“I’ve already started,” she said shyly. Toying with her fork. “After Granna died, I sent away for the GED materials. I think I’m ready to take the test.”
“Go, Susana.” He lifted his glass, and she met it with hers. They swallowed wine together, and as the ruby liquid dazzled her throat, Joe’s eyes danced over her face, shining.
His handsome features seemed lit from inside tonight, his tanned skin glowing with life and health. A flash of humor sparkled in the dark depths of his eyes as he lifted his chin.
“Wait a minute here. I’m part of your big plan, aren’t I?”
“What?” A cool flash of adrenaline darted through her. Did he think she wanted more than one night?
Did she?
“I have a funny feeling you’re just itching to get rid of those powers of yours. Like you’ve been depending on them for so long they’ve become a bad habit. And if you get rid of them, you’ll be halfway to building a new life.”
She tossed her head, flicking her hair behind her shoulders. “Maybe.”
“I’ve never been anyone’s key to freedom before.” His broad shoulders leaned against the back of his chair as his eyes drifted over her face, down to the plunging neckline of her dress. “I think I like it.”
Susana’s chest heated under the searing stare he aimed at it. Bad manners. But she liked it. She shifted a little, her breasts moving inside her dress, nipples rubbing against the stiff fabric.
“You’re still not wearing a bra, are you?”
“No. I’ve never worn one.”
“I hope you never do. Some things were meant to be free.” He winked, and the crude gesture further tickled and heated her insides.
She let her gaze wander over his face, clean shaven, tanned except the pale curved scar at his eyebrow. She took in the hard line of his jaw, lifted in appraisal, and the thick sinews of his neck.
The crisp collar of his light blue shirt framed a seductive triangle of bronze skin that hinted at the powerful chest beneath it. She’d seen that chest, heavy muscle adorned with thin blue lines that spoke of his ability to endure pain.
His rolled-up sleeves revealed sturdy forearms sprinkled with dark hair. He leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table.
“We appear to be done eating.”
“The food was delicious. I’ve never met a man who could cook.”
“To be honest I hadn’t cooked in a long time. Cooking is a celebration of life, and I haven’t felt like celebrating anything for a while.”
“And you do now?”
The wine had seeped into her brain, brightening the room, making everything shine in the soft candlelight. She didn’t feel tipsy, just calmer, bolder.
“I do.” A smile hovered behind his lips, not fully committing itself. “I’d like to dance with you, Susana.”
“I don’t know how.” She shrank back in her chair, suddenly feeling like an outsider again. The tinkling piano music flowed from the speakers, mocking her. How did you dance to a bunch of tinkling notes?
“There aren’t any set steps to the dance I have in mind. You make it up as you go along. Come.” He rose from his chair and rounded the table. She grasped his outstretched hand and stood.
He settled one big hand in the hollow of her back, above her buttocks. His fingers trailed down over the curves, radiating heat and energy that seeped through her dress as he led her out into the big, empty room.
“I’m glad you came tonight.” He slid both arms around her waist, holding her loosely, a few inches between them. He started to sway, very gently, following the ebb and flow of the piano music.
Susana stood still, too self-conscious to swing her hips, aware of the way her dress followed the shape of her body, tracing its curves.
Joe’s eyes dropped to her chest as he tugged her closer, still swaying. Again she felt her nipples thrusting against the fabric, alive with sensation. Could he see her arousal through the plum colored material?
He pulled her nearer, heat swelling between them as her chest came dangerously close to bumping up against his. As his hands splayed over her back, pulling her to him, her lips parted—opening and welcoming the hot, male taste of his kiss.
Joe’s low groan vibrated through their joined mouths as their tongues met. Her body softened and melted, threatening to slide right through his hands, and she grabbed his thick torso to keep her balance.
Eyes now closed, she couldn’t see anything, only feel. Feelings pounded her senses—his hard muscle under her groping fingertips, his fierce mouth on hers, stealing her breath and firing her with desire and longing that thundered through her veins.
She scraped her fingers over the stiff cotton of his shirt, enjoying the ridges of muscle under it. Her hands slid down to his waistband, and lower, to cup the firm curve of his backside through the soft denim of his well-worn jeans.
Joe groaned again, abandoned to the sensation of their kiss. His hands wandered unchecked over her body, exploring her back and buttocks, squeezing and stroking. His arousal thickened in his jeans and pressed against her.
He seemed so vulnerable at that moment.
Crazy for her.
And the thought heightened her arousal, as his fingers snuck around to stroke her nipples through the fabric of her dress.
She heard herself moan, a high-pitched sound that came from somewhere she didn’t know existed. Somewhere hot and wild. And crazy, too.
She tipped her pelvis, pressing into his hardness as she heard the rasp of her zipper being pulled down.
Joe broke their kiss and left her panting as he backed off a few inches and raised his hands to her shoulders. He tugged gently at her dress and it fell forward into his hands.
Susana opened her eyes, and even the candlelight shone blindingly bright. Joe’s face was taut with concentration, unself-conscious, open mouthed, as he took his time removing her arms from the sleeves of her dress.
Down it fell, sliding along her legs to the floor. He took her hand like a gallant knight leading her around a puddle as he assisted her in stepping out of it.
She hadn’t worn any underwear.
“Damn.” The single word hissed from Joe’s lips as he let his eyes wander shamelessly over her naked body. His admiring gaze heated her skin like a caress.
Her hands moved without her permission. Rising to unbutton Joe’s crisp new shirt and yank down the zipper on his jeans. Joe stood still, watching through narrowed eyes as she pushed his shirt back over his shoulders, baring his tattooed chest and upper arms.
On instinct she licked each of his nipples once, leaving them wet and gleaming. She glanced up to see his face contorted with desire, the angular cut of his cheekbones and chin sharpened by the tension.
Tension in the air. Tension in their bodies.
He tugged his shirt off the rest of the way while she pushed his jeans and underwear down the length of his muscled thighs, enjoying the prickle of wiry masculine hair that dusted them.
He stepped out of his jeans, movements jerky and rigid, barely controlled. Her blood heated to boiling point at the sight of his beautiful, powerful body standing naked before her.
The music stopped and the only sound was the hum of the fridge and the hum of the blood in her head.
“There’s no turning back now,” Joe whispered, his breath hot on her ear.
“I don’t want to turn back,” she replied, her voice oddly calm. Her resolve was total. Tonight she would become a woman.
The past was just that, the past.
And the future was nobody’s business.
CHAPTER 8
Joe took her by the hand, boyish, almost shy as he led her to the bedroom door.
“I bought the bed this morning. Had to raise hell to get it delivered today.” He shot her a smile, and she smiled back and squeezed his hand.
A single lit candle glowed from the corner of the room. Their shadows loomed over the far wall as they walked silently to the bed.
The big white rectangle wi
th its single flimsy sheet looked intimidating as the uncharted territory on an old map. Here there be dragons.
Joe climbed on first, a little awkward, still holding her hand as he slid across the mattress. She put one knee on the bed, sank in and almost lost her balance, then caught herself with her free hand.
He pulled her to him, settling her sideways between his legs. His erection tickled her belly as his lips played over her ear.
“Before we make love, I’m going to get you very, very ready.”
She shivered, from the hot breath on her ear and the mix of apprehension and eagerness bubbling inside her.
“Lie down.”
She obeyed, stretching herself out on the cool sheet, head back on a pillow.
His warm fingers traced a circle on her belly. The muscle contracted, responding to his touch, and a surge of heat shimmered under his fingers.
Gently, he pried her legs apart with his hands and climbed between them. He looked up at her, black eyes shining as his mouth followed his fingers to her belly, lips tracing the circle, breath caressing the tender skin. Susana writhed with pleasure.
His lips trailed lower, into the dark hair that hid her sex. The shock of his cool tongue on her swollen flesh made her gasp. As he settled his mouth over her, enveloping her, her eyes slid shut and she gave herself over to the sheer sensation.
Her fingers twined into his hair as his tongue fueled a series of tiny explosions deep inside her. Her nerves tangled and she forgot where she ended and he began.
His hands roamed over her warm skin, teasing the flesh of her thighs and hips, cupping her breasts, stroking her skin as she moaned. And all the while, his hot mouth licked and sucked her into a state of almost unbearable arousal.
He pulled away softly, then gave one last lick, causing her to throb in response.
“Please…” she whispered, her voice thick with need. “I’m ready.”
She opened her eyes, and the tender look on his face tripped her heart. Dark eyes wide with desire and eager anticipation. He smiled at her. “I think you are.”
He sheathed himself with a condom and crawled over her gingerly, his body heat rising to meet her. With one warm, tender finger, he parted her, readying her for the penetration.
Instinctive muscles tightened, desire suddenly overcome by fear.
“Just relax, take it easy,” he whispered. “I’ll take care of you.”
She blew out a breath. He rubbed her sex gently until she softened again, easing under his caress. Then he slowly began to enter the wet warmth.
Susana writhed, wanting him inside her.
She heard his chuckle in her ear. “Impatient, aren’t you?”
A soft groan was her only response. Her fingers played over his spine as he arched his back and deepened the penetration another inch.
“Oh.” The sound escaped her lips at the odd sensation. Odd and pleasurable.
“A little further,” he murmured, lips on her ear. He lowered his pelvis, pushing into her slowly as she arched under him.
And then she felt the pain. She bit back a cry, clamping down on her lip with her teeth as she held her breath.
Joe stroked her cheek tenderly with his thumb, kissed her once on the mouth. And then he thrust all the way in.
This time she couldn’t hold back her scream. It rang out into the air as searing agony deprived her of her senses. Her muscles and nerves all snapped tight, fighting off the dreadful invasion.
“I’m sorry,” Joe whispered in her ear.
I’m sorry. Sorry you’ve just ruined your own life, burned up and wasted your gift, thrown away your livelihood.
Regret swelled up and twisted in her brain and her hands tightened into fists over his back as the fiery pain blazed between her legs.
Inside her Joe rested and waited. He kissed her ear, nuzzled her cheek with his nose. Whispered, “The pain won’t last forever.”
Won’t it?
She’d never felt anything like the excruciating, fiery, tearing sensation.
Joe kissed her cheek. “You’re a real virgin.” He chuckled. “Intact. That’s pretty rare I think.”
“Even rarer now,” she hissed through tight lips. “Have you deflowered a lot of virgins?”
She instantly regretted her rude, cruel remark. It’s the pain talking.
“Never.” He paused, nuzzling her cheek again. “You’re only the second woman I’ve slept with.”
“What?”
Her eyes sprang open. Joe’s face hovered just over hers, and he kissed her softly on the lips before replying.
“I married young. I never slept with anyone but my wife. My ex-wife.”
“Oh.”
“So it’s all new to me, too.” He blinked, his dark eyes unreadable in the semidarkness.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I would have liked it to be good for you.”
“We’re not done yet.” He brushed her brows with his lips, kissed her eyelids as her eyes closed again.
The pain was subsiding. The smarting sting of it gave way to a throb of pleasure. A pulse of warmth. And then another.
Joe stroked her hair and kissed her neck, soothing her.
The thickness of him shifted slightly inside her, setting off a tremor that rippled through her, relaxing her muscles.
“You okay?” His breath smelled of cinnamon, trailing over her mouth.
She nodded, eyes still closed, limbs heavy. He kissed her lips and they parted. Their tongues tangled together and heat bloomed in her mouth. Greedily she kissed him, and her arms twined around him, holding him tight.
The hunger crept through her body like a brush fire, sending her fingers roving over his back, lifting her pelvis to bury him deeper inside her. His hips returned the pressure, rising and falling with hers in a controlled tango. She writhed, enjoying the sensation of his thickness filling her, of his big warm, healthy body in her arms. Enjoying the subtle play of his lips, the throb of his intense arousal.
Who are you, Joe Figueroa?
The man surrounding her with his powerful embrace, covering her face with rough kisses, was an intriguing blend of bravado and vulnerability, anger and tenderness.
He thrust into her, triggering a blast of pure pleasure that shivered through her limbs. Her moan filled the room as her head tipped back in abandon.
Joe traced a line of soft kisses along her jaw and over the sensitive skin of her neck. His rhythmic movements rocked her further and further into a strange realm of unfamiliar and blissful sensation. His hands swept over her skin, stirring every part of her into an inferno of arousal that threatened to erupt and implode.
As the first wave of uncontrollable climactic madness surged through her and threatened to break its bounds, she tried to fight back. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists, afraid to lose control.
Joe stroked her hair and caressed her cheek, never breaking the rhythm pushing her over the brink of sanity.
“Let go,” he whispered, his hot breath shimmering over her damp skin. “Let it all go.”
And she did. She forgot about her powers, her family, her legacy. She forgot about her job, her apartment, her new dress. She forgot about the world, the past, the future, even the present. She let go of each thought, one by one, until there was nothing left but her and Joe, moving together in a storm of uncontrollable sensation and unleashed emotion.
The explosion began at her center, right where Joe filled her, and unfurled like a cyclone, widening and thickening, spreading through her limbs in a wave of contractions and spasms that sparkled along her muscles and nerves.
She heard her cries as if they were coming from far away. She heard Joe’s answering shout as his own climax blasted through both of them. The boundaries between them disappeared as they became one shuddering, hot, damp, heaving tangle of limbs and mouths and hearts.
Joe collapsed heavily on top of her, clinging to her, breathless. She whimpered, unable to summon even the tiniest shred of sensible thought. Inst
ead, she clung to him like driftwood after a shipwreck, until sanity and consciousness began to return in stray wisps.
“Am I crushing you?” he rasped huskily.
“Yes,” she squeaked. “But I like it.”
His throaty chuckle rocked through both of them, and he lifted himself slightly, easing the pressure on her torso. He rolled onto his side, still holding her tightly, her breasts crushed pleasantly against his chest.
“That was amazing,” she whispered into his shoulder, suddenly shy.
“You were amazing,” he whispered into her ear. “How do you feel?”
“Good.” She paused, letting her lashes flicker against his skin. “Free.”
She pulled her head back and looked him straight in the eyes. A smile flickered across his face.
“Free is a good thing to be.” He raised his thumb and pushed back a stray strand of her now-wild hair.
“And what about you?”
“What about me?” he glanced at his hand as it played in her hair.
“How do you feel?” She said it softly, cautiously.
“Very, very satisfied.” He looked at her and raised his eyebrows. He tried to push a smile to his lips, but it faltered and he hid it in a kiss on her cheek. Her heart shrank a little as he brushed off her loaded question. What had she hoped for? That he’d feel renewed, rebuilt, healed?
She still really didn’t know anything about him. And his baggage wasn’t her business. For once in her life she’d acted on impulse, done what she wanted. And she’d wanted Joe. Wanted to hold him, to kiss him, to do all that other hot, messy, crazy stuff adults do when they like each other.
He rested his head on his hand, propped up on one elbow, his other hand rearranging the stray locks of hair that fell over her face and shoulders. His lids were lowered, his focus on her hair, avoiding her glance. She’d wanted to have sex with him, to give into all those primal urges he’d sparked up in her. And she’d promised herself that she wouldn’t want more.
But something inside her started to ache a little as he excused himself and went to the bathroom to clean up. And the ache only subsided when he returned and settled himself back on the bed with her. Instinctively she scooted toward him over the warm sheets and snuggled up against him.
Breaking the Rules Page 10
