Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

SLATE

A s she sat up, I lay back, my cock throbbing and probably weeping a little bit. Even just the friction of my jeans was enough to have me right on the edge. My eyes closed, and I prayed I wouldn't lose control as soon as she touched me.

This had been weeks in the making and my body was feeling every second of that pent-up desire now. My lungs refused to pull in enough oxygen as I sucked in air. My hands were even a little bit shaky as I reached for Jess.

Illuminated by the moonlight with the fireflies lending her no more than an orange glow, she was more beautiful than ever. Her teeth sank into her swollen lower lip and her eyes were still a bit glazed over as she sat on her knees beside me.

She reached for the button of my jeans, her gaze locked on my straining erection, but I groaned and grabbed her wrist. "No teasing."

It wasn't a plea but a command. One that made something I couldn't quite place flash in her eyes as she nodded.

Careful to unbutton me without even brushing a hand against my cock, she opened my fly and wasted no time releasing me from the confines of my underwear. As soon as my dick sprang free, she moaned and swiped her tongue across her lips like she was tempted to wrap them around me, but I wouldn't last if she did and I wasn't about to come in her mouth.

Not after this had been building up for so damn long.

There also wouldn't be any further rounds tonight. It wasn't like we could sleep out here and Jess had to be up for chores in just a few hours' time.

We needed to make this count, which meant I had to get inside her and savor every second before it would come to an inevitable end. She glanced into my eyes like she was thinking the exact same thing. Then I offered her my hands and she took them, pausing as she got herself into position.

"Crap, we need a condom."

"Back pocket," I said. "In my wallet. You're going to have to get it."

If I moved now, I would dislodge her from the precarious position she was in, her jeans still around her ankles as she balanced on top of me. She nodded, using the grip of one of her hands in mine to hold herself steady while she reached around me for my pocket.

I lifted my butt to help her get it out. My tip slid against her soaked heat and I bit back a shout. "Fuck, Jess."

"I know." She quickly slid my wallet out of my pocket and unceremoniously dropped it on my stomach so we wouldn't lose it in the dark. She rested her weight on my thighs, pulled the condom out of my wallet, and handed it over.

I bit the wrapper open, careful to set it down right next to me so I'd be able to find it again later. Then I rolled it on, taking her hands again to help her align her entrance to my aching dick. Once she was in position, she lowered herself down on me and I bit both my lips to keep from making a sound. I didn't even bother to fight the urge to thrust into her.

She was ready. I could feel it.

As soon as my hips shot up, she moved down, moaning into the night. Pleasure raced through me as her hot channel welcomed me like it'd been waiting forever, which it felt like it had.

Jess leaned over. Her lips met mine just as we both started moving. As much as I would have liked to take it slow and drag it out, I couldn't. I'd been wanting her too bad for too long, and even though she'd just had what seemed like a pretty fucking powerful orgasm to me, she moved like she was already soaring toward another.

Our kisses were sloppy and hard. I slammed into her from below, withdrawing slowly before thrusting back home. I already knew it wasn't going to be much longer and Jess's movements were becoming much more staccato too. Curses interspersed with my name left her lips on moans and whispers.

When I opened my eyes to look at her, I saw the multitude of lights drifting around us and I groaned, glad that the fireflies wouldn't be able to tell this tale. But I was also strangely enchanted with the fact that they were there.

They were lending us a certain magic tonight and there was no mistaking that this was pretty romantic, regardless of how hard and urgent we were going at it. It was a weird, raw moment, real and intense in a way I hadn't ever felt before.

That didn't make it last any longer, though.

Jess's muscles started constricting around me and I grabbed the back of her neck and brought her mouth back to mine in a searing kiss. Heat exploded at the base of my spine. My hips jerked and my thighs shook as a forceful climax ripped through me.

I swore my heart stopped for a moment. Blood thundered in my ears as all-consuming pleasure crashed into me. Her muscles locked around my shaft. I stiffened underneath her, shouting her name into her mouth.

"Slate," she bit out. Then I felt it, the next orgasm that left her collapsing on my chest when it was over.

Breathing hard, she dropped down on me, her ear pressed to me. I swiped my tongue over my dry lips, my skin singing and my body numb. Finally managing to move, I let go of one of her hands, but only so I could wrap my arm around her.

I wasn't sure what came over me, but the way Jess saw the world ignited something deep in my soul. The girl was the very definition of slowing down to smell the roses. It was like she was the embodiment of everything that had been missing in my life.

For as long as I could remember, I'd been all about moving as fast as I could. From one project and one rig to the next. Jumping on a plane to take a quick client meeting in the city before heading out to dinner with another.

Gym. Home. Meetings. Planes. Rigs.

More recently, it had all been about investigating one big idea after another. Obsessing over what to do next in my life and skipping from one possibility to the next just as soon as I realized the first didn't quite feel like the right fit.

My entire adult life had been a blur, and then I'd arrived here.

For the first time ever, I lay in bed at night, watching the stars and not feeling like the clock was ticking toward the next thing. I chatted to Jeanie over coffee in the mornings, lazy and in no great rush to get anywhere.

Earlier tonight, I'd just been sitting in an armchair, not even watching TV even though it had been on. Instead, I'd sat there, content to be thinking about the day and my feelings about being here. It was a shocking change of pace for me, but definitely not in a bad way.

Lying there in the grass, watching the fireflies and the stars with a beautiful girl recovering on top of me, I didn't feel the need I usually did to run afterward. Instead, I kind of wanted to open up. "You know, when Mira asked me to come out here, I was hesitant."

"No shit," she whispered, sounding amused. "I never would've guessed."

I chuckled, reaching for her ribs and tickling them. "Smart ass."

In her efforts to get away from my tickles, she finally lifted herself off me. Instantly, I missed having her there. She pulled up her pants while I wondered if I was suddenly into cock warming, but I shook my head at myself.

I was just into Jess. No matter which way I sliced it, I felt something for this girl.

She did up her pants, but to my surprise, she came to lie next to me when she was done, resting her head on my arm and burrowing into my side, apparently not giving a shit about getting even more covered in dirt.

"You were hesitant about staying even after you got here." She brought her palm to my chest and rested it right over my heart. "I'm glad you did, though."

"So am I," I admitted. "I wanted to stay in the city. I only came because I knew she would if I didn't agree, but I'm so fucking happy I'm here and it has nothing to do with the oil."

She smiled up at me, her features soft and stunningly gorgeous in the moonlight. "I'm happy you're here too. Mostly because of the oil," she teased.

I laughed. "Keep telling yourself that, Jessie. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Chores," she said easily. "That's what helps me sleep at night, and okay. Maybe recently, another thing that's been helping me sleep has been knowing you're right down the hall."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She sighed softly. "I like having you here."

"Because of the oil?" I joked.

She chuckled. "Mostly, but it's more than that."

"Like what?" I asked, finding myself holding my breath as I waited for her answer.

Lifting her chin to look into my eyes, she pumped her eyebrows at me. "Like what I might've done to ease some of the tension of knowing you were right down the hall."

Another bolt of desire slammed into me and my head jerked back. "Seriously?"

She shrugged, a coy smile playing on her lips. "That's for me to know."

"And me to find out," he concluded. "Do you have a map lying around somewhere detailing the squeaky floorboards?"

"Nope," she said, sounding a little bummed about it. "If you ask nicely, maybe I could draw you one."

I gathered her into my arms. "Or maybe it's safer if you just sneak into my bed whenever you want a little help easing that tension."

"I'll think about it," she murmured. "Don't think any of this lets you off the hook, though. I'm still counting on you to make us rich, Slate Spieres. Heaven knows, we need money and we need it, like, yesterday."

I didn't tell her, but from where I was standing, she and her family were already way richer than they thought. Of course, I knew she was talking about cash, but I wondered if she knew that money wasn't really what made a person rich.

What they had here, on the other hand? A beautiful property and a simple life filled with people who loved them and work they'd been meant to do?

That was priceless.

More so than I'd ever even realized before.

It made me wonder about my own future. I'd finally found something that had held my attention for more than a minute. I just didn't know if it would last—or even if it should.

Ultimately, I'd come out here to do a job, and once it was done, I was meant to leave. Or maybe, just maybe, this was where I was meant to stay.