“That’s all? No conditions? No special instructions?”
Only to myself. “None. I know I’ve been playing hard to get.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s putting it mildly. But I guess I should expect that, seeing as how you have that show and everything.”
“What does my show have to do with it?”
“It’s obvious.” He waved a hand in the air. “You’re an expert in the field, so you’d want to try stuff out, test a guy to see what he can take.”
“You think you’re some sort of lab experiment?” That blew her away. He really didn’t know her at all.
“In a way, yeah. That’s fine, though. I’m not complaining.”
“You like being a lab experiment?”
“It’s been pretty damned exciting, Katie. Yeah, I like it.”
Apparently she’d played the bad girl a little too well. He seemed to be attracted to her because she was, as he put it, an expert in the field. No wonder he hadn’t gotten all warm and fuzzy over their first mutual orgasm.
Well, that made this very easy. “Jess, the experiment’s over. I just want to have hot, sweaty sex with you. No more games.”
He gazed at her as if he couldn’t quite believe it. Then he reached out and clicked the dead bolt, locking them in. “I’m not about to turn down a chance like that. Come with me.” He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers.
An expert in the field would be nonchalant about walking with him down two steps to the living room and across to a wide hall. But Katie’s heart was pounding as they neared the end of the hall where a pair of double doors stood open. The dim light revealed the corner of a bed, a four-poster in dark wood. His bed.
This is only for sex. She needed to keep chanting that to herself so that she wouldn’t start imagining that they were headed for something more. Maybe she should have suggested they go to a hotel after all, to underline the impersonal nature of this event.
Yes, a hotel would have been better. Once she stepped into his bedroom, she could feel his personality there almost as strongly as in the wood shop. The bed, end tables and armoire were massive and telegraphed the virility she’d always associated with him. A leather chair and a floor lamp made an equally bold statement of masculinity.
“I suppose my bedposts are phallic symbols,” he said.
“Classic.” The thick posts definitely qualified. Maybe she was susceptible to that kind of suggestion because she’d always liked sturdy four-posters. The delicate spindly ones didn’t appeal to her, but this…oh, yeah.
Then she noticed the white teddy lying on the comforter and the unlit pillar candles on the dresser and both bedside tables. She gestured toward the teddy. “For me?”
“Yeah. But after I heard the first part of your show, I decided the wood shop was where we should start out.”
At that moment she realized this was the scene he’d pictured years ago when he’d imagined how they would eventually make love. Maybe he had a tender, sentimental side after all. Maybe…No, she’d been down that road one too many times.
He’d set this up because he’d wanted to seduce his field expert and he thought white lace and candles would do the trick. After listening to her show, he’d switched to a different venue. He’d been trying to outthink her.
She’d intended to make him work for everything she gave him, and he’d done that. Presenting him with challenges had given her a sense of power which had served her well the past few days. She hadn’t been easy for him, and that was okay with her.
But now that she’d cured herself of sentimental longings, she didn’t have to throw obstacles in his way every five minutes. The process had been sort of exhausting, come to think of it. She was ready to relax and enjoy some no-strings sex.
She picked up the teddy. “Would you like me to put this on?”
He glanced from her to the teddy, then back at her, his gaze already growing hotter. “Yes.”
She noticed another set of double doors standing open on the far side of the room. “The bathroom?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be here.” There was something in his tone—something rich and deep. Appreciation, maybe, or gratitude, as if he truly valued having her there.
Damn, she was doing it again. She had no solid evidence that he was gaga over her. Therefore she would not go gaga over him. End of story.
She wouldn’t even allow herself to go gaga over his bathroom, although it was the kind of bathroom she’d always dreamed of having. Closing the double doors to give herself some privacy, she looked around and gave a little sigh of pleasure.
The white marble and white tile might have looked stark, except that he’d chosen deep purple towels and glittering gold faucets, so the bathroom looked as if it belonged to royalty. The scent of his aftershave hung in the air, and one of the oversize towels on a hook by the shower felt damp.
On an impulse Katie stripped down and stepped around the tiled wall into the shower. Of course he had multiple showerheads. Of course. When she turned them on and was engulfed in an invigorating spray, she moaned in ecstasy. A shower like this was almost foreplay.
Consequently by the time she’d toweled dry with another one of those thick purple bath towels, she was feeling very sexy. Slowly she stepped into the white lace teddy, and as she did, she caught a glimpse of herself in the large mirror behind the marble counter.
She looked like a Playboy centerfold.
Was that the image Jess had of her? She’d certainly never had that image of herself. She wouldn’t have bought this teddy, thinking that it belonged on a woman with more cleavage. But the way the teddy fit, she seemed to have plenty of cleavage.
Seeing herself in this outfit reminded her of catching her first glimpse of the publicity shot KRZE had used on the billboard ad. That couldn’t really be her. She’d given credit to the wonders of digital photography, which could make anybody look great with a few clicks of the mouse.
Lo and behold, a white lace teddy seemed to have the same effect as Photoshop. She looked good. With one last glance in the mirror, she walked out to meet Jess.
ONCE HE HEARD THE SHOWER going, Jess knew he had a little time. Heading for the living room, he grabbed a butane lighter out of a drawer and went back to light the pillar candles. The shower was still on when he finished that, so he acted on another inspiration.
His bedroom opened onto the patio through a pair of curtained French doors, which gave him access to the yellow rosebush. Fortunately he’d left the pruning shears on the patio table next to the bush. Choosing a rose in full bloom, he snipped it off and quickly pruned off the thorns.
Then he carried it back inside and laid it across the pillows. They wouldn’t want to bother with covers, so he threw those back, bunching them at the end of the bed. He was so excited he was shaking. For years he’d dreamed about this moment, and now it was finally here.
The candles gave plenty of light, so he turned off the lamps. And that was that. He couldn’t think of anything else to do. Wait—he could get a few condoms out of the box and leave them loose in the drawer. There, that was better. More accessible.
Music! He’d nearly forgotten. He hurried over to the armoire where he kept his CD player, opened the doors and punched the power button. Nostalgia filled the room. He and Katie had listened to these songs on the radio when they’d driven up to “A” Mountain to make out.
And now he really was out of things to do. He couldn’t imagine himself stretched out on the bed when she returned. Even if he did that, would he leave his clothes on or take them off? Neither option seemed good. Lying there naked was too obvious, and yet his T-shirt and shorts wouldn’t look particularly erotic.
He finally decided to sit in his leather armchair on the far side of the bed and wait for her to come out. The longer he sat there imagining her naked in his bathroom, the more aroused he became. But he wouldn’t go in there. He’d waited too long for
this moment to spoil it by jumping the gun.
And another thing—no matter how good she looked, he would take this lovemaking slow and easy. He’d make sure that she had several orgasms before he came. She might not have liked his mentioning that, but he couldn’t believe she didn’t want multiple orgasms. All women did, especially ones who spent five nights a week talking about sex.
He’d been concentrating so hard on those double doors that when they opened at last, he had to blink to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. No, the doors were open, and Katie stood there pink and rosy from the shower. The tips of her hair were damp, and the light from the bathroom created a halo around her body. He’d never seen anyone look so beautiful.
Speechless, he rose to his feet. The wide expanse of the bed lay between them. He wished he’d decided to stretch out on it after all. Then he’d be that much closer to her.
“Here I am.” She reached back and turned off the bathroom light before starting toward the bed. “Boy, that music brings back memories, doesn’t it? I hope you didn’t mind, but I decided to take a—oh.” Her gaze fell to the rose on the pillow.
Slowly she reached for it. “I—I’d forgotten you had that rosebush.” She put the blossom to her nose and sniffed.
For the rest of his life he would remember how she looked standing there in the white teddy and holding the yellow rose he’d picked for her. She was everything he’d ever wanted, but he didn’t know how to tell her that, was afraid if he tried that he would break the spell. She was here. She wanted him. That would be enough for now.
“The teddy fits,” she said.
“You look…wonderful in it.” Wonderful didn’t begin to describe how she looked, but her beauty was frying his brain cells.
“Thank you.” She stretched out on her side on the pale green sheets and laid the rose in front of her. “And thank you for the rose.”
He nodded, too overcome to form a complete sentence.
“Are you coming to bed?”
“Yes.” But he didn’t want to move just yet. He needed to absorb the picture of her lying in his bed—Katie, white teddy, nostalgic music, flickering candles, yellow rose. Heaven.
She smiled. “Sometime in this century?”
He had to laugh at himself. She must think he was a complete dork. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…never mind.” He reached for the back of his T-shirt.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He pulled the T-shirt over his head and tossed it aside.
“Talk to me, Jess.”
“You look like you should be on a calendar or something.” He shoved his running shorts and briefs down in one swift movement.
She gazed at his erection. “From your reaction, I have a good idea what kind of calendar you mean.”
“If I’ve insulted you I take it back.” Slightly dizzy from the anticipation of what was about to happen, he climbed onto the bed.
“No insult taken. I feel like a calendar girl in this outfit.” She picked up the rose and stroked it over his penis.
He groaned. He’d never felt anything quite like the tickle of those soft petals. “Is that a move in the Kama Sutra?”
“Not that I know of. I made it up.” She stroked him again with the rose. “When I do that you twitch.”
Much as he enjoyed the velvety rose, twitching could lead to other things, and he didn’t want to let loss of control ruin this episode. Time for some bold moves. He was determined to acquit himself.
He took the rose from her. “Let’s see if I can make you twitch.”
“By doing what?”
“I don’t know. Lie back and let me make something up.”
14
KATIE WASN’T SURE IF SHE should let Jess take over. The sight of him naked and aroused was playing havoc with her decision to make this an impersonal encounter. He was so gorgeous she couldn’t see straight. And he had that music from their dating days playing in the background.
She couldn’t seem to get her footing with Jess. Right when she thought she understood him and could play by his rules, he put a yellow rose on the pillow and Billy Joel on the CD player. Having no-strings sex with a guy was tough when he did things like that.
“Come on, Katie. Relax.” Jess brushed the rose once across her lips. “I won’t bite.” His smile looked slightly wicked. “Or if I do, I promise you’ll like it.”
She wanted to abandon herself to the experience. She really did. Those carpenter’s hands would feel outstanding. But while he was touching her all over, she didn’t want him fooling with her heart. Every other part of her was fair game, but her heart was off-limits.
Unfortunately he might capture her heart without realizing it. If he didn’t even know he had it in the palm of his hand, he could get careless and break it into a million pieces. She didn’t trust him not to do that.
Then she had an idea. She would pretend she didn’t know this man in bed with her. She wouldn’t say his name at all. In her mind she’d turn him into a handsome, virile and very naked stranger. She wouldn’t get emotionally involved with a stranger.
With that thought in mind, she turned on her back and stretched out on the soft sheets. A stranger was about to seduce her. How delicious. She closed her eyes.
“Don’t go to sleep on me now.” The stranger stroked the rose over her eyelids.
She pretended she’d never heard that husky baritone before. “It’s up to you to keep me awake, isn’t it?” Thinking of him as a stranger made her feel sassy.
“I’ll take that challenge.” The rose drifted down to her mouth again.
She nipped at the soft petals. The petals had the same silkiness as the skin covering his penis. She ran her tongue over her lips. Except he was a stranger, so she wouldn’t know that fact about him. Not yet. She could only imagine.
As he drew the rose away and nestled it between her breasts, he kissed her on the mouth. She struggled to keep her image of a stranger, but the kiss felt much too familiar. It would be so easy to open her eyes and discover exactly who was using his mouth to heat her blood and soften any remaining resistance.
Eyes still closed, she turned her head to one side, away from his seductive kiss. “Blindfold me,” she said.
He hovered over her, his breath warm on her face. “Why?”
She couldn’t tell him why. But she’d have to give him a reason that he’d accept. “If you lose one sense, the others become stronger.”
“I want every single one of my senses tonight.”
“And I want all but one.” She felt his hesitation.
At last he spoke. “I’ll be right back.” A few feet away a drawer slid open, then closed again. He returned and lifted her head to slip something underneath.
Moments later a smooth strip of material covered her eyes and tightened around her head. She thought it might be a silk necktie. Now she could open her eyes and it didn’t matter.
“How’s that?”
“Perfect.” Not being able to see helped enormously with her fantasy.
“Did you…” He paused and cleared his throat. “Did you want me to tie you up?” Although he sounded a little uncertain, there was a trace of excitement there, too.
Somehow she managed not to laugh. Give a man a little taste of kinkiness and he was off to the races. “Let’s save that for another night.” She was assuming there would be another night, and if she was only using him for sex, why not?
“Another night then.” The rose moved again as he trailed it down the inside of her arm. “Tonight I want to memorize every inch of you, from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes.” He traced the line of her other arm all the way down to her palm, which lay facing up.
Next he used the rose to tickle her inner thighs. She discovered that what she’d told him was true. Now that she couldn’t see, she could feel the individual petals curling and bending against her skin. Her thighs became increasingly sensitized the longer he touched them with the rose.
She heard him breathin
g and knew he was aroused from the tempo of each inhale. Reminding herself that he was a stranger, she imagined him watching her as he teased her with the rose, imagined him getting harder and more desperate as he gazed at the softness of her inner thighs.
Then he moved down over her calves and on to the soles of her feet. There he traded tickling for a soft brushing motion. As the petals traveled over the curve of her instep and whispered across the base of her toes, the caress seemed to travel up her body, kissing all her nerve endings and making them hum.
Trailing the rose back up her body, he shifted his weight. One strap of her teddy slid down her arm. The other strap followed. The rose found its way between her thighs and lay there as he tugged the straps down, peeling the white lace from her breasts.
Cool air touched her nipples. The straps had effectively pinned her arms to her sides. Her blindfold suggestion had obviously started him thinking. Slowly he circled each breast with the rose while her nipples grew tighter with each turn.
Then he centered in, brushing the rose rapidly across each nipple until the petals began to fall. She felt each individual one, a yellow thumbprint on her quivering breasts. She expected him to follow the path of the rose with his mouth, but instead his weight shifted again and in one quick motion he’d unsnapped the crotch of her one-piece teddy.
She gasped at the suddenness of it and gasped again when he drew the rose between her thighs and settled it firmly into her moist cleft. The outer petals had fallen away, leaving a stronger bud that made perfect contact with her trigger point. Slowly he began to wiggle the rose.
Surely she wouldn’t come that easily. After all, he’d only been stroking her gently with a flower. That shouldn’t be enough to…but then again…maybe she’d misjudged her level of arousal, because…oh, my…
He wiggled the rose faster, and she began to pant. Maybe it was the blindfold. Maybe it was telling herself that he was a dashing stranger who had appeared to seduce her. But in no time she was quaking in readiness, nearly there and then…coming in a rush, her hips lifting off the bed with a soft cry of surprise.
Talking About Sex... Page 14
