by Opal Carew
Damn, Grace walked along beside her. Now he wouldn’t get a chance to steal Kara away. The two women glanced his way, then Kara smiled. She leaned toward Grace and murmured something, then Grace smiled and nodded. The two approached him.
“Hello, J.M.” Grace said, smiling broadly.
“Hi,” Kara said, with almost a shy expression.
“Well, I’ll see you two later,” Grace said, then strolled away and disappeared into the retreating stream of people.
Before he had a chance to react, Kara laid her hand on his arm. Heat shimmered through him at her delicate touch.
“J.M., I was wondering if . . .” She smiled. “Um . . . could we go to your room . . . or mine. I . . . have something to ask you.”
He smiled, his heart thumping in his chest at the thought of having her all to himself.
“Of course.” He offered his arm and she linked her hand around his elbow.
Moments later, they stepped from the elevator and strolled down the hallway toward his room. Once inside, he closed the door and immediately turned to her and drew her into his arms. The brush of her lips under his sent his groin tightening and his heart pounding. He wanted her so badly. Even more, he wanted to convince her she loved him . . . just as much as he loved her.
She melted against him. He felt her need wash through his body, melding with his own.
Then it ebbed. Just a little, but the feel of it slipping away sent panic skittering through him.
She pressed her hand to his chest and drew back from the kiss.
He gazed down at her sweet face.
“J.M., I asked you here for a reason. I . . . need to learn a little more about Tantra. For my article.”
His heart froze. Here he held her in his arms, full of passion and desire, wanting to join with her in an intimate bond of love . . . and all she wanted to do was pick his brain? To use his expertise?
Damn it, had he really been wrong about her being his perfect woman? His soul mate?
He drew back, reining in his frustration and resentment, and walked across the room. He opened the bar fridge and pulled out two bottles of cranberry juice. He grabbed two glasses and set the lot on the table, then sat down.
“Fine. What do you want to know?”
For a few moments, Kara had almost forgotten why she’d suggested coming here. The heat of his hard body against hers . . . the potency of his masculine aura . . . drew on her passions like the tides to the moon. She wanted him to take her. Push inside her and drive her to ecstasy.
But she had to resist those urges. She had to find out . . . to understand why he had such a potent effect on her.
She sat down across from him and opened the nearest bottle, then poured the red juice into one of the glasses.
She glanced at him as he poured his juice, then took a sip. She sensed tension emanating from him. Leaning back in his chair, his long legs crossed, he seemed relaxed, and nothing showed in his expression, but . . . he didn’t smile. It occurred to her that he always seemed to be smiling at her. Sometimes it wasn’t obvious—just a light in his eyes—but now she felt an uncomfortable distance between them.
She felt a shiver rush across her skin. She missed the usual warmth of his smile.
“I . . . uh . . . When we spoke about Tantra during our interview, you told me about something called . . . an energy orgasm.”
He nodded.
“You said you could walk me through one if I was interested.”
A small grin crept across his face and it felt like the sun had come out from behind a cloud.
“And you’d like me to do that now?”
She simply nodded, too affected by his smile to utter a sound.
He glanced at his watch. “Do you need to be anywhere at a particular time because”—he gazed deeply into her eyes, setting her hormones into a spiraling dance—“this might take some time.”
Her eyes widened at the promise in his voice. His eyebrows arched up.
“No, I . . . don’t have anywhere else I need to be.”
His smile broadened. “Good. Then take off your clothes.”
Nineteen
A shiver ran through Kara.
“I thought you didn’t need to touch me.”
“I don’t, but you lying on the bed naked will . . . inspire me. You want me to be at my creative best, don’t you?”
“Um . . . of course.”
She stood up and removed her blazer, then hung it over the back of the chair. As she began to unfasten the buttons of her blouse, she became increasingly aware of J.M.’s gaze following her hands. As her blouse parted and her wispy lace bra became visible, she found herself feeling . . . shy. This made no sense. She’d been naked in front of him many times. They’d not only made love, he’d watched her making love to another man . . . actually several men.
But as the blouse glided from her shoulders and landed in a heap on the floor, followed by her skirt, she realized this was different. She unfastened first one stocking, and rolled it off her leg, then the other, then stood up and discarded the garter belt. She stood there in a skimpy bra and thong while he sat fully clothed, watching her.
Her nipples puckered, pressing against the sheer black lace. His gaze stroked over them and a spike of need jolted through her. Her vagina clenched at the sharp yearning.
She turned her back to him, needing to break the intensity between them, if only for a moment. She sucked in a deep breath. What was wrong with her?
He stood up and stepped toward her, then his fingers played along the back of her bra. Goose bumps danced along her skin at the delicate touch of his fingertips . . . then the bra released. She grasped it to her body with one arm, then slipped the straps from her shoulders, her back still toward him . . . which she suddenly realized left her backside naked to his view.
Good heavens, get ahold of yourself.
She slid the bra from her body and dropped it on the floor. She drew in a deep breath, then turned to face him again. He smiled as he openly gazed at her naked breasts, causing her nipples to pucker even more. She smiled, then quickly tucked her thumbs under the elastic of her thong and pushed it down and off, before she lost her nerve. She stepped out of the flimsy garment, then stood up.
The intensity of his gaze as it wandered her body sent heat to her cheeks.
He chuckled. “You’re not actually turning shy, are you?”
“Of course not.” She turned and walked toward the bed. “Now what?”
“Just stretch out and get comfortable.”
Comfortable? Not freakin’ likely.
But she sat on the bed and lay down, then folded her hands on her stomach, feeling very odd indeed. Like being naked on a psychiatrist’s couch.
“Bend your knees.”
She drew her feet toward her body, which pushed her knees upward.
“Okay, now draw in a deep breath,” he said.
She took a long breath in, filling her lungs, then slowly released it. He asked her to breathe deeply several more times, and she found her tension slipping away.
“Close your eyes and relax. Forget about me sitting here. I’m just a voice guiding you. Release any thoughts you may have. Completely empty your mind. Let your tensions seep away. Just listen to the sound of my voice.”
She pushed away the thoughts crowding through her head and allowed her limbs to go limp.
“Take a deep breath. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Inhale . . . then exhale. Think of the air traveling downward into your body, then circling upward as you exhale. Now the next breath . . . in . . . and out . . . Think of the air flowing in a constant circle through your body.
“Good. Now arch your lower back on the inhale, then flatten on the exhale. This will rock your pelvis up and down. At the same time, squeeze the muscles at the opening of your vagina when you exhale.”
She followed his instructions, drawing the air in a circle through her body, rocking her pelvis up and down . . . and squeezing. Within mom
ents, she felt an erotic flood of sensations.
“Squeezing like this stimulates the clitoris and G-spot while pumping energy through your entire body.”
Her clit felt . . . happy. She felt . . . needy.
“You might want to allow your knees to open and close like butterfly wings. Do what feels natural to you.”
She found her knees opening as she inhaled, closing as she exhaled.
“Allow yourself to be aware of the erotic feel of the contractions . . . of the sensual energy filling you with every breath.”
Heat built within her, filling her insides with yearning.
“Remember when I held my hand between your legs to show you how to direct energy into your base chakra?”
She nodded, remembering the intense sensations.
“Good. Now think of energy flowing from the earth into your body through your base chakra . . . flowing up to your sacral chakra, just below your navel . . . then circling back down . . . forming a circle of flowing energy. Heat is building . . . hotter and stronger.”
She felt the energy flowing through her lower body . . . heat building . . . a blaze of sensations . . . yearnings . . . needs.
“Now think of the energy moving higher . . . to your solar plexus . . . forming a circle between that and the sacral chakra.”
She felt external heat over her ribs and her eyelids flipped open. J.M. stood beside the bed, the flat of his palm hovering over her, just below her breasts. It felt like his fingertips lightly touched her skin, but his hand was a good six inches above her.
He smiled. “I just want to help you move the energy.”
She nodded and closed her eyes again, then concentrated on the energy flowing as he’d directed. Her knees continued to open and close with her breathing. The heat above her solar plexus intensified. She assumed that was because of J.M., but when she opened her eyes again, his hand was no longer over her.
“You’re doing fine. Now allow the energy to move higher . . . to the heart chakra . . . then circle back down through the solar plexus.”
She felt a rush of emotions flood through her and she felt as if she were going to cry. She stared at him, blinking back the unexplained tears.
His gaze turned somber. “It’s okay, Kara. This is a healing process, too. You’re probably hitting a block. Just keep breathing and allow old pain to be carried away with your breath, then released when you exhale. Breathe and release. Let go of the pain.”
She didn’t know what pain he meant, but the burst of emotions subsided, allowing her to feel the building sensations inside her. Excitement quivered through her.
“Now bring the energy up from your heart chakra to your throat chakra. Making sound will help the energy move higher.”
She made a small sound and he chuckled.
“Kara, just let go. Open your throat and let the sound flow.”
He positioned one hand over her chest and the other over her throat. Incredible heat whooshed through the two chakras and she moaned.
“Very good.”
Her eyelids fell closed and she moaned again. The arching of her pelvis increased. Intense waves of heat washed through her. It felt very much like . . . when she was close to an orgasm.
“Now to your third eye.” His lower hand moved above her forehead as though stepping up a ladder. “You’re doing very well, Kara.”
Although she was engrossed in the flood of heat filling her body, a small part of her wondered at the sight she must make, with her pelvis rocking up and down, her eyes closed, moans emanating from her throat. But J.M. was the most nonjudgmental person she’d ever met, so she let herself relax and continue.
“Now circle the energy from the throat to the third eye.”
She didn’t have to see it to know his hand had shifted over her forehead. As the energy moved higher, the yearning inside her increased. The waves intensified. She moaned louder.
“Now from the third eye to the crown.” His hand brushed the top of her head.
The fire burning inside her intensified. Flames blazed through her. White-hot pleasure filled her vagina and raged upward through her body, then burst out the top of her head. She moaned at the exquisite sensations. Every cell filled with complete bliss as she cried out, her fists clenched at her sides, her pelvis rocking.
“Beautiful, Kara. Keep riding the wave.”
At his words, the pleasure increased, carrying her higher and higher. Time became meaningless as the pleasure of her body expanded to fill her entire consciousness. Infinite. Forever. A heavenly state of ecstasy.
She felt transformed. Drawn into another plane of being. Suspended in a perfect and harmonious moment of bliss.
“Kara?”
Kara opened her eyes, a little disoriented. She’d lost track of time . . . even where she was. Now she felt the bed beneath her. Became conscious of J.M. standing over her. She felt totally . . . fulfilled.
Yet she wanted to feel J.M.’s touch. To join with him. To share this perfect state of being.
She opened her arms and he smiled. His clothes dropped from his body with a few quick movements, then he lowered himself onto her. His cock pressed against her vagina and she wrapped her legs around him, opening to him.
His hard cock pushed inside her, gliding deep. She moaned at the feel of him inside her. He captured her lips and kissed her deeply as he drew back and glided deep inside her again. She cupped his ass and pulled him tight into the cradle of her thighs. He thrust into her again and again and she moaned in pleasure. The energy flared again and she gasped, then wailed on his deep thrust. Pleasure burst from every cell as she clung to his shoulders.
“Yes, J.M. Yes!”
He groaned as he thrust into her again and again. As her orgasm blossomed to a higher level, she felt an intense connection with him, as though they’d become one being, filling the universe with their divine pleasure.
Finally, a sense of time and space returned and she lay snuggled in J.M.’s arms, aware only of the wonderful sense of peace surrounding them.
He rolled sideways, pulling her into a warm embrace. He nuzzled her ear, then stroked her hair.
“I love you, Kara.”
The moment he said the words, J.M. felt her tense up. Good God, how could the woman deny her feelings for him after that? Every time he made love to her, their connection became stronger. He knew she felt it. He was sure she loved him. Why did she keep denying it?
He propped his elbow under his head and stared down at her.
“Kara, maybe we should talk about this.”
She sighed deeply, then nodded. She stood up and retrieved her clothes, then pulled them on. He followed suit, not happy with the distance this put between them.
She sat in the easy chair and he sat on the edge of the bed.
“J.M., at the beginning of the week, you asked me to keep seeing you and explore the possibilities of a relationship between us.”
She gazed at him and what he saw in her sapphire eyes tugged at his heart.
“This week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. Things are moving way too fast. I feel totally off balance. I mean”—she gazed at him, her blue eyes imploring—“we’ve only known each other for a few days.”
J.M. leaned forward. “Don’t you see? That doesn’t matter. When you find your soul mate, it doesn’t take years to figure out that you belong together. You know right away.”
“But I didn’t even believe in soul mates a week ago. And now I’m not sure what I believe about anything.”
“Kara—”
She shook her head. “You’re so sure about us, but . . . I’m not. You want me to tell you I love you, but”—her hands rolled into fists—“I just can’t do that.”
J.M. stood up and walked toward her, then crouched in front of her. He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Kara, I think it’s just your fear holding you back. If you just allow yourself to—”
Kara stood up, pressing past him. “I’m sorry, J.M. I can’t lie to you and
tell you I feel something I don’t.”
She paced back and forth, clearly anxious to escape. His gut clenched as he realized he was losing her.
She gazed at him, her eyes shimmering. “I think I’d better go now. I . . .” She hesitated, then stammered, “Thank you for everything.”
His heart thundered in his chest as she walked toward the door, opened it, then silently walked out.
Kara stepped off the elevator, an image of the hurt in J.M.’s warm brown eyes too vivid in her mind. As she walked through the lobby, unsure what to do with herself, she spotted Quinn walking toward her. He looked so sexy in his well-cut charcoal suit, white shirt, and burgundy tie, errant strands of his light-brown hair falling across his forehead.
Quinn smiled when he saw her, his deep sea blue eyes twinkling. “Hey there. Where’s J.M.?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “I’m not sure what he’s planning for this evening.”
His eyebrow arched upward. “Really. Well, I was thinking of going out for a drink. Want to join me?”
The alternative was going to her room and being alone with her thoughts, spiraling in an endless cycle of guilt and confusion.
“That would be nice.”
“I was thinking of trying a little pub a few people told me about. I’ll have to go to my room and get my coat. Want to join me?”
“Sure.”
She wondered if Quinn would suggest they have a little intimate diversion before they went out, or invite her to stay the night afterward. If he did, would she say yes? It would certainly keep her distracted. But she couldn’t do that to J.M.
They rode the elevator up to the tenth floor. When she stepped into the hallway, she realized this was the same floor as J.M.’s. The conference organizers had arranged a block of rooms for attendees and those seemed to be concentrated on two floors. Hesitantly, she accompanied Quinn to the right, down the hall. Then they turned left, Quinn chatting all the way. She tensed as they walked down the corridor with J.M.’s room . . . held her breath as they passed J.M.’s room on the right . . . then continued four rooms down.
“Here we are.” Quinn slid his key card into the slot, but the light flashed red.
