Page 42 of Sexy as Sin
“I don’t believe that.” The words came out too fierce, and two of those sneaky tears had spilled over and made their way down her cheeks. The long day, the warm night, and this pain, squeezing her heart like a vise. “I think you tried your hardest to be a hero, and it wasn’t what she wanted. I think that hurt.”
“Could be.”
“Brett,” she said, and tried to laugh. “I wish you could see the man I see. I wish you could see my heart. I’m pretty sure it’s bleeding. All I want to do is kiss you, but you’re too broken. What a time to realize how much I want to.”
“No,” he said, and sounded sure again. “I’m dented, but I’m not broken. Not anymore.”
“But you didn’t remarry yourself. You didn’t try again.”
“Oh, I tried. Or let’s say I did a pretty good job of going through the motions. I’m going for honesty here. It’s feeling like a risky tactic.”
“Could be you’re a rough bargain.” Her heart had made the leap, but the rest of her was still in there fighting. He wasn’t her match, everything logical in her knew it, and her heart wanted him just the same. More than ever, now, the pull between them smooth and strong as silk.
He laughed, low and soft, and his hand was on the back of her neck, somehow, rubbing its slow way down it, below the collar of her dress. “Could be you’re exactly right.”
She was so close to him, all she had to do was lean over and touch her lips to his. A spark leaped between them, so hot and fierce, she would have jumped if not for his hand holding her there. He brushed his lips over hers, and the kiss changed. She was over him, but he was the one in control.
“I have a broken leg,” he said against her mouth.
“And you’re old, mate.” Still going for it.
She felt the curve of his smile. “Forty-three in two weeks. You could make me a cake.” He kissed her again, slowly this time, all heat, rich, dark wine, and a faint, woody aroma of cedar and spice, like you were walking through evergreen forests with mountain peaks rising above you, and he was there beside you, strong enough for anything.
Her nerve endings were tingling like they’d been shocked all the way down her bare arms, her mouth was opening under his, and she was turning liquid. She couldn’t get her breath. She couldn’t slow her heart. “Knocked around by life,” he murmured. Another kiss. “Divorced. Scared of water.”
“And you live... many places.” Her head was swimming, and his other hand was on her shoulder, stroking down her arm. Quicksilver and patience, like he was teasing her, and like he was learning her.
“Hotel rooms, and some houses,” he said into her ear, his deep voice, his warm hand, his slow, patient mouth at her neck, just under her ear, sending silver sparks all the way down her body. “Portland and Sinful. Both far away from here. Not bad, though. You could see for yourself.”
“I have a... business.” It was barely a breath. His hand traveled down her arm, then up again, over the bicep and up to that spot where her shoulder met her breast, and lingered there, tracing the tender flesh, his fingers just inside her dress.
He didn’t answer that one, just held her head tighter, his hand tunneling into the knot of her hair, loosening it, then holding her by it as he kissed her again. Slow, and soft, and deep, tasting her, like her mouth belonged to him. Like he was willing to take his time to explore everything he could make her feel, and like he wanted to do it all.
Love you all night long.
Like he wanted to do that, too.
He shouldn’t do it. He knew it. Too bad his body wasn’t listening.
She was halfway over him, her skin smooth as milk under his fingers, her mouth soft and warm over his. He had his hand in her hair, and when he found the covered elastic holding up her hair and pulled it out, he felt the sigh all the way through her body.
The sigh, and all the surrender in it. The desire surged through him, hot and dark as the night, and he turned his hand, wrapped her hair around it, and kissed her again. Harder this time, and deeper, invading and tasting andhaving.She made a noise in the back of her throat, and he burned that much hotter.
When the back of his hand brushed down the vee of her dress, she jumped, and he held her head tighter and felt her some more, his fingers just under the silky cotton fabric, tracing over even softer skin beneath. He could feel her lighting up like he was inside her already, and if he’d had two good legs? He’d have been picking her up there and then, putting her on his bed, and coming down over her. Since he didn’t have two good legs, he forced his hand to slow down, let go of her mouth enough to talk, and asked, “Do you want me to touch you?”
It was a different way to go about it, and in a way, it was even hotter. Torture, but hotter.
He got a moan and a gasp, and it took a serious effort to hold still. Finally, she said, “Yes.” On another sigh, and he smiled. Damn, she was exciting. “You could hurry a bit with that,” she said. Sounding annoyed.
He smiled some more, pulled her head down again, felt her hair between his fingers, soft as the finest strands of silken thread, and when she’d melted against him again, sent his other hand a little further inside her dress. She was wearing a bra tonight, but it was soft, too. “Putting barriers in my way?” he asked.
“Uh...” She was having some trouble talking, like all the blood had gone to the part of her that needed him most. He knew how she felt. “I thought it was... wise.”
“Maybe we don’t need to be wise.” The bra came only halfway up the swell of her breast, and when he ran his fingers lightly over the top of it, she tensed. “This is so sweet.”
“Not sure that’s flattering.” She was still in there swinging, and he couldn’t stop smiling.
“Let me try something else, then.” He kissed his way over her soft cheek to her ear, and she turned her head to let him do it. Another surge of excitement. Surely, she’d been born to receive pleasure, and to give it. He saw her like he’d already undressed her, flat on her back and gloriously naked, his hands parting her thighs, the sound of her uneven breathing filling his head. “How about if I tell you that you’re beautiful, you smell delicious, and all I want to do is eat you up, nice and slow, then nice and hard? After that, I want to fill you deeper than you’ve ever felt a man. I want to fuck you like you’re mine.”
