by Diana Duncan
Suddenly, he went still. He broke the kiss and leaned into her. His sandpapered cheek brushed hers. “Kate.” His husky whisper feathered into her ear. “If you’re not up for this, tell me now. I can wait until you’re ready.”
“I’m way past ready, and nearly to begging,” she murmured. Her nerves jittered, and she tensed. But what about her traitorous body? She’d never been able to complete the act. Not even in her dreams.
“You think too much.” Liam planted both hands on the wall on either side of her head and pushed back. His smoldering green gaze burned into hers. “Sex is ten percent body and ninety percent brain. Relax, and let go.”
It shouldn’t surprise her anymore when he read her thoughts. “You mean it’s okay to lose my mind?”
“Gamble it all.” He grinned. “Go for broke.”
She swallowed hard. How to cast aside a lifetime of rigid control? “Easier said than done.”
He adjusted the showerhead, and water poured over them, sluicing the suds from their bodies. “Trust me.” He bent and tugged her nipple into his mouth. Desire curled around her, through her. Her nipple puckered beneath his silken strokes, and pleasure pooled heavy and hot in her lower belly.
He suckled her nipples, alternating mouth and hands until she was squirming between his hard body and the wall.
His hands stroked her back, and his clever mouth cruised her ribs, kissing and tasting every inch. His fingertips danced over her, and every nerve ending sizzled alive. He courted and seduced and loved her until logic was drunk with desire.
He went to his knees. His fingers kneaded her bottom as he nibbled her belly. Warm water poured over her outside, and liquid heat streamed inside. His tongue dipped into her navel. “Do something for me.” His black velvet murmur caressed her stomach.
Adrift in hazy passion, she panted for breath. “Anything.”
His broad shoulders eased her legs wide apart, and he licked the water droplets trailing down her thighs. Her heart somersaulted and butterfly wings fluttered inside her. She trembled with need, with longing. His big hands slid to her hips, held her in place, supported her. “Let go of the safety line.” His heated breath brushed her curls, and her body tightened in shivery anticipation.
“Fall for me, Kate.” Then his mouth covered her in the most intimate kiss of all. His velvet tongue swirled over her sensitized nub and delved inside.
Her inner muscles clenched at the sharp, erotic pleasure. Beneath the delicious onslaught of his mouth, she couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. Didn’t care. She tangled her fingers in his hair, clung to him.
His tongue teased and stroked, weaving dark magic and building sweet promises. Tension built higher. Desire coiled tighter. Aching need grew unbearable.
Her eyes winched closed. Her head tossed back and forth. Completion shimmered at the edge of consciousness. But the harder she tried to grasp the bright, sparkling colors, the more they eluded her frantic reach.
She froze. For breathtaking moments, she was caught, pinned to the wall, helpless and shaking. “I can’t!” Her hands fisted desperately in Liam’s hair.
His voice answered inside her head. Trust me enough to let go, my sweet Kate. I won’t let you down. I’ll catch you, I promise.
Kate jerked in a shuddering breath and opened her hands. Opened her heart. Opened her soul.
Her body relaxed, and Liam’s finger slid deep inside her. The slow glide hurtled heat into a burning flood, and passion burst free of her restraints. His swirling tongue pushed her over the edge of sanity…and the world exploded. Melted in a brilliant pool of colors. Wave after wave of achingly sweet release rocked through her, and she sobbed out her pleasure.
Losing her mind never felt so good.
A long time later, when she could hear and feel and think again, she opened her eyes. Liam was on his feet, holding her. His strong arms supported her boneless body, his cheek pressed to hers. He pulled away and grinned at her. “Welcome back.”
She hadn’t realized she was crying. Overjoyed, she dashed tears from her face. “I’m not frigid.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Laughing, he kissed the tip of her nose. “I told you, honey. You’re warm and vibrant and responsive.”
“Only with you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. Though her body hummed with pleasure, her heart needed more. “Make love to me, Liam,” she whispered shakily. “I want all of you. Now.”
He hesitated. Ground his teeth. Sighed. “I can’t.”
Without warning, the past ambushed her. A knife blade of pain and disgrace stabbed into her chest, and she flinched.
He cupped her face. “Do not even go there.” He brought her hand down to heated steel. “You know damned well how much I want you.” His voice gentled. “We don’t have protection.”
“Oh.” She thumped her head against the wall. “I’m a moron.”
He grinned again. “I love you anyway.”
She firmly shoved self-doubt outside and locked the door. The past was gone. Over. Liam was her future. And his naughty grin inspired all sorts of wicked ideas. “In that case…” Her fingers closed around his thick shaft. He was huge and hot and pulsing with need. “How about if I—”
A thundering knock rattled the front door. He swore. “Room service, with the worst timing in the universe.”
“Ignore it.” She stroked, felt him tremble.
The knock boomed again. He sucked in air through gritted teeth and gently disengaged. “You need food. Can’t have you passing out on me…you’ll require lots of energy later.” His smile brimming with mischief, he kissed her. Slinging a burgundy towel around his lean hips, he stalked out.
Kate snatched a few minutes to blow-dry her hair before donning the plush hotel robe. Then she hurried into the bedroom.
Wearing the towel, Liam lounged on the jacquard bedspread. A cart was parked beside the bed, with a giant snifter containing a decadent chocolate fudge sundae. Snowy mounds of whipped cream, sprinkles and chocolate-covered cherries topped the confection. The rich scent of coffee wafted from a silver pot sitting beside a dewy bottle of Dom Perignon on ice. Her stomach rumbled, and her cheeks heated.
Liam chuckled. “I see I made the right call.”
She rushed the cart. “We’ll eat fast.”
“Some things are better when they’re savored.” He smirked. “Nobody ever died from sexual frustration.”
She poured coffee. Alternating sips, she lifted a filigreed gold paper bag from beside the coffeepot. “What’s this?” She pulled out a large brown and gold box and opened it. She choked, spewed coffee. “You ordered condoms from room service?”
He shrugged. “They’ll bring you all kinds of fun stuff that’s not on the menu.”
She snorted. “No wonder you didn’t want to ignore the delivery.” Gold script on the side of the box caught her eye. “Chocolate condoms?” Her jaw dropped. “Twenty-five assorted chocolate flavors from raspberry to hazelnut. Holy crow.”
“They might last the day.”
“Um…exactly how frustrated are you?”
He arched a glossy brow. “Two-plus-year’s worth, honey.”
She gasped. “You haven’t been with anyone since…?”
“If I couldn’t have you, I didn’t want anybody.”
Her lips wobbled. “I’ll never again doubt you want me.”
“You’ll never have reason to.” Smiling, he patted the bed. “Come here. I’m starving.”
Leaning against the padded brown velvet headboard, they sat with the sundae propped between them. There was only one spoon, so Liam alternated between feeding her and himself.
They’d nearly finished when his hand jerked, dropping sundae into the vee of her robe. She jumped as the ice cream splashed the hollow of her throat. “That’s cold!”
“My bad.” His slow grin was wicked, and his eyes twinkled. “I’ll clean it up.”
Holding her gaze, he slowly, deliberately untied her belt and tossed it over the side of the b
ed. Desire shimmered inside her as, just as deliberately, he parted her robe and slid it down off one shoulder, then the other. He tossed it on the floor. His fingers roamed down her thigh, circled her knee, her calf, and then he snagged her ankle and tugged her prone. Fascinated, she propped herself on her elbows and watched him.
Still holding her gaze, he unfastened his towel and tossed it away. Naked, he prowled up her body like a big sleek jungle cat scenting prey. His gaze dropped to the ice cream and chocolate at her throat, and then wandered in a leisurely, arousing path down her body…and back. A sensual smile slid across his incredible mouth. “Mmm,” he growled. “Looks delicious.”
Need flared, hot and bright. She was still warm and ready from the shower. “Now,” she demanded, reaching for him.
He caught her hands. “I haven’t finished dessert.” He bent and licked the ice cream from her neck. After what had happened between them the first time, she expected fast and wild. Instead, he took his time, did a thorough job. She closed her eyes, flung her head back. The sensual tangle of cool, creamy ice cream and warm, silky tongue had her writhing in pleasure.
Something cold dribbled over her nipple. Her eyes flew open. Holding the spoon, Liam grinned at her. “Oops.”
Her giggle ended in breathless moans as he proceeded to anoint and taste her, inch by inch. She discovered that each individual toe was a spine-tingling erogenous zone.
The mouthwatering fragrance of chocolate floated in the warm summer air, hazed with sunshine and happiness. Arousal built from a slow simmer to an overpowering cascade of molten need. Liam showed her what her body was capable of when held in the right hands…and the right heart.
He protected them, then moved over her and wooed her mouth in a long, drugging kiss. She gloried in the rich taste of chocolate and the dark, heady essence that was his alone.
He tasted like paradise.
“Look at me, Kate,” he whispered against her lips.
Her eyelids drifted up, and their gazes locked. His knee grazed between her thighs, opened her. “Remember when I was trapped in the pool?” His low question was husked with passion.
“Yes,” she whispered back. “I’ll never forget.”
His blunt heat pressed against her. Into her. “When you breathed into my mouth, it felt like my very first breath.” He entered her in one long, smooth thrust. Filled her. Healed her. Made her whole. “Like I was reborn.”
Their bodies and souls joined in complete harmony, he went still, holding her close. Their breaths mingled. Their heartbeats danced the same primitive rhythm. Searing intimacy permanently sealed the bond that had formed and then been torn apart nearly three years ago.
The best of both of them merged into one perfect creation.
She caressed his familiar, beloved face. He was her missing half. The one man with whom she could be real. She never had to hesitate before sharing her feelings with him, good or bad. She no longer had to protect her emotions.
She stared into his loving green gaze and entrusted her heart to him, forever. He was her haven.
“My sweet Kate.” Liam began to move, and it was as natural and easy as breathing. Each long, exquisite stroke spiraled glittering pleasure through her.
Liam watched golden lights flare in Kate’s soft brown eyes. He was drowning in her taste, her scent, in the liquid heat of her body. And he treasured every second.
He’d waited a lifetime for her.
With every moment, every beat of his heart, he showed her how precious she was to him. His eager mouth sought hers again and again. She rocked her hips in a rhythm that pounded in his blood, a siren’s call that seduced his senses. He discovered the inner melody that belonged only to them, and spun out the pleasure, making it intense.
Her defenses were gone, her heart and mind fully open to him. He released his long-leashed desires, and possessed her. Claimed her. And received back far more than he took. Flickering flames exploded into an inferno, and their sensual ballet whirled into a fiery tango. As long as he lived, he’d never get enough of her.
She whimpered, close to the edge. He clenched his teeth. She arched beneath him, and his blood hammered in his ears. He wanted it to last forever, but the silky heat inside her ignited a consuming blaze in him. Every muscle in his body tightened and shook. Finally, he surrendered, and let the conflagration roar over him. He succumbed to the thundering crescendo and poured himself into her…and rejoiced in the moment when Kate cried out his name. When she trembled and clung to his shuddering body.
When she held his soul in her hands.
Shaking, he buried his face in her neck and wrapped his arms around her. She was his, and he would never let her go.
Liam unlocked the door to the suite. Kate had been asleep when he’d left. They’d laughed and talked and made love all afternoon and into the evening. The artist in her nourished the creative part of him that he’d never shared with anyone else. He grinned. His sensual artist had proven to be far more creative than he could have possibly dreamed.
He tucked the key card into his jeans pocket. He’d engaged in his fair share of sex. But he’d never felt the way he did with her. Each time was like the first. No other woman would ever trip his pulse. No other woman would ever weaken his knees. No other woman would ever hurtle adrenaline though his system with the same thrilling rush he got when he disarmed a bomb.
Just Kate…his very own personal incendiary device.
His grin softened into a tender smile. It wasn’t just physical. They shared a perfect union of body and spirit that filled every empty corner of his heart. She knew who he was, knew what he was all about…and loved him unconditionally.
She completed him on every level.
Phil Collins’s mellow voice beckoned him down the short hallway. Good thing he’d left a note saying he was going to visit Murphy and then had an errand to run.
He sauntered into the living room and stopped short. Kate was wearing one of his shirts and nothing else. The sleeves of the sapphire-blue dress shirt were rolled up, and her long shapely legs were bare. Her hair was piled haphazardly on top of her head, with wispy tendrils caressing her cheeks. His iPod blared music beside a bowl of gourmet chocolates on the coffee table. His body hardened. He was ruined for life. He’d never again get near chocolate without becoming violently aroused.
Kate hummed in a clear contralto as her left hand confidently stroked colorful swaths on a vivid canvas. The painting was a wild, exciting display of color and movement.
His heart stopped, and then bucked into a wild, joyous gallop. She was painting! “Who let Picasso into our room?”
She squeaked and whirled. “You’re back. How’s Murphy?”
“Better. The doc says he’ll make a full recovery.” He inclined his head. “Where’d you get the art supplies?”
She chuckled. “You’re not the only one who can wheedle fun stuff from room service.” Her eyes grew wide and uncertain. “I call it, Love with an Improper Stranger. What do you think?”
“Magnificent!” He grinned. “And the painting is great, too.” He moved beside her and studied the mind-blowing canvas. “You said you couldn’t paint with your left hand.”
“I spent my entire life being scared. And what did it get me?” She put down her brush and turned to him. Yellow paint decorated her nose, and green streaked her temple. “You unlocked my frozen prison and showed me it was safe to let my feelings out. You brought warmth and color back into my world.” She rested her hands on his chest. “I’m no longer afraid to try something new. Something risky and freeing and completely different from my renderings or black and whites.”
A lump jammed his throat. He didn’t think he could get any happier. He was wrong. He wrapped his arms around her. “Je t’adore, Just Kate.”
She smiled up at him, eyes sparkling. “Your love gave me the courage to soar to new heights.”
He could barely speak. “You humble me.” He kissed her, long and deep. “Put that masterpiece on display, pronto.�
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“I’m offering it at the auction as an example of Renée Alette’s brand new style, and I’ll accept consignments for future works. I’ll beg or borrow the rest of the money for Aubrey’s transplant from the artist community.”
“Zoe will be thrilled to drum up publicity.” He handed her a cashier’s check. “And this will help.”
She goggled. “Where did you get this kind of money?”
He shrugged. “Investments.”
“Liam Michael O’Rourke.” She frowned. “What have you done?”
“Aubrey needed money, I got money. No biggie.”
“No way you could reach a broker on such short notice. And on a cop’s salary, you—” She blanched. “You sold the Mustang.”
Hellfire. She was too smart not to catch on. He reluctantly confessed. “A high roller on the Strip gave me top dollar.”
“Oh, no! No!” She tried to return the check to him. “That car means the world to you.”
“I don’t need it anymore.” He set the check beside the chocolates. “Pop always had a spooky way of ‘knowing’ things. Maybe the car was his gift to us…for this exact purpose.”
Tears dewed her eyelashes. Her uncaged emotions now surfaced easily. He loved that she finally felt secure enough with him to express her true feelings. “I promise, Liam, I’ll make enough money with my paintings to buy it back.”
“It’s okay, honey. Pop’s not in the car.” He tapped his head. “He’s in here.” Tapped his chest. “And here.” He held her gaze. “As long as you’re beside me, I’ll be happy. I’m done wallowing in the past…and firmly focused on the future.”
Before she could protest any more, he swooped her up. He kissed away her tears and wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Those chocolates are making me ravenous!”
“Again?” She giggled. “We’d better call room service.”
