I slapped his arm. “Goof.”
He chuckled, capturing my hand. “It’s true, Sandy. I see that when I look at you. I see life again.”
“Jordan,” I breathed out. “I think that is one of the most beautiful things anyone has ever said to me.”
“It’s the simple truth.”
Without thought, I wrapped my hand around his neck and pulled his face down to kiss him. He instantly wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in tight. I wasn’t a short woman or delicate, but Jordan was tall enough, at times I felt as if I were a piece of Dresden china being carefully cradled within his embrace. It was still an odd feeling, yet I found I liked it.
He released me, smiling. “Should I inquire about purchasing this?” He indicated the painting. “I’m sure I can find forty or fifty million kicking around somewhere.”
“Nice little souvenir,” I agreed. “But I don’t think they sell the paintings off the walls.”
“Pity.”
I slipped my arm through his. “Let’s go see more.”
Hours later, my feet were tired from walking, my mind full of all the beauty we’d seen. Outside, the sun was still shining, although the temperature had dropped a little as early evening set in. We waited for the car to arrive, our hands clasped together. “Thank you for today.”
Jordan tightened his grip on my fingers. “We can come back if you want. The membership is good for a year, and I can get us tickets to look at the exhibit again this weekend.” He lifted my hand to his mouth, kissing my knuckles. “Whatever you want to do this weekend, Sandy. It’s yours.”
“Dinner,” I stated. “I’m starving.”
He grinned, opening the car door as it came to a stop in front of us. “Our reservation is in two hours. I have some appetizers waiting at the hotel, and we can get dressed and go.”
He thought of everything. “Sounds perfect.”
* * *
I stepped out from the bedroom, feeling strangely nervous. Jordan turned from the window, and our eyes met across the room. He walked toward me, giving me a chance to take him in. Dressed in a silver-gray suit that clung to his shoulders and suited his coloring, he was handsome. His hair was brushed to gleaming, and his tie matched his green eyes. He stopped in front of me, lifting my hands and kissing them.
“You are beautiful.” He grinned widely. “And we match.”
I had to laugh. My green dress shot with strands of silver went perfectly with his suit, as if we had coordinated.
Jordan stepped back and twirled his finger. “Let me see.”
Feeling like a teenager, I turned in a circle, my full skirt curling around my knees. Jordan shook his head. “You are so sexy, Sandy. Elegant, beautiful, and so, so… sensual. It boggles my mind.”
My blush threatened. “Thank you.”
He crooked his arm. “May I take you to dinner?”
I slipped my arm through his. “Yes.”
* * *
A few hours later, I sat back with a groan. “I am so full.”
Jordan topped up our wine. “It was an amazing meal.”
“Amazing,” I agreed, then giggled. “So is this wine. I think I might be a little drunk.”
“I think we both are.”
The evening had been wonderful. The ambiance of the restaurant, Jordan’s company, our conversation—everything.
“You are the perfect date.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Perfect?”
I leaned forward, stroking my finger along his hand. He had strong hands. Large, capable of performing the most manual of tasks or touching me with the gentlest of caresses. “I can talk to you about anything. You never judge me.”
He cocked his head to the side. “I’m interested in anything you want to tell me, Sandy. I feel the same way about you. I enjoy our conversations.”
“You make me feel safe.”
He flipped his hand up and encased mine. “You are safe with me.”
“It’s been a long time since I felt that way.”
“I imagine so. I know the feeling of caring for an ill spouse. Nothing feels safe anymore. Nothing feels right. Your entire world is upside down, especially when you know they will be taken from you at some point and there’s nothing you can do.” He was quiet. “You offer me that safety as well, Sandy. I feel very peaceful with you.”
“Why did you put my bag in the master bedroom and yours in the other one?” I blurted out.
His smile was gentle. “I thought you’d like to soak in that huge tub. It didn’t matter to me what room I had, as long as you were happy. This weekend is all about you, my darling.”
His words, his thoughtfulness, his very closeness soaked into my soul.
I met his gaze directly. “What if what would make me happy was both of us in that room?”
There was a moment of silence. The pulse in his neck beat rapidly as he studied me. “Is that the wine talking?”
“No. It’s my heart.”
His grip on my hand tightened, and his eyes darkened. “Then I would signal for the check, and hurry back to the hotel to have you alone. In my arms.”
“Then pay the bill, Jordan.”
He signaled for the waiter.
We held hands in the car, Jordan’s thumb drawing restless circles on my skin. We didn’t attempt to make small talk or sit too close. Both of us were wavering on the sharp edge of desire, each caught up in our own thoughts and working through the varied emotions this moment was drawing out.
In the hotel room, we circled each other, unsure and on edge. Jordan held out his hand, then tugged me into his arms. “Let me sleep beside you tonight, Sandy. Just hold you. We don’t have to rush it.”
I nodded against his chest, unable to speak. I wanted more than to sleep beside him, but I didn’t know how to form the words.
He kissed the top of my head. “Go get ready, and I’ll join you.”
I changed into the pretty nightgown I had bought. Washed my face and brushed my teeth. I released my hair from its chignon and let it fall past my shoulders. I studied my image in the mirror. I was pale, my eyes bright in my face.
I stepped into the bedroom. Jordan swung around, whatever he was about to say dying on his lips. He stared at me, his eyes dark, his body tense. He was in a robe, his chest and legs bare. I felt myself flush, the heat building under my skin as I wondered if he was totally naked underneath.
“I turned down the bed,” he murmured.
I stepped forward, confused when he stepped back. He shook his head. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea.”
“Why?”
“Because you look so sexy and inviting in that pretty little nightgown. So sexy, in fact, I want to see it in a ball on the floor. I want to touch you, Sandy. Everywhere. Kiss you.” I watched, fascinated, as his hands curled into fists at his sides as if he was holding them in place. “I don’t think I can sleep beside you when what I really want to do is make love to you. I want to make you mine.”
His words were clipped, his voice low and gruff. His robe hung in long folds of terry cloth, but I saw the evidence of his desire. Heard the want and need in his voice. Felt the proof of his struggle in his tense stance.
I knew he was right. I didn’t want to sleep beside him either—at least not yet. Without thought, I lifted my arms and tugged the nightgown I was wearing over my head. I tossed it, watching as it landed in a shimmering pool of blue at his feet.
“Then come and take what you want, Jordan.”
* * *
Jordan
I was transfixed by the beauty in front of me. Sandy clothed was elegant, refined, and unknowingly sexy. It was in the tilt of her head, the sway of her hips as she walked, the undone buttons at her throat that hinted at the hidden skin.
Naked, she was a vision of wanton sex. Proud, her shoulders back, her full breasts round with dark pink aureole and hard-tipped nipples, she stood in front of me like a gift from heaven. My erection that had been growing steadily kicked up, a puls
ating need overtaking me I hadn’t felt for a long time.
Sandy watched me with hooded eyes. I knew how much nerve it had taken for her to make the first move. She awed me with her act of courage. Neither of us was seventeen with the blush of youth and the unblemished bodies of a teenager anymore. We both carried our life on our skin, within our hearts, and in the memories of the past.
Sandy’s body was lovely. Her skin glowed, taut and soft. There was a softness to her hips, a slight roundness to her stomach. Her breasts were high and sexy, the indent at her waist clear and defined.
And her legs. Her long, lovely legs I suddenly needed wrapped around me as we moved together. She had them crossed demurely in front of her, hiding her most personal of secrets, making me wait to discover all of her.
But I planned on that wait being a short one.
Our gazes held as I walked toward her. I ran my finger along her collarbone, back and forth, smiling as color flushed her skin and her breathing picked up. I trailed my hand down her arm, softly teasing the juncture of her elbow, ghosting it down her forearm, tracing it in circles on her palm, then back up. I heard her soft whimper as I circled her. Saw the shiver run through her body. I opened my robe and pressed myself against her as I drew her into the warmth of the material and my torso. She let her head fall against my chest and I pushed her heavy hair away, nuzzling her neck.
“You are beyond beautiful, my darling. I want you so badly, Sandy.”
She turned in my arms, making me groan. Our bodies meshed together, her suppleness melding against mine. Her breasts rubbed the coarse hairs on my chest, her hard nipples teasing my skin. She lifted her arms, wrapping them around my neck.
“My turn,” she whispered, pushing my robe from my shoulders. I helped her, shrugging off the white robe and letting it hit the floor. She drew a single finger over my chest, down my arm, mimicking my earlier actions. When she cupped my erection through my boxers, I dropped my head back with a long moan.
“Take me to bed, Jordan.”
I didn’t need to be asked twice. I lifted her into my arms, making her gasp then giggle as I carried her to the bed, placing her on the mattress. I followed her, my body pressing her down into the thick covering as I captured her mouth. We kissed endlessly. Long and hard. Soft and gentle. Exploring and discovering each other. Tasting and learning.
I couldn’t stop touching her everywhere with my hands and my mouth. I discovered the slope of her shoulder, the elegant length of her throat, the spot behind her ear that made her shiver. Her nipples were firm peaks as I tongued and sucked them, making her groan. Her hips fit perfectly in my hands.
She was ticklish behind her knees, her shapely calves strong and smooth under my touch. I ghosted my fingers up her thighs, laughing as she sat up, pushing me back and demanding her turn to explore.
It had been a long time since anyone had explored my body—and I enjoyed every second of it. Her tongue was talented and inquisitive as she traced it over my ribs, up my neck, and along my jaw. She used her sharp teeth to nip at my ears, tease the juncture where neck met shoulder, and nibbled at my chest. She tongued my nipples then slipped lower to my stomach.
“You are so defined,” she murmured against my skin. “So sexy, Jordan.”
“Aiden and Van keep me in shape.”
She sat back on my thighs, her eyes locked on mine as she traced over my aching erection. “Is this for me?”
I groaned as she slipped her hand inside my boxers and wrapped her fingers around me. “Yes,” I choked out.
She stroked me, her eyes glittering in the muted lighting of the room. “So hard, Jordan. So…big.” Her finger circled the crown. “I can’t wait to feel you inside me.”
Her words released something inside me. With a low growl, I had her under me, our mouths fused together. She yanked at my boxers, then used her feet to drag them down my legs, pushing them off impatiently. She opened her legs, and I settled into the cradle of her body, feeling the heat of her surround me. The blunt head of my cock rubbed against her, the slickness of her making me groan.
I pushed up on my elbows, meeting her eyes. “It’s been six years for me, Sandy.”
“It’s been almost four for me.” She sighed. “And it was very sparse before that. With Max’s age and his medical condition, our physical relationship was limited to cuddles a lot of the time.”
I nodded. It had been the same in the last stage of Anna’s illness. I knew Sandy had lived with Max’s deteriorating health and the large age gap for longer. We both understood what the other had experienced. I kissed her gently. “I know,” I assured her.
Her lips curled into a sexy smirk. “Is this our safety talk? I’m too old to get pregnant.”
I pushed back a strand of hair from her flushed cheek. She was gorgeous with her mussed hair spread on the pillow, her lips swollen from mine, and her skin warm and glowing. I had to smile at her teasing words. “I had a vasectomy years ago,” I told her. “I do have condoms if you feel better.”
She wrapped her legs around me, bringing me farther into her warmth. “No. Just you.”
With a groan, I lifted her hips and thrust forward. She opened for me like petals opening for the morning sun. I was surrounded, the heat of her scorching me in the best way possible. Inch by inch, I sank into her until we were flush. I stilled, the moment and its significance overwhelming.
I opened my eyes and met her hazel gaze. Her eyes were brimming with emotion. “You’re mine now, my darling.”
“Show me,” she whispered.
I began to move. Long, languid strokes, our bodies joining together in a rhythm as old as time. There was no screaming or thrashing. There was passion, a deep abiding connection we both felt. We kissed endlessly, murmuring words of adoration, promises whispered against slick skin as we rocked together, the pleasure so intense, I felt as if I would burn alive with it.
Sandy’s sounds were erotic. Low whimpers, pleading moans, my name sighed out in long breathless gasps. I moved and thrust, kissed every inch of her skin I could, clutched her to me as my body began to shake. She grasped my shoulders, drew her legs higher, moved with me as if we’d done this a hundred times before. She anchored me to her as I reached my pinnacle, shouting out her name, thrusting deeper, gripping her hips as I shook and begged.
“Come with me, Sandy. Please…please,” I pleaded.
She cried out, her hold tightening on my neck, her voice imploring and shaking. Long forgotten tendrils of ecstasy swirled around me, sending me to a place somewhere outside my body. We were slick with sweat, the room filled with our cries, nothing outside this moment mattering anymore. It was me claiming Sandy, and her cementing herself into my heart. My body now belonged to her, as well as my soul.
From now on, everything I had was hers.
I collapsed onto her body, my breathing loud and ragged. Sandy’s chest rose and fell rapidly, her arms holding me tightly. Carefully, I rolled, taking her with me, holding her close.
The room was quiet aside from our breathing. “Are you all right, my darling?”
She nuzzled my neck. “I’m good.”
“That was—” I swallowed, trying to find the right way to say it “—I have no words for how amazing that was.”
She laughed low in her throat. She tilted up her head, meeting my gaze. She looked beautiful—tired, sated, and well loved—but beautiful.
“It was,” she agreed, tracing a finger over my lips. “We were amazing.”
I kissed the tip of her finger. “This changes everything.”
She smiled. “You never mince words, do you, love?”
Her endearment touched something deep in my heart. I kissed her lovingly, nuzzling her lips. “Not when it comes to you, no. You mean too much to me.”
She snuggled closer. “I’m good with that.”
It was still too soon for declarations of love. Our actions showed it, and we both felt it, but the words would be spoken another time.
For now, she was in my
arms, and I had no plans on letting her go.
I was good with that.
Jordan
Waking up with Sandy beside me felt as if I were waking to a different world. The last four years, the start of each day contained a small piece of heartbreak when my eyes would open and I realized all over again I was alone.
This morning Sandy was with me. I could smell her light fragrance. Feel the softness of her hair tickle my chin.
There was no heartache, only a sense of rightness. And when I opened my eyes and met her sleepy hazel gaze, I smiled. Her answering smile warmed me. The feel of her body so closely entwined with mine woke other parts of me.
She lifted her head, reaching for me, and we came together. Affectionate kisses, murmured words of assurance, and long, slow movements as we joined, seeking each other’s mouths, tasting and exploring. The feel of us was still new and exciting. Heady and rich. The moments of discovery new and wonderful. Being cradled inside her, surrounded by her heat, was thrilling. Hearing her whisper my name in a long, breathless moan as I moved within her was a turn-on. She was passionate and giving. She liked to be talked to while we made love, her response to my voice pushing us both closer to the edge.
“You are so lovely,” I murmured. “So sexy.”
“Yes, Sandy, touch me like that. Just like that,” I encouraged.
“Say my name, my darling. Say it.”
“Come for me, please. I want to feel you,” I begged.
She lay in my arms in the aftermath, her heat soaking into my body, both of us at peace. I ran my fingertips up and down her arm, pressed endless kisses to her head. She stroked my chest, resting her hand against my neck as she sighed in contentment. It was intimate and right.
We were right.
Over breakfast, we mapped out our day. Sandy talked about all the places she wanted to go, and I scanned the various sites, scheduling around the boat cruise and our evening tour of Salem. Once our day was planned, I sat back and studied her. Sitting at the table, wrapped in a fluffy robe, with her hair gathered up in a knot, askew and messy, Sandy glowed. She was nibbling on a croissant, one leg tucked under her, without a trace of makeup on.
Vested Interest Box Set Books 4-7 Page 83
