Pure Temptation

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

She listened to him arranging the blanket. A couple of years ago, he’d installed an all-weather cushioned pad in the bed of his truck. At the time she’d wondered if it had anything to do with his love life, but she’d decided not to ask. Now she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

  He hopped down from the truck and came back to where she was waiting.

  “Can I put my dainty foot on the ground yet?” she asked.

  “Not yet.” He gazed up at her. “Have you ever been lifted down from a pickup?”

  “Not since I was six years old. Once I could manage by myself, it seemed silly when I was perfectly capable of—whoa!” She gasped as he took her by the waist and lifted her out of the truck. Instinctively she put her arms on his shoulders, which was a good move because her feet still dangled in midair.

  Balancing her against his chest and looking into her eyes, he let her slide down in a slow, sensuous movement. Warmth rushed through her as the friction of his body against hers gave her a complete and thoroughly arousing caress. At last her feet rested on the ground, and she let out her breath.

  He held her close and gazed down at her. “Did that seem silly?”

  Completely absorbed in the experience of being tucked so intimately against him, she shook her head.

  “Think you’re ready for a kiss?”

  Oh. She gulped. “I…don’t know.”

  “Let’s try it.” Holding her close with one arm, he reached up with his free hand and gently combed her hair back from her face.

  She’d seen this tender side of him, usually when he was working around animals, or the times when she’d hurt herself and he’d been the one to doctor her up. But now she wasn’t hurt, and his sensitive touch was meant to excite, not soothe her. He was succeeding admirably. She was trembling so much she wondered if she’d be able to stay upright.

  “You’re nervous.”

  “Yes.”

  “Me, too.” He continued to comb her hair back, lightly massaging her scalp with his fingers.

  “I can’t tell.” His touch felt awesome.

  “Macho guys learn to hide their nerves. I’m hoping you like this.”

  “So am I.”

  He chuckled. “Do you remember the bubble-gum kiss?”

  “Yes,” she murmured. The more he stroked her hair, the less capable she felt of standing on her own.

  “Did you like it?”

  She took a shaky breath. “So much it scared me. So I started goofing around.”

  He began tracing the contours of her face with the tip of his finger, ending with her mouth, which he outlined slowly and with great care. “I still remember how your mouth felt that day.”

  She held as still as she could, considering the fine quiver that seemed to have taken over her body. She focused on his touch, wanting to record every subtle variation in pressure.

  He brushed her lower lip with his thumb. “Your mouth is still as soft as it was then.”

  She gazed up at him, trying to make out his expression in the shadowy twilight.

  He cradled her cheek. “The last time I touched you like this, I was putting an ice pack over your eye, where you got hit by a baseball.”

  She could barely see his smile in the darkness. “You didn’t touch me like this,” she murmured.

  “Sure I did.” He slid his hand along her jaw and leaned closer.

  “No. You were rougher.” Her heart thudded with anticipation. “You were mad at me.”

  “I was mad at myself.” He tilted her head back ever so slightly. “I was the one who hit that ball.”

  “And I’m the one who bobbled it.”

  “Mmm. Your mouth looks sexy when you say bobbled.”

  “You can’t even see my mouth.”

  “Yes, I can. There’s a little bit of light left over. That’s why I tilted your head back, to catch that light. I wanted to see your mouth, to know I’m going to kiss it soon. Say the word again.”

  Desire curled and stretched within her. “You’re crazy.”

  “Yeah.” He drifted closer. “Say it for me, Tess.”

  “Bobbled.”

  “Again.”

  She felt his warm breath on her mouth. “Bobble—”

  His lips touched hers, and in that instant, she knew that the world as she’d known it had ceased to exist. For she was really, truly kissing Mac, and now nothing would ever be the same.

  TESS HAD BEEN forbidden fruit for so long that when Mac placed his mouth on hers, he half-expected a lightning bolt to strike him dead. Instead, her velvet lips welcomed him so completely that he drew back, his heart racing. Damn, this was going to be good. Too good. A man could lose himself to a kiss like that. If he’d ever secretly wondered if she was a virgin because she wasn’t sensual, he’d been dead wrong. She was on fire.

  “Mac?” she whispered. “Is something—”

  With a groan he returned to her full mouth, committing himself to the kiss, to what would follow the kiss. To hell with what it might cost him. But he had a sinking feeling it would cost him more than he could ever guess.

  For her mouth was a perfect fit for his. He didn’t have to think about kissing Tess—it happened as effortlessly as breathing. She opened to him as if they’d been doing this for years, and although his body pounded with excitement, her invitation to pleasure seemed natural, almost expected. And he accepted without hesitation—tasting her richness, probing her heat, shifting the angle so he could deepen his quest.

  Joy surged within him as she responded, pressing closer, moaning softly as he made love to her mouth. He thought of all the wasted years when she’d been there, only a touch away. But she was here now, so alive and warm in his arms, so ready.

  Very ready. As she molded herself to him, he could feel her nipples, tight and aroused, pressing against his chest. His erection strained against his jeans. If he didn’t slow down, he’d violate the terms of tonight’s agreement and make love to her out here in the desert. That couldn’t happen, first of all because he believed what he’d said about not rushing the process, and second because he had no birth control with him.

  With great regret he drew back, breathing hard. The sun had gone down, and the stars didn’t allow him to see her expression very well. He wished he could, but maybe it was for the best. Tonight promised to be intense enough without being able to see desire written all over her face.

  “I…liked that,” she said. Her breathing was about as ragged as his.

  “Yeah.” He rubbed her back and took a deep breath as a chorus of crickets started up in the nearby sagebrush. “Me, too.”

  She wound her arms around his neck and leaned back to look up at him, although she probably couldn’t see his expression, either. “You’re aroused again. I can tell by your voice.”

  “Any guy would be aroused if you kissed him like that.”

  “Was I too…uninhibited?” She sounded genuinely worried.

  “God, no. You were great.”

  “I wondered, because I don’t usually get so…” She paused. “Excited.”

  Man, he loved hearing that. “Really?”

  “Especially the first time I kiss someone. You’re, um, very good at this kissing business. I guess it’s all your practice that gives you such good technique.”

  “That wasn’t technique.” He loved running his fingers through her hair. “That was…I don’t know. You inspired me, I guess.”

  “Oh.” There was a world of self-satisfaction in that tiny syllable.

  He began itching to kiss her again. And he had all the rest of the territory labeled as “making out” to enjoy. Even knowing he wouldn’t have the ultimate experience tonight didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for the next step. “Ready to climb in the back of the truck?”

  “I’ve been thinking. Are you sure you should?”

  He laughed. “I think we dispensed with that a while back. No, I probably shouldn’t, but I will anyway, because it’s still the best solution.”

  “No, I mean, with the way you react when
we kiss. I’ll bet you’re not used to just making out with a woman and not finishing the job. You’re liable to get awfully frustrated.”

  He grinned down at her. “So are you. That’s the idea—to build up to the main event, so we’re really ready for it.”

  “I can understand that strategy for me, because of my lack of experience, but I’m afraid I’ll be torturing you. I know from my reading that some men are able to draw out foreplay for a very long time, but I’m sure they extend that time gradually, so their bodies are used to delayed gratification. You wouldn’t be in that category.”

  He sorted through that little speech until he thought he understood. “Are you saying you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for my benefit?”

  “I…yes, I am. We don’t have to stop with just making out if you find that you’re too…uncomfortable.”

  Oh, God. Heaven was within reach and he’d been caught unprepared. He took a deep breath. “Well, as willing as you are to make the supreme sacrifice for me tonight, it won’t be possible. I don’t have birth control with me.”

  She met his declaration with stunned silence. “You don’t?”

  “Of course not. What, you think I carry a supply around with me at all times, just in case I get lucky?”

  “Not even in your wallet?”

  “Not since high school. These days I have a much better idea of what will and won’t happen with a woman, and I plan accordingly.”

  She seemed to be digesting that. “What about in the glove compartment of your truck?” she finally asked.

  “Are you kidding? My mom’s been known to borrow my truck, and she’s also been known to get a speeding ticket now and then. I can imagine how much she’d love finding condoms in the glove compartment when she’s digging for the registration papers.”

  She gazed up at him. “You know, I’m glad to find out you don’t keep some around at all times.”

  “You had me pegged as some sort of sex machine, didn’t you?”

  “Not exactly a machine, but everybody thinks you installed that spongy mat in the back of your truck so you could have fun with your girlfriends.”

  He let out a sigh of exasperation. “I put that mat in the back of the truck when Mom started refinishing antiques, so she could haul them around without damaging the finish on the furniture.”

  “Not for making love?”

  “No.”

  “And so you’ve never—”

  “I didn’t say that. And this discussion’s over.” He swung her up in his arms before she traveled down that road any further. Of course he’d made love in the back of the truck, but he didn’t want to talk about it now.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m taking charge and carrying you to the back of the truck. It’s the manly thing to do.” She didn’t resist, so he concluded she had faith in his self-control. He was putting a huge amount of faith in it, himself.

  “Then I guess you don’t want to talk about your love life anymore,” she said.

  “You’ve got that right.” Specifically he didn’t want to talk about or think about any other women he’d been involved with, in the back of his truck or anywhere else. They’d been wrong for him, but he hadn’t realized how wrong until a few moments ago…when he’d kissed Tess.

  6

  TESS SAT CROSS-LEGGED on the blanket and waited for Mac to crawl into the bed of the truck and join her. The night was still very warm, but she felt shivery with delight. Maybe it was partly the blanket, reminding her of the tent she’d shared with Mac as kids. They’d hauled comic books and snacks into their hideaway, and there had been nothing sexual about the cozy intimacy of being stretched out beside him in that tent.

  Or maybe there had been, and she had been too innocent to realize it. At any rate, she had a delicious sensation now that reminded her of that intimacy, only magnified a hundred times. They were alone, closed off from the world, and ready, in a sense, to play.

  “The sky’s so clear,” Mac said as he crawled up beside her. “Let’s lie on our backs and look at the stars, like we used to.”

  “And not do anything?” She was hungrier for him than she cared to admit.

  He gave her a swift kiss on the mouth. “I’ll tell you my dream.”

  “Oh, all right.” She pulled the skirt of her dress down underneath her as she settled back on the blanket and looked upward. “Big Dipper, Little Dipper, North Star,” she said automatically as she searched them out.

  Mac lay down beside her, his arm touching hers, his thigh against hers. “Orion’s Belt, and the Seven Sisters,” he added.

  “And?”

  “And nothing. That’s all I ever learned.”

  “Still? I thought you took an astronomy class.”

  “I learned things for the test and then forgot it. I only remember what we figured out from that kid’s book you had on the constellations.”

  “Slacker.”

  “Yeah.”

  Tess felt as if they could still be seven and nine, lying on their backs in the cool grass of the park on a summer’s night. Tess’s brothers would be racing around playing tag, and the grown-ups would be sitting in lawn chairs complaining about being stuffed. Meanwhile, Mac and Tess would be off by themselves looking at the stars, probably because they’d been the ones most captivated by Star Wars and galaxies far, far away.

  She could almost imagine they’d gone back in time…until Mac reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. Memories of childhood faded. They definitely weren’t kids anymore, and the emotions coursing through her at the barest touch of his hand weren’t the least bit childish.

  But the basis of those feelings had been there all along, she thought. What was happening between them now had been simmering within her for years, waiting for a touch, a word, a gesture, to make passion flare to life. He rubbed his thumb along hers, and although it might have been an unconscious movement, she didn’t think so. He had to realize that what they’d taken for childhood play had been more sensual than they’d ever admitted to each other, or themselves.

  “Tell me your dream,” she said.

  He was silent for a moment. Then, with a little sigh that sounded like surrender, he began. “You’d been invited to a Halloween party, and you asked to borrow Peppermint Patty because you wanted to go as Lady Godiva.”

  “What? I would never do such a thing.” She thought of riding bareback with no clothes on. It didn’t sound comfortable, but it was sort of erotic. “Did I have long hair?”

  “Down to your hips. You wanted to practice riding with no clothes on to see how it felt before you tried it at the party, so you talked me into riding along the river trail with you. You rode bareback, and you had this loose dress on with nothing on underneath. Halfway along the trail you took off the dress and tossed it into the bushes.”

  Tess shivered. It was a sexy image. “But my hair covered me up, right?”

  “Not that well. And you know how the trail winds, so even though I was behind you, I got some side views. You were…” He cleared his throat. “You were beautiful. And riding like that, rocking back and forth on the horse, was turning you on.”

  “How could you tell?”

  “Your skin was flushed, and you were breathing faster, and…your nipples were hard.” Mac clutched her hand a little more tightly and cleared his throat again.

  “Oh.” Which described exactly the way she was feeling right now. When Mac didn’t continue with the dream, she prompted him. “Did you wake up then?”

  “No.”

  “What happened?”

  “You had an orgasm.”

  “Oh!”

  “Which turned me on, and I pulled you off the horse and made love to you right on the ground.”

  Tess wasn’t sure who was holding on tighter, her or Mac, but they had each other in a death grip. “Was it…nice?”

  His voice was hoarse. “It was a dream. You can’t put dreams up against the real thing.”

  Disappointment
shot through her. “Then it wasn’t nice.”

  “No, it wasn’t nice. It was wild and primitive, no holds barred. I bit your neck and you dug your fingernails into my back. It was…fantastic.”

  “Wow.” She wondered what he’d think if he knew how her body was throbbing this very minute. Being thrown to the ground and ravished sounded perfect. She loosened her grip when she realized she might already be digging her nails into his hand.

  He released her hand and turned on his side to face her. “I don’t want you to be scared by that description, Tess. I would never be that rough in real life.”

  She turned on her side, too, pillowing her head on her arm. But her casual posture belied her racing heart. “Too bad.”

  He sucked in his breath. “You’d want that?”

  “Would I want you to be so overcome with desire that you’d pull me from my horse and make love to me on the ground? Of course I would. But as you said, it was a dream. In real life—”

  “In real life I want you even more than that.”

  She gasped. “You do?”

  He lifted a hand to her cheek, and as he caressed her, his hand trembled. “In real life, I want to rip that dress away and take you now, right now. But I won’t. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

  “It would so be fair!”

  His laugh sounded strained. “No, it wouldn’t.”

  She’d never heard that edgy tone in his voice, and it was more exciting than the tenderest of murmurs. She almost wished he would be that reckless, but of course he wouldn’t, which was why she was lying here with him now. She trusted him. “But taking it slow doesn’t seem fair to you,” she said.

  He slid his hand to the nape of her neck, massaging gently. “Fair doesn’t even come into it. I never imagined I’d be lying here with you like this. It’s like getting a present I didn’t have sense enough to know I wanted.” He fingered the clasp of her necklace. “What made you decide to wear this tonight?”

  “It seemed right.”

  “It was,” he murmured. His lips found hers and his kiss soon brought her to a fever pitch.

  She didn’t realize he’d begun unzipping her dress until the material loosened over her breasts and he drew back slightly, gently ending the kiss. She opened her eyes. His face was in shadow, but she could see the rapid rise and fall of his chest as he eased the zipper the rest of the way down.