Mountain Man's Virgin Page 5

  I reeled back and looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “Nia Carter, you are one of the youngest entrepreneurs to ever have a business that’s up and running by twenty-five. Your reputation precedes you as that of someone who is immensely creative and gets things done. All of the people you’ve worked with would bet on your skills, and no one has any idea where you came from, but everyone wants a piece of you,” he rattled off as he ticked the facts off on his fingers.

  Feeling suddenly self-conscious, I placed my arms over my chest and maintained a calm façade as I stared at him. “You googled me?”

  “I was intrigued,” Jesse admitted as he slid his hands from my lower back to my hair.

  “I don’t know how I feel about that,” I confessed as I bit my lower lip. “It sounds weird to hear about myself like that.”

  “That’s because you’re not aware of the big wave you’ve made, but believe me, a lot of people are.” He began to massage the back of my neck in slow circular motions that had me relax ever so slightly.

  “Why did you google me?”

  I had to force myself to keep my mind on the task at hand.

  Jesse could be a stalker for all I know, but there was no benefit that would come from that. I did well, but I wasn’t rich, and I had no assets that I could liquidate if he were to ask for ransom money.

  “I’m not a stalker if that’s what you’re thinking,” Jesse guessed as if he were reading my mind.

  “Isn’t that what a stalker would say? Why would you admit to it?” I quirked an eyebrow. I didn’t think I was in any real danger, Jesse didn’t strike me as the type. He was a hacker who probably made more money than I did, and with the way he looked, he could probably beckon any woman forward with his finger, and she’d be flat on her back in an instant.

  Just like I almost was.

  Shame suddenly flooded me.

  “Well, I could say that I am just for argument's sake, but I’m not one for mind games.” Jesse shrugged as I scooched further away. He noticed what I was doing and frowned. “What are you doing?”

  “I don’t think you’re a stalker, Jesse.”

  And I didn’t.

  But I abruptly felt uneasy about continuing what we’d started.

  “But?” he prompted.

  “I don’t know. We never said anything about a date, but this—” I gestured between us as a noise of frustration escaped my lips. Beads of perspiration formed on my back as nerves began to take a hold of me. “I don’t know what to make of this.”

  “You’re used to micromanaging, and I get that. You have to, otherwise you wouldn’t have made it thus far, and as the boss, you’re used to calling the shots, but I’m sure sometimes you don’t want to,” Jesse pointed out as he began massaging my ears.

  My eyes fluttered closed as I relaxed into his touch.

  Why was I overthinking this?

  “You don’t have to worry about that with me. I can make you feel good, real good. Just follow my lead.”

  Once he pressed his lips to mine once more, all signs of resistance melted away. I couldn’t even pretend that I was considering it. No, I was in it all the way, and I think he could tell too because suddenly his hands were everywhere.

  On my face, on my back, over the rest of my body like he couldn’t get enough of me. Like he’d been wandering the desert, hungry and starving, and I was his first real taste of anything edible.

  My own reaction to him wasn’t that different. It was like I’d never touched a man before. Everywhere my fingers went, it was cackling with electricity and burning hot.

  I had never known it could feel like this.

  Like being consumed whole.

  And not giving a lick.

  A low groan escaped Jesse’s lips as his hands settled around my hips and hoisted me up. Without breaking the kiss, he maneuvered us, so that I was resting on the edge of the counter, and he was pressed up against me. He slowly nudged my legs aside, and I compiled as I wrapped them around his waist, eager for as much friction as possible.

  My hands began to claw at his back of their own accord as they snaked underneath his shirt and slowly inched up. They were met with rock hard muscle that I lightly grazed as my fingers dug into his shoulder.

  Jesse tore his lips away, and his lips circled down to my stomach where he placed feather light kisses all around my belly button piercing. He grabbed a handful of my hair and slowly yanked my head backwards, so that my neck was exposed to him.

  My heart was hammering in my chest, and the blood was pounding in my ears, so that all I could hear was us. We were making primal animal noises, and a small part of me, the part that was proper and well behaved was horrified at the fact that someone could hear or worse see what was happening.

  But he managed to kiss those fears away as he nibbled on my neck, his mouth leaving a hot trail till he pushed up my crop top to reveal the lacy bra underneath.

  “I’ve wanted to do this since I saw you in that wet see through shirt with your rosy nipples showing,” he said, gutturally.

  “Do what?” I asked, breathlessly as I struggled to fill my lungs with air.

  “This.”

  In one fluid movement, he lowered the straps of my bra and took one nipple firmly between his lips and bit down hard. I hissed as my fingers dug into his back, hard enough to leave a mark. He alternated between twirling his tongue around the outer nub and grazing it with the edge of his teeth while his other hand kneaded my other breast expertly between his palm.

  Red hot desire surged through me even as a voice in the back of my head warned me against continuing this. It wasn’t too late to back down.

  I didn’t really want to do it in the back of a restaurant, did I?

  My heart and my mind continued this little tug of war while Jesse’s lips ground against mine suggestively. A strangled moan was caught in the back of my mouth as I thrust my hips forward.

  I struggled with his shirt, but Jesse’s hands snaked backwards and caught mine in a vice like grip.

  “What did I say about taking control?”

  “It’s good?” I offered, cheekily.

  He laughed in spite of himself. “Sure, but who’s the boss here?”

  I quirked an eyebrow. “It’s me, of course.”

  Jesse’s body began to vibrate with laughter. “How is that you manage to be adorable and sexy at the same time?

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right.”

  “I’m serious. You’re looking so damn sexy right now with your breasts spilling out like that, but then you go ahead and make a comment like that…” He trailed off and shook his head. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Anything and everything you want,” I suggested, throatily as I tightened my grip around his waist. With one hand, Jesse held up mine above my head and rested his head against mine, so he was looking directly into me eyes, and his body was flush against mine.

  “Oh, I plan on it,” he promised. “And things you want too. Even the stuff you can’t admit out loud, and the things you never knew you could want.”

  He punctuated each word with a deep kiss that left me breathless and gasping for air. His hands went to his jeans, and he was about to unbutton them when my hands immediately kept him in place.

  He stared at me in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

  I gulped. “I—we—”

  He patiently waited for me to finish. “If you’re about to say we shouldn’t do this for the millionth time today, I would reconsider given that it’s a moot point right now.”

  “Hey,” I exhaled deeply. “No, it’s not that though I know it should be in the back of my mind.”

  I huffed as I tried to blow a strand of hair out of my face, but it was stuck to my forehead. He softly tucked it behind my ear as he gazed at me expectantly.

  “I—”

  Oh, God.

  I couldn’t tell him.

  The words were on the tip of my tongue, but they stopped there. Trying to force them out was like making myself trudge through sand in flip flops. The harder I tried, the more I kept sinking.

  “You?” he prompted.

  “We don’t have protection,” I squeaked out in a weak voice.

  “I’ll pull out, don’t worry,” he assured me as he nuzzled my neck.

  “That’s not entirely safe, is it? Isn’t it hard for guys to pull out? How will you know when you’re supposed to?” I rambled as my heart banged wildly against my ribcage.

  “I’ll know,” he confirmed. “Now, is that all?”

  “Well, I mean, I guess…”

  He lowered his lips to mine for a kiss that effectively silently any other protest I might come up with, but we both stilled when we heard a knock on the door.

  “Hello?”

  The doorknob rattled, and I hastily pulled away as I fixed my bra and rearranged my top. Jesse was busy doing the same as he extracted himself from my grasp and ran his hands through his hair. It didn’t help because his hair was now in tufts around his head, but at least this looked natural. Like he’d done it to himself.

  Instead of it looking like I’d run my fingers through his hair repeatedly which I had.. It was nothing to be ashamed of, but I doubted that either one of us wanted a stranger to witness a private moment like that.

  I cleared my throat. “Yes, we’ve been stuck in here, and we tried calling for help.”

  Jesse kept his eyes fixed on me as he adjusted his shirt, his expression unwavering. I avoided his gaze as I finger combed my hair, hoping that it didn’t look as wayward as it felt.

  “I’ll go get help,” the voice on the other side of the door promised. It sounded like a woman, and the sound of her footsteps faded away
a second later as she presumably went to find someone who could help us.

  “Relax and stop fidgeting,” Jesse instructed as he smoothed down his shirt.

  “Easy for you to say,” I shot back as I took a quick glance at the mirror. Aside from a hooded look in my eyes, and the fact that my lips looked red and plump, I didn’t look that different.

  If I didn’t know any better, I’d say nothing had transpired at all. That two strangers of the opposite sex were locked in a cramped space and simply waiting to be rescued.

  I felt strange though, flushed and buzzing with untapped electricity. I was sure that anyone who was looking could see it. The want splashed all over my face.

  I let my hair fall over my face before I tucked it neatly behind my ear and leaned down to splash some cold water on my face. When I came back up, Jesse’s arms snaked around my waist, and he placed his head in the crook of my neck.

  “What are you doing?” My voice sounded shaky and unsure. I had no idea why.

  A few minutes ago, we were all over each other.

  So, why was I suddenly shy?

  “Do you need a play by play of earlier tonight?” He smirked as he lightly nipped my shoulder. I slowly untangled myself from his grip and turned, so my back was pressed against the sink.

  “No, they’re about to get us out, and I’d rather they didn’t bear witness to….” I swept my hands across the space between us as I coughed to hide my embarrassment.

  “We’re in complete agreement.” He nodded his assent.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, I’m glad we agree on that—“

  “Which is why we should take this back to my place,” he finished as if I hadn’t said anything.

  “What?” My mouth fell open in shock. “That’s all you can think about right now?”

  He shrugged. “Aren’t you? Why would I be thinking about anything else?”

  “Don’t you know how this is going to look?” My voice was surprisingly clear in spite of the turmoil I was feeling. As a rule, I generally tried not to care about what people thought, but it was hard not to be slightly concerned when it wasn’t just idle gossip.

  We were caught with our pants down.

  Almost literally.

  If the door had suddenly budged, they would’ve walked in on that. Would that have been justification for the tongues that would wag, and the whispers that would ensue?

  No.

  Still, I’d rather avoid it because I hated being the center of attention.

  It made me feel out of my element and uncomfortable.

  “You care about what people think?” His features let me know what he thought of that as his expression turned into something serious.

  “Not exactly, no, but don’t forget, I came here with someone else,” I explained as I clenched and unclenched my fists.

  “Nia,” Jesse sighed. “I know that you need to see it to believe it, but trust me, if he were really into this date, he’d have come looking for you a while ago.”

  I pursed my lips into a thin line. “I’m sure that isn’t true. He probably just didn’t want to intrude.”

  That excuse sounded hollow even to my own ears, but I wouldn’t take it back. I would stand by it until Aiden had a chance to explain himself.

  He watched me for another moment or two before he bobbed his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll drop it then.”

  “Thank you,” I said, wearily.

  Jesse didn’t strike me as the sort who let things go that easily. He was a man who liked to be in control, an alpha male. With his slightly scruffy beard, tats, and the way he dressed, he certainly looked the part. Add to that, the second he opened his mouth, he drove the nail into the coffin, and there was no doubt in my mind.

  This wasn’t for free.

  Jesse might expect payment in return, but I wasn’t sure I could give him what he wanted. Now that he wasn’t standing so close to me, the fog was beginning to dissipate, and I was starting to think clearly.

  Methodically.

  It was stupid to think I could get away with it.

  “I’m a man of my word, Nia,” he said, suddenly, his voice ringing sincerity.

  “Okay,” I dragged the syllable out, unsure of where he was getting. Before he could clarify, the door swung open, and I almost jumped backwards in surprise. Jesse was between the door and I in an instant, and he held it firmly in his hand.

  If he hadn’t, my face probably would’ve been a punching bag, but Jesse didn’t even break a sweat nor bat an eye. As if this was a regular occurrence for him. I darted a glance in his direction and mumbled a quiet ‘thank you’.

  Jesse gave a small imperceptible nod.

  The manager popped in front of us and began to apologize profusely and offered to pay for both our dinners to make up for what happened, but we both insisted that it wasn’t necessary. He stood for another minute droning on about door mechanics and sweating like crazy.

  Jesse clapped him on the back, officially silencing him. I gave him a small smile, shot Jesse a quick look and hurriedly made my way through the crowd back to my table. I gave a startled gasp when a hand on my shoulder spun me around, and I was face to face with Jesse.

  “People are looking,” I reminded him, quietly as I tried to lean away from me. He had his arms around me, so I was caged, but it felt oddly comforting although we were already drawing a few glances.

  “Let them look,” he said, dismissively. “I’m more interested in what you think, and why you’re running away from something that you want.”

  I craned my neck to look at him. “I’m not running away from something I want.”

  The lie escaped my lips too easily, too smoothly, and he narrowed his eyes in response.

  “I’m not asking you to spill all your secrets, Nia, but when I confront you with something, please don’t lie to me.”

  “Let me go, Jesse. This isn’t the time nor the place,” I pleaded as I spotted Aiden eyeing us out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t look overly worried, just slightly concerned, but that was it.

  Jesse released a breath and loosened his hold. “Okay, but we will continue this conversation. It isn’t over.”

  I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what to say. I just took a step back and kept walking backwards till I reached my table. He never took his eyes off of me the entire time, and I didn’t look away either.

  It was pointless, but I still did it.

  I sighed and plopped down into my seat. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay.” Aiden waved my apology away. “I was about to send the national guard after you. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s just that the door to the bathroom was jammed, and this guy and I couldn’t get out.”

  “That’s a terrible ordeal,” Aiden offered sympathetically. “Well, I did ask the waiter to wait for a bit before he served the food.”

  “Oh,” I said, stunned.

  Well, it was a thoughtful thing to do, but it wasn’t what I expected, nor what I wanted.

  I was hoping for some concern, sympathy, or even a little bit of jealousy. For Christ’s sake, I just told him I’d been locked in a restroom for about an hour with another guy. Add in the fact that this guy and I were having a heated exchange right in front of him, but Aiden wasn’t even batting an eye.

  “Er, thanks.” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as I rummaged around in my purse for nothing in particular. I was just trying to hide my face.

  He hadn’t even noticed the shirt.

  Oh, well.

  ***

  “How did the date go?”

  My hand flew to my chest where my heart was jumping around wildly.

  “Jesus, don’t just sneak up on me like that,” I told Heidi as I wheeled around to face her.

  “Sorry,” she quipped, but she didn’t look apologetic, just excited as she bounced on her feet.

  “Why are so you energetic?”

  “I might’ve had a bit too much coffee while I was waiting for you,” Heidi admitted as her eyes darted around the room like a ping pong ball.

  Heidi was one of those rare adults who was heavily affected by caffeine. It was why she tended to avoid it. It turned her into a little kid on a sugar high.

  I shook my head. “How many cups?”

  “One,” she responded, innocently.