Page 4 of In His Arms

Her breath hitched in her lungs. Her skirt bunched at her waist, revealing her thighs, and the jacket felt smooth against her skin. His scent permeated her senses, a spicy cologne and something all of his own. Hunched over, with his eyes narrowed, he attentively cleaned her small wounds that no longer bled and bandaged them with antibiotic ointment and cloth Band-Aids. Once he had finished, and glanced up at her..

“You want to tell me what that was about?”

His crotch was inches away from hers. How could the man hold a civilized conversation?

“It wasn’t about anything.” She tried shifting away from him, only to wiggle and bring her crotch against his.

They both gasped at the intimate contact. Alex gripped her thighs to hold her in place, and she was pleased at his effort to fight for control. She knew her intentions were treading on thin ice. Once crossing the sex-with-a-friend line, there was no going back. If the relationship didn’t work out, their friendship would disintegrate, leaving her with nothing.

His warm palms slid up her thighs, scorching her skin everywhere they touched. She wanted him, and the ever-increasing bulge pressing into her proclaimed he wanted her too. He opened his eyes, the irises cobalt and shinning with desire.

“Jessie,” he said. He leaned forward—maybe she met him halfway—and kissed her.

His soft, firm lips glided against hers before they parted, and his tongue delved into the moist depths of her mouth. While they kissed, Jessica trailed her hands up his arms, gripping his rock hard biceps for anchorage to the world. It was too good to be true. Alex was standing between her legs kissing her like a starving man eating his first meal.

He pulled away first, smoothing her hair back from her face. “You’re so beautiful, Jessie. I knew you were pretty back in high school, but I never realized how much.”

He stroked her cheek with his knuckles.

“Alex, I’ve had a crush on you since our freshman year.” She blurted it out and giggled nervously at the expression on his face.

“Really?” His smile stole her breath away. “Why am I just finding out about that now?”

“I’m a coward.” She giggled again and leaned toward his soft caresses.

“So if I do this you’re not going to slap me?” He dipped his head, licking a small path up the length of her neck before nibbling lightly beneath her ear, and she tilted her head to give him better access. Jessica’s body went from tepid to inferno in two seconds. His hands coasted underneath her skirt, leaving a hot trail of fire in their wake.

“Alex, I want you.” The pooling moisture in her panties concurred.

Instead of replying, he worked on the buttons of her soft pink button-down uniform, slipping each through the tiny buttonhole until the two halves of the uniform separated. Underneath, she wore a lacy black bra that matched an equally lacy black thong—supposedly guaranteed to make every man’s mouth water at first sight. Jessica, however, was just grateful that she actually put on a matching set this morning.

“Jessie,” he said, his voice roughened with desire. His finger trailed along the line of lace at the top of her bra with a feather-light touch. “You’re perfect. What the hell did that loser do to you?”

“I don’t want to talk about him.” She pulled Alex’s shirt from his pants. She wanted to see him, to feel his warm bare flesh underneath her palm.

His mouth fused to hers while his hands traveled the length of her thighs. He covered the crotch of her panties, stroking her clit through the lacy material. His touch nearly made her come undone on the spot. It had been a long time since a man touched her there, and now that her fantasy man finally was, she couldn’t contain the feelings he aroused in her body.

The tip of his tongue dipped below the lace of her bra, flicking one of her hard nipples. She stopped her own exploration and pulled his head to her, urging him on. Breathless and needy, she never wanted this to end. She wanted his mouth on her, his hands on her, his cock in her. She wanted it all from him and never wanted it to stop.

“Hello?” Dani called from the doorway. “Jessie are you here?”

Jessica shoved at Alex’s chest. Stunned, she quickly slid from the table, trying her best to button the uniform and failing miserably. He smiled before helping her tackle the buttons and then worked on his own shirt. Now halfway decent and unable to hide the grin from his face, he waved at Dani when she appeared through the swinging double doors.

“There you are.” Her gaze darted from Jessica to Alex. “Um, hey, Alex. What are you guys doing?”

Jessica’s cheeks heated before she blurted, “Well, Annabelle fixed us dinner, so Alex and I decided to clean up. I accidentally broke a plate a second ago, so now I’m cleaning that up. What are you doing?” Jessica smiled, knowing her rambling came out as an admission of guilt.

“Oh.” Dani frowned. “Do you always flush when you’re cleaning?”

Alex chuckled. “It’s a little hot in here.”

“Right.” Dani glanced between the two of them. “Everyone in town is betting on when you two will hook up. If I place my bet for tonight, what are my odds?”

Jessica folded her arms over her chest. “Nobody is hooking up, least of all us.”

Alex’s attention jerked toward her and she ignored him. Dani pursed her lips as she studied Jessica. For a younger girl, she didn’t miss a thing. Alex may not have any trouble with the town gossips, but he was leaving after a few days. She had to live here and she’d never hear the end of it if anything with Alex went further.

“Why are you here, Dani?” Jessica finally asked.

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