The rain came down harder as he felt his orgasm building. "Stop, please … stop. I brought … a condom. I want to make love to…" He gasped as her tongue lapped away at his straining penis. "Please … let me…"
"Tomorrow night," she murmured. Then she stopped licking and took his penis smoothly into her mouth. The rain nearly drowned out the sound of the saxophone.
She sucked once, and he had the climax of a lifetime, a climax that lifted him off the bed and ran like wildfire through his whole body, a climax that made him pull against the velvet ropes and yell like a man gone crazy. Which he had. Completely. He would do anything for this mystery woman. Anything in the world. He would wear a blindfold forever, as long as she allowed him to return to her mind-shattering world of sexual fantasy.
* * *
Chapter 6
«^»
B.J. untied Jonas's restraints as he lay panting and glistening with sweat. His reaction told her all she needed to know. She'd given him an experience he would never forget.
As she gazed at him sprawled on the flowered sheets looking totally wiped out, a rush of tenderness took her by surprise. Maybe it was wrong of her to fool him this way. From the way he was acting, he was getting emotionally involved with the woman he thought her to be.
Then she remembered his remark about "cowgirls who didn't hold his interest," and her sympathy vanished. Her desire for him, however, did not. She knew she was taking quite a chance stretching this fantasy to another night, but she couldn't bear to think of ending it now. She had more ideas to try, and before this was over she wanted to know what it would be like to have Jonas deep inside her.
When his breathing slowed she handed him his clothes. "I need you to leave now," she murmured.
"I wish…" His chest heaved. "I wish you'd let me stay."
"I can't do that. The longer you stay, the more you're going to be tempted to take off that blindfold."
"Yeah." He took another shaky breath. "Are you sure you couldn't do without it?"
"I'm sure. If you can't deal with the blindfold, then we can forget—"
"No! I'll wear the blindfold." He cleared his throat. "I'll wear it."
"And you have to promise not to bug me about this blindfold business."
"I promise." He sat up and began putting on his clothes. "Sarah, that was … spectacular."
"I'm glad."
"But I don't feel as if you had your share." He stood and pulled up his jeans.
"We can worry about that tomorrow night."
He nodded as he buckled his belt. "Tomorrow night. Yeah." He hesitated. "Thank you for giving me that."
Once again his vulnerability tugged at her heart. "I want another night, too," she said softly.
"You do?" He glanced in her direction, even though he couldn't see her. "That's nice to hear."
"You turn me on, Jonas." You always have.
"I think it's obvious that you turn me on, too, Sarah. In fact, if I could stay a little longer, I'd probably recover enough to—"
"It's better if you go now." She handed him his socks and his boots.
"Maybe so." He sat down on the bed to put on his socks. "You're right. The longer I'm with you, the more I want to see your face. Is it that you don't think you're attractive?"
"I'm passable. My face wouldn't frighten little children."
"I'm sure you're pretty." He put on his boots. "In fact, I'm very sure of it. But even if you weren't, I'd think you were beautiful because of the way you made love to me tonight. A man doesn't need conventional beauty when a woman gives of herself the way you did."
"Time for you to leave, anyway, Jonas." She took his hand. "I'll lead you to the front door."
He stood and followed her, but at the door to the bedroom he stopped and inhaled deeply. "I love the way this room smells."
"It's vanilla."
"It's more than vanilla. It's you, it's me, it's the smell of good, healthy sex."
Much more of that kind of talk and she'd lead him right back into that bedroom. "Let's go."
He sighed and followed her down the hall.
The closer they came to the door, the less she wanted him to leave, but she had a lot to take care of before she could go home. "What will you do now?" she asked.
"You mean after I leave here?"
"Yes." She needed to know, so that she could avoid him if at all possible.
"I'll probably drive around a while. The rain's stopped, and I love the desert after a rain. Want to come with me?"
More than he knew. She'd love to ride through the warm, rain-drenched night with Jonas. They could find a secluded place to park and pick up where they'd left off. "Thanks, but no thanks."
"I thought it was worth a try."
She placed his hand on the doorknob. "Go on out to the porch, now. Leave the blindfold where you found it."
He rested his hand on the doorknob. "Just one thing before I go."
"What?"
His other arm slipped quickly around her. "This." He brought her in tight and unerringly found her mouth with his. The kiss was deep, hot and wet. But more than that, it was possessive. Extremely possessive. It left her gasping. "See you tomorrow night," he murmured, releasing her. Then he opened the door and stepped outside.
In seconds, she was alone.
She stood with her hand to her mouth long after the sound of his truck died away. For the entire evening she'd convinced herself that she was in control, that she'd stay in control. Jonas had seemed so eager to continue their relationship that she hadn't expected any aggressive behavior on his part.
Then he'd kissed her the way a man kisses a woman when he's staked a claim. And suddenly she wasn't so sure that she could control Jonas, after all.
* * *
Normally Jonas wasn't much for gossip. Too often the stories were about him, anyway. But he hadn't lived in Saguaro Junction all his life for nothing, and when he needed to find out something, he knew where to go.
The next morning he told Lupita he needed to put gas in his truck and he'd pick up breakfast at the Cactus Café before he came home. Less than a half hour later, he was sitting on a stool at the only eating spot in Saguaro Junction, a mug of coffee in front of him and his order for steak and eggs on the griddle. The morning waitress, Sue Ellen, was usually good for some information, but his luck was running today because Henry from the hardware store was having his breakfast at the café this morning, too. Henry knew everyone and everything that went on in this town.
"How's it going, Henry?" Jonas asked after he took his first sip of coffee.
"Can't complain." Henry poured a generous amount of syrup on his pancakes. "How about you?"
"Glad to get the rain." Jonas had grown up learning the rhythm of these conversations. The weather had to come first, to establish that comfortable common ground.
"Yeah, we really needed that rain," Henry said.
"Is the family doing okay?"
"Oh, Shirley still has that problem with her back, but I'm sure it doesn't help that she's always carrying those grandchildren of ours around when they come to visit."
Jonas knew that was his cue to ask to see current pictures, which he did. And they were cute little tykes, two boys and a girl. Jonas felt sorry that his own father hadn't lived long enough to have grandchildren, because they were obviously the highlight of Henry's life.
Sue Ellen had delivered Jonas's steak and eggs and topped off his coffee before he finally got around to the main reason for his visit to the café. "Say, Henry, do you think old man Hawthorne ever plans to sell that little place he owns?"
Henry swallowed another bite of his pancakes. "Last I heard he didn't think the market was right, yet. Why, you interested?"
"Maybe."
"Well, he's got a renter in there, so I doubt he'd sell it out from under her. Real nice woman. A sculptor."
Jonas concentrated on cutting off a piece of steak so he wouldn't give anything away by his expression. "I think I heard something about that.
Do you know her?"
Henry started to laugh. "Okay, I know what this is about. You heard there was a new single woman in town, didn't you?"
Jonas managed a sly grin. "You caught me, Henry."
"I swear, boy, you're going to wear yourself out before your thirtieth birthday. But somehow I don't see you dating Sarah. She doesn't seem at all your type."
That's what you know. "Really? Why's that?"
"Well, first off, she's … well, let's just say she has a very generous figure."
"Are you saying she's overweight?" Jonas tried to reconcile what Henry was saying with the woman he'd kissed the night before. Sarah had felt sensual, soft and willing in his arms. Had he been so delirious that he hadn't noticed she was on the chubby side?
Henry took a swallow of his coffee. "Technically, I guess so. But she's such a nice lady that I don't like slapping that label on her. But her weight isn't the only thing that doesn't seem to go with your taste in women."
"Oh?" Jonas had completely abandoned his meal as he turned to stare at Henry. "What else?"
"I've never known you to take up with older women."
Jonas thought about that. Sarah might be older than he was. Her skin was smooth, but some women maintained that kind of skin well into their forties. Maybe that was her hang-up. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. If she was past childbearing age, that would be significant.
Significant? Had he really started thinking in terms of marriage and kids? He didn't even know the woman's last name. Oh, but he knew her fantasies, and that seemed more important than a last name that he'd probably try to convince her to change, anyway.
He might as well get what information he could from Henry. If age was a stumbling block, he'd find a way around it. Maybe they could adopt. And modern science was doing some amazing things these days which allowed older women to have children, if they wanted to.
Jonas picked up his mug of coffee. "How old do you think she is?" he asked in as casual a tone as he could manage, considering.
"Hard to say exactly."
"Take a guess."
"Late fifties, early sixties."
Jonas spewed coffee all over his plate. No way he'd been making love to a grandmother. No way.
"Goodness, boy." Henry clapped him on the back. "Sorry to break it to you like that. Didn't know you had your heart set on taking her out."
Jonas mopped the coffee from his face and cleaned up around his plate. "For some reason I thought she was … younger."
"Well, maybe I have it wrong." Henry eyed his plate. "You sure did make a mess, there. Maybe you should order yourself a new breakfast."
"That's okay. I'm not really that hungry." He gazed at Henry. "Late fifties, you say?"
"Why don't you ask B.J.? She knows her."
"Maybe I'll do that." Like hell he would. He didn't want B.J. to get even the slightest whiff of this. If Henry was right about the age thing and B.J. found out he'd been fooling around with someone old enough to be his mother, he'd never hear the end of it.
Henry had to be wrong. Or maybe Sarah was on some special hormone program. Maybe she'd had cosmetic surgery all over. He needed some time to think about this. Age aside, it had been the best sex he'd ever had. He didn't want to jump to any hasty conclusions just because of some silly prejudices he might be able to get rid of in no time.
"Yeah, ask B.J.," Henry said. "I think Sarah mentioned that B.J. was going to watch her place this week while she went back to New York for some gallery showing. And while you're at it, ask B.J. what the heck she's planning to do with all those vanilla candles she bought yesterday."
Jonas froze in place. Then his head began to buzz. He shook it, certain he'd misunderstood Henry.
Henry's voice seemed to be coming from far, far away. "Hey, are you okay? You must be getting sick. You look awful."
Jonas swallowed and slowly turned to look at Henry. The buzzing in his ears wouldn't go away, but he had to straighten this out. "Did you say Sarah's out of town?"
"Yeah, but that's not important right now. I'm worried about you. Sue Ellen, get this boy some water and a cold cloth. I think he's fixing to pass out on us."
Jonas coughed and shook his head. "I'm fine. Really."
"I don't think so." Henry took the damp dishcloth Sue Ellen handed over the counter. "Here, put this at the back of your neck."
Jonas did as he was told, and the coolness helped. "Thanks."
Sue Ellen leaned over the counter to peer at him. "Want me to call Noah?"
"No!" Jonas's mind edged around the information he'd received but wasn't in any shape to process. Vanilla candles. It could be a coincidence. It had to be.
"I know," Sue Ellen said. "Let me call B.J. A woman's better in a situation like this."
"No!" B.J. He couldn't escape logic. If Sarah was gone, and B.J. had been watching the house this week… No. He didn't even want to go there.
Sue Ellen drew back. "Okay, I won't call her. But B.J.'s good in an emergency. I'm sure she could—"
"I'm fine." Although his head was still buzzing, Jonas managed a weak smile. "Just the flu, I guess. I'd better get out of here before I expose you all." Laying the cloth next to his plate, he reached in his back pocket for his wallet.
"On the house," Sue Ellen said. "You didn't eat it, anyway."
"That's okay. I want to pay." Jonas laid some bills on the table. "That should cover it. I'll head on home." Home was the last place he wanted to go, but he'd figure out how he'd deal with that later.
"Are you sure you can drive?" Henry asked.
"Oh, yeah. I've been worse off than this before." Jonas slid off the stool and walked out of the café on rubbery legs. Once back in his truck, he started the engine and drove aimlessly.
Or so he thought. Apparently he had a destination in mind, after all. Soon he was sitting in front of Sarah's house. Or the house rented by Sarah, which was presently being watched by B.J. He gripped the steering wheel. B.J.
Closing his eyes, he leaned against the headrest and tried to piece it all together, starting with the cave. He'd stumbled in and been thrown completely off guard by finding a woman there. She'd told him her name was Sarah, and she was a sculptor. He'd wanted it to be true.
He still did. He didn't want to face the fact that his mystery lover, the fantasy woman he'd been obsessed with for the past two days, didn't exist. He couldn't deal with knowing that all the things he'd done with and to Sarah, all the things she'd let him do to her, had involved a girl he'd known all his life.
I feel as if I've known you all my life. He'd said that, but he sure as hell hadn't meant it literally. As the shock began to wear off, anger moved in to take its place. She had no business engaging in such behavior! She wasn't like that! Never had been, never would be! Then how had she managed to give him the time of his life?
And why? Was this part of some diabolical plot to blackmail him later? That didn't make sense. He'd have as much blackmail material as she would.
If she'd meant it as the practical joke of the millennium, he had to hand it to her. She'd come up with a beauty. But practical jokes weren't any fun if only the jokester and the victim knew about it. And he couldn't believe she would ever want anyone to know what they'd done in the cave, what they'd done in Sarah's bedroom.
And oh, what they'd done. He opened his eyes and gazed at the little cottage. The doorknob was bare now, but unless he changed things, it would have a red silk scarf tied on it by dusk tonight. In spite of everything, he was becoming aroused again thinking about it. In spite of everything, he wanted more. But he wanted his mystery woman back. He couldn't play those kinds of games with B.J.
Or could he? A picture of her mouthing that banana flickered into his mind. He'd noticed her butt yesterday, too, for the first time. And truth be told, he'd rather have his mystery woman turn out to be B.J. than someone pushing sixty.
But he never would have believed that B.J. could have such ideas in her head. With all those years of growing up together, w
orking side by side as adults, he never would have guessed what was going on behind those innocent blue eyes.
Come to think of it, knowing that she wasn't what she seemed was kind of exciting. Extremely exciting. If he kept their date tonight, he would know who she was, but she wouldn't know he knew. He could egg her on to be wilder and wilder, and she'd probably do it because she'd think her identity was safe. She deserved some payback for the way she'd tricked him.
Funny, but the anger was gone now. He felt sort of warm all over, as if things were falling into place the way they were supposed to. When he'd first found out that he'd been making love to B.J., he'd been totally freaked. But now … now there was a rightness to it all that he couldn't ignore. B.J. Who would have thought?
He wondered if she'd ever planned to tell him. And once again, he was back to the question of why she'd pulled this elaborate charade in the first place. Once he knew that, he could decide what to do about it.
Of course he could go back to the ranch right now, confront her with his information and get the whole thing out in the open. He could do that, but then there would be no secret rendezvous tonight. The decision boiled down to whether he wanted to satisfy his curiosity now, or satisfy his lust tonight and his curiosity another time.
Oh well. He could live with being curious.
* * *
Chapter 7
«^»
Having come to the door naked the first night, B.J. decided she needed to do something different this time, wearing seductive clothing that would add to the tactile enjoyment when Jonas touched her. Something erotic and naughty. Yet she'd never owned sexy lingerie and she didn't have time to go shopping.
Then inspiration hit. She'd taken part in a fancy riding demonstration in Phoenix a few years ago, and the event had been televised. For that occasion she'd bought an incredibly soft vest and chaps in red suede, an outfit that was way too beautiful for regular ranch work. She'd never worn it again.
At first her practical side rebelled at the idea of sacrificing such an expensive outfit to the cause. Once she'd made love to Jonas while wearing it, she'd never be able to put it on without thinking of what they'd shared. But she could keep it in the bottom of her closet for a souvenir. It might be the only one she'd ever have. If she wore the vest open and nothing else but the chaps, she'd definitely be X-rated.
MYSTERY LOVER Page 6
