I’ve ever had.”
He was right about being the best lover she’d ever had, but she wasn’t dumb enough to tell him, so Lauren pressed her lips tight and shook her head.
“No?” His eyes widened with a mischievous gleam, and he lowered his head and licked a raised nipple. After a few teasing moments he lifted his head and cocked an eyebrow. “Are you going to say it?” His voice shook. This punishment affected Jack too.
She shook her head, although standing her ground was pure torture.
The mischievous gleam flashed back in his green eyes, and that only meant trouble.
He began to slide inside her, and for a moment, she believed it was all too much for him
too and he’d given up on tormenting her. She blew out a sigh of relief. Then, too quickly, he pulled away. Lauren wanted to groan, scream, punch him. But Jack’s jaw clenched and she was happy to see that his little mind game wasn’t so easy on him either.
With strength Lauren didn’t think she had left, she pushed Jack onto his back. The look of surprise on his face gave her a burst of satisfaction. She straddled his lap, making sure she gave a good wiggle on his arousal. He threw back his head and cursed. Two could play dirty tricks. This time it was Lauren’s turn for mind games.
Taking a page from his dirty book, and gathering all the self-control she could muster, she pinned his hands above his head, making sure her breasts were inches from his mouth. His eyes hooded and his head lifted to reach them, but she pulled back. Dropping his head back on the pillow, he groaned. She knew he could easily flip her back over and she’d be at his mercy again, but he was letting her have some fun.
“Sayplease, Lauren, I want you now, because you’re the best lover I’ve ever had.” She mimicked him, giving him some of his own medicine. She gave another wiggle.
He blew out a shaky laugh. “Please, Lauren, I want you now, because you’re the best lover I’ve ever had.” He shrugged. “What can I say? I want to get laid bad, and these games are fucking with my mind.”
“And I had so much torture planned for you.” She released his hands and slid her fingers up her ribcage and cupped her breasts.
He growled and flipped them over. “Fuck, I wanna see you continue with that after I’m done.”
Fumbling with a condom left on the nightstand, he rolled it on and knelt between her legs. Gripping her hips, he entered her fully. Gasping, she dropped her head back and rocked against him on a wave of pure ecstasy. They’d both won the game.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jack pushed himself until his body dripped sweat and his legs burned, clocking up one hour on the treadmill. He had a small room at the back of the shop set up with gym equipment so he could exercise whenever the mood struck. Exercise always cleared his head and got his thoughts straight, but it wasn’t working.
Still buzzed after the long hours spent in Lauren’s bed, he’d come to the office early but couldn’t concentrate on the work he needed to catch up on or the documents Ellen needed him to finalize. The spreadsheets opened on his computer screen were a blur, and he couldn’t focus on the invoices on his desk waiting for his attention, so he decided he’d burn some energy at the gym.
Women had always been available, and he had his fair share. Many of them were easily forgettable. Several left a fond memory but none that consumed his mind. Lauren had left her mark in a way no other woman had ever done before, and the fact that he liked it surprised him. He liked Lauren in a big way and wanted to see where their connection would lead. Another big surprise.
For years his motto was to ‘never get involved’ but now hewantedto get involved with Lauren, and it didn’t scare him like he thought it would.
Pushing himself for another twenty minutes until his legs began to shake, he turned off the machine before his face met with the rubber of the treadmill. Pulling a towel off a chair, he rubbed the sweat off his face and neck, and grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-fridge.
Jack had now accepted he couldn’t continue with the football lifestyle he once led, and truthfully, he hadn’t wanted it for a while. It took Lauren to crash into his life to make him realize it.
Jack wanted to leave his past behind him to be a better man for Lauren. She made himbelievehe could be a better man. And the more time they spent together showed him a relationship was possible. Now he just needed to convince Lauren to put away her painful past and open her heart to the possibilities of something more with him.
Lauren and her issue withMr. Prettywas the stumbling block. Jack knew she didn’t compare him anymore, but this morning, as he drove her to her car, he could sense her pulling away, slowly building the wall back up. For a few hours she’d let go, but once the sexual haze cleared, he could see reality struck her in the face and she retreated.
Did she regret their time together? He sure as hell didn’t, and he would not let her shut him out and crawl back into her protective shell. He’d blown herMr. Prettytheory well and truly out of the water and she could no longer use it as a shield. Convincing her to take the leap together wouldn’t be easy, but he was all about hard work and persistence.
* * * *
Lauren’s constant flow of customers kept her busy. Jaime had Saturday mornings off, so Lauren was required on the floor to serve. She was grateful for the distraction. Work kept her mind, most of the time, from thinking about Jack.
The night’s activities still had the power to make her skin heat when she thought about it. It had been the best night of her life. A night she’d always remember. Memories she’d pull out and relive over and over again, reminding her of a time when she once opened up and experienced all there was with a man like Jack.
Even though Lauren could no longer compare Jack to a typicalMr. Pretty, she knew what happened could never happen again. He was still ‘Jack Henderson’, Australia’s much loved sports star. A lump formed in her throat and her hand shook as she organized the photo frames on the shelf. It was the only way. There would always be cameras, stories, and groupies. A life she wouldn’t expect him to walk away from, but a life she couldn’t fit into.
The door opened and another customer entered before Lauren could examine her reactions further. Not one to pounce on a customer as soon as they entered, she gave the woman time to wander around the shop while she busied herself tidying up the shelf of photo frames.
When she had given her enough time to browse Lauren approached her. “Good morning. Can I help you with anything?” She noticed the glass candlestick in the woman’s hand. “All candlesticks are twenty percent off.”
