Free Somebody's Lover by Jasmine Haynes Page A

her.
    “Jace?”
    “Yeah.” He’d chased her, begged
her, cajoled her, waited for her, and now she was calling him. Sooner than he’d
hoped. His heart was so high in his throat, he almost couldn’t speak.
    “I wanted to thank you for last
night.”
    “You did thank me. And it was my
pleasure.” Pleasure that had lasted only until she’d asked the time. That one
act on her part had ridden him like a sore that wouldn’t heal. “It’s late.
Where are the boys?”
    “They’re asleep.”
    Duh. “Where are you?”
    “In bed.”
    Silence. He could hear her
breathing. A deep inhale, then a long sigh. Why had she called?
    “What are you wearing?” He almost
hated himself for asking, but he had to know.
    “A T-shirt.”
    “And?” Panties? Or was she bare?
    “That’s all.” Then finally, she
added, “No panties.”
    Ah, Christ. He wanted—needed—to be
there, beside her in her bed. Touching her. Making her come with his fingers,
his tongue, and his cock.
    “Touch yourself for me, Taylor.”
    “Jace. This is crazy. It’s not why
I called.”
    “Isn’t it?”
    She exhaled. He felt it all the way
to his cock.
    “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have
called. I just wanted to—”
    “Wanted to what, Taylor? Tell me
that one more time would be okay? Just one more?” He was angry and hard,
wanting more than just her voice over the phone.
    She sighed. “I’ve rationalized that
it was okay if it was only on the phone.”
    He squeezed his eyes tightly shut
against the ache in his heart. One more time would never be enough. The phone
wasn’t enough. He had to face that he wanted nothing less than forever with
her.
    “It won’t be just this once, will
it, Taylor.” Not a question, a solid fact. She’d call and tear his heart apart
every time.
    “We have to stop.”
    “No. You have to stop. You called me.” He prayed she’d never stop. He would always sew his heart back
together in the morning.
    “I won’t do it again, I swear.”
    “You were the one who said it had
to end after last night. You. Not me. What is it you really want?” His eyeballs
ached, praying she wanted the same things he did. Time. Together.
    “I don’t know, Jace. I really don’t.
First, I just thought I wanted sex.”
    And now she wanted more, more,
more. His mind screamed for her to say the words. His gut rolled and twisted,
and then he took a chance. “What we did was more than sex.”
    “Yes. It was.”
    God, yes. But how much more?
    “It can only end badly,” she
whispered. “Your parents.”
    “Screw my parents.”
    Her long silence after his outburst
wore him down, forcing him to back off, retrench. He didn’t want the secrecy,
but if it was the only way, he’d do it.
    “If we’re careful, they don’t have
to know.” He lowered his voice. “I want to have you again.” He closed his eyes.
“I want to make sure you never have to go looking elsewhere.” The thought of it
killed him.
    She didn’t answer, but he could
hear her quickened breath.
    He didn’t let up on her. “You’re
too much woman, too hot, too desirable to ever stop needing a man altogether.
Don’t deny it.”
    “Jace, please. I...”
    “I want to hear you come,” he
whispered, seducing her with his voice and her own needs. “I want to imagine
it’s me between your legs. Touch yourself for me. Do it. Now.” He gave her own
words back to her. “Tell me what it feels like.”
    He could hear the hitch in her
breath. She wanted it. He had to get her to do it for him. It was more
important even then making love to her last night. Last night, she’d wanted
finality. Tonight, he saw a chink in her armor.
    “Think about how it felt to have me
inside you, on top of you. How hard you came. How good it was. So damn good.”
    Taylor had lost her voice.
    “I can still taste you. You were so
fucking sweet and hot.”
    Jace was right. This was exactly
why she’d called. To hear his voice. To remember the way he’d made her feel.
She couldn’t