by Karen Foley
“Where are we going?”
He cast her one meaningful look over his shoulder. “To my room.”
Her eyes widened in surprise for an instant, before she gave him a smile filled with anticipation. “Lead on.”
As they stepped outside, Jack noticed that the temperature had dropped, and the sun had completely vanished. The path to the cottage was cast in deep shadows, and he hadn’t thought to leave a light on in the small house. He glanced down at Maggie, taking in her bare arms and high-heeled sandals. The path was uneven, and it wouldn’t take much for her to stumble.
“Here, let me help you,” he said, and swept her into his arms once more.
Maggie laughed, a low, sexy sound that sent Jack’s blood surging through his veins. “This is getting to be a habit with you,” she teased.
“I hope so,” he said, pressing a kiss to her neck. Inside the cottage, he didn’t pause, but strode through the dark living room to the bedroom, which overlooked the water. Pale moonlight spilled in through the French doors that opened onto the deck, casting the room in silvery shadows. He set Maggie on her feet next to the bed. She was shivering, so he grabbed a soft, woolen throw from the foot of the bed, and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“You’re cold.”
In answer, she stepped closer to him and slid her arms around his waist. “You can warm me.”
Jack’s pulse kicked up a notch. In the indistinct light, her face was a pale oval, her eyes enormous and dark. Reaching out, he tugged the elastic from her ponytail and threaded his fingers through her hair, loosening it around her face.
“I like your hair,” he murmured. “You should wear it down all the time.”
Maggie gave a self-conscious laugh. “It pretty much refuses to stay put, so it’s more practical to just pull it back.”
“I prefer it like this.”
“I think that makes you the first.” With a small shrug, she let the blanket fall from her shoulders to pool on the floor around her feet. “I’m not cold anymore.”
Jack slid his hands to her shoulders, and then down her bare arms. Her skin still felt cool beneath his fingers. Despite her claim of not being chilled, she shivered beneath his touch.
“Come here,” he said, and gathered her close, sliding his hands through her hair to cradle her head and tip her face up for his kiss. Her lips were warm, and as he deepened the kiss, she made a small sound of approval. Her mouth was hot and slick, and if he thought he’d be the one doing the kissing, he was wrong.
Without breaking the kiss, Maggie turned him until the back of his legs bumped against the edge of the bed. When she gave him a slight push, he complied and sat down on the edge of the mattress. Maggie broke away, her breathing fast and shallow, and Jack watched as she hitched her dress up over her thighs and straddled his legs, looping her arms around his neck and planting moist kisses along his jaw.
“This is where I want you,” she whispered into his ear, and then caught his earlobe between her teeth, before soothing the sensitive area with a soft lick of her tongue.
Jack groaned. The weight of her on his thighs was an exquisite torture, and it took all his restraint not to turn her onto her back and fit himself into the soft cradle of her hips. Instead, he let her take the lead. She captured his mouth, fusing her lips over his and stroking her tongue against his. She squirmed on his lap, and Jack cupped her rear, squeezing her pliant flesh and encouraging her to move closer. He ached to slide his hands beneath the hem of her dress and explore her more fully. He had a raging hard-on, and the restriction of his jeans was making it damned uncomfortable to sit upright.
As if sensing this, Maggie pushed against his shoulders, and he obediently lay back on the bed, dragging her down with him until she was sprawled, half-kneeling, over him. He thrust his hands into the thick waves of her hair, reveling in the cool, silken texture. He kissed her hard, tangling his tongue with hers, gratified when she settled over his hips and began moving against him.
He dragged his mouth from hers and sucked in a lungful of air, desperate to regain some equilibrium. Unfazed, Maggie stroked her lips along his throat, alternately biting and licking his flesh, even as her hands worked the remaining buttons on his shirt. She dragged the shirttail free from his jeans and pushed the shirt wide open, exposing him to her gaze. Rocking back on his hips, her hands on his taut stomach, she drank him in.
“Holy crap,” she breathed, and stroked a single finger along the groove that bisected his chest and abdomen. “It’s like you’re wearing one of those molded chest plates, with the sculpted muscles.”
Capturing her hand, Jack pressed it against his skin, directly over his heart. “This is me, baby. I’m the real deal.”
Her eyes flew to his, uncertain, but Jack didn’t so much as crack a smile. He was dead serious. He’d been so determined to take this slow, but time was working against him. That, and Maggie’s unexpected sensuality. He hadn’t been prepared for her sexy offensive tonight, and there was no way he could resist her. But the last thing he wanted was for her to think he didn’t take this relationship—or whatever it was they had—seriously. At thirty-three years old, he was way past one-night stands.
He held his breath as Maggie tentatively explored his body, running her fingertips over the ridges of his taut stomach until they reached the waistband of his jeans.
“I want to see you,” she whispered. “All of you.”
Jack’s cock hardened even more at the implicit promise in her eyes. “Baby,” he said, his voice roughened by desire, “you can look, touch and taste to your heart’s content.”
Even in the dim light, he saw her swallow hard and then moisten her lips before her hands went to the buckle of his belt, slipping it free in a matter of seconds, before unfastening the button beneath. He watched as she drew the zipper down, her eyes riveted on the bulge beneath. When she parted the fabric to expose his boxers, he was so erect that the head of his penis protruded from the waistband.
“Oh,” she breathed, and stroked a fingertip over the tip.
Jack clenched his teeth at the exquisite sensation and bit back a groan of pleasure.
“Here,” she said, scooting back on his thighs until she could stand up. “Let’s take these off.”
Needing no further encouragement, Jack sat up and swiftly pulled off his shoes and socks, before shucking both his jeans and boxers, and finally, his shirt. He looked up to see Maggie’s gaze fastened on his penis, which was so rigid with arousal that he thought he might actually come apart at the seams. As much as he wanted to reach for her, he’d already decided to let her set the pace, so he lay back across the bed and bent his arms behind his head.
“I’m all yours,” he purred, half promise and half challenge.
He couldn’t wait to see how she responded.
7
MAGGIE JUST STARED at him. He was supremely male, from his bulging biceps, displayed to full advantage by his pose, to his muscular thighs and big feet, to the stiff erection that lay against his taut stomach. Even the dark tufts of hair beneath his arms were attractive to her. She wanted to sprawl across his body and rub herself all over him.
She liked that he had brought her here, to the cottage. In just the space of a few days, the place felt like his. She hadn’t seen much as he’d carried her into the bedroom, but his unmistakable scent lingered on the bedclothes, making her fully aware that she was in his domain. And she liked it.
She took her time looking at him, admiring his contours. There wasn’t anything about him that didn’t appeal to her, but the biggest turn-on was the expression in his eyes as he watched her. The heat she saw there was so intense that she felt an answering glow deep in her womb, accompanied by a rush of moisture to her center. Finally, she allowed her gaze to drift to his arousal, and her mouth watered at the sight of him. He was large, his skin dark an
d flushed against the paler skin of his abdomen. Her fingers itched to stroke him.
She could scarcely believe that she was going to have that part of him inside her. Deep inside her. Keeping her eyes on him, she reached beneath her dress and slowly drew her panties off, stepping out of them and kicking them away. She heard Jack’s sharply indrawn breath, saw his nostrils flare as if he were trying to catch her scent. She rarely took the initiative during sex, but there was something about Jack—about the way he looked at her—that made her feel almost primal. She wanted to do decadent things to him; she wanted to see him lose control. She wanted to take him, to mate with him. He made her feel feminine and powerful, and for tonight, at least, he was all hers.
“Come here,” he rasped, and his cock twitched against his stomach as if it, too, beckoned her closer.
Reaching behind her, Maggie found the zipper of the dress and dragged it slowly downward, letting the dress slide from her shoulders and gape away at the front. She was braless. Jack’s stare was fastened on her as she boldly let the garment slip downward until it caught on her hips. Her breasts felt full and tight, aching for his touch.
“Do you like what you see?” she asked softly.
“I do,” he muttered. “I’m barely holding it together here, babe. Get over here. Please.”
Satisfied that she had his full attention, Maggie turned her back to him and then bent forward to ease the fabric over her fanny, deliberately giving him a peep show of what was to come. Slowly, she unfastened the tiny buckles of her sandals and stepped out of them.
He groaned loudly, and then his big hands were on her hips, drawing her backward. He was sitting on the edge of the bed now, and he drew her between his thighs as he pressed his face to the center of her back, kissing her. The sensation of his whisker-roughened face against her skin was a total turn-on, and Maggie covered his hands with her own and pulled them around to her breasts. He obliged her by filling his hands with her. He cupped and kneaded her breasts, and then rolled her nipples between his fingers until they were stiff and aching. Her legs felt weak with pleasure and as if he knew, he drew her down until she was sitting on the edge of the bed between his splayed thighs. He pulled her back until she rested against his chest and he had unobstructed access to all her feminine assets.
His big hands roamed freely, exploring her breasts and rib cage, before dipping lower to caress her stomach and then her thighs. She could feel his erection pressing against her buttocks, hot and hard, and she let her head loll back against his shoulder.
“Your skin is so soft,” he muttered against her ear. His hands roamed over her thighs, and then gently spread them apart. “I wonder how you feel...here.” He cupped her intimately, and Maggie couldn’t prevent her swift hiss of pleasure. He didn’t try to explore her further, simply covered her with his hand and applied a gentle pressure as his free hand played with her breast, toying with the nipple. The sensation was so erotic that it took all of Maggie’s self-control not to push herself harder against his fingers.
“Oh, yeah,” he breathed. “You’re like hot silk down here.”
Maggie moaned softly. As incredible as it seemed, she could feel the beginnings of an orgasm, and he hadn’t even entered her, or touched her clitoris. Turning her face, she found him watching her through glittering eyes.
“Your mouth,” she managed to say. “I want your mouth.”
She thought she saw a gleam of male satisfaction in his eyes before he covered her lips with his, kissing her hard and deep, sweeping his tongue against hers until she whimpered softly in need and shifted restlessly against his hand.
“This is what you want,” he muttered against her mouth, and parted her with his fingers. “Oh, baby, you are so ready.”
He slid a finger along the seam of her sex, teasing her until she squirmed and sought his tongue with her own. He stroked one finger over her aching clitoris, and Maggie’s hips jerked in response. If he did it again, she’d come, she was that aroused.
Breaking the kiss, Jack surged to his feet in one movement, bringing Maggie with him. Dazed, she didn’t resist when he pushed her down onto the bed. “What...?”
“Shh,” he soothed, dropping to his knees. “You wanted my mouth, and you’re going to have it.”
He couldn’t mean—oh, God, he did. Raising herself on her elbows, Maggie watched, enthralled, as he pushed her legs open and skated his mouth along the inside of one thigh, alternately biting and kissing her skin. His hands smoothed over her skin until he reached the apex of her legs, caressing the sensitive area around her sex, but not actually touching where she needed him the most.
“Jack,” she begged hoarsely.
“Soon, baby,” he promised, but his attention was fixed on her. “You are so damned gorgeous down here.”
He dragged her toward him, until her rear was at the very edge of the mattress, and then he bent her legs back and draped them over his shoulders. Maggie knew she should feel awkward, but all she could feel was need, so deep and intense that she almost begged him to touch her. She needed him to touch her.
But the first touch of his fingers against her aroused flesh was almost more than she could bear, and her hips bucked in response. Jack put an arm across her abdomen to hold her still, and then stroked his fingers over her, swirling her wetness over her throbbing clitoris until her head fell back and she groaned loudly.
“That’s it, baby,” he crooned, and inserted a finger inside her.
Maggie gasped and pushed against his hand, wanting more of the exquisite sensation. But when he bent forward and put his mouth on her, she couldn’t prevent her hoarse cry of pleasure. His tongue was hot and slick, and he swirled it over her swollen flesh while he worked a second finger into her, thrusting them gently as he used his tongue to torture her. Maggie had never experienced anything like it in her entire life.
Lifting her head, she looked down the length of her body to find Jack watching her as he licked at her. The sight of his dark head between her pale thighs was too much. Pressure built and expanded, swirled through her until she knew she wasn’t going to last. As if on cue, Jack pulled away, fumbling with something on the floor before he rose to his feet over her. As Maggie watched, he stroked himself twice with his fist, and then rolled a condom over his length.
“I’m not letting you do this without me,” he growled. He hooked her legs over his arms, opening her wider, and positioned himself at her entrance. When he looked at her, Maggie saw his expression was taut. “Is this what you want?”
“No, it’s what I need,” Maggie panted, and reached for him. “Please, Jack.”
He surged forward, entering her in one smooth, powerful thrust that had Maggie crying out in pleasure. He stretched her, filled her, and completely overwhelmed her with his sheer masculinity. Releasing her legs, he braced his elbows on either side of her.
“Wrap your legs around me.” His voice was low and strained, and his arms trembled with effort. Maggie felt an intense satisfaction in knowing he was as affected by this as she was. Obediently, she raised her legs and hooked her ankles around his hips. The movement drove him deeper, and he bent his head to hers with a soft groan. “You are so freaking tight,” he muttered.
She hadn’t had sex in over a year, so that could be part of it, she supposed, although his size probably had more do with it. She shifted experimentally beneath him, liking the sensation of fullness.
“You feel so good,” she breathed, and pressed a kiss against his shoulder.
“You’re okay?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah,” she assured him, and punctuated her words by lifting her hips.
Jack groaned and turning his face, kissed her long and deep. “I’m so hard for you,” he rasped against her lips. “I want this to be good for you, but I’m not sure I can go slow....”
“I don’t want you to go slow,” Maggie replie
d, and realized it was the truth. She still throbbed from when he’d used his mouth on her, and she ached for release. “I’m so close....”
As if that was all he needed to hear, Jack began to move, pulling out and then slowly sinking back into her. Maggie gasped as her sensitized flesh accommodated him, loving the solid weight of him against her body and the ragged sound of his breathing against her neck. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling his muscles bunch beneath her fingers as he began to move faster, pumping into her with strong, sure strokes. For Maggie, nothing else existed except this man and the way he made her feel.
Raising himself on one hand, he watched her face as he pushed into her. His skin gleamed with exertion and his breathing was harsh, but he kept his movements measured.
“Hold on,” he growled softly, and grasping her bottom in his big hands, he reared upward until he knelt between her splayed thighs, holding her buttocks flush against his groin. Her legs dangled over his muscular thighs, and Maggie realized this new position gave them both an unobstructed view of where they were joined. Raising her head, she watched as he sank into her, and she clenched her inner muscles around him. The effect was immediate, as he groaned loudly and thrust into her again. The visual impact, combined with the physical sensation, was almost her undoing. He felt like hot steel inside her, and her flesh clamped greedily around him.
“Oh, my God,” Maggie breathed, feeling the beginning of a powerful orgasm.
“You’re so slick,” Jack said hoarsely. “And tight. I don’t think I can last.”
Releasing her with one hand, he put his fingers in his mouth and then reached down to stroke her. He swirled his thumb over her sensitized clitoris as he thrust into her, and Maggie bucked beneath him.
“Oh, oh,” she panted, as the first spasms wracked her body, fisting her around him. “I’m coming....”
“Ah, hell, I’m coming, too,” he said through gritted teeth, and pounded into her as wave after wave of release tore through her.
