by Anne Rainey
Gage reached out and touched her on the cheek with the back of his hand. His caressing, barely-there stroke electrified her.
“So, you aren’t seeing anyone right now, huh?”
“I haven’t dated since Seth died. You?”
“Nope. Would you consider spending some time with me while I’m here?”
His low, deep voice made shivers run up and down her spine.
“Yeah, I’d like that.” God, how lame. Where had her brain gone? She sounded like an idiot.
His brow quirked up, and his eyes took on a predatory gleam. “Have dinner with me,” he murmured.
Summer had to remind herself to breathe.
When she started to speak, he blurted out, “Tonight.”
Too soon, her mind warned. “I really shouldn’t. I need to pay bills or there won’t even be a Chase B & B.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “I’d like to get to know you better. Pretty please, have dinner with me?” As if sensing her indecision, he moved in for the kill. “You know I’m new in town. Take pity on an outsider. I don’t know the good from the bad around here. Do you want me to end up with food poisoning?”
A tense silence followed. She really wanted to say yes. How long had it been since she’d wanted to spend time with a man? “I suppose I could always deal with the bills tomorrow.”
“Good,” he whispered, “Now, about that room…”
Summer snapped back to reality. “Right this way.” Rooms she could handle. It was the devastatingly handsome Gage Knight she wasn’t so sure about.
Chapter Three
Gage plugged in his computer and booted it up, then stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower. As his muscles relaxed under the pounding jets, his thoughts unerringly went back to Summer.
He soaped himself up and let his mind stray into forbidden territory. Summer had a body made for long hours of loving. Instinctively, he knew they’d fit together perfectly. The flare of her hips and that ass. Gage could only guess at the shape, but he was real good a filling in the gaps. He ached to knead and stroke the ample globes.
Then he remembered her husband.
Christ, two years was a long drought. He couldn’t conceive of it. His mind screamed at him to stay away. She wasn’t the type to play around. That knowledge should’ve made his desire dry up. Knowing a woman was the type to get serious usually had him steering a wide path. If he were a gentleman, he wouldn’t consider touching her. But Summer wasn’t just any woman. His cock hardened when Gage thought of all the possibilities, all the things he wanted to do to her, the pleasures he could give her.
Gage reached down and took his cock in his fist, the need to take the edge off paramount in his mind. As he stroked the hard flesh, he imagined her naked, her large breasts so gloriously bared for him, her smoothly rounded hips cushioning him. He’d fit himself between her silky thighs and delve right into paradise. He could almost hear her shout his name. The thought of bringing her to climax sent him careening out of control.
Gage tossed back his head and closed his eyes, the water cascading down, his mind wrapped up in thoughts of Summer. He squeezed his hard length, imagining the warm clutch of her cunt. He pumped faster, harder. When his mind pulled up an image of Summer in the turquoise bathing suit, tits all but bursting out of the scooped neckline, he exploded. His hot come shot all over his fist, but in his mind he saw his milky seed coating those magnificent swells of flesh.
A few minutes later, Gage realized the water was beginning to cool. He sighed and wished like hell he was inside Summer’s sweet, voluptuous body. He rinsed and turned off the shower, his thoughts swirling with ideas. He’d only just met her, but he’d not be letting her squirm away anytime soon. One way or another, he’d have to show her that her grieving period was over. It was time to start living again.
Suddenly his stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten anything since he’d grabbed coffee and a danish at the gas station hours ago. He quickly dressed, snatched up the room key and went in search of the delectable Summer Chase.
As the hostess led the way through the crowded restaurant, Summer turned back to Gage and whispered, “I really can’t think of a better beach restaurant. Their crab cakes are fantastic.”
When they reached their table, Gage held her chair for her and murmured, “I trust your expert judgment, sweetheart.”
They were seated in the covered rear garden terrace. Summer’s heart beat erratically, nearly drowning out the simple romantic beauty of the moment. It’d been so long since she’d enjoyed a meal with a member of the opposite sex in any kind of romantic way.
Though Summer had guy friends, friendship couldn’t replace her need for intimacy. Tender touches and warm kisses—she hadn’t realized how much she missed those things until Gage had shown up at her door. Sparks had flown. Being with him, even in such an innocent way as having dinner, caused Summer’s juices to stir.
“So, Summer, do you come to this restaurant often?”
“I wish, but no, I’m usually too busy.”
He leaned across the table. “You should never be too busy for fun.”
Man, he was sexy. Summer’s mind blanked as she gazed at him. In the muted light, his smooth, tan head shone. She’d never known how sexy a bald man could be until Gage. She had the urge to run her fingers over his scalp. His five o’clock shadow only added to his dark, masculine appeal. If she were bold like Tory, she’d reach out and stroke his firm jaw. Too bad she wasn’t. He was so damn good-looking, and she really wanted to touch him. All over. For hours.
“Summer?”
“Oh, yes, I think you’re exactly right,” she breathed out. Lordy, even when she’d married Seth she hadn’t been this excited. That thought gave her a momentary pang of guilt. Thinking of Seth and looking at Gage, she knew it was way past time for her to move on with her life. She’d been stagnant too long.
Seth would have never wanted her to pine away for him forever, living in the past and shoving the future further and further beyond her reach. He’d want her to move on, get through the grieving and get to the living.
With just a hint of an ornery smile playing at the corners of Gage’s lips, Summer had a feeling he was the sort of man who lived life to its fullest. Even his profession was exciting. A private eye. Scandal and intrigue. Action and danger. Yep, definitely more exciting than running a B&B. What would it be like to make love to the roguish man? He was like a juicy steak sitting on the edge of the table, and she was the puppy dying to sink her teeth into the scrumptious feast. So close. All she had to do was reach out and she’d have him in her voracious mouth.
“Hey, Summer, care to share?”
“Share?”
“You looked pretty far off there for a second.”
She waved his words away. “It doesn’t matter. Tell me, what made you choose Cape May for your vacation?”
He picked up his fork and started back on his pan-seared cod. “My aunt made it sound pretty appealing.” The fork stopped halfway to his mouth. His lips curved upward as he said, “So far, she was right on the money.”
She took a sip of her diet cola. “You talk a lot about her. Are you close to her?” When she realized he’d stopped eating, she knew she’d said something wrong. “What did I say?”
“You don’t know what happened to my parents?”
Her heart clenched at the obvious pain in his voice. “No, I’m sorry.”
“They were killed at a carryout. Some guy high on acid came in and demanded money from the clerk. The clerk gave him what he wanted, but the asshole was so far gone he started shooting. Later he told the police he’d been trying to kill the snakes. Hallucinations. Mom was shot in the chest. She died instantly. Dad was shot three times. He died on the way to the hospital. The clerk took a bullet in the arm. He survived.”
“Gage…I’m so sorry.”
He nodded. “It was years ago. I’d just graduated from college when it happened. Aunt Bev sort of stepped in an
d took over where mom left off. She’s been pretty great.”
“I’m glad you had her.”
“Me too. Anyway, that’s the reason I became a private investigator. I wanted to help people.”
Summer understood loss all too well. She also knew words were useless. She reached across the table and placed her hand over his. When he turned his palm up and twined his fingers with hers, the air around them changed, heated. Her comforting gesture had quickly morphed into something much more, much deeper.
Trying to act nonchalant, Summer slipped her hand from his and inquired, “So, how long have you been a PI?”
“I hung out my shingle five years ago. It was tough going at first, but now I can be choosy.”
“Do you enjoy the work?”
“I can set my own hours. I don’t have a boss breathing down my neck. The money is good. All in all, not too bad. Every job has its drawbacks, though.”
Just then the waiter came over and asked if they wanted dessert. She was about to refuse, but Gage spoke up before she could get the words out.
“What do you have in the way of chocolate?”
“Our chocolate pie is pretty popular.”
“Send us a big slice.”
“Us?”
He pushed his plate away. “I’m not eating it all by myself. You’re helping.”
Her stomach loved the idea, but her hips not so much. “Uh-uh, I can’t afford the calories.”
His gaze traveled to her chest and back up again. “A few bites of pie won’t hurt. Trust me.”
She laughed and caved. “Who am I to refuse chocolate?”
He winked. “That’s the spirit.”
As they drove home, Gage had to grip the steering wheel to keep his hands from reaching toward Summer. Damn, it’d been hell watching her eat the chocolate pie. The little sounds of satisfaction she made after each bite had his mind going straight to the gutter.
He took his eyes off the road long enough to see her stroking the smooth leather seat with a fingertip. Hell, Gage wanted that finger on the head of his dick. She wiggled as if attempting to get more comfortable. The movement caused her pretty breasts to jiggle beneath her beige tank top. To keep from drooling, Gage focused on the road again. When he spotted her house, he pulled into the driveway and killed the engine, then turned toward her. “We’re home.”
“Yes, we are,” she whispered.
His gaze roamed over her possessively before he leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. “Like satin. I bet you’re like that all over, aren’t you, sweetheart?”
“M-maybe you should find out for yourself.”
Could he be hearing her right? “Summer?”
“I should be playing hard to get, I know, but I want you, Gage.”
“I want you too.”
She eyed his crotch and smiled. “I sort of gathered.”
He stroked her hair, enjoying the soft strands beneath his fingers. “You go to a man’s head, sweetheart.”
“I’m glad.”
He cupped her cheek and murmured, “You’re sure?”
“Very.”
Hell, yeah.
Chapter Four
Gage leaned toward her, and Summer’s heart sped up. When his lips were mere inches from hers, he murmured, “I want you. I’ve been telling myself all evening to give you a sweet kiss at your door, to leave you alone. All I can think about right now is getting inside you.”
It was now or never, Summer decided. “Kiss me, Gage, then we’ll see what happens.”
“Mmm, your wish is my command.” His lips covered hers, and Summer melted.
He was so tender and warm as he coasted his tongue over her lips. She sighed and parted for him. Taking his time, Gage slipped inside and tasted her as if he had forever. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in deeper, suddenly edgy for everything. A groan rumbled from deep inside his chest. She became aware of his warm palm against her bare flesh beneath her tank, inching upward until the caress of his thumb over her silk-covered breast had her body vibrating with need. Summer whimpered, and Gage lifted his head, his gaze zeroing in on the center console.
As they both caught their breath, Gage recovered first. “I think we’ve gone as far as we can in this car.”
Embarrassed over her hedonistic reaction to a simple kiss, Summer straightened away and smoothed down her tank with shaky fingers. “I think you’re right.”
His strong hand cupped her chin and coaxed her gaze back to his. “Second thoughts?”
Summer wanted to feel alive, to feel like a woman again. Experiencing something besides fear over her future and sadness over lost dreams wasn’t something she would pass up. “No second thoughts.”
Gage leaned over and branded her lips with his possessive heat. Just as quickly, he was out of the car and coming around to her side. Summer’s nerves vibrated. Energy pulsed through her veins. Within minutes, they were cocooned in the privacy of his suite. Her anxiety over not having had sex for the past two years welled up and threatened to consume her.
But Gage had no reservations, not if the need in his eyes and the upward tilt of his lips were any indication. He locked the door and moved toward her. As he came to stand only inches away, he murmured, “Don’t be afraid, baby.”
Hearing his deep, masculine voice, so calm and relaxed, caused her own daring confidence to surface. “I’m not afraid. Well, maybe I’m a little afraid,” Summer confirmed as she stared up at him.
He closed the space between them and took her into the warm, solid comfort of his arms. “I thought as much, but you don’t have to be. Not with me. I’m going to make you feel so damn hot.” He brushed his lips over the top of her head. The gentleness of his bare touch stirred her clear to her toes.
Summer pushed out of his arms, gripped the hem of her tank and yanked it over her head. She dropped it to the floor. Her bra went next. She left her shorts on and stood perfectly still, resisting the urge to cringe and cover herself while his dark gaze roamed greedily over her torso.
“Damn.” Gage couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. She was perfect. She was his dream woman and then some. Her breasts were large, firm, round pillows of creamy flesh. Christ Almighty, he could get lost for a decade playing with Summer’s bountiful swells. He ached to taste her rosy-tipped nipples. Lick and bite and suck until his heart’s content.
His hand reached out of its own volition and stroked over one turgid peak. She shivered, and he was lost. He stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her lower back and drew her up against his chest, pressing and flattening her pretty tits against his T-shirt, driving himself crazy with the feel of her. As he took possession of her mouth, Gage lost all sense of calm at the sweet flavor of her lips.
He drank in her moan of excitement and licked at her full lower lip. He’d thought about tasting her everywhere. Imagined it from the moment he’d laid eyes on the tempting beauty. Now she was here, in his arms, clutching at him with eager abandonment.
Slow the fuck down. She was trusting him with something special. Something she hadn’t given another man in two long years. The thought gave him a possessive kind of pleasure. He wouldn’t disappoint her. He would stroke and play, satisfy her every which way he could think to satisfy a woman. Knowing just how snug she’d be when he entered her the first time made his cock swell painfully.
“Open for me, baby,” Gage groaned against her mouth. She did as he commanded. He took advantage, slipping into the wet warmth, tasting and swirling his tongue over and around hers, sipping at her with a kind of crazy fever that went beyond anything he’d ever felt. When she whimpered and drew her arms around his neck Gage felt the last thread on his control snap.
Keeping his lips firmly against hers, Gage bent and hooked his arm behind her knees. Lifting her into his arms, he cradled her nude upper body close. He wanted her completely bare. He wanted to see all of her, from head to toe, so he could work his tongue over her, inch by slow delectable inch.
As Gage laid h
er out on the quilt and broke the kiss, he snagged her gaze. The warm whiskey shade had changed once again. Now they were dark, almost the shade of milk chocolate, and he could easily drown in their unruly depths. His jaw locked against the need to rip her shorts and panties down her legs and take her. Hard. Fast. To hell with being gentle.
He smoothed his palm over his shaven head and made one last attempt to take it slow, to make it good for Summer. As he watched, she licked her lips and shifted restlessly on the bed. The taut peaks of her nipples begged to be nibbled on. Her long, dark hair, the stuff of fantasies, spread out all around her, tucked beneath and partially covering at the same time. Gage loved looking at her, but he was going to enjoy touching her even more.
He grasped at the edges of his shirt and pulled it off. Then he moved to the waistband of his jeans, thrilled at the eager way Summer stared in wide-eyed readiness at his fly.
Before he gave in to her silent pleas, he softly demanded, “Take off your shorts. Real slow. Make me beg for it.”
Summer slipped a single finger beneath either side of her beige drawstring shorts and tugged. She wiggled, and the shorts slithered downward, baring a pair of yellow cotton bikini panties with black polka dots all over them. Yum. When she had the shorts down around her ankles, she kicked her foot outward and they fell to the floor.
Gage’s muscles tightened as he stood frozen, staring. “Christ, Summer, you’re so fucking sexy. I’m dying just looking at you.”
“Now you, Gage.” Her words feathered over him, bringing him out of his hypnotic stupor. “Let me see you.”
He shook his head, denying her request. “Those panties are cute as hell, but I want them gone. Let me see that pretty pussy, baby.”
Her chest rose and fell with her rapid breaths. The telltale sign proved to him that Summer liked his game. She was nervous, but turned on. Watching her capitulate to his orders drove his desire up another notch.
She pushed her slender fingers beneath the elastic of her panties and inched them down and off her long, shapely legs. His first glimpse of Summer’s thatch of dark brown curls, glistening with her arousal, would be etched in his soul forever. “Tasty,” he whispered. “A pretty treat.”
