Page 20 of 40 and Flirting (with Disaster) (Silver Foxes of Black Wolf’s Bluff #5)

Twenty

I nstinct had Jamie reaching for Iris’s hand as they crossed the parking lot toward the front entrance of the hospital.

He’d craved her touch from the minute he met her, but now that she’d given herself to him, whenever she was with him he couldn’t stop.

Holding her hand, putting his arm around her waist, a kiss anytime he could sneak it in. And it was never enough.

He squeezed her fingers lightly. “Erin said everything went fine with the delivery?”

“Picture perfect.” A glance showed him that Iris was smiling softly. “Longer than she wanted, I’m sure, but that’s true of every delivery. She gets to go home tomorrow as long as the baby continues to do well.”

They entered the hospital through the heavy sliding glass doors and crossed the neutrally painted lobby that was supposed to make everyone feel calm.

Jamie had always hated hospitals. He could still remember Michael’s birth like it was yesterday, the chaos and the anxiety and the waiting.

It didn’t matter what color the walls were, there was nothing about the whole experience that had felt calm.

But he was certainly glad Erin and Carter had managed all right.

The elevator took them to the labor and delivery floor, and they made their way through the maze of hallways to Erin’s room. Iris knocked on the door and pushed through when Carter’s voice called for them to enter.

“Congratulations!” Iris hurried across the room to give Erin a hug. Jamie followed, holding the flowers he’d picked out and the gift Iris had brought along. Carter stood to the side of Erin’s bed, a bundle wrapped in a soft pink blanket held securely in his arms. He reached to shake Jamie’s hand.

“How are you feeling?” Iris asked, the question directed at Erin.

“Sore,” she admitted, a tired smile taking over her face. “But happy.”

“Want to meet the baby?” Carter asked, his voice coated in proud-dad energy.

“Absolutely.” Iris tucked back the blanket with gentle fingers, revealing the baby’s sleeping face. A flush of dark fuzz coated her head, dark lashes lying long against rounded baby cheeks. Her pink rosebud mouth moved gently as if suckling in her sleep.

Jamie leaned forward, getting a good look but being careful not to hover too close. “Hey there, little one,” he said, his voice gruff.

“What’s her name?” Iris asked.

“Rayne.” Carter shared a loving glance with his wife. “We wanted to connect her name to Thad somehow. His middle name is Ryan, so…”

Iris cooed down at the sleeping baby, and Jamie caught a glimpse of the young mother she must have been when Adam and Krista were born. “I love it.”

“Carter,” Erin asked, “could you hand me my water?” She reached for a tumbler sitting on the tray on the opposite side of her hospital bed.

“Sure, love.” Without warning, he moved his hand to behind the baby’s head and passed her over to Jamie. “Hold her, will you?”

Jamie gladly accepted the bundle. There was nothing like holding a baby in your arms—the sweetness, the trust from such a tiny creature to sleep so calmly in your arms. He cuddled Rayne close.

A throaty sound escaped Iris, almost a whisper, and Jamie glanced up to find an enigmatic expression on her face. “What?”

Her eyes took on a mischievous sparkle. “Good thing my uterus is no longer present.”

A surprised laugh escaped him. “What does that mean?”

Iris winked. “There’s nothing like watching a silver fox hold a baby to make your baby-making parts sit up and pay attention.”

He had no doubt his smile took on a hungry edge. “Is that so?”

“It is,” she whispered as Carter came back around the side of the bed to retrieve his child.

They stayed for a few minutes and left soon after, not wanting to tire the new parents out. Their fingers stayed securely wrapped around each other all the way to the car. Jamie opened the passenger-side door and settled Iris in, then rounded the back to the driver’s side.

“Do you mind if we make a quick stop at the restaurant?” he asked, turning the key to crank the car.

“Of course not.” Iris situated her seat belt, then turned slightly in her seat so that she could keep her eyes on him, something he’d noticed she did frequently in the car. “I don’t have any plans tonight but to be with you.”

“Sounds like my ideal plans.” He reached for her hand again and brought their combined clasp to his mouth, brushed his lips lightly along the back of her hand. “I just need to check on a couple of things, and then the rest of the night is yours.”

“Perfect.”

They drove in an easy silence across town to the Carousel.

Jamie still felt a surge of pride when he pulled into the parking lot, even fifteen years after building.

His first restaurant had been a standard upscale steakhouse in a traditional brick building, but the Carousel had been his dream, and when he’d been able to make it a reality, he’d known he was exactly where he was meant to be.

Now, with expansion plans in the works, that dream was growing larger, but this original location would never fail to have his heart.

He pulled the car around the back, parked near the rear entrance, and rounded the car to hand Iris out.

The back portion of the restaurant was quiet this early in the day, only the kitchens buzzing with prep for their evening service.

He unlocked the door to his office and ushered Iris inside.

“I need to check with Francisco about an order, but I’ll be right back. ”

She nodded. “I’ll be here.”

He gave her a fast, hungry kiss, then left, determined to return quickly.

His business with Francisco only took a few minutes, but when he came back to the office, it was to find Iris staring out the window, a pensive look on her face. He closed the door behind him. “Everything okay?”

She turned abruptly as if startled. “Sorry.” A frown curved her mouth downward. “Just thinking.”

He crossed the room slowly, studying her face. “Thinking about what?”

A wry twist took over her lips. “The last time I was in this room.” A sigh left her. “I’m sorry. I don’t really want to think about that night, but sometimes it sneaks up on me, you know?”

He eased up behind her, closed his arms around her waist, and pulled her back to nestle against his chest. Exactly where she belonged.

“Memories do that.” He knew from past experience.

He settled his chin into the curve of her neck.

“And hurt takes time to heal, even when good things have come into your life alongside it. Never apologize for that.”

She leaned back, giving him her weight. “I’m afraid this stuff with Krista keeps bringing it back. I just want things to be normal. I want to be able to enjoy this”—she nudged him with her shoulder—“and not worry about anything else.”

“Well…” He turned Iris to face him, tipped her chin up until her lips were barely a brush away from his.

“I can’t do anything about your daughter.

” He rubbed his lips over hers, savoring the softness, enjoying the scent of her as it filled his nose, the feel of her against his body.

“But maybe there is something I could do about those pesky memories.”

Iris’s lips parted, her breath coming a hair faster, her body pushing upward to get more of his taste, his touch. “What’s that?”

He continued the tantalizing tease. “I can replace bad memories of this room with good ones. After all, I want you here for a long, long time to come.”

Her eyes had closed. She lifted her lids the barest amount. “What did you have in mind?”

“This.”

He turned, pulling her along with him as he made his way to his desk. Walking around the back, he nudged the rolling office chair out of the way, turned, and pulled her in front of him. With a swift grasp of her waist, he lifted her easily onto the desk blotter.

“Oh!” Iris gave an uneasy chuckle, shifting her weight to settle herself in the spot. “Jamie…?”

He shook his head, settled his finger against her lips. “Don’t talk.” Dragged his finger along her lips. “Be very quiet.”

She opened her mouth, maybe to protest, but a single tap from his finger broke off the word.

Backing silently away from her, he crossed the room until he reached the door, flicked the lock, and reversed his path, his stride becoming a prowl as he approached.

The shiver that took over Iris’s body was crystal clear.

“I want you to lie back,” he told her.

With a glance over her shoulder, Iris cleared her throat and eased her body backward until she was laid full out, stretched out for his pleasure, her head dangling from the other side of the desk.

Her trust squeezed his heart like a vise.

“Now close your eyes.” He paused, waiting for her to comply.

When she did, he rewarded her with a single finger trailing from chin to neck to the valley between her breasts.

Iris’s breath caught in her throat. “Relax,” he murmured.

Slowly, one by one, he undid the buttons on her dress shirt, revealing inch by inch of gorgeous, creamy skin.

Her breasts heaved as her breath quickened even more.

At her waist, he skipped the band of her skirt and trailed down to gorgeous knees, then reversed the journey, tangling the material of her skirt in his fist.

Iris squirmed beneath his hands. Narrowing his eyes to gauge her reaction, he gave her inner thigh a light smack. “Be still.”

Iris gasped, her body instinctively arching toward his touch. “Jamie!” Shock filled the word.

Satisfaction rumbled in his chest. “Shhh.”

Another firm pat to that smooth thigh. A whine left Iris’s mouth. She quickly raised a hand to cover her lips.

“That’s my girl.”

Iris squeezed her eyes shut.

Gliding his hands down her legs, he lifted each foot and set each perky black heel onto the edge of his desk.

Iris held her knees closed, but he gently pushed, making room for himself between her legs.

Another smack brought a second gasp to her lips.

He repeated the move on the opposite side, picking up a rhythm, alternating, first one side, then the other, turning the flesh of her inner thighs a soft blushing pink.

Whimpers of pleasure left Iris with each impact, just loud enough for him to catch. “Good girl.”

When her body was curving up to his touch and her murmurs became louder, he leaned over, opened her shirt fully, captured the upper edges of her bra, and pulled them down to lovingly cup each beautiful breast. “So gorgeous,” he whispered against the skin of her stomach and slowly made his way up up up until he gripped one pert tip between his teeth and sucked hard.

Iris nearly came off the desk. A hard hand on her sternum pushed her back down, but he continued to suck, pulling strongly, wanting every last bit of sensation that he could give her. Wanting her taste to fill his mouth, his soul. Wanting to brand this memory, this moment on his heart forever.

“Jamie!” The grip of her hands along the sides of his head echoed the urgency coating his name. “Jamie, please!” Her pelvis rocked against him in time to the pulse of his mouth. “Please!”

A grin that felt more than a little wicked took over his mouth. He released her breast, placed a soft kiss to the tip. “Hold on for me, love.”

Shit. He hadn’t meant for that word to come out. But when he glanced up, Iris’s eyes were closed, no hint of alarm on her face. He breathed a sigh of relief even as he circled to the other side of the desk, hands busy at the zipper of his jeans.

Iris squirmed on the desk. He stopped just behind her head.

“I want you to touch yourself for me, Iris.” He used his most commanding voice in case any lingering shyness made her hesitate.

But she didn’t. One hand slipped slowly down her stomach, caressed the skin over her mound, and snuck between her legs.

He knew the minute she found her clit, startling as if she’d touched a live wire.

“That’s it, beautiful.” The correct endearment came easily to his lips as he soaked in the sight before him. He freed himself from the denim. “That’s it.” Using one hand, he guided himself to her gasping mouth and tapped gently. The other hand went to the nearest breast. “Let me in.”

Iris raised her head slightly. Her eyes opened, zeroing in on his. “Jamie?”

He smiled down at her. “Trust me.”

She didn’t hesitate. Her head rested back, her gaze sweeping his erection on its way past. Excitement had him harder than he ever remembered being before.

When her mouth opened, he slid inside, taking it slow to give her time to adjust. Letting go of his dick, he put the hand behind her head, adjusting the angle carefully.

A groan escaped him as he slid closer to her throat. “God, Iris.”

Her tongue swept the sensitive head. His erection kicked in her mouth.

And then she started sucking.

He cursed. “This is gonna be fast,” he mumbled, his voice gravel.

She nodded around him.

He set up a rhythm, his gaze focusing in on her hand between her legs. “Pick up the pace. Ride that hand, Iris.”

Her fingers moved faster across her clit. The sudden rocking of her pelvis up into her touch, pushing harder, chasing the high, had his own pace kicking up. It wasn’t long before the point of no return loomed far too close ahead.

He pinched the hard nipple between his fingers. “Come on, beautiful.”

Another pinch and a scream rose in Iris’s throat, vibrating around his too-sensitive flesh, forcing him close, closer. Her hips rose off the desk. That beautiful scream surrounded his dick.

Pushed him over the edge.

Long moments later, with only the harsh sounds of their breaths filling the small room, he withdrew from Iris’s mouth. She gulped in air, eyes sealed tight, body lax across the desk. He bent to kiss her. “Okay?”

“Perfect.” Panting breaths escaped even as she pushed up for more of his mouth.

He kissed her again, hard. “I think that’s my line.”

She grinned, eyes still closed. “We’ll share; how does that sound?”

It sounded like he never wanted to let her go. “Always.”