“That’s good to hear.” She skimmed off the bracelets on her wrist, letting them fall onto a wooden desk. Then, she switched off the light on the wall so that only a reading lamp near the bed remained on. “Because sex and pleasure have been something I’ve just read about for the last year. Until you, that is.”
Reaching behind her neck, she unfastened the tie on the halter-top of her sundress. Her fingers were unsteady, but seeing the heated expression in his eyes gave her courage.
“Sounds to me like you’re something of an expert.” His voice hit a gravelly note that thrilled her while the thin cotton of her bodice slipped down to her waist.
“Textbook knowledge,” she scoffed, wriggling the stretchy jersey material of her waist band until it hit her hips. “I need more hands-on experience.” She let the dress fall so he could admire the results of her trip to the lingerie store today. The intimates were designed by an Italian fashion house that knew a thing or two about showing off slight curves to their best advantage. The see-through gray lace with black satin insets made her feel like a goddess in the half-light.
Or maybe that goddess sensation simply came from being admired by Boone.
“I’ve got hands to put on you.” He crossed the room so fast she didn’t even realize he was coming after her until he lifted her up and aligned their bodies just so, his erection a hot friction at the juncture of her thighs.
“I wanted to go slow,” she protested. But even she could hear how halfhearted the words were.
“Honey, you should have thought about that before you flicked off the top of your dress.” He wrapped an arm around her waist to anchor her and then used the other to explore the gray lace of her new bra, rubbing his finger back and forth over the tight bud of her nipple.
The contact stole her breath. Stoked an answering heat under the lace of new panties.
“But I wanted—” She gasped with pleasure as he rolled the tip between his thumb and forefinger. “Ohhh.” She sighed out his name and wriggled closer.
“What was it you wanted?” He pressed, walking them toward the bed. “I’m in a giving mood.”
What had she wanted? She could scarcely remember her own name much less what she’d been saying.
He drew her down to the turned back sheets, his hand behind her head until he tugged a pillow beneath her. The sweetness of that gesture squeezed at her heart.
“I remember.” She captured his rough jaw in her palm and held him still while she lay beneath him. “I wanted equal orgasms?”
His brows swooped downward as he frowned. “Come again?”
“No. That’s just it. I don’t want to keep coming and coming while you patiently wait for release. I want to give you – you know – one for one.”
He stared at her for so long she wondered if she hadn’t explained herself well.
“Boone?”
He shook his head. “Yeah. I’m listening. You just blew my mind is all.” A slow grin spread over his face. “That might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“You’re teasing me. But I meant it. I felt like a faulty firecracker the other night, bursting into orgasm twelve times over before we even got to the big finish.”
She was exaggerating, yes. But he was there. He knew what she was talking about.
“That’s because I need to reserve my strength, woman. I wouldn’t be able to recover fast enough to go one-for-one. Once with you is like hitting the ejaculatory lottery.”
She covered her eyes. “You did not just say that.”
“I’m doing my best,” he whispered in her ear, his big, muscular body moving over her in a way that did delicious things to her. “I’m not an expert with the textbook knowledge.”
His mouth found a sensitive place beneath her ear and teased her there, just as his palm cupped her mound. The heel of his hand pressed against her with delectable friction and she couldn’t stop the swell of sensations building again.
Heartbeat galloping, she breathed faster. Boone paused, breaking off the kiss to peer up at her as he swept aside her panties.
“You’re close,” he told her, slowing the motion of his hand and fingering her softly. Gently. “And I’m going to love watching you when it happens.”
The tension snapped, pleasure bursting in lush waves as she clutched him. He sank two fingers inside her and she rode him hard, not thinking about anything save how good it felt.
How good he felt.
“Boone.” She dragged her eyelids open as the sensations slowed.
True to his word, he watched her. A predatory gleam lit his eyes.
“I want to be on top,” she informed him, needing to offer him something more. Something delicious and unforgettable.
He’d been so nonstop generous to her.
“Yes ma’am.” Releasing her, he rolled to his back. “If you’re sure.”
“Positive.” Rising up on her knees, she peeled off her bra and the damp underwear, kicking them aside. “I’m going to undress you.” She still hadn’t caught her breath. Pleasure made her limbs languid and oddly tense at the same time.
Working buttons and unfamiliar fastenings, she kissed her way down his chest, tasting everything as she unveiled it.
He was delicious.
Sometimes he stroked her hair, winding the ends around his hand. When she got to his belt and his khakis, he had to let go of her hair and she scooted further down the bed. Working the zipper around the bulge tested her, but she managed. She kissed his abs and stroked her way into his boxers, earning a throaty groan from Boone.
Oh yes, she liked being on top every bit as much as she liked being underneath him.
Stripping off his pants, she straddled one of his thighs and licked up the hot, hard length of him. She liked that, too. And she wasn’t about to admit she was a complete novice. At least not yet. She didn’t want to worry him.
Applying textbook knowledge turned out to be extremely rewarding in this case. She wrapped her hands around the base of him. Stroked him. Sucked gently. Discovered things that drove him utterly wild. She’d never felt so potent.
Yet before she could take the act to its natural conclusion and provide the one-for-one ration she’d been hoping for, Boone hooked his arms under hers and drew her up the length of him. Kissed her like a madman. Tumbled her onto her back again.
A protest bubbled to her lips since she thought she’d been doing an amazing job, when he shocked her by returning the favor.
His tongue delved between her legs. Licking. Stroking. Suckling. When she came – an inevitable conclusion that happened far too soon – she had to bite back a scream. Oh. Sweet. Heaven.
She pulled a pillow onto her face at some point because he licked her straight through to a second orgasm and she’d barely felt a pause after the first.
When he climbed up her body again, he tugged away the pillow and kissed her hard. Demanding. She yielded everything, her body a quivering mass of pleasure. He found a condom even as he kissed her. Rolled it on. Entered her in one sure thrust.
She clung to him. Kissed his shoulder and neck and anything within reach, her body wrapping around him. When he came, it was hard, fast, and out of control. They rolled over and over, tangling themselves in the sheets as they wore out their bodies with a passion too big to contain.
She felt wrung out when it was over. And even then, she knew it wasn’t over. They’d awake in the middle of the night, the way they had the last two, and touch each other again.
There was definitely nothing textbook about any of this. And no matter what Boone thought about his future—all logically planned out on a timeline with a checklist—Valerie knew she wanted more of this in hers. Passion. Wildness. Emotion.
Snuggling into his shoulder, she hugged him tight while he pulled the sheets around them. She didn’t want to break the moment. Didn’t want the day to come and reality to intrude on their interlude.
And sure didn’t want to think about the emotion that she hadn’t named.
/>
*
Warm water dripped down the small of Valerie’s back as she reached for the oversized, plush aqua towel hanging in the bathroom. He drank her in greedily. Wishing this could be his life. She glanced over her shoulder, raised her eyes at him wickedly before tossing him a towel.
His own hair was dripping, forming a pool on the heated marble floors. Toweling his hair, he thought how much better this was than an ice bath.
This was certainly one of the perks of his hard work. His prosperous career. And it was made better with Valerie, a woman that caused even more steam than the shower. Which he had damn well enjoyed with her. Hell, being in that tight space with her filled him with a deep ache, a longing he never realized he’d had before. This was his first run-in with a passion that felt truly insatiable, and his mind wandered back to the their time together – making love again with their hands, bodies, mouths, tasting and kissing each other.
And for the first time, he felt like he was really seeing her. Strawberry blond hair seeming redder, fierier than ever. Which was absolutely suiting. She was short, but her tenacity and spirit filled her with a power that was unmatched. And all of that will was packed into a petite frame with gentle curves he could even make out through the towel.
Being with her was different than being with anyone else. She challenged him, pushed him. Made him want to fight for something. In a word? She was amazing.
These last few crazy days had been the happiest he could remember experiencing. The future scared the hell out of him. He didn’t want to think about what happened after this hotel room. Didn’t want to consider the future. All he knew was that having her in his life was good for him. Even if Valerie had arrived in the most unconventional way.
She dried her hair in another towel when a muffled sound erupted from the other room. It was faint, but it was definitely a ringtone. A soft, old country tune.
Valerie clutched her towel, looking back quickly to the room. “That’s my ring tone for my dad. I have to answer.”
She yanked a robe off the hook and jammed her arms in on her way to her cell phone. Gasping from running, she reached for the receiver and hit speaker phone. “Daddy? What’s going on?”
“Just checking in on my baby girl. And bringing some positive news for a change.”
Boone’s interest piqued as he picked up his boxers off of the ground. Good news? Was his secret going to be spilled this causally?
“I could use some good news. What’s going on?” Valerie sank onto the arm of the chair, balancing with her back to him, the robe sliding off her slender right shoulder.
Boone lingered by the doorway, heart thudding, anxious for more of the conversation to unfold.
“Turns out the creeper caller was the private detective your pal Boone hired to find you. The guy started by calling the number that night he scared you, then he got obsessed when you stopped taking calls for the hotline. He started quizzing the other girls about you, asking where you were, and generally got sloppy.”
“Seriously?” Valerie wound the sash of her robe around one finger. “That’s so… freaky.”
Boone had other words to describe it. He’d put a pervert on her tail.
“Your neighbor reported him hanging around your door just last night,” her dad’s voice came through the line, his voice raised like maybe he was outdoors. “The cops came, logged his ID and told him to lay off. But you have enough for a restraining order.”
Boone also planned to report the guy. File a complaint. Stop payment on his check… hell, he didn’t know what he could do, but he’d definitely take whatever action he could. An embarrassing blunder on his part, for sure.
“Oh my God, Dad, thank you. How did you find out?”
“My own private eye who, by the way, is very gay and not likely to fall for you in a million years. Now Boone might want to watch out….”
“Funny, Dad. I appreciate the joke, but it’s still a little scary. That call freaked me out.”
It had freaked Boone out, too. Especially knowing that he was partly responsible for the creeper call. There had been no way of knowing the guy was unstable. But still…the thought of endangering Valerie even for a moment, even by accident, chilled him to his core. He wanted to be the one to always protect her. To keep whackos at bay.
“The world has some twisted people. But there are good people too. We made a new path for this family, you and me, in spite of coming from bad roots. We broke the pattern. I’m proud of you and your spunk and your education.”
“You made that happen, Dad. I know it wasn’t easy to step away from the family and keep us safe.”
As he pulled his shirt over his head, Boone smiled. Valerie’s relationship with her dad wasn’t too different than his relationship with his mom. Both of their parents had instilled in them drive. Made them capable of taking on the world.
“Nobody ever promised life would be easy, baby girl. So you gotta just live it. Savor it. Well, and always keep your go-kit handy.”
Boone chuckled softly to himself. He’d liked Anton. That was why he’d arranged for him to meet them at the team’s hotel in Miami. It was a surprise that would mean the world to Valerie since she hadn’t seen her father in over a year. Boone had been so damn worried about Anton spilling the surprise. Turned out, Valerie’s father was pretty good at keeping his lips sealed.
Though considering the reminder of the go-kit and a life dodging mobster connections, he should have figured that.
She laughed softly, then said, “I love you, Daddy.”
“Love you too, Valerie.”
She disconnected the call, hugging the phone for a second as if she were hugging her dad. Tender.
Completely dressed, Boone walked over to Valerie and planted a light kiss on her forehead, her cheek. An audible sigh escaped her lips as she sagged into the red, wingback chair. Her eyes looked past him, towards the window and the outside world.
In a matter of moments, she’d grown distant. He could feel it. “That’s good news about the caller not being a threat, but God, I’m so sorry I brought that kind of danger to your doorstep.”
“You couldn’t have known. And you stepped up to help me. I appreciate that.” She toyed with her cell phone. “I guess this means Jumbo has one less charge to worry about.”
One less charge? She was leaving, just like that? Boone started to walk circles beside the chair. Unbelieving what she’d just said. And still worried about her. “What about your grandfather’s connections? I worry about your safety.”
“Those issues have always been there. It’s nothing new. I can start getting my life back on track. Living my life.” She picked at the ends of her hair. Refusing to look at him. Shutting him out.
“Is that a dig?” Boone stopped pacing, knelt in front of her. Made her look at him.
“What do you mean?” She raised her eyes, dropping the soft red strands of hair.
“You’ve made it clear you’re not okay with my plan to wait on commitment until I’m forty to start a family.”
Valerie shrugged her shoulders, but he could see hear the steely note in her voice. “It’s your life, your choice.”
“What about what we have going here? Is this just a fling and you move on? Because I think we have something worth pursuing.” Had he really misjudged this so poorly?
“Pursuing? How does that happen if you don’t plan to have a life until you’re forty? I’ve lived that way. If you want to delay having kids that’s one thing. But you can’t plan when you’re going to fall in love. It doesn’t work that way, and I’ve given advice to enough heartbroken people over the last year who missed their chance at real love to be certain of it.” She folded her arms, gave him a hard stare. “Why do you think it was so easy for Annamae to run? She knew you didn’t love her. The heart isn’t some game you can practice for. Love just happens.”
“Are you saying you love me?” Boone held her gaze, not sure what he felt, but knowing she didn’t mean the love word in a positive w
ay right now.
“I’m saying I could. Maybe. I don’t know. But I do know I can’t be with someone who makes excuses for not taking a chance. Love isn’t easy and it isn’t something you pencil in your schedule for when it’s convenient.”
He wanted to shout that no one talked about being in love after knowing each other for such a short time. But maybe that would just prove her point – that he couldn’t take a risk. And he didn’t want to drive her farther away.
Not when their time together had been so incredible.
“I understand that. But maybe that’s why it’s better not to rush it. We have time—”
“What time? I can’t just leave my life to travel all over the country with you if you don’t see me as someone worth taking a chance on. Boone, I loved my grandfather and he broke my heart with his crimes. But it’s not a choice to unlove him.” She spoke with a passionate heat that cool, calm Serena never used. Maybe she heard it too, because she took a deep breath and slowed down the rush of the words. “Yes, my world is chaotic, but I try to impose some stability where I can to make it work. Like my dad said about life not being easy. We just have to live it.” Her tone was too even. Too matter of fact. Too damn calculated.
And he refused to believe that she could come in and out of his life so easily. Once again, he was at a point with a good woman that was going to leave. Her urgency to go was written all over her face. But her eyes were laced with something else. Something that looked a helluva lot like love and longing. How did he make a play for that?
On the baseball field, he had a strategy for every at-bat, a plan for his defensive game, too. He knew how to get the outcome he was after, or he worked harder to improve his weaknesses until he’d overcome them. But with Valerie, the playing field seemed impossible to navigate. He’d lost Annamae for the same reason. Or was it?
In the pit of his stomach, he knew things were different with Valerie. That there was something between them worth fighting for. That this wasn’t all in his head. She pushed him, made him be a better man.
Bride on the Run Page 12
