"I can't wear this." Felicity stared at her reflection in the changing room mirror, eyes wide. She wore a filmy black babydoll top with bikini underwear bottoms."Let me see." Layla's voice came from the other side of the door."No!" she responded instantly. "I'm practically naked in this thing!"A soft giggle echoed inches away. "That's kind of the idea."Plucking at the lacy hem of the top, Felicity studied herself in the mirror again and swayed her hips experimentally, just to watch the way the fabric swayed. It was loose, and she liked that. Even though the fabric was sheer, the loose feel of it didn't make her as uncomfortable as she thought it might be.The bra part that cupped her breasts was transparent enough to show the dim outline of her nipples. What would Jared think if he saw her in this? Would he want to tear it off? The idea made her nipples pebble into hard points, and she hastily scrambled out of the bikini bottoms and slid the top off. It was too exciting and to
"Hey." He grinned, the expression so perfect. It was as though he'd been made for smiling. Sure, it felt like a clich¨¦, but it was true. Smiles on Jared's face lit his eyes and made him twinkle. Not to mention it made Felicity go boneless with warmth and joy just to see him happy, even more so when it felt like he was smiling because she was here."Hi." She shifted on her feet, still a little unsure of this whole situation. What if this whole lingerie thing didn't work? Maybe she should stick to just dinner and not worry about seduction. "Let me get that." He reached out and slid her overnight bag off her shoulder before she could react and set it down by the door. And then he was curling his hand around her now-empty fingers and tugging her toward him. He maneuvered her to collide with his body as he pushed against her, using their bodies to close the door so fast that her head spun and arousal shot through her like wildfire. He closed the door and then crowded her against it. T
Jared practically sprinted to the kitchen to grab another glass of wine when Felicity left to go change. He spilled the Bordeaux on the counter in his haste to fill his glass. His princess was going to kill him. He wanted to go fast, to rush headlong into this thing between them. But Felicity was fragile, and she deserved a slow courtship. Movies, dinner, sweet kisses. Not the wild, hungry ravishing his entire body wanted to give hers.With everything that had happened at work with Pimms, he was feeling caged and threatened. He just wanted to do his job and not worry about the fact that said job hinged on whether or not he was dating the boss's daughter. Which he wasn't, and he had no plans whatsoever to do so. Felicity was his girl, and he didn't want anyone else. Thank God for his princess. She made him forget work. Kissing her, talking with her, just looking at her, soothed the tightness in his chest.I'm becoming too damn sentimental. We'll just watch the movie, and I'll hold her
Felicity was in love with Jared.There was no doubt about it. As she woke the next morning in his arms, feeling safe, sated, and happy to the point of being ridiculous, there was no denying what she felt. She lifted her head enough to slide her chin across his naked shoulder so she could study his sleeping face. She wanted to memorize each featurethe aquiline nose, the sweep of dark lashes that graced his cheeks, the slight pout of his relaxed mouth. She wanted to paint them each upon her memory, to cherish through the rest of her life, wherever it would take her.Looking at him was like coming home in the truest sense. It wasn't the home she'd grown up in, in a little house too small to accommodate her and her parents, but rather it was the home she'd always craved, the one she'd always hoped she would deserve someday. The one that would make her happy, nourish her, excite her.If only she didn't have class, she could've stayed in bed all day and just cuddled with him. But the day
"Are you ready?" Jared asked as he parked their rental car in front of a snowy hillside house. It was a massive house, nothing like the small, cozy cabin Jared had described on the flight from Chicago to Denver.She fidgeted in her seat. Jared's parents were inside that house, and she was going to meet them."Ready?" She swallowed thickly. She was definitely not ready to meet Jared's parents. The last month of November and part of December had flown by. She and Jared had managed to settle into a comfortable relationship. They'd gone to art galleries, Jared's favorite museums by the lakeshore, and had managed to fit in time together between work and school. There had been nights where she'd fallen asleep before Jared had gotten home, and mornings when she'd had to slip out of bed early to get to work at Sabine's, but being with him had been wonderful, a dream. But now she was at Jared's parents' homeor one of the three homes the Redmond family had. How was she going to face them? She
The bedroom was as big as her entire apartment back in Chicago. A massive sleigh bed was against one wall, with a deep-blue comforter and white pillows. A red-and-white Nordic quilt was folded over the bottom of the bed. The Redmonds had made something luxurious seem cozy. A small fireplace was opposite the bed, with gas logs. On the far side opposite the door, a balcony opened up to a view of the ski slopes."This is incredible," she whispered."I'm glad you like it." He had his hands tucked into his jeans pockets and was watching her intently, as though trying to see how she was taking it all in.She followed Jared deeper into the room and smiled when she saw a wall of photos nearby. She couldn't resist looking. He didn't have a ton of pictures of his family back in his apartment, and she wanted to see what his life had been like as a boy.There were pictures of Jared and Tanner in the pool as boys, Jared dressed as an Eagle Scout holding a pinewood box car and standing proudly n
Jared hummed as he leaned over the hot tub, peeling away the cover. Fluffy white snow that had been sitting on the top of the cover showered down on his bare feet as he peeled the cover off the hot tub. Then he tested the water with his fingertips. Nice and hot. He walked over to the control panel and crouched down to search for the knob that would turn on the jets. Bubbles burst forth and filled the big hot tub."Yes." He grinned and rested his hands on his hips. This was going to be so good. He'd get his little princess hot and wet in more ways than one. It was a perfect night with the barest breeze drifting through ice-dusted pine trees. There was a natural calm and quiet isolation to the night that made Jared forget about the bustle and noise of Chicago. The sky was a light purple, and the snow-filled clouds were drifting closer. It might even snow tonight. He hoped it did so he could see Felicity's face light up with joy.The soft click of the patio door opening made him glance
"I'm going to die. You realize that, right?" Felicity whispered as she stared down the top of the snowy hill. Her skis were firmly entrenched in snow, and her hands had a death grip on the poles."You're not going to die. You just spent the last three hours doing great with your lessons on the bunny slopes. This is a blue slope. You can handle it, princess. I'll stay with you the whole way, Scout's honor." He raised his fingers in a salute, grinning.Felicity lifted one of her poles and smacked him in the side."Hey!" He jumped, even though she knew it didn't hurt. They were both bundled up in ski coats and ski pants."Quit stalling. You can do this." He pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes, and Felicity sighed before she lowered her own. It was one more thing on a long list of what she owed him. They'd gone into town first thing that morning, and he'd bought her a complete set of ski gear. He'd tried to buy her skis too, but she'd insisted they rent skis since she couldn't fit