Between Floors

"Wait up! Hey, come on, hold the door!"

Hell

no...

Sharing a ride down in the elevator with Jake was the last thing in the world Kayla wanted to do. She stabbed at the buttons, deliberately pressing them all bar the one at the bottom depicting two arrows pointing away from each other. But the elevator doors remained firmly open. Damn it, nothing was going to work in time, especially now he'd broken into a run.

"Thank you," he said as he ducked inside the car, the sarcasm obvious in his tone. "Appreciate it."

He knew full well she hadn't wanted to share, she thought bitterly, just as the doors finally drifted closed.

For a moment there was silence, the sudden movement downwards making Kayla's stomach lurch.

"Liam looked well, didn't he? Fatherhood suits him."

The sound of Jake's deep voice made all the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. God, she hated him so.

"He looked great," she agreed tersely. But then she had to agree, didn't she? She'd never seen her brother looking so happy. Newborn baby, beautiful wife—who, within mere days of giving birth, already appeared to be in a pair of jeans a couple of sizes smaller than her own.

Bitch

, she thought, without really meaning it. Some people were just born lucky. Unlike her. Oh no, there was nothing lucky about being Kayla Barnes. Trust her to visit her new niece at exactly the same time as her brother's best friend, an individual she'd hated since they'd first met in junior high.

"So what are you doing these days?" he asked conversationally, as though he had every right to ask. "Heard you finally dumped that loser, Michael."

"I really don't think that's any of your business, is it?"

To her infuriation, she could see his slow grin reflected in the mirror on the back wall. "Just making small talk," he said with a careless shrug. "Like you do, sometimes."

"Well, I don't," she snapped back. "So kindly shut up and leave me— Jesus!" She sprang towards the hand rail when the car jerked violently, the floor juddering beneath them. There was an ominous sound of squealing hydraulics as the elevator ground to a halt. "What the fuck?"

Jake glanced up at the blank LED display above the doors. "Well, I'm no expert," he said, still in that slow drawl that had annoyed her for years, "but I'd say we're stuck."

"Stuck?" Kayla stared at him in dismay. "What do you mean, stuck?"

"I mean," he said, as though she remained the kid she'd been when they'd first met, "stuck. As in, we're going nowhere fast. As in, this elevator is currently between floors."

"No!" She darted across to the control panel. "It

can't

be stuck. This is a brand new building. This is a brand new elevator!"

"I'm figuring it maybe didn't like that you pressed so many buttons," Jake said with a grin. "I'm guessing the reason we're stuck is because you just confused the hell out of the darned thing."

"Me?" She glared at him, angered by his enjoyment of her despair. "This is my fault? Look, if you hadn't insisted on making me hold the elevator, this wouldn't have happened. If you hadn't insisted on getting in this car with me, this wouldn't have happened. I'd be down at the bottom by now."

Instead of being somewhere between ground and the twentieth floor. How far up were they still?

"This is all your fault," she finished weakly.

He sighed then, giving a shake of his dark, tousled head. "Of course it is," he said quietly. "It always was, wasn't it?"

Ouch. "And what's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, attempting to ignore that irritating prickle of conscience.

"You know damn well what it means," he countered, seemingly unperturbed by the anger in her tone. "How long you gonna make me pay, Kayla? How long am I gonna have to suffer?"

"Suffer?" she repeated incredulously, before shaking her head with a groan. "Oh, shut up! Just shut the fuck up. We've gotta get out of here. There's an alarm, right?" She swung back around to inspect the control panel. "There must be an alarm."

Jake strode across the small car, batted her hand away and pushed a button with a symbol of a bell upon it.

Kayla listened then spun around on her heel to face him. "I can't hear anything," she accused, as though that was somehow his fault too.

He appeared unconcerned. "Me either." As he pushed it again, his shoulder brushed against hers, sending a shower of sparks zinging down her spine. "Nope," he conceded after another few moments. "Definitely no ringing noises. Maybe they forgot to connect it up."

"What?" She gazed at him, aghast. "Forgot to connect it up? But—but how the hell will anyone know we're stuck in here? How the hell will anyone know that they need to get us out?" And with that, she leaned forward and hammered on the doors with her fists. "Help!" she bellowed, so loudly it hurt the back of her throat. "Is there anyone there? We're in the elevator! We're stuck in the elevator!"

Jake made no attempt to help, instead, to her infuriation, crossing his arms and watching her with obvious amusement.

"What are you doing? Shout with me!" she begged, aware her heart was beating faster now. "Maybe if we both shout...?"

"Who's gonna hear?" he replied calmly. "Kayla, this apartment block's half-empty. More than half-empty. It's ten in the morning. Most people are out at work. No one's gonna hear."

"Are you kidding me? For fuck's sake..." And turning, she lifted her voice, this time shouting up at the ceiling. "Hello? Can anyone hear me? We're stuck in the elevator! Help! Please help? We're stuck in the—

mmph

!"

So intent had she been on shouting, she hadn't seen Jake approach, so that when he captured her mouth with his own, she was taken completely by surprise. His kiss was hard, but his lips unexpectedly soft and pliant, his tongue immediately taking advantage of her startled gasp and sweeping into her mouth, kissing her so deeply, so thoroughly, there was nothing she could do to resist.

When he finally let her up for air, Kayla was livid. Without considering the consequences for even a second, her fist flew up into the air. But just as she swung it towards his cheek, Jake ducked, her clenched fingers instead colliding with the metal interior of the elevator.

"Fuck!" she yelped, as pain, white hot, seared through her fingers and traveled as far as her wrist. "You bastard! How dare you? How dare you—?"

Before she could finish her diatribe, Jake's mouth was again on hers, masterfully swallowing her howl of protest. And this time, it wasn't just his mouth that took control. This time, his arms swept around her, scooping her against him, molding her soft curves against the hard planes of his body, his hands sliding lower, cupping her ass.

This time when he let her up for air, Kayla found herself utterly incapable of speech.

He grinned then, his whole face lighting, a flash of something she'd never seen there before making his eyes glint with a curious intensity. "Cat got your tongue?" he taunted, his arms still holding her to him, the very obvious evidence of his arousal now pressing in against her belly. "God, you smell good. What is it, that perfume you always wear?"

She blinked up at him, still too outraged to speak.

His grin broadened. "What, I've finally managed to shut you up?" he said with a laugh. "Who knew? All this time, all I needed to do was kiss you, and I'd have you looking up at me like this?"

"Like what?" she got out at last, mesmerized by that look in his dark eyes, still completely at his mercy, bound so tightly by those muscular arms.

"Like you've always wanted me to do this."

And with that, he did it again, his lips claiming hers for another soul-searching kiss.

God, he was good, Kayla thought, her eyes slamming closed.

This

was good. And so wrong... "We can't do this," she managed to mumble between the brushes of his talented mouth. "I promised..."

At that, Jake lifted his head, laughing openly. "Oh no," he teased, his hands still splayed across her rear, branding her with their heat. "You're kidding me, right? We can't do this because you promised—hmm, let me guess. Because you promised your best friend Angela you'd never go out with me?"

She stared up at him, feeling foolish. He was mocking her? "A promise is a promise."

"Yeah." Jake gave a soft snort. "'Cept you were fifteen when you made that promise, Kayla. That was ten years ago, for fuck's sake."

"You dumped her!"

"Because I wanted

you

."

She felt her eyes widen. "What?"

"But I guess I should've told you that first, huh?" Jake was still grinning. "As it was, none of your little gang would come anywhere near me after that, would you? Betcha made a little voodoo doll of me and stuck pins in it, didn't ya?"

This was so uncomfortably close to the truth Kayla felt a rush of heat flooding into her face. "It wouldn't have made any difference," she said defensively. "I never fancied you anyway."

"Oh really?" And as if he was determined to prove he knew that wasn't the truth, Jake kissed her again.

"Fuck, you even taste good," he muttered before deepening the kiss again, his tongue seeking out her own, stroking, swirling, until Kayla was dizzy with pleasure. She could feel her pussy contracting in rhythm with each pass of his tongue and as he hitched up her short skirt, moisture began pooling between her legs, soaking her cotton panties. "Tell me you don't want me now," he demanded, fingers rising upwards, skimming her inner thighs, almost, but not quite, touching her where she suddenly ached to be touched. "Tell me you don't want me to do this."

She couldn't. Not even if her life depended on it. "Jake..."

"You don't want me to kiss you again, huh? Don't want me to touch you—

here

?"

"Oh God!" she wailed as his finger slid beneath the elastic, testing her, gliding easily through the slickness he discovered there. "But we can't!"

Once again, he chuckled. "My oh my, Kayla Barnes. We can't?" He added a second finger, making her gasp as he twirled it around her hardening clit. "Because you promised?"

"No." Jesus, how was he doing this? She was already on the verge of coming—and coming hard. "The elevator," she got out, finding it ridiculously difficult to form a coherent sentence. "Might—might move."

"And we might get caught? Fuck, that's hot." He groaned, his free hand squeezing her ass cheek. "Can you picture that?"

Kayla could. And to her greater astonishment, was just as turned on by the idea as he appeared to be. "Jake..."

"Turn around," he murmured, twisting her before she had a chance to acquiesce. "Watch yourself. Watch me make you come."

"

What

?"

But she hadn't really needed to ask. There they were, reflected in the floor to ceiling mirror, Kayla helplessly flushed, skirt bunched up around her waist, and Jake pressed right up against her, one hand slowly working at the buttons of her blouse, the other trailing up over the front of her panties. She watched in fascinated silence as his fingers delved beneath the waistband, then gasped anew as they sank lower, sliding deep into her sopping pussy.

"Wet," he growled in her ear as he yanked her panties down, revealing a patch of sodden dark curls, "So wet—and all for me. God, Kayla..." He groaned as if he too experienced the pleasure of his caressing fingers, as though he too was being aroused beyond the point of no return. Maybe he was. She could feel his erection against her ass, straining against the confines of his jeans, and suddenly, much though she wanted him to complete his mission, much though she wanted him to carry on rubbing and stroking, tickling and teasing, she wanted to know just how perfect it would feel to have his cock there instead.

"Jake." She wiggled her ass against him, crying out as she inadvertently increased the pressure of his exploring fingers. "I want you. Inside me."

"Not yet." He spoke soothingly, seeming to understand her inner torment. In the mirror, she watched as he kissed her neck, watched herself quiver as he continued to caress her, watched as the fingers of his other hand finally flicked open the top button, all illuminated by the slightly eerie blue-yellow light above their heads. "Beautiful," he pronounced, opening her blouse, exposing her lacy balcony bra. "Jesus, Kayla. Just look at you."

She

was

looking, but truth be told, it was becoming difficult to focus. A wash of pure pleasure was rising fast, the pressure in her pussy deepening, broadening, until it felt as though the whole of her lower body was filling with molten lava.

Maybe it was because she was watching herself, maybe it was because it was Jake doing this, because it was Jake making her feel this way—whatever it was, Kayla was suddenly aware she was about to have the orgasm of her life. As his free hand slid into her bra, seeking out then strumming her left nipple, the fingers of his other hand began dipping inside her, working deeper and deeper each time. And when he started to brush the pad of his thumb over her clit in sync with each thrust, Kayla could hold out no longer. She came with an anguished yell, shuddering so violently the car rocked beneath them.

"Wow," Jake breathed, his fingers stilling inside her as she continued to clench around them in erratic spasms. "Fucking hell, Kayla. What the hell...?"

Hearing the blatant admiration in his tone as she slumped against him, his arm obligingly coming up to support her as she gasped for breath, she didn't need to ask him what he meant. She'd never experienced anything like it before either. And as he turned her in his arms to gaze at her, she saw that the look of blazing lust in his eyes was blended with something else. Something softer.

"Fuck," he murmured, his eyes widening. "You wanted me that much?"

The idea that he could've ever thought otherwise suddenly seemed outrageously funny. "Jake, you idiot," she got out with a laugh, still panting heavily. "I've

always

wanted you, okay?"

Jake's eyes seemed to turn black. Without another word, he twisted her back around then planted each of her hands on the rail in front of the mirror. She watched his reflection as he unbuckled his jeans, her mouth going dry as he unbuttoned the fly and shucked them down, his erection tenting his shorts. But when he pushed those down and away too, her newly-regained breath caught in her throat.

"Jesus, you're huge."

It was Jake's turn to laugh. "No need to sound quite so surprised," he drawled, stepping in behind her, allowing her to feel the full weight of his cock against her ass.

Kayla found it difficult to keep still, her pussy assaulted by a fresh set of contractions at the mere thought of him thrusting inside her. "She said—" she managed before gasping anew as his hands slid inside her open blouse, trailing fire across her ribcage before making their way to the clasp of her bra. "Angela, I mean. She said—she said you were hung like a gerbil."

"She told you that?" Tugging the lacy fabric away, Jake gave a snort of amusement then made her groan as he palmed her breasts. "Like she would know. She never got to see, believe me."

"She didn't?" Kayla heard her voice rise in pitch as she both watched and felt his thumbs circling her nipples. "But she said—she said you took her virginity!"

"You've gotta be kidding me?" Jake's eyes met hers in the mirror, narrowing as she shook her head. "Fuck, no. I dunno what poor sonofabitch got that doubtful pleasure, but she wouldn't let me near her. I think I only got to kiss her once." He shot her a grin. "And I don't think Miss Prim 'n' Proper even wanted me to do that, really."

Miss Prim 'n' Proper

? Kayla's head reeled. That certainly hadn't been Angela's take on their six weeks of dating. "She lied?"

"Sure sounds like it." He didn't appear surprised. "But then that girl lied 'bout lots of things. Like you not being interested in me."

"What?" She stared, appalled to discover the extent of her former best friend's betrayal. "But she knew I was. That's why I had to promise. That's why she made me swear I'd never go with you."

His grin faded. "I know. That's what your brother told me you'd most likely done."

"Liam?" A fresh wash of heat seared her cheeks. "He knew I liked you?"

"Everyone knew. Hell, even I knew you liked me." Jake's hands were moving again now, sliding slowly across the taut swell of her belly, sending ripples of arousal straight to her groin. "But I wasn't gonna let you know I knew till you told me yourself. Why d'you think I went out with Angela in the first place? I only did it to get a reaction from you." And allowing his fingers to drift down between her thighs, he groaned with her as they glided easily into her slippery folds. "Yep," he breathed, kissing her neck. "That's kinda the reaction I was looking for."

She nodded, her eyes closing at the dual pleasures of feeling his mouth and fingers on her at the same time. "Better late than never?"

"I think you could say we ought to make up for lost time," he agreed, his breath warm against her ear. "I hope to God no one's even thinkin' 'bout fixing this elevator yet."

Kayla realized she'd almost forgotten where they were. For the last few minutes, it'd been just her and Jake, the outside world an increasingly distant memory.

"Open up for me, baby."

Feeling his hand against her inner thigh, she trembled, obligingly widening her stance.

"More," he insisted, pushing her legs further apart. "That's it. That's my girl." And then he hooked his arms around her waist and pulled her ass backwards until she was almost at right angles to the floor, her fingers still clinging to the rail, her arms rigid. "We'll go slow," he murmured as he gripped her hip with his left hand, his right hand moving to his cock. "Real slow, at first. Let you get used to the size."

As well he might. The first time he swept the tip along the length of her engorged slit, she whimpered in part-desire, part-terror. In this exposed position, his cock felt enormous, every nerve ending on high alert as he began moving back and forth, back and forth, gathering lubrication at each stroke. Time and time again, upon passing the entrance to her womb, he paused to press inwards, assessing her readiness to accept him before gliding onwards once more.

Not that the failure mattered. Jake had clearly learned he could bring a woman to orgasm in this manner, each stroke calculated to slide over her clit with just the right amount of pressure. But just as she was reconciling herself to coming that way, just as that tell-tale pressure low in her belly was beginning to rise once more, he plunged forward and inwards, impaling her completely in one fierce thrust.

She wailed, the sensation of being so utterly filled, of being almost split in two beyond anything she could possibly have imagined. "Jake!"

"

Jesus

, Kayla." He stilled, his arms folding around her, gathering her close. "God, I'm so sorry," he muttered raggedly, the note of regret obvious in his tone. "It's just you're so tight—you feel so darned good..." Then he groaned. "But I'm hurting you, aren't I? We should stop. I'll—"

"No fucking way!" she interrupted, driving her hips back to meet him, forcing his cock even further inside her, making them both groan this time. "Jake—

God

..."

His heavy-lidded eyes met her reflected gaze once more. "You sure?"

"For God's sake." Kayla suddenly wanted to laugh, her sense of euphoria almost overwhelming. "Just fuck me already!"

Jake clearly didn't need telling twice. And after shooting her a wicked smile, he slowly began to pull back, the withdrawal of his cock leaving her strangely bereft.

Not for long...

"Oh sweet Jesus!" she yelped as he drove into her again, her eyes slamming closed as he stretched her wide open. "Oh fuck, you're huge! Oh

fuck

!"