The Accidental Boyfriend (13 page)

Moving to her side, he wedged himself into the space where her head had been, forcing her to lie against him as he wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened for a moment before relaxing against him with a heavy sigh. He refused to acknowledge how amazing it felt to have her pressed against him. She fit perfectly, like she’d been made to lie in his arms.

He ran one hand over her back in what he hoped was a soothing gesture as the other held her tight against his chest. Her curls tickled his nose as she buried her face in his chest. He focused on the vanilla scent of her perfume to keep his mind from obsessing over the feel of her in his arms. Now was not the time—he was being chivalrous, dammit.

He felt her breathing slow a bit and soon her shoulders stopped shaking. For a moment he thought she’d fallen asleep laying half on top of him. Not that he would have minded. Jack would have been happy to stay like that all night if it meant she wasn’t crying anymore.

But she eventually stirred and pushed herself away from him, using his chest as leverage. Her face was so close to his, he could feel her warm breath against his cheek. His skin burned beneath her hands and the tightness in his chest spread to his groin. He should move away from her. She no longer needed to be held and he didn’t have the willpower to keep from crushing her against him. He should go.

Despite his absolute conviction that he should move far away from temptation, his body remained glued to her side. It seemed to have a mind of its own.

He brushed an errant curl out of her face and let his fingers graze her cheek, wiping away the remnants of her tears. “What happened?” he asked.

The sadness that still lingered in her eyes was unbearable to see. He watched her take a deep, shaky breath. “H-he doesn’t want me.”

The hand that had been idly playing with one of her curls stilled. Ice washed through his veins and his mind went blank with incomprehension. The fact that any man didn’t want this woman was incomprehensible. And the fact that she was so heartbroken over any man who could be so idiotic and blind was unbelievable.

He fumbled for something to say. “Benjamin?”

She nodded.
Of course, Benjamin. Who else?
His stomach turned in disgust and he fought the rage that threatened to take over. He took a deep, steadying breath. This was not about him or that jackass Benjamin. Holly was in pain and that was all that mattered.

The last thing Jack wanted was to hear about her infatuation for this idiot but he forced himself to say, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Holly’s lower lip trembled and Jack was sure he’d never seen anything more heartbreaking than Holly’s struggle to refrain from crying. Then the words spilled out of her, so fast at first he could barely keep up.

It was a struggle to keep his rage in check. He focused on maintaining what he hoped was a sympathetic look on his face as his fists clenched and unclenched against the sofa cushions.

When she finally finished by telling him Benjamin’s parting words that apparently had been the death blow to Holly’s dreams, he couldn’t take it anymore. He moved so he could face her and gripped her shoulders so she was forced to look into his eyes.

Some of his anger must have been clear because her eyes widened in surprise. “I need you to listen to me,” he said. She gave a little nod. His eyes locked with hers as he said slowly, “Benjamin is an idiot.”

There was a brief silence as Holly stared back at him and then he saw the tiniest hint of a smile touch her lips.

He thought his heart might explode. That little flicker of a smile made him feel like Superman. “I’m serious, Holly. This Benjamin guy may be the biggest loser on the face of the planet if he can’t see how amazing you are.”

The tiny smile grew a bit and she let out a little laugh and rolled her eyes. “Well, now you’re just being nice.”

He leaned back a bit and pretended to be horrified. “I would
never
.”

She giggled a bit and the ice in his veins vanished, only to be replaced by a liquid heat that was entirely inappropriate.

His eyes locked with hers as he continued. “I’m serious. You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. You’re gorgeous, obviously, but you’re also down to earth and funny and you have a lust for life that is awe inspiring.”

He watched her expression shift from amused to touched, her eyes softening as she leaned in closer. He shifted so he could wrap an arm around her. She fit so perfectly against his side, it felt like a puzzle piece clicked into place as she snuggled up against him.

Tilting her head back, she was once again looking into his eyes.

“I’m serious, you know,” he said.

Her voice was little more than a whisper. “Thank you.”

“He’s a fool,” he said, his voice had lowered, too. Time seemed to slow down as their gazes locked. Her lips were so tantalizingly close, it was unbearable. His already fuzzy brain was having a hard time piecing words together, it could only focus on the feel of her body pressed against his and the heat that coursed through him, begging to be released.

She leaned in closer. “I don’t want to talk anymore.”

She was a fool. This was wrong, so wrong. But it felt so
right
.

She watched Jack’s eyes cloud over with desire but he held himself away from her, his body rigid beneath her hands.

She leaned in closer.

“We shouldn’t,” he said, his voice so low she almost couldn’t hear him.

She nodded. “You’re right, we shouldn’t. But I want to.”

Closing the distance she lightly brushed her lips against his. It was a brief, almost chaste kiss but it was enough to make all of the blood in her body rush with desire and her heart rate doubled.

For a moment she thought he wouldn’t respond. She went to pull back but then his stiff composure crumbled and he snaked a hand through her curls, crushing his lips against hers with an urgency that was undeniable.

His arm around her tightened so she was pressed firmly against him. But still it wasn’t enough. She wanted to get closer, to lose herself in this intoxicating kiss. He groaned when she wrapped her arms around his neck. In one quick movement, he pulled her so she was sprawled across his lap. He moved his lips over hers, deepening the kiss.

Holly was melting. Every horrible emotion she’d been battling since that phone call was washed away by pure, unbridled desire. Her skin was burning up and there was an ache between her thighs that bordered on painful. She pressed her breasts against his chest and let her hands run over his neck and shoulders, holding him to her. She was holding on for dear life.

His tongue tangled with hers, stroking her mouth and leaving her breathless. She moaned in ecstasy and her head dropped back as she gasped for air. His head dipped to trail kisses down her neck until she was panting for air.

Her fingers tugged at the hem of his T-shirt, until she inched it up enough for her hands to slip underneath. She was desperate to feel his warm skin and his hard chest beneath her fingertips.

His hands had moved from her back to her sides and when one hand slid up to cup her breast, which was bare beneath the nightshirt, she nearly lost it.

“Please,” she said, the word coming out on a moan as he found her hard nipple beneath the thin fabric.

He froze at the sound of her voice. His hands stilled against her and she could feel his muscles grow taut beneath her hands. Oh no, no, no. He couldn’t stop now. She wanted this more than she’d ever wanted anything. She needed him.

Holly drew back so she could see his face. Her stomach plummeted as the aching throb at her core intensified. He was going to pull away.

“We can’t,” he said. “We shouldn’t.”

She shook her head. She didn’t want to hear his rationalizations. He was pulling away from her, rejecting her. That’s all she knew.

“No,” she said. She heard the anger in her own voice and was surprised by it. Jack’s eyes met hers and she held his gaze.

“You don’t want this, you don’t want—”

“I want
you
,” she said. “I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.” As the words tumbled out of her mouth she recognized that they were the truth. She couldn’t remember ever wanting anything more. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt like herself. Here in Jack’s arms, she was home—she was exactly where she wanted to be.

He paused for a moment and she saw temptation war with responsibility. “I shouldn’t. I’d be taking advantage, you’re not—”

Holly cut him off again. She shifted so she was straddling his lap, the hard bulge of his erection pressed against the aching heat between her thighs. This time her voice was loud and clear. “Don’t tell me what I want or what I’m ready for. I know what I want and I want you. In bed. Right now.”

She saw his eyes flicker over her face. Whatever he saw must have convinced him that she knew what she was doing because he scooped her into his arms and lifted her from the sofa, her legs wrapped around his waist.

Pressed against his hard chest, she could feel his heartbeat thundering against her breasts. She buried her face against his neck, letting herself get lost in his masculine scent. She heard his quick intake of air as her lips pressed against his neck, her tongue tasting the skin beneath his ear.

He let out a growl of impatience as he tugged at the hem of her nightshirt and whipped it off of her in one fluid movement. She moaned aloud at the exquisite torture of his hard chest pressed against her breasts.

Her heart was pounding as he set her down on his bed. She wanted this, of that she was sure. A surge of fear passed through her but she fought it. It wasn’t fear of this man or what they were about to do—it was how she would feel after. This wasn’t just any man—this was the man she’d had a crush on from afar for years. The man who’d swept her off her feet with a simple dance. But more than that…she wouldn’t be able to walk away if this ended badly. He had become one of her sister’s closest friends over the past year and an inextricable part of her life. It would never just be sex between them.

Things were about to get complicated.

All thoughts and fears were erased when he leaned over her, following her onto the bed. His weight settled against her and they stayed that way for a moment, silent except for their beating hearts and heavy breathing.

He was a dark silhouette against the moonlit room as he hovered over her, giving her every chance to come to her senses.

The last vestige of doubt disappeared. Not just because she wanted this man more than she’d ever wanted anything but because he was waiting for her to say so. She knew he would wait all night or walk away without a word at her say so.

But that’s not what she wanted. Thoughts of Benjamin and his rejection threatened to slip back into her consciousness. That was what she wanted to escape. And she could think of no better way to move on than with the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen in her life. There were worse remedies for heartbreak.

“Kiss me,” she whispered.

He leaned toward her but still held himself just out of reach. “Are you sure?”

“If you ask me that again, I might slap you,” she whispered back.

She saw his grin even in the shadows and it made her heart do a somersault. God, she loved that smile. Then all thoughts were gone as his lips claimed hers and moved over them, gently at first before gentleness gave way to an urgency that was as exhilarating as it was breathtaking.

He ripped off his shirt before lowering his body on top of hers and she couldn’t stop her groan of pleasure. He was hard everywhere she was soft and his heat warmed her to the core, replacing the freezing pain that rejection had left behind. Her hands slipped around his body to hold him close, caressing his back and neck as he moved his lips from her mouth to her neck and then up to nibble on her ear. When his tongue flicked out to tease her sensitive earlobe, she gasped and she could feel that smile against her neck.

“My turn,” she said, before pushing him so he landed flat on the bed and she was straddling him, naked except for her panties.

She saw his eyes clearly in the glow of the moon and he was staring up at her with such awe and admiration it made her heart ache. “My God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered.

Leaning down, she let her breasts brush against his chest and his erection pressed against her thighs. He groaned as she moved against him, reveling in the feel of his warm, hard chest brushing against her nipples.

She continued the teasing until he let out a growl and used one hand to pull her head toward him for a deep, thorough kiss. His tongue teased hers as his other hand moved up so he could cup her breasts.

His touches made her weak and she let herself collapse against him. He rolled her over so she was trapped beneath him. She shifted so he was firmly wedged between her thighs, his erection pressing against her. Aching for the feel of him inside of her, she arched against him, urging him to take her.

He reached between them to rid them of their remaining scraps of clothes and pulled her back into his arms. He eased into her as his tongue slipped inside of her mouth, mimicking the long, slow thrust.

She arched her hips to meet him and he lifted his head just far enough that he was looking into her eyes. The moment was intimate and struck a part of her she hadn’t known existed. He was looking into the very heart of her. Never before had she been so vulnerable but she couldn’t look away. The tension between them built with each thrust until she was on the precipice between desire and aching pain. He claimed her lips then and she climaxed over the edge into ecstasy.

When she came back to her senses, Jack was sprawled on top of her, spent and possibly sleeping. A slow smile of utter contentment spread across her face. She ran her hands over his back, reveling in the solid feel of him and the drowsy pleasure that left her body tingling. She thought she might melt into the mattress she was so pleasantly relaxed.

Jack stirred. He went to move off of her but she tightened her grip around his waist. “Don’t go, not yet,” she whispered.