Sensual Confessions

by Brenda Jackson

  Deciding it was best to shift his gaze elsewhere to get his sex-obsessed thoughts under control, he looked at her china and studied the pattern. Not that he really cared, but it was better than standing there and drooling over her. He thought the design was pretty, just like her. His great-grandmother once said you could tell a lot about a woman by the dishes she used.

  He studied the plate in his hand. It was a cool green. He could see that the smooth, transparent surface of the china was made with fine craftsmanship and beauty. And those were the same qualities he saw in her.

  “How are things coming over there?”

  He glanced at her. His eyes traced her body, from her painted toes to the tousled hair on her head. She was curvy, downright luscious looking. Her beauty was enough to steal his breath and make him proud he was a man. He was determined more than ever to finish what they’d started two nights ago.

  Sexual tension was building between them and he knew she could feel it just as he could. She was standing in the middle of the kitchen with platters in her hand, looking both sexy and domestic. He looked surprised when he saw how much food was on the platters. Had she expected to feed an army?

  “Everything is all set,” he said, finally finding his voice as he placed the last fork down beside a plate. He glanced at the table set for two and thought he hadn’t done a bad job.

  She walked over to him and put one of the warm platters in the middle of the table, then looked up at him. “I’m impressed. The table looks nice.”

  “Thanks.”

  “There’s a half bath around the corner if you want to wash up,” she said.

  “All right.”

  He headed to the bathroom, wondering how he would get through this meal. Somehow he would, and then he would leave and go back to his place and get the sleep he’d been cheated out of.

  Sam’s eyes lingered on Blade as he left the kitchen. It was only then that she released a deep breath and let her fingers relax enough to set the other platter down on the table. She didn’t have to ask herself what there was about being in the same room with him that made her feel this way. The man oozed sexiness in a way no other man could. And it didn’t help matters when she looked into his eyes, or caught him staring at her. It was at those times that she could vividly recall intimate moments between them, sensual confessions they had shared.

  She quickly walked back to the refrigerator to get the bottle of orange juice. The best thing to do was to keep him occupied with idle chitchat, she thought, and once breakfast was over, he would leave and she would get to work reading the case files that Patsy had dropped off last week.

  She glanced up when Blade returned. “You drink orange juice, right?”

  “Yes. And over breakfast I need to talk to you about a couple of things.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “What?”

  “The threat on your life.”

  She chuckled lightly as she came back to the table. She sat down after filling their glasses with juice. “Getting tired of your babysitting gig already?”

  He took the chair across from her. “No. I just don’t like not knowing who and what we’re dealing with. That’s why I talked to Alex.”

  She paused and reached for a slice of bacon. “Alex?”

  “Yes, Alex Maxwell. Remember him?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I don’t want to think what could have happened to Mac if he hadn’t figured things out,” she said.

  “Alex has agreed to help us, but I need you to be up front with him and tell him everything, Sam. You need to tell him about all those guys you didn’t mention to Detective Adams. He will need names.”

  “The only reason I didn’t mention anything about them to Detective Adams is because I don’t think there’s a connection.”

  “Maybe not, but we need to let Alex check things out and decide that.”

  “And he’s willing to help?” she asked.

  “Yes, he’s willing to help investigate.”

  What Blade didn’t tell her and what he himself hadn’t wanted to dwell on was the reason Alex was willing to do it. It was simple. Alex was doing it because he’d asked him to. They were family and if Blade had come to him with concerns about Sam’s safety, then that pretty much sealed it. Although Alex hadn’t said anything, he knew Sam wasn’t like those other women Blade had messed around with. For some reason, Sam meant something to him.

  “But what if this was just a joke? And someone is doing what Detective Adams said, just trying to ruffle my feathers?” Sam asked, breaking into his thoughts.

  As far as Blade was concerned Sam’s questions were timely and necessary. He still wasn’t ready to think about his relationship with Sam. He wasn’t even ready to consider the possibility that they even had a relationship. And he was certain that she would be the first to deny one existed.

  He leaned back in his chair. “And do you really think that?”

  She slowly chewed her bacon. “I honestly don’t know what to think, Blade.”

  The frustration in her voice touched him. He was tempted to get up and pull her into his arms and hold her, whisper in her ear that as long as there was life in his body, nothing would ever happen to her.

  He took in a sharp breath. He was confused at how he was thinking, shocked by how he was feeling. He grabbed his glass of orange juice and almost finished it in one swallow. It would have been better had it been a glass of cold beer.

  “I think the worst thing we can do is to not do anything and assume that note is the end of it and we won’t hear from him again. Whether this guy plans to take things further or not doesn’t matter.” His tone then turned somewhat angry. “I want to know who he is regardless. I don’t want him to get away with what he’s done.”

  And he won’t get away with it, Blade thought, as he continued to eat. Whoever the guy was, he had gone too far and Blade was determined to let him know it.

  “You said you had a couple of things to discuss with me. That’s one. What’s the other?”

  He glanced over at Sam. And suddenly his mouth almost went dry when she licked a crumb off her lip with her tongue. He straightened in his chair when he felt his erection straining against his zipper.

  “I want to talk to you about this weekend,” he said.

  She raised a brow. “This weekend?”

  “Yes. I’m leaving town for the weekend, heading back to Houston.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’m attending that party Jake and Diamond are hosting for Sheikh Rasheed Valdemon and his bride. I want you to come with me.”

  A look came across her face. He could tell she was surprised by what he’d said. Hell, he could understand that, since he was surprised by what he’d said, as well. For him to bring a woman to a family function was something he would hear about for the rest of his life. It would set a precedent. It would start all kinds of speculations. It would give his great-grandmother the idea that she should start looking for a dress to wear to his wedding. Hell, it would set off all those rumors he’d rather not deal with. But for some reason he wanted Sam with him. If only so he could continue to protect her. If he left her here he would only worry, so it stood to reason that she should come with him. It made perfect sense.

  Evidently it didn’t make perfect sense to her, if the expression on her face was anything to go by. “Do you have a problem going to Houston with me this weekend?” he asked her.

  “Yes.”

  Her response had been quick and he wasn’t sure just how much he liked that. “Why?”

  She set her fork down. “Because for some reason you’ve gotten it into your head that I can’t look out for myself, Blade. I am well aware that I need to be cautious until I find out who sent those flowers and that note. But I refuse to become dependent on a man. I appreciate you being here and wanting to make sure I’m okay, but we agreed it was only so that Peyton, Mac and Luke wouldn’t worry. I don’t think we should get carried away with anything.”

  Too late, he thought. They had already gotten
carried away. He had done some things with her he hadn’t done with any other woman, and being inside her body without a condom was just one of them. And the crazy thing about it, as strange as it sounded and as unwise as he knew it was, his shaft was bursting to get back inside of her, just that same way.

  “Want some more juice?” Sam asked when she noticed his glass was empty.

  “Yes. Thanks.”

  Sam lifted the pitcher off the table and poured him a glass. She wondered how and why he’d made an offer like that. Take her to Houston with him? And just where was she supposed to stay when she got there? She knew he had a condo, but did he actually expect them to stay under the same roof? All night? And what would his family think if they did?

  And why was every muscle in her body, every fiber, oozing with a need that was as intense as anything she’d ever experienced? The sensations running through her had her almost to the breaking point, but she still refused to give in. She was a tough nut to crack—stubborn to a fault. A die-hard Di Meglio.

  But as she sat there and watched Blade butter his toast, she knew she was in deep trouble.

  Chapter 17

  “Since you prepared breakfast I’ll clean up the kitchen,” Blade said as he stood to start clearing the table.

  Sam stoodm as well. “That’s not necessary. It’s the least I can do, since you got out of bed early for nothing.”

  “No problem,” he said, walking toward the sink with dishes in his hand. “Any inconvenience was repaid twofold. You outdid yourself with breakfast.” And he really meant it. He’d never eaten eggs so fluffy and she’d even baked homemade biscuits.

  “There’s no way I’m going to let you clean all this up by yourself, Blade,” she said when she reached his side.

  He turned to face her. Stared into her eyes and said, “Yes, you are, because I need the space right now.”

  Sam swallowed as she noted the look in his eyes. It was hot, full of lust. So much that it nearly took her breath away. She took a step back. “In that case maybe you should leave. I can handle things here.”

  “No. Let me do this. Just leave me alone for a while. I’m sure there are other things you have to do.”

  “Yes, I did bring some files home with me.”

  “Then how about going and read them.”

  A furious expression crossed her face. “Now look here, Blade. You don’t tell me what to do.”

  “No, you look here, Sam,” he said, lowering his gaze downward toward his crotch.

  She followed the direction of his eyes and gave a sharp gasp. He had a massive erection, bigger than she’d ever seen before, and it was pressing hard again his zipper.

  Her gaze slowly returned to his face, then roamed over it. His eyes were like dark orbs glinting with fire, his nostrils were flaring and his lips were tight.

  “It was hard as hell getting through breakfast with you sitting there,” he said in a low and husky tone. “Watching you eat. Seeing you chew your food and lick the syrup off your biscuits. Remembering.”

  She drew in a deep breath and knew exactly what he’d remembered…her going down on him. “I think I’ll go up to my office and read those case files after all,” she said, slowly backing away. “Thanks for cleaning up, and you can let yourself out when you’re through.”

  Her heart skipped several beats as she quickly walked out of the kitchen.

  Instead of going into her office to read, Sam decided to stretch out on her bed. She had opened the blinds to let in some sunlight and had turned on the radio so that soft music played in the background. Then she tried focusing on the case file she’d grabbed out of her briefcase, and not on the man downstairs in her kitchen.

  An hour or so later, she could no longer concentrate on what she was reading, and dropped the papers as her head fell back on the mattress in frustration. Did Blade think he was the only one who’d had a hard time eating this morning? Well, he didn’t know the half of it. If he was watching her, did he not notice her watching him? She’d felt like a fool sitting there staring at his mouth each time he put a cup of coffee or a glass of juice to his lips.

  And talk about licking something. What about the time her gaze had followed him when he’d stuck his tongue out to lick jelly from the corner of his mouth? Didn’t he realize seeing that had been a real turn-on for her?

  She flipped on her back and stared up at the ceiling. In all her twenty-eight years she’d never encountered the likes of a man like Blade Madaris. He could be angry with her one minute and then give her a look that said he wanted to make passionate love to her the next.

  If they continued on like this, allowing sexual tension and lust, not to mention anger, to rule their senses, then where would that lead? She knew the answer to that question without thinking about it: right to the nearest bedroom to work it out.

  With all the planning she’d done, her elaborate scheme, she still hadn’t gotten rid of him. Blade Madaris was like the Energizer Bunny that keeps going and going and going. She closed her eyes and groaned when she felt a twitch between her legs.

  She opened her eyes and decided to think logically about the situation. The first thing she needed to know and understand was why he was there. After what she’d done Monday night she would think he’d be miles away from her, jumping for joy at the thought that someone wanted to bump her off. Instead, he was staying close and had rearranged his schedule to become her bodyguard.

  She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It had been more than an hour since breakfast. Why was it taking him so long to tidy up the kitchen? She eased to the side of the bed, thinking that perhaps he’d left already and just hadn’t told her that he was leaving. After all, she had told him to let himself out when he finished cleaning the kitchen.

  But regardless of what she’d said, the decent thing for him to have done was to let her know he was leaving, if for no other reason than she could reset the security alarm. Slipping into her flats, she made her way down the hall and quietly walked down the stairs.

  When she reached the bottom floor she walked through to the kitchen and found it spotless. Even the stainless-steel appliances had been wiped clean and were gleaming. She left her kitchen and headed for her front door to reset her alarm. She stopped and stared as butterflies fluttered in her lower belly. Blade was there, stretched out on her sofa, asleep.

  The first thought that came to mind was why hadn’t he gone back to his place and slept on his own sofa? And then she knew. As much as they didn’t fully understand it, there was this pull that kept yanking them back together no matter how upset, angry and frustrated they got with each other. She had tried brushing him off, dissing him, setting him up for humiliation and deliberately getting on his nerves, and he was still here.

  And it was time that at least one of them found out why.

  She figured she should wake him, but decided against it. They would talk when he woke up on his own. Right now, she just wanted to look at him while he slept.

  His breathing was deep and even and his chest moved with every breath. He was lying flat on his back with one leg thrown to the side, nearly hanging off the sofa. His zipper was facing her and she could tell he was no longer as aroused as he had been before, but still big. He had taken off his shoes but had kept his socks on.

  Her gaze moved back to his face. His lower jaw seemed more prominent today. Probably because of the slight shadow covering it, which indicated he hadn’t taken the time to shave before coming over. And his lips, those lips she enjoyed looking at so much, seemed to move slightly with every breath he took.

  She also slept on her back and had once read an article that said people who sleep on their backs were confident and ready to tackle life. It also said they were vain and happy with their physical appearance and were always up for trying something new, both in and out of bed. Hmm, now that was definitely a thought.

  Just watching him lying there filled her with a sense of desire she hadn’t known possible. The man was smoldering with sensuality of
the fieriest kind. There was nothing about him that didn’t turn her on, whether he was in clothes or out of them.

  Taking a deep breath, she was about to turn around when she heard him groan. She looked back at his face and saw his eyes were still closed, but there was an odd expression on his face, as if he’d gotten swept up in some sort of dream. He moaned again, and as she slid her gaze lower, she saw his T-shirt had risen to uncover a little of his tummy. The hair covering the area was curly and appeared soft to the touch. Her eyes moved a little lower and his erection began to swell right before her eyes.

  From her studies in college, she recalled that according to Freud’s theories, the reason people dreamed was to release hidden urges and secret desires they weren’t allowed to express in real life.

  She swallowed, and wondered just what kind of dream Blade was having when he groaned again, a grunt that almost sounded like a growl this time. She knew she should leave him, let him do whatever it was he was doing in private, and turned away. However, the moment she did so, he groaned out her name in a fevered pitch. “Samari.”

  She turned around quickly and stared at him. His eyes were still closed, but an intense look of pleasure covered his face. And she knew at that moment that whatever dream he was having, she was part of it.

  Chapter 18

  In the deep, dark recesses of his slumber, Blade pulled at Sam’s hair, held tight to her curls when he slowly entered her, hoping and praying that they could finish what they started this time. If she told him to stop he didn’t know what he would do.

  Very carefully he began entering her, feeling her body stretch to accommodate his entry, experiencing the sexual pleasure of her muscles clamping him tightly. He paused a moment to give her body time to adjust to his size and glanced up at the stars. They were outside on his balcony, back in Houston. He had taken the spread off of his bed, along with some pillows, to sleep out in the open. And make love.