Bidding on the Bachelor Read online

  “Sure,” she said, nipping at his bottom lip. But then she pulled him toward her roughly. Jasper lost his balance and they both fell to the hard floor. Luckily, he broke her fall, landing on his back with Carissa plastered on top of him.

  She didn’t waste any time. Her mouth was greedy as it devoured every inch of skin she could reach. Jasper felt helpless in the best possible way. He simply ran his hands over her curvy body as she had her way with him. When she pushed back and removed both her lacy top and the equally lacy red bra she wore underneath, Jasper’s mouth went dry.

  Damn, how could she be even more beautiful now than when they were teenagers?

  “You’re—” he began to say, but stopped when she put a finger to his lips.

  “Shhh. Don’t talk. Just touch me. Touch me everywhere.”

  Jasper was fine taking orders. Especially sexy orders that came from a half-naked woman straddling him.

  They continued kissing, touching, caressing each other as the light from the moon made its way to their spot on the floor. Somehow she managed to shuck out of her jeans. He took advantage of the time to remove his own pants and boxer briefs. When she turned back and saw that he was completely undressed, a slow, seductive smile spread over her face. A strand of hair fell over her eye and she pushed all of it back. Then she leaned down, positioning her body flush with his. The feel of skin on skin was beyond heady. She kissed him deeply, their tongues mingling.

  Everything felt so damn good. She was moving her body over his, teasing him with a preview of what was about to happen. He could feel the warmth at her center, a reminder that he needed to take care of safety first.

  Flinging his arm out to the side, he quickly located his pants. It took another minute to work his wallet out of the pocket and retrieve the condom he’d just replaced that morning.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “Of course.” And then he took her lips again.

  “Carissa,” he moaned as he flipped their positions. Looking down at her, he almost chuckled. Jasper would have never guessed the weekend was going to be like this back on Friday afternoon. But what an amazing surprise.

  She reached between his legs, wrapping her fingers around his length. The gesture made him buck up in surprise. She offered him a cocky smile. But he got the advantage back when he took her breast in his mouth, sucking and licking her swollen nipple. By the time he moved to the other breast, offering the same attention, Carissa was moaning. He knew neither of them could wait another minute longer.

  Positioning himself between her legs, Jasper took one more long look at her before entering her, filling her completely. Matching gasps escaped their mouths and Jasper leaned forward to catch her moan. Her nails sank into his back and she brought her knees up, urging him to move.

  Jasper tried to stay slow, tried to use long, languid thrusts. But it didn’t take long for him to become intoxicated by the feel of her. Surrounded by her sweet scent, the soft touch of her skin and the sensation of her limbs firmly locked around him, he was helpless to do anything but give in.

  He pushed them harder and higher. Their voices rose together as they both panted out their pleasure. Before long, he began to see stars. Jasper knew the moment she came and pressed his mouth to hers. With three final strokes, he joined her on the other side of ecstasy.

  Jasper wasn’t sure how long they lay there together, their limbs a tangled mass on the cold, unyielding floor. Their rough inhalations eventually died down and the room was filled with the contented sound of deep, heavy breathing.

  When he knew he could move again, he began running his hands up and down her arms. She let out a pleased murmur. Opening her eyes, she met his stare with those penetrating gray eyes.

  Jasper knew he could get lost in her eyes. Knew he could, and probably would, spend hours obsessing over this night. That’s why he decided to keep it light.

  “So welcome back to my place.”

  She laughed. “Nice to be here sober this time. Impressive entryway. Nice floor.” She patted the wood.

  “I’m glad I went with the hardwood. Of course, I didn’t exactly have this in mind when I picked it. Had I known you’d show up again, I might’ve chosen a softer material.”

  “Maybe next time I can see the bedroom.”

  “Got hardwood in there, too.”

  She punched his shoulder and he leaned down for another long, sultry kiss. When he lifted his head, he noticed an expression on her face he’d never seen before. “What’s going on in there?” he asked, tapping a finger against her head.

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “Probably not. But tell me anyway.”

  She bit her lip, stalling for time. When she finally spoke, she said, “I’m happy.”

  Her words did more to his ego than closing any business deal ever could. His eyebrow arched. “Really?”

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve said that. So thank you.”

  “Come on.” He reared back onto his feet, grabbed her hands, and pulled her up.

  “Jasp, what are you—”

  He cut her off with a long kiss. When her body went soft, he scooped her up in his arms, satisfied at the sound of a very feminine sigh.

  “I think it’s time for a proper tour.”

  She cupped his cheek in a gesture that was sweet and somewhat out of character. “I’d like that. Hopefully the tour will start with the bedroom.”

  “Honey, it starts, stays and ends with the bedroom.”

  She laughed. “My kind of tour.”

  With that, he walked them into the bedroom, where they remained the rest of the night. All of those questions and insecurities staying outside the partially closed door. For now.

  Chapter Ten

  Time is flying, my friends. It’s officially autumn, a time for bonfires, football games and candy corn. Apparently, it’s also a time for new relationships, because Carissa Blackwell and Jasper Dumont have become inseparable. Just like old times. Hopefully, nothing can break them up again...

  Carissa wasn’t superstitious, but she was cautious. And realistic. So to say that her life had been perfect lately was definitely a bit overzealous. However, even she could admit that things had been going well.

  September ended and she couldn’t believe it was October already. Then again, she’d been so busy it wasn’t that surprising.

  She’d catered the bridal shower for Mrs. Reynolds’s daughter to fantastic reviews. When she was asked to cater the wedding in January, Carissa thought she would weep. But she kept it together, stayed professional.

  Despite the Bayside Blogger’s continued references to her in her daily column, no one in Bayside seemed to care much. And she hadn’t been questioned again on her references or experience. She was actually making a name for herself.

  In the meantime, she’d picked up other jobs here and there, including her first ladies’ night at Victoria’s Attic. It had gone well and she already had a ton of ideas for the next one. She definitely put extra energy into that event since it was still her only repeat customer. That meant a lot to her.

  Other than work, she’d been hanging with Elle and Riley. It was nice to have girlfriends to go to the movies with, have drinks, share laughs. She realized that friends were another thing she’d missed during her marriage. All of her “friends” had been Preston’s, and even when they did hang out it was to attend charity events and fund-raisers. Also, just like Preston, they’d been dullsville.

  And then there was the opposite of dullsville. There was Jasper. Talk about excitement and fun and spontaneity. She sat back on the porch steps where she was waiting for him. He’d called earlier to say he had a big surprise for her.

  She bit her lip as she considered. Two weeks ago he’d taken her to a concert where they’d danced and sung along all night. Last we
ek he’d surprised her with a really amazing bottle of red wine. She licked her lips just remembering it.

  But he wasn’t the only one with the surprises. She baked for him constantly. The way to a man’s heart really was through his stomach. She’d even come up with a recipe where she used The Brewside’s coffee in a decadent chocolate cookie. His response to that one had been orgasmic. Literally, she thought with a grin, remembering the end of that particular night. It was safe to say their relationship was going well.

  Their relationship. She sucked in a quick breath of air. When had it become a relationship? Maybe somewhere between the passionate nights they spent together and all of the places they went together.

  They had a standing date every morning at The Brewside. She had to admit she looked forward to that short time with him. They’d have coffee, share a goody from the bakery display and talk about what they each had planned for the day. Then he’d buy a beverage for his assistant and they’d both go on their way.

  What a simple routine. Simple, but meaningful. And exactly like a relationship. Her stomach tensed as a wave of panic hit her in the gut.

  She wasn’t ready for a relationship. She’d only been divorced a matter of months. She needed to wait... Carissa let that thought trail off as she chewed on a fingernail. Preston sure hadn’t waited for the ink to dry. Besides, it wasn’t like there was some definite amount of time set in stone that one had to wait before embarking on a new relationship again.

  Relationship. There was that word again. That word that evoked feelings of trust and hope and love. All emotions that could be taken away in a flash. Isn’t that what happened with Preston? Wasn’t that what had happened with her father?

  It seemed like every time she opened her heart to a man it was crushed. Well, except for one man. In that case, she’d done the crushing. And what if this time around, Jasper broke her heart? Being disappointed by Preston was one thing. But she didn’t know if she could bounce back from Jasper.

  Speak of the devil. Jasper’s car came to a stop at the end of the driveway just then. He hopped out and walked to her, looking like some kind of Greek god out for a late-afternoon stroll.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” he called.

  She stood up and closed the distance between them. “Are we in a relationship?” she blurted.

  * * *

  Jasper worked hard to make sure his smile didn’t fade. It wasn’t the words that came out of her mouth that caused it to falter, but more the emotion behind her question. The way her face tensed up and her eyes narrowed.

  He’d loved getting closer to Carissa since she’d returned to town. While there were so many familiar things he remembered from high school, they’d both grown up. For better or worse, they were different people, and learning all of the new Carissa quirks was fun and exciting, too.

  But in all of that time of reconnecting, Jasper had not been oblivious to the fact that she had issues to work through. He tried to give her the space to do that. Today, he wasn’t sure where this question had come from, so he proceeded with caution.

  “Well,” he began, “we seem to spend a lot of time together.”

  She nodded. “True, but not all the time. I mean, we each have our own friends.”

  He was bemused by her statement. “Of course we do. We have some friends in common, too.”

  “Well, yeah. But what else?”

  He considered this for a moment. “We’re sleeping together.”

  “But that doesn’t always translate to a relationship,” she said.

  “Maybe not, but I don’t sleep with more than one person at a time.”

  “Me neither. So...we’re sleeping together and we hang out a lot and...” She trailed off, looking down at the ground.

  “Carissa,” Jasper said, using his index finger to guide her head back up so she would look him in the eyes. “We’re in a relationship.” Then he drew her to him and kissed the living daylights out of her.

  When they came up for air, he had to take a moment to collect himself. He’d kissed this woman thousands of times over the years and yet each time felt like the first.

  “Car, we don’t have to be in a super-serious, heading-to-the-altar kind of relationship. But to answer your initial question, yes, we are in a relationship.”

  “I want to build my company,” she said, her lips swollen from their kiss.

  Jasper raised an amused eyebrow at this statement. “Who’s stopping you? And anyway, I have something to show you that might help with that company.”

  It was her turn to raise her brow. “Oh really, is this my surprise?”

  “Yep.” He leaned over and kissed her again. “Want to take a ride?”

  He started walking toward the car before she could say yes. Carissa reached for his hand and tugged him back to her. Then she pressed her lips to his, gently, reverently. The softness of the kiss hit him right in the gut.

  “Not that I mind,” he said when they were done. “But what was that for?”

  “’Cause that’s what people do when they’re in a relationship.” He couldn’t stop a grin from spreading, and then she punched him in the arm. “But not a super-serious relationship.”

  He wisely changed the subject as they got in his car and drove away. “How’s Aunt Val?”

  “Great, as usual. She’s in Spain now.”

  Jasper drove through the center of town and out toward the outskirts. “No doubt she’s drinking too much sangria and causing all kinds of raucous trouble.”

  “No doubt,” Carissa agreed.

  They listened to the radio, both singing along to a song that was popular during their senior year of high school, until Jasper turned onto a tree-lined street.

  “Oak Avenue,” she said. “What are we doing here? You want to go shopping at Victoria’s Attic?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Because I wouldn’t mind that.”

  “I think I’ll leave the shopping to you.” Jasper threw the car into Park and hopped out. Then he came to her side and opened her door. Carissa got out, gave another look at Victoria’s Attic, and then arched her eyebrow in question.

  “Spill. What’s going on?”

  His grin was fast and devastating. “I have made one of the best deals of my career.” He made a sweeping arm gesture to include the building.

  Carissa waited patiently. “More details, please. Because right now I’m looking at a big building.”

  “A big building that won’t be here next month.”

  Jasper could barely contain his excitement. He’d been working day and night on this deal. There were a lot of moving parts, a lot of people this affected.

  The board had been putting on the pressure for him to accept the adult entertainment shop, but it had felt wrong. When he first started dropping hints he was thinking of a bookstore, he’d gotten some expected pushback.

  But he’d kept working on the proposal until the board had seen the benefit to Bayside. Jasper was offering multiple businesses and more jobs to the local economy than one racy shop. His plan housed a bookstore with both the latest publications and a nod to his favorite high school hangout with a robust used section. There would be an adjacent event space. And his favorite part, a café.

  All day, he’d been dying to tell Carissa. A café would offer her steady employment, yet she could still do her catering jobs. She could set her own hours, hire an employee or two.

  Carissa was taking in the building. “Wh...where’s it going? Oh no, the sexy adult shop?”

  “No lingerie. I’m tearing down the building,” he said gleefully. “Gone, kaput, dust and rubble.”

  “What’s going to happen to the businesses here? Victoria’s Attic and that liquor store,” she asked in a quiet voice.

  “Gone.”

  “Are they moving somewhere else?”

 
That was an odd question. “Not that I know of. Victoria’s Attic is closing permanently. See?” He pointed to a sign on the door.

  Carissa walked closer to read it. Final Sale, Everything Must Go, Jasper read from where he stood.

  She whirled back to Jasper. “They’re closing?”

  “Yep,” he said proudly. “You are looking at the future home of the Bookworm.”

  She responded with a blank expression.

  He grabbed her hands and squeezed. “Car, remember that old used bookstore we used to hang out at all the time in high school? I’m going to open one just like it.”

  “Sure. But what do you know about running a bookstore?”

  He chuckled. “Not a lot. But I won’t be running it. I’ll find someone to do that. I know it’s risky. But I think I can make this work. New and used books, access to online sites, rooms for students to meet and study, and a whole event space next door. Plus, the best part.” He paused for dramatic effect. “A café that serves killer food.”

  He waited, holding his breath. But she didn’t say anything. Didn’t jump into his arms and kiss him. Didn’t say thank you.

  Jasper dropped his hands. “But first we need to do a massive renovation because the structure is a mess.”

  She remained silent, so he started rambling. “This idea met with some resistance at first, but now it’s made everyone happy.”

  Stepping back, she aimed him with a level gaze. “Everyone?”

  He wasn’t sure what was going on in her head. “What’s wrong, Car?”

  Shaking her head, she stepped to him, placed a palm against his cheek and offered a small smile. “I’m happy for you, Jasp. This is an interesting idea and I definitely like it more than that adult shop.” She scrunched up her nose.

  “But?” he guessed.

  “I don’t mean to rain on your parade or make this about me, but I’m just a little disappointed.”

  Not what he’d been expecting her to say. “Babe, why?”