“Kris,” he whispered, his gaze raw. “We need to stop. Another minute and I’m going to strip you and take you right here. I’m going to suck your breasts.” He cupped her them and slid his finger down her stomach to press where she ached the most. “And I’m going to kiss you here, until you scream with pleasure.” He flicked his finger over her hardened need and she cried out as her hips danced to the music of his touch.
“Damn,” he said. “I’m sorry. I can’t stop. I crave your pleasure more than air to breathe.” He claimed her mouth and shoved his fingers beneath the crotch of her swimsuit to stroke her flesh-to-flesh. She came apart, moaning and shuddering, feeling helpless and exhilarated beneath the onslaught of their passion.
“Don’t move. Someone’s coming,” he said under his breath. He backed away from her quickly and sat on the other side of the tub. She blinked at him, clinging for balance on the edge of the hot tub as her body shook from the waves of lingering pleasure.
“I’m in here, Martha,” he called out.
“You’re back. There’ll be no delay in dinner tonight then?”
“No. Eight, as usual, if that’s all right with our guest. Kris?”
“Uh, fine,” Krisana said, her cheeks burning too much for her to even look at the kind woman. JD had to have amazing hearing. What if she’d come moments earlier? The woman would think Kris was the worst hussy to walk into town. What was happening to her?
“Will either of you need anything else?”
“Nothing from you, Martha. Thank you.” JD looked at Krisana, his gaze full of desire and amusement.
Krisana wanted to disappear beneath the bubbling water. What would the woman think? His “nothing from you” response was terribly suggestive of what he wanted from Krisana. Martha left and Krisana stood. She walked on wobbly knees to get a nearby towel. Before she could admonish JD for his reply, he spoke. “Please forgive me. I have all of these great intentions and then the second you touch me, I lose everything but my desire to touch you. It’s damnable to end up wanting the very thing I had determined not to be involved in. You know this is what he wanted—the old man—he’s planned this and that irks me, but I can’t stay away from you. Best leave before I peel that suit down and satisfy us both.”
Krisana wanted to turn and run. Instead, she forced herself to stay calm. Along with her clothes, she collected the things Lord Daniels had given her. She arched her brow. “Well, Jack, considering that, I’ll be looking forward to dinner then.” She heard him rise up out of the water, and quickened her step, but she still added a swing to her hips. She smiled, picturing him at dinner, having to be proper, but squirming as he thought about her.
“You look delectable.”
Krisana turned from the painting of Tristan and Isolde she’d been studying to watch JD saunter into the room. He wore black jeans, a milk chocolate pullover good enough to eat, and his jeweled cross. The brown made his eyes impossibly bluer—or was it the predatory intensity in them. He came right at her. Her heart pounded. She stepped away to the window overlooking the lake.
“Martha said dinner was ready,” she said, her mouth suddenly dry.
His smile was pure seduction. “I know. I spoke to her already. The old man won’t be joining us tonight. He’s feeling a little under the weather.”
“Will he be all right?” she asked, frowning.
“I’m sure. His bones ache. Something about a storm coming. Martha’s going to read to him tonight.” He slid his gaze over her with a sensual promise that he seemed moments from delivering on. “Can you make do with just me tonight?”
“We’ll have to see,” she said doubtfully and went to the table.
He pulled out her chair. After she sat, he caressed her bare shoulders and leaned close to her ear. “Careful, I’m a man who loves a challenge.”
His scent, a heady mix of spice and alluring musk, made her feel very “challenging” at that moment. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Moving away, he lit candles, dimmed the lights, and put on music that softly whispered love and passion into the seductive shadows of the room. He claimed the chair adjacent to hers, brushing his long legs against her bare ones. Though elegant, the black chiffon high-low dress was strapless, and revealing. She’d worn it thinking there’d be others present at dinner. Now she needed more armor against his sex appeal. They may end up taking their attraction to the next level before the night was over, but that didn’t mean she had to be a mindless idiot in the interim.
“Wine?” He picked up the bottle of Merlot next to him.
She nodded, even as she wondered if she dared. He was intoxicating enough.
After pouring, he raised his glass for a toast. “To you and interesting possibilities,” he said softly.
“Make that to you and me, and interesting possibilities,” she added. Their glasses clinked and anticipation rushed over her senses. She liked the idea of interesting possibilities with him. Taking a sip, she let the smooth, dry taste tingle over her tongue before swallowing. Liking it, she drank again, enjoying the stimulating seduction. Melt- in- your-mouth filet mignon, light roasted potatoes, and buttered asparagus followed, as they talked about her music and the work he’d done to restore the opera house. Throughout the meal, her gaze kept settling on the cross. More and more, she felt as if she’d seen in before.
“So, when you aren’t performing, what do you do to relax?” he asked, leaning back in his chair. His warm legs brushed hers again as he stretched.
She shrugged. “I read and write stories, but if you tell anyone, I will deny it. It’s bad enough to have my voice up for criticism. I’d rather keep my mind and heart private.”
He laughed. “Your secret is safe with me. What kind of stories?”
Blushing, she toyed with her wine glass and sipped before answering. “Paranormal romance. I like thinking there are possibilities of life and love out there that we just don’t know about yet.”
JD stilled and a sudden tension filled the space between them, as if what she’d said had a great deal of significance.
“What about you? What do you read?”
He shook his head and offered an amused smile. “The opposite of you. I read stories about real life—the mundane and simple. I like thinking that such things are real and important. They keep me grounded.”
“But don’t you have that every day, living in Mysteria Falls? It’s so rural compared to D.C.”
He laughed, and the full, rich timbre sent a shiver to places already eager for every morsel of him. “Rural doesn’t necessarily mean mundane, or ordinary. Do I strike you as being those?” His eyes darkened with desire so hot that she couldn’t think past her short-circuiting erogenous zones.
“No.” She moistened her lips. He watched her every movement. “The cross you wear. Tell me about it.”
He slipped the thick chain over his neck and handed it to her. “It’s a remarkable piece of medieval craftsmanship, for it’s a weapon as well. Press the release button on the back.”
She followed his instruction. The cross separated into a deadly jeweled dagger and its sheath. “Wow. Beautiful and deadly.” She handed it back to him.
“You keep it,” he said, leaning her way and slipping the chain over her head. It fell heavily between her breasts.
“Oh, no, really I couldn’t.” She clasped the warm cross to take it off and he set his hand over hers.
“Please, I like to think of you as being armed at all times. And I get more pleasure seeing it between your breasts than around my neck.” His thumb snaked out to caress along the rise of her beast and across her nipple. She shivered, forgetting everything in her mind but the feel of his touch. “Speaking of romance and possibilities,” he said softly, “why don’t we explore some of those in the ballroom? Would you care to dance, Kris?” He held out his hand as he stood.
She let the cross fall between her breasts and set her hand in his. Her stomach made a flip and her heart pounded as her every sense opened to the tantal
izing temptations of having his body close to hers.
When they reached the ballroom, he didn’t turn on any lights, but swept her into his arms to dance in and out of the moonbeams streaming though the tall glass windows. It wasn’t a waltz and it wasn’t a slow dance. He moved in ways she’d never moved before, but knew by heart. They were in perfect sync, a flowing harmony of hard against soft, powerful against yielding and she gave herself over to him completely.
The entire day, seeing the opera house from her dreams, meeting JD, meeting Lord Daniels and seeing Anya’s portrait had been confusingly surreal, but in some strange way, not unexpected. It was as if she was meant to be here, and meant to know this man who attracted her more than any man before.
At first, he held one of her hands pressed to his chest where she could feel the beat of his heart. His other hand rested at the small of her back, encircling her in his embrace. She stared into his eyes, feeling with every passing moment that this man was no stranger to her.
The more they danced, the closer they drew, as unspoken need eroded all barriers. Her arms slid around his neck and she sifted her fingers through his silken hair. His arms wrapped around her and his hands left a trail of fire as they caressed her back and urged her tighter to the hard heat of his body. Her breasts pressed to his chest so tightly that every movement teased her sensitive nipples. Slowing the dance, he slid a hard thigh between her legs and cupped her bottom, pressing her tight to the firm rise of his erection.
The slow, rhythmic brush of his body and arousal drove her crazy. She moaned—wanting, needing more.
“Kris?” he said, his voice no more than a strangled plea.
“Kiss me,” she whispered, lifting her face to his.
His sigh of pleasured relief was muffled as he claimed her mouth, a full assault from the moment his lips met hers. His tongue delved deep, searching for her soul and she answered his call, reaching for his. He maneuvered until his back hit the wall and he could lean and lift her whole body flush to his. He kissed her deeper, harder, but it wasn’t enough – it would never be enough. She kissed him and writhed for more, succumbing to the firestorm of passion consuming her.
Breathing as if he’d just run miles, JD broke from the never-ending kiss to swing her into his arms and marched from the ballroom. She didn’t say a word to disturb the sensual spell, but concentrated on kissing and touching every part of him that she could reach, from his sensual mouth to the chiseled edge of his shadowed jaw and the supple heat of his neck. She explored his chest and shoulders, relishing in the power and strength hidden beneath the soft cotton of his shirt. She drank in the intoxicating smell of his spicy musk, and the drugging taste of his essence.
Tonight this man would be her lover and she had no doubt that he was the man she’d waited her whole life for.
Chapter Six
At the top of the stairs, JD carried Krisana into a candlelit bedroom that had obviously been staged for seduction—chilled champagne, fruit tray, soft music. Darkly masculine in rich navy and burgundy tones, the room was both comfortable and luxurious from the large bed, overstuffed furniture, and the low burning fireplace.
“You must forgive me for this,” he said softly. “I prepared not in assurance that you’d come to my room tonight, but in humble hopes that you would.”
She pressed her finger to his lips. “I love candlelight,” she said. “There is something very special about its glow, as if the small flames can paint soft beauty everywhere it touches.”
“I wanted you naked in the candlelight.” He kissed her again, this time easing down the zipper of her dress. The chiffon fell to her feet like a black cloud, leaving her in black lace bra and panties and heels. He stood back, staring at her, his chest expanding as he sucked in air.
He didn’t have to tell her that he found her beautiful, for his expression and trembling hands said it all as he reached for her.
She danced back from him. “You next.”
Smiling, he shed his shirt in a flash. When he reached for his belt buckle, she pushed his hands away and slipped the leather from its holding notch. Yet before she could tackle his button and zipper, she became thoroughly distracted by his sculpted chest. She ran her shaking hands over the pattern of silky hair across his pecs and down his rippling abs where a thin dark line disappeared beneath the waist of his pants. By then he’d fisted his hands and his nostrils flared with the strength of his need for her.
She licked his nipple and he lost his restraint. He shed his pants and briefs in a flash, and stood before her breathing hard.
She trembled at the fullness of his erection, which jutted starkly from a triangle of dark curling hair. He was so different from her, so opposite, yet so perfectly matched.
“I want all of you, Kris, now.” He unclasped her bra in a snap and immediately cupped her breasts and groaned with pleasure. Molding them, he bent down and sucked an aching peak into his mouth, his flicking tongue like a searing flame. She arched her back as pleasure darted from her nipples to her swelling sex—its intensity left her breathless.
Dropping to his knee, he grasped her panties and slid them down her legs. The moment she stepped free of them, he caught her hips and brought her sex to his mouth, his tongue searching and finding the hardened center of her pleasure. He kissed her hard and fast, sucking her sex until her knees nearly gave out.
“JD,” she cried out, clutching his shoulders.
He wrapped an arm around her legs and held her in place. “One more taste,” he said.
This time, the thorough, intimate assault of his kiss and thrusting tongue rocketed her to heaven. She shuddered hard. He caught her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, laying her on the cool satin.
He slipped off her heels and spread her legs wide as he looked down upon her. He touched the heavy cross resting between her breasts then brushed each aching nipple. “You are so beautiful, so wonderfully erotic everywhere.”
She felt exposed, but the hot need in his awed gaze made her shiver with a greater pleasure. His pleasure.
She reached for him and he came to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers, arching her breasts to his chest. Her whole body cried out for more of him and his touch. She wanted to know him completely, and he gave freely.
His hands caressed her everywhere. His lips and tongue followed, licking fire over every inch of her body until she gasped and writhed with a need so great that she knew she would burn alive unless he put an end to the tortuous pleasure.
He ripped a condom packet open with his teeth, his whole body trembling as he slid it on before rolling her beneath him. Then, staring into her eyes, he pressed himself slightly inside of her and paused. His mouth parted as if he wanted to say something, wanted to tell her about the emotion that had turned his blue eyes to midnight. Instead, he kissed her and thrust into her, then froze as the evidence of her virginity gave way.
The strange, yet pleasurable fullness of having every burning hard inch of him buried deep inside of her, shocked and thrilled her. She cried out and wrapped her arms tighter around him.
“Hell! I’ve hurt you. I didn’t know, didn’t imagine that you were still a virgin.” His breath exploded in a long shudder. He planted his hand on each side of her head and reared back. “Why didn’t you say something? I would have been gentler, done more to—”
She shook her head. “There wasn’t a need to say anything. You’ve been perfect, so don’t stop now. I’ve waited a very long time for this to happen.” She thrust her hips against his, burying him deeper into her.
“You’ve no idea, mon âme soeur,” he whispered, shuddering as he moved slowly inside her. He kissed her tenderly and magic seemed to infuse their every touch, every thrust, every kiss, and every look. Their colliding hearts and passion swept her away in a tide of ecstasy so great and so deep that her life, her heart, and her world were redefined forever. From the look in JD’s eyes, he was with her every step of the way, experiencing the same thin
g with reverent awe.
“Again,” he whispered urgently as the last wave a pleasure shuddered through her. “I need you again.” He rolled to his back, bringing her on top of him and started the sensual dance all over again, arching up to pulse deeper inside of her. His heated hands brought her nipples to aching peaks before he soothed them with his tongue, then drove her even higher by suckling the hardened points as he rhythmically stroked her burning clitoris. This time the climax convulsing through her sent her hurtling into a white hot abyss of exploding colors and sounds that stole her consciousness as she collapsed in his arms.
Jameson couldn’t get enough and would ironically die trying, he thought ruefully as he lay next to Kris. The candles had burned to nubs and the fireplace embers were barely visible across the moonlit room. They’d slept for a time until he’d reached for her again and she’d opened to him without hesitation. Now, not more than an hour later, he was hard and needy. He was so turned on to have her in his arms that his mind and body didn’t want anything but to be inside of her.
Tales From Mysteria Falls Page 5
