She switched on the MP3 player on the nightstand. The hot rock made her want to dance and she laughed with pleasure when the beads and fringe jiggled madly with every bump and grind, just like her braless breasts did.
Knees bent, rear jutting out behind her and eyes closed, she gyrated to the music. A wolf-whistle from the doorway startled her and she opened her eyes. Nick’s laughter outweighed her momentary confusion.
He leaned against the doorjamb, taking in her impromptu show. “Don’t stop now. You were just getting warmed up.”
She twirled the parasol over her shoulder, shading her sultry gaze with her lashes. “You’ll have to wait for the matinee.”
He grinned, his gaze wandering up from her bare feet to the top of her head. “That dress is you, baby. Sexy as hell.”
She looked over her shoulder at him and rubbed the material covering her hips. “Glad you approve.” She knew entering into suggestive banter with him might be crazy. “What offering did you bring me from town?” Don’t do it. Change the tone now. Get mad at him before he gets you on your back.
“Sweets, fine enough for a goddess.” He walked over to her, and leaned against her shoulder to sniff her neck. “Nothing that smells good as you.”
“Now, now. You’re probably just hungry.” She skirted around his lean frame and sauntered out the door.
He followed, brushing his hand over the beaded shoulder of her dress. She glanced back over her shoulder at him and smiled to see him imitating her hip gyrating walk. She chose to play with him instead of trading insults. This would be their last time alone and she wanted to make it the best memory she could.
She flounced her shoulder and laughed. “You’re not putting enough swing in your butt, Nick.”
He laughed and put his arms about her waist. "I'd rather watch your swing, baby." He kissed her neck and hugged her tight. "Hungry? Check out the great fattening junk I brought back for you." He let her go feed her addiction to snooping into things. He smiled wryly, waiting for her to finish poking around in the bags and baskets he had loaded onto the table. "Why don't I get the canoe out of the garage?"
She shook her head and scowled a little. "Are you nuts? I haven't forgotten the infected chigger bites in my belly button from our last roll in the woods."
"Okay." Nick's grin delivered an open dare. He held his hands up in a defensive gesture while ogling her bare legs. "I'll carry you to the river and even set your fine rear in the canoe. Your feet will not touch the ground."
Her gaze settled on the strong column of his neck and the spot she loved to lick. She couldn't even sound hesitant when she answered.
"Since you're being so thoughtful, I agree to go for a float on your royal barge."
He rubbed his hands over the cool material of her sleeve and winked at her, whistling when he went out the door. Little ripples of excitement welled in her stomach and she shivered. What would he be doing later when she finished with him? Swear he was dying a happy man if she could keep up with him?
Five minutes later, he stood on the patio, waving his arms and pointing toward the river. He must have taken that damned canoe down to the river while she had been asleep, cock-sure she would give in. Oh well, too late to be standoffish now. He knew her too well. He even had the balls to whistle for her like she was a cheap date.
"I have to change my clothes." She smiled and waited for him to grouse over the delay.
"You don't need to change, Shel. That get-up’s perfect."
"If you say so." The dress might be ruined, but she didn’t want to change. "Give me ten minutes."
"Shel. Now. That barge won't wait forever.” He teased her. “The tides turning on us." He stalked into the kitchen and grabbed her hand. "Come on, baby."
"Okay. In a second." She broke away from his grasp to hurry around and fill a brown paper bag with several peaches, nectarines and grapes. A handful of cherries had been thrown in for good measure. Bottled water completed her bag of treats and she took his hand. "Get my parasol."
Nick handed her the frivolous looking item and took her hand, leading her out onto the patio. "Lady, you're going to enjoy this."
She shivered when he lifted her up into his arms and started down the shady pathway to the river.
"What the hell's in that bag?"
"My lunch."
"I notice you didn't say our lunch."
"Today I'm royalty. I worry about no one but me." She laughed at his playful growl in her ear. He purposely jostled her the last few steps to the sandbar where the canoe waited. He let her down slowly, gazing at her all the while she slid over his hard belly and thighs. He touched her cheek and played with her earlobe before gesturing in a courtly fashion.
"Your conveyance, madam."
"Nick. How elegant." Could she help it if plain old love for the man turned her into a hand puppet?
He held the small craft steady while she climbed in and settled down against the pillows he had piled at one end of the canoe.
"Lay back, your highness." Nick paddled away from the quiet sandbar and looked back at her. "You will be still, won't you?"
“Quiet as a mouse.” The devil seemed to take up residence in her body when he continued to gaze at her. She parted her legs wide enough for him to see Canada before she plopped them on the seat next to him.
His smile said everything. He wanted her and was thinking about getting in her bed. She smiled secretively and lolled her head back, laughing softly. Movement at the helm of the canoe made her sit up and take notice. Nick pulled his shirt over his head and ignoring her while she licked her lips. She thought the situation damned ironic, the best day of her life in months and it was to be her last. Well, it wasn't over yet.
While he worked his shoulders and cast out over the water, she mentally licked the golden olive flesh of his strong back. She worked her way over his lean rib cage and hard pecs. She imagined her teeth toying with them and she smiled when he rubbed his chest. He sat so near she could have touched him. Her tongue knew the texture of his skin, the way it tasted, the scent of it. Six foot three of more sexual pleasure than one woman had a right to enjoy. But, she always wanted to let him add more to his repertoire of excitement and driving passion.
She drew the parasol down to conceal her grin in case he turned around. If she had become pregnant, one more night of ecstasy would do no harm. In fact, she needed it so badly she ached.
The idea she would never share joy or intimacy with Nick, ever again took her breath. The thought of such terrible loss struck in a wave painful as grief. The awful emptiness in her soul stilled the beat of her heart.
The true warmth of her life sat in the bow of her barge, beckoning her to feast on his wonderful beauty. The only desirable place to be was in Nick’s world and she didn’t want to miss a second of it.
Her gaze touched his strong jaw with a kiss. She grew quiet, listening to the soft splash of the oars, lounging much as Cleopatra must have, trailing her fingers in the cool water. She knew the weight of being under siege and not even Cleopatra could have withstood the agony.
The source of her misery looked absolutely native, leanly muscled, with a trim waist and skin bronzed from his heritage and the sun. While his long fingers worked the rod and reel, her plan cemented. Nick the savage would be hers.
She jumped in her guilty pleasure of ogling him, and veiled her thoughts with the parasol lace when he turned to look at her.
“Shel, you’re having dirty thoughts, aren’t you?”
“I don’t deny it. Must be the company.”
His smile went straight to the pale gold triangle of curls in the fork of her legs. “So, what’s the remedy for your nasty girl thoughts?”
“Best worry about your own dirty secrets, Mister Fisherman.”
He clamped his fingers around her ankle and gazed intently at her. “You know every secret I’ve ever had. Do I know all of yours?”
What was he hinting at now? Oh, hell. The plans again. She threw a cherry at him and harr
umphed. “No, you do not. Do you really want to know all my secrets?”
He ran his palm up her calf and squeezed firmly. “I don’t think so. It might hurt.”
With a calm she didn’t feel, Shelby lifted her foot to press it against his warm chest. “Good boy.” She let him hold her foot in his wide hand. “By the way. What kind of little boy were you, Nick?”
“Mean. Very mean.” He stroked the bottom of her foot. “Why are you so damned gorgeous? Must be that hot dress.”
She held down the squirm of desire that worked its way up her leg directly to her crotch. She smiled in her most coquettish way. “You noticed.”
“Yeah. I also noticed that you’re not wearing anything but skin underneath that dress.” His brows raised a fraction.
Her heart thundered like a storm while she slowly pulled her foot from the protection of his broad hand.
“We’re not discussing me. So, you became a devil early in life?”
“Born with a pitch fork in my fist. I probably got more ass warming’s in a week than you had in your entire life.”
“Remarkable.”
“Yeah. Remarkable.” He traced her kneecap with his finger. “And I can only guess you had to be mean as hell.”
“Heavens no. I was the model of decorum until my thirteenth birthday.” She laughed and shook her head. “Poor Dad.”
“Um-hmm. I knew it. Badass and started early.”
Her gaze kissed his firm mouth that smiled at her. “I still am.”
“I know.” He turned back to his fishing, tossing a second warning back over his shoulder. “Stop squirming around or you’ll tip this tub.”
“Yes, sir.” She quieted for as long as she could stand it before spotting a wild grape vine hanging overhead. “Oh, got to have those,” she mumbled and stood up.
The canoe tilted to the left, then the right. Nick shot her a look of warning, then reached for her.
“Christ’s sake, Shel. Sit down.”
He stared in mute fascination while she ignored him to yank on a bunch of grapes that dangled above her head, just out of her reach. She tried to steady herself, but only succeeded in capsizing the canoe.
Her shrill scream echoed up and down the river before she plunged backwards into the water. She surfaced, sputtering and laughing. Her eyes widened with dismay when she spotted Nick sitting on his rear, neck deep in water.
He got to his feet and grinned at her before running after his fishing gear. When it floated out of sight, he turned his attention on her. She smiled sweetly at him and wrung water from her sodden braid. “It’s just as well. I’ll bet they’re sour.”
He stood looking at her for several minutes before lifting his hands in a show of defeat. “Okay. Fishing is out and your barge is in the deep six.” He slogged toward her wearing a wicked grin. “You’ll just have to entertain me.”
Chapter 11
“Now, Nick. You can’t be serious. Remember the float trip people that caught us last year?" She lifted the hem of her dress. “I really should be ticked at you."
He stood within arm’s reach, looking her over like a hungry tiger eyeing a prime piece of steak. He smiled, the color of his eyes like blue fire and the teasing glint had flared in raw passion in their depths. Oh God, whatever he desired, she wanted him to hurry.
He moved swift as lightning, lifting her from the water and plastering himself against her. She lost her footing and clung to him, moving closer to straddle his leg. She moved against him, not caring if a cruise ship might float by. To hell with the world. She neared climax just straining against his hard thigh.
He crushed her to his hard body, covering her mouth in a demanding, deep, sexually charged kiss. She lost her footing again on the moss-covered stones. His arms drew her back against him and his mouth scorched her lips with its searching kiss. She trembled with excitement while his hand slipped under the dress and lifted it to her waist. She made a sound that swirled eerily around them when he slipped his finger inside her, tantalizing her to the brink insanity. She moved against his hand while he stroked her gently, separating her to ignite the nub in the golden nest. She pushed against his hand to take in every volt of the hot fire traveling from his hand to her pulsing flesh. Her body sagged against him when a liquid pain of hot flame licked at her crotch, daring her to chase it to the edge of a fiery explosion.
Had that been her that cried out? She trembled uncontrollably while he kissed her into a rapidly approaching dead faint. Pleasure deep and wild coursed through her until she believed her heart had stopped beating. He kissed her, lifting her up and running through the shallows and along the gravel bar.
“Nick.” She gasped when he tossed her over his shoulder and sprinted over the sandbar and up the path toward the cottage. “Nick.” Branches smacked her rump as he ran through the deep musky smelling undergrowth of small dogwood and laurel trees. “Nick.”
He skirted the corner of the house and dashed across the patio before he answered her. “Don’t talk.”
She heard the slam of the screen door after they rushed into the house. He slid her down from his shoulder to hold her against his chest. He breathed hard and shook his head while looking into her eyes.
“Don’t talk. You’ll stop this sure as hell.” He groaned and licked her mouth, nipping her lips. “Please don’t talk.”
She laughed and caught his face in her hands. “I have to go pee.”
“What?” He groaned with frustration. “Why didn’t you pee in the woods like everyone else?” He wore a pained expression.
“I’ll be back in three minutes, but....”
Pressing his fingers to her lips, he whispered a plea. “Please shut up.” He let her go, but with a firm statement. “Five seconds."
His gaze torched her blood with its dark intensity.
“I’m hurrying, darling.” She hurried down the hall to the bathroom. For a moment, guilt consumed her. Could she be wrong to use trickery on her beloved? Or was she just incredibly in need and in love? “Doesn’t matter,” she mumbled. “I love him and he doesn't need to know anything else right now.”
The contents of her purse had been strewn over the vanity. Patch bandages lay scattered over the floor. She pressed one of the patches to her stomach before hurrying through the bathroom door and into Nick’s arms.
"What took you so long?" Her question echoed the smoldering warmth of her gaze. "I've wanted you so much," he groaned against her mouth.
His voice, dark and smooth melted her heart like sweet hot chocolate and put a tremble in her legs. She gasped in delight as he brought his hips to hers, pressing her to the wall, taking her breath with his kiss.
Her arms clung to his neck, bringing his mouth down to hers. She licked his lips and whispered into his mouth. "Don't think you're going to stop anytime soon."
He dragged the dress off her shoulders and pulled her back into his arms before the wet finery even hit the floor.
His mouth slid from hers. "I stripped you naked to have hours of rock-hard sex and repeated climaxes with you."
She laughed softly before releasing the buttons of his soggy Levi's. They slid off his hips to fall onto the floor. Her gaze fixed on his erection that hugged tight against his belly, wide and thick.
"What's the hold up?"
“You are,” he said through clenched teeth. The glint in his eyes underscored his words. "It’s been weeks and I've been hard all that time. No way I'm going to hurry starting or stopping."
It must have been the isolation that made them cling to each other so fiercely. They were free from prying eyes, no one to see the wildness of their kisses and passionate caresses. No shame or thought of tomorrow while his tongue swept the soft interior of her mouth and lips.
She gave herself over to his powerful urges, letting him walk her backwards to the bedroom and not caring that she did a free fall onto the bed with him following her down to the mattress. She was anxious for him to be inside her, but Nick played with her like a cat with a mous
e. She moaned in pleasure and the agony of wanting to realize the hot explosion, but he imprisoned her in his embrace, holding her with a new and urgent strength.
He tasted her, probing deep inside, bringing her closer to the brink of ecstasy only to let her slide back into the trembling pool of desire.
Nick, her beloved, holding her, adoring her with all his almost savage tenderness.
When had he said she had become his life and desire? Never had making love been so feverish and desperate between them. His arms held her like steel bands and molded her to his hard body. The kisses he plied her with, endless, almost punishing in their depth and pursuit of pleasure. Sharing the very life in their bodies, they seemed to be caught in a wonderful, sensual storm of emotion.
He filled her with his fingers and stroked her into mindless euphoria countless times before sliding down to lick and tease her pulsing folds, promising her a delicious explosion of joy.
He took possession of her senses while his tongue dipped into her hot pussy. A furious need to come told her to scream as the pressure of climax neared, crying out for him to finish her.
He parted her legs to claim his place between her quivering thighs, taking her quickly with his hard thrusts to bring her to climax repeatedly until they collapsed in drained exhaustion.
He pulled her onto his heaving chest and released the braid in her hair. “You’re too damned sweet, Shel. Too beautiful and too damn sexy.”
Her answer came with a sigh and a firm grip on his half-hard sex. “I’m not through yet. I need it again.”
He eyed her with rejuvenated interest. “You want to play Little Red Riding Hood?” He rolled onto his side and pulled her snugly to his engorged member. “You want to be Little Red or Grandma?”
Sliding her hand over his hip, she massaged his rear, and laughed softly. “You’re out of your mind, Nick. I only play if I can be the wolf.”
Hot For Nick Page 11
