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“Deliciousisn’t a dirty word,” I said.
“It is when you say it like that,” she pointed out, eyes wary.
“Like what…?” I nuzzled her neck, then nipped her, soft and slow, reveling in her shudder before pressing my mouth to her ear. “Like I’m thinking about licking that sweet pussy of yours again?”
“Yes!” It squeaked out of her.
Chuckling, I kissed her temple, then let her go. “Okay, I’ll try to avoid using any words that might let you know how much I keep thinking about that.”
“You’re impossible,” she said, backing away. But there was a smile on her lips, one that was hotly female. “Come on…let me introduce you to everyone.”
* * *
Jessica’s mompassed her a red plastic cup of something from a pitcher, and Jess sipped at it tentatively, then sighed happily. “You made the Dark and Stormy this time around, Mom.”
“You’ve always been able to tell,” Charlotte said with a smile.
“It’s not hard.” Jessica grinned at the lady sitting next to her mom. “Aunt Jen has alotof talents, but making a Dark and Stormy isn’t one of them. Hers have the kick of jet fuel.”
“You’re just a lightweight, honey.” Jen Beville had vibrant black hair, obviously dyed, wore goth-style makeup, and the tank and shorts she wore left a number of tattoos on display. Her girlfriend, Toni, on the other hand, looked like a kindergarten teacher.
There was also a preacher and his wife in attendance, an editor for a mid-sized children’s book publishing company who’d looked surprised to see me, and several people Jessica had introduced as family, one way or the other.
Everybody was polite, but I knew I was being measured and evaluated.
Sipping my beer, I kept quiet for the most part, participating in conversations only when addressed but listening to everything. And I watched Jessica. She was gorgeous. The more time I spent around her, the more I wanted to be with her. Catching a lock of her hair, I toyed with it as she bantered with one of her friends, and the sound of her laughter breaking out made me smile. Dropping my gaze to the curl I held, I rubbed it between my fingers.
There was a sudden silence, and I looked up and realized that pretty much everyone was looking at me. Her cheeks flushed pink under my gaze, but she arched an eyebrow. There was a nervous look in her eyes, and she had her head angled, hair shielding her face so only I could see well.
“Did you want to take that one, Derrick?”
“Ah…” I looked around and found myself at a loss. Jen, sitting the closest to us, had an amused smirk on her face, and I decided it might be best to be upfront. “Sorry. I was busy staring at Jessica. I’m afraid I wasn’t paying attention to anybody else.”
Jessica’s blush deepened and a chuckle ran around the group. The amusement on Jen’s face increased, but it was the softening in her mother’s eyes that hit me.
“Aunt Jen asked how we met,” Jessica said. She bit her lower lip, then added, “I told them I worked for your publishing company, but she’s nosy as hell and wanted more than that.”
Laying my hand on her thigh, thumb stroking the soft skin warmed by the sun, I decided maybe a little more honesty wouldn’t hurt.
“She came in to chew me out,” I finally said. “She was pissed off over a business decision I’d made–”
I stopped suddenly, something behind the group catching my attention. Without pausing to think or say anything, I bolted from my seat, only vaguely aware that I’d knocked over one of the table trays as I went. A moment later, I hit Brayden’s hand hard enough to send him stumbling back several steps.
Before anyone could react, the firecracker he’d been holding went off with a loud bang, safely in the grass a few feet away.
“What the hell?!” Brayden yelled, his face red. “You ruined my video!”
Chaos erupted behind me, but all I cared about was making sure Jessica didn’t think I’d tried to hurt her cousin. I’d just turned back in the direction I’d come when Jessica collided with me, her arms going around my waist.
“Thank you.” She pressed her face into my chest, and I could feel her trembling as I wrapped my arms around her. Relief rushed through me as I realized she understood what I’d done and why.
“What were you thinking?”
For a moment, I thought Don Ellis was talking to me, but then I saw that he was standing in front of his nephew.
“It was one of those damn internet challenges, wasn’t it?” He demanded. “Well, Brayden? Answer me.”
Brayden’s face was still red as he scuffed his shoe on the ground. “Yeah. You’re supposed to hold a firecracker while it goes off. It just scorches your palm. It’s no big deal.”