Читать книгу Riding Home - Vicki Lewis Thompson - Страница 14

4

JEANNETTE FELT ENERGY pouring from Zach as he helped her into the truck. Then he took her bags and stowed them in the covered truck bed. Finally he climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door.

But instead of buckling himself in, he laid his hat on the dashboard, turned toward her and unfastened her seat belt.

She gasped at the unexpected move. “Aren’t we leavin’?” She thought he was as eager to get on with the evening as she was.

“In a minute.” He cupped her cheek in one large hand. “I need to do something first.”

She looked into his eyes, warm with emotion. He planned to kiss her, and how she longed for that. But she was afraid once they started kissing, they would never stop. “Maybe we shouldn’t...” She lost track of what she’d meant to say as he stroked his thumb gently over her cheekbone. His touch was heaven.

“Yes, we should. We’re about to become lovers, but we haven’t even kissed.”

“Except we’re in the middle of the town square.”

“I know.” He leaned closer. “We’ll be fine.”

“What if we get carried away?”

The corners of his beautiful mouth tilted. “I won’t.”

“You might. I’m a pretty awesome kisser.”

“Prove it.”

She never could resist a challenge. She craved the feel of those sculpted lips on hers even if they were taking a risk making out in a public place. “All right.” She grasped his head in both hands. His hair was exactly as soft and silky as she’d imagined. “Come here, you.”

He was extremely obliging. In the very next second he covered her mouth with his. Too late, she discovered that she might be the one who would get carried away. She was in the presence of a master.

From that first velvet contact, he was fully in charge. Her world narrowed to the pressure of his lips, the glide of his tongue, the warmth of his breath. His kiss tasted like all the decadent pleasures she’d dreamed of having with a man and had never quite had.

And she wanted those promised pleasures. Her body ached for them. She tried to get closer and came up against the console. She moaned in frustration and writhed against the supple leather of the seat. She needed...more.

Slowly, with obvious reluctance, he eased away. But then he returned to nibble and lick as if he couldn’t make himself abandon her mouth. She didn’t want him to, either.

“We have to go,” he murmured between quick kisses.

“Not yet.” She pulled him back for another deep, passionate round that left her panties wet and her heart racing.

When he finally broke away, he was breathing hard. “We really have to go.”

“I know, but...” She tried to tug him down again. “One more for the road.”

He resisted her efforts and loosened her grip. “Buckle up. We’re getting out of here.”

With a sigh, she leaned back and buckled herself in as instructed.

“You were right, by the way. You’re a pretty awesome kisser.” He started the truck, checked his mirrors and backed out of the parking space.

“Ditto. Um, I suspect you have everything figured out, but where are we going?”

“I booked us a room.” He said it casually as he navigated through traffic with practiced ease.

She shivered in excitement. “I should help you pay for—”

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Okay.” She wanted to ask where this room was, but figured he wanted to surprise her. Considering his previous job and the luxury of his truck, she didn’t think they’d end up at the cheap sleep.

Watching him drive the huge truck with quiet confidence was very arousing, as was this latest gesture of his. She’d made a veiled request for a sexy time-out, and he’d handled the details. In doing that, he’d increased his hotness by at least a thousand percent.

“That’s what took me so long while you were shopping. Well, that and my own shopping.”

“Right.” She had trouble making casual conversation when her body was humming with anticipation, but she gave it her best effort. “You said you had to pick up a few things, but I thought you meant clothes from the Western-wear store.”

“Not clothes.”

“Then what...? Oh.” The electricity arcing between them was almost visible. “Is there anything you haven’t thought of?”

“You’ll have to do without makeup in the morning.”

In the morning. They’d make love all night. She had trouble sitting still. “That’s what you think.” She always kept an emergency makeup kit in her shoulder bag.

Judging from the looks of the entrance where he turned in, they were staying in a luxury resort. “You sure know how to dazzle a girl.” If she sounded a little breathless, she figured she had cause.

“I’m under a time constraint. If I don’t dazzle you now, I might never get a chance.”

“Trust me, you’re way up there on the dazzle meter.”

“Good to know.” He pulled under the portico for valet parking.

While a doorman helped her out of the truck, Zach retrieved her shopping bags from the back. She’d never checked into a hotel with only two shopping bags, but Zach treated the experience calmly, as if he did it all the time. She suspected he was giving her a glimpse of the L.A. lawyer he used to be.

He might be used to swanky one-nighters, but she wasn’t. She’d certainly stayed in plenty of hotels like this, though. Her parents wouldn’t accept anything less when they traveled.

But tonight she was checking in with a guy wearing jeans, boots and a Stetson. He was an irresistible combination of sophistication and down-home earthiness. His assumption that this was all perfectly normal made her wonder about his past.

Maybe she’d ask him. Then again, maybe she wouldn’t. It didn’t matter. This was one night, not the start of something significant.

Once she and Zach stepped into the glittering elevator, he transferred both shopping bags to one hand so he could pull her close for a quick kiss. “Is this working for you?”

“If you mean am I impressed out of my mind, yes, it’s workin’ for me.”

“Good.” He gazed down at her as the elevator kept climbing. “In case I forget to say it, thank you for deciding you’d like to spend the night with me.”

“You’re welcome, but I have the feeling I’ll be the one feeling thankful when this is all over.” The elevator pinged to a stop and she noticed they were on the top floor. “You rented the penthouse?”

“It was all they had.”

“Zach!” She stepped out of the elevator and her wedge heels sank into thick carpet. Ahead of her, double doors stood open and she walked into a living area furnished in sleek leather and polished wood. The lamps may have been on a dimmer switch since the light was muted and atmospheric. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out on the lights of Jackson and shadowy mountains in the distance. “This must have cost a fortune.”

“I don’t care.”

She glanced at a wet bar on the far side of the room. Champagne sat in an ice bucket on the granite counter, along with two crystal flutes and an elegantly arranged cheese-and-fruit platter. She turned back to him. “Seems a shame it’s only for one night,” she said softly.

He dropped the bags at his feet and sent his hat twirling toward a lamp. It landed precisely on the finial. He walked toward her, his gaze intent. “Then we’d better make the most of it.”

If she’d been prone to swooning, she might have done it then. No man had ever treated her like this, as if she were everything he ever wanted, as if every moment they were together was more precious than his next breath. Such a fantasy couldn’t last, of course, but it might hold up for a few hours. Then she’d have her unspoiled memory to relive as she reentered the real world.

She spread her arms. “I’m yours for the night. What do you want to do first?”

He laughed. “If you have to ask, then you haven’t been paying attention.”

“I don’t have to ask.” If he could act with flair, so could she. “Stop right there.”

He paused. “I had in mind something involving bodily contact.”

“Me, too, but let’s build up to it.”

“I’ve been doing that ever since you agreed with me in the restaurant that this is the perfect time. Before that, if I’m being honest. When you came into the barn this morning you mentioned that Regan and Drake wouldn’t notice if you ran around naked.”

“I guess I said something like that.”

“You said exactly that, and immediately I pictured you that way.”

The luxurious setting, the stress of the past eight months and the gorgeous man standing before her made for an electric combination. She was ready to kick over the traces. “Then let me make that picture a reality, cowboy.”

He started forward. “I can help.”

“No.” She held up her hand to stop him. “You’ll get the full effect if you stay where you are and watch.”

He swallowed and clenched his fists, as if he had to do that to control himself. “Okay.”

Knowing how much he wanted to touch her gave her courage to put on a show for him. She’d never felt inclined to do that for a man. But Zach, with his classy ideas and his passionate kisses, inspired her to new heights of sensuality.

Standing in the living room of this expensive suite made the adventure even more exotic. She wasn’t in a bedroom doing this, but in an elegant living area with floor-to-ceiling windows. They were too high up for anyone to see in, but stripping down here felt much more risqué than if she were in a smaller room with the drapes closed.

She started by untying her shirttails. She didn’t rush it, either. From there she unfastened the mother-of-pearl buttons down the front. Although she’d had the blouse for a long time, she’d never appreciated the sensuality of sliding those buttons free, one by one.

Zach’s chest rose and fell more rapidly with each button. When at last she slipped the blouse from her shoulders and let it drift to the carpet, he moaned. That sound caused her nipples to tighten.

Instinct made her touch herself through her black lace bra. She stroked in a circular motion and watched his eyes darken to the color of storm clouds as he focused on her lazy caress. Then she cupped her breasts and in one dramatic gesture, opened the front clasp and shrugged out of the garment. It, too, fell to the floor at her feet.

The sound of his ragged breathing filled the silence, but he stayed where he was, muscles rigid and hands fisted at his sides. The material of his fly strained over his growing erection, and his gaze was so very hot.

She’d never felt so powerful in her life. She nudged off her shoes and unbuttoned her pants. Her hands trembled, not from nervousness, but from the adrenaline rush of knowing she was driving Zach crazy.

She was no expert at this striptease routine, but it didn’t matter. For one night she could do anything and be anything she wanted. Just as he’d said in the restaurant, it was their business. Nobody else’s. That kind of freedom was a whole new experience for her, but she was catching on fast.

Peeling down her pants, she eventually kicked them aside and stood before him wearing only a tiny scrap of black lace. His attention was riveted on that lacy triangle. She knew he wanted it off, but she had other ideas.

She’d never done this, either. But she’d never have a better reason than now, in this luxury suite with this fascinating man who was almost a stranger. She slipped her hand inside her panties.

Zach sucked in a breath.

“I won’t make myself come.” She hardly recognized her own voice. It was low and sultry, the voice of a temptress. “I’ll let you do that.”

“Please.” He sounded desperate.

She continued to fondle herself. “Tell me what you want.”

“You know.” The words came out tight and hard.

“Tell me.”

“I want to put my mouth where your hand is. I want to make you come. God, Jeannette...”

“That could be nice.”

His jaw tightened. “I promise it will be.”

She withdrew her hand and deliberately licked her fingers. “Will I get to return the favor?”

He groaned. “Yes, so now can I—”

“Yes, you may.” And she slipped off her drenched panties and kicked them away.

He wasted no time. In two strides he was there, kneeling at her feet, splaying his hands over her bottom as he nuzzled his way to the epicenter of all her pleasure. She’d known from the way he kissed that he’d be amazing at this, too.

But as he loved her, as her legs threatened to give way and she clutched his shoulders for support, the word amazing didn’t begin to describe the sensations rocketing through her. He took charge once more, and she was helpless to control her response.

Her gasps became whimpers, and her whimpers grew in volume. When he paused, she wailed in frustration. His soft laughter told her he was teasing her, testing her. She failed the test because she shamelessly begged for more.

He gave more, of course. He was only giving as good as he’d gotten, gently torturing her as she’d tortured him. But in the end, he finished what he’d started and she came in a glorious cascade of pleasure. So good. So very good.

He guided her trembling body down to the thick carpet. Dazed by the force of her climax, sounds traveled to her as if she were underwater. She vaguely registered the clink of his belt buckle, the rasp of his zipper and the crinkle of foil.

His mouth found hers, and he tasted of sex. He kissed her for a long time before raising his head. “You don’t have to do anything,” he murmured. “Just lie there. But I need...” He eased between her thighs and the blunt tip of his cock sought the hot, quivering spot he’d loved so thoroughly with his mouth. “This.” He slid deep with a heartfelt sigh. “Oh, yeah. This.”

Little shock waves of delight zinged through her as he locked himself in tight. Then he began to stroke in and out and she didn’t even have to think about it. She wrapped her arms around him and lifted to meet each thrust.

“Ah, Jeannette,” he murmured in her ear as he increased his speed, “you’re with me.”

“Yes.” She matched his pace and felt another orgasm building.

“I can’t... I don’t think I can wait.”

“Don’t wait.” Sliding her hands down, she gripped his firm buns, pressing her fingertips into his solid muscles as he pumped steadily. His rhythmic movements excited her even more. “I’m right behind you.”

He began to pant. “Damn, you feel incredible. If you didn’t feel so great I could hold off, but I...I can’t... I have to... I’m...” With a soft curse, he moved faster yet.

His excitement fueled hers. She kept up with him as he pounded into her, and when at last he cried out and drove home, she erupted at the moment his spasms hit. She held on tight as his body shook in time with hers. His groan of satisfaction brought her overwhelming joy, the kind of incandescent happiness that made her toes curl.

She had no idea how long they lay on the floor, but she had no inclination to move. She’d slept on beds that weren’t as cushioned as this carpet.

Eventually Zach propped himself on his forearms and gazed down at her with a smile. “You know, this is funny.”

She reached up and traced that smile with her fingertip. “Why?”

“I booked this room so our first time together could be on a high-end mattress on a king-size bed. And look at where we are.”

“Are you complaining?”

“Never.” He leaned down and kissed her on the nose. “But since we’ve had the floor experience, I vote we conduct the next round in bed.”

“And when do you anticipate the next round will start?”

Levering himself higher, he swept a glance down her naked body. He rested on one arm and cupped her breast. Her nipple responded to the lazy brush of his thumb. “Might not be long.”

Deep within her body, she felt the twitch of his cock.

He continued to play with her breasts, and the twitch came again. “Might not be long at all.” He looked into her eyes. “If we don’t have much time together, I don’t want to waste any of it.”

“I don’t, either.” But now she saw the fatal flaw in his otherwise excellent plan. They’d created a ticking clock, not unlike lovers had in wartime, where every moment could be their last. That might make this time with Zach seem more significant than it was. She’d have to guard against that kind of delusional thinking.