“There,” he said, standing back up. He adjusted the screen in front of the flames. “As soon as the logs catch it’ll warm up in here even more. I usually keep the electric heat turned low because this heats the entire place really well.”
“I thought fireplaces suck heat out of buildings?”
“I’ve got a fan to push the warm air down,” he gestured to the high ceiling above the loft. “And the chimney is exposed brick and runs the height of the cabin. When it warms up, it radiates heat.”
She looked where he pointed and nodded. It made sense, but right now she was still cold.
“Let me get you something warm to drink,” he said, frowning at her wet feet.
She was going to argue that she didn’t need any more coddling, but it felt so good to just sit still and let someone else do the work for a change. She sighed and let herself sink down into the cushions even more.
Chapter Four
John set a cup of steaming chocolate at her elbow. Liselle struggled to sit up, wrapping her cold fingers around the mug. She must have dozed off. His cranky cat was nowhere to be found and John stood in front of her smiling. He’d changed into sweats and a thick, dark blue sweater. His feet were bare. She stared at him for a moment, mesmerized by his bright green eyes before coming to her senses. If you stare at him like that he’s going to think you’re an idiot, she admonished herself. She sniffed at the cup he’d handed her, then took a careful taste. She moaned as sweet, chocolately goodness burst over her tongue. Heaven.
“Oh my God, this is amazing,” she mumbled, sucking down more. She didn’t care if she burned her lips. The drink wasn’t helping her cold legs, but the heat warmed her insides a little.
John sat down near her toes and put a hand on her ankle. “You’re still freezing, wow. Here, take these off.” He began tugging at her wet socks.
Liselle choked, almost spilling her hot chocolate. “What are you doing?”
He had her socks off and was chafing her pale feet between his warm hands before she could stop him. His hands felt almost too hot against her cold flesh. She struggled, but he held her firmly, fingers massaging up the arch of her foot. Liselle let out an involuntary gasp at the sensation and stopped trying to get away. He didn’t seem disgusted by her damp skin. If he wanted to handle her clammy feet, she wasn’t going to argue with him. She thunked her now-empty mug onto the side table and closed her eyes, savoring the near pain of her feet coming back to life.
“This isn’t helping,” John said, startling her. He let go.
“What? Yes it is. Don’t stop,” she protested weakly, trying to sit up. It was impossible with her legs in his lap. Her knee brushed against his thigh and he froze, giving her an indecipherable look. She swallowed, worried she’d pissed him off, but he just smiled.
“Hang on.” He put her feet down and stood up, stripping off his sweater, which Liselle was totally not expecting. She stared. He wore a black t-shirt underneath. She’d never seen such a perfectly muscled chest up close like this. His biceps flexed and she itched to wrap her fingers around them, but then he bent over, snagging a blanket from a chest on the other side of the sofa, and she boggled at the perfection of his ass.
Holy crap, he’s gorgeous. She flushed, heat racing through her spine and she prayed he couldn’t tell she’d just been checking him out, but when he turned back around and draped the soft fleece over her, he seemed oblivious. She stared some more. The thin silver of a scar snaked down his right arm, just peeking out from under his shirt. When he moved closer she lost sight of it.
Must be from when he was injured, she thought fuzzily, still distracted by the sight of his spectacular ass.
“Lean forward.” He tapped her shoulders.
She stared at him, eyes drawn to the soft skin on the inside of his wrist. God, she was totally losing it.
“Your core temp is probably still too low. Lean forward so I can sit behind you.” He patiently tugged on her arms until she did as he asked. When he slid in behind her, she shivered violently as the warmth of his body hit the chill of her body.
“Oh my God, you’re so warm,” she said, trying not to lean back.
He chuckled. “Lean back on me before you break something.” He eased her down and she let herself slump against his chest. He put his long, strong legs around the outside of hers.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said, feeling like she was burning up and freezing at the same time. She could feel his perfect muscles all along her back and butt. She didn’t know where to put her arms. And was that his cock, or was she imagining things? She tried not to squirm.
“Shhh.” He tucked her feet under his and took her hands in his palms, running his fingers over hers. “You’re freezing. I should have done this first thing.”
She trembled as his voice rumbled in her ear. She wasn’t sure anymore if it was from cold, or from the unexpectedly pleasurable contact with a gorgeous man who wasn’t out to hurt her.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked again, fidgeting. She tried to ignore the way his chest felt against her back, but it was impossible. He was hard and warm and so very, very comfortable.
He sighed. “Okay, honestly? I feel like a jerk.”
She frowned, trying to crane her head around and see his face. “Why would you feel like that? You’ve been nothing but kind to me.”
He put a hand on her forehead and tucked her into his neck and she stopped trying to see his expression. He smelled like chocolate laced with a bit of smoke from the fireplace. God, he was warm. She swallowed, trying to calm down the arousal surging through her. Her squirming pressed the seam of her jeans against her pussy uncomfortably, but she wasn’t about to move now. John was not only the nicest man she’d ever met, he was also the most solidly built one, and here he was cuddling with her. Willingly. She didn’t have to bribe him with a blow-job or a home-cooked meal or anything. It was enough to make her question her sanity. Maybe I’m dreaming, she thought.
“My sisters didn’t tell me you were coming until I’d already arrived for dinner. I wasn’t really happy about it. I’m still pissed at your brother, even though he’s dead. I was afraid you’d be like him, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. So I feel like an asshole.” He sighed into her hair, his fingers idly stroking over the backs of her hands. “Then when you explained a little about what growing up had been like for you, I had to face up to the fact that my initial impression about you was completely wrong. And mostly due to my own sense of frustration.” He smoothed her hair down, tucking a strand behind her ear. “I’m sorry.”
She shifted, still trying to get her legs warm. Stupid wet jeans, she thought. “You shouldn’t apologize for feeling protective. I had no idea what to expect, either.” She shrugged, then froze as the movement pushed her ass into his groin. That was definitely his cock.
He sucked in a breath and moved his hand to her hip, holding her still. “Easy. We don’t want to damage anything here.” He sounded both amused and strained.
“Sorry, sorry,” she choked out, going rigid.
“Hey, calm down. No big deal,” he murmured.
His voice in her ear was not helping. She tried to relax and bit her lip, holding as still as she could, but she was still chilly. A violent shiver wracked her body. Her hips pushed into him, despite her best efforts. He grunted and she flushed hot with dismay as she tried again to stop moving.
“I can’t help it, I’m still really cold,” she muttered, hooking a hand over the back of the sofa to give herself something safe to hold onto. How the hell could she still be freezing when a beautiful, amazing, sweet man was holding her against his insanely hot body? She wished she could thump her head against something hard. Repeatedly. Until she had control of herself again.
“Hey, it’s okay. Relax,” he said, pulling her hand back down into the blanket. He laughed, dropping his face into the nape of her neck. “I’m the one who should be apologizing to you.”
“What? Why?” she asked,
biting her lip again. Maybe the pain would keep her from injuring the poor man.
“Uh, well, I’m just trying to warm you up and my body is giving me a hard time,” he said, voice taut with some unspoken emotion. “Because you’re really beautiful.”
She stopped breathing. He thought she was beautiful? “What—” She had to clear her throat and try again. “You think I’m pretty?”
She could almost hear him frown.
“You don’t think you are?” he murmured, tracing a finger over her cheek.
She shook her head. She was in her forties. Guys did not think women her age were pretty, particularly not when they were a bit plump and somewhat short. It was a rule, or something.
“That’s crazy. You are. You have gorgeous hair, so long and shiny it moves like water through my fingers.” He demonstrated, picking some up and letting it slide to her shoulder. “And your skin is pink when you’re warm and you smell like vanilla. And you’re soft and curvy in all the right places.”
She shivered again, trying really hard to believe she wasn’t hallucinating from hypothermia.
He continued. “But aside from all that, I can tell you’re beautiful inside, too, which is more important than all the stuff on the outside. I knew as soon as I saw you with Beth. Your face when she hugged you—” He broke off, voice thick.
Liselle couldn’t believe he was saying these things out loud. “Am I dreaming?”
He chuckled, tightening his arms around her for a moment. “No, of course not. But I must be insane, telling you those things when we barely know each other. I can’t seem to help myself.” He cupped her cheek, pressing the warmth of his hand into her face. She shivered a little, but not because she was cold anymore.
He cursed softly. “You’re still chilly. You need to get out of these wet pants and skirt.” He moved his hand to the waistband of her leggings. “Okay?”
Liselle was too stunned to say anything or explain that she wasn’t shivering from the cold anymore. Instead, like a ninny, she nodded her head. He popped the button and slid down the zipper of her skirt. She helped him shove it over her hips. He tossed it over the back of the sofa and hooked his thumbs under the waistband of her leggings.
“This okay?” he asked, voice husky.
She didn’t trust herself to speak. She nodded and lifted her hips, feeling clumsy and shell-shocked. Was this really happening?
His breath in her ear was hot as he eased the soft fabric down over her hips. The thin silk of her panties did nothing to hide the blazing warmth of his erection against her ass, but she wasn’t going to mention it if he wasn’t. For the first time in what felt like years she was warm. Gloriously warm and almost … content, except for the way her libido was yelling: hot guy here! Woo!
John shifted behind her, pulling her leggings out from under the blanket and tossing them to the floor. He settled the fleece over them again and smoothed his hands down her arms.
Liselle trembled, trying not to rub against the blazing heat burning into her backside. She wanted to … oh did she want to. She wanted to turn around and kiss him and take him into her arms and never let go, but she had to remember this man wasn’t for her. He was too nice. He had his whole life ahead of him and she was nothing but trouble.
Liselle sighed as he tucked his face into her hair again. He seemed to like doing that. She let herself savor the sensation, knowing she would soon be gone and he’d forget all about her. That’s how it usually worked. She’d had boyfriends before, more than one, but whenever the men she chose got too close to her, too serious, something happened. The last one tried to hit her after they’d been together for a year and she sure as hell wasn’t going to put up with that after what she’d been through with her father and brother.
One guy she’d dated when she was in her twenties had been promising: he’d seemed nice enough, but then her father had shown up, somehow hunting her down through two name changes and a cross-country move. As soon as the bastard had started waving his gun around and demanding money, her boyfriend had hightailed it out of there, leaving her to fend for herself. No, she thought. No more boyfriends. But maybe I can indulge myself with John, just for a little while. She very carefully didn’t think very hard about the possible consequences of what she wanted.
“Are you warming up now?” John asked, his voice low. Sexy. One of the logs in the fireplace crackled, sending sparks shooting across the bricks.
Liselle nodded, licking her lips as the heat from his breath wafted against her skin. He rolled his hips a little, pushing his erection into her ass.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” he murmured, shifting again. “I’m just a little stiff, sitting still like this.”
Did he just say that? “Uh—“ she began, then choked on a giggle.
“Oh God, I didn’t mean it that way,” he protested, chuckling. Then he moved again.
Liselle swore she could feel the ridge of his cockhead along her butt. She pressed a hand to his thigh, stilling him. The thin fabric of his sweatpants did nothing to disguise the muscles in his leg. He was in really, really good shape.
“Liselle?” he asked, sounding wary.
She slid her hand lower, until her fingers cupped the inside of his thigh. His breath caught and she could’ve sworn she felt his dick leap against her ass.
“What are you doing?” he whispered. The hand on her hair trembled.
“You’re so warm, and nice, and I just want to touch you for a little bit. Can I?” she asked, knowing she sounded stupid, but unable to stop. She was breathing heavier, nervous he would get angry or worse, laugh at her.
“God,” he breathed, sounding choked up. “Yeah, sure. Of course. Whatever you want.” He smoothed a finger down her jaw then cupped her shoulder.
She snuggled into his touch and let her hand move to the top of his thigh. His legs fell open and she slid down further into the couch. He was really putting out heat now and Liselle felt almost sweaty, too, but she didn’t want to move the blanket, didn’t want to break the moment. She was actually getting what she wanted, for once. His cock pulsed against her spine, hot and hard. She wondered what he’d taste like. Would he be sweet or musky?
“Jesus, Liselle. It’s not like I’m going to say no if that’s what you want,” he said, voice husky.
Oh crap. “Um, did I say that out loud?”
He laughed, kissing her neck. “Yeah. You did.”
She squirmed, embarrassed all over again, but didn’t stop. She ran her hand up his thigh until it couldn’t go any further, then slid it down between his legs. She felt his balls nudge against her thumb and turned her hand until she could cup them. He shuddered and slid a hand under her breasts, squeezing her ribs.
“If you keep that up, Liselle, it’s going to be all over in five minutes.”
She tipped her head back, enjoying the way he felt on her palm: warm, delicate, so very, very sexy. He kissed her cheek, lips trailing down her jaw. One of his hands eased up and over her breast, thumbing her nipple through her sweater and it was her turn to shudder.
“Let me kiss you,” he said.
She had to take a moment to work out what he wanted, already so aroused that her thoughts were tangling around each other. “Yeah, okay,” she managed finally, easing her hand out and turning. She knew her panties were wet and wondered if he would be able to tell.
He helped her, lifting her by the waist, and then she was sprawling over his lap, legs on either side of his hips. His cock slotted right up against her clit and she trembled as the heat of him penetrated her panties.
“God, John, are you sure?” She had to ask. She couldn’t promise him anything more than this, after all.
“I should be asking you that,” he murmured into her skin.
She leaned back, wanting to see his face. He looked back at her calmly, green eyes gone dark with arousal. When she smiled at him, he closed his eyes and moaned quietly.
“Do you have any idea how sexy you look?” he asked her, fingers rubbing her
hips right above the thin straps of her underwear. “Hair mussed, your blue eyes hot for me?”
She shook her head. “Guys don’t usually say things like that to me,” she said, thinking about the assholes she’d dated.
“Then they’re stupid,” he said, running a finger over her bottom lip. She licked him and nibbled on his knuckle. His free hand tightened on her waist, then relaxed. “Let’s get this off you, okay?” He tugged at the waist of her sweater and she let him pull it off. He groaned when her breasts spilled out, the tiny rhinestones in her bra throwing reflective sparks from the fire onto his face.
“Wow,” he breathed, hands sliding up to cup her. “Beautiful.” He grinned, fingers busy. “Curvy.”
She blushed, suddenly aware that she was nearly naked and he was still fully clothed. Though, to be fair, it’s not like I can’t feel every single inch of him, she thought as she moved her hips just the slightest bit. The crown of his shaft was lodged right up against her clit and every time she moved, it felt like fireworks going off in her pussy.
“God, Liselle, you’re killing me,” he said, crooking his fingers underneath the fabric of her bra. A nail flicked past her right nipple and she grabbed his arms, wanting more. He froze, the muscles on his forearms flexing beneath her palms.
“You like that?” he asked, flicking again. Her nipple perked up against his finger and she nodded, her face going hot.
Well, hotter, she thought, not really caring that he could see how aroused he’d made her. At least I’m not cold anymore.
“Yeah, okay” he murmured, sliding the bra down so that her breast popped free. “Gorgeous.” He ran his thumb over her, playing until her pussy ached.
She moaned, throwing her head back. Suddenly, the world spun and when everything settled again she was on her back with John crouched over her. Whoa. He was seriously strong. His hands went back to her breasts, but she tugged at his shirt.
Seducing Liselle Page 4
