Jack (For The Love Of A Good Woman Book 1) Read online

  “You can just wait in the truck for me. There’s no need for you to come in,” Harper said as she tried to quickly jump out of the truck and leave me behind.

  That just pissed me off. Why couldn’t this infuriating woman just accept my help? There was no way she would make it up those stairs alone. I jumped out of the truck and was just coming over to her side when I saw her struggling to get her footing. I was by her side in an instant, my temper flaring.

  “Are you crazy? I’m not waiting in the truck and I’m not letting you hobble up the stairs by yourself. You’d probably trip, fall down the stairs, and break your neck.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but I put my hand over her mouth to silence her. She stuck her tongue out and licked my hand, like that would gross me out. Visions of her wrapping those pretty, full lips around my cock swirled in my brain. I licked my lips as I thought of her licking and sucking my dick while I gripped her hair and fucked her mouth. Shit. I was hard again.

  “Just lean on me and let’s get this demon cat taken care of. I have plans for you and they involve that pretty, little mouth of yours.”

  She gasped and I could see the desire in her eyes. I smirked at her and wrapped my arm around her waist and she put hers across my shoulders. We made our way over to the entrance and I was already irritated at how long this was going to take. I was a firm believer in doing things the quickest and easiest way. There was no point in making things difficult. I stopped walking and gestured to my back.

  “Hop onto my back and wrap your arms around my neck.”

  “You can’t be serious,” she said incredulously. “We’ll fall down the stairs and then I’ll have more problems than a sprained foot. You’ll break me in half when you land on top of me.”

  “Harper, look at me. I’m a pretty big guy. I lift weights heavier than you. Just lean into my back. Besides, I would never bruise my ego by letting a woman I’m carrying fall.”

  She assessed the validity of my statement for a moment before motioning for me to turn around. I squatted down and she climbed on. I gripped her legs and we were on the move before she could get comfortable. We were up the stairs and at her friend’s door in a matter of minutes.

  “What’s your friend’s name?”

  “Anna.”

  “So why are you taking care of Anna’s cat?”

  Harper was digging through her purse that looked more like a tote bag. She had her whole arm inside and I instantly thought of how much she looked like Mary Poppins and wondered if she would pull out a lamp. She finally pulled out her hand and held a key up in triumph.

  “Ah ha! That would be really horrible if I came all this way and forgot the key. Anna had to go home to visit her grandma. She’s been sick and the doctors don’t think she has too much longer. Her grandma is the last of her family.”

  I nodded. I didn’t know what to say in these situations. I was never good at reading emotional cues and always ended up saying the wrong thing. So I did what any normal man would do and kept my mouth shut.

  She paused and drew in a deep breath. “Okay. I am going to very quietly put in the key and turn the knob. It is very important that you don’t make a sound. Don’t breathe loudly and don’t shuffle your feet.” She looked at me and then down at my work boots. “Better yet, hold your breath and remove your shoes.”

  I just stared at her. This woman was nuts, but I was really turned on by her quirky attitude. When I didn’t immediately remove my boots, she shrugged and said, “It’s your funeral.”

  She slowly put in the key and started to turn it. I swear, if she goes any slower the lock will rust shut. She turned the knob very slowly and inched open the door. Apparently, she was satisfied with what she saw because she motioned for me to go forward. I walked through the door and stood in the living room. There was an arm chair to the right, a coffee table directly in front of me, and a couch beyond that. I heard her closing the door and was just turning around when a huge tiger cat jumped off the bookcase that was on the side of the door and leapt onto Harper’s back. I wanted to warn her, but the cat was on her before I could say anything. She was so startled that she screamed in surprise and shifted her weight onto her bad foot. She lost her balance and fell forward into me. I wrapped my arms around her to catch her, but I stumbled backwards into the coffee table and fell on top of it, splitting it in two.

  The cat, which had held onto Harper for the whole ride, calmly got up off the floor and walked away. Harper groaned next to me and I reached over to start checking her to make sure she had no more injuries. This woman was a walking disaster. “Damn, Harper. You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m good.” She sat up and winced and it was obvious she was not as good as she wanted me to think. “Nothing I haven’t been through already with this cat. I told you he was the spawn of Satan. You didn’t believe me and just had to come up and ‘protect me’.” We both got to our knees and when I tried to help her up she brushed me off with an I got it. Then two seconds later, collapsed onto me when she tried to stand.

  “You sure you’re okay? Seems to me like you need some help, but I can let you go if you got this,” I said while trying not to laugh. She glared at me and I let loose the laugh that was building in my chest. I couldn’t wait to get this woman into the bedroom. She was going to be feisty and riling her up was so much fun. I hadn’t even known her for that long, but I knew she was different from the other women I had been with. The women I dated were either too aggressive or completely lackluster. Harper was obviously attracted to me, but she didn’t throw herself at me. Yet the way she kissed was with all the hunger and passion that I was looking for in a woman.

  She flopped back on the couch with a groan and I immediately moved to place a pillow under her injured foot. Then I went to the kitchen and got a glass of water for her and pulled out the ibuprofen.

  “Here take these and I’ll get you some ice for your foot. It already looks twice the size it was at the pharmacy.” I went into the kitchen and found a bag of frozen veggies in the freezer. “This is all I could find. I hope Anna doesn’t mind, but considering the circumstances, I think she can deal with the sacrificial peas.” I placed the bag on her foot and Harper sighed in relief.

  “Okay, what do I need to do and where are the supplies?”

  Harper told me where I could find everything and I set about my chores. When I finished, I walked back into the living room and saw Harper relaxing with her eyes closed. I took a minute to study her face. She really was beautiful. She was very natural. She wasn’t wearing makeup and I really liked that. I had never realized how much better women looked when they didn’t cake all that shit on their faces. Now that her hair was drying, I could see it was dirty blonde and wavy. She was a good foot shorter than me. Her tiny body looked like she could get lost in my sweatshirt if there weren’t arm holes to guide her. She looked like she skipped meals and based on the comments she had made about her financial situation, I guessed it wasn’t a choice. She was fiercely independent and didn’t like to take help, so wining and dining her may be the only way to help her out. My gut churned at the thought of Harper skipping meals to pay rent or put gas in her car.

  She was truly beautiful and I felt extremely protective of this woman. She was definitely a heap load of trouble, but everything I knew about her so far made me want to get to know her better. That was something I didn’t do very often. I was always working or hanging with the guys. I didn’t do relationships because they didn’t seem to be worth the trouble, or maybe I just hadn’t found the right woman.

  I wanted to take her back to my place, but given the circumstances, she might just want to go home. I walked over and sat down next to her. She didn’t move. “Harper,” I said quietly. I ran my hand through her wavy locks and she still didn’t stir. I didn’t have the heart to wake her after her morning, so I pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and covered her legs. She had to be cold. I laid down next to her and tucked her into my sid
e and closed my eyes. An afternoon nap sounded pretty good right now.

  I must have been having a really good dream because I felt a hand on my crotch, rubbing and stroking me. Then I heard the moaning and blinked a few times, coming fully awake. This was definitely not a dream. Harper was obviously still sleeping and having a dirty dream. I just hoped it was about me. I tried to slide away from her, but she just nuzzled in closer and stroked me harder. My cock was rock hard now and I wanted to take advantage so bad, but she would be mortified if she knew what she was doing in her sleep.

  “Jack,” she whispered. Shoot me now. How am I supposed to do the right thing when I know she’s dreaming of me?

  I pulled my arm from behind her neck and started to move away, but she started kissing and licking my neck as she stroked me. I decided the best thing to do was wake her up and pretend like nothing happened. I turned my face to her and called her name.

  “Harper.”

  “Yes, Jack. Oh, God yes,” she moaned.

  “Harper, wake up sweetheart.” Her eyes flew open and she turned bright red. She looked fucking gorgeous. I could see the desire and the uncertainty in her eyes. Her hand was stalled over my dick so there was no pretending this didn’t happen. My dick chose that moment to twitch and a rueful smile crossed her face.

  “You are so fucking sexy. That was the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen. Now I can’t wait to see you come. But sweetheart, if you don’t remove your hand from my cock, I’m going to fuck you on your friend’s couch.”

  “Oh, God. Please do,” she seemed to say to herself. I chuckled because I wasn’t sure if she meant to say that out loud.

  Harper quickly snatched her hand back, seeming to realize she had been stroking me just moments before. She sat up suddenly and screamed, “I’m not a slut. I swear, I don’t go around grabbing men and.. and .. I swear I’m not some crazy slut out to devour you!” I couldn’t help but laugh. She was so damn cute.

  “Honey, I never said you were a crazy slut. I just don’t want to fuck you on your friend’s couch because what I plan to do to you is going to be very dirty.” I dipped my head and nuzzled her neck, running my tongue the length of it and biting her ear. Then I whispered in her ear, “Now, would you like me to take you home or are we going back to my place?”

  She blushed even redder and simply nodded. “You do realize that was not a yes or no question. I need an answer from you,” I said laughing.

  “Let’s go to your house.” She started to stand and I was ready to run out of the building with her on my back when she said, “Oh shit! I have a shift in an hour. I have to go back home and get ready.” She started hobbling over to her purse and throwing the spilled contents inside. I had to adjust myself to keep my hard on from breaking my zipper. Looked like I had a cold shower in my near future.

  “What kind of shift?”

  “I’m a waitress at O’Malley’s.” She stood and turned to look at the broken table. “What are we going to do about that?”

  “We’ll come back tomorrow and take care of it.” She stared at me with a stunned expression.

  “Why? Why would you do that? We just met and you’re offering to help with the cat and clean up messes that have nothing to do with you.” She looked at me curiously.

  “Well, technically, I broke the table so it’s only right I come back and clean it up. Besides, it guarantees I get to see you again and have a shot at seducing you.” I walked over to her and pulled her in for a kiss. She melted into my arms and I had to pull away before I mauled her. “Okay, well let’s get you home and off to work. Are you sure you should be walking around on your foot? How are you going to balance a tray and wait tables?”

  She shrugged. “I’ll figure it out. I’m pretty resourceful when I need to be. Besides, I need the shift. Bills to pay ya know?”

  I had a feeling that she did a lot of shit she shouldn’t have to just to pay the bills. That didn’t sit so well with me and I really wanted to do anything I could to help her out. I could already tell she was fiercely independent and I would have to work hard to get her to accept my help.

  “Alright, well let me give you a lift downstairs.” We walked out the door and locked up. Then, she hopped on my back and we headed back downstairs. I got her situated in the truck and she gave me directions back to her apartment. When I pulled up outside I had to hide the grimace on my face. I knew this wasn’t the best part of town, but this place was a dump. There was litter everywhere outside and junked cars in the parking lot. The building looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. I got out and helped her out of the truck. When I went to take her inside, she stopped me.

  “That’s okay. I got it from here. Thanks for the lift...off the ground. And the ride. Wrapping my foot. And taking care of the cat. And carrying me up the stairs.” I could tell this was going to keep going so I cut her off.

  “Anytime. You don’t have to keep thanking me. How about I walk you in. I want to make sure you get in safely. My mother would kill me if I didn’t at least walk you to your door.”

  With that I picked her up bridal style and started walking to the front door. I wasn’t lying. I really did want to make sure she got in safely. With her luck, she would injure her other leg getting up there or be attacked by a drug dealer. The place looked that bad.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Harper

  To say that I was embarrassed to have him see my apartment was an understatement. My own apartment was fairly clean, but the building was a disaster. I was afraid that the stair case would collapse if we were both on the same stair at the same time. I wasn’t sure what was more embarrassing, me groping him in my sleep or where I lived. I tried not to be too self-conscious of where I lived. After all, I was making it on my own and trying to do what I loved. There was no shame in that and I had to stop judging myself for where I was in life. Still, having him see this dump was a bruise on my ego.

  My dad was always trying to help me out, but I wanted to do it on my own. My mother relied on my dad to take care of her and when he didn’t provide her in the lifestyle she wanted, she left him for someone better. She was divorced from husband number two now and I was sure she was on the prowl for her next victim, sorry, husband. She wanted to be kept in luxury and she would use any man to do that. I wasn’t independent because I wanted to be a strong woman that could prove myself against the world. I just didn’t want to ever rely on someone else for my happiness and well-being.

  Not taking help from my father meant that sometimes my life was difficult. I was an aspiring writer that worked as a waitress to supplement my income. I could usually grab a cheap dinner at the restaurant and pick up cheap breakfast items. I loved to cook, but food was expensive and I was on a budget. I really only cooked once a week and I tried to make something that would get me through a few meals. It worked for me and food was easy enough to spend less on if you knew what you were doing.

  I sighed at my wayward thoughts and walked over to my mailbox to pick up the endless bills that were no doubt piling up inside. Jack, once again, carried me up the stairs and since I was on the second floor, I let him. As he set me down outside my door, another door opened down the hall and I had a sinking feeling it was my creepy neighbor.

  Great. The creepy guy is back to hit on me. Maybe he won’t try to with a big, hunky man here looking like he is going to ravage me.

  “I’ll ravage you anytime you want, sweetheart,” I felt him say behind my ear. I could feel his hot breath on my neck and I was definitely going to have to change underwear before my shift. Well, if I were wearing underwear. I ignored the fact that once again my thoughts were vocalized. It seemed to be the norm around him now and he didn’t seem to mind.

  Jack wrapped an arm around my waist and started kissing my neck. He drove me wild when he kissed me. I could feel my whole body melt into his touch.

  “Let’s send a message that your taken,” he whispered. Then he whipped me around and crushed his mouth to m
ine. He hauled me up by the waist and I immediately wrapped my legs around his waist. My arms wound around his neck and my fingers ran through the silky strands of his hair. He kissed me fervently and his tongue slid in to duel with mine. I was so turned on that my hips started grinding against him again. I needed him right now. I was never like this, but I had never connected with anyone like this before.

  His hands were latched on to my ass so I reached behind me and turned the knob to let us into my apartment and we practically fell through the door. He caught us and slammed the door shut. Then he whipped me around and slammed me into the door, his mouth on mine once again.

  I started desperately tearing at his shirt to rip it off over his head. As I pulled up, I yanked too hard and smacked him in the face. He grunted, but moved his head to allow me to finish taking it off. I reached for his belt buckle as his lips latched on to my neck. He was sucking so hard, I was sure to have a hickey. I couldn’t force my hands to work as his mouth worked its magic on my neck. My brain seemed to be malfunctioning and I couldn’t remember what I was trying to do.

  God, if he keeps doing that, I’m going to come. He sucked harder and then made his way down my neck. He set me down and ripped the sweatshirt over my head, not smacking me in the face. He stared at my breasts for a second and I thrust my chest out towards his body. It was instinctual, like my breasts were being drawn in to his body. He shoved me up against the door and started kissing his way down my chest and over the fabric of my tank top. I could feel his warm tongue on my nipple and then his whole mouth was covering it and his teeth started to nip at the peak.

  “Oh, God, Jack. Don’t stop.” I was moaning and could feel my legs start to quiver. He moved over to my other breast and then I felt his fingers slide under my shorts and start stroking my pussy. When he touched my clit, I lost all my senses and started writhing in pleasure. His name was torn from my throat as he made me come on his fingers. He continued to stroke me as I came down from my orgasm. My chest was heaving with the intensity of the pleasure I felt. I took in a shaky breath and looked up at his sexy face. He had a grin that said he knew just how hard he made me come and I couldn’t help but want to do the same for him.