Completely Smitten

by Susan Mallery

  “You’re making a mistake and we both know it,” he said. “I’ve looked up the address for this number. I’ll be there in the morning to pick you up. Try to be mature this time, Haley. It wouldn’t look good for you to run away again.”

  She felt cold and angry. “That’s what matters, isn’t it? How things look, not how they are. I’m not going back with you.”

  “Of course you are, but we’ll discuss it when I get there. By the way, who are these people you’re staying with? You aren’t alone with a man are you?”

  She hung up the phone without saying anything else. Kevin watched her. “He’s coming for you.”

  He made the sentence a statement, not a question. Haley nodded slowly. “He said he would be here in the morning. I guess he’ll fly into Dallas and drive the rest of the way.”

  “What do you want to do? If you need to go, I’ll understand.”

  His gaze was steady. She saw understanding in his eyes. He wouldn’t judge her for running. He knew how precious her freedom was.

  But she wasn’t the same person she’d been a couple of weeks ago. She’d changed, maybe she’d grown up.

  “I’m staying,” she told him. “I’m a fighter. I think I always have been, I just never bothered to stand up for myself before.”

  “I won’t let him hurt you.”

  Haley smiled. How had she ever gotten so lucky as to find Kevin? “I know you won’t.”

  He held out his arms and she stepped into his embrace. This was where she belonged. But how long would she be allowed to stay?

  Chapter Thirteen

  While Howard and Vivian went to bed shortly before ten, Haley and Kevin stayed up to finish the movie they were watching. At least, Kevin was watching it. Haley couldn’t concentrate. Not when she was worried about Allan showing up in the morning. While she didn’t doubt her resolve to do as she wanted and not as he insisted, she was fighting against twenty-five years of doing what everyone else thought was best for her. What if she wasn’t strong enough to stand up to him?

  Kevin reached for the remote and clicked off the television. “You don’t need to be worried,” he told her.

  She smiled at him. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. I just wish I had a little more experience standing up to people and telling them no.”

  “Are you concerned about your feelings for Allan?”

  He asked the question casually, as if the answer didn’t matter. Haley hoped that was an act and not the truth. “No. Whatever I felt for Allan, it was never love and it died a long time ago. It’s the whole expectation thing.”

  “Just say no.”

  She laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

  “We can practice tonight.”

  “I don’t want to say no to you.”

  She’d spoken the words without thinking but as soon as she said them, she realized how true they were. She never wanted to say no to Kevin. She only wanted to say yes. Yes, she loved him. Yes, she wanted to be with him always. Yes, he was her heart’s desire.

  Of course. Why hadn’t she figured this out before? She’d been falling in love with him from the first night they’d met. He was everything she could ever want in a man. She could imagine being with him for the rest of her life. Knowing that there would only be him made her want them both to live forever.

  “Haley, what’s wrong?”

  She turned to look at him. His face had grown familiar to her. She knew his voice, his smile, his sense of humor. She admired his need to do the right thing. She trusted him. She wanted him.

  “Make love with me,” she whispered.

  He stared at her. “Haley, we’ve been over this before.”

  She shook her head. “I’m sure. I’m more sure than I’ve ever been about anything. I want you to be my first.” My only. But she didn’t say that. She wouldn’t play love like a card in a game. This was too important.

  She watched the desire ignite in his eyes, but there was caution, as well.

  “I don’t want you to have regrets,” he said.

  How like him, she thought happily. To want her to be sure. “If you don’t want me, I won’t ask again.” She took his hands in hers. “The only regret I’m going to have is if we don’t make love. I know I’ll spend the rest of my life being sorry.”

  He stared at her for a long time. She didn’t move because as much as he needed her to be sure, she needed the same thing.

  Silence stretched until it nearly snapped. Haley stopped breathing. Finally, when she was sure he was going to tell her no, he leaned forward and brushed her mouth with his.

  “There aren’t any words to tell you how much I want you,” he said. “But not here, on the sofa. I want to make love with you in bed.” He smiled. “At least my folks sleep downstairs. We don’t have to worry about them.”

  She wasn’t worried about anything. When he rose and held out his hand, she placed her fingers on his palm. They made the short walk to his bedroom at the far end of the house.

  As she entered, Haley had a brief impression of light blue walls and shelves filled with mementos from a busy childhood. There were baseballs and sports posters, part of an engine on a desk and a stack of books. A dark blue comforter covered the full-size bed. Kevin walked to the nightstand and clicked on the lamp, then returned to stand in front of her. He cupped her face in his hands and studied her.

  “I thought you were pretty the first time I saw you,” he said. “But I was wrong. You’re beautiful.”

  His compliment both pleased and embarrassed her. “I’m not so special.”

  “You are.” His dark eyes glowed with intensity. “You’re sweet and funny and smart. You care about other people, yet you’re willing to stand up for what you think is right.”

  Her heart beat faster with every word. Knowing that Kevin cared about her, that he thought she was more than ordinary, made her want to burst free of the room and soar toward the heavens. Then he bent his head and pressed his mouth to hers. As the heat of his kiss spiraled through her body, she decided that staying right here on solid ground might be a better plan.

  They’d kissed enough times that the contact was familiar. Soft, tempting brushes of sensitive skin against sensitive skin. As her arms came around to hold him close, her lips parted to admit him. He swept inside, touching her tongue with his, making her blood race and her body heat. Her breasts swelled and a sweet pressure built low in her belly.

  He aroused her. With just a kiss, and sometimes with just a look. Knowing they were going to really make love sent a tingling sensation through her midsection. She wasn’t afraid. Not with Kevin. He’d never done anything but make her world a perfect place to be. Tonight would be no different.

  As he deepened the kiss, he rubbed his hands up and down her back. When he cupped her rear, she instinctively arched toward him. Her stomach brushed against him and she felt that he was already hard.

  He wanted her. He’d said as much, but the physical proof delighted her. She remembered the last time they’d been together, when she’d seen him naked and touched him until he’d experienced the same release she had. She wanted that again, only this time she wanted him inside her. She wanted them to be one.

  She felt his fingers on the back zipper of the summer dress she’d slipped on for dinner. As he pulled the tab, warm air brushed against her bare skin. She pulled back enough to drop her arms to her sides and shimmy out of the dress. At the same time, she kicked off her sandals. Kevin pulled off his shoes and socks, then shrugged out of his shirt. He moved to the bed and sat on the edge. Wearing only a bra and panties, she slipped between his parted legs.

  With him sitting and her standing, she was taller. She bent her head and kissed him. He rested his hands on her bare waist. She could feel the imprint of each finger. He was warm and strong and, even undressed, she felt safe.

  His hands moved higher. She braced herself for the first sweep of his hands on her breasts. Her breath caught in anticipation, then she sighed her pleasure as he cupped her curves.
Even through the fabric of her bra, she felt his gentle caress. When his thumbs brushed over her tight nipples, she gasped as fire blazed through her.

  She fumbled for the hooks of her bra and tugged it off. When the garment fell to the ground, Kevin looked at her bare chest. His breath caught audibly, which made her thighs tremble with excitement.

  “So perfect,” he murmured before leaning close and taking her left nipple in his mouth.

  Gentle sucking sent ribbons of need curling through her. Between her legs, her body swelled and dampened in anticipation. His fingers teased her right breast, mimicking what he was doing with his tongue. It felt so right, so amazing. She could barely stand. Her head fell back and she wanted to surrender right this minute. Kevin could take her any way he wanted. As long as he touched her like that, as long as the tension built and the pleasure grew, she was his to command.

  He moved his mouth to her right breast. More. She wanted more. She wanted this moment to never end. She wanted—

  A single finger stroked her between her thighs. The unexpected touch chased away her last coherent thought. Breathing was impossible. She could only feel the light, teasing whisper of movement. It wasn’t enough. She tried to part her legs, but she was standing between his and there wasn’t room. She clutched at him, pulling him closer, wanting, needing bare skin against bare skin.

  He straightened and tugged at her panties. The air tingled against her damp nipple. There were so many sensations. His hands against her legs, the sheets when he pulled back the comforter and eased her onto the bed. The sound of the zipper on his jeans being pulled downward seemed loud in the night.

  She wasn’t afraid. Not even a little. All of this felt right. This was the man she was meant to love. There would only ever be him, so how could joining with him be anything but her destiny?

  He pulled off the rest of his clothing with one quick movement. She had a brief glimpse of his heavy arousal, then he knelt between her legs and bent low to kiss her right knee.

  The sweep of his tongue tickled. She giggled softly.

  “So you’re ticklish,” he said, raising his head and looking at her.

  She nodded. “Pretty much everywhere.”

  “I know one place you’re not.”

  “I’m not sure there is one. I remember—”

  Whatever she’d been planning to say was lost when he bent low and pressed an openmouthed kiss on the top of her thigh. She would have sworn she was ticklish there, too, but the intimate contact surprised her so much she couldn’t react. Just as well, because his next move was to reach between her legs and gently part her, exposing her most intimate self to his gaze.

  She barely had time to register shock when he kissed her there. Right there. Just like that. With his lips and his tongue and—

  The pleasure slammed into her. It ripped through her, sucking away air and the ability to move. She could only feel the stroke of his tongue, the gentle circling, the heat, the need. Every muscle tensed harder and tighter. Her body ached and burned. He moved slowly, deliberately, setting a pace that made her hips pulse in time with each flick of paradise.

  The wanting crested, then went higher and higher until it was impossible to reach so far and still want more. Tiny spasms rippled through her fingers. She pulled her knees back and gasped, then found herself reaching again and again. There was a single heartbeat during which she balanced on the edge of the universe before the sweep of his tongue sent an explosion of intense pleasure flying through every cell in her body.

  It was like coming apart, while staying together. The climax shook her down to her soul and left her gasping. Nothing, not even what they’d done before, had prepared her for the intensity that seemed to go on forever before finally fading into aftershocks.

  Kevin moved next to her and pulled her into his arms. She clung to him until she could think again, until the world stopped spinning. When she was finally back, she felt his soft kisses on her face.

  “Wow,” she said, opening her eyes and trying not to grin too broadly. “That was really great.”

  “I’m glad you liked it.”

  “No, it was really amazing.”

  He smiled. “I guess you’d been saving up for a while.”

  “Too long.”

  She thought about asking him to do that again when she felt the brush of something hard and insistent on her thigh. She reached between them and closed her fingers around his arousal.

  “Can I do that to you?”

  His expression turned rueful. “Sure. It would take all of thirty seconds.”

  She considered her options. “Maybe later,” she said. “I want us to make love the traditional way.”

  His expression tightened. “Haley, we don’t have to—”

  She pressed a finger to his mouth. “I want to. I want you inside of me. I want to know how that feels, and I want you to be my first time.” She cleared her throat. “In case you’re worried, there isn’t any, you know, physical proof that I’m a virgin. My doctor told me that a while ago.”

  One corner of his mouth turned up. “Good. Then it won’t hurt.”

  She didn’t expect it to. Not with Kevin.

  He pushed on her hip until she rolled onto her back. He propped his hand on one of her hands and rested the other on her stomach.

  “You understand what happens when couples make love,” he said.

  She wasn’t sure if he was asking a question or not, so she nodded anyway. “You, ah, are inside of me.”

  “Right.” He slid his hand between her legs. “This is where I was touching you before.”

  He rubbed his fingertips against her swollen center. Instantly her toes curled.

  “It was very nice,” she said, barely able to speak as he continued to touch that one amazing spot.

  “This is where I go inside.”

  He slipped a finger into her, all the while keeping his thumb moving back and forth.

  The combination of sensations caught her off guard. Finger and thumb moved together. The wanting began, as did the tension. He bent low and licked her breasts. It was a pretty unbeatable combination, she thought as her eyes fluttered closed. Why hadn’t anyone told her she could feel this good?

  He slipped out of her, then moved back inside, but this time there was more pressure. Two fingers, maybe? She liked how the stroking brushed the sides. As he pushed in, he reached up and she groaned as her body contracted in delight. He began to move faster. His lips closed over her nipple and he sucked, taking the tight point into his mouth. It was too much. It was everything. Tension built. She could feel it. She was getting closer and closer. She was right there. She was—

  He stopped. Haley opened her eyes.

  Kevin shrugged. “Sorry. We have a logistical issue.”

  He rolled away and opened a drawer in his nightstand. She caught a glimpse of a small box, then realized he’d reached for a condom.

  But she was on the Pill. Her brain clicked into gear. Oh. There was more to worry about than just getting pregnant. Even humming with unreleased need, she appreciated that he was trying to protect her. The tender gesture made her eyes burn.

  He pulled on the protection then knelt between her legs.

  “Where were we?” he asked with a smile as he found her center with his fingers and began to rub.

  In less than fifteen seconds, she was right back on the edge. Her breathing came in short pants and she arched her back as her release approached. Then she felt something thick and hard pressing into her. It was bigger than two fingers.

  He moved slowly, filling her. Her body stretched to accommodate the unfamiliar presence. Some of her tension faded, but he kept moving his fingers and she soon found herself reaching for her release. Then he began to move.

  This was it! Haley couldn’t believe they were actually doing it. She opened her eyes and saw Kevin watching her.

  “You all right?” he asked. His voice sounded low and hoarse.

  She nodded, then raised herself up on one
elbow. He was kneeling close to her. She could see him entering her and pulling out. The hand against her center continued to rub her. She could see and feel him touching her at the same time. It was the most incredible experience ever.

  The slow, steady in and out became less unfamiliar. Then it started to feel kind of nice. Suddenly the combination of his fingers and his…well, you know, were too much. She fell back on the bed and closed her eyes. Need grew. Her body tensed.

  He shifted and then he was on top of her, holding her close, kissing her. She wrapped her arms around him, savoring the weight of his body and how they were really joined together. It was everything she’d ever wanted.

  He started to move a little faster. Suddenly she was aware that the tension hadn’t faded. If anything it seemed to be building. In and out, in and out. She clutched at his hips. More, she thought frantically.

  Somehow he knew. He read her mind, or maybe it was her nails digging into his rear. Whatever the cause, he filled her again and again until something inside her snapped and she lost herself in a release unlike the others she’d experienced. Even as she climaxed, she seemed to be building and releasing at the same time until there was nothing but the feel of him inside of her and the rush of pleasure.

  Kevin felt the first spasm deep inside Haley. She’d been so close before that he’d hoped he could take her over the edge, but he hadn’t been sure. He felt the powerful contractions that ripped through her. She clung to him, writhing, gasping, calling out his name. Her legs wrapped around his hips as she opened herself even wider.

  He’d been holding back but now he plunged into her harder and harder. The dull ache in his leg didn’t diminish the building pressure. Pressure that threatened his ability to hold back. He sucked in his breath, holding on until her contractions exploded into one long powerful convulsion that destroyed his last shred of control. He lost himself in her, as his body shuddered with release.

  When he could breathe again, he opened his eyes and looked at her. Haley’s expression was one of blissful contentment. She smiled.