Falling from Disgrace Read online

  Her legs carried her the short distance to Jack and she brazenly placed her hands on his biceps. His arms were made of well defined muscles and she had spent the better part of the evening fantasizing about them wrapped around her. He made her fantasy a reality and did just that, settling his hands on her small waist. The grin vanished from his face and he looked down on her with an intensity that made her knees weak.

  Jack was somewhat surprised when Adrianna made what she wanted clear by approaching him in his apartment first. He had his share of one night stands and usually the girl would play coy at first, accepting a drink and flirting before the inevitable happened. But Adrianna didn’t play any games and when she put her hands on him he saw the same need he was feeling reflected back at him. He glanced down at those amazing lips of hers once again and then brought his own lips down upon them.

  They were just as soft as he’d hoped they’d be.

  Adrianna groaned when Jack opened his mouth against hers and his tongue ran softly against her lower lip. He kept it sweet and slow at first but when she brought her hands up to wrap around the back of his head he drove in harder, making deep, sensual sweeps through her mouth. His kiss was murderous, meant to slay her in every way possible, and God, did she think it was going to kill her. He was kissing her, really kissing her, not in the obligatory way that most men did before moving down in a hurry to get on with the real action. He made her feel craved with every flick of his tongue, every caress of his lips, and when he pulled her to him more tightly so that their bodies were flush, a foreign sensation came upon her. She felt... content. This wasn’t about just wanting a distraction from the pain anymore, nor the horrible reality of what her life had become. No, it was much more than that. It was about an attraction, and not just a physical one, between a man and woman who desired one another. Desire. What a difference there was between that and want.

  Jack was determined to remain unhurried with Adrianna, to take his time with her, but when she moaned softly into his mouth as he kissed her his restraint was diminished. Fuck, he wanted her and wanted her badly. He brought his hands around to the backs of her thighs and lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist without being told to do so. He carried her across the room to press her against the wall that led to his bedroom. There he finally moved his mouth from hers to taste the skin of her neck and collarbone. He was pleased to learn that they were just as sweet and soft as her lips, as were her cries when he moved one of his hands to knead the flesh of her breast. When Adrianna squeezed her legs more tightly around him he knew it was time to move this to his bedroom.

  Adrianna was placed onto Jack’s bed gently. She wasn’t used to being treated so delicately and the thought both pleased and worried her. She was accustomed to quick and dirty sex, the kind that went along with impulsive encounters, and while those were thrilling and hot and what she sought out, this was exciting, yet unnerving, nevertheless. It was becoming something that would possibly turn into more and she needed to fix that. The lines between a onetime thing and an ongoing affair were beginning to blur and that didn’t sit well with Adrianna. So when Jack stepped back to remove his shirt, she didn’t just lay there and wait for him to make it romantic and sexy. She sat up to remove her own top and bra and then rose from the bed. Taking Jack by surprise, she kissed him fervently and ran her hands over the taut planes of his chest.

  She turned him so that this time she could push him down on the bed and then stripped bare for him while he watched from his prone position. If Jack was turned on before it didn’t compare to how he felt now, gazing upon Adrianna’s body as she gracefully divested herself of her jeans and panties. He had been the aggressor up until that point but now that Adrianna wanted to take the lead he was more than willing to comply. As he took in her naked form he felt himself grow more uncomfortable in his pants. He wondered briefly if she was a dancer, for her body was slim, perhaps a little too slim, but she had legs that went on for miles. He couldn’t wait to have them thrown over his shoulders. Her skin was pale but smooth, her breasts were full and round and the tight, pink peaks that graced the center were just begging for some attention. He sat up, pulled Adrianna to stand between his legs and closed his lips around the rosy nipple of her left breast. His hands grazed softly up her sides until he splayed his long fingers against her ribs, holding her to him, while his other hand cupped the breast he was worshiping with his tongue. A gasp escaped Adrianna’s lips when he gently nibbled her.

  “You’re fucking gorgeous,” Jack declared when his mouth left her body. He looked up at her with almost adoration and it made Adrianna uncomfortable.

  She pushed Jack so that he was on his back again and then went to work on getting into his pants. With a pop of his button and slide of his zipper, she pulled his black pants and the elastic of his briefs down just enough to free his erection. Straddling his thighs, she took the considerable rigid length in her fist and pumped up and down. She smiled when Jack threw his head back, groaning and squeezing his eyes closed. Her hand continued to move over him, not stopping even when she leaned down to take him in her mouth.

  The sight of Adrianna’s epic lips around his cock nearly had Jack unmanned. He had to revert back to the old trick of conjuring up the unsexiest images he could think of to prevent himself from coming in her mouth. Not knowing how much longer he could last while she moved her mouth and fist over him, he gripped her shoulders and pulled her roughly up before tossing her onto her back. He was in a hurry now to be inside her, and he quickly did away with the rest of his clothing before reaching in his bedside drawer for a condom.

  Adrianna was pleased when he climbed up her body more ravenously. He wasn’t slow and gentle now, he was hurried and fiery as he bit, kissed, and sucked his way up her leg, over her hip, and across her stomach. This is what she was accustomed to. When his lips met hers again their kiss was a searing clash of teeth and tongue and Adrianna spread her legs wider to let his hips settle between them. She was just as anxious now to have him inside of her but Jack stilled, pulling away from her, and looked down with caution.

  “You sure?” he asked quietly and it took Adrianna aback. Never before had a man stopped to ask her that, certainly not when they were this close to fucking. It both confused and touched her and when she didn’t answer right away Jack felt for a terrifying second that she was going to back out. He brought his hand up to cup Adrianna’s face when he saw the worry there. But then suddenly she grabbed his hips, lifting her pelvis up to meet him. He was barely inside of her but his eyes rolled back just the same.

  Adrianna leaned up to scrape her teeth against the stubble of his jaw and then whispered in his ear, “Fuck yes.”

  Jack slid the rest of the way into her and moaned.

  Fucking perfection.

  The urge to start pounding away furiously presented itself, but Jack wasn’t sure if that was the kind of sex Adrianna was into. He kept it slow at first, moving in and out of her, careful to brace himself on his hands so that he didn’t crush her. He leaned down every few seconds to bring his mouth to hers or her neck. This wasn’t what Adrianna wanted though. She certainly was into sex that was hard and rough, and so when it didn’t seem like Jack was going to quicken his pace or deepen his thrusts, she pressed the heels of her feet into the backs of his thighs and dug her fingernails into the perfect, round muscles of his backside.

  Jack read the signs and was rewarded with loud moans when he shifted back and slammed into her more forcefully. Even more turned on by the fact Adrianna liked it rough, he threw his head back and clenched his jaw, again trying to last as long as possible. He moved as fast and hard as he could until he was forced to slow down, pressing himself down so that he was lying on top of Adrianna once again.

  “Fuck, I’m close,” he groaned in her ear. “Are you?”

  Shaking her head, Adrianna gasped, “Move me on top of you.”

  She was flipped over quickly, and just as she began to ride him, she was struck once again by how differen
t this was. Jack had made sure to hold off his own orgasm before she had hers, another first for her. She didn’t think on it too long though, for when Jack began thrusting up into her, meeting her when she rocked back down on him she felt that familiar tightening in her belly, that quiver in her limbs that told her she was just on the edge of coming.

  Jack’s hands came up to pull and tease at her breasts and when he saw her throw her head back and her lips part he could tell she was close. Thank God, he thought, for he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. Knowing she needed just a little more to push her over the edge, he moved his fingers to where they were joined and gently massaged her with his thumb.

  Adrianna began crying out in quick successions and when Jack pressed his thumb firmly over her clit she called out loudly. “Oh, God, yes, I’m coming!”

  How fucking hot was that?

  Jack gripped her to him tightly by the waist and with two more thrusts up into her, he was following along, pulsing inside of her walls that were tightly clamped around his cock.

  Adrianna collapsed on top of him, her limbs still slightly shaking. Jack held her to him, lightly resting his hands at her hips while they both worked to control their breathing. When he brought his hands up to caress her back, Adrianna stiffened and quickly rolled off of him before his fingers met the scar running up her spine.

  Jack noticed her reaction but decided not to say anything, getting up from the bed and moving to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. As he washed his hands he wondered if he should offer to cook something for Adrianna, for he was now hungry himself. He figured he could make something easy, like scrambled eggs and toast but when he returned to his bedroom he was surprised to see that Adrianna was sitting at the edge of his bed, fully dressed and putting her shoes on.

  “You’re not leaving, are you?” he asked her.

  Adrianna smiled at him and said, “Yeah, I better get home.”

  She rose from his bed and made her way out into the living room, searching for where she had dropped her purse. By the time she found it Jack emerged from his bedroom, clad only in his boxer-briefs, looking perplexed.

  “You don’t have to go, ya know,” he told her. “You can stay the night.”

  Adrianna shook her head and grinned once more. “It’s fine, Jack. Thanks for tonight, this was fun.”

  She moved to his front door but Jack spoke out to stop her from leaving.

  “Hey, wait a minute,” he said. “Can I at least have your number?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he got in reply.

  “Why not?”

  “Look, Jack,” Adrianna scoffed, “you’re a nice guy but let’s just call a spade a spade. We both know this was a one night stand and you don’t have to pretend anything for my sake. Really, it’s okay.”

  Adrianna stood there awkwardly while Jack looked at her with total befuddlement.

  “You are without a doubt the strangest woman I’ve ever met,” he admitted to her. “I’m not pretending anything, Ade; I’d like to see you again.”

  “Why?” she asked him, genuine confusion evident on her face.

  “Why not?”

  Adrianna pursed her lips and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Because I’m not the type of girl you want to get involved with, okay?”

  “Don’t you think I should decide that?” he countered.

  “No.”

  “Give me your number.”

  “No!”

  He moved towards her, stalking like a jungle cat, a sly grin creeping up on his features. Adrianna took the time to admire his physique once more and the way his skin was still glistening with sweat from their activity.

  “Adrianna,” he whispered when there was just a sliver of space between them. Adrianna’s hand came up to rest on his abdominal muscles but she didn’t push him away. He leaned down to continue in her ear. “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that as much as I did. I’d like to do it again and I know you would, too. Give me your number so I can call you. Let me take you out, get to know you more, and then bring you back to my bed again.”

  Adrianna shivered as his warm breath tickled her ear and when he ran one finger down the side of her neck she almost caved. Almost.

  “No,” she told him.

  Jack was determined though and he moved his lips from her ear to kiss her once again. It was that same deep, sensuous kiss he gave her when they first got back to his apartment and Adrianna was defenseless against it. She surrendered to it, leaning her body into his and sighing at the way his tongue moved against hers. While she contemplated going back to his room for one more round before she went home, she didn’t notice that Jack was secretly using one hand to dig through her purse at her side. He continued to kiss her until his fingers closed around the object he was searching for.

  Quickly, before Adrianna could realize what he was doing, Jack pulled away from her and used her cell phone to dial his number. When she figured out his plan, she reached out to snatch her phone away from him but Jack held it high over his head and hit the call button.

  “Give me my phone, Jack!” Adrianna demanded, but it was too late. She could hear his phone ringing from somewhere in his bedroom.

  With a satisfied grin, Jack hit the end button and then held it out for Adrianna to retrieve.

  “There,” he boasted. “Now I have your number.”

  Adrianna scowled as she put her phone away. “You’re impossible.”

  “I’m clever,” he retorted.

  With another shake of her head and exasperated sound, Adrianna turned to leave but Jack stopped her again.

  “It’s after three a.m., how are you getting home?” he asked.

  “I’ll walk. It isn’t far.”

  “Are you crazy? You think I’m going to let you walk home at this hour by yourself? I have a car, let me get dressed and I’ll drive you.”

  Without waiting for an answer Jack took her hand and led her back into his room. He wasn’t going to risk her taking off while he went to find clothes and he was pretty sure she’d do that given the chance. While he dressed, Adrianna stood with her arms crossed, looking annoyed. Jack wondered what her deal was. He didn’t think she was trying to pretend to be the chick that was cool with casual hook-ups just to appeal to a man and then get all clingy the next day. He was good at reading people and he was sure Adrianna wasn’t one to play games like that. But what could it be? Burned by a previous boyfriend? Troubled past? Whatever the case was, he really did like her and he was going to find out why she didn’t think she was the type he’d want to see again.

  “Ready?” he asked when he was back in his bar uniform of black Dickies and a black t-shirt.

  “You really don’t have to do this,” Adrianna said as she followed him out of the apartment. They made their way back down to the street and then Jack took her hand to cross over to the parking garage where his car was housed.

  “I know I don’t have to do this,” he replied. “I’m not trying to put up a front here and pretend to be a gentleman. Yeah, I slept with you after we just met but I am a good guy. I’d like to have the chance to show you that.”

  They found his car and Adrianna was surprised to see that it was a new Challenger. Granite grey, it was sleek and sexy. Not that he was driving a Bentley or anything but still, it wasn’t a bad ride for a bartender.

  “Nice car,” Adrianna told him as he opened the passenger side door for her.

  “Thanks. Just bought her a week ago.”

  Adrianna gave Jack directions to her apartment building and then sat quietly, contemplating why Jack was interested in seeing her again. He did seem like a genuinely nice guy and that was just more of a reason why she couldn’t see him. He didn’t need to be involved with someone like her. Thinking that, she grew depressed and suddenly yearned to reach into her purse for her pills. Maybe she should take one in front of him now just to show him she was flawed and scare him away. She didn’t have the guts to do that though.

  When the
car pulled up in front of her building Jack got out, surprising her further, to open her door. He even held out his hand to help her out of the seat.

  “Thanks for taking me home,” Adrianna said quietly when they reached the door to her apartment.

  “Thanks for letting me take you home,” he answered. He leaned down to kiss her, gently this time, with closed lips. “I’ll call you soon.”

  Chapter 4

  Several times over the next week, Adrianna’s phone rang with calls from Jack. She rejected every one of them. She was sad about it, she was, but after thinking hard about the possibility of getting close to someone she decided it was a horrible idea. Even if Jack wasn’t disgusted by her life of doing nothing and living alone, he was bound to find out about her habit and she was sure he’d cut and run at that. What guy wanted to deal with a girl who was depressed, isolated, and addicted to painkillers? She was moody, withdrawn, and sullen most of the time and Jack, who could probably have any girl he wanted, would not put up with that shit for long. She didn’t want to run the risk of getting attached to him, only to have him take off when he learned that side of her. No, it was best not to see Jack again.