Legally Charming (Ever After Book 1) Page 8

  “It’s just a movie,” he murmured in her ear and feathered a kiss on her temple, as though assuring her that she didn’t have to go any farther physically than she was with him right now.

  How did he seem to know what to say? He was perfect and too damned tempting.

  His scent, that wonderful woodsy scent mixed with fresh rain, was an endless comfort. It reminded her of home. When spring showers washed through the town and she’d leave her windows open. The scent and sounds of rain were a soothing enticement.

  “I’m glad I went to see Sargent with you.” His chest rumbled with his low murmur.

  “Me, too. It sounds like you don’t get enough time to enjoy life.” She winced. “I’m sorry, that sounded rude. I didn’t mean it like that.” She lifted her head and leaned into his touch when he brushed the hair back from her face.

  “I know you didn’t. You don’t have a mean bone in your body, princess.” He tapped her cheek playfully with his index finger.

  “Hey! I can so be mean. You don’t know me.” She bristled, irritated at the increasing amusement at his face. Tiny lines crinkled around the corners of his eyes and mouth. A sexy mouth, one she’d fantasized about kissing most of the day.

  “I am getting to know you.” He was tracing her lips, his brow furrowed in thought. She sucked in a breath, wondering, waiting to see what he’d do next.

  “You, Felicity, are a kitten, sweet, soft…”

  Struck by an impish impulse, she bit his thumb.

  “Why you little—” He tackled her back on the couch, laughing as she squealed. He pinned her down with the weight of his body and started tickling her.

  “Oh! Quit that!” She was laughing too hard for the threat to be taken seriously. The blankets fell off them and onto the floor, and in the midst of their playful struggles, Jared’s hips slid into the cradle of her thighs. The intimate press of his body to hers made them suck in a shared breath. Faces close, both of them panting, Felicity dared not move except to wriggle her hips under his. He captured her wrists, pressing them down into the soft, worn leather of the couch on either side of her head. She licked her lips, rocked her hips again in a silent invitation, a plea for something she needed but feared to ask for.

  “Not a kitten,” he murmured moving a few inches closer, enough that his nose brushed the tip of hers. “More like a tiger. Fire, spirit, beauty.”

  For a man who claimed he knew little of art, he painted with his words.

  “Please, Jared.” She didn’t know what she wanted him to do, only that he had to do something.

  “Shouldn’t…” he breathed.

  “Have to…” she begged.

  “Yeah,” he agreed and dipped his head toward her.

  The velvet press of his lips to hers melted in a slow-burning fire. Feathery, teasing, his tongue sought hers, and she gasped against his lips in erotic delight. The kiss hardened, turned possessive, and it thrilled her. Her body was on fire, the way he gently restrained her, took his kisses slowly, deeply, a banked eagerness one thread away from losing the control he held as he taught her how to kiss.

  Open-mouthed, raw, persistent yet tender. He demanded everything and conquered her kiss by kiss, sigh by sigh. When his hold on her wrists vanished, she slid her hands up his body, fingers dipping and rising over the contours of his muscled back. They settled on his shoulders and her fingers dug in, clinging as he assaulted her senses and destroyed everything she thought she knew about him, about herself.

  Their bodies rocked together, an ancient rhythm hindered only by clothes. The leather of the couch was soft and whispered beneath her as she tried to shift, to find some way to ease the pangs of desire exploding like fire in her womb. Fear tinged each kiss, fear of the climbing heights, the pounding blood and the flashbangs of heat along her skin whenever he touched her. Felicity had never felt this way before.

  Jared’s kisses cast her into the fire, molded her into something new, never to be undone by any man’s kiss but his.

  She slid her hands under his shirt, and the warmth his skin radiated made her toes curl and her back arch. His hips rolled into hers again, and she hissed sharply as arousal and need shot through her. Her nails raked his back, desperate for another taste of the endless bliss each movement of his body promised. Was this what the poets and songwriters meant? This steady yet frantic race toward an unknown length of time when only pleasure could exist? White-hot stars shot across her eyes.

  Jared nibbled her lips, licked the seam of her mouth, and then plunged his tongue inside again and again, until she felt like she was free-falling. The room went black around her, and she drifted in the clouds, not a breath left in her as she let go. After an eternity she came back down, bit by bit, to realize where she was…and what she’d done. With Jared.

  “You are so fucking beautiful when you come,” his gruff voice murmured close to her ear, tickling her, sending delicious little shivers through her.

  A new tingle licked like warm little flames up and down her spine, and her womb clenched again with a new riot of small aftershocks. It was the first time she’d heard him curse, and somehow the way he’d said it made her body spasm. Embarrassed, she ducked her head into his shoulder and neck, hiding from him.

  “So shy? Don’t be, sweetheart. Not after that.”

  A kiss, so faint she wondered if she’d dreamed it, tickled her ear.

  “We’ll just sleep here, together,” he suggested gently. She couldn’t resist snuggling deeper into him. Jared embraced her, completely wrapping himself around her.

  It sounded so simple, but she’d never be able to just drift off…

  Jared knew the moment she fell asleep. So quick, so sweet, she curled into him like a sleepy kitten, and almost purred before drifting off. He gently shifted her body so he lay lengthwise against the back of the couch and she lay in front, spooned against him.

  The tumble of her hair teased his nose with those hints of vanilla, and the sweet scent of her skin was alluring. She tasted like heaven, had kissed like it, too. Wild, innocent, passionate. There was no casual seduction or feigned interest. Felicity poured her heart and soul into her lips. Each kiss was imbued with the power of her soul.

  And when she’d come apart beneath him? Jared swallowed a moan, trying to ignore his body’s hungry demands for more. This had been for her, to show her what she had to look forward to. He couldn’t give her everything he ought to—but he could give her that. And it had been something for him as well, sinking into her mouth, feeling her unwind beneath him and let go. Their chemistry was palpable, scorching his body in ways he’d not felt for years. But he knew a girl like Felicity deserved chocolates and dancing and moonlit serenades—and he just wasn’t in the position to give her those things right now. He’d have to let her go so she could find another man to be her prince, another man to make her happy…

  Still, the thought of someone else, another man touching her, holding her, kissing her… He tightened his grip and held on, afraid she’d vanish like mist after sunrise.

  Please, let me have this, let me have her, just for one more night.

  He was a good Catholic boy, but it had been years since he’d prayed for anything. Reaching over Felicity’s body, he retrieved the blanket from the floor and settled it around their bodies. A soft click from down the hall made him lift his head.

  Tanner padded toward them in the direction of the kitchen, wearing only pajama bottoms. He froze when he saw Jared holding Felicity on the couch. Jared held a finger up to his lips to indicate silence, and then he turned his attention back to the movie that still played on the flat-screen. Tanner could think whatever he wanted, and Jared knew he would hear about it tomorrow, but he didn’t want to think about it right now. And he didn’t want to wake Felicity. She was smart enough and shy enough that she’d try to pull away. He couldn’t allow that. Not yet. He had to have her for just one more day if he could. Then he would let her go.

  7

  Heat. Searing kisses. The melding of
bodies and the twining of limbs… Felicity moaned and shifted in bed. A sharp ache grew inside her, filling her with desperation.

  “Jared!” Her own gasp woke her up.

  She jerked and blinked several times as she realized where she was. In Jared’s bed. Again. Only this time she was alone. Was he on the couch where he said he’d be? For some reason, she hoped he hadn’t kept his promise. Being in bed with him, surrounded by his warmth and strength, was better than feeling alone in bed. Chivalry be damned. After what had happened between them last night, he should have stayed here with her.

  The mere memory of last night had her blushing and burying her face in her hands with a little sigh. She’d come apart in his arms. But he hadn’t—they’d still been fully clothed. Mortification churned her stomach and made her hands shake. This was just what she needed, to show an older guy how much of a virgin she was, that she couldn’t even wait before they…

  With a little shake of her head, she sat up and took stock of her situation. The sounds of water running, splashes against marble, caught her attention. The bathroom door was open a crack, allowing a beam of light to cut a thin blade’s edge of illumination across the room. Jared must be in the shower, she realized. Felicity glanced at the clock on the nightstand.

  7:45 a.m. Sunday.

  “Shit!” She threw back the covers and dove off the bed, scrambling to find her clothes. She needed to be at Sabine’s art gallery in fifteen minutes to start work.

  As soon as she found her clothes, she frantically stripped and redressed. The shower still ran, so she took a moment to steal a blank piece of paper from Jared’s desk and write a quick note. Then she grabbed her purse and exited the bedroom. Tanner was in the living room, sprawled on the couch, fully dressed and showered. There was no sign of Layla. Tanner lifted a cup of coffee to his lips as he studied the screen of his laptop. National news was on the TV. The sound was muted, but Tanner was more distracted by his computer as Felicity passed by him.

  “Where are you off to?” he asked, a little twist of his lips hinting at the smile he held back.

  “Work. I completely forgot! I’m running late.” She retrieved her coat and started toward the door.

  “Does Jared know you’re leaving?” Tanner’s eyes flicked to the hallway in the direction of his brother’s room.

  “He’s in the shower. I left a note,” she called over her shoulder before she closed the door behind her.

  A wave of melancholy hit her instantly, crashing through her and ravaging her like the sea against a craggy cliff face.

  It was all a dream. A lovely one. But it’s over now.

  Jared would go back to his life and she to hers. Even though she knew it was the truth, it still stung like salt in a fresh wound. Her eyes burned, and she clenched her fists. It wasn’t meant to be.

  She focused instead on work. Sabine’s art gallery was a high-end art dealer that also offered clients an avenue for interior design options on a large scale or a small scale. As a part-time job, it was ideal for Felicity. The gallery itself was located just off Michigan Avenue, close to the expensive clothing and retail stores.

  Her cab stopped in front of the Burberry store when she got out. The massive glass windows of the designer store were full of oversized photos of beautiful, elegant women and handsome men sporting the latest fashions. Clothes she could only dream about wearing since the price tags were well out of her scholarship student budget. One mannequin in the store window wore a navy-blue suit, and suddenly she was seeing Jared. His dark hair, long enough to thread her fingers through. Soft, warm eyes that hypnotized rather than pierced.

  Felicity gave herself a little shake and quickly trotted past the store and down the side street. A sleek black-and-white sign read, “Sabine’s.” Across the street, tourists were already lining up to wait for Garrett’s, the famous popcorn store, to open up. By mid-afternoon, Sabine’s would receive a fair amount of customers toting popcorn tins as they perused the art and furniture at the gallery. Excellent business, as Sabine often said.

  Sabine’s gallery was a mixture of modern antiques and furniture, with pieces of unique art for sale. The prices were surprisingly affordable for a majority of the items in the store. When Felicity was left alone to run the gallery while Sabine was meeting with clients on site for a design job, Felicity secretly imagined it as a miniature museum.

  “You are late,” a feminine voice teased.

  Felicity blinked and realized her boss, Sabine, was leaning against the doorjamb of her office, watching her, a little smile hovering about her lips.

  “I’m so sorry,” she apologized hastily.

  Sabine shook her head, her long black hair and fringe of bangs rippling sleekly. “You’re fine, Felicity. I’m only teasing.” Her eyes, like polished turquoise, shimmered. “Come on, we’ve got loads of work to do.”

  Unable to resist, Felicity grinned back at her boss. The woman always had something fun and exciting to do, which made this job refreshing, and a nice change of pace from school. Sabine was a thirty-five-year-old, self-made businesswoman who had museum and gallery contacts in every major city in the United States. Working with wealthy clients, she often was able to arrange that pieces were donated to museums upon the deaths of the owners, which naturally made Sabine a favorite with curators.

  With beautiful caramel-colored skin, long rich black hair, and those blue-green eyes, she was gorgeous. Her clothes were an added bonus. With a black pencil skirt, leopard-print pumps, and a white blouse, she gave off a sense of natural flair.

  Felicity hoped one day she’d be able to wear something sexy, yet elegant like that with confidence. Something a man like Jared would find attractive. Suddenly self-conscious, she glanced down at her jeans and sweater, wincing. Oh well, it wasn’t like she had time to change, and they didn’t have any client appointments today.

  Hanging her purse on the hat rack by the door, she followed Sabine into the conference room and then froze. Two good-looking men, one young and one middle-aged, were seated next to each other at the small conference table. Massive design booklets with patterns and photos of furniture selections were spread out around them.

  “Felicity, I’d like you to meet Mr. Tim Worthington and his son, Mr. Thad Worthington.”

  Felicity’s mind blanked, and then in the next instant flashes of the day before exploded through her. Thad! Jared’s friend. What was he doing here? Thad was tall and fair-haired with hazel-green eyes that rooted her to the spot with their piercing intensity. He was too intense, like Jared.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Thad murmured, and his father stood and held out a hand, which Felicity shook, still in a daze. What were the odds that Jared’s best friend would be here at Sabine’s?

  “Felicity,” Sabine whispered in her ear and nudged her in the back.

  “So nice to meet you both. Would anyone like coffee?” she asked.

  The older Worthington politely answered, “Black, please.”

  She backed out of the room and headed for the small kitchen down the hall. If she could just have a few minutes to compose herself… She’d expected to have a day to bury herself in work and not think about Jared, but it was impossible now that Jared’s friend would be right in front of her for the next few hours.

  Her shaking hands rattled the coffeepot as she tried to put it on the hot plate, and she cursed under her breath.

  “Everything okay?” A deep voice made her jump and nearly drop the pot.

  Thad rested one shoulder against the doorjamb of the kitchen, his arms crossed. He wore a crisp black suit and a thin silver-and-blue striped tie. His brown hair was a little shorter than Jared’s and artfully styled to look like he’d just crawled out of a woman’s bed.

  “I’m sorry, I left before I asked if you wanted anything. Do you?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t shake. She didn’t know how to act around one of Jared’s best friends. He had no idea who she was, and she’d spent a good part of yesterday learning about him. He w
as good-looking, in that frightening sort of way that scared someone like her out of her wits. A man could be a little too handsome, she decided. Jared, though…he was different, too good-looking but never frightening, only enticing, irresistible—warm and safe yet sexy as hell. Her heart clenched as she had to face the fact that she’d ended whatever she and Jared might have had.

  “The name’s Thad. You’re Felicity, right?”

  She nodded, shaking his hand. The grip was firm, perhaps a little tight. He was powerful but tense, whereas when Jared held her hand, it was powerful but relaxed.

  “I’m Felicity Hart.” Jared’s name was on the tip of her tongue as she longed to mention that she knew him, if only to justify a reason to talk about him to someone. But she didn’t say his name. He might not want her talking to his friends. Maybe he wouldn’t care, but she had no way of knowing for sure. She’d only spent one day and two nights with the guy. It wasn’t the same as really knowing him.

  She waited for the coffee to begin brewing, and Thad lingered by her, his blue eyes studying her from head to toe.

  “So you and your father are hiring Sabine? What sort of project is it for?”

  “We’re going to be buying an old hotel from the 1920s, and it badly needs an overhaul and a revamped interior design scheme.”

  Distracted by that, she gasped. “That would be a huge project!” Sabine would make a huge profit, and Felicity would hopefully be a part of it.

  Thad’s lips quirked. “It’s going to be. Do you work for Sabine full-time?”

  “Uh, no. Just part-time. I’m a working on my master’s at the University of Chicago.”

  “Are you now?” Thad’s gaze sharpened. “What’s your line of study?”

  “Art history.”

  “And you’ve gotten a job here? That’s serious. Most art history majors I knew when I was in college were using it as a blow-off major. But I’m betting you’re serious about this art business.” He winked at her. “Good for you. And what do you plan to do when you graduate?”