by Tawny Weber
What the hell?
“It must be so rough, being God’s gift to women.”
“Sure.” Knowing he was dancing on quicksand but clueless which way to turn to keep from sinking, Percy hauled out his best weapon. Rolling to his feet, he gave her a long, intense look as he stepped closer. Close enough to feel her swift inhalation. Close enough to see her pupils dilate and her lips tremble. Close enough to smell the warm sunshine of her hair.
“Babe, they don’t chase me because I disappoint them,” he teased, reaching out to lift one long, silken curl between his fingers, then lift it to his lips. “And for you, I’d be the gift that keeps on giving. And giving. And giving.”
Amused, Percy shared a teasing smile. Andrea didn’t smile back. “So what’s it like, having all those women chasing after you?”
Oooh. Irritated at himself for being so slow, Percy shook his head. She was jealous. She was so cute. He grinned, finally feeling hopeful.
“The chase is part of the fun,” he assured her. “But if you want to catch me, I promise not to run.”
If looks could kill, Percy was pretty sure he’d be dropping to the floor. He’d never felt as empty as he did when she stepped away from him. He hated to keep repeating himself, but what the hell?
Starting to get angry, Percy shoved his fists into his pockets. Arguing was no way into a woman’s bed, he knew. Or, in this case, into her heart, since he wanted a whole lot more from Andrea than another bout of wild sex. Although he was having serious doubts about why at this very moment.
“Please,” she said, crossing the room to glare out at the ocean. “You have no clue. You’ve never chased a woman in your life.”
“That’s bullshit,” he snapped. “I chased you, didn’t I?”
She spun from the window to shoot him a shocked stare, her eyes as round as her mouth. What?
“You did not.”
“Sure I did. I asked you out, not the other way around. I called you. Even when you never called me back, I still called.”
Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. She waved her hands in the air as if trying to find them, then finally shook her head.
“Twice. You called twice. Wow. What a chase. You must have worn yourself out. And that’s after canceling half of our dates because you had to work. Was it hard to make the call between the other women, or did you have your pretty blonde secretary dial for you?”
“Hey, it’s more than I’ve ever done before,” Percy muttered.
Hunching his shoulders, he frowned. He’d only had Jolene place a call once. And, what? He was supposed to stop dating? She’d left him. If she’d stuck around, he’d have stopped, sure. But…
Damn.
She was right. He thought of the lengths that some women went to in chasing him and winced. He’d gone on with his life, only calling her because he couldn’t get her out of his mind. But he hadn’t gone to see her. He hadn’t sent flowers. He hadn’t said a word about his burgeoning feelings.
Because, what? He’d been worried about his feelings getting dented? So instead he’d stomped all over hers and left her believing he was blowing her off to see other women. Was that why she’d left? Because he’d made her feel as if she wasn’t important?
Crossing the room, he was pleased that she didn’t run. Sure, she stiffened, clamping her arms over her chest like a shield. But the brow she arched was in question, not in disdain.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, leaning in slowly, his eyes locked on hers. Her lashes fluttered. Her breath hitched, warming his lips. And she still didn’t pull away. “I should have chased you. I should have let you know how much I wanted to see you again. To spend time with you.”
It was like watching a statue come back to life. The stiffness in her face faded, the chill melted from her eyes. Her lips trembled as they curved just a little. He could see the vulnerability now. Why hadn’t he seen it before?
Needing to reassure her and only knowing one way, he brushed his lips over hers. Soft. Sweet.
“Give me another chance.”
He could read the doubt in her eyes. See the remnants of the hurt he’d caused. A part of him, and not just the desperately hard part between his legs, wanted to push her. To entice her with kisses and distract her with the physical heat between them. If he did that, though, she’d run again. It had to be her choice.
He just wished she’d hurry up and make it.
She studied his face as if her life depended on it. Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, she finally heaved a deep sigh. His heart sank. Still, she didn’t say a word.
Instead, she reached out and twined her fingers through his. Her eyes still locked on him, she led the way across the room, back to the couch. But she didn’t sit. She lifted her arms, putting them around his neck so her fingers teased the hair at his nape. Then, on tiptoe, she pressed kisses, first to his throat, then his jaw, and finally—thank God—to his mouth.
Desire washed over Percy like a huge wave. Reveling in it, he took the kiss from sweet to intense with a thrust of his tongue. He was going to make this so damn good, she’d never be able to resist him again. And just to make sure, he didn’t plan to let her go this time.
* * *
AS THEY SANK ONTO THE COUCH, Andrea wondered when she’d gone crazy. First, in letting Percy know how hurt she’d been that he hadn’t put any effort into chasing her. What was wrong with her? Guys didn’t like clingy, needy women. The only way she could have come across any more clingy would be if she’d attached herself to him like a spider monkey.
And then, because she clearly hadn’t made enough mistakes already, what with kissing him every time his lips stood still and jumping at the chance to sleep with him in exchange for hero services, here she was. Throwing herself at him yet again.
Yep. She was crazy.
But as Percy’s lips moved over hers, as his mouth swept her away on a wave of passion, she couldn’t care.
Not didn’t care. She wanted to. She really did. Her pride, her secret-held dream of being so important to someone that he’d risk everything for her, those things demanded she care.
His mouth trailed soft, sweet kisses over her cheek to her ear. His teeth nibbled, his breath warmed.
She melted.
Nope, she sighed, letting her head fall back against the smooth leather of the couch. She just couldn’t care about anything but Percy and this wild feeling between them.
CHAPTER 8
SHE WAS DELICIOUS. EVEN BETTER than he remembered. And considering how hot the fantasies were that he’d been nurturing from their single night together, better was pretty damn amazing.
His tongue trailed over the slender length of her throat, pausing for a second to bury his face in the sweet silk of her hair.
A part of him, the cautious part that usually kept him from getting shot, warned that he was already in too deep. Once had damn near ruined his life because he hadn’t been able to stop obsessing over her. He’d spent three months fixated on her, fascinated with her glowing smile and clever wit. Sex, again, with Andrea might prove fatal to his heart.
But as her lips whispered over his, soft and sweet, he didn’t give a damn. He’d pay the price, whatever it was. For however long. He just had to have her.
Completely giving in, and determined to make it worthwhile, Percy shifted to pull her sideways onto his lap. He took her lips again, sweeping his tongue along the lush fullness of her lower lip. Her moan shot through him like liquid Viagra, making the pressure of her butt against his rock-hard erection even more erotic.
His body strained, desperate. More desperate than he’d admit to anyone but himself, since he’d had a dismal lack of interest in other women since his night with Andrea.
Needing more, he forced himself to shift her off his lap. Percy stood, wincing when
his dick protested painfully as he straightened.
“Why are you stopping?” she protested quietly, looking both innocent and beguiling as she stared up at him, her eyes filled with a need that made him feel about ten feet tall.
“I don’t want your naked body sticking to the leather,” he said with a wink. His mind racing with possibilities, he looked around and quickly found the answer. The faux-fur rug. He grabbed a handful of the dozen pillows neatly arranged along the fireplace and tossed them into the middle of the rug.
Hurrying back to Andrea, as if taking too long would give her time to change her mind, he scooped her up and carried her across the room.
“My hero,” she teased, twining her fingers through his hair and giving him a warm smile. Then her gaze shifted to the wide windows where the sunset sky glimmered with streaks of purple and orange light. “Um, maybe we should shut the curtains…?”
“Nobody’s out there,” he promised with a laugh, carefully dropping her into the center of the bed of pillows. “And I want to make love with you as day turns to night, to see your body glowing in the evening light.”
“But…” She winced, then gave him a look so nervous Percy wanted to scoop her up and promise her anything. “I’m a little shy about you seeing me naked.”
He started to laugh that away. He’d seen her unclothed already. He’d kissed every inch of her naked body. Then it hit him. It’d been dark in his apartment. He’d intended to turn on the lights, but they’d never gotten around to it. And she’d been gone before he awoke the next morning.
Calling on a sensitivity he hadn’t realized he had, desperately hoping it’d be enough, Percy took both her hands in his. He pressed gentle kisses over each knuckle. She sighed. He could feel the tension leave her body, bit by bit.
“I don’t have the words to tell you how beautiful I think you are. Not ones that would do you justice. I’m not good at talking about that kind of thing,” he admitted. “But you have to believe me when I say that I’m over-the-top crazy attracted to you, Andrea. To all of you. Your laughter and your wit. Your smile, your gorgeous face. And your body. I dream about your body.”
Andrea met his gaze with a wide-eyed stare. He could see the same fear in those brown depths that he was feeling in his own heart.
“I guess we’ll see how the dreams stack up to the reality,” she said softly. Then, as if to prove her point and blow his mind all at the same time, she reached down and, wriggling just a little to free the fabric from under her hips, she pulled the purple cotton dress over her head and tossed it away.
The air left his lungs. His head buzzed as he took in the sight of her sitting on the mound of pillows, naked except for a tiny pair of pink lacy panties. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was as dry as the Sahara. And his body just as hot.
“You’re incredible,” he whispered, finally finding his voice. “Absolute perfection.”
And she was. Andrea was, undoubtedly, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And for right now—and just right now—she was all his.
So he’d better make the most of her.
With that in mind, he tossed his clothes off as fast as he could. Straightening after kicking his jeans aside, he froze at the look on her face.
Awe. Her gaze ran over his body like a hot caress, leaving him flexing—everywhere—in response. Percy had never doubted his masculinity, nor his appeal to woman. But the look on Andrea’s face almost made him feel like a god.
And he was about to take them both to heaven.
“Protection?” she asked all of a sudden, halting his body’s swift descent. Damn. Percy straightened, looking around desperately to find his jeans. Grabbing them, he yanked out his wallet, digging inside to find a condom. Clichéd? Sure. But hey, clichés sometimes paid off.
Then, finally, he joined her. Unable to resist, he pulled her warm, silky body into his arms and held her against his. For a second, he buried his face in the curve of her neck and breathed in the floral spice of hair, letting the perfection of that moment wash over them.
Then he got down to the business of showing her how amazing he thought her body was. How beautiful she was.
His hands smoothed up her back, fingers tracing her spine as he brought her curves closer against the hard length of him. He pressed openmouthed kisses along her collarbone before slipping lower. With both hands, he cupped the gentle slope of her breasts, lifting them to his lips to taste.
Delicious.
His tongue laved her pebble-hard nipples. Her breath came faster now. Her fingers clenched his biceps, then slid down his waist. She scraped her nails gently down his hard, flat abs.
Then her fingers wrapped around the throbbing length of his aching dick.
Percy groaned.
His body throbbing threateningly, he knew he wasn’t going to last. He reached down, tracing the elastic band of Andrea’s panties. His finger slipped inside to test her readiness.
And found a hot, wet welcome. He slid one finger along the swollen bud, feeling her tremble as her breath shifted. Her thighs clenched, trapping his hand. He shifted, sliding one finger. Swirling, then sliding. She cried out, arching her body against him, her hand clenched in his hair.
Still feasting at her breasts, first one then the other, Percy pushed her panties down. Andrea kicked them away, then wrapped her calf around his leg, pressing herself into his thigh.
Not wanting to stop, but knowing he had to if he didn’t want to disappoint both of them, Percy’s mouth left her breast. As he swiftly sheathed himself, he took in the sight of her. Brown hair splayed around her like a soft blanket and eyes blurry with passion. Her breasts glistened while the thatch of curls between her thighs beckoned.
He angled his body over hers and slowly, deliciously slowly, eased into her.
For months, he’d been telling himself that sex with Andrea couldn’t possibly have been as incredible as he remembered. But as she arched her sleek, gorgeous body beneath his, her fingers digging into his shoulders and her breasts shivering with the power of her orgasm, he realized he’d been wrong.
Andrea was much, much better than he’d imagined.
She was his perfect woman, he admitted to himself.
Then, terrified by that thought, he gave in to his body’s desperate demand and plunged deeper into her wet heat, losing himself in the incredible delight of her and losing his heart in the process.
* * *
OHMYGOD, OHMYGOD, OHMYGOD.
Andrea mentally chanted in time with her panting as Percy took her on a sweet tour of heaven. Her body convulsed with yet another orgasm.
Her fingers dug into the hard planes of his hips as he plunged, each thrust pushing her closer and closer to something beyond a climax. Something she knew was there, just out of her reach. Beyond anything she’d ever felt before.
Then he shifted. He angled his head to take her nipple into his mouth. It was still wet and aching from the delight he’d already given it. She sighed with pleasure. His teeth grazed her flesh.
Stars exploded against the black velvet of her closed eyelids. She gave a throaty cry of pleasure as her body convulsed, clenching tightly around his dick as it plunged again. Once, twice, before he hesitated, stiffening.
Needing to see him, she forced her heavy lids open in time to see Percy throw his head back. His throat worked. The muscles of his shoulders and arms were rock hard as his hips pounded against hers one last time.
He growled, deep and low. She watched him go over, felt the contained explosion of his body in hers.
He was incredible.
He was amazing.
And for just this moment, he was hers.
Wrapping her legs around his hips, she pulled him tighter, grinding herself against him as if she could wring every last drop of pleasure from his body. He gave her a wicked smile,
as if to say, Really?
Then he reached between their bodies to flick his finger along her swollen—and she’d thought spent—bud.
And sent her over the edge once again.
Andrea didn’t know how long she lay there, her body still shaking with aftershocks. Percy’s arms held her close, both absorbing the delight and reminding her of who deserved credit for causing them. Her heart tumbled over itself as she acknowledged that they were just as amazing together as she remembered. He made her feel beautiful. Incredible. Adored.
And most of all, worthy of being adored. Worthy of incredible sex. Beautiful enough to entice, satisfy and keep a man as perfectly wonderful as Percy.
But soon, as the perspiration dried on her skin and goose bumps erupted everywhere she wasn’t pressed against Percy’s warm body, her mind started racing. Chasing away that contented feeling of empowerment and leaving behind the usual doubts and worries. The paranoid, negative, worrying part of her brain woke up screaming, What were you thinking!
She shifted, trying to sink her abundant curves with their extra padding into the pillows beneath her. Trying to hide, in case he glanced down and discovered she wasn’t a size five with perfect thighs and a flat washboard belly.
But he’d looked already.
He’d touched and tasted and worshipped his way over her body. In the light.
As if sensing her tumultuous inner argument, Percy’s hand smoothed soft circles over her hip. He pressed her closer to the growing evidence that he was pretty close to being up for yet another round of sunset seduction.
He wouldn’t do that if her body didn’t give him pleasure. So why was she freaking out about it so much?
Without that voice jabbering in her head, telling her she was unworthy, she didn’t quite know what to think. Should she reach down and see what she could do to speed things up? Did she get up and run away? Was she supposed to listen to her body and do it all over again a few dozen times?
It was completely up to her.
Talk about pressure.
With a deep, shuddering sigh, she decided to do the easiest thing. Listen to her heart, which was still racing from the intensity of that last wild orgasm.
