Jason (Blue Halo Book 2)

“Iactually stepped into the freezer the other day.” It was scary as hell but she’d done it, and she’d been so dang proud of herself.

Grace’s lips tugged into a smile. They sat opposite each other in the patient room at McKenna Counseling.

“That’s amazing, Courtney. What did you feel when you stepped in there?”

This was their fifth session together, and Courtney was already feeling good about her progress. She’d thought that it might be hard to work with Grace, with them being friends and all, but it wasn’t. The woman was good at her job.

“At first, I felt like I was about to lose my breath. My heart started to beat faster, but I put my hand to my chest like we practiced, and I took deep breaths. I reminded myself that I was safe. That I could leave the freezer anytime I wanted and I wasn’t stuck. I was in control.”

That was something that Grace had helped her understand. That her fear wasn’t just about being in a small space, it was about being stuck in a small space. Kieran, the guy who had shoved her in that freezer, had zip-tied the door closed. She hadn’t known if she was going to freeze to death beside a corpse before she was found.

“And that helped the panic subside?”

“Yes. I was able to go in, get what I needed, and leave. I was only in there for a few seconds, but…”

Grace leaned forward. “Don’t downplay your progress, Courtney. You did something that a week ago you couldn’t. And you did that because you’ve made your recovery a priority. You’re putting in the work.”

God, she loved this woman. “You’re right. I’m badass.”

“Yeah, you are.” Grace closed the laptop. “Well done. Should we do the same time on Thursday?”

Courtney stood, already feeling better than when she’d entered. It seemed a regular occurrence for these sessions. She swore Grace had magic powers or something. “Definitely. And coffee at The Grind tomorrow. No claustrophobia talk.”

Grace chuckled, moving around the desk and hugging her before whispering into her ear, “You’re doing so well.”

Courtney hugged her friend back. “Thank you.”

Walking out of the room, she met Flynn beside the door and they headed out together.

“Good session?”

It was almost comedic that the guys always asked her that. They could hear the session just fine. She knew it. They knew it. But everyone pretended that wasn’t the case.

“Grace is a magic worker. We may as well give her a wand and call her Hermione.”

“Harry Potter?”

Courtney gaped at him, almost stumbling over her own feet. “That was really a statement, right, not a question? Because everyone knows who Hermione is.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Good Lord. This boy needed some education. Or just a few movie nights. What else had his childhood been deprived of? “I think you need to get your butt home and watch some Harry Potter tonight.”

“Can’t tonight. I’m visiting Mom. Although, there’s always the chance she’ll watch it with me.”

Her smile slipped. His mother had dementia and was the reason his team had moved to Cradle Mountain. Apparently, she barely left her house, and Courtney had never met her.

“How is she?”

“Yesterday, I got there before her caregiver and found raw chicken in the microwave. I don’t know how long it had been there, but it was room temperature.” He shook his head. “It’s getting worse. I hate that one day she won’t remember me.”

She gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

He dipped his head.

She tried to keep the rest of the conversation light. When they reached Blue Halo, she went straight to the kitchen. She’d barely eaten that day and had her session with Jason coming up. There was no way she could do it without sustenance. Heck, even on a fully nourished day, the man exhausted her.

He’d scheduled it for after hours, just the way Courtney liked it. No one would hear her heavy elephant breaths near the end of her session. No one but Jason.

Man, it was a wonder the guy was still attracted to her.

The second she tugged open the fridge door, she saw it. Chocolate cake and milk.

Hell yeah. That was the energy food her body needed.

A small part of her brain said that maybe she should go for the carrot sticks in the container beside the cake, but she shut that voice out. That part of her brain was small for a reason.

Courtney was turning away from the fridge, cake and milk in hand, when a gigantic figure appeared right in front of her. She yelped, both items flying from her hands. She stumbled back a step, her foot slipping on the milk that had crashed to the floor.

With lightning reflexes, Jason grabbed the cake before it hit him then lunged for her, spinning them around so that instead of landing on hard, wet floor, she landed on him.

They didn’t stay that way for long. Almost as soon as they were down, Jason flipped them over, the cake miraculously disappearing from his hand. Fortunately, the section of floor he’d flipped her onto wasn’t wet.

When he looked down at her, he wasn’t happy. “Really? After all our sessions, your response to a man surprising you is to throw cake in his face?”

Courtney’s hand went to her chest. “Just give me a minute while I learn how to breathe again.”

One brow lifted. “If I were the bad guy, you wouldn’t get a second, much less a minute.”

She tilted her head. “You’re not the bad guy.” Hang on a sec, he didn’t… “Did you sneak up on me on purpose?”

Because if he had…

“No.”

Hm. She didn’t know if she believed him or not. But she also didn’t hate the way his body was pressed against hers.

A noise down the hall snapped her back to reality. Anyone could pop in. “Okay, I’m ready to get up now.”

“So, get up.” He remained perfectly still above her. Didn’t move a single muscle.

She pushed her hips, tiny beads of awareness shooting through her system at the contact. “Jason…”

His mouth went to her ear, nipping. More toe-curling awareness. Desire. Heat. “Make me.” His words were almost a challenge, his breath like hot lava traveling from her cheek to her core.

The man wanted her to remember how to flip an attacker off her while she was under him? Lord, give her strength, because there was a good chance she’d remember squat.

“Jason, I’m not playing around.” She tried to push him again. He was like a big old rock.

One of his hands trailed down to her breast, thumb grazing over her nipple.

She gasped.

“I’d do it soon, darlin’. Anyone could walk in right now.”

He nipped her ear again. Another shot of fire.

Gritting her teeth and ignoring the storm of desire zipping from her breast to her core, she tried to recall the sequence of movements he’d shown her. They’d just practiced it the other day. But her brain hadn’t been mush then. Or maybe it had, and that’s why she didn’t remember.

What had he said? Wrap an arm around the waist…?

More flicking of his thumb. Her spine trembled.

“Tick tock,” he whispered.

The hand finally left her breast. She almost breathed a sigh of relief. But then he moved it to the base of her shirt, creeping up. Ah, crap.

Think, Courtney.

Closing her eyes, she forced herself to remember his instructions. Lean forward. Wrap one arm around the attacker’s waist and the other around their shoulder. Drive the knee and hip up, then swing over.

Okay. Got it.

His hand was almost at her bra. Crap.

She locked it down, opened her eyes and concentrated. Then she did it. Executed those same moves, exactly as he’d taught her.

Leaning forward, she wrapped one arm around his waist and the other around his shoulder, and she drove her knee and hip up, swinging them over.

A smile a mile wide stretched across her lips as she looked down at him.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew he’d only rolled because he’d chosen to. Because she’d done what he taught her. But still, had he been a normal man, there was a very real chance she would have moved him. Or at least jolted him to the side. She wouldn’t be going down without a fight.

“Gotcha.”

His smile wasn’t quite as wide, but the way he looked at her was… intense. “You do.”

Courtney threw another punch. Again, it was blocked. Extremely easily.

“I don’t think I’m making any progress.” In fact, it was entirely possible she was regressing from exhaustion.

After Jason’s quick shower to clean off the milk, they’d gotten straight to the session. How long had they been at it now? Hours? It had to be because it sure as heck felt like it.

Jason’s hands dropped. “Tired?”

“No. Exhausted.”

One side of his lips tilted up. He stepped closer, taking her by the shoulders and turning her. Then he began to knead her tired muscles.

Her eyes fluttered closed. A groan that she should probably be embarrassed about dribbled from her lips.

Oh, sweet Jesus, the bliss.

His breath brushed her neck, and a small shiver rocked her spine. “It’s when you’re most tired that you need to hit the hardest.”

It took her replaying his words in her head a couple of times before they made sense. The bliss of his hands on her sore muscles was sucking up her attention like a sponge. “Jason, my shoulders are on fire. I can barely lift my arms.”

He pressed a kiss to her neck. “If you’re tired, imagine how your opponent feels. It becomes more of a mental battle than a physical one.”

She snorted. “If my opponent has a hundred pounds of muscle and stands a head taller, then it’s probably still a physical battle.”

His hands trailed down and began to massage her upper arms. Pure. Heaven. “Then fighting through the exhaustion becomes even more important for you. It becomes survival.”

The idea of ever actually being put in that position was kind of terrifying. “Let’s hope it never comes to that.”

Another kiss, this time pressed to her neck. She threw a hand back, hitting him playfully. “Jason…”

He sighed. “Remember the days when you barely looked at me? Now you’re hitting me. And you can’t take your eyes off me.”

She spun in his arms. “That’s because I thought you were a big deal back then. And can’t take my eyes off you?” She giggled, attempting to duck out of his arms. He was too fast, flinging them around. She remained on her feet but he caged her to the wall.

“You don’t think I’m a big deal anymore?” He took a half step closer.

“Okay, so maybe I think you’re kind of a big deal.”

But that was it. She wasn’t admitting to anything else.

His mouth hovered over hers, his breath searing her lips. “You’re kind of a big deal to me too.”

“I don’t think there’s any ‘kind of’ about it.”

The smile vanished, his eyes darkening ten shades, filling with heat. Passion. Possession. “There really isn’t.”

She couldn’t stop herself—she lifted to her toes, kissing him. He dove straight in, tongue swiping inside her mouth, causing liquid heat to pool in her abdomen. One of his hands went to the back of her neck, his hold firm but gentle. His intoxicating scent surrounded her.

Her breasts ached with the need to be touched. Attended to.

Like she’d spoken her needs out loud, his other hand traveled down, slipping beneath her shirt and inside her bra, a thumb grazing against her nipple.

Courtney whimpered against his lips, her back arching, urging him closer. Her senses were in overdrive. Every part of her consumed—mind, body and soul. Desperate, she tangled her fingers in his hair, tugging and pulling harder with every flick of his thumb against her peak.

He growled deep in his throat. “We should stop.” The words sounded torn from his chest between kisses.

“No. We definitely shouldn’t.” There was a good chance she’d combust right there and then if he pulled away.

Reaching down his body, she snuck a hand inside his shorts and briefs, wrapping her fingers around his thickness.

God, he was already so hard.

His hand stilled on her breast, his entire body tensing. Was the man even breathing?

A grin tugged at her lips as she started to move her hand, sliding it up and down his length. Stroking. Massaging.

His breath shuddered on her cheek. “Courtney…”

There was plenty of warning in his voice.

She ignored it, tightening her hold on him. Quickening her pace.

A growl was the only hint of his intentions before she was tugged off her feet, shirt yanked up, bra pulled down, and his lips latched around her nipple.

Courtney’s head flew back, the most delicious bliss sweeping through her limbs. Her body urged her to move against him. Grind against him as he nipped and sucked at the pebbled bud.

Her entire body trembled when he jerked down the other side of her bra. Then he switched, torturing that breast in the same way he had the first.

“If we’re stopping,” he said in short bursts of breath, “then you need to tell me now.”

She would rather saw off her right arm than have the man stop what he was doing to her. She wriggled her body, wishing she could reach the part of him she craved to touch.

“Not stopping.” Not slowing. Not anything involving losing what she felt right now.

The words were a gasp as his tongue continued to play with her. His chuckle was like a vibrator against her sensitive skin.

He lifted his head, but only long enough to remove the top and bra. Then he was back with her.

At the feel of his fingers dipping inside her shorts, she went still. Then they slid beneath the thin material covering her. The second his rough, warm finger ran across her clit, her heart jackhammered against her ribs. Then he was moving. Swiping up and down her core, his mouth continuing to work her nipple.

A throbbing need built, consuming her.

Her cries were loud, guttural. “Jason, please, I need you.”

“Soon, baby.”

She wanted to protest, until a thick finger slid deep inside her.

Pleasure swamped her and Courtney nearly screamed. She dug her nails into Jason’s back, seeking an anchor, and hoped she wasn’t drawing blood.

His finger moved in and out in a slow, torturous rhythm. Wet heat engulfed her core. Her eyes threatened to roll back in her head.

Jason surrounded her, heating every inch of her body.

When he inserted a second finger, desire rippled through her, almost tipping her over the edge. She couldn’t think. Could barely function.

“Jason.” This time, his name was a desperate growl.

Suddenly, he withdrew his fingers and lifted his head. She wanted to cry out when her feet landed on the floor.

In seconds, he rid both of them of their clothes, then she was in his arms again, the hardness of the wall against her back, his chest to her front.

She felt him at her entrance, big and hard and hot, but he didn’t move.

He kissed her cheek lightly. Then her ear. “I love you.”

Her heart sang. “I love you, too.” So dang much.

The words had barely left her lips when he plunged inside her, impaling her in one thrust.

She moaned deeply, at the edge of the precipice there and then. He pulled back, then thrust back in. He did it again. And again.

Desire, hot and thick, pooled in her lower stomach.

His mouth returned to hers. Their tongues dueled as they tasted each other. As his thrusts grew faster. Harder. Deeper.

He nipped her bottom lip and slid one hand to her breast. Lightly pinched the nipple. Sensation stabbed through her.

Her breathing altered, stopped for just a second before she exploded. The orgasm tore through her entire body, causing her to tremble and jolt in his arms.

Jason pumped another two times, then he tensed, his deep growl all she heard, all she ever wanted to hear, as he pulsed inside her.