He groaned softly and rested his forearm over his eyes. Why had he agreed to this? Sleeping, or not sleeping, with Haley was going to be pure torture. Maybe if he asked her nicely she would hit him on the head with a lamp and he could pass out. Even the headache that would follow would be better than the low and steady throbbing ache in his groin.
The pain cranked up about twenty percent when the adjoining door opened and she stepped into his bedroom. Her face was washed, her hair brushed and she’d replaced her sexy denim skirt and cropped T-shirt with a camisole and matching panties.
As she crossed the room, her small, perfect breasts moved in a way designed to make a dead man hot. His gaze slipped to her long, bare legs, then back to her face where happiness radiated with a light bright enough to blind.
“How’s your leg?” she asked as she pulled back the covers and slid in next to him.
Instantly her sweet scent surrounded him. In a second he would feel her heat and he would be lucky if he didn’t just explode right there.
“Kevin?”
Oh, yeah. “The leg’s fine.”
She eased next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Her hand settled on his bare chest, burning his skin and making rational thought impossible. Every fiber of his being focused on mentally forcing her hand down and down and down. As if that was going to happen.
He glanced at her and found her looking at him. She smiled. His chest clenched in response as he realized he could look at her forever.
“Never settle,” he told her. “Whatever you do, Haley, don’t accept second best. If the guy you’re seeing isn’t interested in what you want, then dump him and find someone who is. Only accept the best. That’s what you deserve.”
“You mean, like Allan not wanting to go to Hawaii on our honeymoon?”
“Right.”
“Or the kid thing.”
He nodded, not wanting to think about the fact that she was on the Pill. Birth control wasn’t going to be an issue for them because—
His brain froze. It wasn’t his fault. Considering more than half his blood supply was otherwise occupied, he figured he’d been doing a fine job of communicating. But then she started moving her hand against his skin, rubbing her fingers against his chest, slipping back and forth…back and forth. He held in a groan. Why didn’t she just shoot him?
Haley liked the feel of Kevin’s warm skin and the way the hair on his chest tickled her fingers. He was so much more muscular than she was. She liked his scent, too, and the way he was warm and made her feel safe. He was really nice and good-looking. He had a good job.
“Why aren’t you married?” she asked. “Why didn’t you try again after that one time went wrong?”
“I never fell in love.”
“Huh. I guess that’s the same as wanting to be swept away. That’s what I want.”
He chuckled. “Guys don’t want to be swept away. That’s a chick thing.”
She’d never thought of herself as a chick, but it was still kind of cool to be called one. “But it’s still true. We want the same thing.”
“Yeah. But don’t tell anyone I said that.”
She smiled, then closed her eyes and lost herself in the feel of his body next to hers. Certain body parts were tingling and aching in a way she now recognized. She was getting turned on.
The feelings made her both tense and completely relaxed. She liked knowing that being around Kevin made her hot, even as the realization made her blush.
She trailed her fingers from his chest to his stomach until she reached his belly button. She was so startled to come in contact with something that intimate that she momentarily froze. Which meant she didn’t fight when Kevin shifted suddenly and flipped her onto her back.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. His face was chiseled and strained. Tension pulled his mouth straight.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Did I hurt you?”
“How far did you and Allan go? I know you’re a virgin, but what did he do? Touching, petting? First base? Third?”
His voice was low and hoarse. Haley didn’t understand what was going on. “We kissed, nothing more. And I don’t really know about the bases. I mean, I know what people mean when they talk about them, but I don’t know what happens at each base.”
In high school she’d overheard girls talking about what they let their boyfriends do, but she’d never been a part of a crowd that went further than chaste kisses.
Kevin squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m going to hell,” he muttered.
“No, you’re not. You’re a very good person.”
He opened his eyes. “Honey, you don’t have a clue what I’m thinking right now.”
Whatever it was, she wanted him to do it. The ache inside of her increased, as did the anticipation. She shifted to get closer. “You could tell me.”
He groaned. “You have no idea how much I want you.”
She nearly bounced with excitement. “I want you, too. This isn’t just about sex. I swear. I couldn’t imagine doing this with someone else.”
“You were supposed to tell me no.”
“Oh. But I don’t want to say no.”
“And I’m not ready to deal with you being a virgin.”
Which put them at an impasse. She didn’t know what to say to that.
“I want to touch you,” he said, “but I won’t make love with you. I plan to stop just short of that, even if it kills me. You can agree or if you’ve changed your mind, we can just go to sleep.”
Sleep? When the alternative was being touched by him? She didn’t think so.
“Go for it,” she whispered, and raised her head to kiss him.
The touch of his lips was as soft and perfect as she remembered. He leaned over her, his arm braced by her head, his body pressing against hers. As he moved back and forth against her mouth, she parted and his tongue slipped inside.
He tasted of toothpaste and heat. They came together in a dance that took her breath away. Everything was familiar yet new.
He explored her mouth, circling her, teasing her, making her squirm, then he broke the kiss and pressed his mouth to her jaw. She reached up and rubbed her hands along his bare back as he kissed his way to her ear, then took the lobe in his mouth and sucked. Tingles exploded like fireworks, arcing across the darkness of her passion.
He settled his hand on her stomach. The warm weight filled her with anticipation. But he didn’t move, which made her want to grab his wrist and pull him up to her breasts.
He kissed her neck, licked the hollow of her throat, then blew on the damp spot and made her break out in goose bumps. But still that hand just sat there.
He raised his head. “I’d like to take off your top.”
Embarrassment battled with desire. It wasn’t much of a fight. Making love meant getting naked. While the thought of taking off her clothes even at the doctor’s office made her want to hide under a desk, she didn’t mind if Kevin saw her. Not when he looked at her with such tenderness and fire.
She scooted into a sitting position and reached for the hem of her camisole. With one quick move, she pulled it over her head and let it fall to the ground.
In case she managed to forget what she’d done, the cool night air was an instant reminder. She waited for him to look at her, to say something, but his gaze didn’t leave her face. Instead, he tugged her back onto the mattress and kissed her again. His tongue swept into her mouth with all the power of a man on the prowl. She felt both feminine and vulnerable, but in a good way. In a jungle fantasy sort of way. And when his hand settled on her again, she had a feeling that this time he meant business.
She wasn’t wrong. She felt the instant his hand slipped from the silky fabric of her tap pants to her bare stomach. Every cell went on alert. He moved higher and higher until he settled over her left breast.
He’d touched her there before, but she’d been wearing her dress and nothing about that experience had prepared her for the liquid pleasure of having
bare skin against bare skin. When he cupped her curves she couldn’t breathe. When he brushed his thumb against her tight nipple, she thought she might pass out. When he broke their kiss to lean down and take her nipple in his mouth, she knew that she had in fact left gravity behind and was now floating in the cosmos.
Warm, wet, sucking heat surrounded her. She hadn’t known it could be like that, that she could be so sensitive, that she could feel this good. Ever. She gasped for breath and clutched at his head, never wanting him to stop.
He shifted to her other breast and used his fingers to mimic the movement of his tongue. It was too much. It would never be enough. It was endless…it was the most perfect moment in time.
She gave herself up to him then, not able to speak as he sat up and reached for her tap pants. Suddenly she wanted them off, too, because if he could make her breasts feel that good, imagine what would happen when he touched her there!
Then she was naked. Somehow Haley had thought the moment would be notable. That she would remember getting naked and feel that it was significant. But all it felt was right. When Kevin settled next to her again, he smiled.
“Have I told you how pretty you are?”
She shook her head.
“You are. Very pretty. Everything about you is lovely.”
As he spoke, he rested his finger in the valley between her breasts, then moved it over one and then the other. He brushed against her nipple and when she gasped, he smiled again.
Those magic fingers trailed down her chest, then across her belly.
“I’ll stop if you want,” he said as he circled her belly button.
She still couldn’t speak so she shook her head and even parted her legs a little, although that was kind of embarrassing. He moved lower, tickling as much as he excited. Heat flared ahead of his touch, making her feel as though she was melting from the inside out. When he slipped between her legs she felt several powerful jolts. She also realized she was slick and swollen. She glanced at Kevin to see if that was okay, but his eyes were closed. He went deeper, then groaned.
Questions filled her mind but before she could speak, he started kissing her again. Everything got very intense as he swept inside of her mouth, claiming her.
At the same time he moved his fingers as if he wanted to discover all of her. She liked the feel of him rubbing against her. It was just as nice as when he’d touched her breasts. Maybe nicer. Maybe—
Lightning shot through her. Haley wasn’t sure what had happened but she wanted it to happen again. And then it did. He’d found this one incredible spot—this place that was so…
She gasped. Her legs fell open completely. Now she was the one to deepen their kisses. She wanted more. She wanted it all. Harder. Softer. Faster. Slower. She didn’t care. Just as long as he was there, touching her like that.
It was like climbing and falling and floating all at the same time. When she realized her hips were pulsing in time with his movements, she didn’t know how to make it stop. Then she didn’t care. More. There had to be more.
He circled her sweet spot, brushed across it, then rubbed it again. The movements got faster. She couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t care. Breath wasn’t required. There was so much to feel, to experience, and then suddenly it all rose so high that the world disappeared and there was only the sensation of rushing pleasure sweeping through her body over and over again until she returned to Kevin’s arms.
She opened her eyes and found him watching her. “How was it?” he asked.
She couldn’t believe it. She’d had an orgasm. Her first ever. Who had thought that up? “Amazing. Can we do it again?”
He laughed. “Sure, but if we do it right away, you’ll be sore in the morning.”
“Okay. We can wait.”
He shifted onto his back and she cuddled next to him.
“Wow,” she said, energized and ready to conquer new worlds. “I just had no idea I was capable of that. No wonder people run around doing it all the time.”
“I’ve created a monster,” he said.
“No, but you have unleashed my carnal nature.” She snuggled closer, liking the way her bare breasts nestled against his arm. Then she shot up into a sitting position. “What about you?”
“I’m fine.”
She narrowed her gaze, then flipped back the covers he’d kept over his lower half. The size of his arousal made her mouth drop open.
“Tell me what to do,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it.” He reached for the covers.
She stopped him. “Why can’t I make you feel good? Do you think I’ll do it wrong?”
“No.” He hesitated. “It’s okay that this is just about you.”
“But I want it to be about both of us.”
“So much for being noble,” he muttered, and reached for his briefs.
She watched as he pulled them off. He was careful as he slid them over his bandage. When he stretched out on the bed, she stared at him, at how big he was and, golly, if he didn’t stick straight out, the way he’d promised.
She wanted to study his body, to explore their differences, but the strained look around his eyes told her that he was a man on the edge. She would explore later, right now it was time for his orgasm.
“Okay, what do I do?”
He had her kneel next to him, then took her hand in his and wrapped it around him. He was hot, hard, yet the skin was so soft.
“Up and down,” he said through slightly clenched teeth. “It’s not going to take long.” He looked at her. “You know what happens to men when they—”
She nodded. That much was clear to her.
He taught her the rhythm, then dropped his hand to his side. His eyes closed and as she moved she could see the tension tightening his body.
She liked how he filled her hand and the way he groaned as she quickened the pace. It felt as if she’d just gotten the hang of things when he stiffened and climaxed. Haley watched all of it, amazed at what she’d been able to do. Winning a talent contest, having her first orgasm and pleasuring Kevin all in one night. Life had just gotten very good.
Chapter Eleven
As Haley finished dressing she tried not to notice the look of apprehension in her eyes every time she glanced in the bathroom mirror. She wasn’t nervous exactly, she just didn’t know what was going to happen next.
Last night had been…spectacular. The things Kevin had done to her and that she had done to him had made her feel happy and alive and very connected to him. They’d fallen asleep holding each other and had awakened the same way. But he was still sleeping when she’d slipped out of bed to duck into her own room for a shower and she wasn’t exactly sure about morning-after protocol. Did they talk about it? Did they not talk about it? Would things be awkward and icky?
She didn’t want that. However wonderful things had been in bed, she didn’t want what they had the rest of the time to change. In the past few days Kevin had become very important to her. She liked being around him and talking to him. They were good together.
Haley pulled on her socks and shoes, then turned her attention to her short hair. As there wasn’t much she could do with the mussed style, she ran a comb through the damp strands, then put on mascara and lip gloss.
Somehow she and Kevin had become a team, she thought as she packed her shampoo into a clear plastic bag. Had her eagerness to experience life on the wild side ruined that?
She stepped out into her room and came to a stop when she saw Kevin sitting on her bed. He was dressed and obviously ready to go, but she couldn’t read his expression. Before she could ask how he was—how they were—he rose and crossed to her, then pulled her into his arms.
He felt as warm and strong as she remembered and when he kissed her, all her fears melted away.
“Morning,” he said when he pulled back a little and gazed into her eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Good.”
He grinned. “Just good? Not amazing?”
“That,
too.”
“I’m glad.” He studied her. “No second thoughts?”
“No.”
He picked up her free hand and kissed her knuckles, then led her to the bed. When she was settled next to him, he turned serious.
“I want to push through to Possum Landing today,” he said. “I know we talked about spending the night in Dallas, but I can’t stay in a hotel with you, Haley. We both know what will happen.”
She didn’t know what to think. While part of her knew he was right, another part of her wanted to scream in protest. She wasn’t ready to let him go. It was too soon. She hadn’t prepared. Kevin had become so important to her. Was she just supposed to walk away without any warning?
He squeezed her free hand. “This may sound a little strange, but I’d like you to stay with me at my folks’ house. Just for a couple of days. I don’t want to get in the way of your travel plans, but…” He shrugged. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’d like to spend some more time with you.”
Her panic faded, replaced with a contentment so powerful she practically purred. “I’d like that, too.”
“I won’t be keeping you from your drive to Hawaii?”
“The islands will still be there when I head out.”
“Good.” He rose. “I’m starved. Let’s go get some breakfast before we hit the road.”
She nodded and dropped her makeup bag onto the bed, then took the hand he offered and followed him out of the room. As they stepped into the clear, warm morning, Haley suddenly remembered something her father had said a long time ago.
She’d probably been ten or eleven and had been talking to him about why he’d never remarried. He’d explained that he’d loved her mother so much that just being in the same room with her, not doing anything special, was better than the most exciting party with anyone else. At the time she hadn’t understood his point, but suddenly it all made sense. She would rather have breakfast at a diner on the highway with Kevin than tour Europe with another man. Given the choice—
Haley’s thoughts shifted as she felt an unexpected stab of longing. For the first time since running away, she missed her father. She wanted to see him and to talk to him, to tell him about her adventures—okay, maybe not all of them. She wanted to hear his voice and to have him meet Kevin. She wanted him to say that he still loved her.
Completely Smitten Page 14
