With those words, his lips touched hers. Barely there, a kiss that was scarcely a whisper. With that taunt, he lifted his head and waited, their eyes clashing, almost black against gold, neither one willing to give in, both of them fighting the need, both of them feeling that need in the other.
“Kiss me like you used to, Natalie.”
Her soft golden eyes watched, lowered to look at his lips. Shaking, trembling in his arms, she had the strength…barely…to deny him. “No,” she whispered back.
Those lips curled up into an almost sinister smile. “I was hoping you’d say that,” he told her. And he kissed her again, just a brief brush of his lips over hers. Once. Twice. Then gone again. Coming back for a nibble of his teeth against her lower lip.
That was all it took. Damn him, he knew her too well! He might not have been around a great deal when they’d been together that summer, but whenever he had been home, they’d been doing this. Making love, teasing, learning what the other wanted, what would make them crazy. And Javier had been too experienced for her back then. Nothing had changed. He knew what her body wanted and, this time, wouldn’t give it to her.
Her arms jerked higher, her fingers tangling into his thick hair, pulling his head down to hers so she could feel his kiss, to experience the bliss that only his kiss could give her. Just one kiss, she promised herself. One kiss wouldn’t hurt. Then she could tell him to get out of her life and leave her alone.
That was the plan, at least.
As soon as she kissed him back, trying to take control, Javier gave her what she was craving. Her lips trembled as his hands dove into her hair, tossing the band holding her honey blond locks away as his fingers tangled, pulled her head backwards so that he could deepen the kiss. His other hand moved over her back, singeing the skin wherever he touched, moving higher and discovering that she’d abandoned a bra in favor of comfort. But his fingers discovering her nipple were not comforting. Not in any way! They were hot and tormenting. She arched into his hand while his fingers circled, teased, plucked at the hard peak. She gasped, pulling her mouth away but his hand in her hair only tilted her head further backward, those teeth scraping her neck and causing her to whimper with desire.
She wasn’t aware of what he was doing, all she knew was that his hand moved away from her breast and she cried out in protest. He lifted her up and that hard part of him that had been pressing against her stomach was now against that throbbing nub. At first contact, she almost screamed, very aware that it had been far too long since she’d found any sort of release. Her body was too primed, too desperate. She shifted against him, coming so close to a climax that she almost hit him when he moved that hard part of him away from her.
His laugh was only a precursor to her need spiraling higher. A moment later, he sat down on the sofa, her legs spread across his hips as he ruthlessly striped her sweatshirt off. The cold air might have brought her to her senses, if he hadn’t taken her turgid nipple into his mouth, sucking hard while his hand lifted to the other breast, cupping the weight and pinching her nipple. The double sensation was almost too much. Lifting her hips, she tried once more to find that elusive release. But Javier understood what she was trying to do and stopped her.
With strong hands, he lifted her up and tore her leggings off. When he looked at her, that heat in her belly spiraled higher. Those hands pulled her back down, pushing her against him and she choked on her shock when his long fingers moved into her wet heat, his mouth back on her nipple. It was too much and she shifted against him, needing more, needing what only this man had ever given her. When a second finger slid inside of her, she splintered apart, the only thing stopping her from screaming as her climax filled her body was his mouth covering hers, absorbing her scream as her body pulsed over and over again, her hips continuing to shift against his hand, trying to get the last possible ounce pleasure from his touch.
She was just slowing down when she felt his fingers leave her. She didn’t know what he was doing, but she whimpered again, almost collapsing against his chest, breathing hard. But his hands were moving, tangling in her hair again. He pulled her back, his mouth latching onto her nipple again and she would have screamed, but she couldn’t get sound past her lips. Her body might have just experienced the most mind-blowing orgasm, but with those lips nibbling her nipple, then sucking hard, she was already spiraling out of control again. He wasn’t even touching her clitoris this time but she knew that she could climax just from what he was doing to her nipple.
But this time, he wasn’t letting her go alone. Completely naked in his arms, she felt his thick erection and knew that, if she didn’t have him inside of her this instant, she would simply combust. Pushing his hands out of the way, she rose up as he adjusted his clothing, then positioned herself over his shaft and…with a gasp, she felt his hands on her hips, pulling her down hard against him. She groaned as the sensations hit her. It had been four years since she had experienced this and she was tight, unprepared for his invasion. But then his knuckles rubbed against her clitoris again and she was lost. He lifted her hips, helping her adjust to his size. “Relax, mi belliza,” he groaned, his hand moving up her spine, soothing her even as he lifted her hips, and pulled her down again. She gasped, her hips wiggling, her body arching as she took all of him. She didn’t just need this, Natalie knew that she would die if she didn’t take all of him into her body, if he didn’t fill her up and take her over the edge to that elusive bliss once more.
“Move Natalie!” he commanded. His teeth shifted to nibble on her nipple again. “Any way you want. Just move!”
With his body controlling her, she lifted her hips, pressing against him the way she needed to. This was no gentle lovemaking. She’d experienced that kind of passion with him in the past. There was no time for that now. It had been too long and she needed this too much.
No, this was frantic. Desperate. This was a mating at its most primal. This was base need.
Desperate now, she pressed against him, her head tossed back, her body arching against his. She was out of control, out of her mind with the need for that release. And when he wouldn’t, she took it from him, riding his erection to give herself maximum pleasure as quickly and as furiously as she could. Her arms ached as she held onto him, his hands almost bruising her hips as he lifted her up, then slammed her body down against his erection. Over and over and she could barely catch her breath as she silently demanded that he give her more. Closer and closer until….
Pleasure exploded, filling her body. Pulsating waves of pleasure so intense she couldn’t even speak, her arms holding him close as he pumped into her until he found his own climax. The waves of pleasure were there, holding them as one as she held onto him, another orgasm hitting her, smaller but just as shockingly beautiful.
When it was all over, she collapsed against his chest. Gasping for breath, she held onto him, her only lifeline in a world that had gone out of control.
She felt the soft blanket caress her skin, but couldn’t make sense of what had just happened.
As reality slowly came back to her, she opened her eyes, only to see the tanned skin of his neck. She was draped over his body, nothing protecting her other than the blanket on her back and his strong body, fully clothed, against her chest.
Javier knew the exact moment when she realized what had just happened. Her body stiffened, her shoulders jerked. He soothed his hands down her back, but she pulled away anyway.
He let her go, knowing that they needed to talk about this, to discuss their future.
But he wasn’t prepared for her abrupt withdrawal. He clenched his teeth when she pulled away from him and he suddenly realized that he’d forgotten protection. Damn, he thought as she stepped backwards, covering her gloriously naked body with the blanket. He wanted to rip it off her, to look at her body and savor the beauty, to examine all of the changes four years had brought to her figure.
But she bent down and picked up her underwear, slipping them on before pulling the sweatsh
irt on. He grabbed tissues from the side table, cleaning himself up before standing and adjusting his own clothing. He might have chuckled at the realization that he was still fully clothed if he didn’t think it would hurt her feelings.
Why he was concerned with her feelings, he wasn’t exactly sure. But he was and he couldn’t stifle that concern. Damn, he was going to have to harden himself against this softness he felt towards her. It wouldn’t do to have these kinds of feelings for a mistress. They would enter into a business arrangement. Nothing more. Nothing less. They would fully understand the parameters of their relationship so that there were no hurt feelings when it was time to move on.
“We need to talk, Natalie,” he said when she turned around, fully clothed once more, but still looking shocked at what had transpired. In truth, he was just as shocked, but wasn’t going to show it. Not anymore. He’d given her his heart the last time and she’d stomped on it. This time, he would be in control.
When she shook her head, he pressed his lips together.
“No. No talking. Get out,” she whispered, keeping her eyes lowered.
He watched as she walked down a short hallway, closing the door to what he assumed was her bedroom. When he heard the lock click, he considered kicking the door down. But maybe she was right. They could discuss this tomorrow. A bit of space and time was definitely needed right now.
Javier looked around the room, noting the worn, cheap furniture. With disgust, he peered into the kitchen. There was only a small table and barely enough room to cook. Why this woman had decided that this would be a better life than the one he’d offered her, he would never understand.
With a flick of his wrist, he locked the back door, turned out the lights and stepped out the front door, ensuring that it locked as he pulled it closed.
Stepping into his limousine, he ordered his driver to head back to his hotel. The whole way back, he didn’t see the lights or the passing scenery. All he saw was the hurt on Natalie’s soft, pale features as she walked into her bedroom.
Locking him out.
Damn! He shouldn’t care! What they’d done only proved to him that an affair was a perfect solution. They could be together, enjoy each other’s bodies, and move on when the passion fizzled.
So, why did he care? Why did he feel like a complete ass?
Chapter 3
As soon as she opened her eyes, Natalie knew that something was wrong. It took her less than two seconds to realize that she was going to be sick. Scurrying to the toilet, she lost whatever had been left in her stomach. The only good thing was that she hadn’t had enough to eat yesterday, so there wasn’t anything in her stomach to throw up. Bile. Painful, burning bile tortured her throat as her stomach heaved. Only once before had she experience nausea this intense. And at the time, it had been for a completely different reason.
She’d been pregnant.
Thankfully, this time around it was because of a stomach bug. She’d caught the virus that had downed her son yesterday. Ugh!
“Momma!” Alejandro chirped. A moment later, a wet, sloppy washcloth was slapped over her face. Any other time, Natalie would laugh at her son’s attempt to be sweet. Right now, she was just too miserable to do anything other than pull the cloth away.
The doorbell rang a moment later and Natalie groaned. Please don’t let it be Javier, she thought as she pushed up from the bathroom floor.
But Alejandro was running to the front door, obviously fully recovered from the stomach bug that he’d passed on to her.
“I’ll get it!” he yelled.
“No!” she gasped, hurrying to get up and fighting to control the nausea that welled up as soon as she began to move. “Don’t answer the door!” She remembered that she’d forgotten to lock the door and hurried faster. Memories of the previous night hit her hard. Shame and humiliation as the events were…well, she couldn’t think about that right now. One thing at a time, she thought and reached the den just as Alejandro tried to twist the knob.
“You know you’re not supposed to answer the door, Alejandro,” she told him, pushing him back behind her as she looked through the peephole.
Her little guy stood back, his arms swinging carelessly as he twisted his torso.
“It’s Ms. Hayden,” he announced.
Natalie leaned her cheek against the door. “How do you know, honey?”
He pointed through the front window. “Her new truck is outside,” he explained, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.
Natalie would have smiled, proud of her son for being so observant. But she was miserable, wanting to just lie down and die.
Pulling the door open, she peered outside.
Hayden took one look at her friend and shook her head. “I heard that Alejandro went home yesterday with the stomach flu. Just as I suspected, you have it now, don’t you?”
Natalie pushed away from the doorway. “You can’t come in. You’ll get it too.”
Hayden ignored Natalie’s statement and stepped inside. “Go get your toys, buddy,” she told Alejandro. “You’re coming with me. We’re going to give your mommy some time to feel better, okay?”
In response, Alejandro whooped with delight, then spun around and raced into his bedroom.
“You rest,” Hayden ordered and walked into the kitchen, depositing something on her friend’s table. “When you feel better, give me a call, and I’ll give him back. He’ll be spending the night with me, so don’t worry about anything.”
“He’s too much for you.”
“Nonsense,” Hayden laughed. “He’s spent the night with me before and he’ll do it again in the future. Besides, Victor is taking the day off as well. We’re taking Alejandro out to the creek on a picnic. Don’t worry about anything. He’ll be well protected with Viktor’s bodyguards all around, plus Viktor spoiling him. You know how much Viktor loves kids.”
Natalie would have smiled, but it took too much energy. Instead, she sank down onto her small sofa and closed her eyes. Just for a moment, she told herself. Alejandro will be out any minute and she’d check his bag to make sure he had everything. She’d also thank Hayden for her help, tell her that she would pick her son up tonight, no need for an overnight visit.
But the next thing she knew, someone was knocking on her door again. Opening her eyes, she felt the nausea wash over her but she took several deep breaths, trying to ease her stomach.
It worked well enough so that she could sit up carefully. Walking to the front door took about three times as long, even though there were only about four feet between her sofa and the door.
Opening it this time, she couldn’t get her mind to work fast enough to anticipate who might be on the other side. So when she opened the door, she wasn’t shocked to find Javier there, looking strong, healthy, and too fabulous for words.
Instead of arguing with him again, she simply slammed the door closed.
When it opened again, she barely had time to turn around. But with his presence, she wasn’t able to stop the nausea this time and she raced back to the bathroom. Her stomach heaved, but she hadn’t eaten since yesterday so, thankfully, nothing came up. Unfortunately, the heaving was almost as bad.
Strong hands suddenly appeared, holding her hair back, soothing her as her stomach continued to try and empty, even though there was nothing inside of her to empty out.
A moment later, a cool cloth, damp but not completely wet, was soothed across the back of her neck. She tried to curl up on the bathroom floor, but strong arms lifted her, carrying her into the family room, where Javier lowered her onto the couch. The same blanket she’d used to cover her nakedness the previous night was draped over her shoulders and tucked around her cold feet. That same, strong hand smoothed her hair off of her face, gentling her worry. “Go to sleep, Natalie,” he whispered softly.
The next time she woke up, Natalie opened her eyes carefully, trying to determine if her stomach was going to heave, or behave. When there was no sudden rush to the bathroom, she breathed a
sigh of relief.
This stomach bug might be virulent, but it also passed quickly.
Slowly, she sat up and looked around, trying to figure out what time it was. When she glanced at the clock, Natalie realized that it was six o’clock…in the evening!
“Charlie!” she gasped. Natalie remembered that Hayden had come by to get Alejandro, but Natalie had been too sick to feed the horses and cats! The cats she wasn’t too worried about, they could fend for themselves. But Charlie, Bella, and Donna couldn’t! How could she have forgotten about them?
Hayden would have been concerned only with Alejandro. The woman could grow just about any kind of plant, but her mind couldn’t grasp animals. Brushing off the blanket, she ran out the back door, fully expecting her barn to have been kicked in with Charlie’s efforts to find oats. He had plenty of water due to the creek running along the edge of the pasture, but that enormous beast loved his oats. He also needed to be exercised, ridden hard and long. He was a stallion with an enormous amount of testosterone running through his body.
Not to mention her little ladies! Her mares! Goodness, how could she be so irresponsible?
She ran outside, ignoring the chill in the early morning air and looked around. But she didn’t see her barn collapsed onto the ground.
What she did see took her breath away. A tall man with broad shoulders was fully in control of Charlie. The two were racing at a breakneck pace along the pasture and Natalie could see that Charlie was thrilled with his new rider, exhilarated as he threw his head back with happiness!
Javier was pushing Charlie, racing him along the grass, both rider and horse bent low as they pushed harder and harder. The sight actually caused Natalie’s breath to catch in her throat. It was so amazing. Never had Charlie been so exhilarated!
The two were made for each other, she realized. When Javier pulled up, Charlie reared up onto his hind legs, showing his rider just how much he loved the ride. Thankfully, Javier was a good enough rider that the horse’s antics didn’t throw him and he controlled the enormous horse easily, commanding him to bring his forelegs back down and obey. Charlie loved it! Of all the riders Charlie had auditioned over the past year, never had any given him the ride he was enjoying now. Not even Natalie was a good enough rider to control Charlie like this. Charlie was careful when Natalie rode him, never going too far or too fast. But Javier…the two were made for each other.
Spanish Passions (Friends Forever Book 2) Page 3
