Sweet Obsession: Windy City Kink, Book 1 (21 page)

His chest tightened. He didn’t really want to go there, but he had to. “Is it because of me?”

Chapter Fifteen

Sasha tossed her hair back and turned her head to meet his eyes. “Yeah,” she admitted. “I think so.”

Jack pursed his lips, his jaw tightening. “Huh,” he grunted.

“Well, you have to admit, it was pretty shocking for them,” she said. “I was only sixteen…”

“No parents want to think about their sixteen-year-old daughter having sex,” he agreed. “But you’re twenty-eight now. They can’t still be hung up on you having sex.”

“No!” She laughed. “Not that I talk to them about my sex life, but I’m sure they know I have one. But sixteen was awfully young.”

He tilted his head. “Do you regret it?”

Oh man. She searched for the right words. “I…I sort of do.”

“Seriously?” He frowned. “You regret it?”

“Well…I mean, at the time it was…exciting. It was only after, when my parents were so shocked and disappointed in me, I felt so bad. I wished we hadn’t done that.”

“You mean the sex?” he asked in a low voice. “Or the bondage?”

She swallowed. “Well, both. But it was really the bondage that I think had my parents so freaked out.”

He gave her a long, inscrutable look that she wished she could emulate. No doubt every emotion running through her was showing on her face—anxiety, guilt, shame.

“That was such a long time ago,” she said, trying for a smile. “Right?”

“So twelve years later, they’re still protective of you because of that.”

“Not so much since I moved in with Kevin. I lived at home for a few years after college, but that was
not
working out. I was completely smothered. They treated me like I was sixteen again, wanting to know where I was going all the time, trying to tell me what time to be home, who I should date. I hated it.” Her fingers curled into the sheets.

“I’m surprised they were okay with you living with a dude.”

“They weren’t. At first. But Kevin’s a good guy. They only had to meet him to know that, and then I think they sort of liked that I was living with a man, because he’d look out for me.”

“And Kevin does.”

He reminded her of when they’d left earlier. “That was just weird, tonight,” she said, waving a hand. “I mean, he kind of checks out the guys I date, but just to make sure they’re not creeps. He lets me live my own life, and I let him lead his.”

“So your parents like Kevin.” His mouth tightened.

She nodded slowly. “Yeah. Sure.”

“Awesome,” he muttered. He rolled to his back.

“Um. You’re not feeling jealous again, are you?” Amusement curled inside her.

He turned his head and caught her eye. “Maybe.”

She reached out and stroked his hair back from his temple. “I told you. Kevin and I are just friends.”

He caught her hand and held it, bringing it to his mouth. He kissed her fingertips, then opened his mouth and gently sucked one finger. She quivered and sucked in a breath.

“Anyway,” she breathed. “I moved out to get away from my family. My brothers had actually followed me on dates a few times when I lived at home, and I really wanted to get away from that. My dad wanted to finance my business when I started, but I wouldn’t let him.”

“What the fuck?” He still held her arm, his mouth so close to her sensitive wrist she felt his warm breath. “They followed you?”

“Like you’ve never done that,” she said dryly.

“I explained that! I wasn’t stalking you.”

“Well, neither were my brothers. Exactly. They were looking out for my safety, supposedly, but it was stupid. I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself on a date. I was so happy when Kevin offered me the chance to move into his place. It’s worked out great. Now I just have to put up with my parents once in a while. Like tomorrow night.” She grimaced.

He kissed her wrist, sucking gently on her pulse and heat flowed through her down to her core again. “Tomorrow night?”

“I’m going to their place for dinner. Woohoo.”

His mouth moved up the inside of her arm, tugging gently on it to bring her closer. His eyes drifted shut and he stroked his tongue over her inner elbow. A shudder worked its way over her. “Jack…”

He tugged her toward him and she sprawled on his chest. And he had her again.

She awoke to a bright border of sunlight around the blinds on the windows. For a few seconds she absorbed the utter silence of the condo, the warmth of Jack’s body next to her, the softness of the sheets on her bare skin. She breathed in the scent of Jack’s bed. Then she remembered—she had to be at the garden show by ten o’clock.

Her head snapped up and she peered over at the alarm clock on the table beside Jack’s bed. The numbers glowed red. Only ten minutes after eight. She relaxed back into warm softness on her stomach, face pressed to the pillow.

Jack had told her he’d never forgotten her. He’d come back to Chicago wanting to see her again.

The truth was, she’d never forgotten him either. Of course, a girl never forgets her first love, the man she gives her virginity to. She knew that the kind of love a teenager feels in that first intimate relationship wasn’t the same as the love a mature woman feels for a man. She knew it couldn’t last twelve years without seeing each other. So this wasn’t love. No way. This was sex, hot, sizzling sex.

This could complicate things.

They did also have a business relationship, and this could definitely impact that. On the other hand…it was just sex. She could do just sex. Couldn’t she?

Jack stirred beside her and his hand found her ass, curving over it in a warm clasp. “You awake?” he mumbled.

“Yes.” She studied his face on the pillow beside her, his dark stubble more pronounced, his mouth soft and beautiful, his hair tousled. She remembered the small mole in front of his left sideburn and the way one eyebrow was shaped differently than the other, with a little swirl of hair that arched higher in the middle. She reached out a finger to trace it, and he smiled, his eyes still closed. “I have to go soon.”

“Okay. I’ll drive you home.”

When he pulled up out front of Kevin’s duplex a short time later, Jack said, “When can I see you again?”

“I’ll be working at the show all day. Then I have to go to my parents’ for dinner. It’s my mom’s birthday tomorrow, so she’s having the family for dinner. Then I’m at the show again all day Sunday.”

“Mmm. Okay. I guess we play it by ear then.”

She nodded. “Sure.” That was just what she wanted. Because this wasn’t a serious relationship. She waved to him once she’d unlocked the door and watched him drive away with a strange sense of wistfulness.

The day at the show passed quickly. She got a lot of interest in her rooftop gardens, but she was careful to emphasize other aspects of her design business, some of the front and backyards she’d designed, as well as commercial projects she’d worked on. Mid-afternoon, Kevin showed up and sat with her for a while.

“Hey, stranger,” he said as he removed his jacket, lifting one eyebrow.

She gave him a crooked smile. “Funny.”

“Do I need to ask where you were all last night?”

She sighed. “Probably not.”

“Jack, huh?”

She nodded, warmth spreading through her, remembering being with him.

“Oh and look at that,” he drawled. “You’re blushing.”

“I am not.”

“Yeah, doll, you are. That good?”

“Um. Yeah. Beyond good.”

“Are you okay?”

She frowned. “Of course I’m okay.” Sheesh, Jack had asked her the same thing last night. “Why?”

“Things didn’t end so well between you and Jack the last time you were together.”

“Oh.” She bit her lip. “Well, as Jack pointed out, we’re adults now, and don’t need to worry about things like parents walking in on us.”

“And…?”

“What?” She set her hands on her hips.

“Do I have to come right out and ask? Did he tie you up?”

“Oh my God! No!” She shook her head. “I’m hungry. D’you mind staying for a few minutes while I get something to eat?”

“Sure.”

She showed him business cards and brochures in case anyone came by while she was gone, then practically sprinted out of the hall and down the pier toward some of the restaurants and food kiosks.

Kevin’s question had unsettled her.

She grabbed a hot dog and a lemonade and stood at the railing of the pier to eat it, looking out over Lake Michigan. The May sun was particularly warm today and there wasn’t any wind to speak of. A few puffy white clouds hung in the sky above the amazingly blue water of the lake. Boats cruised along the shore full of tourists, and people crowded the pier.

Had he tied her up! Her insides did a little flip at the thought, remembering some of the dreams she’d been having since Jack had been back. She didn’t need that, for God’s sake. Sex with Jack was hot enough on its own. More than hot enough.

But she had to admit the thought had slid into her mind a few times, especially since Kevin had talked to her about bondage and discipline. She remembered being a kid and being fascinated with any kind of game that involved chasing, hiding or being tied up. She’d never made the connection—between that excitement and her sexual desires—or maybe she’d just been in denial about it. Somehow even as a teenager Jack had known.

It was still difficult to separate that from the abuse her mother had tried so hard to save her from. But it felt like things were unraveling inside her, the shame separating from the thrill just a little.

She tossed her garbage into a container and headed back to the garden show.

“I’ll come again tomorrow for a while if you want,” Kevin said. “This is kinda fun. I ran into people from a bunch of construction companies and electrical contractors.”

“Okay, if you don’t mind. Tomorrow’s shorter, only from noon till six, but it would be nice to have some company. What are you doing tonight?”

“Blackhawks game.”

“Damn!”

He grinned and tapped her nose. “Sorry, doll.”

“I’d rather be at the hockey game than having dinner with my parents.”

“I know.” He made a sympathetic face. “But duty calls, right? You can handle it for one evening.”

As she drove home later to quickly change and go to her parents, her stomach knotted up, as it often did when she spent time with her family. She shouldn’t let it bother her that much. She’d managed to escape their confines and live independently. Maybe she wasn’t always doing the best job at it, with her recent business issues and her lack of a long-term relationship, which they always pointed out to her. She wasn’t sure why they were so anxious for her to settle down with someone.

She wanted to look confident and successful even though she felt anything but around her family, so she reapplied makeup and changed into a pair of low-rise, slim-fitting black trousers, with a gold sleeveless silk blouse tucked into them. She added a necklace of multiple gold chains and pearls and slipped on her spiky black heels.

When she surveyed herself in the mirror, her first thought was what Jack would think of how she looked.

She closed her eyes. Damn. That was not where her thoughts should be going.

But he’d approve. She was pretty sure. With a wry smile, she flicked out her bedroom light and ran downstairs. Kevin had already gone to the game so she was alone in the house as she donned her leopard print coat and grabbed her purse and car keys and the birthday gift for her mom.

She parked in the big curving driveway of her parents’ Barrington home, fighting the nerves clawing inside her stomach. God, if her parents knew where she’d spent last night…her lungs constricted briefly. They would die. There was no way she could tell them.

She opened the door and walked into the big foyer. A glittering chandelier hung from the ceiling two-stories above her, above a table in the center of the room topped with an enormous floral arrangement. She had to pause to admire the flowers and greenery, reaching out a finger to touch soft petals of roses and orchids.

“Sasha! You’re here!” Her mom appeared in the door to the living room. “Come in. Your brothers are both here already.”

“Hi, Mom. Sorry I’m a little late. The garden show didn’t end until seven. Happy birthday!” She handed her the present wrapped in pretty pink paper and a bow.

“Oh thank you, sweetie! I’ll put it with the others. I’m going to open them after dinner.”

Sasha hung her coat in the closet and followed her mom into the living room. Mom’s hair remained the same blonde as Sasha’s, although Sasha knew her mom had quite a bit of gray now and made frequent trips to an expensive salon to keep it that honey color. She wore her hair in a chin-length bob that was always sleek and perfect, curving around her oval face.

“You look beautiful,” Mom said, turning to her. “Would you like a drink?”

“Sure. A glass of wine would be nice.”

“I’ll get it.” Her brother Sam rose from his chair and headed to the bar.