“Yes, Seth. I’m very sure.”
* * * *
Her gaze slid down his body as he stripped off his clothes. He was an intimidating figure in his expensive, tailored suits, but even more so standing before her nude. Muscles, well-defined but not exaggeratedly so, rippled beneath golden brown skin. She’d noticed it earlier on the beach, but now the complete picture took her breath away. He looked like one of those Greek statues.
Something must have shown in her face, for Seth said, “Tessa? Doubts?”
She shook her head. It was all the invitation he needed. He came down next to her and pulled her against him, the bed sagging beneath his weight. His long fingers tangled in her hair before he touched his mouth to hers in a deep, drugging kiss. Heat spiraled through her, but that wasn’t all. When his free hand caressed her hip and his tongue tangled with hers, his warmth reached out to her. She felt loved. He might not have said the words, but she felt it in his every move, his every touch. For a man so large, he was amazingly gentle.
His lips trailed from her mouth to her neck, and lower, until he sucked the bud of her breast into his mouth. With so much tenderness she thought she would cry out from the pleasure of it, he rolled her nipple with his tongue. Even as he did, his hand traveled from her hip to the nest of curls at the base of her belly. A soft, seeking touch stroked her, parting her swollen flesh to slip along the warm wetness of her. A moan escaped Tessa. The heat was so intense it was almost painful, yet she wanted more. She wanted him never to stop.
She clutched his thick hair and brought his lips back to her own. This time she was the aggressor. While his fingers continued to caress her and bring her to a fever pitch, it was her lips and her tongue that ravaged his mouth. When he slipped a long finger inside her and glided it back and forth, Tessa tumbled over the edge. She arched against him. Her lips parted on a long, low moan. Never had she felt anything this earth-shattering.
“That’s it,” Seth urged. “Go with it, sweetheart.”
That moment of pure, sweet pleasure lasted forever and ended too soon. Her eyes met his hot, golden gaze, but more than heat met her. She saw a tender warmth that sent her climbing once more up that slope of ecstasy. As she surrendered once again, Seth covered her mouth, his tongue mimicking the movements of his finger inside her.
“God, Tessa,” he groaned. “I want you so much I’m afraid I won’t be able to make our first time together good for you.” He paused, his fingers brushing her cheek.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “You already have.”
Tessa lay back, watching him lazily as he rolled to his side and slid open the nightstand drawer. Her eyes widened as he retrieved a foil condom package and ripped it open. As he put it on, her gaze fell to his cock. His finger had felt snug in her, but his erection was so much bigger, and she felt so swollen she couldn’t imagine how he might fit. As Seth turned back to her, her doubts must have been there for him to see.
“Don’t, sweetheart,” he soothed her. “We’ll go slowly. I won’t lie, it might sting a bit the first time. I’ll make it as good as I can. Trust me, Tessa. I’ll make sure you’re ready for me.”
Tessa, who trusted no one, did trust Seth. The warmth in his eyes told her without words he would do what he promised. This was not a weekend of bedroom Olympics, not for her and not for him. This was the culmination of the closeness they’d experienced at other odd moments, a shared laugh, a soft touch, a vase full of summer flowers he’d cut himself.
He kissed her again and she answered him, wanting him to feel all the passion that was overflowing so much it made her groan. While his hands caressed her, she touched him with her slender fingers, teasing his flat nipples and over his hard belly. That ache built between her thighs yet again, made even greater by the trembling of his big frame as he held himself under firm control. Seth nudged her legs apart and positioned the blunt tip of his penis at the hot, wet core of her. His gaze held hers as he pushed forward.
So full. She felt so full, and then he stopped.
“Tessa,” he whispered and their gazes locked. “I don’t want to cause you pain. If you say stop, I will…even now.”
She shook her head. “I want you, Seth. All of you.”
He thrust forward, breaking that final barrier. At Tessa’s small hiss, Seth stilled. “Are you all right, sweetheart?”
“Yes. I just need a moment to adjust.”
His weight was on his knees and forearms. He watched her, moving a hand to smooth a strand of hair off her face.
“So beautiful, Tessa,” he whispered. His words made her tremble and tighten on him. Seth closed his eyes and groaned. “Easy, or this will be over before it starts.”
He moved within her, setting a languid rhythm that rocked her, reminding her of the ocean as she allowed herself to be carried on a wave. Only this time the wave was one of sensual pleasure. The momentary pain of his penetration passed and the heat of desire bubbled deep inside her. Seth’s movements quickened. His breathing grew ragged. She clenched around him in spasms as another climax crashed over her. Seth sat up, holding and guiding her hips as he drove into her and threw back his head, his control shattered. He groaned in release. They were both frozen there for an instant, bodies glistening with sweat, breathing harsh and uneven.
Seth rolled onto his back and pulled her close to his side, her head nestled on his chest. He stroked her hair off her face and Tessa felt the faint trembling in his fingers.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice husky.
“Mmm.”
He kissed her hair and her forehead as their breathing returned to normal.
“Is it always like that?” Tessa asked a few minutes later as she rubbed her palm over his chest muscles.
“Only with you,” he answered and tilted her head to kiss her on the lips. “Stay there, baby. I’ll be right back.”
Tessa watched as he levered himself out of the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. He returned in a minute, carrying a washcloth and towel. He sat next to her and began to wash her thighs.
“Seth?” she questioned, shyness making her want to clamp her legs together. “What are you doing?”
“Washing away the blood,” he explained. “It’s not much, but I thought the warm cloth might ease any discomfort.” He flashed a smile at her before turning his attention back to his task.
Tears gathered in her eyes. How could this man be so thoughtful? He was so different away from Barrett.
When he finished, he leaned over to kiss her. “Take a nap if you’d like. I’ll get dinner going. I thought we could eat here tonight.”
Tessa smiled, her eyelids already drooping. He was amazing, like the prince in a fairy tale.
* * * *
Seth whistled as he worked in the open kitchen area. He was once again in well-worn cargo shorts and a short-sleeved cotton shirt that he’d left unbuttoned. Flip-flops cushioned his feet. More relaxed than he could remember in a long time, he ran his hands over his messy hair.
Tessa.
She’d surprised him, although he didn’t know why. He’d known since Chicago that she was inexperienced, but as cynical as he was about the world, maybe there had been a part of him that hadn’t quite believed it. He did now. Ever practical Tessa Edwards. How had such a beautiful young woman remained a virgin? He smiled to himself. Well, she wasn’t any longer. Just thinking about how she’d responded to him made his cock start to swell. He couldn’t remember an occasion when he’d been so relaxed and so turned on at the same time. His body hungered to get back in bed with her, get back inside her, but heaven knew it was far too soon. In fact, he wasn’t sure how soon she could handle him again.
It was a half hour later before she emerged from the bedroom. She had slipped her robe back on and it clung to the swell of her breasts and the curve of her hips. Seth’s gaze traveled the length of her. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Down, boy. She needed time to recover, and he was hungry for some real food.
&nbs
p; “There’s beer in the fridge if you’d like one,” he offered. “Or wine.”
She shook her head. “Can I help you with anything?”
“You could make a salad. I thought we’d have pasta with steamed shrimp and vegetables in an alfredo sauce.”
Tessa looked at him with one arched brow, found what she needed in the refrigerator, and went to work on the salad. “Where did you learn to cook?” she asked as she finished the salad and contented herself with watching him. He grinned at her, not minding at all that she appeared to find him so interesting.
“I had to learn while I was freelancing. I can’t cook a lot of things, but I can manage pasta.” He glanced at her and grinned. “I’m pretty good at roasting almost anything over an open fire too–also courtesy of freelancing in less than ideal circumstances.”
Tessa laughed, as he’d intended.
They took everything out to the table on the deck. The sun had just set, and the sky still had a glow of pinks and yellows and oranges to the west. Over the ocean, the first stars were beginning to come out. The sound of the surf was quieter, the waves lapping against the sand.
“The food’s delicious, Seth,” she complimented him. “I’m ashamed to admit I assumed you had hired help like your parents.”
“After life at their place, I like my privacy.” Seth told her about growing up in his big family, how little privacy there was and how everything had always been a competition for all his siblings, all of them except Anna. “What about you? I know you didn’t have a large family like mine, but you mentioned spending time at Mont Clair. Was that during the summers?”
“Yes. When I was small. We didn’t go anymore after I was twelve.” Her voice had gone high, strained.
“Because your mother met Mallory?”
Tessa looked down at the food remaining on her plate. “Partly.”
Seth touched her cheek. “Tessa? You tensed before when this came up. Did something happen?”
As she met his steady gaze, he saw the hurt she had buried behind so many layers.
“I hated those summers,” she admitted. “My cousins picked on me without mercy. Unlike the rest of them, I had no older brothers or sisters to come to my rescue. When my mother began dating and leaving me there more, things got even worse.”
Seth covered her hand with his and squeezed. He wanted to offer her more in the way of comfort, but had the feeling it would be rejected.
“The summer I was nine, I got shut up in a tack trunk while playing hide and seek.”
“Was it an accident?”
Tessa looked at Seth. “Everyone said so, but I’ve always wondered. They told me later a pitchfork fell in such a way it prevented me from pushing the lid open, but I never heard anything fall.”
God, she could have smothered in that trunk. Seth arched a brow, showing his own doubts about that explanation. “That would explain your claustrophobia.”
Tessa looked beyond Seth out to sea. “That was the beginning. There was an older cousin–Peter–he would say things and do…things.” Tessa paused and grimaced. “The summer I was twelve, it all came to a head. I tried to stay away from him, but he came to my room late one night and tried to touch me. I screamed for help, but when my aunt and uncle got there, it wasn’t Peter who got in trouble, it was me.”
Seth lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. The pain and rejection she’d felt were obvious, and he wished he could have been there for her. Maybe he should just be grateful that he had been able to help his own sister.
“I hated those summers,” Tessa continued. “Momma came and got me. There was a big fight and as we left, she told me I would never have to see any of them again. I was so relieved, I started crying. I thought my aunt and uncle would protect me, but had I not been able to get in touch with my mother, I believe they would have turned a blind eye to Peter actually raping me, instead of…” Tessa stopped and stared out at the ocean again.
“Molesting you?” Seth finished. He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand, drawing her back to the present. “It’s over, sweetheart. No one will ever treat you that way again.”
She smiled. “I know that, with you.”
His breath caught for an instant. There it was again, that tug pulling him closer and closer to the edge of falling completely in love. There was a pause and he opened his mouth to say some of what he was feeling, but the moment broke when Tessa stood up and collected the dishes. Seth closed his mouth and helped her. Together they cleaned the kitchen and made coffee, which they took onto the deck. The sky was black now and a full moon peeked above the horizon. Its reflection stretched in a silvery beam across the smooth, glassy surface of the ocean. The waves sounded somehow muted in the darkness.
Tessa sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Thank you so much for inviting me here. I think I could stay here forever.”
“That’s how I feel.” Seth stepped behind her and cradled her with his arms and chest. He bent his head to touch the top of hers.
While one hand wrapped around her waist, his free hand cupped the curve of her breast. The feel of the warm silk-covered weight made him hard. He wanted her again with a raw, aching need he’d never before felt. She was like a drug in his blood.
“How do you feel?” he rumbled. God, he was such a cad. “If you’re sore…”
Tessa turned in his arms and pressed against him. “I’m fine, Seth.”
He lifted her with a growl and surprised her by setting her down on the edge of the table. He kissed her, tongue diving and tangling with hers while he untied her robe and pushed it from her shoulders. Moonlight bathed her creamy breasts. Tessa sighed with pleasure. His lips traveled downward, and she leaned back, her arms braced on the table. His teeth nipped her belly before he moved lower. He wanted to taste her, the perfect dessert.
“Seth?” It was a whisper that ended on a soft purr of pleasure when he reached her sex.
He teased her with his fingers, parting her and fondling her with his lips and tongue. He found the sweet bud of flesh at her very center and nuzzled it. This time Tessa gasped and arched. He chuckled. There was something to be said about being first, especially with this woman.
“You’re so responsive.”
When she cried out, he lifted his gaze to watch her, amazed at how lost she was in the wonder of it, the almost mindless pleasure that washed over her again. He was able to do this for her, his woman. His cock throbbed in response. Not about to take her in the middle of a table on the deck of his beach house, Seth stood and lifted her, carrying her through the sliding glass doors and into the master bedroom. The pace of their loving slowed as they each took time to explore the other’s body, learning what touch or taste teased or pleased. They dozed, only to wake and turn to each other again.
Seth awoke before dawn. Tessa slept next to him, curved along his side. He slipped off the edge of the bed and pulled on his boxers before stepping out on the deck so he could watch as the sun lightened the eastern sky, turning it from a midnight blue to an ever-burgeoning and brightening array of colors. As gorgeous as that was, the woman now sleeping in his bed fascinated him even more. He turned and leaned against the railing, devouring her sleeping curves. Thinking of the passion he’d awakened in her was enough to have him hardening once more in desire.
Over the years, plenty of women had set their sights on him. As the eldest Barlow-Barrett, he was a matrimonial catch, but Seth had avoided those entanglements. It had made him cynical, leaving him with the feeling that no woman would ever be able to see beyond the name and the empire to Seth, the man. Even the women he chose to date had understood from the start he was looking for sex, not commitment. If they had a problem with that, he had always walked away.
Tessa was different. He’d thought about an affair with her, but had thrown that idea out the window in Chicago. As jaded as he had become over the years, even he couldn’t take what she wasn’t sure she even wanted to surrender. But it was more than that. At last he had admi
tted to himself it wasn’t just sex he wanted with her. Although that was fantastic, he wanted more. He wanted all of her, every day and every night.
The problem was he didn’t know if she felt that same way. There was the age difference between them, and her own stiff-necked independence. Even her revelations about her family appeared to him to be more of a wedge than a bridge between them. While she might come from the same type of background he did, she had no fond memories to go along with it. And as far as seeing him as a man? She had seen him at his worst in the office, yet she was not only still working with him, but had allowed their relationship to become more than business.
He would take her sailing. Out on the ocean, maybe he could talk about feelings so powerful he felt awed when he touched her.
* * * *
Tessa awoke to the gentle brush of lips against her cheek and a whisper in her ear. A smile curved her full lips as she turned toward Seth. He knelt next to the bed.
Rich coffee with just the right amount of cream. The aroma teased her senses awake.
“Come on, sleepyhead,” he coaxed. “I have breakfast waiting outside. Get dressed and we’ll spend the day sailing.”
An hour later, Tessa was seated at the rear of the sailboat with the wind already teasing tendrils of hair loose from the ponytail she had tucked through a baseball cap. Her dark glasses were back in place, the better to watch Seth unobserved. He was so at home out here, his motions second nature to him. As the wind filled the sails, he tacked, taking them along the coastline. He was far enough off shore they could enjoy privacy, but close enough the water was still not so deep they couldn’t anchor when it came time to make sandwiches. The sole tense moment for Tessa was when she had to use the head, but Seth told her to leave the door open so she wouldn’t feel so confined.
After clearing up lunch, he pulled off his shirt, leaving him clad in his trunks. Tessa slid off her shorts to reveal her bikini bottom and was getting ready to pull off her shirt when Seth’s quiet voice interrupted her.
Balancing Act Page 12
