Phoenix Rising(11)

Further reflection suggested that might be why so many marriages failed. Ladylike sex had never been all that satisfying. What was happening between Alex and his lover looked like a whole other activity. And neither of them was in danger of walking away unsatisfied.

Alex had his gorgeous partner bent over a bar table before him. Her naked breasts were smashed against the cool surface and her face showed nothing but complete exhilaration. The arch of her back lifted the smooth curve of her bare ass. Alex stood behind her, slamming his cock into her as if nothing else in the world mattered. His hands shifted from the flare of her hips. One palm stroked her backside before tweaking the thong Jessa could now see he held at bay with one hooked thumb. He leaned over and murmured something low into her ear. She arched harder and his name was mingled with a deep moan torn from her throat. Whatever he’d said was what she wanted to hear.

Did Jessa even have words like that in her vocabulary? What would it be like to hear the rasp of a hot, sweaty man’s voice in her ear while he brought her such uninhibited pleasure?

Jessa gradually became aware of Connor’s searing black gaze. It was intensely sexual and fused with his personal brand of wild desire. She shifted her gaze away from the fornicating couple and focused on the bar.

A suffocating wave of guilt crashed over Jessa. She forced her brain to concentrate on the intricate grain of the wood. But it was torture to pretend not to hear the guttural groans and primal wailing coming from the lovers across the room.

“It’s okay to watch.” Connor’s voice rasped across her conscience. “If they didn’t want to be watched, they’d have gone to the back room.”

The mere idea that the pair of lovers didn’t want privacy for their interlude was equal parts shocking and intriguing.

Jessa lifted her gaze to meet his onyx stare. Her skin temperature soared out of control. Blood pumped furiously to her extremities before focusing intensely on the already heavy ache between her legs. The sensual heat in her crotch was fueled by another rush of creamy juice. She’d never been this turned on before, never.

“What kind of place is this?” Jessa managed to whisper.

He set aside the shot glass and towel. Placing his huge hands flat on the bar, Connor leaned forward until his face was only inches from Jessa’s. He exhaled slowly. Sweet peppermint breath whispered over her. Jessa couldn’t help but notice the finely arched eyebrows and the perfect bow in his upper lip. His eyes were the color of moonless midnight.

When he finally spoke, his breath bathed her face and chest with warmth and Jessa found it hard not to writhe against the bar and beg him to make her his then and there.

“It’s the kind of place you belong.” He quirked an eyebrow, “Even if you can’t admit it yet.”





Chapter Four



Connor was awakened at the ungodly hour of ten a.m. by one of Alex’s favorite songs playing loudly on the sound system in the bar below his apartment. He spent an additional ten minutes trying to muffle the sound with a pillow before emitting a low growl and sitting up.

The tiny bedroom was barely big enough to accommodate the queen-sized bed, a nightstand, and dresser. The bedroom, a small attached bathroom, and the kitchen/living room made up his 750 sq. ft. apartment. The fact that his living space was located above the bar made it convenient. And in Connor’s book, convenience took precedence over comfort any day.

Connor swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He stretched his six-and-a-half-foot frame until his back popped in protest and the tension knotting his spine slowly began to ease.

“Another day, another dollar,” he murmured.

But then, this was not just another day. This day would be different.

“Jessa.”

The feel of her name crossing his lips brought on another kind of tension entirely. The blood rushed to his groin and his cock began to thicken and swell.

Bringing his thoughts forcefully under control, Connor dropped to the floor and immersed himself in his morning routine of pushups, crunches, and stretches. The short but sometimes brutal habit kept his body honed. His job kept his reflexes in order. He had no time for distractions. An occasional fuck, absolutely. Someone like Jessa? Too much involvement.

But no matter how hard he pushed himself physically, he could not get the picture of her out of his mind. From the straight mass of silken honey-colored hair to her hooded greenish-brown gaze, she’d demanded his attention without even trying.

Even almost ten hours later, he could remember the exact shape of her delectable breasts and the soft flare of her ample hips. To a man who’d spent too much time around women who looked as if he could break them in two with his bare hands, her classic build was manna from heaven or temptation from hell. Take your pick.