Page 33 of Bad Boy Husband

SADIE

Jameson didn’t move right in for the kill this time. I ran my fingertips lightly over the collar of his shirt and I saw his nostrils flare. His gaze lowered slowly to my lips, but he didn’t close the distance between us in another hungry clash of mouths, teeth, and tongues.

Instead, he let his head descend just enough that his lips were only a fraction of an inch away from my own. He stopped moving and he didn’t kiss me. He brought his eyes slowly back to mine and what I saw in those hazel depths surprised the crap out of me. I could’ve sworn it was vulnerability.

My heart tripped over itself. I still didn’t know what the heck we were doing in LA, but he’d been weird about it since he’d invited me along. He’d dodged my questions, literally ducked his head and walked away at times, and I’d even caught a few more flushes.

Whatever it was, however, I was starting to realize that bringing me along was huge for him. It meant something I didn’t understand yet. As our gazes connected, I slid my palm around the nape of his neck and held him to me, but I didn’t kiss him either.

I just looked at him, really seeing him for something other than just the cocky playboy or the boy I used to know. The man looking back at me now was infinitely more complex than that and it seemed he was preparing to pull back another layer.

There was an openness to him right now that I couldn’t quite describe, but I was perfectly content to just stand there, his breath ghosting across my skin as he stared at me like there was something he needed to say.

“What is it?” I whispered, touching my fingertips to one of his cheeks while my other hand reached for his, hanging loosely at his side. “You can tell me, Jamie.”

“Tomorrow could change things for you,” he murmured. “You might start looking at me differently. I need you to know that if that happens, you can be honest with me. I’ll understand.”

“Is it a sex dungeon?” I asked, not even really sure myself if I was being serious right now or not. “A drug den?”

“No to both.”

“Last question,” I whispered. “Does it involve any sort of crime?”

A deep furrow appeared between his eyebrows. “No, of course not.”

“Then it’s not going to change the way I look at you.”

“Would a sex dungeon have changed the way you look at me?” he asked, his tone suddenly worlds lighter again and that unfamiliar flicker of vulnerability disappearing from his eyes. “Good to know. That was going to be our next road trip.”

“It would only have changed the way I look at you if you took me there without talking to me about it first. The way I understand it, informed consent is a real thing.”

He grinned, hands falling to my hips. His fingers splayed before they flexed. “Fine. If I ever consider buying a sex dungeon, I’ll talk to you about it first.”

“That’s all I ask,” I teased lightly.

He pushed me back on the bed and quickly climbed onto it with me. I squealed with laughter. As I lay back, I wrapped my legs around his hips and looked up into his eyes, pushing my fingers into his hair. “Do you think this is what it’ll be like when we’re married?”

“I do,” he said quietly, that air of playfulness still there, but it was combined with something genuine and honest now. “No pun intended, but I really do. I think we could have fun together, Sades. Don’t you?”

“I don’t know,” I mused, smiling. I arched an eyebrow at him. “It depends. Will there be kissing in our marriage?”

The corners of his lips curved upward. “As much as I can get.”

I shrugged a shoulder, eyes still hooked on his. “If you’re the only man I’m supposed to kiss for the rest of my life, I think I need a reminder of what it feels like.”

“Do you?” He brought his lips so close to mine this time that they brushed against my skin, but still, he didn’t kiss me. “I’ve heard anticipation makes it sweeter. Maybe we should test that theory.”

A groan escaped me. “That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”

“Is it? I’m not sure. I think we’re already testing it and I think it’s working.” He sat up on his knees between my legs then, fingers hooking into the waistband of my jeans. “May I?”

“Yes,” I breathed, heat creeping from my neck to my cheeks. He wasn’t wrong about the anticipation. It had set me on edge and I knew I was about to prove him right, but I lifted my butt for him to slide the jeans off with my panties anyway. “Just don’t get too smug about it.”

“Me? Smug?” He flashed me a smirk. “Never.”

He dropped my clothes on the floor without a second glance and surprised me by sliding down the mattress, his eyes on mine until his face was level with my most intimate part.

He didn’t say a word, but I could see the question in his eyes.

His hot breath teasing me didn’t do a thing to make me doubt my answer.

“Yes,” I murmured again, a thrill shooting through me at the simple thought that he was actively seeking my permission to do anything.

He’d stopped to ask the other night as well.

Even though he already knew what my answer would be, he still cared enough to ask.

Respected me enough to pause long enough to do it.

“I want you, Jamie. I’m never going to be ashamed of how much. ”

His jaw tightened. A ferocity passed through his gaze like he was making some kind of very masculine, very primal vow to himself right now. A moment later, he finally let his eyes leave mine to wander across my chest and my stomach.

My nipples were poking at my bra, but they were still covered.

Even so, he looked at me like he could see through it, leaving goosebumps in the wake of his heated gaze.

I knew the moment he’d reached his target because he let out a sound that was somewhere between a growl and groan.

Then his mouth was on me, his lips, tongue, and teeth taking me to places every human should visit at least once.

I felt like I was tumbling through a beautiful abyss made up entirely of euphoria. My orgasm snuck up on me, but it thundered through my body like a blissful storm, reducing me to mewls and other sounds I hadn’t even known I was capable of making.

In the aftermath, I was vaguely aware of Jameson shedding his clothes. Then he helped me shed the rest of mine. Watching as he rolled on a condom, I opened my arms and pulled him closer, finally getting to kiss him.

He sank into me. I didn’t mind the taste of myself on his lips and I definitely didn’t mind the hard, furious pace he set or the words he murmured as harshly as curses into my mouth.

“Fuck, Sadie. I love the way you taste. There is just no one else like you. And the sounds you make? Shit, you’re killing me. ”

I kissed him deeper and angled my hips to meet every one of his thrusts as eagerly as I possibly could. Neither of us lasted very long that time, but we went over the edge together, and throughout the night, we woke each other up a couple times to practice some more.

At some point in the middle of the night, I was drifting back off to sleep in his arms when I realized this could legitimately be the rest of my life.

All I had to do was say yes at the end of the month and this man, this impossibly gorgeous, complicated, playful, brooding asshole of a man, could be mine.

The next morning, I woke up to the scent of fresh coffee wafting through the hotel room. I smiled before I’d even opened my eyes, rolling over and breathing in the faint traces of his cologne lingering on the pillow next to me.

“Wakey wakey, Sleeping Beauty,” he murmured, his voice much closer than I’d expected. Considering the smell of coffee, I’d known he was already up, but I thought he would be across the room or something.

When I opened my eyes, however, I was met with the sight of Jameson already dressed, his hair still damp from the shower.

He was holding the coffee out toward me, standing right next to the bed and looking every bit the impatient billionaire who would rather face a twenty-hour flight in cattle class than wait on me to even brush my teeth.

“Good morning,” he said briskly, turning his wrist out to show me his watch. “I don’t want to rush you, but if we don’t get going soon, we’ll be late.”

“For what?” I asked, pushing myself up to sit before reaching for the coffee. He handed it over, but he shifted his weight as he stared back at me, obviously dying to get moving. “Okay. Okay, I’ll wait to find out, but can I at least drink this first?”

“Is there any way you can drink it in the shower?” he asked, completely deadpan, and honestly, I didn’t think he was joking.

I felt a smile begging to break free across my lips, but instead, I just nodded, curiosity and even a bit of excitement getting the better of me. As I twisted to set the coffee down on the nightstand, I became aware of all the delicious aches in my body. A shiver raced down my spine.

Boy, when things are good with him, they’re really, really good.

Right now though, he wasn’t even looking at me anymore. He’d turned to face the wide windows overlooking the city, his jaw ticking. He slid his hands into his pockets after checking his watch again.

Realizing that whatever we were doing today, he desperately didn’t want to miss any of it, I climbed out of bed and dutifully took the takeout coffee to the bathroom with me. I raced through showering and dressing, only taking my first hit of caffeine on our way out the door.

I’d barely had time to get my shoes on before he was hustling me out of our suite, hand firmly pressed to the small of my back.

He guided me to his car with long, deliberate strides.

Glancing up at him, I wondered if I should’ve tried asking where we were going again, but he already looked like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Besides, I would find out soon enough. On the drive over, he kept drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, not saying much, but it was like I could feel the barely contained nerves filling the car.

Even though he’d told me I could wear jeans, he was in another one of his immaculately tailored suits, the deep navy fabric complemented by a crisp white shirt and a black tie.

Sunglasses hid his eyes, but as soon as we drove into the parking lot of the convention center, I noticed his head turning slightly and I followed where I thought his line of sight had gone.

That was when I saw the banners. My mouth twitched, amusement and something much warmer rolling through me.

“Are we at the annual convention for the American Vacuum Society ?” I asked, really trying to keep a straight face. “We are, aren’t we? It’s not just a happy coincidence that we’re passing the convention center and you realized this was happening. It’s what we came to LA for.”

The tips of his ears turned bright red. Jameson Westwood, the man the tabloids creamed themselves over, a business tycoon who could buy half of San Francisco without even blinking, and he’d come all the way to Los Angeles to spend the weekend at a vacuum convention .

“Don’t,” he muttered, joining a line of cars to the left that seemed to be much shorter than the others. “Just don’t, Sades.”

I really tried not to, but I giggled, the sound so warm and happy that it surprised even me. It felt so right to be here with him, so good to know that he was letting me into a part of his life I genuinely knew he’d never shown anyone before, that I just couldn’t help it.

Reaching across the center console, I slid my hand over his. “Are we at least VIPs? Is that why we’re in this line?”

His eyes closed and he exhaled slowly before he finally nodded. “It’s worth the membership just for the exclusive parking benefit.”

“Oh, I’m sure it is.” I giggled again and wound my fingers around his. “God, you really are a nerd, aren’t you?”

When we finally found a spot in the surprisingly full garage, I tugged him toward the entrance and he let me, even managing a small but very real crooked smile. “I might be a nerd, but I’m your nerd now.”

My heart felt ridiculously full as we walked into the convention center together.

I had a feeling that this, as strange as the idea of it was to me, meant more to him than anything else.

This was an event he clearly treasured enough that he didn’t want to miss even a second, and he’d brought me along.

This was his thing . His most private, well-guarded secret, and he trusted me enough to share it with me. In that moment, I suddenly realized that no jewelry he could ever give me would mean as much. There was no restaurant that could top this.

Move over, diamonds and dinner. We’ve got vacuum conventions now.