Page 41 of The Stud Next Door (Frisky Business 3)
As pleasure overtakes me, I gasp out her name. And a second later, I crumple over her in a heap. From beneath me, Jessa breathes deeply, a hearty laugh filling the space where her needy moans were just moments before.
I lift myself onto my elbows to meet her eyes. “Are you crying?”
“I guess I am.” She giggles, wiping away a stray tear. “That was intense.”
“Good intense? Or bad intense?” My stomach twists in a knot. I sure fucking hope good intense, considering I’m still inside her at this point.
“Very good.” Jessa nods, and I sigh in relief. “The best kind of good.”
“The best, huh?” I give her a smug grin.
“Absolutely,” she murmurs happily.
A familiar warmth grows inside my chest, but as much as I’d love to try for round two, I think we both deserve a break. I press a kiss to Jessa’s forehead before slowly extracting myself and getting up to dispose of the condom. When I turn back around, she’s watching me, lying on her side in a way that displays all her irresistible curves.
I’ve never been more excited to get back in bed.
Rejoining her, I pull the sheet over our bodies and tuck her against my chest. She nestles into the crook of my shoulder, one arm sliding up my pecs to rest lazily against the side of my neck. Almost in unison, we sigh in contentment. The timing is so good that soon, we’re both laughing again.
Goddamn, have I ever laughed with anyone this much?
“Maybe this goes without saying,” I murmur against the top of her head with a smile, “but you’re invited to stay the night if you want.”
“I do want.”
She sighs, nuzzling her face into my neck and punctuating the statement with a little nip. I chuckle, tightening my hold on her.
If I could hold her like this always, feeling the steadiness of her heartbeat against my chest, you know damn well that I would. It’s so tempting to imagine a world in which I could press PAUSE and preserve this moment for good.
But the reality is that Jessa is leaving me any day now. It’s the way it has to be.
It’s the last thought I remember before falling asleep, and the first thought I wake up to.
I roll onto my side, blinking away my grogginess as morning light streams in through the window.
Jessa sleeps soundly on the pillow next to mine, her legs pressing against me, the sheet completely thrown aside. The sight of her naked form fills me with an intense yearning. Not just for sex. For her. To be with her. To wake up with her like this every morning.
Get a grip, Connor.
With a sigh, I put more distance between us. I need coffee. And I’m sure she’ll appreciate a cup too.
I hoist myself out of bed, shifting the mattress with the idiocy of a bachelor who’s accustomed to sleeping alone. Luckily, Jessa is dead to the world, a soft snore reassuring me that she’s a deep sleeper and a little noise won’t disturb her. The room is cooler now, so I grab a blanket from the end of the bed and gently guide it over her sleeping frame. Then I slip on a pair of basketball shorts and a hoodie and head for the kitchen.
The gurgle and hiss of coffee brewing does nothing to distract me from the brewing of my own thoughts. Just last night, I told her that I’d be down to take things one day at a time. But one day turns into a week, and a week turns into a month, and before long, Jessa is gone and out of my life for God knows how long. The thought is sobering.
Will she want to come back to Chicago after her international adventures? Or will she write me off as a summer fling and jump-start her life somewhere else? Maybe she’ll meet someone else while she’s away. Someone with a do-gooder heart like hers, and fall desperately in love with him.
The coffee maker beeps quietly, drawing me back to the present where there’s a one-of-a-kind woman sleeping in my bed right now. Not in some foreign land, but here with me. And I have to make the most of my time with her before it’s too late.
I fill two matching mugs and head back toward the bedroom, softly pushing the door open with my foot. She’s now cozied up in the center of my bed, her hair catching hints of sunlight and her cheeks rosy with warmth. I set the mugs on the bedside table, swearing when a drop of scalding liquid leaks onto my thumb.
Caretaker that she is, it’s my discomfort that wakes Jessa. Her eyes open immediately, wide with concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I sigh, annoyed with myself. “I just spilled a little. Careful, it’s hot.”
