Meant To Be Yours

Not that she was going to smile brightly and offer a night of hot sex. Because while everything went fine in her head, in real life, there were serious pitfalls. Hysterical laughter followed by a look of extreme pity. Not that Jasper seemed like the hysterical laughter type. But the pity was a real possibility. Or revulsion. That would be depressing and she wasn’t looking for another boy-girl setback.

The smart decision would be to enjoy the drink, pretend she’d never once undressed him with her eyes and retreat to her charming apartment where she would tell herself she didn’t care that she was never going to have sex with a man again.

“I’ve been lucky,” he said easily. “The books have to work for people, of course, but there are a lot of authors who struggle in obscurity. I had breaks early on.”

“Like I said—internationally famous. What’s touring like? Is the Europe part different from the US part?”

“Very, especially with the RV. Here I was able to drive from place to place. I’d park near a big city, then head in for the events. Sometimes I’d do a morning show, or drive-time radio. I might have media interviews during the day or drop in to a few bookstores and sign stock. In the evenings I would have organized book signings where I’d talk for a few minutes, take questions, then sign books. Then back to the hotel or RV and start it over in the morning.”

“That’s less glamorous than I thought. What about in Europe?”

“That’s a different schedule. I would arrive in a city, usually in the morning, have lunch with whomever the publisher wanted me to meet, do media, then have a signing, followed by a late dinner. Get up in the morning and drive, fly or take the train to the next city and do it all again.” He flashed her another smile. “All while not speaking the language. It’s an endurance sport.”

“It sounds like it. What’s the best part?”

“Meeting the readers. It’s hard not to like people willing to line up to tell you how much they love what you do.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. I get the occasional thank-you note, but there’s never been a line.” She picked up her drink. “Anyone creepy? Didn’t Stephen King write a book about a crazed fan?”

“Yes, and we’re not going to talk about that.” He chuckled. “There are fans who know way more about my books than I do and want to talk themes and what I could do instead. Sometimes readers want to give me story lines, which I have to sidestep because of potential legal problems.”

“Your life is really interesting.”

“No, it’s not. Ninety percent of the time I’m sitting at a computer, trying to figure out what to say next. It’s a lot of hours by myself, sometimes with swearing.”

She liked him, she thought with some surprise. She hadn’t really spent time with him before, so had filled in the blanks with her own fantasies, which were more about his body than his personality. It was nice to know there was an actual person behind the gorgeous eyes.

Funny how she’d been thinking about him on and off for the past couple of days and tonight he’d walked into The Boardroom and sat down at her table, as if fate were stepping in.

“Tell me about the apple wedding,” he said, leaning toward her. “No one dresses up in an apple costume, do they?”

She laughed. “No. I promise, nothing like that. An apple wedding is more like a Christmas wedding. The theme inspires the decorations and the colors, not the clothing. Let’s see. The bridesmaid dresses are apple green, there are crab apples in the bouquet and the floral arrangements on the tables. The signature drink is an apple martini. That sort of thing.”

He stared at her, his expression blank. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“What’s confusing?”

“All of it. I get the bridesmaid dresses. I’ve seen women in those before. But the rest of it? You’re speaking a foreign language.”

“What about all the weddings you’ve been to?”

He took another sip of his drink. “I haven’t. I joined the army when I was eighteen. None of my friends were even thinking about getting married then. I got back for a few visits, but no weddings. After my dad died—it was always just the two of us—I never went back. My military friends went home to get married and I usually couldn’t get leave.”

Now he was the one speaking a foreign language. “You’ve never been to a wedding?”

“Nope.”

“That’s not possible.”

“It’s no big deal.”

“It’s a rite of passage. It’s how this town supports itself. Happily Inc is a wedding destination town and you have actually never been to a wedding?”

“Pallas and Nick got married in Italy and I was gone when Carol and Mathias got married.”

She stared at him. “Come by Weddings Out of the Box sometime and I’ll show you a video,” she told him. “They’re all variations on a theme, so once you’ve seen one, you’ll be wedding literate.”

“But not fluent?”

His voice was low and teasing. It sent ripples down her spine and made her wish she was the kind of woman who could look a man in the eye while inviting him back to her place. But she wasn’t and she couldn’t. She might want a let’s get naked night with Jasper, but the truth was she’d never once had sex with a man she wasn’t half in love with and it seemed unlikely she could find the skill set to change that now.

“I think fluency is a ways off,” she said lightly, hoping he couldn’t hear the disappointment in her voice. As he had no idea what she was thinking, the emotion would only be confusing and misleading. Man, even without a relationship, the whole boy-girl thing was really hard to navigate.

“You help brides plan their weddings, right?” he asked.

“Yes, although it’s better when the groom is involved, too. Weddings Out of the Box is a wedding venue. We specialize in theme weddings. We’ve done princess weddings and cowboy weddings and apparently the world’s greatest alien wedding based on a computer game, but that was before my time.”

“Interesting.”

She wasn’t sure it was, but it was nice of him to say it.

They looked at each other, then away. Silence stretched between them, grew awkward, got bigger and started making Renee uncomfortable. Crap, crap, crap, this wasn’t going to work. Who was she kidding? She was only confident in limited situations—like work. She was never going to be the kind of woman who could tell a guy she thought he was attractive and ask if he would like to have his way with her. Which left her sad and depressingly aware of the fact that she might never do the deed again, which made her want to stomp her foot. Or cry.

Neither response would go over well in public, so it was definitely time to go home. She looked at Jasper.

“It’s getting late. Thanks for the drink. I had a nice time.”

He studied her for a second before nodding. “I did, too. Let me walk you to your car.”

They went out into the night. It was mid-September, so still warm, but they’d passed through the burning heat of summer. In a few more weeks, there would be an actual nip in the air. At least in those hours close to midnight. It rarely got cold-cold in Happily Inc.

They walked to her black Mini with the white racing stripes on the hood. A silly car, to be sure, but one she loved as much as she could love a car. It was cute, it was zippy and with the back seats down, it held as much as she needed.

“This is me,” she said lightly.

Jasper glanced from the car to her and back. “It suits you.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I try to be worthy of its sassiness, but I don’t always succeed. I suppose that’s a metaphor for my life. I want to be wild, but I’m not quite sure how.”

“You mean that?”

She looked up at him. Literally. With them both standing, she was aware of how tall he was, how strong. He exuded power and confidence. He was all things male and maybe that should have scared her, but it didn’t.

“Renee?”

“What?”

“You didn’t answer the question.”

“There was a question?”

One corner of his mouth turned up. “I may be reading this all wrong, but just in case I’m not...”

He put his hands on her waist and pulled her toward him. The move was unexpected and she would have instinctively resisted, only there was something about the feel of his hands and her growing sense of anticipation. Because he was holding her exactly like a man holds a woman he means to kiss and kiss well.

She looked up to confirm her theory, which gave her exactly half a second to prepare herself for the impact of his lips on hers.

Her first impression was of heat. His mouth was warm, as was his body, but she was on fire. Need erupted long before he deepened the kiss. Just pressing against him, having him hold her and holding him back was unbearably arousing. When he actually got busy with the kissing part, she wasn’t sure if she was going to melt, scream or fall apart right there in the parking lot.

His tongue stroked her bottom lip. She parted, then groaned when he slipped inside. They circled and danced and explored. She raised herself on her tiptoes to get a better angle. He nipped her lower lip, then ran his hands up and down her back.

Everywhere he touched blazed with hunger. She was nearly shaking with need. He might not know much about weddings, but he sure could kiss and right now that was the superior skill.

But just when she was really getting into it, Jasper pulled back. He was breathing heavily and looked slightly dazed.

“That was unexpected,” he murmured.

“Good unexpected?”

He cleared his throat. “You have to ask?”

“Just checking.”

They stared at each other. Here it was, she thought. The moment of reckoning. She could wimp out and walk away or she could be strong and self-actualized by asking for what she wanted.

“Come home with me.”

The words came out more question than statement, but she’d said them, so good for her. Unless he said no. Then she would die—right there in the parking lot. They would find her stiff body in the morning and no one would know what had happened.

Jasper raised an eyebrow. “You sure?”

She hunched her shoulders. “I’ve used up all my courage, so I can’t ask again.”

He chuckled. “I’m not looking for you to repeat the question. I’m confirming this is what you want.”

She looked at him, starting at his very large feet and working her way up. It was too dark in the parking lot for her to be sure, but she was fairly confident he had an erection. She took in his broad shoulders, his handsome face and then thought about how sad and lonely her girl bits had been.

“This is what I want,” she told him.

That corner of his mouth turned up again. “How far is your place?”

“About six minutes from here.”

“Then we’d best get going.”

CHAPTER THREE

SEVEN MINUTES AND maybe twenty seconds later, they were in her small apartment. Renee managed to turn on the lamp by the door and kick off her shoes before Jasper reached for her. Their lips clung even as he tugged at the hem of her T-shirt. It was impossible to pull off her shirt while kissing, but they tried before finally breaking apart.

“Bedroom,” she said, thinking of the box of condoms she had in her dresser. A box she’d bought when she’d moved to town and never had the opportunity to open until now.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned and saw Jasper had pulled off his shirt, leaving his broad chest bare. He was muscled and male and she couldn’t help moving closer and pressing her mouth to his warm skin.

She’d barely had a chance to do more than register the slightly salty taste of him when he was unfastening her bra and reaching around to cup her breasts. The feel of his fingers against her hungry flesh was perfection. He caressed her curves before brushing against her tight, sensitive nipples. At the first stroke, her breath caught. At the second, she cried out as pleasure burned through to her center. She was already wet and swollen. In seconds she shifted to downright desperate.

“Bedroom,” she said weakly, still thinking of that condom and him inside of her and oh, please could they get on with it.

“You are focused on getting up there,” he said, his voice teasing.

She managed to open her eyes and look up at him—a challenging task considering how he was playing with her nipples, rubbing them between his thumb and fingers and then squeezing just tightly enough to make her groan.

“Unless you walk around with protection in your pocket which, I confess, will make me think less of you, we should head to the bedroom.”

“Well, damn. You’re right.”

Before she could say anything, he shifted, bending over and then scooping her up in his arms. She shrieked at the sudden loss of control and grabbed on to him.

Renee couldn’t remember the last time she’d been carried. She assumed she’d been maybe eight or nine. Yes, she was small, but she was mighty and she didn’t take kindly to being—

He lowered her onto her bed. Before she could complain that she did not enjoy being picked up like a sack of potatoes, he lowered his head and drew her left nipple deeply into his mouth. He flicked his tongue against the taut skin before sucking hard enough to make her writhe with need and delight. Heat poured through her. Wanting grew until she couldn’t think about anything else. Even as he shifted to her other breast, she was unfastening her jeans and pushing them off.

He drew back and watched her. “That much of a hurry?”

“It’s been decades.”

“You’re not old enough for it to have been decades.”

“It feels like decades.” She pointed to his jeans. “Take your clothes off.”

He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

He stood and quickly did as she requested. Renee gave herself a moment to study his naked body. The man looked good and was, ah, well proportioned.

“Condoms?” he asked.

She rolled over to get them out of the far nightstand drawer. When she shifted back, Jasper returned to the bed.

“How would you like this to go?” he asked.

“Fast.”

He chuckled. “What I meant was you’re kind of small and I’m a big guy. Until we figure out what works best, do you want to be on top?”

She had a brief image of impaling herself on his erection, sliding down until he filled her all the way.

“Done,” she said, tossing him the box. “Hurry.”

“You’re bossy.”

“Yes, I know. It’s part of my charm.”

He put on the condom, then motioned to his covered dick. “Whenever you’re ready.”

She supposed she should spend a minute thinking about the fact that she barely knew the man, yet here she was, naked and prepared to do the deed. While she’d never been particularly prudish during sex, she wasn’t exactly wild, either. Maybe it was because there was no emotional risk, or maybe she was simply that horny, or maybe it was Jasper himself. At this point, she genuinely didn’t care.

She straddled him and positioned herself over him, then closed her eyes as she slowly lowered herself. He was long and thick and filled every inch of her in the most delicious way possible. She shifted that last bit all the way in, then let her body remember what all this was about.

Jasper swore. She looked at him.

“What?”

“You.” He swore again. “You’re naked, sexy as hell, all-in with how it feels and I’m just supposed to lie here without losing it like some kid? I’m not sure I have that much willpower.”

Really? Really? She smiled. “So this is arousing?” She wiggled a little, then contracted her muscles.

He inhaled sharply. “That is not a game you’re going to win. Not if you want what I think you want.”

He had a point, but she couldn’t help teasing him with another squeeze. He groaned.

She laughed. “Okay, I’ll stop, for now. What if I do this?”

Without thinking, she slipped her fingers between her parted thighs and found her swollen clit. She’d only meant to tease him with a quick show of her touching herself, but the second she rubbed herself, her need climbed from desperate to unbearable. The combination of her touch and the fullness of him inside of her was too much to resist. She told herself she had to stop, that she couldn’t do that kind of thing in front of him, but the sensations building inside of her were powerful and amazing and...

“Don’t stop,” he said quickly. “Renee, don’t stop. Please.”

She looked at him and saw him intently studying her. His pupils were dilated, his body stiff. He moved his hands to her hips, guiding her up and down in the rhythm designed to take them both over the edge.

Still watching him watch her, she rubbed harder, faster, with each circle, she brushed against the base of his erection, she felt how hard he was, how ready.

“Tell me it’s not going to take long,” he breathed.

“It’s not.”

She was so close already. Her orgasm was just there, on the fringes. Still holding his gaze, she moved up and down faster and faster. She could feel her breasts bouncing, her face flushing, her release getting closer. Need built and built until she was overwhelmed and had no choice but to give in to her orgasm. She cried out, her body contracting around him, forcing him over the edge. His hands tightened on her hips, holding her still as he pushed in even farther, pressing against the very heart of her and groaning as he came.

Renee stayed where she was for a few seconds. Reality returned and she had to face the fact that she was naked, straddling a man she barely knew and his penis was still inside of her.

Just as her afterglow was about to crash and burn in a sea of humiliation, Jasper smiled at her. It was a very self-satisfied male smile that spoke of his own pleasure at everything that had happened.

“You’re not all that,” she said, shifting off him and standing. Her legs were a little shaky and she’d been stretched every which way, but she had to admit, she felt good. Better than good.

“I’m all that and so are you.”

He got up, as well. They cleaned up and went looking for their clothes. Once they were dressed, Renee braced herself for the speedy departure. It was what guys did, or so she’d been told. This was her first one-night stand. No regrets, she told herself. She wasn’t looking for anything but easy sex. She was a disaster at romantic relationships and knew the smartest decision was to avoid them completely. Jasper had given her everything she’d wanted.

“Got any beer?” he asked when he’d tugged on his T-shirt.

“I do.”

She moved toward the kitchen. As she passed him, he reached out and lightly stroked her arm. They paused to stare at each other. One corner of his mouth turned up in a boyish half smile that left her feeling oddly...floaty.

She grabbed a bottle for each of them and they went into the living room. So he was going to stay for a bit. That was unexpected, but nice. Really nice.

He settled on the sofa. She hesitated a second before sitting in the chair opposite. While snuggling next to him sounded appealing and something she could get into, she didn’t actually know him that well. The truth of the statement nearly made her laugh.

Sex?

Why, yes, thank you. Now what was your name again?

“Something funny?” he asked.

“Um, no. Just thinking about stuff.”

He studied her for a second. “You know I’m not the marrying kind, right?”

She’d nearly taken a sip of her beer. Grateful she hadn’t, so she wouldn’t choke to death, she set the bottle on the coffee table between them and stared at him. So much for feeling floaty.

“What are you talking about? The marrying kind? Why would you say that? Why would you think it? Who do you think I am? I don’t want to marry you. It was just sex. It was good sex but it wasn’t in the—” she held up both hands and made air quotes “‘now we have to get married’ category.”

She didn’t know if she should stand up for emphasis or just glare convincingly.

Jasper grimaced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just, you plan weddings for a living.”

“That is my job, not who I am. You write about people getting murdered. I don’t assume you’re planning to murder me. Not the marrying kind. No wondering you’re not in a relationship.”

“Hey, don’t judge.”

“That line deserves judgment.”

“Can I have a do-over?”

“Sexually or conversationally?”

An eyebrow rose, as his expression shifted to slightly predatory. “Give me a few minutes and you can have both.”

“You wish.” Although in truth, she thought it was a good idea, too.

“I kind of do.”

They smiled at each other. There was a moment of silence, but this time it was comfortable.

“How’d you end up here?” she asked. “You don’t strike me as a Happily Inc kind of guy.”

“My car broke down. I was living in LA and I had just driven to New York to visit my publisher and agent.”

“You drove from LA to New York and back? Why didn’t you fly?”

“I didn’t fly well back then. I still don’t like it, but I can do it.”

Why wouldn’t he fly well? Oh, right, she thought. While she didn’t know the details, she’d heard rumors about his time in the military and how he’d escaped without physical injury but still had suffered from significant PTSD.

“So you were stuck in town while they fixed your car?” she asked.

“I was. It was an old clunker and it took a while to get the parts shipped in. I stayed at one of the hotels.”

She picked up her beer and grinned. “Oh, please, please tell me you stayed at the Sweet Dreams Inn.”

“Why would you care about that?”

“I want to picture you hanging out in one of the themed rooms. The princess room or the Heidi room or the woodland creature room.”

“There’s a woodland creature room? Why?”

“It’s fun. I’d love it.”

He shuddered. “That must be a girl thing. For what it’s worth, I was in the pirate room.”

“I know that one. It’s nice.”

When she’d first taken the job in Happily Inc, she’d made it a point to visit all the local businesses that supported the wedding industry. She wanted to be able to offer recommendations because she knew what she was talking about. To that end, she’d toured all the rooms at the Sweet Dreams Inn, so she knew the pirate room was actually fairly masculine, with a huge sailing ship doubling as a bed.

“But still—no little woodland creatures to keep you company?” she asked, her tone wistful.

“I’m afraid not. Argh.”

She laughed. “Okay, I’ll accept the pirate room. So you were stuck in town and decided to stay?”

“I didn’t have a plan. I drove around to kill time. The people were friendly enough. I was here over a Monday night, so the clerk at the front desk suggested I head to The Boardroom for game night.”

“And you were hooked?”

“I was intrigued.” He shifted so he rested his bare feet on the coffee table. “I contacted a local real estate agent about places on the market. I knew I wouldn’t want to live in town, so I wasn’t expecting much. My house is the first place we saw. I looked at a half dozen more, realized I’d already found what I wanted and made an offer.”

“And here you are.”

His gaze locked with hers. “Here we both are.”

She felt the tension rising between them. It was nice. Sexy and insistent. Inside, heat began to build.

“So I’m not looking for a relationship,” she said. “I haven’t ever had good luck in the romance department.” Which was putting it mildly, she thought. Her love life had been a disaster, and while she wanted to say it was her mother’s fault, in truth there were other reasons.

“Giving up on your own happily-ever-after?” he asked.

“Pretty much.”

He lowered his legs and rested his feet on the floor, then put his beer on the table. “But a woman has needs.”

His tone was low, sexy and intriguing. Renee felt herself flushing. Stupid red hair, she thought with a sigh. “A woman does. As does a man.”