Love in the Limelight: Volume One

by Brenda Jackson, A. C. Arthur

  But he wanted to do more than that. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he shattered her control the same way she had shattered his.

  When he felt her body tremble beneath his mouth, he released her and pulled his body up and then over hers, easing between her legs and caging her hips with the firmness of his thighs just moments before thrusting into her. The force alone made her scream out her orgasm mere seconds before he released his.

  A pulsing and fiery explosion rocked his body, which subsequently rocked hers. He leaned down and captured her mouth and knew what it felt to truly want a woman in every sense of the word.

  Next time around they would go slow. And there would be a next time. He would make sure of it.

  * * *

  An aftermath of sensations consumed Rachel as she lay there, unable to move. Ethan excused himself to go to the bathroom, and she could barely nod in acknowledgment of what he’d said. Nor did she have the strength to turn over off her stomach and onto her back. She felt completely drained. And it wasn’t because it was her first orgasm in two years. It was all about the man who’d given it to her.

  Moments later, she heard him return and opened her eyes, only to see his naked body walking out of the bathroom. The dim light from the bedside lamp didn’t miss his engorged erection. How could he be hard again so soon when she could barely catch her breath? And she couldn’t help noticing he had on another condom. He couldn’t possibly assume she had strength for another round.

  The bed dipped beneath his weight as he slid in next to her. His hands began gently caressing the center of her back and the rounded curves of her buttocks. She closed her eyes again, enjoying the feel of being touched by him. When he replaced his fingers with the tip of his tongue and licked up and down her spine, a moan of pleasure escaped her lips.

  Now she understood how desire could get stirred all over again so soon and gave herself up to the pure joy of it in his hands and mouth. She drew in a deep breath and then breathed out slowly, reveling in the passion building in every part of her body. It was a primitive force she didn’t want to yield to again so quickly. She wanted to prolong the enjoyment.

  “Turn over, baby.”

  She pulled in another deep breath and whispered, “Can’t. Too weak.”

  “Then let me help you.”

  She heard his soft chuckle moments before he gently eased her onto her back. She stared up into his gaze, and the look in his eyes stroked something she hadn’t counted on—intense desire even in her weakened state. Desire she couldn’t resist or deny. She’d never wanted a man this much, so this was a first for her. And when he leaned down and claimed her mouth in a way no man had ever done before, a shiver of intense heat rode up her spine, renewing energy she didn’t think she had. Her heart began pounding in her chest. At the same time, her body started shuddering with sensations she felt all the way to her toes.

  With a burst of vigor that was rejuvenating every part of her, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck while his mouth continued to mate with hers in a kiss that progressed from hot to scalding with a stroke of his tongue.

  When he finally released her mouth it was only to shift his body between her thighs. She moaned, knowing he was about to soothe the ache at the juncture of her legs.

  He reached out, cupped her bottom, lifted her hips and thrust deep inside of her. For a moment he didn’t move. It was as if he needed to savor the feel of his erection planted so profoundly inside of her, pulsing, thickening and growing even larger while her inner muscles clamped down on him tightly.

  Then, finally, he began moving in and out at a rhythm and pace that had every cell in her body humming, trembling and shuddering in pleasure. The muscles in his shoulders bunched beneath her fingers when he lowered his head to breathe against her mouth. Her breath hitched in her throat and then her lungs cleared in a precipitated slam.

  “Ethan...”

  He tasted her lips with his tongue as he drove into her. His hard thrusts made her bed shake, the springs squeak and the headboard hit against the wall. Not only was he drawing out a need and desire within her, he was fulfilling it to a degree that had her meeting him, thrust for thrust.

  With one final thrust into the depth of her, her body spun into an orgasm of gigantic proportion. As she reveled in her climax, he kissed her with an intensity that elicited moans from deep in her throat.

  At that moment, there was only one thing she could think of. So much for them being just friends.

  * * *

  Ethan eased from the bed and slipped into his jeans. Once he had snapped them up, he glanced back over his shoulder at the woman asleep in the bed. Never had any one woman touched him the way she had, in and out of bed.

  And that was the crux of his problem.

  He pulled in a deep breath and leaned down to brush a kiss against her temple and then quickly pulled away when he breathed in the scent of her, which had the power to render him helpless.

  He rubbed a hand down his face. What the hell had he gotten himself into? Rachel had made it clear, exceedingly so and on more than one occasion, that she had no intention of getting involved with anyone she considered to be in the spotlight, anyone who would put the media on her tail. If she became involved with him, she ran the risk of that happening. He knew if there was any ounce of decency within him, he would grab his stuff and leave and when he saw her tomorrow he would pretend last night never happened.

  Easier said than done.

  He couldn’t do that.

  Something was forcing him to not only acknowledge that it happened but to do whatever he could to make sure it happened again.

  He shook his head in dismay as he left the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Wasn’t it just a little over two weeks ago that he’d made the vow to focus on his career more than anything else, certainly more than any woman? But there was something about Rachel that called out to him at every turn.

  He had gone back into the bedroom he should have been occupying to freshen up when his cell phone on the nightstand rang. He released a deep, annoyed breath when the caller ID indicated it was his agent.

  “Yes, Curtis?”

  “Ethan, where are you?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Is there something you need, Curtis?”

  “The paparazzi can’t find you.”

  “That’s too bad,” he murmured with agitation clearly in his voice. “And how did you know they were looking for me?”

  His agent paused a second before saying. “It’s my job to know everything that’s going on with you.”

  Ethan frowned. Was Curtis somehow responsible for the media hounds hanging around outside of his house last night? It wouldn’t surprise Ethan, since his agent liked keeping him in the news. In the spotlight, as Rachel termed it. The thought that Curtis could be connected didn’t sit well with him. “Your job is to advance my career, not fabricate lies about me and my love life.”

  “It’s never bothered you before,” his agent countered.

  The man was right. It hadn’t bothered him before. “It does now, and it would behoove you to remember that. Talk to you later, Curtis.”

  Ethan then disconnected the call.

  * * *

  The sound of a ringing telephone worked its way into the deep recesses of Rachel’s sleep-shrouded mind. Without lifting her head from the pillow, she reached out and grabbed her cell phone off the bedside table. “Hello,” she said in a drowsy voice.

  “I can’t believe you’re still in bed.”

  Rachel forced one eye open upon hearing her sister’s voice. “What time is it?”

  “Almost noon. You weren’t at church today, and Aunt Lily wanted to make sure you were okay since it’s not like you to miss service.”

  Rachel moaned, which was followed by a deep yawn. “I’m fine, Sofia.” Am I really? “I overslept.” That wasn’t a lie.

  She slowly pulled herself up in bed, surprised she had the energy to do so. Taking part in lovemaking marathons wasn’t some
thing she did often, and thanks to Ethan, her muscles had gotten one heck of a workout.

  Ethan...

  She glanced at the rumpled spot beside her in the bed. It hadn’t been a figment of her imagination. He had been there. His masculine scent was still in her bedcovers. And she could hear him moving around downstairs, which meant he was still there.

  She closed her eyes as memories of their lovemaking flowed through her mind. There were the memories of his hands all over her body, his tongue licking her nipple, his head between her legs, his—

  “Rachel?”

  She snapped her eyes back open. “Yes?”

  “I asked if you wanted to do a movie later.”

  Sofia was a workaholic and any other time Rachel would have jumped at the chance to do something fun with her sister, but not today. But she knew better than to tell her sister the real reason. “Can I get a rain check? I want to finish this painting so it can be ready for the gallery’s opening day.”

  “Sure, just let me know when.”

  They talked for a few more minutes and then Sofia had to take another call. Rachel disconnected the call and stretched her body in bed, thinking that as much as she had enjoyed making love with Ethan, it couldn’t happen again.

  She eased out of bed, knowing they needed to talk.

  * * *

  Few people knew that cooking was one of Ethan’s favorite pastimes, so he wasn’t taken aback by the look of surprise on Rachel’s face when she walked into her kitchen. Her sexy-pixie expression was priceless.

  Something else that was priceless was the way she was dressed. She had showered and was wearing a printed sundress with spaghetti straps at the shoulders and a cute pair of sandals on her feet. On anyone else the simple outfit would have been so-so, but not on her. It gave her an “at-home” look that couldn’t be captured any day on the set.

  There were a number of reasons for him to make that conclusion. Heading the list was the fact that this was the first time he’d seen her out of bed since they’d made love, so in his book she could have worn a gunnysack and she still would have looked good to him.

  “Ethan, what are you doing?” she asked, glancing around her kitchen.

  “I’m preparing brunch. I figured you’d be hungry when you finally woke up.” He didn’t have to say why he’d expected her to sleep late. Last night had been quite a night for them. He doubted either of them had gotten a full hour’s sleep.

  “But where did you find the stuff to prepare this spread?”

  He smiled. “I went to that grocery store on the corner, and before you ask, no, I wasn’t recognized. I wore my disguise and quickly went in and out.”

  “But your car...”

  “I drove yours.” At the lift of her brow he said, “I left a note just in case you woke up while I was gone.”

  “Oh.” The thought of his male scent infusing the interior of her car was almost too much to think about. Now she would drive her car and think about him.

  “You like cooking, I gather,” she said moving across the room to the coffeepot. The coffee smelled good but she smelled even better. There was a sensuality to her fragrance that could reach him on a masculine level each and every time he took a whiff of her.

  He chuckled. “You gathered right, although I didn’t get an interest until college. It was a quick and easy way to get a girl up to your dorm room.”

  She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I’m sure getting a girl up to your room wasn’t hard, Ethan.”

  A grin formed on his lips. “Should I take that as a compliment?”

  “You should take it for whatever you want. I know it to be true. Most women would find you simply irresistible.”

  He tilted his head and looked at her. She was reaching up to open one of the cabinet doors, which was an almost impossible feat for her without stretching and standing on tiptoes. What flashed through his mind at that moment was a reminder of a position they had used last night when they’d made love standing up. Those same feet had been wrapped around him, locking him inside her body. “Do you find me irresistible, Rachel?”

  She turned around to face him, leaning back against the kitchen counter as she did so. Her gaze roamed over him, up and down, before coming to settle on his face, where she gave him her full attention. His stomach tightened at her perusal since it seemed as intimate as any physical caress could get. She pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear before a smile touched her lips. It was tantalizing in one sense but frightening in another.

  “Yes, but not the same way that other women do.”

  Her words, spoken both seriously and honestly, had a profound effect because a part of him knew they were true. She had a way of seeing beyond what the media described as the “killer-watt” smile, past the persona of a jaw-dropping Hollywood leading man. In the two weeks they’d known each other, she’d shown him that she had the ability to get to know the real Ethan Chambers. She knew that what you saw was not always what you got.

  And that made her irresistible.

  Needing to touch her, wanting to kiss her, especially at that moment, he moved toward her and pulled her into his arms. She came willingly, without preamble, filled with all the grace and refinement that most women didn’t possess. She had the ability to change the physical to the sensual the moment her lips locked with his. She also had the intuition to know that when it came to an attraction between them, he needed more.

  And more importantly, she was willing to give it.

  He pulled her closer, wanting to seal every inch of space between them. She leaned up, wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head back automatically to meet his mouth that came swooping down on hers. He needed her in the way a man needed a woman.

  A woman he was beginning to think of as his.

  * * *

  Nobody kisses like Ethan Chambers, Rachel concluded when she could manage to think again. She loved being held captive in his strong grip, loved being the recipient of his lusty and marauding tongue. And she loved the feel of her breasts pressed against the hard and firm lines of his chest. The same chest she had kissed every inch of last night. Even then she had felt the strength of it beneath her lips. Ethan had a body that was an artist’s dream, and she would love to paint him one day, capture the essence of all his masculine beauty on canvas.

  “Brunch has to wait.”

  Those words were barely out of his mouth before he swept her off her feet and into his arms. Once again she had managed to drive him out of control and she enjoyed every single moment of doing so. It was only last night that she had discovered her ability as a woman and the pleasure-filled places that skill could take her.

  It might have been his intent to take her back to bed, but somewhere between the kitchen and living room he decided they couldn’t make it that far. He headed for her sofa.

  Her heart began beating rapidly because with Ethan she had discovered you never knew what you would get, but the one thing you could expect was the most intense pleasure any man could deliver. And that knowledge caused an intense ache between her legs that only he could appease.

  She caught her breath when she felt the sofa cushion touch her back, and he spread her out as if she was a sampling for his enjoyment. He would soon discover that he was also one for hers. His musky and ultrasexy scent was devouring all common sense in her body and replacing it with a spine-tingling need that had her moaning out his name.

  “I’m right here, baby,” he whispered while quickly removing the clothes from her body and then from his. When he stood over her naked, fully aroused and looking as handsome as any man had a right to look, she was filled with a craving that had her moving upward, launching herself at him and toppling them both to the floor.

  He cushioned their fall, and they ended up with their legs entangled and her stretched out over him. Just the way she wanted. Some deep, dark emotion, an intense hunger he had tapped into last night, consumed her and she began licking him all over, starting with his broad shoulders an
d working her way downward.

  Moving past his tight abs, she cupped his erection in her hands before lowering her head and taking him fully, needing the taste, texture and total length of him between her lips and as deep in her mouth as he could go.

  “Rachel!”

  His palms bracketed her head, his fingers dug into her scalp and his moan became music to her ears while she proceeded to torture him. She felt his shaft swell deep inside her mouth and she stretched to accommodate its size.

  “I’m coming, baby.”

  And he did.

  She appeased every deep craving she ever had, using her throat to prolong his orgasm. He seemed lost, powerless as he gave himself over to the magic she created. And she reveled in the control as she never had before.

  When he could draw another breath, he pulled a condom pack from his jeans, sheathed himself and entered her. Quick work but thorough.

  He began moving in and out of her, thrusting hard and deep, taking her to the brink where she’d led him moments ago. No matter what would come tomorrow, she knew she would have these memories of their lovemaking. Memories that would comfort her and tear at her heart long after he was no longer a part of her life.

  But for now, for today, he was and because of that, she was satisfied.

  * * *

  It was time for him to leave.

  After making love on her living room floor, they had returned to the kitchen and eaten the brunch he had prepared before going back up to her bedroom and making love some more. When they were spent, they had showered together, returned downstairs to devour the apple tarts he’d made for dessert, then he’d gone upstairs to gather his few belongings.

  “Do you think the paparazzi have gone now?” she asked, walking him to the kitchen door that led to her garage, where his car was parked beside hers.

  “Yes. I spoke with the manager of my condo complex and she apologized profusely. The one thing I was assured of when I moved in was that my privacy would be protected. She doesn’t understand what could have happened.” He paused. “I think I do.”