Falling for Jillian

  “You’re a channel flipper,” he says accusingly and passes me the remote.

  I begin flipping through the stations, pausing at the History channel to watch a show about secrets of museums.

  “I have a thing for mummies,” I say and glance over at Zack, who’s watching me with a funny look on his face.

  “What kind of thing? They’ve been dead for a while. It’s not like you can date them or something.”

  “I think they’re interesting, Captain Obvious.” I throw the one pillow on the whole couch at him.

  “Aren’t there sports on? Or a show about murder?”

  “Probably.” I continue flipping through the channels and come to a stop. “NCIS is my favorite show!”

  “Really?” He eyes me again. “Mine too.”

  “This is a marathon.” I set the remote aside and settle in for a night with Zack King and Jethro Gibbs.

  Not a bad way to spend some time.

  “The ones from the beginning with Kate are the best.”

  Zack nods. “She was hot.”

  “She was?”

  “Yeah, I have a thing for brunettes.”

  I roll my eyes and then startle when Zack pulls my feet into his lap and begins rubbing the left one, his eyes never leaving the TV. I sigh and settle deeper into the plush cushions of the couch. His thumb catches a particularly delicious spot in my arch and I moan, then slap my hand over my lips.

  “Sorry.”

  He does it again and my eyes drift shut in ecstasy. “God, you’re good at that.”

  I hear him swear under his breath, and when I open my eyes, his jaw is clenched shut, but his face is impassive as he watches his hands knead the muscles in my foot.

  I have to get out of here. If I stay, I’ll give in and rip his clothes off him and have my way with him.

  “I should go.”

  “Stay,” he says immediately and turns those dark chocolate eyes on me. “It’s a mess outside. The roads are most likely frozen over from the rain.”

  “I didn’t bring anything with me . . .” Am I seriously considering this?

  He pulls me into his lap and holds me against him, pushes my hair back over my shoulder, and drags his knuckles down my cheek.

  “I won’t ask you to do anything that you don’t want to do, Jillian.” His voice is soft. “But I’d love to have you here with me. We’ll finish this NCIS marathon and take it from there. I have plenty of spare bedrooms.”

  “I just . . .”

  “I don’t want you to drive in this.” He kisses my forehead, and I feel my resolve evaporating. I want to stay. I lay my hand on his cheek, and my stomach clenches when he turns his face and presses a wet kiss to my palm. “Didn’t I hear that you remodeled the attic into a new master suite?”

  He turns surprised eyes to mine and a slow smile spreads over his sexy lips. “I did.”

  “I’d love to see it.”

  “Are you sure?” He whispers and rests his forehead on mine. “I swear, there are no strings, sugar. You can have a room all to yourself.”

  I bite my lip and inhale deeply. He gently tugs the flesh out of my teeth with the tip of his thumb. “We’ve been circling around each other for months, Zack. I’m tired of it. I don’t feel this with anyone else.”

  “What do you feel?”

  I frown and try to look down, but he catches my chin with his finger and keeps me trapped in his gaze.

  “I won’t ask again.”

  “I feel . . . safe.” I shrug. “Sexy. Turned on.”

  He stands easily with me in his arms and buries his face in my neck as he carries me to the stairs.

  “You are all of those things, baby.”

  “I wasn’t going to do this.”

  “You still don’t have to.”

  I rest my hand on his cheek as he continues to climb the stairs without even an increase in his breathing.

  He’s so fucking strong.

  “I want you.” It’s a whisper, but I feel it to my toes. His eyes dilate as he pushes open his bedroom door and carries me to his bed.

  “I never stopped wanting you,” he replies.

  The bed is wide, king-size for a big man. The room is enormous, spanning the entire length of the house. There is a sitting area with bookshelves near a wide window that looks out to the back part of the property and the mountains, and I can just imagine what that view must look like early in the morning. The wood floor is covered in cozy rugs. There are two doors, both closed, on the opposite side of the space.

  “Bathroom and closet over there,” he murmurs when he sees me glance that way.

  “This is beautiful.”

  “You are beautiful. Are you completely sure that this is what you want, Jillian?” He kisses my cheek and my neck then pulls back to watch my face.

  I grin and lean in to press my lips against his. “Hell yes.”

  He growls and kisses me with restrained fervor. His hands grasp the hem of my sweater and tug it over my head, followed by the orange cami beneath it, leaving me in jeans and a bra.

  I pull frantically on his T-shirt, dying to see and feel the muscles beneath.

  Zack naked is a sight to behold, and it’s been way too long since I last saw it.

  He yanks the shirt off and returns his lips to mine, plundering, then reeling it back, tasting and nibbling.

  “This isn’t going to be fast, sugar,” he murmurs as his lips drift down my jawline. “We have all night, and I’m going to take my time.”

  I push my fingers into his hair, loving the softness of the strands between them. “You don’t have to go slow for me.”

  “I’m going slow for me.” He reaches around with one hand and deftly unclasps my bra. I shrug out of it and toss it aside. “You are never going to forget all of the things I’m going to do to you tonight. Every inch of your amazing little body is going to feel me.”

  My breath hitches at his words. He boosts me up in the bed, unclasps my jeans, peels them down, and kneels between my legs, staring at me clad only in my tiny blue lace panties.

  “Do you have any idea how fucking beautiful you are?” he growls and braces himself above me, holding his body away from mine as he brushes his lips over mine softly, barely touching me.

  My hands glide across his smooth chest, over his sculpted stomach, to the button on his jeans.

  “I need you naked,” I breathe.

  “Not yet.”

  “Please.”

  “Here’s the thing,” he whispers and pulls the lobe of my ear between his teeth, then soothes the bite with his tongue. “I only have one condom.”

  “Well, you’re not very well prepared for this,” I mutter grouchily.

  “I wasn’t trying to jinx anything,” he replies with a chuckle. “But I do plan to make you come all night long, so we’re going to have to be creative here, baby.”

  “All night?” I squeak. Dear God, I don’t think I can do it.

  “All.” He kisses my collarbone. “Night.”

  CHAPTER

  Six

  ZACK

  Fuck yes I’m going to make love to her all night long.

  “I’m going to make you feel things you’ve never imagined,” I warn her as I trace her dusky brown nipple with my nose until it puckers. “I want to hear those sexy moans you make when I’m buried deep inside you, holding your legs down, making you stay still while I drive you nuts.”

  She moans and shimmies under me, trying to press her pussy against my stomach as I kiss across her chest, not quite reaching her sensitive nipples.

  “And I want to feel you fall over the edge while I have my fingers deep inside your pussy and your clit between my lips.”

  “Jesus, Zack.” Her sweet voice is raspy with lust now and she’s breathing hard, her head thrashing on my pillow. Her gorgeous brown hair is fanned around her.

  I can’t wait to pull it while I fuck her from behind.

  But that’ll have to be another day because tonight, when I finally do si
nk into her hot, wet pussy, it’ll be while she’s under me, and I can see those amazing blue eyes while she comes around me.

  I pull her nipple into my mouth and tug with my teeth, then soothe it with my tongue. She plunges her hands into my hair and holds on tight.

  I make love to the other nipple, satisfied when it puckers, then pull back with a loud pop, glide my hands up her arms to her hands, still buried in my hair, and link my fingers with hers and guide them over her head.

  “You taste so good,” I whisper against her lips. She grins, panting, her blue eyes on fire, and circles her hips, pushing her pussy against my cock, making it throb even more.

  “Zack,” she murmurs. “I want you inside me.”

  “I’ll get there,” I reply and kiss her lightly, just tickling her lips with my own. God, she’s so soft and sweet.

  I let go of her hands and they go straight for my hair again, pulling me in deeper. This woman kisses like it’s her sole mission in life, with 100 percent of her attention.

  She’s intoxicating.

  Finally, I nip her little chin and down her neck and begin the journey down her petite body. The first time I was with her, I was afraid I’d break her. But she’s much stronger than she looks.

  While kissing and nuzzling her belly button, I hook my fingers into her panties and pull them down her hips and legs, then throw them over my shoulder and settle between her spread thighs.

  She’s laid out before me like a feast. Her pussy lips are small and pink and dripping wet.

  “Your clit is swollen,” I murmur softly and trace a circle with my fingertip around the tight nub.

  She gasps and squirms as I drag my finger down from her clit, between her folds, and push it inside her and amazingly, she clenches around my finger like a vise and I know that when my cock slides home, I won’t last long.

  Finally, I can’t take it any longer. I have to taste her. I pull my finger out of her and suck it into my mouth. She bites her lip, watching me intently and I grin up at her, then lean in and pull her lips into my mouth, suck lightly, and then sink my tongue into her hot, tight pussy.

  Her hips lift off the mattress, pushing unabashedly against my face. I plant my hands on her inner thighs and hold her down and lick from her entrance to her clit and back down again, and as I fuck her with my tongue, I press my thumb on her clit and watch as she explodes, her juices flowing around my mouth as she arches her back and screams my name.

  I kiss her thighs and her soft, flat belly, running my fingertips up and down her skin, watching as goose bumps spread across her white skin.

  “That was one,” I inform her and climb back on top of her and kiss her, giving her taste to her. I love the way her pelvis cradles mine, and the feel of her strong thighs clenched around my hips, and I know I won’t be able to hold out much longer.

  I tug my wallet from my jeans, retrieve the condom, and shimmy out of my pants. My cock springs blessedly free, and I quickly sheath it in the rubber.

  “You’re sure?” I settle against her, not inside her yet, and gently brush strands of hair away from her forehead.

  “If you stop now, I’ll kick your ass.” She reaches between us, takes my cock in her hand, and guides me inside her, and I swear to Jesus, I see stars.

  “Holy fuck, Jilly.”

  “God, so good,” she gasps.

  I slide in as far as I can and stop, holding myself still. If I move, I’ll pound in and out of her until I come hard, and I want to make this last.

  “I missed you,” I whisper. My heart stills. God, I missed her. I only had her for one night, and I thought I’d never be here again, and by some miracle, here she is.

  “I’m sorry.” She bites her lip. Tears form in her eyes, making my gut clench. “I shouldn’t have left. I should have . . .”

  “Shh.” I kiss her softly and brush her tears away with my thumbs. “We had a rough year, sugar. I’m just so fucking thankful you’re here now.”

  She nods and offers me a shy smile. “Me too.”

  I lean in and drag my nose down her jaw to her ear. “I have to move.”

  “So move,” she replies and circles her hips again.

  “I don’t want it to be over too fast.”

  She drags those amazing hands of hers down my back to my ass and grabs a handful. “This is just the first time, Zack.”

  I pull back in surprise to gaze down at her nervous face. She’s biting her lip again.

  “I mean . . .”

  “You’re right.” I pull my hips back and then slide right back in and it’s all I can do to hold still again. “It’s just the first time.” I repeat the motion, and then slowly increase the pace.

  “Oh God.”

  I hook her right leg around my elbow and spread her wide, and can’t help but watch my hard, thick cock moving in and out of her small body.

  “Amazing,” I murmur and glance up at her face. “Your tiny body fits me like a glove.”

  Her body clenches around me, and I know she’s on the edge again, ready to fall apart. I release her leg and cover her with my body and kiss her hard as her pussy milks my cock.

  “Come, baby.”

  “Come with me,” she purrs.

  “I’m right here with you.” I clench her hand in mine and kiss her fingers, then kiss her lips again. She nibbles my lower lip and suddenly, her hand tightens on mine and her pussy clenches around my cock like a fist.

  “Holy shit!”

  “Yes, baby.” I hold my hips still, watching as she shudders around me, coming apart, and just as her orgasm is about to recede, I follow her over, pulsing inside her, and call out her name.

  “Holy shit,” she whispers, panting.

  I laugh as my head clears, cup her face in my hands, and kiss her long and slow before pulling out of her to dispose of the condom and wash my hands.

  “How do you feel?” I ask as I crawl back to the middle of my bed and kiss her cheek.

  “Thoroughly fucked,” she replies with a wide smile.

  “Good.” I kiss her cheek again and pull away. “I have to check the house. I’ll be right back.”

  “Do you need help?”

  The question makes me pause. When was the last time anyone asked me if I needed help?

  “No, sweetheart. Get comfy. I’ll only be a minute.”

  I pull on a pair of boxers and run into Thor, who is asleep right outside my door.

  “Hey, buddy. Sorry about that.” He whines and licks my hand as he jogs down the stairs next to me. “I know, you miss your boy. He’ll be home tomorrow. Here, go potty so we can all go to bed.”

  I open the back door and he flies outside, barks at the chickens just for form’s sake, pees on a fence post, and then runs back to the house.

  It’s too damn cold out to fuck around.

  I stoke the fire, add more wood, and make sure the house is locked up for the night, not that anyone is going to bother us out here. It’s just habit now.

  “Are you ready for bed, boy?” I ask Thor. He offers me a doggy grin and runs up the stairs ahead of me. He stops at Seth’s room, but I shake my head. “You’ll have to sleep in my room tonight. Come on.”

  When we enter the master, Thor jogs over to the bed, sniffs to see who’s up there, and then jumps up on the bed.

  “Thor, no.”

  “Awww, he wants to sleep with us.” Jill scratches his ears as Thor curls up next to her, happy as a clam.

  “Not a chance in hell are you going to sleep next to my woman, dog.” Jill’s eyes widen in surprise as I snap my fingers and point to Thor’s bed. He whines, hangs his head for a moment, and then finally obeys, jumping off the bed and curling up on his dog bed in the corner.

  I climb under the covers and pull Jill into my arms, settling her on my chest.

  “Why do you look so shocked?”

  “I’m not.”

  “Do you think that you’re not my woman?” I ask calmly and kiss the top of her head.

  “I hadn’t thought about
it.”

  I roll us to the side, so I can look her in the eye. “Think about it, Jill.”

  She drags her hand down my cheek. I turn my head to kiss her palm and guide that hand around my back, hugging her close.

  “Think about it,” I whisper again.

  “Okay.” She cuddles close to me and yawns.

  “Go ahead and sleep, baby. You’ll need your strength. I plan to wake you up several times tonight.”

  She laughs and shakes her head, tracing the tattoo on my bicep. “Yeah, right.”

  I don’t bother to argue. She’ll find out soon enough.

  “Thank you for being here.”

  She yawns again and kisses my chest. “You’re welcome. What is this tattoo for?”

  “It’s Seth.” I feel her smile.

  “How so?”

  It’s a tribal shamrock in green. “He was born on St. Patrick’s Day.”

  “I love that. What about the eagle on your back?” She pulls away and pushes on my shoulder, making me turn over so she can get a better look.

  “The eagle is red, white, and blue, so it’s sort of patriotic.” I close my eyes as her sweet fingers trace the outline of the eagle.

  “What do these stars mean? The ones that make the eagle look like it’s in flight, leaving a trail of stars behind him?” She gently kisses each star. Her touch, her affection, is like a balm to my jagged heart.

  “There is a star for each guy I lost in the field.”

  She presses another kiss to my back and nuzzles her cheek against me. “How many?”

  “Sixteen.” Sixteen good men who lost their lives.

  I turn onto my back and scoop her against me, kissing her head and breathing in her delicious scent.

  “Were you close to all of them?” she asks softly.

  “Some. I witnessed nine of those deaths,” I reply. I’ve never talked about this with anyone before, even Josh.

  “What?” She braces herself on her elbows and stares down at me, her eyes wide with horror. “Are you telling me that it could have been you to die nine times?”

  I pull my fingers down her cheek and brush her soft hair back off her face, tucking it behind her ear. “It wasn’t me, Jilly.”

  “Oh my God,” she whispers and kisses my cheek, then tucks herself against me as tightly as she can, burrowing her face into my neck and holding on tight. “Zack.”