Jersey Six - Jewel E Ann Page 0,38

ragged breath, feeling intoxicated, willingly drugged by the way he looked at her in silence, she slowly blinked.

Slowly, like the way he rubbed her against him.

Slowly, like the hypnotic dance of a serpent.

Slowly, like unearthing the truth.

Time paused as it always did when Jersey let herself fall and surrender to achieve something greater than a moment. A small trade in a much bigger game. A single line of a long story.

Again, he rocked her pelvis against his erection.

Again, the denim teased the satin.

Again, she blinked heavily.

Her tangled thoughts fought to break free, to comprehend the stolen moment.

Control slipped. She needed to take it back, but she couldn’t because the lie felt too good. It poisoned her mind and manipulated her body.

Before long, that body took over. Jersey didn’t need him to guide her. She did it all on her own. Her eyes glossed over as her jaw dropped another inch. And with a final jerk of her pelvis, she stilled, pressing hard against him. Wave after wave of pleasure surged through her. Jersey’s strong hands dug at the leather, and her head dropped to Ian’s neck. She moaned, biting and sucking his skin to keep from waking Max and Shane. It felt so intense, bordering on pain.

Jersey liked pain.

When her breath evened out and her hands unclenched from the back of the sofa, Jersey lifted her head, hair matted to her face. Ian’s hands slid from her backside, resting again on the sofa.

No words.

No emotion on his face.

Nothing.

The truth she sought remained buried in the man—a stone-cold crypt with no entrance. She would have to break in, chip away at it until it cracked, until he cracked.

Easing off him one leg at a time, Jersey pulled on her jeans, socks, and shoes. While sliding the knife back into her sock, she stared at the wet spot she left on his jeans. He stared at her.

Jersey dropped into the chair. Then Ian folded his hands on his lap, tipped his head back, and closed his eyes. It felt like mere minutes before they landed. By the time she managed to peel open her eyes, the only other person left on the plane was Max with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl pinned to her face.

“What time is it?” Jersey mumbled, pulling her tired ass out of the leather seat. The only light she could see out the window was from a vehicle parked near the plane. “What?” She rubbed her eyes when Max refused to move out of her way.

“In five hours, Ian has a live televised interview with a morning show.”

Jersey squinted against the overhead, fully illuminated lights. “Okay. Whatever.”

“He’s not a turtleneck guy, and I’ve never seen him wear a scarf. It’s not his look. If we try to change his look too much, it will distract from the promotion of the album and tour.”

“Jesus …” Jersey sighed. “Can we just find a place to crash for a few hours? I don’t give a shit what you decide to do with Ian’s look. Why are we having this conversation?”

“Because he has a massive hickey with bite marks on his neck that wasn’t there when he boarded the plane. I went to sleep, and as far as my husband has shared with me, I don’t unknowingly suck and bite people’s skin at night. Shane just got married to a woman, so I didn’t even question him about it. The pilot stayed glued to his seat, and Eve, the attendant, didn’t fly with us tonight. See where I’m going with this?”

Another sigh escaped Jersey’s hickey-giving mouth. “It won’t happen again.”

Max shook her head, lips pulled into a firm line. “I can’t ask him this, but I’m sure as hell going to ask you … did you two use a condom? It’s usually something I provide while picking up miscellaneous things for him, but he didn’t make a request, which makes me think this wasn’t planned. And there are a lot of unplanned people walking this earth.”

“We didn’t have sex.”

Max narrowed her eyes, disbelief radiating from her entire body.

“We didn’t.” Jersey forced herself to look Max in the eye, in spite of the lights burning a layer of her corneas.

When Max seemed satisfied, albeit still pissed off, she pivoted and exited the plane. Shane waited by the vehicle with the back door and the front passenger door open. Max hopped into the front, and Jersey climbed into the backseat.

Ian eyed her briefly, again with no expression or hint of