The Beast in Him

CHAPTER 11

She’d love to slap that grin off his face. Melted her heart? Egotistical bastard. Instead of slapping him, though, she rubbed her suddenly itchy nose and growled, “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Fine. We won’t talk.” When he started toward her, Jess jumped back, her hand held up in front of her to ward him off.

“Okay, okay! We’ll talk.”

“You don’t wanna kiss me again?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

“Aaargh! You are so annoying!” Yet, he had gotten her mind off his sister.

Jess paced away from him, too angry to even appreciate his loft apartment with the big, comfortable furniture. A place like this, with its exposed brick and tons of space and light, didn’t come cheap. Apparently business was damn good for Llewellyn and Smith Security.

“I’m only annoying you ’cause you like me.”

“I do not—”

“Now, don’t lie, Jessie Ann.”

“I don’t lie.” Unless absolutely necessary.

“We both know you want me.”

“We both... what?”

“You want me. It’s okay. I totally understand the need.”

“There is no need. There’s only my hate for you.”

“Again with the lyin’. Look,” he said slowly, carefully, “if it makes you feel any better, I guess I’m of the same mind.”

She stared at him. “You... You guess you’re of the same mind?”

“You know me. I don’t rush into these kinds of decisions—hey! Let’s be calm here.”

She wasn’t. Not anymore. He’d snapped her leash again. How did he manage to do that? How could one man piss her off that much?

“Don’t even think about it, Jessie Ann,” he warned.

Jess held up a half-filled bottle of warm beer she’d grabbed off a side table. “The name is Jess-i-ca!” And that’s when she let that beer bottle fly at Smitty’s head. He ducked, the bottle barely missing him.

“Jessie Ann,” he said smugly, taunting her, “you’re simply proving what I already know. Can’t stop thinking about me, can ya?”

Her anger good and frothy now, she grabbed a glass off a side table and flung it at the giant target he had the nerve to call a head.

“Jessie Ann! Stop it right—hey!” He barely avoided a plaque with the Navy emblem on it. “Dammit, woman! I nearly died to earn that plaque.”

“If only!” She grabbed blindly.

“Whoa!” A coffee-table book on the history of the Navy nearly took his ear off.

“You said you wanted to talk, you asshole! So let’s talk!” she yelled, grabbing a vase of dying flowers. “What are you going to... to... ”

“Oh, Lord.”

And that’s when the sneezing started.

It came on so fast, all Smitty could do was grab the vase of flowers from her and quickly open his window and put them out on the fire escape. By the time he shut the window and turned back around, Jess was on her knees, the sneezes coming one after the other except when broken up by vicious coughing. Seemed nothing had changed. The girl had had bad allergies since he’d known her, and it seemed only worse now.

Crouching beside her, Smitty pulled the backpack off her shoulders and opened it. If she still operated the way she used to, he’d find her “works” buried somewhere in this unbelievably overpacked bag. Sure enough, he found her pills, nasal spray, and inhaler in one handy pouch. With that in hand, he quickly got her out of her cumbersome—and damn ugly—parka and scooped Jessie into his arms, taking her into the bathroom. Placing her on the counter, he opened the pouch and first took out her pills.

“Here.” He put two pills in her hand and filled a cup with water. She popped the pills and he handed her the cup. She took a deep drink and then sneezed into the glass, water spraying back into her face.

“Dammit!”

“It’s okay,” he said, ordering himself not to laugh. He gave her the nasal spray after using a hand towel to quickly wipe off her face. “Use this.”

She did, and when done he handed her several tissues.

“Do you need your inhaler?”

“No, no,” she said around coughs. “That’s for when I actually fall into the flowers. Which I’ve done on occasion.”

Smitty grinned. “I know. I remember.”

She let out a rough laugh. “I thought Miss Hazel was going to kill me.”

“I think she wanted to. You know how she used to love her flowers.”

Jess blew her nose and nodded.

“You all right now?”

“Oh, yeah.” But she wouldn’t look at him, and her cheeks were a bright red.

Using a knuckle, he lifted her face up to meet his. “Jessie Ann? Are you crying?”

She smirked. “No, you bonehead. My eyes are watering. If you spent the last five minutes coughing up a lung, your eyes would be watering too.”

“Fair enough.”

He stroked her cheek with one finger. “Can’t you get allergy shots to help with that?”

Her appalled expression made him snort in surprise. “You’re still afraid of needles?”

“I think afraid is a bit of a loaded word.”

“I remember that year they had to inoculate us for something or other—”

“Distemper.”

“Right. Distemper.” He sure did love being canine. “And you just cried and cried. Like a baby. Did a lot for your reputation.”

“Shut up.”

On a whim, he lifted her hair a bit. “You still don’t have earring holes.”

She slapped his hands away. “I think I have enough holes in my head without adding to them, thank you very much.”

“So nipple piercing completely out of order?”

She scrunched up her face and he had the feeling she wanted to cover her breasts to protect them. “Don’t even go there!”

“Sorry, sorry,” he said on a laugh. “Didn’t mean to freak you out.”

Jessie let out a shaky breath and pushed her hair off her face. That’s when he saw her hand. “Your knuckles.”

Jessie looked down at her hand. “Oh, God.” Her eyes widened a bit as she remembered what she’d done. “Your sister. I hit your sister.”

Although it seemed throwing things at his head didn’t warrant any remorse since she’d done it twice already. “Don’t worry about her. She’s got the Smith hard head.” He reached over and opened his medicine cabinet, taking out a first-aid kit. “And it’s not like she didn’t deserve it a bit.”

“That’s not the point. It was weak and pathetic and—”

“Jessie Ann, do me a favor. Cut yourself some slack.” He lifted her hand and began to carefully clean it. “I know it’s hard for you, but really. Give yourself a break.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It sure isn’t hard to get you pissed off.”

“I’ll admit, I’m short on temper.”

“Short like a Munchkin.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “You know what—owwww!”

Smitty glanced up from wiping her knuckles with an alcohol swab. “Oh. Did that hurt?”

“I am starting to hate you.”

“No, you’re not. But I know you’re tryin’.” He covered her knuckles in antiseptic cream and a loose bandage. “There. That should do it.”

“Good.” She tried to get up, but he wouldn’t move. “Would you move?”

“In a second.” He washed his hands in the sink and took his own damn time drying them. The longer he took, the crankier his little wild dog got.

“You know I have to get back to work.”

“Liar.”

“I am not lying.”

“What? They’ll beat ya?”

“Smitty.”

He gave her a wicked smile. “You into that?”

She finally smiled even as she tried not to. “Bobby Ray!”

“It’s all right. There’s no shame in enjoying a firm hand. Especially if it’s mine.”

“Don’t even think about it.” She glanced down at her watch and he immediately covered it with his hand. “What are you doing?”

“Time is not of importance at the moment.”

“Time is always of importance.”

He removed the watch. “Not today.”

“Hey. Give that back.”

Smitty shoved it into his back pocket. “Nope.”

“You do know that watch costs more than your body parts would earn on the black market.”

Smitty placed his hands on either side of Jessie’s legs, keeping her in place. “I’m not going to ask how you know that.”

“That’s for the best,” she answered solemnly.

Smitty stared at her for so long she got nervous. “What? What are you staring at?”

“Your mouth is driving me crazy.”

Jess wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Why? Do I have something on it?” she asked sincerely.

His hands gently gripped her jaw. “It will.” Then his lips were on hers. Possessive. Demanding. His insistent tongue making her mouth his.

Smitty stepped closer, his legs butting up against her knees. When she didn’t open to him, his hands slid between her thighs and pried them apart so he could move in. He didn’t stop walking until the presence of the counter under her butt made him.

Once comfortable, those big hands moved up again and framed her face, holding her in place as Smitty kissed what sense she had left right out of her.

Jess tried to push him away... well, sort of. She slapped her hands against his shoulders really hard.

Unfortunately, she didn’t shove him away. Her control snapped, and all that pent-up horniness took over.

She yanked off his jacket and tossed it across the room, her legs wrapping around his waist and her ankles locking at the base of his spine.

Smitty dragged his hands up her torso, gliding across her breasts. The feel of his hands on her breasts, even through her sweater and T-shirt, had her arching into him, her own hands scrambling to the snap of his jeans. She didn’t know what had come over her, but she loved it. For once the only thing she could think about was this moment. Not tomorrow or ten years from now or ten years ago. No worries about the business or college funds or charity plans or anything else. She didn’t have any of those worries as she released Smitty long enough for him to tear at her jeans, dragging them off her hips and down her legs. When he yanked them off, her sneakers went flying, slamming into the shower curtain and landing in the tub.

Jess went back to Smitty’s fly, desperately yanking it down while Smitty leaned over and dug into the medicine cabinet. A box of condoms in his hand, he went back to kissing her, rocking her to her toes at the urgency she felt in his every move.

Like he simply had to have her.

Lord, she tasted good. He could kiss her for hours and never get tired of it. But his body was screaming at him. Screaming for him to take her. He’d never felt such urgency before. Not for any female. Usually, Smitty took his time, driving a woman crazy until she couldn’t see straight. Until she was begging him.

But Jessie Ann didn’t beg. She didn’t have to. Instead, she snatched the box of condoms out of his hand and tore the cardboard open. When she had one, he caught her hand in his.

Panting, he said, “Wait, Jessie Ann. Just wait.” He rested his forehead against hers, trying to get his breath back. Trying to get control.

“Okay,” she said softly. “Okay.”

Closing his eyes, grateful she gave him some breathing room, he thought about how he’d take his time, make this right. This was Jessie Ann, after all. Little Jessie Ann. She deserved this to be right and proper and... and...

Smitty let go a vicious snarl as Jessie’s fingers scratched a little-known spot at the base of his scalp. One of his two “happy spots.” How she knew, he had no idea. But almost immediately his right leg started to shake as his rational mind slipped away.

“Don’t—”

But she did, clever fingers stroking, digging into that spot and scratching harder.

“Dammit, Jessie Ann!” was the last thing he said before he took hold of her panties and ripped them off with one yank.

Grinning as she tore open the condom packet, the tip of her tongue resting against her top lip, she lifted his cock from his jeans and rolled the latex on.

Smitty took firm hold of her thighs, yanking her to the edge of the counter. He fit his cock against her—amazed how wet and hot she was with so little effort on his part—and shoved home.

Both of them groaned, then Jessie wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer. He gripped her ass tight in both hands and braced his legs apart to keep him steady. She held him like her life depended on it. He’d never had a woman hold him so tight, one arm around his shoulder, the other his waist while her ankles stayed locked behind the small of his back. He tipped her back, giving him the perfect angle.

Taking firm hold of her hips, Smitty fused his lips to hers before he slowly pulled out of her only to drive back in. She screamed into his mouth, but that did nothing except make him insane. He held still inside her for a minute, his cock throbbing as her pussy clenched around him. One more time he desperately tried for control, but Jessie rested her lips against his ear and whispered one word.

“Smitty.”

The wolf in him took hold and he pulled out only to slam back in. Again and again—with a ferociousness that worried even him.

She thought they’d been bullshitting. Or bragging. Or both. All those giggling girls who’d said they’d been with one of the Smith brothers. Jess would sit under the bleachers in the gym or at the football field, or she’d hide in trees and listen to those stupid, silly girls go on and on about “going on a Smith ride.”

But now she knew. As she gripped the man who fucked her senseless for, hell, she didn’t know how long, Jess realized those girls hadn’t been bullshitting. At least not about Smitty they hadn’t been.

And when that Smitty-provided orgasm snuck up on her, she couldn’t even scream or speak. Instead, it felt like her heart had stopped and her organs temporarily shut down as her head fell back and she gasped, her entire body sort of clenching around him, gripping him so tight she knew she would have broken a lesser man.

“Oh, yeah, Jessie Ann,” Smitty panted against her sweat-drenched skin. “Oh, God, yeah.”

Then he gave a shout and she felt him let go, his body giving a hard jerk as he came.

For a moment, she thought his knees would buckle as he leaned against her, breathing hard and holding her tight. But he held steady and strong, like always.

They stayed like that for several minutes, saying nothing but feeling each heartbeat, each ragged breath.

Jess finally gazed into Smitty’s face. He smiled and started to say something, but she immediately cut him off. “Don’t say anything that will annoy me.”

Smitty stared off for a long moment, let out a breath, opened his mouth to say something, but shook his head. When he finally looked back at her, all he could manage was a shrug.