“Vince?” Her voice, husky and trembling in the dark, came to him warm and thick, as if the fire had been stoked.
He moved awkwardly through the room, feeling his way to the door. “Yes?”
“I-I’m scared…” Her teeth chattered. “A-and I’m freezing.”
“Me too, Jane.” He pushed against the strong winds until he had the door shut and latched. “But there’s only one way to get warm. And you’re not going to like it.”
He turned and groped for her in the dark.
Chapter Four
Not going to like it? Jewel shivered with anticipation, knowing her life depended on him—and his on her. There was no way to escape this dilemma. She’d taken the only blanket off the bed. It was wrapped around her this very moment and she was still freezing. She could recall with sharp clarity that he wore nothing but boxers and a smooth suit of rippled, bare flesh. It would take no more than an hour in these sub-zero temperatures to turn them both to blocks of ice.
He fumbled for her hand. As biting cold whirled around them, he led her to the bed.
“Take off the blanket.”
“But—”
“Don’t argue with me, Jane. Do you want to die?”
“No, of course I don’t, but—”
“Then take it,” he growled, snatching the quilt from her, “off!”
“No, you can’t…do that!”
She sucked in a quick breath when the cold air assaulted the flesh of her naked body. Immediately, she stooped and wrapped her arms around her torso. Her nipples drew up in painful protest. Goose bumps covered her body and she shivered uncontrollably. All she could think was she needed to be wrapped in warmth once again, to curl up and escape the harsh temperature of this nightmare.
Relief proved to come sooner than later. She heard a rustling sound followed by a squeak of the bedsprings. And all at once, she found herself sprawled over the wall of his chest. He adeptly positioned the cover across her backside, cocooning them both inside the quilt. The sudden rush of his breath on her cheek, the wild, manly scent of him, all played havoc on her raw nerves. Her blood thawed when it became apparent he’d stripped the wet boxers off. His soft penis came in contact with her juncture, and a jolt equivalent to a bolt of lightning struck her womb. His arms went around her, holding her tight against his quivering muscular frame.
“No…please,” she choked. Stiffening, she warred with the pain and pleasure of being so close, so very intimate with him once again.
“Shh, I won’t eat you alive.” His palms moved up and down her back, dipped low to massage her ass. “I’m warming you. Warming me. Now relax and just enjoy the relief of it.”
She knew his point couldn’t be refuted. If only she had an out, if only she could devise some alternative. But total darkness and incomprehensible low temperatures were definitely disadvantages without solutions. Wet clothing, one blanket available within the walls of a strange cabin and being lost on some deserted island who-knew-where, didn’t help matters either. Her only hope was that she might wake up eventually and find herself back in her narrow little convent bed.
Oh, but for now, she certainly occupied a different bed. With the man she still loved beyond reason, but couldn’t have. Just thinking about that day so long ago when she’d come to him, finally getting up the nerve to ask where their relationship was going. And why not? They’d been together as a couple for over one year and they’d practically been living together for months. They were happy and inseparable. And she’d had some news to break to him, life-altering news for them both.
But it hadn’t gotten that far. He’d made it clear he was perfectly happy using her, taking things at his speed, taking his time deciding if he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
It was true that she’d let her temper get the better of her when she should have stayed and talked things out with him. And it was also true that she’d deliberately withheld that news from him out of fear, pride and a sort of retaliation for the pain that had ripped through her heart at his rejection. But there had been no excuse for his lack of pursuit of her after she’d walked out on him. He could have called, but he’d chosen to cut her completely from his life. He could have sought her out, but he’d preferred to spend his time taking up the lifestyle of a cocky playboy.
The car accident that night had only made things worse. Even as she lay in a weeklong coma, even as her battered body had undergone surgery and struggled to heal, and even as her heart had fought to beat, still he didn’t come to her. Still, he’d rejected her, making it apparent—once she’d awakened to find he hadn’t been at her bedside for a single minute—that she no longer mattered in his life. Her proposition to him to settle down, to form a plan of where their lives were headed, had been viciously crammed back down her throat. She’d needed to know those intentions before dropping the bomb on him, but it hadn’t gotten that far.
And so here she was, back in bed with the man who hadn’t cared enough to come after her, who hadn’t cared enough to be at her comatose side as she’d teetered on the edge of death. This was a man who hadn’t even bothered to inquire further as to the nature of her important news. This was a man who still to this day did not know what had motivated her to suddenly place more importance on his intentions where she was concerned.
But he would never know her secret. Never. The last thing she wanted was his pity, or his regret weighed down heavily with obligation. Oh, no, the last thing she’d allow was the sacrifice of her self-respect for a jerk like Vince Santiago.
“Mm, you smell good,” he whispered in her ear, sending a sinful ripple of fire through her veins.
“Don’t. Please don’t.” She didn’t move, for her limbs were filling with a delicious, languid heat she couldn’t quite resist. Together, their bodies quickly warmed the bubble of space they huddled in. Gradually, the shivering subsided, replaced by relaxed limbs that thrived with his nearness. Despite the instinctual need to bolt from his arms, the temptation of comfort and warm bliss lured her.
He cupped the cheeks of her rear, pressing her pussy into his hardening cock. Her lips separated, and the pressure of his hands forced her legs to fall open on either side of his hips, while her clit abraded against the silky rod of him. She held in a gasp when she throbbed unwillingly against him, and a gush of liquid escaped her vagina.
She tried to close her thighs, but he lifted his knees, preventing her defensive move. “Vince, you mustn’t—” and his mouth found hers in the darkness.
“Jane…” His large hands threaded in her hair, holding her head in place so that she was forced to keep her mouth against his. He sucked in her bottom lip and she groaned as sharp nips of pleasure-pain raced to her core. His tongue swept her lips, and he kissed the corners of her mouth. Mesmerized, she held still as he angled her head to draw first her top lip, then her bottom, into his mouth. “Damn, but I want you. Please, don’t fight me anymore.”
“This isn’t right,” she protested, but the weak tone of her own voice told them both she hadn’t the willpower to withstand his charms. And she hated herself for being such a weakling.
“That’s bullshit.” He rolled her over and rose above her. She moaned against his mouth as he filled one hand with her breast. Cupping its fullness, he adeptly twisted and pulled the nipple between his thumb and index finger, just the way she remembered, just the way she’d fantasized about for the last four years. The sensation had her lifting her pelvis to press her juncture against the thigh he’d thrown across her hips. Her wetness dragged over his thigh, seeming to search on its own in the dark for his manhood.
As her mouth sampled the flavor of wine on his tongue, her cunt hungered for the drug of his cock. Warring with indecision, she knew she could have him if shechose to. But did she want to chance a broken heart again? Did she want to relinquish the power she held over him, even if he was oblivious to that unspoken control? She could have him and he’d never know it was Jewel Dublin.
But she would.
She whimpered and arched her back as he expertly strummed her. Waves of ecstasy taunted her just out of reach.
He hurt you, Jewel, he hurt you, and doesn’t even remember you. Fight him. Fight him with every ounce of your strength!
“No.” She rolled her head from side to side, even as his finger increased speed.
You can’t…allow this.
“Yes, babe, yes.” And he rammed a pair of fingers inside her. She cried out, her eyelids fluttering against the assault as her hips rose to meet his thrust. Her head whirled out of orbit while her pussy fought the blazing streaks of shooting, wet stars.
“Vince…I can’t—you can’t. No!” She flipped to her side, turning her back to him. But he persevered, keeping his arm around her and his fingers inside her. Her back pressed against his chest and she felt every smooth plane, every swell of taut muscle. Against her ass, his long, thick cock pressed into her fleshy cheeks. With each plunging movement of his fingers, he rammed his rod against her rear, and she could imagine it sliding into her, taking her with devastating power. As his ragged breath teased her ear, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the rising sensations. The practiced movement of his hand bombarded her with the edges of orgasm, hovering just out of reach.
You must… Oh God, you must what? Oh yes, yes. Gotta have it, Jewel. So good, so delicious. He’s here, he’s with you. And he’s making you feel so good!
“That’s it, baby,” he coaxed, his voice ragged, strained. He finger-fucked her with a frenzy, massaging her clit with his thumb simultaneously, expertly. “Yes. Let it go. Go with it, honey.”
She cried out, her scream echoing within the four small walls. Her body stiffened as shards of tiny nebular explosions detonated in her pussy. Each one moved out, catching fire, combusting into larger flames that rippled out from the center of her universe, out along every nerve ending. She gasped in a breath that caught behind her breastbone, and saturated her lungs with the scent of his sweat and arousal. The taste buds in her mouth tingled and watered, as did her passage. Her muscles jolted with spasm after spasm of ecstasy.
“Oh…oh, God,” she gulped.
“Wow.” He withdrew his fingers and shifted to draw her under him, his fully hard penis brushing her inner thigh. The movement had the effect of ice-cold water over sleepy warmth.
Her eyelids flew open. “What—what are you doing?”
Though they remained in pitch-blackness, she could sense his expression, the snap of surprise in his dark eyes, the set of his jaw. “I’m going to slide into you, pleasure myself and you. Again. What else?”
She planted her hands on that mass of muscle and pecs and shoved. “No. No you’re not.” The ramifications of what she’d just allowed him to do slapped her square in the ego. Mortification, shame and unfathomable regret took hold with a mighty vengeance. Tears of self-hatred stung behind her eyes, threatening to spill.
“What? Wait a minute…” He took her chin in his hand, turning her face toward his in the dark. She caught the aroma of her traitorous juices on his fingers and jerked her face toward the wall.
You fool! You stupid, idiot fool. You’re losing ground, losing the upper hand. This is the man who broke your heart. You can’t forget that!
The memories, happy overshadowed by deep, deep pain were exhumed, and tears of anger rolled down her cheeks. The wetness chilled on her face, icicles of her sorrow for what could and should have been. But wasn’t.
“Oh shit, are you crying?” He sighed and rolled away from her.
She refused to answer him, and instead, turned her back on him, gritting her teeth to force away the tears.
“Jane.” He set a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened against the scalding heat of it. Automatically, as if burned, he jerked his hand back. “I’m—I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? I mean—”
Did you hurt me?
She couldn’t stop it. The burst of sobs mixed with hysterical laughter wrenched from somewhere deep in her soul. Curling into a ball, she prayed to Luke.
Luke, please. Please wake me up. This nightmare has got to end before I lose my mind. Why are you doing this to me?
“Oh hell, Jane.” Vince shifted, rising up on an elbow, his hand stroking her arm. “What’s wrong, babe?”
“Don’t!” She slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me anymore. Do you hear me? And don’t call me babe!”
A long, quiet pause ensued. Grumbling, he turned so that the length of his back pressed into hers. The small double-sized bed clearly would not allow her any free space. Forced to feel his warmth, to share the blanket with the creep, she doused at the tears and sniffled.
It was long after Vince’s even breathing told her he slumbered on in contentment, that sleep finally overtook her. Plagued by dreams of searing hands and potent kisses, she slept with the man she hated. And loved.
* * * * *
Vince’s catnap proved to be far from contented. Everywhere he turned, Jewel taunted him in dreams. He drifted back, receding into a sleep-induced memory that had been buried for over four years.
He saw her with crystal clarity in his sleepy mind, the seductive emerald of her eyes as he entered her for the first time. They widened and then went limpid with the first innocent throes of near-orgasmic passion and surprise. She’d sure fooled him by the way she’d come alive in his arms like a wanton, practiced siren. He hadn’t known she was a virgin until that profound moment, too late to take back her broken barrier. He tossed in bed, remembering the thrill of it as he slumbered, imagining her tightness gloving his cock as it had that first night.
“Ah…” she winced and moaned simultaneously in his dream of remembered reality. Vince slipped deeper into her, deeper into that dream. He could smell her sweet, earthy scent, could almost taste her juices in his mouth. Her warm, soft body lay below him, her legs spread wide in innocent welcome. Animal need to ravish, to drive himself forcefully into her, overtook his soul. But he fought it. Tenderness tamed the beastly instinct. Jewel whimpered below him, sobbing for more, begging to be taken to that never-before-seen place that drifted just out of her reach.
Jesus, but the battle to get inside her shocked him, snug and sticky-wet. With urgency, he pushed further and met with tighter resistance. The pop sensation, followed by her gasp made him pause. He remembered the stunned thought… Had he just christened a virgin? He looked down into her eyes, narrowed now in passion-edged pain, and watched as the pupils dilated and the lids fluttered over two crazed nuggets of green. And an unknown affection washed over him like the tide in a hurricane.
“You’re…you’re…” He swallowed, struggling to maintain control while his balls tightened, ached to explode. “A virgin?”
“Was,” she whispered huskily, even as she started to rock her hips against him instinctively. Moist tightness stroked him; her alluring perfume filled his nostrils.
And he lost it, utterly lost control…
“Vince. Vince!”
At first, it had been Jewel’s voice calling to him within the orgasmic, blissful dream. But gradually, it turned to Jane’s husky, panicked tone.
“Vince. Oh God, Vince, please wake up!”
Jewel slipped from his arms and faded into nothingness. His eyes flew open. He stared at the beamed ceiling struggling to catch his breath. Loss and empty pain squeezed his heart fresh and raw. The fire blazed in the hearth once again, he could tell that by the dancing light upon the ceiling above him. The room no longer felt like a walk-in freezer, evidenced by the fact that the blanket was gone and the heat of the fire tucked pleasantly around his limbs.
And his cock throbbed with heavy desire. He’d awakened with a painful, hot hard-on.
He turned his head, glancing at Jane. She lay on her back, her face turned toward him. Her body appeared stiff and unyielding, her hands were down at her sides. He slid h
is gaze over her ripe, naked body and groaned. Instinctively, he started to lift a hand to cup one breast, to feed the need the dream had infected him with.
But he couldn’t move. Attempting to struggle against the strange force, he lay paralyzed, his entire body motionless. With the exception of being able to turn his head, he realized every ounce of his strength had been drained from him. An invisible shield appeared to be holding him in place, restraining him against rising from the bed. Yet every cell of his skin and bones thrived and tingled with anticipation of the unknown.
“Vince…” Jane’s brow furrowed, her eyes shimmered with fear. “I can’t move a muscle. Help me. Please help me.”
“Sweetheart, if I could, I would.” He raised his head and nearly choked as the edge of the invisible panel jabbed his throat. “But I can’t move either.”
“Lord, help me,” Jane breathed, her eyes shutting in denial. “This can’t be happening. This isn’t happening.”
“Oh, but it is.”
The familiar voice had Vince jerking his head around in search of his old college friend. “Luke Slayton? Is that you?”
“Luke!” Jane sighed, her gaze searching for the source of the voice. “Oh, thank God you’ve come back. I’m stuck—we’re stuck. You’ve got to help us.”
“Hello, Jane and Vince. What’s up, buddy?”
“Well…” he chuckled, glancing down at his stiff cock. “The usual. But the more important topic than chitchat here is, we need help. Not counting the fact that Jane and I’ve been somehow glued in place, we’re stuck here on this weird island. Can you help us?” He paused, darted his gaze about. “Hey, where the hell are you?”
Luke suddenly appeared with the tune of a jingle, levitating above Jane. Lying sprawled on his side, his head propped on a fist, he posed in complete, relaxed nakedness. His buff body gleamed in the firelight, every muscle outlined by shadows entwined in soft light. Vince noted with dismay that Luke’s dick stood fully erect against his flat abdomen, almost pulsing with need. He’d seen his pal in the raw many times before, including during the threesomes with an occasional woman they’d shared, but this was ridiculous and completely out of context.
Me Tarzan, You Jewel Page 6
