Dangle the ring, p.8
Dangle the Ring, page 8
"When I couldn't take it any longer, I would try to get some privacy... just to relieve the ache between my legs. But it was like my son knew I needed to be alone. He would knock on the bathroom door or wonder why the bedroom door was locked."
"Oh." Her mouth made the perfect O shape.
"I'm telling you all this because I'm going to eat your pussy, and you're going to come. And once that happens, I'm going to keep eating you until you come again and again and again. I want this, Harper. And you may think I don't or that I'm only doing it to impress you, but no. I want this more than someone dying of thirst wants water."
"Sounds like a plan. This... this is why I love plans so much." Her cheeks flushed as she stumbled over her words.
"I'm loving the plans too." I slid down to the floor and kneeled in front of her. Reaching up, I unfastened the brown pants she wore and helped her slide them off. Her panties were a pink lace, and I thought about keeping them on, but then nixed the idea because the desire of getting an unfiltered look at her pussy was far too great.
Pulling her underthings down, I tossed them aside, along with her pants. "Can you undo your blouse for me?" I glanced up at the small cream buttons on her silky blouse.
She nodded and, with shaking hands, opened them. I pushed her blouse aside to see the matching pink lace bra.
"You're so beautiful." I let her finish removing her top as I reached up and tugged one of her lacy cups down, causing her breast to spill out.
Leaning in, I kissed her puckered nipple. She hissed, but warmth ran down my spine as she clasped the back of my head. I moved over and did the same to her other breast.
Looking up, her hooded gaze met mine.
"I see you wore your hair down today," I said, my mouth only an inch from hers.
"You said you liked it down."
Harper did it for me. I cupped her tit, rubbing her nipple with my thumb as I watched her squirm. "I like your lips too. Will you kiss me with them?"
She licked them, then her mouth crashed on mine a mere second later. My tongue begged for entry soon after.
I slid my hand down her soft skin, resisting the urge to dig my fingers into her thick thighs. Harper's curves were my weakness. I wanted to pinch and grab and spank it all.
When I found her upper thighs, I felt her shift, letting me go even further. She was warm and slippery as butter when I came upon her clit.
I groaned into her mouth, "Is this for me?" I slid my finger over her folds as I stopped kissing her. "You're so slippery wet just from our kiss?"
She bit her lower lip as if stopping herself from answering, but I would not let it go. I lifted my finger until I showed her how wet she was, then I shoved my finger into my mouth.
"Is that for me too?" I asked after I licked her sweetness off my finger and pushed my hand back between her thighs.
She finally nodded and fell back on the bed, landing on her elbows. When I thought of her later while stroking myself, this was what I would imagine.
Her eyes kept darting between me and what my hand was doing to her pussy. I thought she wanted more, but she was going to wait. I enjoyed watching her squirm.
Her fingers curled into my gray bedspread before she uttered one word that changed it all: "Please."
That was what I had been waiting for—her pleading need for me.
It was time to give her what she wanted. I leaned forward and gently kissed around her folds. She grunted, and I knew she was growing inpatient.
Flattening my tongue, I let myself enjoy her flavor. She was spicy but sweet, like mulled wine mixed with fresh honey. I lapped Harper up as if I was getting drunk on her.
"Yeah..." she whimpered. Her fingers curled into my hair, pulling me closer. Her hips gyrated wildly, and I had to throw an arm over her to keep going.
When I slid two fingers inside her, I knew she wouldn't be long. My fingers fucked her, curling to hit her spot while I slid my tongue over her clit.
Her head fell back as she tried to buck into me. "Damn, Jackson. You're going to make me come."
That was the point.
I felt her tighten around my fingers, so I started sucking her clit. She cried out and let out a curse before her climax hit.
"Jackson!"
Her hips slowed, and I gently pressed kisses over her swollen lips. When I knew her orgasm had settled, I slid my fingers back inside her, pumping her slowly.
"What are you doing?" She lifted her head, crowned with tousled golden hair.
"I told you I'm going to keep doing this until you come again, and again, and again." I lowered my head to lick her clit.
"Oh, god, I won't be able to walk out of here tonight."
"That's what I'm hoping."
Chapter fourteen
Harper
"You've been smiling since you came home last night. Did you and Jackson have makeup sex?" Lydia elbowed me in the ribs, causing my smile to falter, but only for a moment.
"Nope." I took a step closer to the counter as we made our way up to order lunch at the Chicken and Waffle Dive just off Fitzlee Street.
"Did he finally get you a ring?"
I covered my hand and once again realized I needed one—and a perfect excuse to talk to Jackson. I wonder if he would be up to talking tonight... in his bed.
After the multiple orgasms he gave me last night, I wanted to pay him back and put my blowjob skills to use. But then there was a knock at the door. Emmanuel wanted to go out and celebrate because he put an offer on a house, and it got accepted.
Jackson tried to get out of it, but I told him to go, that there was always the next night. Though he hadn't gotten back to my texts, I suspected he was eager to make sure he got an orgasm tonight, too.
"We're getting the ring sized," I mumbled.
"That makes sense, but the smiling doesn't."
"Why can't I smile?"
We got to the front of the line, and the cashier rang up our orders. Lydia found a booth in the corner of the restaurant as we waited for them to call out our order number.
"It's not that you can't smile, Harper, it's that you rarely do."
My grin slowly faded. "That's not true."
"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. It's just who you are."
My friends didn’t think I was happy in life? I thought about what Jackson said to me a while ago about not having a heart. That must be what he meant.
"I can be happy. It's just that I've been so focused on work since I graduated from high school. I couldn't afford to go to college, so I had to work. I've been working my butt off for seven years, and I guess it made me, uh—"
"Unhappy?" Lydia finished for me.
"No. I mean, yes, at times, but it's not that I don't love my job. It's complicated." I waved my hand around as I heard our ticket being called out.
I pushed out of the booth, but Lydia stopped me. "I'll get it." She had a soft, pitiful smile on her face, which hurt more than her words.
My phone buzzed with a text from Jackson. The conversation with Lydia melted away, and I grinned once again.
I got something for you. Where are you?
My fingers couldn't type quick enough.
Out to lunch with Lydia. Chicken and Waffles Dive.
He didn't respond. I kept checking my phone, but nothing.
"Here's your fried chicken with mini waffles." Lydia pushed my tray filled with food toward me. "You're smiling again."
I sighed. "I got a text from Jackson."
She scooted into the booth and picked at her food. "What I don't understand is that I have no recollection of you dating him. No recollection of you dating anyone for at least six months. You always came home after work. And when you went out, it was always to the bar with us on the weekends."
I lifted a waffle and took a bite. While I was chewing, I thought about what to tell her. Should I lie to Lydia too? I mean, I already was since she thought I was engaged.
But if I told Lydia the truth, then why couldn't I tell Daisy the truth? Gah, this whole fake engagement thing was not fun.
But... the orgasms were fun. Jackson's mouth should be in the hall of fame for orgasms. That man certainly knew what he was doing.
But the lies and pretending to be in love when I wasn't was awful. That was causing me to lose my appetite.
I lowered the rest of the waffle as I suddenly wasn't very hungry. "It was a lot of texts. Also, we saw each other during lunch and occasionally on the weekends. I knew if I told you, you'd tell Daisy, and that's why we wanted to keep it a secret." I couldn't even look at her as the lies tumbled out of my mouth.
"You can tell me anything." She reached over and placed her hand on mine. "I'm your friend, Harper. I feel hurt you couldn't trust me."
Oh, no. I might throw up. I had to tell her. Yes, she was a gossip, but I didn't care anymore. I couldn't keep lying to the people I loved.
"Lydia, there's something you should know—"
"Harper," a deep voice said.
I looked up to find Jackson standing in front of the booth.
"Hey, Jackson. Funny running into you here." Lydia glanced around.
"There's something important I have to give Harper, and it couldn't wait." The way his eyes darkened, I wondered if he was talking about more orgasms.
My back stiffened. While he was wise in the ways of making me come, we were in the middle of a restaurant. I wasn't about to let him make out with me here.
"Jackson, we are in the middle of lunch—" The words died on my lips as he lowered onto one knee.
"Harper Jones, I didn't have a ring to give you before, but I do now." He lifted a small golden band with tiny emerald chips dotted around the ring. It was a pretty ring, and I hoped he didn't actually go out and buy it. He needed that money for his son.
"Will you make me the happiest man in the world and agree to marry me?"
As far as proposals go, it was pretty standard. Few intimate words or loving sentiments, but it got the job done.
I grinned, and my heart beat as if he were really proposing. "Yes, Jackson, I'll marry you." I held out my hand as he slipped the ring onto my finger. A roar of clapping burst around us, and I heard someone comment that they recognized him.
Now we were lying to the entire town. It seemed with each passing day, the lie grew bigger and bigger.
As I scanned the room, I wondered if we should just get married. Because explaining to everyone that the engagement wasn't real seemed too big a hurdle to cross now.
I glanced over at Lydia, who was cheering along with everyone else. This should be one of the happiest days of my life—a man proposing to me was a dream come true—yet I wanted to run. I wanted to hide and never show my face in Castle Ridge again.
Jackson took my hand and helped me out of the booth. He leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "We need to kiss now."
"Right. Yes."
He gazed into my eyes for reassurance that I was okay with it, so I made the first move. I pressed my lips to his and gave the audience what they wanted: two people so in love they would make out in The Chicken and Waffle Dive.
After a few deep kisses, he pulled back. "You taste like waffles."
I waved at my lunch.
"Oh, would you look at the time?" Lydia said as she scooted out of the booth. "I forgot I have some important planting to do over on Lake Street." She patted my shoulder. "Congratulations, you two. I had my doubts when you first said you were engaged, but I can see you both are totally in love. I was wrong to doubt you, Harper."
Then she walked toward the exit and was gone.
I sank back into my seat as all the anxiety crept back up. Jackson slid into Lydia's vacant spot and began to eat her food.
"You're really going to eat someone else's food?"
He looked up at me and nodded. "I'm not about to let an entire chicken breast go to waste. It's free food, Harper. Nothing beats free food."
He was right. Growing up how I did, I wouldn't hesitate to eat that. But now I had surrounded myself with people who hadn't struggled a day in their lives. They didn't understand the feeling of worry that there wouldn't be food on the table.
Even Daisy didn't understand the struggle. I knew they were siblings, but even when their father died, he continued to provide for them. I guessed Jackson had just recently learned that sometimes food was a luxury.
"Where did you get the ring?"
Jackson looked up with grease on his face. He reached over and grabbed the paper napkin, wiping it away. "It was just something my dad had."
My brows pushed together. "He had a woman's ring?"
He shrugged but gazed out at the other diners. "Yes." He didn't elaborate on it, and instead, he took another bite, chewed slowly, then swallowed. "I thought we could use it for the engagement."
That must have been hard for him. This ring had meaning for Jackson.
"We don't have to use a ring. Few people have commented—"
He shook his head. "No. You deserve a ring. Besides, it fits perfectly."
It did fit perfectly—not too loose or tight. Maybe the grease on my hand helped, but as I studied the ring, I wondered if it was his mother's. Then it hit me—I was his mother in this fake relationship. I was the woman who would leave him and his son and never look back.
I twisted the ring around my finger. "I'm... I'm having second thoughts, Jackson."
"We've got to. It won't be very long."
"But you said you had another way of getting the endorsement. You said you didn't need me."
Jackson threw down the chicken bone and sat back, wiping his hands and face with his napkin.
"Emmanuel told me his agent would help me get the deal for a small fee, sort of like a favor where he wouldn't get paid until the deal went through. But he's Teddy's agent too. I guess when the agent reached out to Athletica Drinks, he pushed his own client over me. Bigger commission that way."
My mouth fell open. "Does that mean Teddy is the new spokesperson?"
"Not yet. I still have a chance. That's why I need this." He waved his hand between us. "I need to be the best damn fiancé there ever was and make Jenna believe I'd be the perfect spokesperson for their new line."
"I understand, but isn't there a way you can get money somewhere else?"
He waved around the room. "Where? I got a court date in three weeks. I can't even afford a lawyer. I need that money. If I don't get it, I will most likely lose my son. And I can't let that happen."
I swallowed. I was being selfish. Too worried about what people might think of me and not realizing it was so much more to Jackson.
"Plan for the worst," I mumbled.
"What?"
"It's something I do. I plan. Like with weddings, something always goes wrong. But if you have backup plans, then even accidents or unexpected things won't put a dent in the wedding. We make a plan, and then we plan for the worst."
I smiled before I continued, "In the meantime, we will be the most loving, nauseating couple to ever walk the streets of Castle Ridge, and we will win over Jenna and Eric."
Chapter fifteen
Jackson
I glanced down at the text again and then up at the building. This was the address where Harper told me to meet her.
It had been three days since I gave her the ring. I had to go back to practice after lunch, and she went back to work. We had both been busy over the past several days, so we hadn't been able to meet up.
I had assumed the address she texted me was to a motel—or at least, I had hoped so. After tasting her pussy, I couldn't stop dreaming about it. And the thought of sinking my cock deep inside that sweet thing caused me to have a constant boner like a horny teenager.
But the building in front of me was another three-story brick building that held offices. Maybe she had a fetish for fucking in an office?
I could only hope that was the plan.
Opening the brown wooden door, I stepped inside. The cool air conditioning felt good. It was only May, but it felt like summer was giving us a taste of what was to come.
Office number ten was in the text. I walked down the hallway, the soles of my sneakers squeaking against the wood floor. Shoving my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, I kept walking to the last door. Number ten.
I opened it and found Harper waiting in a chair, reading a magazine—a bridal magazine. Was that for appearances or for real? Did she think we might actually get married?
I tried to swallow but couldn't.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized she was only looking at the magazine for her job. She was a wedding planner, after all. Yeah, that was it.
Harper looked beautiful in a navy dress with pink flowers all over and a silky scarf tied around her neck. I thought about untying the scarf and kissing her neck.
She glanced up, and the way her lips curled upon seeing me caused my heart to beat a little faster.
"Jackson. Good, you're here."
After closing the door, I walked over to her. "What is this place? And does it involve sex?"
She threw the magazine on the glass coffee table and snorted. "No. That's ridiculous. This is a lawyer's office."
Oh my god. She wants to get married. For real, nothing fake.
"Look, Harper, I like you, but this engagement is and will forever be fake. There will be nothing more than that between us."
Her lips thinned. "I'm not here to get you to apply for a marriage license; I'm here to help you with Lucas. To make sure Katie doesn't get sole custody."
"Y-you did this?" I could barely get the words out.
"Yes."
The way she said it was so matter-of-fact. As if anyone would just go out of their way to track down a lawyer so I wouldn't lose my son.
But there was one thing she hadn't thought of.
"I don't have money for this. Maybe if I get the endorsement deal, I'll be able to pay then, but lawyers aren't known for helping with a slight chance of getting paid. It's pay or they won't help you."
I didn't blame them. They had bills to pay and wanted to provide for their families too. But when my dad died, and I saw the lawyer take his cut, I knew there was no leeway with money for them. And it wasn't like I had a lawyer buddy who might help me out in a bind.
