IMPULSE: Companion to The PULSE Series Read online

  Her mouth falls open and I half-expect a litany of curse words to fly out at me. She snaps it shut before she finally speaks. "Okay, I'll go. But you can't leave my side."

  "Never, Jessica." I graze my lips over hers. "I'll never leave your side."

  Chapter 3

  "So this is him?" Her breath races over my face and I'm immediately assaulted with the unpleasant combination of a cheap domestic beer and even cheaper cigarettes. "Jessie, why didn't you tell me he was such a stud?"

  Jessica's face flashes crimson as she grabs tightly to my hand. "I sent you a picture of us, mom."

  "He didn't look this dashing in that picture." Her hand grazes over my forearm right before I sense her fingers trailing down my dress shirt towards my ass.

  I edge to the left, pulling Jessica into my body. "We should get to the hotel." The effort to avoid her mother's wandering hand does little good as I feel her grab a handful of my ass through my dress pants. Christ. She's not even trying to hide it. We're standing in a room filled with Jessica's relatives and her mother's making a beeline for my goods.

  "Good idea." Jessica's expression is pained. I can see the discomfort there. I feel a brief sense of regret knowing that I'm the one who incessantly pushed her to come to this wedding. We arrived at her mother's house less than five minutes ago and I already wish we were back in our apartment in Manhattan.

  "That's nuts," Hillary, Jessica's mother, practically spits all over me as the words fly off her lips. "I have lots of extra space. You two should stay here."

  The vise grip that Jessica has on my hand only tightens. I don't need to look at her to know that staying here isn't an option. Hell, it's not an option for me either. I can only imagine what will happen to me if I wander down to the kitchen at night to get a sandwich. Hillary has made it clear by the continued groping of my ass that she wants whatever the fuck she can get from me.

  "Mom, I don't think that's a good idea," she says in a sweet voice. No one in the room, including her grandmother can hear the veiled disgust woven into the words. Why didn't I listen when she said she didn't want to come back here? I feel as though I've stepped into a circus and my ass is the main attraction.

  "Nonsense." The word is a slur. "I can fix up your old room. My sewing machine is in there now but your strong fellow can cart that out of there. I bet he has huge muscles."

  Jessica tosses me a dazed look. "Nathan already booked the hotel. We're more comfortable there."

  "She's right," I yelp. This time Hillary's finger got closer than the urologist during my prostate exam. "I'm tired. We're going to the hotel."

  "You're coming to the rehearsal dinner, aren't you, Jess?" Julie, Jessica's sister, pokes her head around a corner and into the room. At first glance you'd never know the two of them were sisters. Julie's dark hair and eyes pair flawlessly with her olive toned skin. She's the exact physical opposite of Jessica. She hovers near my height and her body is elegantly toned and trim.

  "I'll…we'll be there." Jessica looks to me for reassurance.

  I slide my hand to her neck, pulling her head into my chest. "We will both be there."

  "I can't wait," Hillary hisses into my ear.

  ***

  "Nathan, I can't," she whimpers into the rough sheets on the bed. "I can't do it again."

  I race my tongue over her folds again. "You need to come again, Jessica. I need it."

  She pushes back and I suck her swollen bud between my lips, grazing my teeth over it. I grab tightly to her thighs, pulling them even further apart. I'm rewarded with a soft moan. I can tell by the way her body is moving that she's close again already. The moment we checked into the hotel and dropped our bags on the floor, I pulled her clothes off, made her get on all fours and my face dove between her legs. I wanted to taste her. I wanted to hear the beautiful sound of her coming under my tongue and touch. Seeing her so vulnerable and exposed is all the reward I need.

  Her back arches as the orgasm floods through her. I lean back to watch the fluid movement of her body as it's overcome with pleasure. Her legs collapse, her ass wiggles and her hands grasp firmly to the sheets, pulling them loose from the mattress. My name flutters into the stillness of the air over and over again as she falls back down from the edge of her desire.

  "Nathan, fuck me." It's a half whisper, barely audible. My heart is pounding heavily from watching her body reacting to my touch. "Fuck me hard."

  I bolt to my knees, pulling open my pants and freeing my cock. I don't waste a moment before I push it into her, slowly at first. She's so wet, but it's still so much for her. It's always been so much and the exquisite tightness almost pushes me into a deep orgasm immediately. I have to pull back slightly to temper what I'm feeling.

  She glances back, her hair flying over her face. The moisture settling on her top lip only makes her that much more seductive. It's not surprising that I couldn’t control myself the first moment I laid eyes on her at the club in Manhattan. I wanted all of her then and nothing has changed. I'm consumed with my need for her.

  "Fuck, this is so good," I hiss through clenched teeth. I still while I undo my cuff links. I toss them on the bed. I slide the blue dress shirt off my shoulders before grabbing heavily to her hips.

  "I love when you fuck me hard." She's a temptress and she knows it. The words she uses when I'm buried balls deep in her body push me into a place I've never been before. I've fucked hundreds of women but this is the only woman I've ever made love to. I need to feel her come again before I can release. I have to. My body won't allow anything else.

  I rail back on my heels and pull tightly to her hips as I ram my dick relentlessly into her. "Christ, you're so fucking tight, Jessica. I'll never get used to it."

  "Harder, Nathan." She pushes back against me, her wetness enveloping my cock like a slick, taut glove. She raises her body, pushing her hands into the mattress to give herself more flexibility.

  I take on the challenge, plunging myself further and further into her. "Goddamn," I scream. "I'm going to shoot my load in you. It's going to fill you up."

  That's enough to throw her over the edge. She cries out as her muscles tense around my cock, pushing me into the middle of an intense and overwhelming orgasm.

  "Christ, shit. Jessica," I call out from the sheer weight of the pleasure coursing through each and every one of my cells. "I fucking can't believe it." I can't. It's so good. It's only gotten better and better. We know each other's bodies so well. She knows how to make me come so hard.

  "Nathan," she whispers my name only the way she can. "I loved that."

  "I love you." I curl up next to her, pulling her warm, nude body into my chest. "I fucking love you."

  Chapter 4

  "Your tits are way too big for that dress."

  "I know," she throws the words at me as she stares at herself in the full length mirror on the back of the closet door. "I sent my sister the measurements but I feel like I'm going to have a nipple slip."

  "I don't mind," I tease. Truth is I do mind. If that piece of shit ex-boyfriend of hers is at this wedding he's going to be drooling all over Jessica in that sad excuse of a dress her sister ordered for her. "Maybe your dress is mixed up with one of the bridesmaids."

  "They're wearing a different color." She shrugs at her own reflection in the mirror as she hikes up the front of the strapless, navy blue, floor length dress yet again. "I look ridiculous."

  She doesn't. She looks fucking breathtaking. She's pulled her hair up into a messy bun on the top of her head. She's wearing minimal make up and her hourglass figure is on full display in the dress. I can't fathom why her sister chose this dress for her. Any man in the church is going to fall to his knees and praise the heavens for this vision. "You look beautiful." I toss her a cheesy smile as I watch her tenderly try to fasten the clasp on the necklace I bought her for her birthday a few months ago. The chain is delicate, the single sapphire stone in the center of the silver pendant a constant reminder of the color of her eyes. I had my friend,
Ivy, design it in her studio just for Jessica. She wears it almost daily and each time I see it around her neck, I'm in awe of how its beauty only adds to her own.

  "Help me, please." She smiles at my reflection in the mirror. "I only need your help with the necklace. Don't touch the dress."

  I throw my head back in laughter. The first time she asked me to zip her up this afternoon I pushed the dress down and pinched her nipples while she rubbed her hand over her wetness until she came in the mirror for me. This time I'll try and behave. "I won't touch the dress." I pitch my hands in the air in playful surrender. "I'll help with the necklace and then we'll go."

  She nods as her eyes stare into mine in the mirror. "You're so handsome, Nathan."

  I pull my gaze away from hers. I do it as much to focus on the small clasp of the necklace as to regain my composure. She sees into the deepest parts of me. She knows me better than anyone ever has and she still adores me, flaws and all. It's moments like this when I question whether I'm good enough for her. She's perfection and innocence woven into the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. I'm jaded, used and cynical. I can't help but wonder what I've done in this lifetime to deserve this much happiness.

  "Nathan?" Her soft voice calls to me as I stare at the clasp. My fingers are still inches apart. I haven't moved since she told me how handsome she thinks I am. "Is it broken?"

  "No." I fasten it before adjusting the chain around her neck. "It's perfect, Jessica. Just like you."

  ***

  "Have you ever fucked in the backseat of a Cadillac?" A woman's voice assaults me from the right.

  I feel as though I've been transported back to my teenage years. Judging by the reception hall and the outfits of the majority of the guests, I'd say I'm right on target with that estimation. Now, I'm being propositioned by a woman who looks like a librarian, knee high wool socks and all.

  "Did you hear me, gorgeous?" She steps closer and I inch back towards the makeshift wooden bar.

  "I'll have a bourbon neat, and …"

  "I'll have a Bloody Mary." She interrupts me with a wink and I literally shudder. I stare over her shoulder to where Jessica is huddled in a group with her sister and the bridesmaids. I smile to myself as I watch her pull on the top of the dress, trying to keep her breasts where they belong. My eyes dart across the room to Josh Redmond, her ex-boyfriend. He's sitting at his table, his eyes honed in on the woman I'll be crawling into bed with later tonight.

  "Thanks for buying me a drink." The librarian leans closer still. I'm trapped between her and a wall.

  I stare down at her briefly. "The drinks are free."

  "You're not from here, are you?" Her hand leaps to my lapel. "Your suit is real nice."

  I want to reach up and swat her hand away but I have no idea who she is. For all I know she's one of Jessica's oldest and dearest friends. That's hard to imagine, given the fact she doesn’t talk about anyone she left behind when she ran away from here to Manhattan.

  "Where are you from?" she asks as she presses her body into mine.

  I lurch my hips back quickly trying to meld into the plaster which covers all the walls in this school gymnasium. As much as Jessica's sister and her husband wish it looked like a reception hall, it doesn't. The basketball hoops on the opposite ends of the room can't be disguised, even though it appears that someone tried to hide them beneath a mile of colorful streamers. "Manhattan," I offer. The less details the better. This conversation is going nowhere quickly.

  "Have you ever had a one night stand?"

  I almost spit the entire mouthful of bourbon I just gulped on her plain yellow dress. Have I ever had a one night stand? Jesus. This woman has no idea who she's talking to. "Why?" I bark back. My sex life is none of her business.

  "I'm horny."

  It's a declaration I should have seen coming like a freight train on a runaway track. The way she's shifting back and forth on her brown heels is enough of a clue that the woman's crotch is on fire. Even if Jessica wasn't in the picture, I'd turn this one down. Something tells me she'd eat me alive before we even got to the parking lot.

  "Keep your panties on." I tip my drink in her direction. "I'm taken."

  "By who?" She dips her chin and raises a brow, challenging me to answer.

  "Jessica Roth," I counter. "She's that beautiful blonde over there."

  She turns sharply in Jessica's direction. We both gawk as we watch her run her hands over the front of her ill fitted dress. Her left hand stops briefly as she subtly traces a slow path over her left breast with her index finger.

  "Wow." The librarian pulls in a heavy breath. "She's even hotter now."

  I stare at Jessica as she blows me a kiss across the room. Normally, a sticky sweet gesture like that would be a turn off, but seeing her lips pursed together like that makes my cock jump to life. I have to pull in a steely breath before the librarian notices it. "You know her?" I ask, hoping it will keep her gaze on my face and not on my groin.

  "We went to high school together." Her eyes dart down to my pants and I swear I see her tongue smooth a path over her bottom lip. "I'm Charity."

  The name doesn't suit her in the least. "Nathan," I offer back before finishing the plastic glass of bourbon the bartender offered me. "Another?" I place it down and nod at him.

  He murmurs something under his breath before he refills the glass to the half-way point.

  "You two are dating?" She pulls her hand through her short brown hair.

  I take a small sip of the liquid, grateful for the slight buzz I'm starting to feel. I haven't eaten anything since this morning and judging by the lack of any food on the banquet tables, I'd say dinner is hours away yet. "We live together."

  "You're her rebound?"

  The question bites and I get the unmistakable impression that was its intention. Why wouldn't it sting? Virtually every person in this room knows Jessica as the other half of Josh. Even their names belong together. Why the fuck did I keep insisting we come to this wedding? I could be back in my apartment buried in Jessica's body hearing her scream my name and my name only.

  "I'm not her rebound." I don't want to sound as angry as I do." Jessica loves me. She never loved Josh the way she loves me."

  Her eyes dash to Jessica before they settle back on me." I wasn't talking about Josh," she chuckles." I'm talking about him." She stops there, right fucking there before adding anything else.

  I stare at her wishing I knew what the hell she was talking about. Who the fuck is she referring to? I know Jessica's had three lovers. She told me. I practically fucked it out of her months and months ago. I had to know. My imagination couldn't shut up until I knew how many men had been inside of her. I just assumed that Josh was the most important one. He's the only one she ever talked about. They were together for years before she bolted from Bloomfield, Connecticut and landed in New York City.

  Charity can't shut the hell up. "You have no idea who I'm talking about do you?" Her tone is peevish.

  I stare at Jessica across the room. I watch a few wayward hairs fall out of the bun and onto her shoulders. I look at her body. It's so beautiful. It's soft, supple, and made for fucking. For the first time since I fell in love with her, I feel entirely in the dark. There's no way in hell I'm letting the librarian have the satisfaction of knowing that I don't have a fucking clue about who she's talking about. I can't believe I've never heard Jessica talk about either of the other two guys she's slept with. Why didn't I press for more? Why did I drop it?

  "Charity, as fetching as his conversation has been I need to go see my girl." I slam my now empty glass down on the bar. The motion causes the bar to teeter back and forth slightly. I push past her trying to maneuver around her.

  She steps into my path almost tripping over her own shoes. It's obvious she's a lightweight. She can't even handle half of a Bloody Mary. I reach to grab her elbow helping to level her steps. My mind is racing, my heart is pounding and all I can hear over and over in my mind is the word him.

  "
None of us thought that Jessica would ever get over the senator," she whispers." It would take someone like you to make that happen."

  The senator? The fucking senator? What the hell has Jessica been hiding from me? I close my eyes briefly trying to wash away the image of a teenage Jessica with a man old enough to be a senator. It doesn't work. I rummage through my memory grasping for anything she may have said to me about a man who worked for the government. Why the fuck didn't she tell me about this?

  "How long have you been with her?" Charity isn't one to give up easily. Did she hook up with you right after she moved?"

  The question feels like a sharp slap across my cheek. Jessica was at that club two weeks after she moved from Connecticut to Manhattan. She told me all she wanted was a random fuck. I thought it was all just for fun the night I met her. Then I thought it was because she was running away from Josh. Maybe the entire time she's been running away from the man that she loves. Maybe that's why she can't say yes whenever I ask her to marry me.

  Chapter 5

  "I'm so glad that's over," she says softly. "Josh didn't even try to talk to me once."

  I lean against the wall of the elevator my eyes glued to her face. "He knew I'd deck him if he did." I playfully curl my hands into fists as I take on a boxer's stance.

  Her hand darts to cover her mouth as she giggles. I knew the moment I danced with her that she had too much champagne. "You're my knight in shining armor. You'll always take care of me, Nathan. Won't you?"

  The words stab through me like a hot spear. "I would do anything for you Jessica. Anything," I say without any hesitation. It's true. I would do anything she asked of me.

  She stares at me across the elevator as it makes its way slowly to the twenty-second floor of the only hotel that had any available rooms. "Will you let me suck your cock?" She pulls her tongue over her top lip as the words fill the small space. Her hands slide up from her waist to the top of the dress. She slowly, deliberately, and seductively pulls it down revealing her round, full breasts.