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  “I'm sorry, Jase. So sorry.”

  She met his gaze, so dark now from his own desire. He smiled and raised a shaky hand to cradle her cheek. Her musky aroma clung to his long agile fingers.

  “That was amazing, Nickie. And we're not done yet. Not by a long shot,” he said and shifted his hips, pulling out of her before slowly driving back in.

  She hadn't thought it possible for desire to rise up again so quickly, but it did. Each sure stroke of his hips sent a shock wave through her body until she was arching up against him, accepting each powerful thrust. Nearly crying out as he found her clit with his thumb and the pressure of his finger there caressed her with each rock of his hips.

  “Let it out, Nickie. Scream for me, babe. Scream my name.”

  She held onto his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his hips which heightened the press of his thumb against her and the penetration of his cock. She met his gaze for only a second before another release slammed into her and she gave him what he wanted.

  “Ja-a-a-s-s-s-e,” she cried out and dug her fingers into his shoulders to hold on as the world around her shattered. Through the haze of her pleasure, she heard, “God, Nickie. You feel so fuckin' amazing. You’re so beautiful when you come.”

  With a rough groan of his own and a few wild jerks of his hips, he shouted out her name as he came. “Nickie.”

  His big body tensed and stilled as his warmth spilled inside her. His cock throbbed and twitched against her pussy as the lingering aftershocks of her release caressed him.

  She smoothed her hands across his sweat-damp shoulders and his strong muscles trembled beneath her palms. She urged him down until he was resting against her and they were both half-on and half-off her bed, but too shaken to move. Unwilling to break apart so they could relish the remnants of their pleasure.

  He kissed her tenderly and started to say something, but then stopped. In a way, she understood. She didn't have the right words for what had just happened. For how she was feeling. She didn't want to diminish the experience with anything less than the perfect words.

  With a smile, she shifted her hands across the short strands of his hair and returned the kiss. Happy to let that simple act convey all that she was feeling.

  They lingered there, still joined, until nature took matters into its own hands and he slipped from her.

  Wordlessly, they moved beneath the blankets and to the center of her bed.

  She lay there, facing him, both hesitant and expectant until he laid a hand at her waist and soothed it up and down her side in a reassuring caress.

  “Are you worried that I'll leave or that I'll stay?”

  Chapter 5

  A myriad of emotions flashed across Nickie's expressive face.

  She'd never been good at hiding her feelings and that hadn't changed, Jase thought.

  With the barest shrug of a fine-boned shoulder, she said, “A little bit of each.”

  He totally understood. Every second spent with her like this was a second to be treasured, but also a second that made the thought of leaving her tomorrow even harder. “I get what you're feeling. This isn't easy for me either.”

  “So why do this, Jase? This is an impossible situation,” she said and the glint of tears filmed over the dark hazel of her gaze.

  He cupped her cheek and smoothed his thumb across it, trying to offer comfort. “I don't believe in impossible, babe. I never have. This won't be easy, I'll give you that, but I think it's worth it. Don't you?”

  A ghost of a smile flitted across her lips before it blossomed into a big smile that chased away her tears. “Yeah, I do, Jase. I think it's worth it.”

  He grinned and hauled her close, and she pillowed her head on his one arm and twined her legs with his. She wrapped one arm around his waist and tucked the other beneath his head as they lay there, facing each other. Still feeling the uncertainty of new lovers and the eternal “WTF do we do now?” in the aftermath of their lovemaking.

  Jase's stomach settled it for them with a loud growl.

  He spread his hand across his midsection, chuckled, and grinned. “The party pickin's were good, but not very filling.”

  “I'm a little hungry, too. How about I go get some food?” she said, but she was in motion before he could answer, grabbing her robe and rushing to her door.

  Like he had before, he understood where she was mentally. She needed a little bit of time to gather herself. To understand why she was doing something so totally out of character and as she had said, something seemingly impossible.

  So he lay back against her pillows and waited, hoping that the time alone wouldn't give her an opportunity to reconsider her earlier emotions.

  * * *

  Nickie closed the door to her bedroom and leaned against the wall, sucking in a deep breath to calm the maelstrom of feelings swirling around in her head and heart.

  Nothing could have ever prepared her for what it was like to be with Jase. Nothing. It was better than anything she could have imagined with the power to bring joy, but also to destroy her. She knew that now. She wasn’t just giving him her body, she was giving him her heart and soul and that brought the possibility of lots of pain if things didn’t work out.

  They'd already admitted that what came next wasn't going to be easy.

  She still had years to complete in medical school and he had years to serve to pay back the costs for his college tuition.

  Years of separation, she thought, her throat tight with emotion.

  She finally pushed off the wall and headed toward the kitchen, telling herself not to logic herself out of one of the most amazing and rewarding things that had ever happened to her.

  In the kitchen she grabbed a breakfast tray and loaded it up with an assortment of the foods that had been left over from the party. Cheeses and fruits. A small plate with some finger sandwiches. There was an almost full bottle of red wine on the counter and she snagged it and two glasses.

  The tray was heavy as she trudged back upstairs with it and somehow managed a one-handed hold to open the door to her room.

  For a moment she panicked as she stepped in and saw that her bed was empty, but then she realized that Jase was lounging on the small loveseat by the French doors leading to the balcony. He had put his jeans back on, but they were unbuttoned and showing off an enticing amount of skin and a little happy trail of blonde hair down the middle of his lower abdomen. He was bare-chested and his arms were crossed behind his head which made all those sculpted muscles even more defined.

  Her heart thumped wildly at the sight of him. He was just so beautiful.

  And he was hers. No more doubts or hesitation or worries.

  He was hers for at least tonight and she didn't intend to spend another moment of their time together doubting the wonder of that. She’d deal with the heartache later.

  She hurried over and placed the tray on the small coffee table in front of the loveseat. Teasingly she said, “Make yourself at home.”

  He grinned and patted the space beside him. “The bed was too lonely without you.”

  She guffawed and rolled her eyes. “Does that line ever really work with anyone?”

  His grin broadened, deepening the dimple on one side and making him look boyish again. “Very few anyones to try it on, Nickie.”

  She tried not to let his comment please her so much and to keep the lighthearted mood going, she elbowed him playfully. “I’m sure the girls at ‘Nova were literally falling at your feet so give it a rest, Hart.”

  He dropped his arms to draped them over the back and arm of the loveseat and said, “Okay, here I am, resting. Literally. Feed me, Nickie. Please. I'm too weak to go on without some food.”

  She chuckled and shook her head. She grabbed a small bunch of the grapes and held them to his lips like Eve tempting Adam. He tugged one off with his perfect white teeth and she pulled another one from the bunch and popped it into her mouth.

  “Sweet,” she said as the juices exploded in her mouth.


  Jase grinned and after she swallowed, surged forward and kissed her. Dipped his tongue in and murmured, “You're way sweeter.” He lingered then, coaxing her lips to open with his. Sucking and biting at her lower lip until she was leaning into him, wanting more.

  She moaned a protest as he shifted away, but he merely shot her that devil-may-care smile again and grabbed a few pieces of cheese. “While you're way more tempting, I really do need some food.”

  Tempting, huh?

  Feeling decidedly more dangerous than she ever had, she leaned over to snare a piece of cheese, giving him an eyeful of what was beneath her robe. Or should she say what wasn’t beneath her robe. Even with her downcast gaze, she didn't fail to miss how he admired her nakedness and how the green of his eyes darkened once more with desire.

  Empowered, she eased back to her seat, but trailed her hand down his thigh, appreciating the strength of the rock hard muscle beneath the faded black denim.

  “That's a dangerous move, Nickie,” he warned, the tones of his voice husky which stirred something alive in her.

  “Is it, Jase?” she teased and stroked her hand up his thigh again, letting her thumb skim along the edge of his steadily growing erection.

  * * *

  Jase didn’t fail to miss the new boldness in her and as she grazed his cock with her finger, it hardened instantly with that barest touch. Despite that, he held back, determined to take it slow with her. She might be all full of fire now, but he knew her too well not to recognize that she might regret some things come the morning.

  Regret was the last thing he wanted her to take away from tonight.

  Reaching over, he poured glasses of wine and handed one to her, wanting her to have something to do with her hands that didn't involve his dick. At least for right now. He needed a moment to recover in more ways than one.

  She made a moue with her mouth, obviously displeased and clearly aware of his ploy. “I don't get it, Jase. I thought you wanted this night – ”

  “I do, but I don't want to rush things. We still have lots of night and morning left, babe.”

  Her hazel gaze warmed, but mischief glittered in her eyes. She nodded and sipped her wine. Reached over and grabbed a finger sandwich that she offered to him. Some of the ham spread from the sandwich smeared on her finger and she licked it off.

  His mind pictured her licking him with that beautiful wet tongue and his dick jerked in his jeans.

  He swallowed and took a big gulp of his wine. Leaning over, he picked up another small sandwich that he fed to her. As she ate it from his hand, he said, “Your parents sure know how to throw a bash.”

  She wrinkled her nose and glanced away. “Seems like there might be better things to do with all that money.”

  “Like?” he asked, although he was well aware of where she was going. Nickie had always been almost ashamed of what she had, not that her family was obnoxious about their money. The mansion, while on the beach and large, was like many others along this wealthy strip of the Jersey Shore. Tommy and she had gone to the local high school, not some fancy private school and unlike some of the other rich kids they rarely showed off with outrageously priced designer duds or over-the-top jewelry. Maybe it was because their dad had worked hard for his money and wasn't keen on wasting it on unnecessary luxuries.

  She lifted one shoulder and nonchalantly said, “Like stuff. Lord knows we have enough of that.”

  “You're not that bad, Nickie.”

  “I guess. I just feel . . .”

  “Guilty? Why? Because you have and people like me don't?” he said and anger welled up within him. He’d never let the differences between them be an issue, but she was making it impossible to ignore those differences now. “I don't need a pity party, Nickie. If that's why you're here with me, just to be a fuck buddy to poor little me – ”

  “That's not why I'm here, damn it. I'm here because I care for you. I just can't stand the thought that for the next four years you're going to have to risk your life just because you wanted to get a college degree.” Her voice was tight, her frustration apparent and once again, the hint of unshed tears shimmered in her gaze.

  He wrapped his arm around her neck and hauled her tight to his chest. Embracing her, he kissed her forehead and said, “I'm a Marine because I want to be. I could have gotten some other kind of scholarship, but I wanted to do this. I needed to do this. I know that's hard to understand for some – ”

  “No, it isn't. I guess I get it, but I'm not sure I like it, Jase,” she admitted.

  “We’re more alike than you think, Nickie. You wanted to make a difference so you decided to go to medical school. I needed to make a difference also and this is how I can do it.”

  She glanced at him, a watery smile on her face. “Yeah, I know you can, Jase. I know you’ll keep your men safe, but I want you to keep yourself safe as well.”

  He bent his head and kissed her, his touch tender and full of promise. She tasted of the wine and of Nickie. It was a taste he'd keep with him during all those times they'd be apart.

  Slowly the kiss deepened, until they were both straining toward one another, needing to take it to the next level.

  Easing her away, he said, “This loveseat really wasn't made for what I had in mind.”

  His roguish words had the desired effect. She grinned and rose. Held out her hand and he laced his fingers with hers and walked back to the bed with her.

  Gracefully she eased off her robe and let it drop to the floor, exposing the long elegant line of her back. She climbed into the center of the bed where she waited for him. Her skin was a creamy color against the stark white of the sheets, her hair a dark spill across the disarray of the pillows. The tips of her breasts were tight again and a darker rose color against the delightful flush spreading across her body.

  God, but she was so beautiful and for tonight, and hopefully longer, she was his.

  He shucked off his jeans, kicked them away, and hurried to her side. In seconds they were a tangle of arms and legs and urgent kisses. It took all of his restraint not to drive himself deep inside her, but he wanted her with him when he came. And he didn’t want to rush since this might possibly be the only night they’d have together for some time.

  Urging her onto her side, he spooned against her back while he reached around her body. He played her with his hands, caressing and tweaking her breasts while he fondled her clit. He dragged his fingers back and forth across the dampness and the responsive bud at her core.

  She was wet down there, so so wet that he almost came just from the thought of all that warm moist surrounding him. Especially as the rising rush of her release registered against his hand. Her pussy vibrated and clenched around his fingers, slick and inviting.

  He groaned and fought back his own desire as his cock jumped and swelled against the small of her back.

  “Easy, Nickie, easy, babe,” he said softly and gave one last stroke with his hand along her hot moist center.

  She moaned and pushed back against him, inviting him to join with her again. “Please, Jase. I want you inside me.”

  Easing one thigh between hers, he guided himself to her pussy and slowly pressed in, gritting his teeth at the sheer pleasure of being joined with her. She was hot. Sleek. Her pussy accepted him as he buried himself to the hilt and held still, enjoying the way she caressed him.

  His body was flush against the velvety skin of her back. Their legs tangled together as he ground into her, deepening his possession.

  Her urgent cry was hard to resist, as was the way she gripped his thigh, but he held back from pulling out and driving back into her.

  Leaning over her, he dropped a kiss against the side of face and whispered, “Tell me what you feel, Nickie.”

  * * *

  Words, emotions, and sensations pummeled Nickie’s mind, making speech impossible.

  “Tell me, Nickie,” he pressed again, in command again as he had been earlier.

  “Full, so full,” she said and trie
d to move her hips, but he splayed his hand against her belly and stopped her.

  “What else, babe?” he said, but as steady as he was trying to be, his body trembled beside hers and inside, his cock jerked and swelled even more, stretching her to the point of pleasure-pain.

  “You know what else, Jase,” she said and moaned as he finally moved inside her, shifting out and then back in slowly. The friction of that motion creating heat throughout her pussy, which throbbed and tightened around him.

  “Do you want me to tell you what I feel, Nickie? Is that what you want?” he asked and circled his hips, heightening his possession. Drawing a rough shudder from her as her climax threatened to take them both over.

  God, yes, she wanted him to tell her because she couldn't say the words. Couldn't free herself to be that kind of woman.

  “Don't, Nickie. Don't pull back,” he urged.

  She held onto his words, braved past her fears, and murmured, “Tell me, Jase. Tell me what you feel.”

  He sucked in a breath and the words exploded from his mouth. “I love how hot you are. How wet. The way your pussy holds me tight. My balls are hard for you, Nickie. So so hard. Feel them. Touch them.”

  She reached down between their bodies and cupped him. His balls were tight and she massaged them, earning a long groan from him.

  “That’s it, Nickie. God, that’s it, babe,” he said before he bent and kissed her. Nipped and licked at her lips as he finally moved, driving in and out of her. Repeating the motion at her sharp gasp of pleasure.

  “Jase, that feels so good,” she keened and he increased his pace, pistoning his hips as he drove them ever higher until with one deep thrust, they came together, bodies shaking. Sweat bathing them as he wrapped his arms around her and kept her tight to him.

  “God, Nickie. Don’t move. I want to be with you forever,” he said and his body shuddered around her.

  She laid her arms over his and snuggled back into him, the fullness of him within her satisfying even as the lingering vibrations from her climax faded away. But little by little he softened and finally, regretfully, he left her and she turned and faced him.