Ally,” James muttered. “I did have a different outlook on life back then. I explained to Jesse that things changed and I love my wife more than anything. By the end of the trip, I think he loved Mandy a little, too.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Mandy clarified. “He seemed intrigued by the idea of dating a woman more than three times, though. I think he’s probably a good guy who is simply not ready to settle down yet.”
“I can’t believe you offered him a job, though,” Ally pressed. “What did he say?”
“He said he was going to think about it, but I’m guessing it’s going to be one of those things that never comes to fruition,” James replied. “Now that we’re gone he’ll go back to his hellish life of multiple women while I bask in the euphoria of my one woman.”
“Smooth,” Jake said, chuckling.
“I try.” James brushed a kiss against Mandy’s temple. “I told him to think about it. I wouldn’t worry about it, though. The odds of him coming here are slim. I probably won’t ever see him again.”
“ H URRY up , baby,” James ordered from the hot tub an hour later, reclining with his arms draped over the top walls and watching as Mandy scurried from the house with a bottle of wine in her hand. “I was starting to think you forgot about me.”
“I’m sorry,” Mandy said, setting two glasses and the wine bottle on the pavement before stripping out of her robe. She was naked and James’ eyes roamed her body as she quickly descended into the warm water. “Oh … wow.”
“I like those little sighing noises you make when you get in the water,” James said, moving forward and grabbing Mandy around the waist so he could kiss her. “They turn me on. Watching you strip outside turns me on, too.”
“I think everything turns you on.”
“Where you’re concerned, that’s definitely true,” James said, kissing her again. The steamy water felt heavenly as he pressed Mandy’s body flush against his. “I feel the need to romance you, wife.”
Mandy bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Oh, yeah? I thought you got all of that out of your system while we were in London.”
“Oh, baby, that’s never going to be out of my system,” James said, nipping at her neck. “Besides, that was vacation sex. This is welcome home sex. They’re vastly different animals.”
Mandy cocked a challenging eyebrow. “How so?”
“Vacation sex is romantic and sensual,” James answered. “Welcome home sex is … naughtier.”
Mandy giggled, enjoying his cocksure attitude. “How naughty are we talking?”
“Well … .” James sucked Mandy’s lower lip into his mouth and grabbed her rounded bottom with both hands so he could give it a good squeeze as he rotated his pelvis against her warm core. “I’m thinking pretty naughty, wife.” His whisper was sexy enough to cause chills to careen through Mandy’s body.
“Well, then I guess it’s good we’re in water,” Mandy said, moving her hands over the strong planes of James’ back before trailing them over his shoulders and running them down his chest.
James sucked in a breath when he felt her small hand wrap around his ready length. They knew each other’s bodies inside and out now and could tease and taunt each other to gasping pleasure without thinking twice about it. Mandy did just that when she dragged her fingernails over James’ erection.
“Oh, baby,” James groaned, pressing his eyes shut. “If you keep that up this isn’t going to last long.”
“Didn’t you tell me that we were going to last forever?” Mandy challenged.
“Oh, we’re lasting forever,” James said. “What’s about to happen is going to be brief and brutal if you’re not careful, though. You’re pressing every button … and you know it.”
“I’m okay with that,” Mandy said, licking James’ neck and internally crowing when she saw the goose pimples appear on his shoulders. “It’s only the first round, after all.”
“I