Pillow Chase

by Jeanie London

  He chuckled, a deep warm sound so close to her ear. “Better than making love? And what’s that?”

  “You’ll see.”

  “If you don’t want to make love, then why are you undressing me?”

  “Can’t resist.” She brushed a kiss against his neck to sample the familiar taste of him. Then she leaned back and let her gaze drift down, down, down…and treated Troy to the sight of her skimming her hand along her stomach, dipping her fingers between her thighs, hinting at how warm and wet she’d gotten beneath her sundress. “Trust me, Lieutenant Commander. Turnabout is fair play and all that.”

  “And you trusted me this morning, hmm?” His voice had grown rough and all male.

  “Blindfolded, too.”

  He was the only one showing skin right now, so she reached out to run her hands over his chest, to trace her fingers into each hollow and ridge. She liked the way his stomach contracted and the way he closed his eyes as if savoring the sensation. She liked switching the balance of power to make Troy react, to know he could get as wrapped up in pleasure as she could.

  “But if we’re not going to make love, Mrs. Knight, then this is nothing but torture—”

  “Torture? Interesting word choice.” Unfastening his belt, she went to work peeling away his pants and freeing a promising erection. Brushing her fingers over that hot length, she smiled when Troy sucked in a deep breath and swelled even more. “Is this really torture?”

  Sinking to her knees, she decided she didn’t have to be naked to torture him. Grazing her breasts against his thighs on the way down, she thrilled when his muscles trembled while she worked the jumble of clothing down his legs.

  “Only if you leave me hanging.”

  Tipping her face up, she caught a glimpse of tanned skin and shifting muscle before she ran her open mouth along the underside of his erection. He swayed before steadying himself with a hand on the tiled wall.

  “Hanging?” she demanded in a sultry voice. “Everything’s at attention where I am.”

  Troy gave a throaty laugh that made his attentive parts jump in a sort of mock salute.

  “Is this payback for the ice or because I got us involved with your sister and Laura?”

  She shook her head, this time dragging her unbound hair against him until his parts tangled in her curls. “Neither. It’s just a game I want to play. I read about it in our introductory packet for the Naughty Nuptials. You remember. A Lifetime of Desire: Couples Sensual Fantasies.”

  Troy groaned as she moved away, making his erection bounce again when it pulled free of her hair.

  The sensual fantasies brochure had only been one of several that Laura had provided upon their arrival. After their long separation, she and Troy had gravitated toward the more obvious sex toys and games. But she’d remembered a game that would be perfect to buy her the time she needed to make it through the rest of their vacation.

  Vanishing orgasms were simply unacceptable.

  “Your dual-temperature torture device gave me the idea this morning. There’s a game inside that fantasy brochure called Tease and Torture. I want to play that.”

  The perfect game.

  He gave a grunt of laughter. “I knew torture factored in somewhere.”

  “It’ll be good torture.”

  “Good torture? There’s no such beast.”

  “Trust me.” After setting aside his clothes on a chair, she returned to kiss the frown from his face. She shimmied close to his naked body in the process, unable to resist the lure of all those hard muscles. “We do whatever feels good, but we don’t make love. We let the tension build.”

  “For how long?”

  “Until I decide the game is over.”

  “And how long will that be? A day, a week, a month?”

  “I don’t know…a while. I want to give this a try to see how it goes. It’ll be fun. And interesting. Think about it, Troy. Whenever you come home, we jump right in where we left off. We’ve been making love since we got here, so why not try something different? We’ve got all this time to ourselves. Let’s see how long we can last without making love.”

  He eyed her closely, and she could see the gleam of interest deep in those crystal green eyes.

  She forced a light laugh, hoping he didn’t see how much she needed to play this game. “Don’t you trust me?”

  “I do. But I don’t like playing games I know I’ll lose.” Before she realized what he was about, he’d snagged his arm around her and dragged her against him.

  Gasping, she glanced into his face, where the dim light threw his strong features into backlight and shadow.

  “There is no losing. We just keep building the tension. Eventually we’ll make love. It’s a win-win game.”

  “Until you decide it’s over.”

  She nodded, nearly holding her breath as he eyed her with that clear gaze that saw too much.

  “This is payback.”

  “It’s not.”

  Troy couldn’t know just how honest she was being. This wasn’t about him at all. It was about not wasting their precious time together. About her learning to cope with a difficult situation. About not allowing doubt to hide under her pillow when she lay her head down to sleep.

  And most of all it was about taking away the pressure so anxiety didn’t chase her orgasms away.

  He reached out to brush back strands of hair from her temple, a thoughtful touch. “You’re sure you’re not angry?”

  “I’m not. Honestly.”

  That sharp green gaze seemed to see inside her, but she could tell the instant he’d decided to play along because he inclined his head, obviously willing to take her at her word. “Then let’s get you undressed for a little Tease and Torture.”

  “You’ll play by the rules?”

  “It works both ways, right? I get to torture you as much as you torture me?”

  She nodded.

  “Then your wish is my command.”

  Something inside her gave a huge sigh of relief and her only reply was a melting “Mmm” as he reached for the fastening of her sundress.

  Gathering her hair, she piled it on top of her head to give him better access, shivering when he pressed an openmouthed kiss to her neck. His fingers danced against her skin as he unfastened the hook and eye then parted the collar.

  Guiding her with his hands, he helped her manage her hair and free her arms. His breaths warmed her skin in sultry bursts as he trailed those kisses over her bare shoulder.

  He raked his gaze down the length of her, and she watched a smile lift the corners of his mouth, appreciation flare in his eyes.

  She felt so beautiful when he looked at her, and it was a potent feeling, one that had always amazed her. She hadn’t known the feeling could disconcert her, too. But it could. When she’d been uncertain after the morning’s debacle, that tender appreciation in his eyes, that love, had felt overwhelming.

  But she tucked away those thoughts for later. Now wasn’t the time for thinking about anything except this sensual moment. She didn’t have to worry about intruding thoughts chasing away her orgasms now. This time was for exploring and enjoying and giving her attention to her handsome husband, who was reaching for the clasp of her bra and popping it open. Her breasts tumbled free, and he caught a nipple and squeezed, making her gasp.

  Then he helped himself to the other.

  Shrugging the bra down her arms, she let it slide to the floor, not wanting him to stop the touches that were making her breasts swell with pleasure and her nipples tighten.

  And when he lowered his face…his moist mouth parted over her sensitive skin, a simple touch that forced another gasp from her lips, sent pleasure spiraling through her until she swayed on weak knees.

  He flicked his tongue over a greedy peak, and his laughter burst against her skin, an erotic combination of warm breath and sound. “I’d like a painting of you wearing nothing but hair and mist. A small one, so I can keep it in my pocket when we’re apart.”

  She t
hought of The Falling Woman, of the model who might have posed for the artist. The idea of standing naked to be sketched seemed daring in the extreme, titillating.

  “Do you forget what I look like when you’re away?”

  “Hardly.” Hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her hose, he tugged them down, leaving Miranda staring at the top of his head when he sank to his knees before her, slipping off her shoes and removing the hose with perfunctory motions.

  He planted a kiss on her ankle. “I remember every inch of you. I want a painting so I can see you looking back with that wanting expression on your face.”

  Everything inside her seemed to dissolve as she imagined herself posing for that portrait. “Imagine what would happen if you lost it.”

  “You’re so gorgeous you’d wind up displayed on some wall like The Falling Woman.” Tipping his head back, he ran those piercing green eyes along every inch of her. “But I’d never let it out of my sight.”

  Not intentionally, she knew, but what if he was hurt on a mission? Just the thought made her throat constrict.

  She was thinking again.

  Urging Troy to his feet, she distracted herself by returning the favor. She would not let racing thoughts chase away her pleasure again.

  She felt more relaxed than she had in a long time when Troy finally scooped her into his arms. His name left her lips on a laugh, and he shouldered open the door leading to the sauna.

  “Grab some towels.” He paused in front of a shelf while she grabbed a stack, and then stepped inside.

  The hot, humid air made her suck in a tight breath. When Troy released her she took advantage of the moment by sliding down his body in a long, fluid motion that brought every sensitive inch of her into quick contact with him.

  He groaned.

  She gave a very deliberate laugh.

  And by the time they were stretching out on the benches inside the shadowy sauna—Miranda prone on the top bench so she could reach Troy supine on the shelf below—the warmth had seeped into her skin and made her feel bold.

  Dangling her hand over the side, she brushed her fingertips lightly over his stomach until his muscles contracted and his erection bobbled. She gave it a stroke, too.

  “Then how do you feel about helping out Victoria and Laura?”

  “I’m not angry.” How could she be angry about anything when she’d finally figured out how to fight back against her worries?

  “So you keep saying.” Slipping his arms behind his head, he stretched out more. “Then how do you feel—besides amazed Laura arranged the loan of The Falling Woman?”

  She chuckled, liking this vantage with him spread out all tanned and naked and gorgeous beneath her. She couldn’t resist skimming her hand into that smooth skin between his thighs, eliciting another bobble. “I’m trying to convince myself you’re right and damage control is the best way to deal with Victoria.”

  “Do you really think you could have talked her and Laura out of investigating?”

  “Maybe with some backup. I don’t know how you could have missed that I didn’t want to help them.”

  She ran her fingers between his thighs, cupping the velvet weight of his scrotum in her palm, watching his chest rise sharply when he sucked in a hard breath.

  “I didn’t miss it,” he said. “But you weren’t getting anywhere, so it made sense to move on to plan B.”

  “Is this some military strategy?”

  “Split-second decisions are all in a day’s work.” He reached down to pick up where she left off stroking his erection, slow, easy strokes that were arousing her by the sheer eroticism of the sight. “Your sister’s interested in why your grandmother changed her name. You don’t understand that?”

  “I don’t understand why she was looking in the first place. Fixing this family will take more than a miracle.”

  Troy didn’t argue, he just closed his eyes and kept up those lazy strokes. She gave another gentle squeeze and watched as goose bumps sprinkled along his skin.

  “Don’t get me wrong, Troy. If my mother wants to get together with her sister again, I’ll support her a hundred percent. Even if it means making nice with Laura on holidays.”

  Those words scraped over her tongue, but Miranda meant what she said. She could handle Laura to make her mother happy.

  “So you’re not interested in finding out about your grandmother?” he asked.

  “Whether I want to or not isn’t the point. Avoiding potential fallout is.”

  His hand slowed its erotic rhythm, and he opened his eyes, staring up at her with a searching expression. “You’ll sacrifice what you want to protect the family.”

  “Of course, but I don’t consider this much of a sacrifice. I’d rather not know than live with potentially unpleasant consequences of whatever we might find out.”

  “You can’t know the consequences will be unpleasant.”

  “My grandfather isn’t stupid. He’s held his own with politicians and the media for more decades than you and I have been alive. If he thought a name change needed to happen before he brought my grandmother to this country, I don’t doubt it did.”

  “Victoria thinks he’s being selfish.”

  “I can’t say. But selfish or not, my grandfather doesn’t act without a reason. She might know that if she paid more attention to what’s happening in our family.”

  Miranda didn’t want to talk about Victoria. Her sister had made the choice to play black sheep, and she suspected Victoria would keep making that choice until she got tossed out of the family like their aunt had.

  She couldn’t perform damage control for her sister, but she could make sure Victoria didn’t land them in a situation they’d all regret.

  “What do you think about me talking to Grandfather?” She dragged her hand along his thigh.

  “More damage control?” Troy had started to sweat, and her hand glossed easily over his skin. She ran her palm over his hip and along that juncture between groin and thigh, pleased when he let out a breath that stuttered through the quiet.

  Slipping her fingers back along his erection, she gave it a firm stroke that made his hips arch into her hands. “If there’s a skeleton, I’d feel much better knowing it’s not going to pop out when no one expects it.”

  “You’re worried about your mother.”

  Miranda just nodded, pleased when he slipped his fingers around hers and speeded up her rhythm until his eyes drifted shut again. His whole body gathered, but he didn’t slow their pace. “Will you tell him Victoria and Laura want to get your mothers together?”

  “And risk giving him a heart attack? If our mothers want to fix things, I think we’d all do well to let them handle Grandfather.”

  “Smart as well as gorgeous.”

  The words sounded as if he’d forced them out over broken glass, and she wasn’t surprised when he removed her hand and rolled to prop himself up on an elbow.

  Suddenly he could reach her and trailed his fingers between her thighs, a glancing touch that made her shiver despite the heat.

  “I hope the senator comes clean so you can sidestep an investigation,” he said. “I also don’t think it’s a bad thing to spend some time with your sister while we’re home.”

  “And Laura Granger?”

  “I’ll reserve judgment. Lots of history you haven’t shared.” His fingers speared into the hairs she kept neatly trimmed over her sex, and she shivered again. “Las Vegas isn’t that far from San Diego. I’d like to know you have some family close by when I’m away.”

  “Spoken like a man who’s close to his siblings.” She chuckled. “Might I point out that you have normal siblings?”

  Troy caught a thatch of silky hairs between his fingers and gave a light tug that separated the sensitive folds below and made her sex clench in eager reply.

  “You call Kevin normal? My brother sleeps all day, works all night and jets around town in a Porsche that cost more than his house.”

  “Your brother is a chef, silly m
an. When do you expect him to work if not at night?”

  Sliding a finger toward that tiny knot of nerve endings, he zeroed in on the target with a steady rolling motion that started up an ache deep inside. “What about Marietta? She’s so busy jet-setting around the world that she’ll never settle down.”

  “Leave Marietta alone. There’s not a thing wrong with her vacationing with her friends. She works hard. She deserves to have fun.”

  “Mrs. Knight, the point is that I’m involved enough with my siblings to know what’s going on in their lives.”

  “My mother keeps me current with Victoria—” At the look of sudden smugness on Troy’s face, she knew she’d lost this argument. “So I’m not as close with my sister. That’s just the way it is, Troy. I’ve got my parents and my friends, so don’t worry about me.”

  Unfortunately those parents and friends were clear across the country where she’d left them, and she was making zero progress in establishing new relationships. But that was need-to-know information Troy didn’t need to know.

  Especially when he busily slid that greedy finger through her body’s moisture, separating her skin and winning a definite reaction when her sex clenched again. “Are you trying to change my mind about when to end our game?”

  “Will you change your mind?”

  “Not a chance.” And Miranda meant it.

  5

  TROY THOUGHT ABOUT joining Miranda in the shower as she prepared to meet her sister and Laura tonight. As impressive as the suite itself, the bathroom in the Egyptian Pleasure Pyramid housed a spa large enough for a couple to play in and a shower with a dozen wall jets.

  But he’d booted the computer instead, telling Miranda he’d wanted this time to look at what historical information about the senator he could easily obtain. That had been his intention when he’d sat down. At least until he’d read the same article twice and still couldn’t remember what it had said.

  Then Troy found himself idly surfing their private Web site, searching for clues to what was happening with his wife at home.

  As a wedding gift, his mother had given them a copy of the Spouse’s Guide to Surviving a Deployment. He’d laughed at the gift, but Miranda had insisted they read the book together and implement many of the suggestions that would help them feel close during his long wartime deployments.