His to Take (Wicked Lovers 9)

Scrambling out of bed, Bristol pulled on a pair of shorts and righted the towel turban on her head, vaguely wondering how bad her hair would look once she removed it. She shoved the thought aside and stumbled down the hall.

In the living room, she found Jamie. She breathed a little sigh of relief when she spotted him on her sofa with a pair of buds shoved into his ears, his phone in hand, and a notepad and pen perched on his thigh. He looked deep in thought, and she wondered what had him concentrating so intently.

When he caught sight of her, he clicked off the phone, closed the cover of the notepad, and shoved everything onto the table in a heap. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Kind of groggy, but otherwise all right. You hanging out? Everything okay?”

“Yeah. It’s cool.”

She didn’t quite believe that since he gave off the vibe that she’d interrupted something. But he didn’t look guilty, more like distracted. “Did Hayden give you a hard time yesterday?”

“What makes you think I’d let him?” He scoffed. “I told the little asswipe to back down. He suggested that I fuck off but I declined. It took restraint to let him walk out the door undamaged, but I let him because I didn’t think mopping the floor with his face would help your situation.”

Bristol didn’t have much doubt that Jamie could have. “Nonviolence was probably the better choice. Sorry I crashed on you. I was beat.”

He shrugged as if it was no big deal. “It’s fine. You needed sleep.”

Yeah, but the fact that he’d hung around waiting for her to wake up both embarrassed and excited her. Since he didn’t have a job right now, it was possible he had no place else to go. Or maybe he just liked her and wanted to spend more time together. That wasn’t good for her fling thing, but she’d end it soon. Any minute now… “Sorry.”

“Hey, it’s not a big deal. Really.”

Bristol smiled when she realized he meant it. “Thanks.”

“Hungry? I tossed together some stuff for sandwiches and salads last night, using your leftovers. Hope that was all right.”

“Sure.” She normally didn’t neglect to feed her guest for over twenty-four hours. Geez, she really had been tired.

“I’ll make you a plate.”

She cocked her head at him. Hayden had never been half so helpful. Or caring. As soon as they’d begun dating, he’d expected her to feed him more often than not after cooking all day. He’d claimed that all his pencil pushing behind a desk exhausted him, so more often than not he’d preferred to end the day with a blow job. Less effort on his part than actual sex.

She and Jamie hadn’t done more than share a bed and some skin for a few hours but already he was far more considerate. Giddy little butterflies began dancing in her belly, and Bristol had to remind herself that being a nice human being didn’t mean he intended to be romantic. And they were not having a relationship.

“That would be great.” She smiled his way.

“Give me a minute and I’ll get you fed.”

“Thanks. I’m going to dry my hair now and hope that I don’t look like Medusa when I’m done.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s impossible since you’re gorgeous, but go for it.”

Bristol rolled her eyes at the compliment. “I look terrible. You don’t have to butter me up, but I appreciate it.”

As she turned for the bathroom, Jamie grabbed her wrist and snapped her around, flush against his chest. “I’m serious. I think you’re beautiful. You’re not calling me a liar, are you?”

His silky tone warned her that would be a bad idea. Bristol swallowed against the sudden tension in the air. “No. I just…”

“Don’t take compliments well?” He raised a brow at her as if he already knew the answer. “As long as I’m around, you need to start accepting them. And believing them.”

She stared up into his dark eyes in breathless disbelief. He may not be trying to romance her…but he was certainly making her heart flap and quiver. Which made her feel like a twit. She had to stop reading happily-ever-after into his nice gestures.

“Sure. Okay. Thanks.” She pulled gently at her wrist, eager to leave the room before she made an idiot out of herself.

Jamie was slow to release her. “I’ll have your food ready in ten. Then we can talk.”

What did he want to say? She’d rather they simply had sex. She didn’t find tangling between the sheets with him nearly as confusing as watching him defend her against Hayden or staring back into his eyes as he complimented her. But she had a few things to say if she was going to persuade him to go with her to dinner on Tuesday night at her mom’s house, then move on afterward.

“Sounds good.” She nodded his way vaguely.

After managing to brush her hair and somewhat tame the strands with a blow dryer, she tossed on her work clothes and spruced up with a dose of mascara and lip-gloss. When she tiptoed into the kitchen, she found Jamie setting a plate of what looked like a ham sandwich on thick sourdough and a mixed greens salad with some mandarin oranges and feta crumbles.

She sat and blinked down at her plate. “You did this?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “My parents worked a lot when I was a kid. I learned how to fend for myself by foraging from the fridge. This is easy. It’s not as difficult as making turducken. Or your fabulous cookies.”

But she really couldn’t think of the last time anyone had cooked for her. It was a small gesture. Maybe this was his way of thanking her for letting him crash here. But that intent gleam from his dark eyes sparkled with something far more personal than gratitude.

Her breath caught. Her heart loped into a gallop. “I’m sure it’s great. I really appreciate it. And I’m, um…glad you didn’t bail while I slept.”

“About that…” For the first time since she’d met him, Jamie looked uncomfortable. “Look, if you don’t need me to go, I’d love to stay a few days.”

Did he need money? Was he between jobs or houses? Did it really matter since he only wanted a few days and she needed him to stick around that long? No, but everything felt more complicated because some silly part of her didn’t want to let him go.

Bristol studied him. “You okay?”

He pulled at the back of his neck. “Yeah. I’d like to spend some time with you before I go back to work.”

“So you do have a job?”

Jamie laughed. “Yeah. I’m…taking a vacation right now. I haven’t had one in years.”

“And you travel a lot. What do you do?”

“No offense, but one reason I’m taking this vacation is so that I don’t have to talk or even think about work for a while. You understand, right?”

As someone self-employed, she understood the constant pressure, the stress of being unable to simply have a few days off. If someone had given her that golden opportunity, she probably wouldn’t want to talk about her job, either. Besides, unless she was going to move him into the “relationship” category, she didn’t need to know everything about him. “Sure. Totally understand.”

“Thanks. I want to use this time to be with you because I…like you. A lot. That probably sounds corny. It’s been rough lately but being with you is peaceful. Nice.” He shook his head. “I’m saying it wrong. I feel good when I’m with you.”

That insidious butterfly took up residence in her tummy again, but Bristol couldn’t seem to squash him. She felt a bit like the cute guy in school had told her that he wanted to “go” with her.

Wiping the smile off her face proved impossible. “You made me feel pretty good last night, too.”

He grinned. “We were damn hot together. But even hanging with you is great. We…click.”

“I should disagree. After all, we’re just hooking up.” But she felt a school-girly grin cross her face again. “But we do click. So if you’re going to stay, would you come with me to my mom’s house for dinner on Tuesday night?” She winced. “She told everyone you would be there.”

“And you don’t want to brave

it alone?”

“Not really. Please…” She sounded as if she was wheedling because she was.

“Well, I don’t want to leave you alone with the wolves. Will Presleigh and Hayden be there?”

“Yep, along with half the town. I’d really appreciate it. As Jayla put it, if I come alone I’ll look like a ho-bag who’s not interested in keeping a man.” Bristol realized that made her sound as if she might be looking for some commitment. “And I’m not interested in hanging onto anyone after my shit with Hayden, but I’m really not eager to be the center of town gossip, either.”

A frown wrinkled Jamie’s brow before he bent and pressed a lingering kiss on her lips. Affection with a teasing hint of passion. One touch, and Jamie made her ache for more.

He eased back, staring down into her face. “I’ll go with you. Now eat. I’m going to grab a shower, if that’s cool.”

Bristol let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, help yourself. And if you want to wash some clothes, I’ve got stackable units in the closet in the hallway.”

“I appreciate it.” Jamie nodded, heading for the bathroom.

She grabbed a coffee, devoured her meal, then found her shoes shoved half under the bed. Downstairs, she began flipping on lights, grabbing ingredients as she made her way from the stockroom toward the kitchen, not looking forward to the cleanup she’d neglected yesterday. It would tack on an extra hour to her day, but she’d obviously needed the sleep last night. Now it was time to pay for the indulgence.

But when she entered the kitchen, nothing but clean dishes and sparkling surfaces awaited her. Her jaw dropped. Someone had cleaned everything, set up her mixer again, put away her utensils, even mopped the usually sticky floor.

Someone? The only person who could have done that was Jamie.

Her heart stuttered then skipped. Bristol might wish she could find a way to not care about Jamie…but that wasn’t happening now. Why fight what was so damn obvious? She was falling for him.

Jamie looked after her and helped her out. She enjoyed his banter. The sex was so far beyond mere pleasure that she didn’t have the words to describe it. Their “click” was undeniable. She’d shared much less with Hayden and considered the idea that maybe he was “the one,” at least until he’d dumped her for her sister. But Jamie was so much…more.

Was it even possible for her to stop her feelings for him from growing?

Bristol pushed the question aside, at least for now. She glanced at her phone. She still had about forty-five minutes before she had to be back in the kitchen to ensure the dough for her cinnamon rolls rose properly before baking them for opening.

Shoving the phone back in her pocket, she charged up the stairs again and found Jamie coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his lean waist. Water droplets dotted his hard flesh, rolled in the ridges between his chest, and down his abdomen. A sting of need flared between her legs. She swallowed hard, then ran at him.

Jamie caught her as she wrapped her arms and legs around his waist and covered his lips with her own. He didn’t hesitate, simply plunged into her mouth with a moan and cupped her ass in his hands, as he eased them back toward her bedroom. Suddenly, she felt the mattress at her back and his body covering hers.

He lifted his head, searching her face. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. What did I do?” He grinned. “Because if you’re going to thank me this way for a sandwich and a salad, I’ll feed you all day long.”

She found herself honest-to-goodness giggling. “I appreciate that, too. I meant cleaning my kitchen downstairs.”

Jamie brushed her hair back from her face. “So the fact that I cleaned your utensils all spick-and-span makes your ovaries flutter?”

“That makes me sound easy.” She grimaced.

He shook his head. “That makes you sound adorable. You’re not like other women.”

“We covered this once. I know, I don’t get all gussied up and pray properly to the Revlon gods.”

“Screw that. I mean, you don’t try to be anyone except yourself. You don’t act differently to please your mother. You didn’t put on a face to impress me. And you certainly had no problem telling Hayden how you feel.”

Bristol cocked her head. “I guess some people don’t act like themselves when others are watching. That baffles me. Seems like a lot of effort merely to be miserable.”

He nodded slowly. “Let’s just say I’ve met a lot of unhappy people over the years. Neurotic, insecure, self-absorbed. Hell, I was one for a long time. I didn’t really feel like myself for a decade.”

“I can’t picture that.” He seemed so natural, so normal. “And where are you meeting these awful people?”

“They’re everywhere. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be with someone so real.”

He cut off the conversation by kissing her again, devouring her as if he was hungry, as if they hadn’t touched in a decade.

Then she stopped thinking entirely when he peeled off her clothes and lost his towel. He tossed everything to the floor and grabbed a condom from his nearby jeans.

After making her scream a couple of times so loudly she wondered if everyone on her block could hear, Bristol draped herself over his steely chest, still damp from exertion, and pressed a kiss between his pectorals. At the moment, she felt too sated to do anything else.

“I’m happy, too. You’re a really decent guy,” she murmured, looking up his hard torso, into those dark eyes that had the power to make her shiver. “You’re considerate and helpful, not the sort of douche who would deceive me, like Hayden.”

He smoothed his big hand over her crown and smiled. “Are you saying you like me, too?”

“Yeah,” she admitted. Way more than I should. That realization made her a little uncomfortable because she worried it would end up one-sided, so she slid out of bed and grabbed for her clothes. “Um…I should get to work. I’m running late.”

With a promise to drop in downstairs once he woke, Jamie gave her a lingering kiss good-bye. Bristol tried not to feel that jittery, excited, falling-in-love thing. But she failed miserably because it coursed through her veins and squeezed her heart as she tiptoed down the stairs. She was so deliciously sated that she didn’t care she was twenty minutes late getting back to her kitchen. Nope. She simply headed for her dough, pushing thoughts of tomorrow aside and wearing a big ol’ smile on her face.

* * * *

In a ridiculously good mood, Bristol turned on the radio and swayed to the music while she made goodies for her patrons that day. The bounce in her step was probably leftover pleasure hormones drifting through her body and the happiness of knowing that she’d get to be with Jamie for another few days.

After a few crying-in-her-beer songs, Bristol changed the station from her usual contemporary country music to the happier Top-40 station out of Texarkana. She didn’t recognize many of the songs and artists since this wasn’t her usual thing, but this music matched her mood.

The hours slid by, and she figured Jamie would be sleeping. When she baked her first pan of cinnamon rolls, she took two upstairs and left them on the counter for him with a note. As she turned, she skirted the coffee table, heading for the door. One glance at the glass slab topping the pair of whiskey barrels proved that the notebook in which Jamie had been writing earlier was gone, but he’d left his phone behind. Bristol hesitated.

She couldn’t deny a gnawing curiosity to know more about him. But peeking at his phone would be prying. Even if she blew past her principles, she would either be wildly disappointed or even more intrigued, depending on what she found. Nope. So they’d crossed into temporary friends-with-benefits territory. Maybe even a bit more. Still, that didn’t mean she needed to know his deepest thoughts. Because no matter how she defined their relationship, that didn’t entitle her to invade Jamie’s privacy.

With a sharp nod, she left the phone untouched and made her way down t

he hall to find him sprawled out in her bed, one bulging arm thrown over his head, the bronzed ridges of his chest and abs bare. She cursed the sheet riding low on his hips, covering everything else.

At a glance, he looked like the dangerous sort of man, built of brawn and brute strength. If he’d lived in another time, Jamie could have slayed his enemies with a quick slice of his sword before he claimed his woman with a ferocious kiss. God, she really had to stop the over romanticizing, even if she did have an amazing man in her bed.

When he sighed in his sleep, Bristol couldn’t help the fond