Page 10 of Chance

Jovie shook her head. “No, I don’t. I think the idea of love being easy is a farce. It’s not butterflies and rainbows. We lead busy lives and relationships are work. Does anything I said make sense?” I nodded and started twirling a strand of her hair. “So as far as what I want, it would be nice to find someone as devoted to me as I am willing to be to them. Someone who can hold their own in conversation is a must, and at the point I’m at in my life I am too old to fool around with flakey men. Unfortunately, that’s asking a lot, so I stopped asking a long time ago.” I draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her into me. Her face flushed a very sexy shade of red, and she stared at her lap. I had a job ahead of me, but I was more than willing to prove myself to her.

“What about the steamy sexual chemistry and chiseled jawline? You forgot to add those to your list.” She finally giggled, jabbing her elbow into my side. Her laugh turned me on even more. “Seriously, though, I feel like now that Amelia is older I have the freedom to make myself happy. I have a nice house, nice car, my mother’s hefty inheritance was forfeited by my father, and I have a decent career. I just don’t want to enjoy it all alone. I want the American dream, as you all call it. I want it all.” There was no taking it back. I had put it all out there. She had to understand. Jovie ran a successful business, was well educated, and was completely self-sufficient. Surely we hadn’t come together with a pull so strong only to want entirely different things.

“We’re in the easy part. The beginning is always easy, but when you are forced to deal with reality, people show their true colors. In the beginning, it’s all new and exciting. You pretend it doesn’t matter if you aren’t the same religion, or have the same fundamental values, or you think the other person will love you enough to change, but people don’t change, not enough to matter anyway.” The woman was driving her cynic title home, but I was refusing to believe her theory. Her ex had obviously messed her up. The bastard had ruined her for other men, good men, but she had ruined me in a week and I wasn’t backing down.

“We should get the hard stuff out of the way then.” I stood and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go work it all out so we don’t have to worry about it anymore.” Jovie looked at me like I was insane, but she let me drag her into the house and up to my room. She had barely closed the door before I was on the bed in an undershirt and black boxer briefs. Her gaze scanned me from the foot of the bed and I smiled when her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip. I tossed her one of my shirts and watched her change into it. Her matching lace bra and panties were a deep purple and set off her creamy skin. I hardened instantly and Jovie noticed. We weren’t going to get much talking done. Jovie stretched out next to me, and I immediately started with her hair, separating a thick strand out, and letting it slide through my fingers before wrapping it around my thumb and then starting the process over. It was so soft and the act was calming. Plus, it took my mind off of how hard I was.

“All right, list off the things couples fight about once the easy part is over.” I was serious when I said it, making a point to not even hint at a smile.

“Money, children, politics, religion …” She rattled off answers like the list was already in front of her. The idea of her not wanting kids was saddening, but I would respect it. I wanted children, a house full, but if she didn’t, I would live as long as I had her.

“Both of us have decent jobs with the ability to support ourselves so that is a pointless topic. You said you didn’t want children…” She sat up off of me, shaking her head, and cutting me off

“No, I said I didn’t want children when I was nineteen and couldn’t even support myself.” I grinned at her correction, probably looking like a damn fool.

“So you want children?” Jovie nodded, and I sighed in relief. I wanted a family—big small, or in-between. “Then that subject is done as well because I love children. I personally have one religious preference, and it’s no thank you. We get brainwashed into enough without having to feel guilty about swearing, or fornicating, or whatever other nonsense. Politically, I tend to say none of the above, but if I had to choose a preference, I’m more liberal,” I waited for her response, and she kissed me, latching onto my bottom lip. I wasn’t sure I had convinced her, but her tongue exploring my mouth made the thought vanish. I pulled her so she was straddling my hips and she ran her hands up my chest. My woman was so damn sexy.

The moan she breathed when I bit her bottom lip and sucked it into my mouth made me even harder. I needed her, all of her, right then. I broke our connection long enough to strip my shirt from her, cupping her breast with one hand and her ass with the other. Jovie took my face in her hands and our tongues darted against each other as I groped for her bra clasp. It landed somewhere across the room.

I was more prepared with a box of condoms in the drawer within reach, and once we sent the rest of our clothes to the floor, I planned to kiss every inch of her. Jovie let out an airy breath when my fingers trailed down her stomach to her hip. She squirmed when I slid my fingers against her sex. I kissed her harder, nipping at her lips, using my hand to bring her right on the cusp. Her ragged breathing and soft moans grazed my cheek while I kissed her neck. Then I stopped and Jovie cursed me. I jerked her on top of me again. I wanted to watch her. I wanted to have a front row seat for her to be moaning my name. Her wet warmth was pressed against me, and I pumped my hips, making her gasp. Once she begged, pleading my name, I didn’t hesitate to slam into her. I bit her bottom lip at the same time, swallowing her moan. I reclined against the headboard, gripping her hips, setting our pace. Jovie grabbed at my chest and shoulders, letting out little hums of pleasure. The way she gripped me, tightened around me, made me need her against me. I moved her so my mouth could travel up her neck to her lips and we were eye to eye. Her dark-blue eyes fluttered closed a few times. It seemed like only a moment before she was digging her fingers into my shoulders and trying not to wake Amelia.

She buried her face in the nape of my neck without stopping our momentum, moaning out my name against my skin. I stroked her hair and nipped at her neck, gripping her ass. Another orgasm rolled out of her, and she clawed at my back, biting my neck. I growled out my release, unable to take anymore, and squeezed her into me. I held Jovie against me until our ragged breathing evened and then relaxed back into the headboard, taking her with me. She settled next to me, sighing her contentment.

“I could also get used to that.” I kissed the top of her head.

“I was just thinking the same thing. Sorry I interrupted your conversation about our mutual lack of religion.” I laughed, relieved she was enjoying me as much as I enjoyed her. I slid out from under her and strode to the bathroom to take care of the condom, leaving her in the bed. I turned the sink on cold and ran my hands under it then wiped my face.

“Speaking of religion, is it safe to assume your family will be celebrating tomorrow?” I yelled over the water running. She groaned.

“Unfortunately, and my presence at holidays tends to be mandatory.” I came back to find her under the blanket, my clothes folded on the dresser and sweat pants on my pillow.

I clicked off the light before joining her, leaving only the light from the bathroom night light. “Your family can’t be all bad.” Jovie tossed the cover back and glared at me. Jovie was so gorgeous, especially when she looked all shocked and pissed. I grabbed her waist, dragging her into me, and rubbed my nose into her hair.

“My immediate family is run of the mill crazy. The extended family was spawned straight out of a bad reality TV show.” I chuckled against her neck, sliding a hand under her shirt. “Don’t laugh, I mean it. I am the third oldest of like twenty cousins and a bunch of them have kids. Actually, my little sister and I are the only ones who haven’t procreated, and we’re the ones with our shit together. Anyway, there will be at least a million people and more than half will be children that don’t behave.”

“I could go with you.” My other hand found her hair and the familiar movement of toying with it started. It was so soothing to stroke her hair, letting my fingers soak up her scent, relishing in the texture.

Jovie laughed, shaking her head. “No way! I like you way too much to expose you to them. I get quite enough of the ‘why don’t you try to meet a nice guy’ without one being there to suffer with me. At the last family gathering, my uncle brought some guy that actually told me to stop wearing baggy clothes and men would look at me.” She shuddered dramatically. Jovie did tend to cover herself, but I appreciated her modesty. It meant what was underneath was only for me. The thought made me pull her closer. “My grandmother is the most amazing woman ever, but if she reminds me one more time that my ex was attractive, I will honestly vomit all over her sparkly pink coat. In her mind, being handsome excuses a man from even the worst behavior.” I laughed at her exaggeration, but the idea of someone condoning that shit was sickening. The man had not only abused her emotionally, screwing her up for other men, but had shattered her trust.

“Fine, but if you change your mind, I have no problem turning up my English charm and making them all fall as madly in love with me as you have.” I tugged her hair to punctuate my point, and she scoffed at me.

“How do you have space for all your ego? No one said I was madly in love with you.” Jovie narrowed her eyes, daring me to argue, and lightly punched my arm. I loved her feisty streak. Amelia and our mother had one as well. They were not the kind of women to roll over and accept what they were told; they had opinions and spoke them, sometimes a little louder than necessary.

“My ego is just fine, thank you. It’s yours with the issue.” She started to defend her lack of ego, but I shook my head and covered her mouth with mine for a moment, sweeping my tongue gently against her lips. I grabbed her chin and made her look at me when I pulled back. “Your absence of it is the problem. The look of sheer disbelief when I said you were beautiful was maddening. Because you are fucking gorgeous.” I stared into her eyes, watching them swirl with desire and embarrassment.

THIRTEEN

Jovie

I heard him say it but didn’t believe it to be more than him being caught up in the moment. He was about to get too deep too soon. “No one has ever told you how beautiful you are, have they?” Ewan moved completely out from under me to study my profile. The light from the bathroom was just enough for him to see, but I hoped the red in my face was hidden in the shadows. I couldn’t answer him. Guys had called me hot or pretty, but never beautiful. Beautiful was an all-encompassing abstract. Beautiful was timeless and truly in the eye of the beholder.

“Jovie, look at me.” I swallowed the dryness in my mouth and tilted my head slightly to catch his eyes. “I am starting to agree with you on your horrid taste in men.” I clenched my jaw, and he reached for me, but I sat up, crossing my arms. I did not want to be patronized by him immediately after sex. Ewan moved behind me, moving my hair to rest his chin on my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my middle. “You are beautiful, Jovie, undeniably so. The freckles across your nose and shoulders, and the fact that every part of you is so soft and touchable. The fullness of your hips, and the fact that you agreed to supervise my sister’s party after knowing her a week just because she asked, all of it makes you beautiful. You’re beautiful and you’re mine.” When he kissed my neck, I remembered to breathe, and my dizziness faded. I couldn’t form an answer. The man truly found me beautiful or the guy faked it really well. How could anything follow a speech so swoon-worthy? My reservations about jumping in with both feet were slipping, and it scared the shit out of me.

Ewan sat pressed against my back for a while and would occasionally squeeze my waist or rub my arm. When he finally moved, I heard him pat the bed, but it took me another minute to move. I slid under the blanket with him and curled myself around his back, draping my arm over his ribcage and nuzzling between his shoulder blades. He took my hand and kissed my fingertips softly. One week, it took all of one week for me to fall for him. It was too much; he was too much. I wanted to think the sudden whirlwind we were caught up in was a lasting thing, but I braced for the fallout anyway. Good things seemed to run from me, they were repulsed by me, and yet the man had readily gone over a list of things he found beautiful about me. I was much less ballsy when it came to those things but could have written a novel on his beauty.

I woke up the next morning to the sensation of something stroking my face. My eyelids fluttered open just enough to see Ewan doing just that. “Ewan, that’s creepy.” I rolled away from him, and he chuckled, snuggling into me for a moment. He climbed over me, kissing my head, and made a point to rub himself against me as he wandered to the bathroom. I rolled my eyes at his obvious attempt to have me follow him.

“I guess I’m creepy then.” He left the door open, and I watched him strip off his clothes and toss them in the hamper. My gorgeous date caught me staring and cocked his eyebrow at me before disappearing around the corner toward the shower. Once I heard the water running and heard the glass door close, I followed him. I had obviously been possessed by some lustful demon because the next thing I knew, I was naked and climbing in the shower with him. Ewan made a purring noise and pulled me under the stream with him, pressing me against his hard everything. The same lustful demon took hold again as I pushed him back against the tiles and kissed from his neck down to his chest and then kept going lower. The look of shock on his face was amazing. I was on my knees in front of him with the hot water hitting my back, and he was in my mouth.

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