MisMatch (A Humorous Contemporary Romance) Read online

  “No.”

  Jessica shrank back as if she’d been slapped. The hurt sliced her quick and deep, and she immediately started to adjust her clothing.

  “Relax, Sassy. For what I have in mind, I need a lot more uninterrupted time and some privacy.”

  Oh. Well. Then. “Did you want to get out of here?”

  His voice was guttural. “Yes.”

  That was good enough for her.

  Chapter 4

  Thirty minutes later, Jessica shivered as her mystery man brushed his fingers up her spine. “You keep doing that, and I'm going to drop my keys. No keys means we don’t make it inside.” Was she making a mistake bringing him here to her house? When she’d told him to follow her home, the warning bells had only been a distant chime. Now they rang only marginally louder.

  He nipped at the sensitive juncture between her neck and shoulders. In the darkness, she couldn't make out his features. But she knew them enough to know the intense green gaze that pierced her soul every time she met it.

  “We don't have to go inside for what I have planned.”

  “I thought you said for what you had in mind you needed some privacy.”

  “I needed a place where we were sure not to be interrupted. I couldn't guarantee that at the club.”

  She turned to face him. “Patience is a virtue. Or so I'm told.”

  “Not one of mine.” He dipped his head to kiss her and stopped just short of their lips meeting.

  Blood roared in her ears, and her knees wobbled from the blow of lust that hit her. Shit! His touches had been near platonic since they left the club, but she was still hot. Still ached for him. Reaching behind herself, she tried the keys again. Still nothing. Damn. If she couldn’t find the key in the dark, she'd have to resort to looking under the stones on the front porch. Note to self. Before bringing home totally hot man, make sure you have keys to your new place. “H-how are you doing this?”

  With feather light pressure, he stroked her cheek. For several desperate seconds, she couldn’t remember her name.

  “Doing what?”

  “Making me feel like this. You’re not even my type.”

  The right corner of his lips quirked up. “You picked me up, remember? I saw you staring at me from across the room.” He shrugged and nuzzled her neck again. “Maybe it was that artist. He seemed to work every woman there into a frenzy.”

  Jessica leveled a gaze at him. This was the part where she'd normally go for some quip, but for once she aimed for honesty. “I’ll admit you were helped out a little by the show, but by the time I saw you, I was mostly back to normal. It was total pandemonium in there when he was done.” She shrugged. “Besides, there's this easy sex appeal to you. I don’t understand it, but I'm exactly where I want to be, with who I want to be with.”

  She tried one more key behind her back and finally the lock gave. She opened the door just as her date slanted a kiss over her lips. Electric currents ran over every contact point their skin made. Desperate to have more of him, she rocked her hips against his. He growled against her lips and held her hips against him. His thick, rigid cock pressed into her belly. Her mind swam with the sensations he elicited in her. She could still feel his tongue as it stroked her to orgasm. Still remembered how his fingers caressed her and mimicked the actions of his cock.

  Jessica yanked on his blazer and tried to pull him inside.

  “Where are you going?”

  She chuckled. “To my bed.” Reaching inside his blazer, she smoothed her hands over his shoulders and slid the jacket off. The black cotton shirt he wore underneath revealed a yin and yang tattoo on his forearm. Well, well. Aren’t we the dark horse?

  He sipped at her lips and held her ass in place. Involuntarily, she rocked against him, and he moaned. “We'll get to the bed. But first, I have something else in mind.” His hands started tugging on the fabric of her dress.

  Having a good idea where he wanted to take things, Jessica dropped her head back. “Oh, God. I don’t know if I can take this.”

  “Oh, I'm pretty sure you can.” He rocked his hips into her.

  She met his thrust with her own, relishing the thick length and feel of his erection. Needing to feel him inside her. “How are you so sure?”

  “Because you’re hot. I can feel it. I want to see just how hot I can make you burn.”

  He stepped into her space, forcing her to either hold her ground and have his hard, sexy form plastered against her body, or stagger a step back and plaster herself against the doorframe. She chose the cowardly route, though that only delayed the inevitable. He braced both his hands on either side of her head and leaned in.

  With a deep growl, he slid his hands down her bare back and over the curve of her ass to the backs of her legs. He lifted her up, urging her legs around his hips, all the while devouring her lips. Raw need and energy rolled off of him in waves that scorched her skin and made her feel like she could combust at any moment.

  “What are you doing?” She breathed. “We can’t do this out here.”

  His hips rolled into hers, and the thick, hard length of him rubbed against her heated core. “Do you feel how hard I am? I can’t think straight when I look at you. You’re making me lose control.”

  Jessica studied him. He was not the kind of man to lose control. But she was bringing him to that edge? She liked the sound of that. Tentatively, she rocked her hips again.

  His hands stole beneath the satin fabric of her dress, skimming up her thighs and delving between their bodies. He hissed as he came into contact with her slick flesh again. “You are so hot. Still slick.”

  He braced his forehead against hers and caressed her sensitive flesh with his thumb. Stroking up and down, he spread her juices from cleft to clit. A low keening sound bubbled from her throat before she could stop it. His thumb circled her wet opening before dipping in, and Jessica arched her back into his strokes. “Yes. Please.”

  When he stroked upward again and circled her clit, Jessica’s thighs quivered, and she bit back a moan. Without even trying, he could take her so close to the edge.

  “You’re already so wet for me.”

  “I’ve been wet since the club.” It didn’t hurt that he’d licked her to orgasm already.

  He nuzzled her neck and inhaled. “I’m starting to think waiting was a mistake. You have me a little on edge.”

  His strokes on her clit were so gentle and numbingly slow, she ached for more. Ached for all of him. But he seemed determined not to give it to her. Impatient, she rolled her hips into his thumb. The hand holding up her bottom squeezed, and he nipped her neck. “You keep that up, and I will fuck you out here instead of on your bed.”

  “Who said I wanted to be in the bed?” she said with a smile.

  His body jerked, then abruptly his thumb stopped stroking her and worked the button and zipper of his slacks.

  Jessica reached for him, eager to help.

  He shoved her hands away. “You touch my cock right now and this is over. I’ll be coming outside of you instead of inside you.”

  ***

  With shaking hands, Eli fought for control. She smelled so good—spicy and sweet. Her perfume wove an intoxicating trap around him, like her scent was a direct line to his cock. The heat from her core surrounded his dick, and he waged war with himself trying to keep things under control.

  She rocked her hips again, and he ground out a curse. Come on, man, she wants you. The other part of his brain said, But I’m not an animal. I’m not going to take her at the front door where anyone with the gate code could come in and see her. And back and forth the war went until she dug her hands in his hair and tugged him close.

  “I need you now.”

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. His mind held onto the tether of control for only a second more. Using his body to brace her against the doorway, he used his free hand to retrieve the condom from his pocket. Making quick work of the foil wrapper, he had himself sheathed in seconds.

  The animal was out and
free and needed to claim her as his. Reaching between them, he guided his straining erection to her moist opening and laid more of his body weight against her to give her some support.

  When the straining head came into contact with her soft, dewy core, only one word came to mind. “Mine.” The tip of his erection pushed into her, and her softness made way for him to a point. He withdrew an inch and inched forward again, seating himself deeper within her.

  Jessica tossed her head back and bit her bottom lip.

  He froze. “Jessica, look at me.” Her eyes fluttered open and her gaze met his. “Am I hurting you?”

  She shook her head. “You’re big, but it feels so good.”

  Eli withdrew almost to the tip then pushed forward again, and she moaned. He repeated the deep strokes until she actively started swiveling her hips to match time with his.

  Grabbing her tight little ass with both hands, he canted her hips so he could angle and hit her G spot. On the first stroke, her walls tightened around him, and she moaned.

  He rode out her unexpected orgasm as best he could. Her whole body shook and clamped around his pulsing erection. Eli savagely bit back the urge to follow her in her ecstasy freefall and instead stayed seated within her.

  She panted and rolled her head side to side. Taking her lips again, he coaxed her into a soft kiss, then he demanded that her tongue meet his. He sucked on her tongue and felt her slick sheath milk him.

  “I—”

  “You don’t think we’re done, do you? I’ve barely gotten started.” He withdrew his cock again, and her walls protested as they slid along the length of him.

  When he slid deep again, she sighed. “Jesus.”

  He repeated the action in a slower more steady rhythm; he needed her hot and panting again before he rode her hard. On his third stroke, her pussy quickened around him. She clenched her hands in his hair as she rode the length of him.

  Jessica arched her back, offering her breasts up to him. Bracing her ass with one hand, he tugged a delicate strap of her dress off her shoulder until the full mound of her breast was exposed to moonlight. Dipping his head, he lifted the stiff peak into his mouth with his tongue. Suckling her, he moaned. The taste of her was so sweet, so delectable; she was like the finest dessert. Despite her petite frame, her breasts were full and more than a mouthful

  When he grazed her nipple with his teeth, she hissed but held his head in place with her hands. As he feasted, he worked the other shoulder strap down, all the while maintaining his strokes. “Oh fuck.” A tiny silver hoop pierced the delicate flesh of her other nipple. He latched onto the delicate ring with his teeth and tugged gently before suckling on the taut bud.

  Jessica arched her back again. “What are you doing to me? “

  Her orgasm slammed into her fast, like the first. This time, Eli couldn’t control his response. The tingling of his spine grew more insistent. He needed to come so bad. Needed to mark her forever as his.

  Thrust for thrust, she met him. The tingling shot to the base of his neck, and ecstasy rolled through him as he came. Not wanting to let her go, he held her tight to him, even as his orgasm tore him apart.

  As the moon and stars looked down on them, neither made a move to disengage.

  It took several long moments before Jessica spoke. “What was that? And where do I get some more?”

  Chapter 5

  Something bright and warm slashed across Eli's lids. Bleary-eyed, he blinked. Sunlight. Perfect. How the hell had he forgotten to close his blinds last night? He had blackout shades for a reason. With the kind of work he did, he kept odd hours, hence the need to sleep properly when he actually got a chance.

  He yawned and slung his arms high to stretch when satin flesh against his dick stopped him with a slow wiggle. Oh shit. Jessica. What. The. Fuck. He'd never slept over at a woman’s place. Shit shit shit. Not ever. Let alone a woman who didn’t know his name. He froze.

  She continued to wiggle and snuggle. Even though his brain issued the directive to his dick to stay silent and sleeping, the soldier didn't feel up to taking orders from anyone this morning. He was too busy trying to repeat the activities of last night.

  Eli bit back a groan as he recalled the way Jessica had moved on the dance floor. The taste of her breasts as he'd slid a finger into her moist depths, the way she'd come around his fingers, begging him to fuck her already. They way he'd taken her on her front doorstep. Shit. He'd totally lost control of that situation. From the moment he'd locked gazes with her last night, he'd been using the wrong head to think with. His cock jerked in umbrage.

  And God help him, his brain's response was to run the memory reel of what else they'd done after they’d finally made it to her bedroom. How he'd tossed her on that high four-poster bed of hers and slipped into her from behind while he'd tugged on her hair. Fuck. That memory did a number on him, and his cock reached the painful hardness point. She was blonde. She’d lost the wig in the hair tugging.

  She'd been so hot and sweet at the same time.

  Hot and sweet or not, he had to get the fuck out of here. Hanging out and fucking her again was not part of the program. Besides, in the harsh light of day, she was likely to remember that he wasn’t her type. Whatever the hell that meant.

  She hadn't seen the animal inside. Sure, deep down she must have known, otherwise she wouldn't have taken him home last night, but last night, his reins of control had slipped. Today, after some solid rest, they'd be back in place, and he would not be her type.

  Eli wasn’t sure why, but that stung.

  Who was he kidding? She was clearly into the bad-boy type. If the multiple ear piercings hadn't clued him in at the club, then the nipple piercing should have. And even if by some miracle he'd missed the parting gift of that piece of hardware, there'd been the intricate Sanskrit tattoo along her spine. And the one on her inner thigh, and the one above her hip bone as well as the swallow on her shoulder. This woman was trouble, and if by chance she wasn't, she was definitely looking for it, and he did not have time for this.

  He'd made Sam a promise to get him representation, then maybe, just maybe, Eli could back off for a little while and focus on something other than keeping his brother out of trouble.

  Who was he kidding? That might never happen.

  He glanced around for his clothes and spied them in littered heaps all over the floor. A sock and boxers there. Another sock and shirt there. Pants in some corner with the shoes. Hell, when he'd had her in the doorway, he hadn’t even undressed, he'd been so desperate to sink into her. Idiot. He inhaled deeply then attempted to slide his arm out from under her. Pain sliced though his chest as he thought about walking away, and he immediately locked the feelings away. He wasn’t a four-year-old about to lose his favorite toy. Though it sort of felt that way.

  Eli was careful not to wake Jessica as he dragged on the remnants of his ravaged clothing. She’d ripped his shirt in an effort to get it off him. The memory made him smile.

  Jessica snored indelicately and rolled over. The sheet that had covered her slipped, exposing the tips of her lush breasts. All he could focus on were her breasts and their dark pink areolas. And how they tasted. God, how they tasted.

  Taking a calculated risk, he bent and kissed her forehead, then whispered, “I’m glad you told me your name.”

  It took him thirty minutes to make it to Sam’s studio in Hollywood where his twin greeted him with his usual panache. “Eli, you look like hell.”

  Eli met Sam’s gaze then brushed past him to stalk into the studio. Scratch that, he more like lumbered. He wasn’t sure why he felt like shit. He didn't even have that much to drink last night. Duh, maybe cause you were up half the night screwing your brains out. “Thanks. I know I can always count on you to make me feel better.”

  Sam shrugged before picking up a paint brush and heading back to his hanging canvas. “Just saying. Rough night?”

  The last thing Eli needed was Sam thinking he was out drinking and carousing. “No, just a lo
ng night. I didn't sleep much.”

  Sam eyed him. “Don’t I know it.”

  Eli scoffed and loped over to the fresh pot of coffee. If he could just get a full cup into himself, maybe he'd start feeling human again. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that my usually pin-neat brother is sort of a disheveled mess at seven in the morning. Your hair is out of sorts, and your clothes are wrinkled.” Sam’s eyes widened. “And torn. Considering you have a nicer closet than half the women I sleep with, that’s unusual. And given that you’re rolling through at nearly the ass crack of dawn, I'd say this is your rendition of coming off a glorious bender or the walk of shame.”

  Eli opened his mouth to speak, but Sam continued.

  “And given my history with the devil’s nectar and other things, and the fact that you are as anal about my recovery as you are about your clothes, there’s no way that you would show up here hung over. So that leaves a walk of shame. And I got to tell you big brother, I need to meet the woman who can rattle you.”

  “I'm not rattled.” Bullshit. He'd actually slept with a woman. He couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. He didn’t want for sex, but he could never relax enough to actually fall asleep with a woman in his bed. That was why he preferred to go to their place, that way he could just leave and go home and get some rest. But at Jessica’s he'd literally passed out.

  “Whatever you say, man. I think it's great. A woman will give you someone else to worry about besides me.”

  “No woman, Sam. I'm just wreck-tired is all.” Then, because he didn’t want Sam probing into his shit, he said, “You brought down the house last night. I don’t think there was one unhorny woman in the place.”

  Sam grinned. “I aim to please.” Cocking his head, he added, “Now if only I could get paid more than a hundred and twenty bucks for booking the event.”

  “You didn’t sell the piece?”

  Sam rolled his eyes, “Did you see who was in there? The young-fabulous-and-broke set is too worried about making rent to be able to afford that kind of a piece, and the MILF art groupies just creep me out.”