Jared entered her slowly as lightning flashed again, and he felt as if he were being torn from the darkness into a brilliant light. He had never known such intense pleasure, would never have even thought it possible. Her body was a tight velvet glove, and she wrapped her long sleek legs around him, drawing him closer. She arched upward, bringing them closer still, brushing her hardened nipples against his chest.
He began to move, slowly at first, nearly withdrawing, then easing himself in again. Annie clutched his arms, calling his name as she lifted her hips.
“Jared...Jared...please...hurry...”
His name on her lips was all he needed to lose the last thread of control. He took hold of her hips and buried himself deeply in her, moving with an urgency that had built to a fever pitch. Sweat beaded his brow, and they set a rhythm as wild as the beating of their hearts and as old as time.
Annie felt the tension build in her, higher and tighter, hotter, until it became so unbearable she began to shudder. She cried out as the first wave exploded through her, opening her eyes wide with a sharp gasp as the second one followed in its wake. She sobbed his name, digging her nails into his arms. His muscles flexed and he thrust wildly, until his own climax ripped through him.
It was impossible to say how much time passed. Their breathing had long since slowed, and the fine sheen of sweat on their bodies had cooled. Even the storm outside had calmed. Still locked in each other’s arms, they listened to the soft rhythm of the rain.
Annie ran her fingers idly through Jared’s dark hair. She didn’t think herself capable of lifting more than her hand at the moment. She felt as if she were drifting like a child’s balloon carried slowly on the breeze. When she sighed, he turned his head and kissed her neck.
“I’m too heavy,” he said, and started to move away.
“No.” She pulled him back. “You’re perfect.”
Rising up on his elbows, he stared down at her and smiled. “I was thinking the same thing about you.”
She smiled back, wondering why she’d never noticed the small scar under his right eyebrow or the slight bump at the bridge of his nose. She rose upward and kissed both spots, then lightly brushed her lips across his.
“I wonder if we’re both thinking the same thing now,” she whispered.
He laughed softly, and the response from his body was her answer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, dragging his mouth to hers. His kiss was long and hot, seductive, and the flame ignited once again.
No woman had ever made him burn like this, Jared realized through the haze of pleasure. No woman had ever made him want more than he could have.
Why does it have to be Annie? he thought with despair. It can’t be Annie.
But it was, and the time was past changing that fact. He refused to allow himself to think about tomorrow. It was difficult to think at all with Annie’s hands skimming over his body like a silk scarf.
He raised himself over her, watching her face as he slid into her again. She held his gaze, her eyes deep pools of desire, her lips parted softly. As he moved deeper she gasped and arched her back. Her skin was flushed, her nipples hard.
And when her soft cries turned frantic and his own control shattered, the madness overtook them again.
* * *
The sun hadn’t fully appeared over the distant mountains when Annie awoke the next morning. The rain had stopped and outside the open bedroom window, a blue jay squawked an irritable greeting. A soft breeze filtered through the wooden window blinds, carrying the scent of rain-dampened earth and fresh air.
She lay on her side, her back pressed against Jared’s chest. The heat radiating off his body was like a furnace, and there had been no need for covers. In fact, the covers seemed to have disappeared off the bed completely, though she couldn’t quite recall when that had happened.
Remembering her lack of inhibition with Jared, she felt her cheeks flush. They’d gone to bed, but hadn’t fallen asleep until the wee hours of the morning, and even then the spirit had certainly been willing, though their bodies had not.
He slept peacefully now, with one arm looped tightly over her waist, and she turned carefully so she could face him. He breathed deeply, and she watched the rise and fall of his broad chest with open admiration. She smiled, noting his chest was only one of several attributes she admired.
Annie rose slowly, not wanting to wake him. She needed a few minutes alone before she faced him. She was too vulnerable right now, and she wanted to fortify her defenses. As she slipped quietly from under his arm, he stirred and his brow furrowed, but he didn’t wake.
A chambray shirt hung over a chair beside the nightstand and she reached for it and tugged it on. Glancing back at him before she left the room, she found it took every ounce of willpower not to climb back into bed and wake him the way she truly wanted to. With her lips and her hands. With the words that she’d somehow managed not to speak last night.
I love you, Jared Stone.
They were dangerous words right now. She knew he wouldn’t believe her. Lord knew, she could hardly believe it herself. But Jared was filled with too much guilt. He wasn’t ready to allow himself the happiness she knew he deserved.
Last night there’d been a crack in that facade he’d built. But today she knew he’d rebuild it. She shook her head and silently left the bedroom. The man was too damn stubborn for his own good.
Jared awoke slowly. His arms felt heavy, his legs incapable of movement. A profound and complete satisfaction settled through his body. He’d either died or been drugged.
He moved a finger, then a toe. He was alive, all right. So he must be dreaming, then. That was what last night had been. A dream. Reluctantly he opened his eyes, knowing the dream would be over the second he did.
The bed was empty, and a disappointment so intense pulsed through his body he slammed his eyes shut again. But the scent was there. Her scent. Feminine and seductive. It was Annie. And she had been here.
He opened his eyes again and sat up, running a hand through his hair as he glanced around the room. There was no sign of her, but still he felt her, felt her vibrant energy shimmering as clearly as if she was lying beside him.
He wanted her here, right here. With him. Now.
He smelled the coffee then and knew she was in the kitchen.
Panic gripped him. What would he say? What could he say? Gee, thanks, Annie. It was swell.
He tugged on a pair of jeans, cursing himself the entire time. He’d cut off his right arm before he’d hurt Annie, and now look what he’d done. The sound of eggs frying and the smell of bacon assaulted him, and as he made his way to the kitchen, he also realized he was starving.
She was bent over, peering into the refrigerator. His heart slammed in his chest at the sight of her. She was wearing one of his shirts, and it skimmed the top of her thighs; her long legs were bare. She couldn’t have been sexier if she’d had on a skimpy negligee.
His body responded instantly, and he groaned inwardly. How the hell was he going to get through this if he couldn’t even look at her without getting hard?
She turned then and saw him. He saw the flicker of fear in her eyes, but then she smiled and looked quickly away.
“Good morning.” She pulled an orange-juice container out of the refrigerator and then shut the door.
“Mornin’.”
“I thought you might be hungry.” She set the juice down and turned her attention to the eggs. “I hope fried eggs are all right.”
“Fine.”
This was crazy, Jared thought. They’d just spent the night together, and they were talking like strangers. He watched as she removed the eggs from the pan, put them on a plate with some bacon and set it in front of him.
That was when he noticed her hand was shaking.
“Annie...” He sighed heavily and reached for her hand, but she yanked it away as if he’d burned her.
“Don’t you say it, Jared Stone.” Her voice was low and hard. “Don’t you dare say ‘I’m sorry,’ or, ‘
This should have never happened.’ If you do, so help me, you’re going to be wearing these eggs, instead of eating them.”
Stunned, he simply stared at her.
“Last night was the most incredible night of my life,” she said quietly, her voice wavering. “Don’t take that away from me.”
Her words made his heart jump. Desperately he wanted to believe her, to pull her into his arms and drag her back in the bedroom, so he could unbutton that shirt slowly and see every inch of her in the daylight. Hold her close, laugh with her, love her... His hands clenched into fists.
He couldn’t.
“Annie, my God...” He hadn’t a clue what to say. But what was the difference? She’d hate him no matter what he said. “Look, emotions were running pretty high last night. I took advantage of that.”
She shook her head. “You took advantage of nothing, Jared. We’re both adults. I knew exactly what I was doing.”
“I scared you half to death at the rig,” he argued. “You thought I was...”
The sentence died on his tongue. He shut his eyes and shook his head.
“Say it, Jared.” She placed her hands on the counter separating them. Her eyes flashed with anger. “Say it.”
A fist tightened around his chest as he lifted his gaze to hers. “You thought I was Jonathan.”
Her eyes narrowed. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it? Not just that I thought you were Jonathan at the rig, but that I thought you were Jonathan in bed last night.”
He wanted to slam his fist into the wall or kick down the door. Anything to release the horrendous pressure building inside him.
“I want you to look at me, Jared.” When he stared at the wall behind her, she curled her fingers into fists and banged them on the counter. “Look at me, dammit!”
Jaw tight, he did as she asked. If she’d been angry before, she was furious now. And so was he. He just didn’t understand why.
She leaned closer and he heard the struggle in her voice to stay calm. “Last night there was no one on that couch or in that bed or in my mind except you. You, and only you. Do you understand that? Not physically, emotionally or mentally.”
She turned away from the counter, jammed her hands on her hips, then spun back around. Her eyes glistened. “I loved Jonathan. You loved Jonathan. But we can’t bring him back. We can only be thankful we had the time with him that we did.”
Jared swallowed down the tightness in his throat. Still he said nothing.
“I didn’t come here looking for this.” Her shoulders sagged. “It just happened. And I’m glad it happened. I’m only sorry that you aren’t.”
She didn’t understand, he thought, his chest aching. How could he ever make her understand?
“Annie,” he said hoarsely, “he...he was my brother. He loved you. He should be with you. I have no right.”
She sighed wearily, and the pain in her eyes was like a knife in his gut.
“So what shall we do, Jared? Shall we be friends?”
Friends? He frowned.
“Or maybe I should just think of you as a brother?” The sarcasm dripped from her words. “Is that how we should see each other, Jared? Brother and sister?”
She was being ridiculous, but her point was made. After last night, he’d never think of her as a friend, and he sure as hell would never think of her as a sister.
Dammit, he didn’t know what to think anymore.
“Annie,” he said quietly, “there’s something else. We...I...” He raked his hands through his hair. “Dammit, I didn’t use any protection last night.”
Her cheeks flushed. She turned to the sink and stared out the window.
“It was careless of me,” he said awkwardly. “But you don’t have to worry, I mean, about me. I’ve been no saint, but I’ve always used something with every woman I’ve ever been with.”
She drew in a slow breath and turned back to face him. “You don’t have to worry about me, either,” she said, but there was no expression on her face. “Jonathan is the only other man I’ve ever made love to.”
He stared at her. She’d never been with anyone but Jonathan? A rush of elation poured through him, followed closely by a rush of pain. Had she loved Jonathan so much no one else had ever compared?
Until she’d met up with Jonathan’s twin brother?
He stared at the food in front of him and wanted to smash the plate into a thousand pieces. “And if you’re pregnant?”
She was quiet for what seemed like an eternity. “It’s highly unlikely, but why don’t we worry about that if it happens?”
He hated himself, because the idea of her having his baby brought a spark of joy to the emptiness inside him. And at the same time, he had to pray it wouldn’t happen. “When will you know?”
Her face tightened. “Don’t worry about it, Jared. No one’s going to get the shotgun.”
“That’s not what I mean, dammit,” he said tightly, then added more gently, “I care, Annie.”
She sighed, then tossed her head in frustration. “About three weeks. Just about the time we finish drilling, and before I have to leave.”
Leave. No matter what the outcome with the well, she did have to leave. She’d get on with her life, and he with his.
They were both quiet as they ate breakfast. He was no longer hungry, but he forced himself. She picked at a piece of toast and sipped at her coffee. When they finished, they both dressed and drove into town silently together to give Slater and the crew the good news.
They had an oil well waiting to be drilled.
Eight
“I swear, he was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. Right off the cover of Handsome Hunks Illustrated. Wavy sun-streaked hair, big brown eyes and quarterback shoulders. I fell in love instantly.”
Annie looked up from the menu she’d been studying and smiled as she listened to Jessica describe the shoe salesman she’d met in San Antonio.
Between school and work the past three years, Annie had spent little time with friends. It felt good to be out with another woman, exchanging girl-talk. Especially after the past three days of drilling. Everything had gone smoothly since they’d started work again, but Jared had been irritable, and the tension between them had been almost palpable. Annie had welcomed Jessica’s invitation to lunch.
“And then he turned around—” Jessica leaned forward, her blue eyes wide as she whispered “—and I was a goner. He had the most perfect butt I’ve ever seen.”
Annie laughed at Jessica’s outrageous comment. “You mean to tell me you really looked at his, uh, posterior?”
The waitress, a pretty brunette, appeared then and set two iced teas on the table. “First thing I always look at,” the brunette said as casually as if they’d been discussing an item on the menu.
Annie shook her head and reached for her tea, resisting the urge to ask what the second thing she looked at might be.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed Jared’s,” Jessica said to Annie with a mischievous grin. “He’s adorable.”
Annie nearly choked on her tea. Adorable? Somehow, she couldn’t quite put that word to Jared. Nor could she imagine having this conversation with Jessica and a strange woman. She felt her cheeks heat.
“Jared,” the waitress nodded with approval. “Now there’s a fine specimen of—”
“I’ll have a chicken salad,” Annie said quickly, cutting the woman off.
“Me, too.” Jessica handed the menu back to the waitress and wiggled her eyebrows. “Hold the dressing.”
Laughing, the brunette walked away. Jessica looked at Annie and grinned. “I mention Jared, and you turn red as a beet. So what’s the skinny with you two?”
Annie doubted she’d ever met anyone more forthright than Jessica. She had a simple enthusiastic outlook on life that could charm the most hardened of individuals. And while it was a pleasure on one hand, the unexpected turn this conversation had taken was anything but.
“There is no skinny.” Annie busied her
self squeezing a lemon into her tea. She hated lemon, but anything to keep busy so she didn’t have to look at Jessica. “I’m here to work, that’s it.”
Jessica’s laugh was so enchanting that Annie noticed several men sitting at the counter turn and stare with interest.
“And I’m Bugs Bunny.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. If you could bottle that heat, there’d be a new source for world energy.”
If Annie’s cheeks had been warm before, they were on fire now. What was the point in denial? Jessica would see right through it, anyway. And besides, it felt good to talk to another woman, even if that woman was Jared’s sister.
She sighed and stirred the ice in her tea. “Is it really that obvious?”
“Like sequins on a saddle,” Jessica drawled.
Without warning, Annie’s eyes began to burn. She blinked and looked away.
“Annie, hey.” Jessica’s voice softened as she reached across the table and laid her hand over Annie’s. “What’s the matter?”
Annie shook her head. She was making a fool of herself in front of Jessica. “Nothing. I’m fine, really.”
“No, you’re not.” Jessica frowned. “It’s Jared, isn’t it? He’s not making this easy. I swear, that man is too damn stubborn for his own good, or anyone’s else’s, for that matter.”
Annie’s laugh was dry. “It didn’t take long to figure that one out.”
“That was always one of the differences between Jonathan and Jared, you know,” Jessica said. “You could talk to Jonathan, reason with him. With Jared, you always needed a sledgehammer.”
At the mention of Jonathan, Annie felt a knot tighten in her stomach. How could she, after being engaged to Jonathan, be casually sitting here discussing Jared with Jessica?
Annie stared down at her hands in her lap. “Jessica, this is so awkward. You must think I’m...well, that I...”
“I don’t think anything of you, Annie,” Jessica said softly, “except that you’re a terrific person and you have great taste in men. There was never any question that you loved Jonathan. Everyone knows you did.”
Jessica’s eyes were bright now as she tightened her fingers around Annie’s. “But no matter how much we miss him, no matter how much we want him back, it’s not possible. More than anyone, Jonathan would want you and Jared to be happy. Shoot—” she wiped at the corner of her eye “—knowing Jonathan, I’ll bet he arranged this whole thing.”
Texas Temptation Page 9
