She looked at
him warily, then her curiosity won out and she reached for the bag.

He snatched it
out of her hand.  “Hey!  Trust me, baby.  You’ll know before the
evening’s done.”

He snuggled her
back into his lap, and leaned her back onto his chest.  “Tell me about
your first week.”

She sighed
happily.  “It was great.  I loved it,” she said looking up at
him.  She hesitated.  “I’m not sure if I should be talking to you
about my experiences at the Institute considering your position there.”

“Baby, you need
to stop worrying about that.  You can tell me anything.”

“I know, but I
don’t want to say things that may make you want to go off and... fix them, or
something.”

“Did something
happen?” His eyes narrowed.

“No,” she said
too quickly.  “I’m just saying.”  Pause.  “Just out of
curiosity, how will the process work at the end of the summer?  Who takes
your place when it comes time to evaluate my candidacy?”

He took a deep
breath, and settled in, his arms wrapped around her.  “Well, interestingly
enough, the alternate on the board is my best friend.  We went to school
together.  He’s in the fashion industry, and will step in when it’s time
to discuss you.”  Then he added dryly, “It’s one of the reasons why I
haven’t introduced him to you yet.  I know once he meets you, you’ll charm
the socks off of him, and I need a little more time to mark my
territory.”  He gave her a pointed look.  “I want to make sure he
knows you’re off the market.  Otherwise he’d be all over you.  And
considering he’ll need to keep an open mind when discussing your evaluation, I
thought it best to hold off introducing you two.”

She blushed at
his remarks.  He really did give her ‘beauty’ way too much credence. 
Then she asked the question she had been waiting to ask. “
Am
I off the
market?”

He blinked in
surprise at the question.  Then, gently but firmly, gripped her hair in
his hand, and pulled her head back so she could meet his gaze.  It
glittered with heat, and a bit of some other emotion she couldn’t quite put her
finger on.  “Yes, Ryann.  You most definitely are…why do you ask?”
his voice deadly calm.

Her breathing
picked up.  She was forced to look up at him.  “We just haven’t
talked about it…you know…whether we’re dating exclusively or not.”

“Is there
something you want to tell me, Ryann?”  His voice was dangerously soft.

She couldn’t
control herself, and started to giggle.

“Ryann,” he
warned.

She kept
giggling until it turned into full out laughter.

He pulled her
head back even further, leaning her back, and then brought his lips to hover
over hers.  “What the hell is so funny?”

She cleared her
throat, and smiled.  “I just think it’s funny that
you’re
implying
I
have someone else.”

“What’s that
supposed to mean?”

She gave him an
exasperated look.  “First of all, Mr. Experience, I have a hard enough
time handling
you
.  Do you really think I would be able to handle
you,
and
another man?  Second of all, you’re the one who’s pictured
on the internet with half the women all over the City.”  She huffed out
that last part.  Her snarkiness was rearing its ugly head.  “I think
the question is, are
you
off the market?”

He moved the
chocolates from her lap, laid her down onto the sofa, and crouched over her.

“Do you want me
to be off the market, Ryann?” he whispered.

She was getting
worked up, and exhaled harshly.  “Don’t play with me, Jeremy.  I
asked you a question.  If you want to be…fucking…other women, then you
won’t be fucking me,” she said her anger coming out in full force.

He looked her in
the eye, and smiled that lazy smile.  “I like it when you say ‘fuck.’”

She growled,
then struggled to get up.  He easily stopped her, restraining her wrists
above her head with one of his hands.

“I’m serious,
Jeremy,” she huffed.

Her robe had
slipped open, and he dragged one finger over her chest back and forth. 
The tickling sensation coupled with their argument all while he restrained her,
caused her nipples to tighten.  Her damn body!  She didn’t want to be
aroused at that moment.

She struggled,
but he held her more firmly, then pinned her with his intense green eyes that
were quickly turning black with excitement.

“Do you want me
to be off the market?” he asked again.

The rise and
fall of her chest was the only movement between them.

“I asked you a
question, Ryann,” he whispered hovering over her lips.

“You still
haven’t answered
mine,
” she shot back.

He lightly ran
his finger over her bottom lip and waited.  She didn’t want to be the
first to admit it.  And how adolescent was that, she chastised herself.

“Yes,” she
whispered.  All of her vulnerability was showing on her face, and she
could feel the unshed tears burning her eyes.  She blinked like crazy to
stop them from falling.  

His eyes looked
at her tenderly, and he stroked his finger down her cheek.  “Good,” he
said against her lips.  “I want to be off the market, too.”

She let go of
her breath, and he kissed her softly, and slowly.

After a couple
of moments, she turned her face away.  “And you want me to be off the
market?” she asked quietly.

“Make no
mistake, my little sex kitten.  You are
def
initely off the market.”

He reached his
hand down from her face, and cupped her breast.  “These gorgeous breasts
are
mine
.”  He clasped her nipple between his thumb and forefinger,
and pinched lightly.  “This nipple…belongs to me.”

Her chest was
rising and falling a little faster, as she melted into the sofa, squirming
against his other hand still restraining her wrists.

His hand left
her nipple, and untied her robe, spreading it open.  Then he rubbed his
hand down her stomach and palmed her sex, grinding his palm to her mound. 
“And this sweet pink pussy?” He inserted a finger inside her and she
gasped.  “Who does it belong to, Ryann?” he asked, his voice husky.

“You…” she
breathed, bowing up off the sofa to push into his hand.

“Me.  It
all belongs to
me
,” he said, as he slowly finger fucked her, pressing
his palm down into her clit.  “Say it.”

“Yes…”

“Every glorious
inch.  Is
mine.
”  He continued his slow torture, and inserted
a second finger, scissoring them inside of her.

“Ahh…”  She
bowed up even further, while she got closer to the edge.

He leaned down
to her ear, he whispered, “Every time you come, it’s going to be my name on
your lips.  My face that you see…”

“Jeremy,” she
gasped, undulating her hips, trying to increase the tempo of his fingers. 
He obliged, and pumped in and out faster, grinding more forcefully into her
clit.

Her moaning got
louder, and as she strained to the finish line, he nailed her with his
eyes.  “I want to hear my name when I make you come…say
my
name,
Ryann.”

She did, and
soared over the edge.

…..

The next several
hours were spent cuddling, murmuring words of assurance, and ordering Chinese
food from down the block.  At around 10, she was starting to fall asleep
in the middle of the
Bourne
marathon on TV, while they lay entwined in
each other’s arms on the sofa.

Jeremy was
playing with her hair, nuzzling her forehead, hypnotizing her into a drowsy
zone of contentment.  She hadn’t realized she’d fallen asleep, until she
felt herself being carried to the bedroom.  She groggily opened her eyes,
then snuggled herself into his arms.

“Sorry,” she
murmured.  “I didn’t realize how tired I was.”

He laid her onto
the bed which he’d turned down before waking her.  He took off her robe,
and his jeans, then settled them into the bed, draping her over him.

“I didn’t get to
see my other present,” she mumbled, her voice muffled against his chest.

He chuckled. 
“You’ll definitely get it, baby, but it’ll keep until tomorrow night at my
place.”

She snuggled in
some more, already fighting off the sleep overtaking her.  “We only had
sex one time…don’t you want to do it again before I fall asleep?”

She could hear
the smile in his voice.  “I prefer you alert and awake when I’m inside
you,” he murmured, moving a little, adjusting himself.  “So stop tempting
me, and go to sleep.  I’m trying not to be a selfish asshole.”

“You’re never
selfish.  You always make sure I’m completely satisfied.”  She picked
up her head and looked at him, already waking up and forming a wonderful idea
in her mind.

She let her hand
rub down his stomach, and encircled her fingers around his already hard
member.  Her mouth watered.

He gripped his
hand in her hair, and let out a shaky breath.  “It looks like my sex
kitten isn’t too tired after all.”

She laid on top
of him, kissing his hard chest, then his washboard stomach.  He reached
down and clasped her breasts, pressing them together, engulfing his shaft
between them.  He rubbed himself against the globes of her chest. 
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he murmured.  “You have no idea what you do
to me.”

“Tell me,” she said while she tickled his belly button
with her tongue.  He always made her tell him what she was thinking. 
It was his turn.

He took a long time answering.  Then he frowned.

“I want to be inside you.  All the time.  I
want to hear how your day was, and talk about your thoughts on things...I want
to see you paint something...I want to protect you...and make love to you,
and...”  He stopped talking, and grabbed her hair to pull her up his body,
where he draped her again.  His jaw was clenched.

She waited, but he had stopped talking.  She ran
her finger over his mouth, which was grim.  “What’s wrong?” she whispered.

He closed his
eyes and swallowed.  “Nothing, baby.  Let’s go to sleep.”

For some reason,
she felt a little sick to her stomach.  He seemed upset, but she didn’t
know why.  She put her head on his chest, but it was a long time before
she slept.

…..

The next day was
uneventful, but nice just the same.  They slept in, then stopped and got
bagels and coffee, and went to Jeremy’s place.  The day was spent working,
her in the living room working on her thesis, him in his woodshop, puttering.

By late
afternoon, she had done enough work, and just wanted to hang out and spend time
with him.  She walked into his shop and stood by the door watching him.

He was wearing a
white t-shirt, with his worn Levi’s, and steel toed boots.  God, was there
a man alive who didn’t look sexy as hell in a pair of 501 button fly
jeans?  She had a moment to spy on him, since he hadn’t heard her come in
due to the buzz of the saw, and the classic rock on his stereo system.

He was such a
handsome man.  So tall, and good looking.  Killer body.  Great
personality and sense of humor.  Compassionate and sensitive. 
Dominating sex god.  He was quite a catch.  She considered herself
extremely lucky that he had found her so interesting.

Not for the
first time had she thought back to the night before, right when they were going
to sleep, when he told her the list of things “she did for him.” 

She was
extremely touched by what he had said, and still a little confused at his
reaction to the conversation.  He had been somewhat quiet since
then.  Although he was still affectionate with her throughout the day, he
seemed distant.  It worried her a little.

Given the
activities and conversations from the night before, she knew he wanted her, and
that he wanted her ‘off the market,’ but his actions from today contradicted
his words from the night before.  He hadn’t initiated sex since then, and
she wasn’t sure how to take that. 

At that moment,
Jeremy turned around to get something, and noticed her at the door.  He
smiled, his whole face lighting up.  Her breath caught, and her heart
fluttered. 

Guard your
heart, Ryann.  You can’t fall in love with him after knowing him for only
a week.

He stalked over
to her, his dark hair sticking up from running his fingers in it.  When he
got to her, he wrapped his arms around her when he arrived at the door. 
“Hey there,” he murmured, kissing her.  “I feel like I haven’t seen you
all day.”

She hugged him
back and looked up at his beautiful green eyes.  “That’s because you
haven’t.”  She smiled and kissed his chest through his t-shirt. 
“Mmm.  You smell like saw dust.”

“Sorry,” he
tried to break away.

She held onto
him.  “No.  I wasn’t complaining.  You smell good, like the
woods.”

He reached back
and pulled his shirt off, giving her an eyeful of sexy man, then he leaned in
and cupped her face.  “Did you get some work done?”

“Yeah, actually
I got a
lot
done.”  She moved forward to nibble at his muscled
chest.

“Are you at a
good stopping point?” he asked, caressing her neck with his mouth.

She smiled, “I
actually think I’m done for the day.”

He looked down
at her.  “Hmm, that’s good to know.”  Then he kissed her.  God,
this man could kiss.  His trademark nibbles at her bottom lip increased
her heart rate, and she let go of a sigh.  He dipped his tongue into her
mouth, and ate at her, nibbling, biting, sucking, licking.  Yup. A
phenomenal kisser.