Page 22 of We Wish You a Happily Ever After

Chapter Seven

Jeremy’s apartmentwas a third-floor walkup that backed onto the river just off Main Street. It was tastefully, if not simply, decorated and clean. Those were the only details that Bella registered as he unlocked his front door and stepped inside to turn the lights on. He’d barely had a chance to turn around when she was in his arms, kissing him.

Bella had never been shy when it came to men and getting exactly what she wanted. She’d never had trouble feeling sexually empowered and had no problems initiating as long as it meant she’d get what she wanted. Something about Jeremy felt different, though. With him, she’d been a bit shier than she’d ever been. Maybe it was because they’d known each other when they were kids. She’d been his first kiss. Not hers, though. Billy Johnson had been her first kiss in fourth grade. By the time she was sixteen, she’d kissed a handful of boys. Not enough to make her an expert, by any means. But to fourteen-year-old Jeremy, she had been, and she’d enjoyed playing the role of teacher.

Now, though, they were all grown up and there was no doubt in Bella’s mind that the experience level between them had leveled out over the years. Something about that made her a little nervous.

And excited.

She pressed him against the wall and kissed him hard while her hands traveled to his chest.

“This is a very thick jacket.” She struggled with the zipper before he cupped his hands over hers and gently removed them.

“Let me.” He unzipped his jacket, shrugged it off, and let it land in a heap on the floor. “Better?”

“Not quite.” Bella bit her lower lip and once again let her hands roam over his body. This time, her hands slid easily over his thick sweater to the hem, where she could lift it up and over his head.

Damn. He had definitely grown up from the boy he’d been all those years ago.

She swallowed hard and trailed her fingers over the hard planes of his chest. Jeremy shivered under her touch.

“Your hands are freezing.” He protested, but made no move to stop her.

His breathing deepened as his chest rose and fell. His arousal fueled her, and Bella moved her hands to his jeans and the undeniable bulge there. Bella ran her hand over his hardness and Jeremy groaned. “You’re killing me, woman.”

“In all the best ways, though.”

“Definitely.” He bit his bottom lip as she deftly slid the leather from his belt buckle.

Bella took her time unzipping his pants, relishing every moment as she drove him crazier. His breath came faster with every second.

“Bella.” He growled her name like a warning. A warning she had no intention of heeding.

With the zipper finally down, she moved her hands—now suitably warmed up—around to his backside and pushed his jeans to the ground. Jeremy stepped out of them and kicked off his boots all in one move, and then he stood before her naked except for his underwear. Bella took a step back to admire the man in front of her. And was there ever a lot to admire.

Jeremy let her look. But only for a moment before he stepped toward her. “Screw this, Bella.”

* * *

There was only so much one man could take and Jeremy had completely reached his limit. He’d been patient while she undressed him—purposely taking her time to torture him, he was certain. But he let her do it while she herself remained completely clothed. Hell, her winter parka was still zipped up. He’d given her her moment. He’d let her feel as though she were perfectly in charge. Just the way she had been when they were kids. But dammit, by the time she’d stripped him almost completely naked without so much as removing one article herself, he’d reached his breaking point.

“Screw this, Bella.”

The half-smile she’d worn on her sexy red lips as she’d taken in her fill of him disappeared as he took two steps toward her and picked her up around the waist, tossing her easily over his shoulder. She squealed in protest, but Jeremy cupped one hand over her ass to hold her in place as he walked across his small apartment to his bedroom.

He flicked on the bedside lamp, giving him just enough light to see the beautiful body he knew she was hiding under all her layers, and tossed her gently onto the bed.

When she looked up at him, the look on her face was one of shock mixed with an overwhelming desire. It took all of his strength not to jump on the bed and rip her clothes off right then.

But no. He wanted to take it slow. He needed to.

Having Bella on his bed, even fully dressed, was quite literally a dream come true. Sure, he hadn’t actively fantasized about this moment since he was fourteen—at least, not until lately—but still. It wasn’t a moment he was going to rush through.

Hell no.

“You have entirely too many clothes on.”

Bella leaned back on her arms. “You didn’t really give me a chance to take them off, now did you?”

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