Читать книгу Pure Temptation & Old Enough to Know Better - Vicki Lewis Thompson - Страница 15

TESS HAD NEVER SEEN Mac so still, not even the time he rode all day without a hat and ended up with sunstroke. He was usually brimming with energy, yet he lay slumped against her like an unconscious person, his eyes closed. On the other hand, the experience of loving Mac had stirred her up again. She’d finally experienced activities she’d only read about, and she felt as if a whole new world had just opened up for her. She was ready for…more. She wasn’t sure exactly what form that “more” would take, but she was ready for it.

She peered into his relaxed face. “Mac, I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

His mouth curved in a faint smile. “Nope.”

She stroked his hair back from his forehead. “You’re awfully quiet.”

His lips barely moved enough to form the words. “Your books should tell you why.”

“It was that good?”

“Yeah, Tess, it was.”

“Cool.” She smiled to herself in the darkness. “I was wondering if I’d done everything right.”

“Extremely right.”

“Good.” She adjusted her position. “Is it okay if I kiss you again?”

His eyes drifted open. “Where?”

“On your mouth. Where did you think?”

“I wasn’t sure. For a virgin, you have some amazing ideas.”

She brushed her lips against his. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It was.”

She settled her mouth over his, coaxing his tongue into slow love-play with hers. At first his response was lazy, almost nonchalant, but gradually the tempo of his breathing picked up. As the temperature of his kiss changed from warm to sizzling, he cupped her breast, kneading it with sure fingers. Her body throbbed with new knowledge, and she whimpered and moved closer to his heat.

He drew his mouth back a fraction. “Oh, Tess. I’m getting hard again.”

She reached downward. “Let me—”

“No.” He captured her hand. “We have to stop. I thought I was so drained that I could just play around for a while more without getting too worked up. I was wrong. I don’t trust myself if we get started again.”

Her body tightened in anticipation. “You’d ravish me?”

“There’s a good chance.” He reached for the strap of her dress. “Let’s put this back on.”

“Mac…” She could hardly believe that she was about to make such a bold suggestion, but she wanted this night to continue forever. “I’m sure you have birth control stashed somewhere at home. You could take me back to my house, go get it, and then come back to my place.”

He paused in the act of pulling the bodice of her dress back up over her breasts.

“You see, I want you, too,” she murmured.

He trembled and bunched the material in his fist.

“There’s still a lot of time before the sun comes up.”

He drew a long, shaky breath and continued his task, reaching for the zipper of her dress. “It’s probably stupid, but I want to stick with what I promised you. You’ll only have the experience of giving up your virginity once in your life. I think…we should make it special.”

“We could make it special tonight.”

“Not special enough. Give me a chance to woo you a little. Let me bring you flowers, maybe a bottle of good wine.”

Despite her frustration, she liked the picture he was painting. “Should I buy lingerie or something?”

“Lingerie would be very nice.” He arranged the pearl in the cleft between her breasts. “But wear this. I love watching the way it nestles right there.”

“I’ll bet when you gave it to me you never imagined a scene like this.”

“Not consciously.” He ran a finger over the gold chain. “But maybe subconsciously. When I saw the necklace in the jewelry store, I knew immediately I wanted to get it for you for graduation.” He looked into her eyes. “Maybe I wanted something that would touch you where I wasn’t allowed to.”

She smiled. “We seem to have overcome those restrictions without too much trouble. I’d say our makeout session was a success.”

“Yeah, but now we have to go back and face the real world with all its guilt trips. And we still have the big hurdle to jump.” He gazed at her. “Maybe when it comes to that final moment, I won’t be able to do it.”

Her smile widened. “Oh, I think you will, judging from tonight.”

He grinned back. “You could be right.”

“So, when?”

“Tomorrow night? Oh, wait. Damn. I promised to fly my mom up to an antique show in Flagstaff tomorrow. Dad’s going along, and he and I have appointments to look at some horses while we’re up there.”

She wrestled with her impatience. “How long will you be gone?”

“Three days. Until Sunday. Damn. I don’t think there’s any way I can get out of it, either. It’s been set up for months.”

“Three days sounds like an eternity.”

“Tell me about it.”

She traced the line of his jaw. “We could go back to my original plan and have you come back to my place tonight.”

He gazed at her for a long moment and finally shook his head. “No. I really want this time to be one you’ll remember.”

“I don’t think there’s much doubt about that, no matter when it happens. And to tell the truth, I’m…afraid you’ll change your mind in three days.”

“After tonight? Are you kidding?”

“You had a good time tonight?”

He cupped her face in both hands. “I had the best time I’ve ever had in my life. And I promise you I won’t change my mind.”

Her heart swelled with an emotion she couldn’t name, but it was strong, and it brought happy tears to her eyes. “Thank you, Mac. You’re a true friend.”

“I do my best.”

“What time of day will you be home on Sunday?”

“Probably around noon.”

“So you could come over that night.”

“I could do that.”

Her heart thudded in her chest. “Then I’ll expect you about eight.”

* * *

LEAVING TESS AT her door that night was the toughest thing Mac had done in a long time. He hadn’t told her, but he wouldn’t have had to drive clear back to the ranch for birth control. He’d made it a practice to know where he could buy condoms on short notice, and there was a convenience store still open only five minutes from her house.

He was probably a fool for not taking her up on her suggestion and making love to her all night long. The thought of doing that made him ache. Now he had to wait three days for the chance. No matter that he’d been waiting all his life.

Wait a minute. Waiting all his life? Where had that come from? It couldn’t be true. Surely Tess didn’t have anything to do with his fruitless search for a wife. He just hadn’t found the right woman yet. Oh, God. Maybe he had.

On impulse he swung into the Ore Cart Bar’s parking lot and climbed out of the truck.

Suddenly a cold beer and a game of darts sounded like an excellent idea. He was still a young carefree bachelor. Bachelors were free to stop in for a beer whenever they wanted to, and he cherished that freedom.

Maybe tonight he sort of wished he could go back over to Tess’s house instead of stopping for a beer, but that was only natural, considering how new the situation was. But the novelty would wear off with Tess, the way it had with all the rest.

That’s what you think, taunted a voice that sounded a lot like Tess when she was bound to prove herself right and him wrong. Over the years she’d infuriated him, made him laugh until he could barely stand, and worried him sick. But she’d never bored him. Mac walked into the bar, hoping a beer would silence that know-it-all voice that told him he’d started something that he had no idea how to finish.

The bar was fairly well deserted on this weeknight, but it had one patron that made Mac consider ducking back out the door. Unfortunately Dozer Blakely saw him before he got the chance.

“Hey, Big Mac!” he called from his bar stool. “Come on over and let me buy you a cold one.”

Mac walked toward the row of stools and glanced around. “Where’s Cindy?”

“At home.” Dozer shoved a wayward lock of red hair off his forehead with a beefy hand. “Waitin’ for me to cool off. Hey, Dutch, set the man up with his favorite brand, okay?”

“Will do,” the bald bartender said. “How’re you doing, Mac?”

“Can’t complain.” Mac sat down next to Dozer, but he would have liked to put more space between them. He could still smell Tess’s perfume on his clothes, and he was afraid Dozer might recognize it. “Listen, should you be fighting with Cindy, her being P.G. and all?”

Dozer smiled. “When we fight, I’m the only one who gets upset. Cindy’s cool as a cucumber.” His blue eyes twinkled. “Hot date tonight?”

This would be tricky, Mac decided. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, you look a little mussed up. I figured you might have been out parking.”

“Could be.”

Dozer smiled and took a sip of beer. “So, did you take that dunking last night to heart and decide to make up with Jenny?”

“Uh, no.” Mac grabbed the beer Dutch scooted in front of him and took a big swallow.

“Babs?”

“Nope.”

“Somebody new?”

“You could say that.”

“But you’re not talking, are you, Big Mac?”

Mac grabbed the opening. “No, Dozer, I’m not. I don’t want you guys riding herd on me with this one, pestering me as to when we’re going to tie the knot.” He glanced at the hefty redhead and decided to go on the offensive. “And speaking of the knot, you’re a sorry poster boy for the institution of marriage, sitting down here at the Ore Cart nursing a beer while your wife sits at home.”

“I’m only doing what she told me.” Dozer shook his head. “She’s something else. I fly off the handle, just itching for a fight, and she won’t fight. She tells me to go grab a beer and come back when I have something nice to say. In the meantime, she works on her cross-stitch, calm as you please.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I usually sneak back and peek in the window to see if she’s pacing the floor or banging things around, at least. You know, upset because I left the house. The hell of it is, she’s not. So I come down here, drink my beer, and go home. She takes me back like nothing happened, and that’s the end of that.”

“What was the fight about? Or I should say, the fight she refused to have with you.”

“Damned if I can remember.” Dozer grinned sheepishly. “Knowing me, it was probably over something dumb. I tell you, I picked the right one when I hooked up with Cindy. Any other woman would have divorced me by now, with my short fuse. But Cindy knows it’s just a passing thing, and she sends me off until I get over it. I love that woman something fierce.”

“I’m glad for you.” Mac picked up his glass again. “Here’s to you and Cindy, and your diamond anniversary.”

Dozer raised his glass in Mac’s direction. “I’ll drink to that.” He took a long swallow, draining the glass before he set it down.

“Another beer, Dozer?” Dutch called.

“Nope. One’s all I need, thanks.” He turned to Mac. “Of course, if she ever threw me out for good, I’d drink the place dry.”

“Sure.”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something, Mac.”

“What’s that?”

Dozer fished for his wallet and pulled out some money. “All kidding aside about Babs and Jenny, I can see why you didn’t end up with them. They’re both nice and all, and Jenny’s built real sweet.” He jiggled his cupped hands out in front of his chest. “Real sweet.”

Mac didn’t want to think about women’s breasts, either. “And your point is?”

“You’re a smart guy. You need somebody with brains. Babs and Jenny could never have kept up with you. You’d have been bored in a month or two.”

“So I figured.”

“Well, good. So, is this new girl smart?”

“Yeah, she’s smart.”

Dozer nodded. “Did you score yet?”

Mac winced. The type of evening he had planned for Tess didn’t even begin to fit the definition of “scoring.” He tried to imagine Dozer’s response if he knew they were talking about his sister.

“Guess not,” Dozer said, undisturbed by Mac’s reaction. “Otherwise you would’ve grinned when I asked that.” He laid his money on the counter and slapped Mac on the back. “Well, good luck with her, buddy. You deserve to find yourself a real nice lady. Maybe this is the one.”

“Maybe.” Not. As Dozer headed home to Cindy, Mac sipped his beer, determined to think of something else besides Tess lying alone in her bed. He even carried on a conversation with Dutch about the Arizona Cardinals’ chances this year. When the beer glass was empty he added another bill to what Dozer had left and walked out into the warm night thinking how great it was to be a free man. He drove home with the windows down, a song on the radio…and Tess on his mind.

* * *

THE EVAPORATIVE COOLER had reduced the heat in Tess’s little bungalow by the time she walked inside that night, but the place was still plenty warm. She closed the front door and with a sense of deep regret, listened to Mac’s truck drive away. If only he still carried condoms in his wallet, then he could have stayed.

To make matters worse, he hadn’t even kissed her goodbye. She understood why—nosy neighbors might have seen them and passed the word. She could spend all the time she wanted in Mac’s company without arousing any suspicions, but one public minute in his arms would start every tongue in town wagging.

This particular business they had between them had to be kept private. She could still hardly believe he’d offered to take care of her problem himself. He was running a big risk that could potentially ruin his relationship with her brothers. And because she appreciated that so much, she intended to protect him as best she could. So she kept their goodbyes on the porch deliberately nonchalant.

But once she was inside the door and he was truly gone, she ran her hands over her breasts and closed her eyes, lost in remembering. Then she lifted her arms over her head and turned slowly in a circle, executing a subtle dance of celebration. By touching her and arousing her the way he had, Mac had given her a completely new sense of her body.

In the carefree days before puberty, she’d run and played with Mac and her brothers with no thought to the fact that she was a girl and they were boys. Then the changes had begun, and for the most part, she’d thought of them as a nuisance. As she developed, her body seemed to get in her way more than it helped her enjoy life. But now…now she understood what all those changes had been for. For this. Laughing in delight, she flung her arms out and whirled until she grew dizzy.

Feeling slightly drunk with the wonder of it all, she wandered into her bedroom, shedding her clothes as she went. She kicked off her sandals and padded barefoot into the bathroom, where she turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature until it mimicked the warmth of a lover’s caress. She craved bodily sensation in a way she could never have admitted to anyone, least of all Mac.

She stepped under the spray, letting it beat down on her. Then she flung back her head and lifted her breasts to the coursing water. Her nipples tightened and she touched them gently, reawakening the memory of Mac’s loving.

Then she slid both hands down her water-slicked body to the juncture of her thighs, where she throbbed for him still. Her erotic books had been very clear—she didn’t need Mac or any man to give her the kind of release she’d found tonight. She could take charge of her own pleasure.

And maybe someday she’d follow that advice, she thought, skimming her hands back up over her rib cage to cup her breasts once again. But tonight she wanted to savor the remembered sensation of his hands caressing her, coaxing her to enjoy the wonders of her body. Perhaps she was being silly, but it seemed to her that to work the miracle herself at this moment would dilute that precious memory.

She turned off the shower and toweled dry, paying careful attention to the task. Her body was no longer exclusively her domain, and the thought made her shiver with delight. She smoothed lotion over every inch of skin she could reach, taking her time, anointing herself as if she expected Mac to return.

He probably would not. He was, as she knew from years of experience, a man of his word. Once he’d decided that her initiation should proceed a certain way, he would follow through on that decision, ignoring his own needs, and even her arguments to the contrary. She wouldn’t see him again until three days from now, at eight o’clock on the dot.

And perhaps he was right about this, she thought as she rubbed the scented lotion over her body. Perhaps there should be some ceremony and ritual to what they were about to do. She had three days to prepare. Three days to find tempting lingerie and turn her room into a lover’s bower. Setting down the lotion, she returned to her bedroom and surveyed the situation. Most of it would have to change.

Grabbing a yellow legal pad and a pen from her desk drawer, she sprawled naked on her bed and began making a list.