But, of all the years stretching out behind him, of all the lovers he’d ever known, none had compared to Jaci or the intensity of pleasure and satisfaction he felt now.
He’d forgotten the damned condom. He hadn’t meant to, and he’d have to rectify that. But, God, it had been good. So hot and tight, her pu**y flexing and milking his c**k until he spilled himself inside her.
He’d never done that. Ever. Even with the first woman he’d f**ked, he’d refused to do so without protection. And now, with Jaci, he hadn’t had enough sense to remember to sheath his erection—because he hadn’t wanted that between them.
As he stared at the ceiling, he admitted to himself that there were already so many barriers that he placed between them that he couldn’t tolerate that one.
That one pleasure, unlike anything he had known in his life, was one he never wanted to give up.
5
Jaci arrived at the Sinclair mansion the next morning at exactly ten, as per Courtney’s demands, so furious with Chase and Cam that she could barely stand to breathe. Cam had been noticeably absent when she had awakened. She may as well have been alone in the bed, because Chase was on one side while she slept on the other. And Cam? The bastard. He had been asleep on the couch. As though sleeping with her were somehow dirty.
She should have known better. Seven years separated them, and Cam hadn’t exactly stayed the same. The scar on his face, though not disfiguring, had been the result of something violent and painful. He had changed. He was harder—more demanding. And unfortunately, that didn’t do a damned thing to turn her off.
So now, the morning after was like a bad taste in her mouth and the memory of both men, leaving as she had ordered them to do before she showered, only pissed her off more. The fact that she had left the hotel without coffee only compounded her early morning snit.
Coffee was waiting in the solarium, as were delicate breakfast pastries.
Courtney was sitting at the round table, sunlight falling around her long brown hair, no makeup—not that she needed any—and she was still wrapped in a robe. She looked like a sleepy, lazy kitten contemplating a long nap. Which wouldn’t surprise Jaci. Courtney had been known for her afternoon naps before she married Ian Sinclair.
“Coffee’s caffeinated and the pastries are to die for.” The other woman smothered a yawn and blinked back at Jaci. “I hate you for looking so beautiful at this ungodly hour.”
Yeah, real beautiful, Jaci thought with an inner snort. Covering the shadows under her eyes and her pale features while attempting to look natural hadn’t been that easy. Especially trying to do it while she cursed the Falladay twins.
“Courtney, the sun has been up forever,” Jaci finally pointed out as she sat across from the other woman and sipped at the delicious brew a young servant poured for her.
“Hmm. Well this is true. But I didn’t get to sleep until well after it had risen.” A curl of her lips, satisfied and filled with feminine pleasure, was all the clue Jaci needed.
“Party lasted that long, did it?” She pretended to misunderstand, because she really didn’t want to blush and give Courtney a reason to suspect Jaci had had her own late-night party, one she promised herself would not be repeated.
“Well, Ian had much to make up for,” Courtney informed her. “I get rewarded for behaving politely at these functions. You know, the ones where I have to allow piranhas like the Robertses under my roof.”
Courtney’s voice vibrated with disgust. She had learned of the problems Jaci had with the Robertses several years before, during their friendship in England. Courtney’s parents had hired Jaci after meeting her, to redesign a guest house, and they, too, had been informed of the rumors after hiring her.
Marguerite and Dane Mattlaw had brushed aside the gossip and welcomed Jaci into their family, though. Their acceptance and friendship meant more to Jaci than she had ever been able to express. But now, just as Jaci had feared, that friendship would cause Courtney several problems.
“I warned you.” Jaci tightened her lips at the reminder of the trouble the Robertses could cause, and shifted her attention from her fury at Cam. “It won’t stop until I’m gone.”
“Why don’t you kick her ass?” Courtney suggested with a clearly bloodthirsty smile. “Pull her hair out and make her orthodontist another fortune by knocking those overly bright teeth down her throat. I’ll cheer you on. I’m certain I can find the proper outfit for the occasion.”
Jaci had to smother her laughter. She was afraid Courtney was much too serious. This was, after all, the woman who had sucker-punched the mugger she and Sebastian had saved Jaci from in England. They hadn’t known her. They had heard her cries as they left the club they had been to, and raced to her rescue.
“Be good, Courtney.”
Courtney frowned. “That only works with Ian, my dear. He has the proper reward for such restraint. You do not.”
Jaci shook her head. “This is my battle, my friend. What did they do after I left?”
Courtney’s lips thinned.
“You may as well tell me.” Jaci could feel her stomach sinking. They always did something.
“No more than they ever do whenever they manage to insinuate themselves into whichever party you’re attending. Made their nasty little innuendoes and smiled those superior smiles of theirs. Ian should have let Cameron dust the floor with that bastard Richard, like he wanted to do.”
Jaci breathed in roughly. “What are you talking about?”
“Ian stepped outside just as his investigator Cameron was getting ready to follow Congressman Roberts to the study.” Courtney smiled. “He distracted Cameron, of course.” She pouted. “I wouldn’t have minded a bit helping that luscious investigator hide the body after he killed him and I informed Ian of that quite clearly.”
“And in those exact words.” Ian stepped into the room as he gave his wife a mock glare. “Sweetheart, luscious isn’t a word you should be attaching to my investigator, you know.”
Courtney smiled sweetly, her brown eyes twinkling with love. “I’m not blind.”
“I’m sorry, Ian,” Jaci breathed out roughly. “I did warn Courtney when she offered the job what was coming.”
“Yet you didn’t refuse the job,” he pointed out.
“If I refused every job that could cause me problems, I’d be out of work.” She stared back at him coolly. “I gave her more than the standard warning that I give anyone else, once I know they’re associated with the Robertses.”