“Your face is as red as a beet,” he laughed as he tugged off her mitts and hat and quickly unbuttoned her coat. And she let him do it. To hell with being independent. It felt good having Nick chuckling away and being near her. Really good. He made her feel safe and protected.
Heat melted through her and her breath quickened with awareness of him. God help her but she wanted to feel his hands on her body again. His lips on her bare skin. She wanted to have his cock in her mouth and have him inside her.
She just wanted him. Under her and on top of her. Understandable coming from a woman whose only good sex in years was in the form of masturbation.
Surely she was nuts to think of sex at such a time? Instead, she should be telling him she’d started to see and the doctor had suggested tests. But she wanted to stay here with him. Just a little longer. Just one more night.
“Mary packed condoms. I found them earlier,” she blurted. His fingers hesitated on a coat button for a moment before he continued to unbutton at a slower pace.
“Did she now.” His voice sounded thick and husky. Aroused. Just like her.
And I can see again, she ached to say but again held it back. If she told him now he would question her further or contact the doctor and use his muscle to get the information. He’d take her away from here tonight and have them running tests on her in no time flat. She knew that would be the best thing for her, but she suddenly didn’t want to leave here or for that matter didn’t want another bodyguard as she’d agreed to with Mary this afternoon. She wanted the impossible. She wanted Nick.
Obviously he wanted her too because she could see his shadow coming closer and his lips settled softly on hers. Fire blazed through her and she closed her eyes, melting into the gentle kiss. Reaching up, she curled her hands over his shoulders and held on, her tummy fluttering at the way his muscles flexed beneath her fingertips.
His hands were like brands as they settled on her hips and she became vaguely aware of her coat being removed and the cool wall pressing against her back.
“I can’t seem to keep my hands off you, Summer. I’ve wanted you for a hell of a long time,” he said after he broke the kiss and nuzzled his cheek against hers.
His admission had her senses reeling.
“You really wanted me?” she asked.
“Still do. More than ever.”
“I figured you were only hanging around me after the accident out of pity. That’s why I asked you not to come around anymore.”
He swore violently. The fierceness of it making her jump in surprise at his sudden anger.
“I’ve always cared about you. I left because I cared so much.” There was a long hesitation before he continued in a softer voice, a wounded tone that made her heart clench in compassion for him.
“When you said you didn’t have feelings for me, deep down I knew you were lying. But I told myself it was better if I just left. You see…whenever I get close to someone, they die.”
Summer didn’t know what to say. So she kept quiet.
“It happened with my parents when they died two months apart. My dad in a workplace accident and my mom killed herself because she couldn’t cope with him dying. Then a set of my foster parents that I really liked died close together. They were an older couple and not in the best of health. Then your parents who I loved and with what happened to you, I figured I’d better stay the hell away from you before you ended up dying too.”
Sadness swept through her. “But that’s not true; you realize that, don’t you? You can’t change fate. You aren’t that powerful. That’s up to the big guy upstairs.”
“I know, babe, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. If I get close to you, you’ll end up dying. It’s as simple as that for me. So I stay away.”
“I’ll end up dying if I don’t fuck you. So, I want you with me. It’s as simple as that for me,” she whispered, hoping he didn’t think she was making light of his problem or belittling him. To make her point she gave him a long lingering kiss that had him breathing hard and grinding his erection against her lower belly.
“You’re just trying to distract me,” he breathed as he broke the kiss. She heard the humor in his voice but also the undertone of pain. Thankfully though, she sensed he was lightening up and still holding her close.
“Is the distraction working?”
“Hell, yes.”
“Will it work forever?”
He swore again. This time softly.
She kissed his chin, felt the stubble of his shadow and could picture how sexy he must look right about now with his eyes smoldering with lust.
“If you really look at that scenario about losing people you love, it seems to have to do with parent figures, right? And I am definitely not a parent figure, am I?”
“You would make the best parent, Summer. I know that in my heart but I do see your point,” Nick replied. “You aren’t saying this because you think I’m going to take off if you’re pregnant, are you? Because I would never do that to you.”
“I’m saying this because I love you, Nick Cassidy. I’ve loved you since probably the minute I first laid eyes on you.”
Silence followed. She didn’t expect him to say he loved her. She just wanted him to know it. Despite that though, urgency and apprehension spiraled through her. What if he just wanted her sexually? And not as a possible wife or girlfriend? Maybe she’d just scared him away by stating her feelings?
“It’s why I came to you on your nineteenth birthday,” he breathed and brushed his warm lips against hers in such a gentle caress desire shot through her. Suddenly her skin felt as if it was on fire and her toes were curling.
“That night I came to tell you I loved you,” he whispered.
Wow. He said he loved her. In the past tense. Did he still?
“When I saw you coming out of the ladies’ room looking so young and innocent, I froze. Suddenly everything just seemed too good to be true and my problem kicked in big-time and I just sensed that if I did take you away then you would end up dying.”
“You didn’t have a problem kissing me that night.”
He chuckled. “That kiss blew my socks off. I almost changed my mind and took you with me to that hotel. I wanted to fuck you so bad. Wanted you in my life as more than my best friend’s baby sister or my friend.”
Summer remembered him hesitating after that kiss but then he’d raced up the stairs as if she were a monster. She also remembered the devastation roaring through her as she watched him disappear at the top of those stairs. Then, a few weeks after the accident, she’d been shocked again when Ryan told her Nick had gone overseas permanently. He hadn’t so much as said goodbye. She’d blamed it on her outburst that she didn’t want him in her life anymore. Blamed herself for him leaving. Totally, a natural response for him to run, especially after the way she’d treated him. Now she had him back for a little while, didn’t she? Goodness, was she being pathetic pining after this guy?
“I still love you, Summer. I love your independence. I love your art. I love everything about you. I never left because of your blindness or because you tried to push me away. It was me. I’m screwed up when it comes to relationships. I just don’t want anything to happen to you or for anything about you to change and do you know what?”
“What?”
“I’d love to make love to you right now.”
Excitement pounded through her. “What’s stopping you?”
“Where are the condoms?” he asked against her mouth.
“In the bedroom. Second drawer on the left. Right on top of my panties.”
He chuckled. “That’s an appropriate place.”
His hands slipped off her waist and intertwined with her fingers. As he led her through the living room and into the bedroom, she could barely breathe from the need of having him again.
He let go of her and she heard the drawer opening and the rattle of the box as he removed one, two and then three condoms. She swallowed back a moan at the sounds of
plastic being ripped open.
One. Two. Three.
The small plunks of the individual condoms being tossed on the night table was followed by the entire box being placed there.
Oh my! Looks as if it’s going to be a busy night.
A moment later, his mouth seared hers again and she eagerly accepted the thrust of his tongue. Her heart thumped like mad as her jeans loosened and slipped over her hips and down. Quickly she stepped out of her denims, kicking them away. She unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. Urgency pounded through her pussy and she tugged his underwear and pants down.
He broke the kiss and chuckled. “In a hurry, are we?”
“More than you know,” she breathed and latched on to his hot mouth again. She bit his lips and sucked on his tongue, unleashing hot sensations that sent her head whirling in a nice way.
Rubbing her lower half against his hard erection, she roamed her hands over his leather coat until she found the zipper. Pulling it down, she then grabbed the edges and moved the coat off his shoulders. His t-shirt quickly followed. Trailing her fingers over his chest, she felt the crisp curls of chest hair and the powerful band of chest muscles shift and flex. He groaned and ground his mouth harder against hers. His kisses were scorching her. Not to mention addictive.
His hands sifted beneath her shirt and flattened against her bare belly, sending shards of heat into her. Then his palms smoothed upward and found their way beneath her bra and he cupped her breasts. He found her nipples and she gasped into his mouth as he tweaked and twisted until this side of pain.
She stopped kissing him, needing air, but his dominating odor intoxicated her and she started planting kisses along his strong neck and over his collarbone and down. She found a nipple and sucked the tight bead into her mouth. She nibbled on the nub until he was moaning. The sound was so primal and raw, it sent wild sensations racing through her.
“On the bed,” she gasped, the erotic storm unleashing inside her now. Her pussy pulsed with wet, warm cream and urgency swept her away. She wanted him. Now!
He grabbed her hand and a moment later, they were tumbling on the bed.
“Me on top,” she demanded as she struggled out of her panties.
“And here I thought you were a nice girl. Hmm, nice girl naughty,” he chuckled.
Reaching out, she ran her hands over his legs and pictured his position. In an instant, she climbed over his hard thighs and found his cock.
She shivered. His erection was long, thick and so heavy in her palms. Fire raged through her at the thought of having him inside her again.
“Hang on. The condom…”he whispered.
She felt his fingers push against hers as he rolled on the protection. When he was fully sheathed, she held his cock with one hand and angled herself over the erect flesh. Squatting, she moved down until his thick cock head lodged at the entrance of her vagina. Her pussy trembled with anticipation as she moved down some more. She hissed as his swollen flesh sunk deep inside her, stretching her beautifully. In seconds, she was perfectly impaled and gasping at the huge intrusion.
“You look so beautiful,” he groaned. “Take off your top. I want to see all of you.”
They were both breathing fast as she slipped off her top and bra.
His hands palmed her swollen breasts again, sending scorching flashes of lust shooting through her. He massaged her, touched her, plumped her nipples.
Finding his waist, she held onto him, gyrating her hips and grinding her clit hard into his molten flesh. Her sensual storm increased, whipping through her like white lightning. She felt Nick tighten up as he neared his climax.
Looking down, she strained her eyes to see him, but he was still a shadow. One day, if she were really lucky, she’d be able to see his face again. If that ever happened, it would be the happiest day of her life.
Pleasure electrified her. She gasped and ground her hips, pressing harder into him, her wet pussy gripping his cock like a glove. He groaned and thrust upward, pushing himself deeper. She tightened on him. Breathtaking spasms racked her, making her shudder and cry out his name. The orgasm slammed into her and she cried out, shuddering as the agonized pleasure took hold. She rode the intoxicating waves and loved him.
They’d made love the rest of the day stopping only for supper, which included canned vegetable soup, crackers and some fruit. Afterward, they made love again until the wee hours of the night and until Nick was exhausted.
Summer lay fast asleep in his arms, her curves pressed intimately against him, her slow steady breathing a lullaby. It was a sweet, relaxing sound, which just couldn’t fully get him to sleep. Finally, he drifted off and dreamed of Summer on top of him. Her tight warm pussy wrapped around him, her hips gyrating, her breasts bouncing beneath his palms. Her fluffy red hair tossed back, making her look so sexy.
While they’d made love, she’d been looking at him in an odd kind of way. As if she could actually see him. But that wasn’t possible. It was just wishful thinking. Her blindness was something he would need to get used to. Not that it bothered him. She seemed so independent. So strong and determined to have him.
She just didn’t understand his problem of not wanting to get close to people. Hell, he didn’t understand it either. He knew it was wrong to think this way, but sometimes he just couldn’t help it. One thing he knew for certain was the thrill of adrenaline rushes of dodging bullets overseas was nothing compared to the thrill of watching Summer orgasm.
When she was about to come, her cheeks got this pink glow and her eyes lit up with wonder. Not to mention her pretty pink lips parting as she panted and—
Something, a sound perhaps, filtered through his drowsiness. He came fully awake and fully alert. It was still windy outside. He could hear the waves crashing on the shoreline. The branches he should have cut still scraped along the bedroom windowpanes in an eerie way that shot uneasiness through him.
An occasional small branch or pinecone dropped or slapped upon the metal roof. However, there was something else. The low rumble of an engine—an approaching car? Or maybe a motorboat out on the lake?
He held himself still and listened. The purr of an engine was distinct. Definitely a car. Then the sound disappeared. Someone had cut the engine. Who the hell was coming here at this hour? He glanced over at the illuminated clock on the night table.
Two thirty-three.
Shit.
Moving slowly so as not to startle Summer, he lifted her head off his arm, which she’d been using as a pillow. She shifted, mumbled something, and then went quiet again.
Peering out the bedroom window, he stood and waited for the motion detectors to go off. They didn’t. He saw nothing but those damn branches he should have cut. They were swinging wildly in the wind and from this angle of the cabin; he had no view of the driveway. Wondering if he should wake Summer, he looked down at her sleeping form. She looked so peaceful; he just didn’t have the heart to disturb her. Maybe he’d been wrong about the noise? It may have been a motorboat on the lake? Or the fridge doing its defrosting cycle?
Up until now, he’d felt pretty comfortable knowing that no one knew he’d taken Summer here except Ryan. But still, he needed to do a perimeter check. Should have done several checks since coming here. Instead, he’d been too busy making love to Summer.
Man! She was a distraction he’d never experienced before. She had him thinking constantly with the wrong head. He needed to get his ass in gear and get back to thinking like a bodyguard. He hadn’t been doing his job up until now. That had to be rectified starting immediately. He dressed quickly and quietly. In the living room, he retrieved his gun and headed for the back door of the cabin. If someone had arrived, why wait so long to knock?
Warning bells were slamming into him as he pressed his back against the wall, his gun in hand. Cautiously, he switched off the back motion detector light and keyed in the disarm to the alarm and unlocked the door. Cracking it open a few inches, he peered out. He shivered as strong gusts of cold October w
ind slammed against his body, sending a volley of goose bumps pinpricking through him. Falling leaves snapped against the door and blew inside. He didn’t move. Straining his eyes against the darkness, he wished for a moon so he could see something, anything, but no such luck. He tried to distinguish if anyone was sneaking around but all he could see was the nearby pine trees thrashing about.
Instincts told him to do a perimeter check. Just to make sure. Slipping outside, he locked the door and reengaged the alarm. It was an older house alarm and the deadbolts not state of the art. He should have put in more up-to-date security. But it had been a spur-of-the moment idea to come here and he hadn’t done much preparation for Summer’s safety. He knew that now. He’d been in a rush to get her alone, even though his brain hadn’t been able to admit it, his heart had.
Shit! Nothing good came out of thinking with the heart instead of his head. Hadn’t he learned that over the years?
The blasts of cold air kept him sharp as he moved along the side of the cabin toward the area were his rental was parked. Gravel crunched beneath his shoes as he hit the perimeter of the gravel parking lot. He spied only one vehicle there. His.
Standing in the darkness, he surveyed every dark tree and bush. When the cold seeped beneath his leather coat and his jeans and soared deep into his flesh, hurting his bones and making his teeth chatter together, he continued to stand guard. Every noise filtered through his mind. Branches snapped in the wind and fell to the frozen ground or slapped onto the roof. An owl started hooting somewhere close high up in one of the pine trees. The waves continued to crash against the rocks.
It started to snow. Tiny wet flakes peppered his face and the cold metal of the gun in his hand was making his fingers numb. Time to go back inside. He could sit on the couch and keep guard there. Wait until daylight and then take a look around.
Turning, he went back around the other way, staying close to the cabin, his gun poised and ready for action. Nearing the front door, he realized the motion detector hadn’t gone off. It meant no one had come around this way. Backing up, he went around to the back and checked the other side of the cabin. Nothing.
Whispers of Winter: A Limited Edition Collection of Winter Romances Page 53
