And then Jerico had to invite me to stay with him, because, of course, he wanted more sex. I was down with that. I wasn’t reading anything into the invitation to his apartment, even knowing he could have me a million different ways within the club.
Well, I wasn’t reading anything into it until the first words Jerico spoke as we entered his apartment were, “Let’s get the smell of Kynan off you first.”
He then dragged me into the shower where he thoroughly washed every nook and cranny of my body and gave me an orgasm along with it. While I was still trembling, he pulled me right out of the shower and spent a thorough amount of time drying us off before picking me up and carrying me to the bed.
And then?
Well, he’s Jerico Jameson, a man I’ve quickly learned knows practically everything there is to giving and taking pleasure. Hell, even the missionary position with him is crazily erotic because he rolls his hips a certain way with one hand planted on the mattress and the other holding one of my legs under the knee. Hovering his face right over mine and growling the filthiest words I’ve ever heard in my life, well… I detonated two more times before he got his happy.
And the weird part is now.
Same as last night, I make a move to roll off the bed, intent on dressing and going home. Again, I’ve not forgotten Jerico’s rules and by the fact he had no qualms about sharing me tonight, I know he’s only in it for the sex.
But that’s okay. I’m in it for the sex, too, and why shouldn’t I be? It’s freaking fantastic. I get the money to pay off Jayce and in return, I stand at a hostess desk, and on top of that, Jerico fucks me silly each night. It’s like I’m working but on vacation. Or I’m living in an alternate reality, but I know I’ll have to go back to the real world soon.
Surprisingly, Jerico’s arm tightens on me and I’m held firmly in place.
“Want any more water?” Jerico asks squeezing me tighter so there’s no more thought to me rolling out of bed. I’ve got my head on his chest as he’s semi-propped up against the headboard. One arm around me, the other holding the bottle we’d been sharing. I shake my head.
Jerico leans slightly to the left to put the water on the nightstand, and then scoots down in bed so his head is on the pillow, rearranging my body so I turn more into him and my legs thread with his.
Without thinking about it, mainly because I’m wrecked from so many orgasms, my fingers run lightly over the hair on his chest while my mind wanders. I think about how ordinary my life was before coming to The Wicked Horse, and how maybe losing my job and getting into this predicament was supposed to happen for a reason. I’m not a religious person, but I consider myself spiritual and maybe there’s something bigger at play here.
“What’s the deal with your niece?” Jerico asks and his deep voice cutting the quiet causes me to jolt slightly.
But then I settle back down, continuing to rub my hand over his chest. His own hand is curled around my hip and his thumb is stroking my skin. “My niece is six and had heart surgery almost two months ago. She was having some chest pain and dizziness, so my mother rushed her to the emergency room.”
“I’m assuming she’s okay or you wouldn’t be here.”
“She’s fine,” I murmur, my heart squeezing when I think about what the doctor told us. “It was actually anxiety causing her issues. Her mom left about six months ago and Corinne’s obviously having a tough time dealing with that and then of course, having a major surgery.”
“Why did she need surgery?”
“Long story short… she got rheumatic fever and that damaged the mitral valve in her heart. They had to do surgery to repair the valve as well as a remove a large blood clot that had formed.”
“Jesus,” Jerico mutters in sympathy. “And only six years old.”
“And her mom abandoned her,” I add in case he missed that part. The bitterness in my voice is obvious, but what can I say? I’m pissed at Danielle for abandoning her daughter in her greatest time of need.
“Are you her guardian?” he asks.
“Sort of. She lives with my mom and me. My mom moved back to this area to help care for Corinne when Danielle left. We’ve not been able to get formal guardianship papers done yet because money has been tight with the surgery and all. Luckily, Danielle gave me a medical power of attorney for Corinne when she left.”
“She knew she wasn’t coming back?” Jerico asks. “Did you know that?”
“I thought she was going on vacation to Montego Bay with her new boyfriend.” The acrimony in my tone is almost laughable.
“And she just never came back?”
“I’m going to kill her if she ever does for the pain she’s put Corinne through,” I snarl as my anger level starts to rise.
“Easy there, tiger,” Jerico says gently as his hand starts stroking my back. “How do you know something bad hasn’t happened to her?”
“Because she calls to check in.” I raise my head, shifting my body so I can look at him. “I think she’s on drugs or something. Sounds half out of her mind, but at least she calls to check on Corinne. If she sounds sober, I let her talk to her for a little bit.”
“You care for her a lot,” Jerico observes. “I saw how you reacted when you got the call. You were calm, but I could see the fear in your eyes.”
“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for that little girl,” I say softly as I turn my head and lay it back down on his chest. “She’s mine for all intents and purposes.”
Jerico doesn’t say anything for a moment, but then I feel his body go tight under mine. He surges upward, bringing me with him. One arm goes around my waist and his eyes narrow at me, “That’s why you needed the money from a loan shark, isn’t it?”
“I told you it was a family emergency,” I remind him.
“So Corinne doesn’t have insurance?” he asks.
I shake my head. “And to do the surgery, the hospital wanted a deposit, although the surgeon was very nice and agreed on a payment plan. I had some money in my 401K I was able to pull out, but it wasn’t quite enough.”
“By thirteen thousand dollars,” he says in a deep, rumbling voice that’s filled with anger on my behalf. “And that turned into the twenty-five thousand that you owe.”
I shrug. “I’d do it all again under the same circumstances. She had to have that surgery. It wasn’t elective. If she threw that blood clot, she would have died.”
Jerico’s eyes go a little flat, his voice sounding slightly dull when he asks, “What about Jayce? He couldn’t help?”
“We’re not all that close,” I tell him honestly but without elaboration. I’m not about to tell him that Jayce doesn’t give a shit about his niece, and he most certainly doesn’t for me as evidenced by the bruise he left. I’m not quite sure what the nature of the relationship was between Jerico and Jayce, but I’m afraid if Jerico gets pissed at Jayce for any reason, he may decide he doesn’t owe that favor after all and then I’m screwed.