"Nash? What's gotten into you?"
"You," he said, and handed her into the passenger seat. His look was long and thorough and completely sexual. Her lips were swollen from his kiss, inviting more, and he was going to take it. Just as soon as they had privacy. He closed the door and walked around the front of the car, tipping the attendant and sliding behind the wheel. He started to say something, then reached across to kiss her again, a hot slide of lips and tongue and utter madness. He set her back into her seat and drove away.
Hayley felt numb with sensual heat. The power of his kiss left her breathless and aroused, and at the first stop sign, he turned to her.
"If you won't come to me, I'll come to you." He kissed her again, nearly dragging her out of her seat and across the console to get her closer to him.
"Who said I wouldn't come to you?"
He chuckled low, and his hand grazed her thigh and slipped under the hem of her dress, cupping her buttocks as he kissed her and kissed her. She let him, wanted him to touch her again. Last night fused in her mind, bringing untamed desire and erotic heat she hadn't felt in years, hadn't felt with any man but Nash. Oh, how she missed him, missed his power, the way he could turn her inside out and make her love it. He eased back into his seat and stepped on the gas, yet his hand remained on her thigh, fingertips playing over her skin.
"You're enjoying this?" she asked.
He arched a brow. "Aren't you?"
"You're teasing me."
There was a dare in her tone he didn't mistake. "Well, then, I can fix that." He cast her a heavy-lidded glance as his hand slipped between her legs. She licked her lips and let out a long slow breath. It was erotic, his touching her like this, and when he came to a stoplight, he leaned over to kiss her again, his fingertip drawing over the lacy pattern of her panties.
Nash felt a rush of heat and dampness. He cupped her, squeezing gently, and she gasped.
"Oh, mercy!"
His lips worried hers, and he nudged her thighs wider apart, his fingertip edging the band of her panties.
The light changed. He drew back and stepped on the gas, pushing his hand beneath the delicate fabric as the car lurched. She moaned, breathing rapidly, and he kept his eyes on the road as he parted her, sliding his finger into the wet haven.
"Oh, you're so warm and wet." Nash shifted in his seat, his groin heavy with want, and as he eased to a stop at another light, thrust two fingers deep inside her. A truck pulled up beside them.
She tensed. "They'll see."
"Shh," he hushed, and stroked her until she was shuddering and boneless. "The windows are tinted, and do you really care?"
"No— Oh, my!" she gasped. The light changed and he drove. His breathing increased with hers. She let her hand ride over his knee, then upward to shape the hardness straining against his trousers.
"Stop that or we'll have an accident." She cast him a glance, smiling, her body thrusting into his touch, her eyes glowing with desire. He tasted the skin of her throat, the shell of her ear, trying to keep his eyes on the road when the spectacle beside him was so much more interesting.
Hayley moaned, the erotic burn of his touch, of being in the car, in public, made her smile and accept. She cried out when he thrust his fingers inside her with deep intentional strokes. He watched her writhe, adoring her soft pants, her undulating hips, and when he pulled into his driveway, he gunned it to the house, slammed on the brakes and finished what he started.
He let the seat back, pulling her on top of him, her back to his chest as he rubbed and played, his left hand on her breast, and wished she was naked and he was inside her. Her breath hitched, her body tensed, and the sound she made, sexy and familiar, made him harder, made him want to take her now. But he drew her to heaven and refused to stop even as she sank to earth. He opened the door, leaving the car and taking her with him out his side. Then he had her against the cool metal of the car and was leaning against her before she could take a breath. His hunger surged out of proportion; she could feel every inch of it in the fire of his kiss. He pulled her away from the car, his mouth on hers as he back stepped. They parted long enough to make the front steps, yet stopped on the landing to give in to the passion with a thick liquid kiss. In each other's arms, Nash groped for the door.
Shoving it open, he staggered inside and pressed her against the nearest wall.
His mouth was on hers again, hot and fierce.
His fingers wrapped behind one of her knees, lifting her leg and wedging her to his hardness. "Hayley … baby … I want you."
"Do tell," she panted, nibbling his jawline before taking his kiss again.
He chuckled. "What gave me away?"
"This." She thrust her hips forward, his arousal mashing against her.
In the foyer, any hesitation fled like refracting light as her heel touched the wood floor. His jacket fell, then shirt studs scattered like tacks as she advanced on him, stripping him. Fine white linen fluttered to the floor. Her sheer overdress joined it, then her hand was inside his trousers, enfolding him, stroking him, and he moaned, throwing his head back and letting her play.
He couldn't take it, his body throbbing, and when he caught their reflection in the mirror suspended above the credenza, he turned her toward it, pressing his lips to the nape of her neck, telling her how good she smelled, that he could almost taste her heat. Her skin glistened softly and he licked it as he unzipped her dress, then unfastened her bra. Impatiently he slipped his hands inside to envelop her breasts.
A moan of satisfaction escaped into the stillness. She pushed back into him.
"Oh, Nash. I've missed you." Hayley covered his hands, then let the sage-green dress and bra fall to her ankles. He devoured the curve of her spine, the bend of her hip. She stood before him in a satin thong panty and high heels. Nash thought he'd die just looking at her, and he hooked his thumbs in the thin panty straps and peeled them down.
She shuddered and gripped the polished ledge, her body yearning for the heat of him. He disappeared from view in the mirror, but she could feel him kissing her buttocks, stroking the inside of her thighs. His mouth was everywhere, and stepping out of the garment barely registered.
He stood, running his hands up her sides, and she twisted to face him.
She was on him, pushing his trousers down, and he sank to his knees, taking her with him. She straddled him, wet heat sliding over his hardness, pulsing to be filled, and he groaned, a dark lusty sound of pure male pleasure. He gripped her hips. She circled him, in control now, brushing his arousal across her damp treasure.
Nash shuddered, gazing into her eyes. "Honey, we need protection."
"I have it covered," she said as she rose up slightly.
Her gaze locked with his. He entered her, and a quick staggered breath passed her parted lips.
Tears wet her eyes, and she held his face in her hands and sank down onto him. Nash closed his eyes and felt her feminine flesh grip him in a tight fist of pleasure.
"Hayley."
"Mercy, did you grow?" she gasped.
He smiled, his gaze a prisoner of hers. Gripping his shoulders, she surged closer, taking him fully into herself. She could not be contained. Not that he would try. She was glorious, uninhibited, and Nash felt the blood barrel through his veins as she cried out, laughing. Then he pushed her onto her back and braced himself above her.
He withdrew and plunged, over and over, each thrust driving her across the floor. She accepted it, willed him to unleash himself on her, her hips rising to greet his. He quickened and her fingertips dug into his chest. She pulsed and flexed, arching, calling his name as he slammed into her.
His primal groan vibrated through the house. His body quaked with bone-racking tremors. Heat spilled and they stared, suspended, as raw pleasure peaked through them. Her lips parted, a shuddering breath tumbled free, and he drank in the taste, grinding into her till the last of her passion perished.
Spent, she sagged to the floor. He lowered himself slowly onto her
, kissing her mouth, her brow, her closed eyes.
Her lashes swept up. And Hayley knew in that instant she'd already fallen in love with him again. It was a battle she'd tried fighting, but lost the instant he'd first touched her.
"We're better with age," he said, and she touched his lips. He caught one fingertip between his teeth.
"Yeah." Her smile was slight. Oh, the things he showed only her, she thought.
"I'd like to stay right like this," he said, easing back.
She went with him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love it when you misbehave."
"And you're just so hard to coax, huh?" He grinned and glanced around. Clothes lay in rumpled heaps around them. He picked up her satin panties, winging them on his fingertip. She gave him a playful shove, then shifted off his lap.
Nash flinched, the separation almost painful. He gazed up at her as she stood, her bare breasts jiggling in his face.
"Come on, cowboy. We aren't done yet." She turned and walked toward his bedroom.
For a second Nash couldn't move, entranced as he watched her go, deliciously naked except for a delicate pair of high heels.
She was the hottest creature on the planet, he decided, and struggled to his feet. He considered gathering up their clothes, then just hitched up his trousers, and followed her.
She was right. They weren't done. And this time he'd make slow luscious love to her, in his ancestor's bed, where they belonged.
Hayley sat on the far corner of the huge four-poster bed, watching Nash sleep.
She loved him. She known it all along and couldn't say whether or not she ever fell out of love with him, but this time it was different. This time she loved him with her soul and knew no matter what occurred, she'd still love him. And she hated that she had to leave. But she knew that if residency was anything like her internship, then her days would be filled with long hours, little sleep and studying. People might call her Doctor, but she wasn't there yet, though she'd had more training than most at this point in her career. It hadn't even taken off yet, she thought. She didn't know if she could handle more complications in her life.
But she wanted Nash, and if this was all she'd get for now, then she'd savor every moment. He stirred and rolled over, flinging his arm above his head, and her gaze drifted over his body, bare but for the sheet pooled at his waist. He was an incredible specimen of man, she thought, his wide shoulders nearly covering the pillow. His stomach was tight and flat, a sleek six-pack of rippling muscles itching to be touched.
She shifted, her body gloriously tender from the past few hours, then eased across the bed and down beside him.
"I knew you were still here." His arm wrapped around her, his hand riding the curve of her hip. "There's only right now." He opened his eyes, his gaze searching hers. "I love you," she said.
He simply stared back, his hand trembling a bit as he turned to face her and brushed the hair from her temple. "I'm in love with you, too."
Her lips curved gently. His claim spread over her like a warm blanket. "I was hoping for that."
"I never fell out of love with you."
Her eyes burned, and Hayley knew there was no other place for her to be than right here. She pushed him onto his back, half over him, and kissed him softly, a play of lips, a swipe of her tongue, and she rejoiced in his trembling.
Then her tongue snaked over his nipple and Nash let out a low growl.
Hayley laughed and slid her hand down his taut stomach and under the sheets. She found him, warm and hard.
"What are you doing, woman?"
She grinned and ducked under the covers. He arched and swore, then sank into the mattress as her mouth took possession.
"Want more?" she asked.
His hands fisted. "Yes, ahh … no … good grief!"
"Lost for words, darling?"
"Lost is more like it." He tossed back the covers.
She smiled, catlike, and took him into her mouth again, a devilish gleam in her eyes.
Nash couldn't take it, and he grabbed her, flipping her on the bed facedown. "You'll pay dearly."
"So you say."
His hands mapped her from thighs to throat, and he levered her to her knees, wrapping her fingers over the carved headboard. Then, his knees between hers, he slid into her, wild heat surrounding him. "I get harder just being inside you," he whispered, shaping her breasts, toying with her nipples.
"I know, I feel it." She pushed away, then eased back.
Nash took complete possession, their position offering him a playground of womanly softness. He plunged into her and plunged his hand between her spread thighs, loving her cries and gasps, the way she bucked and called his name in a long moan.
He told her how beautiful she was, that he'd never made love in this bed with any woman, and the impact of his words made her still for a second and look back over her shoulder at him. A sheen glazed her eyes and again they christened the two-hundred-year-old bed. The grand timbers shook as he thrust, loving her in smooth cadence fused with friction, and when she begged for more as if she couldn't get enough of him, he held her tightly and spilled his seed into her, wishing it would take root and bind her to him. She bowed beautifully, her head flung back, as her pleasure exploded, making him drunk for more.
They collapsed on the bed, and she curled into his strength, his arms wrapped around her. His lips on her throat, Nash didn't want the sun to rise, didn't want the world to interfere. He wanted only Hayley and any time he could have with her.
* * *
Eleven
« ^ »
Hayley reached for the ringing phone and mumbled hello and the name of the plantation.
"Hayley, dear, this is Grace."
Sleepily, she rolled over, rubbing her face. The sound of the shower running came to her as she glanced at the alarm clock. The early hour made her sit up sharply. "Are the girls all right?"
"Fine, just fine. I'm calling to ask Nash if they can stay over an extra day or two. My neighbor's grandchildren are coming in for a visit, and since they know the twins, they'd have a good time."
How nice it must be for the girls to have so many friends, Hayley thought.
"Is he around?"
"Just a sec." Hayley left the bed, pulling the tangled sheet with her, and opened the bathroom door with the phone still tucked against her ear.
"Is that the shower?" Grace asked.
"Yes."
"Hayley…" There was a bit of hesitancy in Grace's voice that should have alerted her. "Are you in his bedroom?"
Hayley stilled, realizing her blunder. "Well, ah, yes. I am." There was no way around this, and Hayley wasn't the least bit embarrassed about sharing herself with Nash.
"Thank God."
"Grace!" Hayley sputtered.
"Honey, if you can't see that you two were meant for each other, then maybe a little hot sex will help."
Hayley burst with laughter. She adored this woman. "I won't even go there, Grace Rayburn."
Nash poked his head out the shower door, frowning, his gaze flicking to the phone.
Hayley held it out to him. "Your mother." Then she said into the phone just before she handed it over, "Who is being a shameless tart."
She started to walk away, but Nash snagged the sheet and hauled her back. He dripped water all over her as he put the phone to his ear.
"Yes, they can. No, we're staying right here." He wiggled his eyebrows and bent to kiss Hayley's mouth. "Yes, Mom, I do love her."
Hayley breath caught, and she touched his cheek. "I love you, too," she whispered.
"Oh, I plan to," he said with a long look down her body as he drew the sheet aside. He tipped the phone away from his mouth. "When do the stitches need to come out?" he said to her.
She grappled with the sheet as if Grace could see them. "Tomorrow is okay."
"All right if mom's doctor takes them out?" She nodded and into the phone he said, "Yes, that's fine. See you in a few days. Bye." He clicked off the phone and tossed i
t on a pile of towels, then with a grin, pulled her into the steamy shower with him.
He kissed her, the spray hot and strong and awakening her body.
"Good morning," he murmured against her lips, then picked up the soap, lathering her breasts and massaging them in slow wet circles.
Hayley gripped his hips, wondering how they had the energy for this, then finding it as his lips closed over her nipple. He drew on it deeply, humming as if tasting a light confection, his tongue rasping over the sensitive tips again and again until Hayley thought she'd melt into the tile floor.
Then he knelt on one knee, soaping her thighs, her buttocks, and murmured something about loving her awake for the rest of her life. A little tinge of sadness pulled through her, knowing she wouldn't be here for that, yet the thought fled as he covered her softness with his mouth. She cried out, instant heat speeding through her, making her shiver and moan.
"I love your taste," he murmured, and brought her body to an incredible peak in seconds. Suddenly he stood and pushed her against the tiled wall, lifted her and plunged into her slick depths.
"Oh, mercy!"
"Nah, no mercy," he said, and thrust hard. "We've years to make up, baby. Years."
"And you plan to do it in one weekend?"
"It would take a lifetime." He withdrew and pushed into her again. "And even that wouldn't be enough."
Hayley gazed into his eyes as he loved her, and she wondered how she would ever be able to leave him and go back to her career now that she'd had a taste of life with him. She clutched him, hiding her sudden sorrow in the bend of his shoulder. And praying for more time.
Nash had to feed and water the stock, but he wasn't gone twenty minutes when the doorbell rang. When Hayley opened it, a uniformed express-mail carrier stood there offering an envelope. She signed for it and realized it was for her. With a sigh, she walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. The envelope contained her bills, forwarded through Katherine, ever since she'd given up her apartment in Georgia when her internship was done. She opened the envelope and went first to her tuition loan. Would she ever pay it off? The bank had lent her only a small portion, and because she'd held numerous jobs to pay for her survival and some of the tuition as it came, she didn't have any other collateral to put against the borrowing. Her car, faithful Lurlene, wasn't worth more than five hundred dollars and was useless for barter. She'd had to wager future earnings as a physician. The pressure of it hit her again, as it did whenever she had time to think about it. She rubbed the spot between her eyes. It made her see how little she had and how empty her life had become. Bills and a broken-down car, her furniture stuck in storage at Kat's. Not much for a woman her age, she thought.
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