Page 38 of Paper Roses

We both stagger as the lift comes to a stop. He presses me to the wall with all his weight, and I groan as he lowers his head and traces my throat with his lips. My cock throbs, and I push against him, pulling a deep, thrilling moan from his chest.

It’s my turn to groan as he pulls away. “Bedroom,” he says throatily.

I follow him out of the lift like he’s the Pied Piper of my underpants. He’s quicker than me, or maybe my steps are slower, because as we enter the room, I’m definitely lagging as my conscience argues with my cock. Jed is drunk and upset by the builder’s innocent remarks. They’d brought up old memories, and he’s drunk to forget them again. It would be very wrong to take advantage of that.

After shutting the door behind us, I groan as I see his shirt on the floor. Splashing sounds come from the bathroom. Is he showering? I’m not sure I’m strong enough to resist a naked and flirtatious Jed. I pause at the bathroom door, my eyes widening at what I see.

He’s half naked, muscles and hair-roughened torso on display. But what arrests my attention is how he’s washing his hands at the sink, his jaw rigid and his motions frantic as his fingers scrape at his skin.

“What are you doing?” I ask, stepping closer.

His gaze meets mine in the mirror and for a moment he doesn’t seem to recognize me. Then his taut features seem to collapse, and I can’t resist the urge to comfort him.

“What is it, Jed?” I say, placing a gentle hand on his forearm.

“It won’t come off,” he mutters.

“What won’t?” I look down at his hand and my stomach sinks. “Your wedding ring?”

He nods miserably. “I always take it off before I go to bed.”

“You do?” My heart thumps. “I keep mine on at all times,” I whisper.

“I don’t want it on me all the time. It weighs me down.”

I swallow hard.He’s drunk. This means nothing.

“Let me help,” I say soothingly. I take his hand, admiring his long fingers and neat nails and the veins along the back of his hand.

His size, his scent, his warmth—they’re all lovely. But he’s in pain, and I have to ignore what his nearness does to me. I grab the soap, lather it up, and rub his finger gently. “There you go.” I twist off the ring and offer it to him. “All good now, sweetheart.”

He looks down at it with red-rimmed eyes. “Put it somewhere, will you?” He quickly stumbles out of the room.

I focus on the gold band in my hand. I didn’t really need another reminder of how much Mick meant to him and how little I do, but it seems like the universe disagreed.

six

. . .

Two Weeks Later

jed

I sit back in my chair and try to resist the impulse to slide under the desk and hide from my new clients.

“But I don’t understand,” Clarissa says in a whiny voice that makes me want to syringe my ears. “Whycan’t I get married at Christmas?”

“We,” James says. “It’s both of us getting married, Clarissa.”

She glares at him, and he huddles in his chair. I’m not surprised. I’ve only known her for an hour, and it’s my opinion that she could give Medusa a run for her money.

“Youcanget married at Christmas,” I say patiently for the fifth time. “Just not this Christmas.”

Artie shifts in his chair, his head bent studiously over his pad as he takes notes, but I can see the full curve of his lower lip. Of course I can. I’m obsessed with it. That plump curve makes me crazy with the desire to lick and suck on it. He looks up atme with wide eyes, and I realise I’ve fallen silent and they’re all staring at me. I cough and shift uncomfortably. I’m getting hard just sitting here, and I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. My control has always been the thing I’ve most prided myself on.

“Well,” says Clarissa’s father, his weight making his chair creak ominously. He’s a portly man with a big moustache and an even bigger opinion of himself. The moustache is rather like a weathervane tracking his moods, and it’s bristling at the moment. “Tell me how much it would cost to get those other weddings cancelled, and my Clarissa can have what she wants.”

I’d say the problem is that Clarissa has been getting what she wants for far too long, but I don’t think he’s looking for parental advice.

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