“Slow is good,” she whispered, mesmerized by the way his eyes devoured her.
She loved the way he cradled her head as he took her mouth in another kiss, this one tempting and teasing but no less intense. He coaxed her tongue to play with his, licked the inside of her mouth, and fed from her like a starving man. His taste was intoxicating, waking up her pleasure points and spreading to every pulse point in her body.
Lazily, he dragged his mouth from hers and trailed it along the line of her jaw and down her neck. She shivered as he drew a line with the tip of his tongue along her collarbone to the hollow at her throat. The pressure of his tongue against that indentation made her limbs turn to jelly and she had to grasp his arms to steady herself.
“I feel like I’m unwrapping a Christmas package,” he murmured as he undid the buttons of her silk blouse one at a time. “Except Santa never left anything like this under the tree for me.”
“I hope you aren’t disappointed.”
“Are you kidding me? This is the best present ever.”
With his gaze still locked onto hers, he undid the last of the buttons, opened the blouse, and pushed it down her arms. The fire in his eyes flared hotter when he lowered his gaze to the bit of peach satin and lace that was her bra. He slid a tentative finger along the upper swell of her breasts, a feather-light touch that sent another shower of chills dancing along her skin.
Get on with it, she wanted to tell him, yet, at the same time, she wanted to prolong each and every touch and contact. Kyle skimmed his fingertips over her shoulders, down her arms, and around to her back where he deftly unhooked her bra. The moment her breasts were free, he cupped them in his palms, gently squeezing them and brushing his thumbs over her now very sensitive nipples. The throbbing in the heart of her sex intensified.
Pepper lifted her hands and scraped her thumbs over his cheeks and chin, missing the appetizing scruff of earlier in the day and sorry he’d shaved before dinner. His very masculine scent filled her nostrils, and she couldn’t stop herself from rising on tiptoe to run her tongue along the line of his jaw. Yum! He tasted as good as he smelled.
“You’re killing me, Pepper,” he rasped. “Testing my self-discipline.”
Her mouth curved in a tremulous grin. “Mine, too.”
As he stroked her breasts and their beaded tips, she tugged his shirt from his trousers and pushed his arms aside so she could yank it over his head. Her mouth watered at the sight of his toned chest with its curls of dark-chocolate hair. Unable to stop herself, she leaned her head forward and ran her tongue over the surface. The little curls were softer than she expected, so she licked again. This time, she dragged her tongue from side to side, finding his flat male nipples and teasing them.
Kyle sucked in a breath at the contact, squeezing her nipples with his fingers. He urged her head up to give him access to her body, reaching for the button and zipper on her slacks, dragging the tab down with painful slowness. His knuckles brushed her tummy, setting off another wave of tremors. When he pushed her slacks down, they slid to her ankles, and she stepped out of them and her shoes.
In slow motion, he ran the tips of his fingers around the lace edging on her thong, stroking the bare skin of her bottom before sliding his hands to the front. Her legs trembled so much from his touch, she had to dig her fingers into his upper arms to give her support. He teased the seam where hip and thigh joined, stroking lightly, rubbing the flat of his thumbs over the silk covering her mound. Then, as if he could not wait another moment to uncover her completely, he hooked his fingers in the edges of her thong and eased the scrap of nothing down her legs.
He devoured her with his gaze, coasting it over every naked inch of her. His nostrils flared as he caught her scent, and the way he licked his lips made her even more turned on. At last, he took a step back, lifted her and, jerking back the covers with one swift movement, placed her gently on the bed. The look he gave her was devouring, as arousing as every touch.
She watched through heavy-lidded eyes as he kicked off his shoes and stripped out of his slacks and boxer briefs. Then her eyes popped wide open. Holy mother, this man was built. His body tapered from broad shoulders to a narrow waist and lean hips. The chocolate curls arrowed in a line down from his navel to his groin, filling out to a thick nest that framed his impressive manhood.
Pepper squeezed her thighs together, trying to still the powerful throbbing in the walls of her sex. She couldn’t ever remember a time when a man had affected her as intensely as this one. The touch of his hands, his mouth, the magic strokes of his caresses all blended to drive her to a peak of excitement.
Raw power emanated from his body as he knelt between her thighs on the bed. The sheer masculinity of him lit a fire deep inside her body. She didn’t know which aroused her more, the feel of his naked skin against hers, the voracious look in his eyes, or the light dance of his fingers along the swell of her tummy. Desire pooled hot and fierce within her. When the tips of his fingers moved lower to her mound, stroking the soft thatch of hair covering her flesh, she couldn’t hold back the soft cry that whispered from her throat.
Pepper reached out her hands, wanting to touch his masculine perfection, to feel the hardness of the sculpted muscles. But when she reached for him, he shook his head, took her hands in his, and carefully licked the tip of each finger. His tongue was smooth and abrasive at the same time, sparking new tremors in her core.
“You smell so unbelievably good,” he told her, his voice hot and sultry. “You taste good. I want to run my tongue over every inch of you, tasting and savoring.”
“And if I want to do the same to you?”
“My turn first.”
Bending low, he turned his attention to her nipples again, taking first one in his mouth and gently scraping it with his tongue then moving to the other. Pepper arched up to him, pressing her elbows into the bed to give herself more leverage. But Kyle had her trapped between his muscular thighs, limiting her movement.
By the time he was finished feasting on her breasts, she would have done anything, agreed to anything, if he would just satisfy the fire raging inside her. When he lifted his head, the smile he gave her was a clear indication he knew exactly what he was doing to her.
“I told you I wanted to take my time,” he reminded her. “That hasn’t changed. The more I touch you, taste you, the more I realize that’s exactly what I want. I don’t want to miss one delicious inch of you.”
He eased himself back to gain greater access to her lower body. The path he had traced with his fingertips he now followed with his tongue, featherlike licks driving her crazy. She couldn’t help the little moans that kept flowing from her mouth or the way her body arched and twisted up to him.
When he finally reached the place where he could trace lines with his tongue along the inside of each thigh, she thought for sure she would explode with unsatisfied need. His laugh was low and sensuous and all male as he pressed his mouth against her flesh. When he finally—finally!—ran the tip of his tongue against that sensitive closed seam of flesh, she thought every nerve would ignite.
“Please,” she begged. “Oh, please.”
Pressure and need continued to build and build as he licked and tasted. The touch of his fingers as he opened the wet pink flesh and exposed her to him fully nearly pushed her over the edge, but she wanted to wait, to hold on. To have everything.
But then his tongue captured her hot, sensitive bundle of nerves and pressed it between his lips. She reached for every ounce of discipline she knew to keep herself from exploding. She wanted to feel him inside her, filling her with his hot, hard length.
But, again, he was not to be denied. The hot lash of his tongue as he trailed it around and around, flicking it against the sensitive nub of her sex and then thrusting it between her slick velvety lips. He brought every one of her senses into play, so much so that she was sure she suffered from sensory overload. The coil of need deep inside her body tightened beyond endurance and then began t
o unwind, slowly, slowly, slowly.
Then, without warning, she exploded, body convulsing, her hot inner flesh spasming over and over and over against his tongue. When he added his fingers, it pushed her up to the crest again and then into a whirlwind of sensual pleasure.
Before she even realized what he was doing, he had retrieved a condom from his wallet, sheathed himself, and, lifting her hips to give him a better angle, plunged into her with one swift move. Without thinking, she wrapped her legs around him and drew him closer to her. His arousal was hot and thick and filled her completely.
“Okay?” he asked, his eyes focused on her in a penetrating gaze.
“Yes. More than. Please don’t stop.”
“Never intended to.”
And then he took her on a wild ride, driving in and out of her with hard, steady thrusts. He still watched her intently, trying to gauge how close she was.
“Don’t hold back,” she said at last. “I’m there.”
That seemed to be all he needed. His tempo increased, he thrust deeper and harder until, with a cry, he took them both over the edge into a spinning, shuddering orgasm. Pepper had no idea how long it went on, only that her body convulsed with his over and over and over.
At last, they were done and he collapsed forward, catching himself on his forearms, touching his forehead to hers. They stayed that way for a very long time, until the last of the aftershocks subsided. He looked into her eyes, and she was sure he could see clear into her soul. She felt as if she could see into his.
Finally, when she could breathe normally, she asked, “What just happened here?”
“Something momentous,” he answered in that deep, sultry voice. “I’m beginning to think Fate had a reason for sending me here.”
“I think I agree.”
“No promises,” he said, “but I don’t think we’re near finished here. I’d like to see where this goes.”
“Me, too,” she whispered.
“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” He kissed her nose. “Let me take care of business and then we can catch some sleep.”
Pepper wondered if the romance novels were right and it was possible to fall in love with someone in less than twenty-four hours. Because she was sure that was what was happening to her. But as she watched the sexy flex of Kyle’s backside as he walked to the bathroom, she wondered if she was letting herself in for a big disappointment.
6
“You’re looking chipper this morning.” Cilla stood in the kitchen, hands on hips, studying Pepper.
“Why shouldn’t I? I had a good night’s sleep.”
“Really?” A grin teased at Cilla’s mouth. “So, after the big dinner last night, you and your so-called fiancé came back here and you hopped into bed. Alone.”
“Yes.” Pepper concentrated on the scones she was plating. “Of course. And what do you mean, ‘big’ dinner? It was dinner with my folks. That’s all.”
“Oh, please.” Cilla flapped a hand at her. “My phone rang off the hook last night, people who wanted all the gory details. Your mama gave a fine performance, fawning all over him while giving him the third degree.”
Pepper snorted. “You got that right. I have no idea why he didn’t run screaming into the night.” She sighed. “I have to agree Mama can be a bit much.” And wasn’t that just stating the obvious.
Cilla giggled. “So did she have the date set, the venue booked, and the guest list done by the time dinner was over?”
Pepper filled a second plate with poppy seed muffins, today’s flavor, and carried them into the dining room. Cilla had shown up at the crack of dawn, eager for gossip, and made herself useful by setting the table. The rest of the ingredients for today’s meal—omelets, buttermilk pancakes, bacon, fragrant sage and pepper sausage, and sliced melons, strawberries and kiwi—were ready in the fridge for when the first guests came downstairs. And, for a touch of morning decadence, a chocolate layer cake. She loved gastronomically shocking the guests sometimes.
“She tried damn hard,” Pepper told her friend. “But I’m getting almost as good at avoiding commitments as she is at trying to pin me down.”
“At least it got you out of dinner with yucky Judd Wallace.”
“Nothing, and I repeat nothing, would have gotten me to dinner with that jerk.” She smacked a cake server against the sink. “Not even my mother.”
“Okay, then.” Cilla fixed a mug of coffee for herself, stirring in cream and sugar. “So you’re telling me that after that hot kiss performance yesterday, nothing else happened?”
“Yes. Right. That’s what I’m telling you.”
Cilla cocked an eyebrow. “Even after spending the day holding hands?”
Pepper glared at her. “I see Gossip Central has been at it again.”
“But isn’t that what you want? It gets your folks off your back and makes your little fairy tale plausible, right?” She tilted her head. “It is nothing more than a fairy tale, right, Pepper?”
“Of course. Can you help me fold napkins?”
“Nice change of subject there.” Cilla laughed. “Okay, I see my curiosity isn’t about to be satisfied. But let me tell you, girl. If I had a hunk like that pretending to be my fiancé, I’d have a hard time not trying to make it the real thing.”
Pepper scowled. “Marry a man I don’t know?”
Everything else aside, she really didn’t know Kyle Montgomery. Who was he when he wasn’t playing tourist in Bayview? What did he do for a living beside “run a business?” Maybe he even had a wife who he was “taking a break from,” as she knew some rat fink men did.
No. She might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but she knew she’d have sensed it if there was someone at home wondering where he was this weekend. Everything about Kyle Montgomery said “successful single businessman.”
She realized that while her mind wandered, Cilla was still keeping up the conversation.
“Not necessarily. I’m just talking about taking advantage of the opportunity to play house while he’s here.”
“Can we please change the subject?” Pepper was having enough trouble wiping the previous night out of her mind as it was. She wondered how she’d pull it off when Kyle showed up downstairs, and what time that would be.
She could hardly believe she was so wide awake. Spectacular sex was exhausting. Plus, she’d had to sneak out of Kyle’s room at five o’clock, before any of the guests were up, so she could shower and dress and get ready for breakfast. He had tried to talk her into staying a little longer, but, by that time, she was already nervous and maybe having second thoughts.
She was not a woman who fell into bed with a man without even knowing him for twenty-four hours. It just wasn’t her style. She never, ever, ever fell into bed with a man she’d known for less than twenty-four hours. So, what had gotten into her last night?
Oh, wait. She could justify it by telling herself this was different. And it was, in so many ways. But the one way that frightened her was how intense the sex had been and the invisible thread that seemed to connect them from the moment he’d walked into Hibiscus House. But in a very few days Kyle Montgomery would be leaving. That was already set in stone. She could be setting herself up for a big fall, here.
It will be worth it. I’ll just have to deal with the fallout.
Cilla helped her serve the first round of breakfast meals, three couples and two women. All were pleasant, and their rave comments about Bayview and Hibiscus House were music to her ears. She didn’t care what her parents said. This place was her life. Her heart was here. She was going to build on its current reputation and make it a top B&B destination, at least in the South.
She was in the process of plating more scones and muffins and wondering what time Kyle would roll out of bed when she sensed someone behind her. In the next moment, warm hands cupped her shoulders and soft lips placed a kiss at the side of her neck. His breath feathered softly against her skin, sending heated messages to the rest of her body.
&nb
sp; “Morning, gorgeous.” The deep voice sent shivers rippling through her.
“Morning.”
She put the pan from the scones in the sink and turned around, almost afraid of what she would see. Did he regret last night? Well, he wouldn’t have greeted her this way if he had, right? Slowly, she turned around. When she did, he was so close to her only a sheet of paper could have slid between them. The same heat she’d seen in his eyes last night was there today, flaming in his melted-chocolate irises.
He studied her face for a moment, as if striving to read her state of mind. Then he cradled her cheeks in his palms and lowered his head to press a kiss to her mouth. The contact was even more scorching, if that was possible. He used the tip of his tongue to part her lips, sweeping inside when she did. Her temperature gauge went from zero to one thousand in seconds. How did he do this to her?
Everything fell away as she lost herself in the kiss. Every nerve sparked, her blood raced through her veins, and that same pulse low in her core began to beat like a jungle drum. She was glad when Kyle finally lifted his head because she had totally forgotten where she was. She had to tear her eyes away from the look in his, a look so sensuous it immediately brought back intense memories of the night before.
The sound of a throat clearing drew her attention to the other side of the kitchen. Cilla was sitting on one of the high stools, a knowing expression on her face. Pepper glared at her, trying to send her signals, but Cilla just grinned and kept watching them.
“Don’t mind me,” she said. “I’m just enjoying the show.”
Kyle grinned. “Stare all you want, Cilla. I enjoy kissing my fiancé.”
Pepper wished she knew how much was real and how much was part of the roles they were playing. She extricated herself from Kyle’s arms, aware she was probably blushing, and moved over to the espresso machine.
“How about coffee while I fix you some breakfast?”
“I’d offer to help,” he told her, “but you know what you’re doing, which is more than I can say. And, yes. An espresso would be great.”
Take Me to Bed: A Collection of Naughty Bedtime Stories Page 65
