Читать книгу Unwrap Me - Susan Lyons - Страница 11

Jude snuggled in Nick’s arms, feeling bone-deep satisfied and mellow. But then her brain kicked in. The sex was over; now what? Last time, they’d met, chatted, and touched and then ended the night with sex. Now the evening was just beginning, and here she was, naked on top of him. Nice, yes—but this wasn’t the way she normally behaved with a guy.

She eased out of his arms and reached for her bikini. Not that it covered a lot, but at least she wouldn’t be nude.

Besides, she’d paid a lot of money for it and wanted more than a few seconds of appreciation from her surfer fireman.

Nick, who was putting his shorts back on, gave a wolf whistle, then made a spinning gesture with his hand, telling her to pirouette.

When she did, he said, “Worth every penny. But it’s the woman inside that’s really special.”

The sincerity in his voice was reassuring and helped her relax. “I’ll get the margaritas if you lay out our picnic.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

When she returned from the kitchen, another Beach Boys album was playing, and he’d spread out some great-looking goodies. Tensing, she scanned for signs of Christmas but found he’d honored her request.

Sitting on the beach towel in front of the fire, the room lit only by dancing flames, they started with salsa and chips. To her relief, conversation drifted and flowed comfortably. When she poured a second round of margaritas, they moved on to Greek salad, sourdough bread, gourmet cheeses, and Cornish game hens roasted with an orange-honey glaze.

“Three hens?” she asked.

“Three’s the magic number.” He winked. “One for you, two for me. But I’ll share mine if you ask nicely.”

She eyed the kiwi fruit, papaya with lime, and chocolate-chip cookies he’d set out. “I’m saving room for dessert.”

He shot her a suggestive look. “Or we could go for calorie-free dessert.”

That gaze did heat her blood, but she was a sucker for chocolate chips. “Or both.”

Nick proved to be easy company, except that his half-naked body was far too distracting. Hard not to compare to her ex, Don. Yes, he’d been attractive, but in a metrosexual way. Slim, with stylish hair and fashionable clothes. Nick, on the other hand, was packed with muscle. His dark, shiny hair was mussy and on the long side. A definite jeans guy. The kind whose reaction to designer labels would be a snort.

He was overwhelmingly masculine. And she loved it.

She also enjoyed the way he touched her. His fingers brushing her lips as he offered her a morsel of food or drifting across her cheek as he tucked hair behind her ear. His toes tickling the sole of her foot, his knee nudging her as he shifted position. He was not only masculine but physical.

With him, she was more in tune with her own physicality. Flavors were more intense, scents more tantalizing. The catchy beach tunes resonated within her. Her body hummed with awareness of Nick—the residual glow of great sex and the buzzy anticipation of more to come.

But she was content to wait and savor the moment as well as the anticipation.

When she finished her second chocolate-chip cookie, she sprawled back on the towel. “That was wonderful. I may never eat again. Or move.”

“No need to.” Nick shifted the leftovers to the coffee table and went to put on another CD. “Relax. Listen to the waves.” He came to lie beside her.

Instead of summer songs, this album had ocean sounds. Waves, whale song, gulls crying. “Nice,” she said. If she closed her eyes, she could almost believe she was at the beach.

But she’d rather watch Nick, who was propping himself on one elbow as he smiled at her.

Karen had definitely done Jude a favor when she’d gifted her with this man.

Speaking of which…

“Put your T-shirt back on,” she told him.

“Huh?” His forehead furrowed. “You’re not calling it quits for the evening?”

“Oh, no. I’m just getting started.”

His lips curved uncertainly. “Okay. If you want me dressed, I’ll get dressed.” He sat up and pulled the shirt over his head, hiding a torso that belonged on a hunky-guys calendar. “Better?”

“Yes, for what I have in mind.”

He cocked a brow. “And that is?”

“You’ve come over twice, and both times you’ve stripped off your clothes.”

“And that was a bad thing?” The brow went higher. “Didn’t hear you complaining.”

“It was bad because you’re supposed to be my present. And half the fun with a present is unwrapping it.”

His face relaxed, and he chuckled. “Got ya. Gee, sorry, next time I’ll come complete with a ribbon and bow.”

Just so long as it wasn’t a red Christmas one. On the other hand…she imagined him naked but for a bow tied around his neck—or maybe his cock. Who cared what color the ribbon was? “For now, I’ll make do. Stand up.”

He did, and she got up to join him. The T-shirt wasn’t skintight, but it did cling nicely to his shoulders and pecs. She ran her hands lightly over the well-washed cotton, thin and soft under her touch. Below it, the solid curves and heat of his body. “You must work out.”

Under her hands, his shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. “Yeah, mostly at the fire hall. When we’re not out on a call or doing drills or maintenance.”

She didn’t know much about firefighters. Her mom had been a secretary, and Jude’s experience had been academia and then white-collar work. Running her hands down his arms, feeling the solid strength of him, she tried to imagine a world of big, brawny guys like Nick. “Any women firefighters at your fire hall?” Now she stroked down the front of his shirt, skimming the firm curve of his pecs, the taut leanness of his ribcage and abdomen.

“No. There aren’t many women who’re big and strong enough to pass the physical tests.” His body shifted restlessly under her touch.

“Like what? Being able to toss someone over your shoulder and carry them out of a burning building?”

“Yeah. You gotta be able to run up five flights of stairs carrying a forty-pound hose and carry or drag a one-hundred-eighty-pound dummy, all wearing full turnout gear.”

“Wow.” Listening, impressed, she’d stopped touching him. Now she tugged at the hem of his shirt. “So that’s what’s under this wrapping. A man who can do that.”

Another shrug, as though it was no big deal.

He knew what he was capable of, but he wasn’t into boasting about it. Oh, yes, there was lots to like about this man.

Jude eased the shirt up a few inches. When it cleared Nick’s hip-riding shorts, the bulging fly told her she was having an effect on him. How totally cool that she had this kind of power over such a tough guy. His utter masculinity made her feel more feminine—sexier—than ever before.

Part of her wanted to just yank his shorts down and have her way with him, but the idea of unwrapping him slowly had even more appeal. Holding the hem of his T-shirt in both hands, she bent her head and licked his skin above his waistband. He started, muscles rippling, and she made her way to his navel. She ran her tongue around it, circled it with her lips, and blew air against his damp flesh, licked him in the center. The way she planned to do later with that rigid male organ that was begging to be freed and attended to.

“Jeez, Jude.”

“Turns out that…even after those cookies…” She punctuated her words with licks and puffs of air, and his skin rippled with reaction. “…I still have an…appetite.” Did she ever. She squeezed her thighs tight against the achy pulse of need between them.

Slowly peeling the T-shirt upward, she followed with her lips and tongue, lapping his warm flesh, dropping feather-light kisses, teasing him with nips. Curls of black hair tickled her nose as she moved up his center line and between his pecs. Mmmm, his nipples were so tempting—hard, nubby peaks on rock-solid muscle.

Nick’s rolled-up T-shirt brushed her hair. She tugged it down over her head so she was inside, tight against his chest, breathing in the sultry heat of him. In the dim light, she found a nipple and sucked it into her mouth, teased it until he groaned and then moved to the other.

Jude felt like groaning, too. He was so deliciously male, her body craved him with a throbbing hunger. And she’d barely begun to unwrap him.

She gripped the shirt again and peeled it up over her head, past his shoulders and beyond. When his head emerged, she stretched up so her body pressed against him, and she touched her lips to his.

His eyes blazed with green heat, but before he could respond, she slid down again until she was kneeling on the towel at his feet. His legs were strong and well shaped, with soft curls of dark hair. But as fine as they were, her focus was elsewhere. She hooked her fingers into the waistband of his shorts and pulled down, lifting the gathered band clear of his rigid cock. Inch by inch, she lowered the fabric, drinking in the sight of all that proud masculinity.

Chocolate-chip cookies had nothing on him when it came to making her mouth water.

And that wasn’t the only part of her body damp with desire.

The shorts cleared Nick’s hips and Jude let them drop so he could step free of them. Then she leaned forward to touch her tongue to the top of his penis, licking up a drop of salty liquid.

His fingers threaded through her hair. “What are you doing to me?” he choked out.

“Only good things.” She lapped the velvety crown daintily and then started down the shaft, following the vein that stood out, flicking her tongue across it, laving it with wet strokes.

He moaned. “Very good things.”

She circled him with her lips, able to encompass only half his length but compensating by using her hands to caress his shaft and fondle his balls. Gently she sucked and then released, vaguely aware that her timing matched that of the waves on the ocean CD. Aware, too, that her internal muscles were clenching and releasing, wanting him inside her.

His hands tightened in her hair, gripping hard but not enough to hurt, and his hips thrust a couple of times before he eased away. “You gotta stop now.”

“You can come.” Jude sat back on her heels, looking up at him. She was happy to give him that pleasure, hungry to taste his cum and confident he would take care of her needs after.

Nick’s cock jerked. He groaned, staring into her gleaming brown eyes. Man, those were magical words, spoken by a sexy woman whose every breath tickled his raging hard-on. His cock urged him to accept the offer.

But he’d been watching Jude all night, her skimpy bathing suit giving him wicked ideas. A couple scraps of seductive clothing could be even more provocative than naked flesh.

“I’ve got another way in mind,” he said.

“You do?” She looked intrigued.

He found a condom, sheathed himself, then kneeled behind her and unfastened her top. When he slid the straps over her shoulders, she gave an obliging wriggle, freeing her lush curves from the scanty cups. He tossed the top aside and reached around her body to squeeze her breasts gently, loving the soft, warm weight of them and feeling her nipples harden against his palms.

While his hands teased her front, he stared at her slim back. Broad shoulders, long, wavy black hair, the dip of her waist and then the flare of her hips, the firm cheeks of her butt. Cheeks bisected by a narrow strip of fabric, and plumped and spread as she sat on her heels.

“D’you know how sexy that thong is?” He leaned into her, his body urging her to bend forward, his erection lodging itself between her legs.

“Mmmm,” she breathed. “Nice.”

His hips pumped gently as he stroked up and down against the crotch of her thong. He let go of one breast and slid his hand inside the front of her bathing suit. His fingers caressed hot, wet, swollen flesh, and his thumb brushed her clit.

She pressed against him and whimpered.

His body nudged hers forward some more. Now she was on all fours, that sweet ass tilted toward him, her hips twisting as she ground herself against his hand. He let go of her other breast and pulled aside the fabric between her legs. One hand opened the slippery folds he’d been caressing. With the other he guided his cock to her pussy.

Then he was sliding inside while she tilted up to take him even deeper.

God, this was heaven.

Resting his hands on her hips, he began to pump in a slow, slippery, in-and-out motion, pulling out almost all the way, seeing his shaft emerge gleaming with moisture in the firelight, watching the taut curves of her bottom as she thrust toward him, urging him back into her.

Then surging forward until he’d buried himself deep in her center, a place so hot and welcoming he wanted to stay there forever. Or at least until the achy burn, the need for friction, made him move again.

Much as it was a turn-on to watch, he craved the feel of her. He leaned into her back, draping himself over her and bracing himself with one hand on the floor. She arched against him, adjusting her angle to match his, firm butt curving into his stomach. He brushed aside her hair so he could nuzzle and nibble her neck. Her breasts swayed with each movement, and he caught one in his free hand. So soft, so feminine and sensual.

He was breathing so hard he could barely gasp out, “You feel great.”

“You, too, Nick.” She sounded just as breathless.

His balls, slapping against her with each stroke, were tight with the need to climax. He couldn’t hold out much longer. Wishing he could touch all of her at once, he let go of her breast and went straight for her clit.

She whimpered—a high, needy sound—and he teased that swollen bud between his thumb and index finger until she writhed against him.

“Yes,” she groaned. “Oh, yes.”

He nipped her neck, and she jerked. Her body surged and spasmed in climax, waves pulsing against his rigid cock, pulling him in.

He drew back and then let go in a series of powerful thrusts that brought a release he could feel in every cell of his body.

They both trembled with aftershocks until her arms gave out and she slumped onto the towel. He followed her down, managing to get an arm around her waist and turn her onto her side so he spooned her.

He moved her hair aside to kiss the back of her neck, lick the spot he’d nipped earlier. She murmured contentedly and squeezed his hand where it lay across her waist.

Cursing the need for condoms, he eased away from her so he could dispose of the damned thing. Oh, well, he still had a couple more items on his agenda for the night. “Back in a minute.”

In the kitchen, he used the microwave to brew up two mugs of rich hot chocolate. A few miniature marshmallows went on top, and he added candy canes as stir sticks.

The clock on the microwave told him it was after midnight. Day four, and time for the four calling birds.

When he returned to the living room, Jude had pulled a light blanket over herself. “Chilly?”

She smiled up at him, looking lazy, content. So damn beautiful he couldn’t believe his luck. “A little. Without you to keep me warm.”

Quickly he changed CDs, putting in the one with the bird calls, and then went to sit beside her. “I have something to warm you up.”

“Again? So soon?” she teased.

He chuckled. “Sorry, I’m not twenty any more. Give me a few minutes. And in the meantime, sit up and close your eyes.”

She pushed herself up, draping the blanket over her shoulders, and raised her eyebrows.

“You’ll like it. It’s my favorite way to end an evening at the beach.”

Obligingly she closed her eyes, and he took her hand and put a mug in it. “Sip slowly. It’s hot.” He heard the first track, a melodic bird song, end.

When she’d taken a sip, she said, “Yum, nice. Is it that After Eight hot chocolate?”

“Close. Peppermint hot chocolate.”

“I didn’t know you could buy that.” She opened her eyes and then frowned when she saw the candy cane. “Wait a minute, I said no Christmas stuff.”

He avoided pointing out that she’d unwrapped her Secret Santa gift. “It’s only a stir stick. A harmless peppermint stir stick. Doesn’t it make the hot chocolate taste great?” In the background, some bird was giving a haunting, melancholy call. That track ended, and another started, this one a happy, spring-like trill.

“It does,” she admitted, the frown line in her forehead easing.

He grinned to himself as she swooshed the candy cane around in the drink and then sucked on it. Just wait until he used his own peppermint stick to tease her sexy pussy. She’d become a candy-cane convert.

His cock was recovering now, but he ignored it because the fourth track was playing. “Think I’ll switch CDs. What do you feel like?” He got up and walked over to her CD player.

“I think it’s time for bed.” Across the firelit room, her gaze met his.

He stopped the player, and silence filled the room. Nick hoped she’d ask him to stay, to hold her all night and wake up with her. But they’d said no strings attached, and maybe, for her, that would be a string.

Jude ducked her head, dark hair sliding past her cheeks. “Feel like a sleepover?” Her tone was casual. Too casual. He guessed this was a hard decision for her.

For the first time, he wondered why she was so set against having a serious relationship. He sure as hell wasn’t about to complain or question his luck, but Jude definitely wasn’t like any other woman he’d met lately.

“Sounds good,” he said equally casually. “Want to sleep on the beach or find a real bed?”

Her soft laugh sounded more relaxed. “I vote for comfort.”

“Then let’s head for bed. And bring our hot chocolate. I’m looking forward to my peppermint stick.”