For the First Time (One Strike Away #$)

by Mary J. Williams

  "Murphy?"

  "Hmm?"

  "You haven't kissed me."

  "Sure I have," he teased, knowing exactly what Jordyn wanted. "From your neck to the soles of your feet."

  "Only the back." Jordyn gasped when his teeth bit her little toe. "What about my front half?"

  "All you had to do was ask."

  Slowly, Murphy turned Jordyn onto her back. Some women were made to be naked. And the reason had nothing to do with the shape of their bodies. Thin or fat. Curvy or angular. They were comfortable with who they were—inside and out.

  Jordyn was one of those women. He could tell by the way she met his gaze. Full on. She stretched her arms over her head, baring all. The look in her eyes almost dared him to find fault with what she so generously was about to share.

  Jordyn didn't need approval. Not his. Not anybody's.

  "Thank you."

  Surprise flickered in her eyes.

  "I haven't done anything. Not yet."

  "You're here. With me." Murphy took Jordyn's hand, raising the palm to his lips. "Is there any place you'd rather be?"

  Jordyn shook her head.

  "Then, I'll repeat myself—for emphasis. Thank you, Jordyn."

  "You're welcome. I'll save the thank you for later. Though." Jordyn grinned, her eyes running over his face, down his bare chest. "Just looking at you makes me grateful."

  "Only grateful?" Murphy unbuttoned his jeans.

  "Keep undressing."

  "Like this?"

  He lowered the zipper—then his jeans. With excruciating care. Socks. Boxers. Until Murphy was as naked as Jordyn.

  Jordyn's chest expanded as she inhaled sharply. "Very, very grateful. With a fat, juicy cherry on top."

  "I have a can of whipped cream in the refrigerator if you want something to sit your cherry on."

  Jordyn laughed. And what a laugh. Low. Husky. The sound hit Murphy straight in the gut—before heading south.

  "Did I say I was grateful? I misspoke." She licked her lips, the air rushing from her lungs. "You are a very big man. All over. Thank you, Mother Nature."

  Murphy couldn't remember the last time he had so much fun. He would have sworn that where sex was concerned, he'd done everything the brain could imagine. But teasing, laughing foreplay? Jordyn had done the impossible. She'd introduced him to something new.

  Something he never would have guessed could be so effortlessly erotic.

  "What about me?" Murphy asked, moving toward her. "I work out. Swim. Run. Lift weights. Yoga is my religion."

  "Yoga? Really?"

  "Every other day. Without fail." Kneeling, Murphy touched her hip, running his hand down her firm, yet incredibly soft, leg. "Shouldn't I get some credit for the pleasure you get from looking at my body?"

  "You're a joy to behold, Murphy. I'll give you credit for taking care of the body you were blessed with. But I can go to a museum if all I want to do is look at a beautifully constructed man."

  "Cold marble," he said, dismissive of the idea.

  While Murphy's touch took a southern route, Jordyn's began at his waist, moving up. Her fingers traced the ridges of his flat, muscled stomach. Over his ribs. His pecs. His shoulder. Coming to a stop, she cupped his cheek.

  "Cold marble. Warm flesh. What's the difference?" Rising, Jordyn pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth. "Unless you know how to use the gifts you were given."

  "What can I do to prove my expertise?"

  Murphy knew the answer. Confident. Cocky. Positive he could deliver. However, he wanted specifics. Straight from Jordyn's beautiful mouth. Because once they began, if she could utter more than a few exclamatory words of pleasure, he wasn't as good as he thought.

  And—as Jordyn was about to find out—Murphy was very good indeed.

  Jordyn wouldn't be backed into a corner. Instead, she wound her arms around his neck.

  "Surprise me," she whispered.

  "Okay." Murphy slid his hand under Jordyn's silky hair as he pushed her gently to her back. Leaning over her, his lips a breath away from hers, he chuckled. "But are you sure you know what you're asking?"

  "Yes!" Jordyn cried out, trying in vain to tug him closer. "I want you, Murphy. Now! Show me what I don't know."

  A kiss. The perfect place to start. However, the second Murphy touched her mouth with his, all thoughts of teaching Jordyn anything flew from his head. She might not have his experience, but in every way that counted, she was his equal. One hundred percent.

  Protection. Murphy groaned. He'd been so caught up in one single kiss—the way Jordyn tasted as he ran his tongue over her sweet, welcoming lips—he almost forgot something he hadn't gone without since his first. Even as an overeager teenager, he remembered to use a condom.

  However, Jordyn. Her scent. Her touch. She could scramble his brains like no woman he'd ever met.

  Breathless, face flushed a lovely shade of pink, Jordyn clutched Murphy's arm, stopping him from leaving.

  "The pocket of my robe."

  "Can you read my mind?" Murphy asked—a bit bemused—when he found the box.

  "Right now? Yes." A concerned frown touched her brow. "I hope they'll fit."

  Murphy felt a flush spread across his own cheeks. A little pride, a little impatience. A mounting, uncontrollable need.

  "I'm not that big, Jordyn."

  "Big enough." Her eyes followed his every movement, the color flowing from dark to a bright, shiny emerald. "Just about right. I hope."

  "Don't worry. We'll fit. Perfectly."

  Murphy took Jordyn's mouth again, the intensity growing with each second. Her arms snaked around his waist, pulling her as close as two bodies could be.

  Warm and sexy. Soft and sweet. Yet, Jordyn wasn't content to lie back and let him lead the way. She let him know what she wanted. And—like him—she wanted everything.

  No holds barred.

  As Murphy settled between Jordyn's welcoming thighs, he smoothed back her hair. Slowly, he entered her. Eyes locked, the firelight let him catch, enjoy, revel, in every emotion as they flickered across her face.

  A gasp of wonder. A sigh of pleasure. Every sound urging Murphy on. Just this side of out of control. Wild. Abandoned. And finally, Jordyn's exuberant cry sent him rushing after her. Tumbling together in a never-ending free fall of release.

  The landing wasn't pretty, but oh so satisfying. They lay together, a gasping heap of sweaty, tangled limbs. Minutes—hours?—later, when he was finally able to move, Murphy pushed his hair out of his face, glancing at Jordyn.

  "You were right." She grinned from ear to ear. "We fit. Perfectly. I only have one question."

  Murphy turned onto his side, raising her hand to his lips. His grin matched hers as she snuggled close.

  "Ask away."

  "How soon can we do it again?"

  Part groan, part shout of laughter, Murphy rolled to his back, Jordyn blanketing his chest. He took her discarded robe, covering their rapidly cooling bodies.

  "Five minutes?" he asked.

  "Sounds good." Jordyn kissed the side of his neck. "By the time I finish, you should be ready for round two."

  "Finish what?"

  "Lie back and enjoy."

  Jordyn proceeded to make a meal of his body. A feast, she declared in between nibbled bites. With her help, Murphy was ready in less than his promised five minutes.

  To his amazement, Murphy was as blown away by the second time they came together as the first. Just as wild. Just as exciting. Just as intense. The more he touched Jordyn, the more he wanted. The more he wondered if he would ever get his fill.

  His hand resting on the small of her back, Murphy marveled at the woman and the passion she inspired in him. Sex had become a release. Enjoyable. Nice. He spent so much time alone, now and then he needed the brief connection with another human being.

  Sex with Jordyn was different. She touched something deep inside of him. When he looked into her eyes, f
elt her touch, tasted her skin, Murphy felt a stirring of something he'd lost and never dreamed he could feel again. Something that had died long before he buried himself by this lake, in these mountains.

  Passion stirred. A flicker of a long-dead fire. Not just in his body. But in his soul.

  "At this rate, we may run out of condoms," Jordyn gasped for air, once more sprawled across his chest.

  Murphy smiled, grateful Jordyn had pulled him from the deep thoughts he'd rather put aside for another time. Far, far in the future.

  "Don't worry. I have one or two stashed away."

  Lips curving, eyebrow raised, Jordyn lifted her head. Her gaze filled with a sexual challenge.

  "Is one or two the best you can do?"

  Lifting Jordyn with ease, Murphy tossed her onto the sofa. Before she could do more than let out a yelp of surprise, he covered her body with his.

  "One was great. Two? Fantastic. I'm more than up for number three—and beyond."

  CHAPTER SIX

  ● ≈ ● ≈ ●

  THE SOUND OF rain pounding on the window invaded Jordyn's sleep. Irritated by the disturbance, she kept her eyes closed, determined to get a few more minutes of much-needed rest.

  Murphy had taken her teasing as a challenge, intent on proving to her he had the stamina of three vigorously virile men. Because of their marathon sexcapades session, she was wonderfully, beautifully, deliriously exhausted. Happy to stay curled up in his bed, the warmth of his big body spooned around the back of hers.

  For wont of a better expression, Murphy had worshiped her. No, she admonished herself. Though she would never say the word aloud to him, she refused to diminish such an amazing experience—even in the privacy of her thoughts.

  Still tingling from head to toe, Jordyn hugged the memories tight. She would never call herself inexperienced. She embraced her sexuality and enjoyed the male/female dance.

  However, she'd never been with a man who put her first. A man who obviously enjoyed giving pleasure as much as taking. Over and over and over again.

  As if he could sense the direction of her thoughts, Murphy's hand caressed her hip. Even in his sleep, his touch was sensual.

  The sound of a tiny whimper had Jordyn looking over the side of the bed. Murphy had taken the puppy outside just before they dropped off to sleep. Apparently—if her dark, pleading eyes were any indication—she was ready for another trip.

  "Shh." Jordyn cautioned as she carefully slid from the bed.

  With one hand, Jordyn scooped up the puppy. She used the other to pluck one of Murphy's t-shirts from the dresser drawer.

  "He's earned his rest," she whispered, tiptoeing from the room. "And then some."

  Once in the hall, Jordyn pulled the shirt over her head. Down the stairs. Across the hardwood floor. She found her shoes by the door—right where she'd left them.

  "Sorry about the rain, baby girl," Jordyn said as they left the house. "But when nature calls, you can't let a little inclement weather stop you."

  Eager, the puppy wiggled out of Jordyn's arms the second she stepped off the porch, all four paws hitting the ground running.

  "Take your time. But don't go too far. I'll be here when you get back."

  Jordyn leaned against the porch rail, one eye on the puppy, while she watched the first sliver of light peek over the Cascades. The sun was faint through the heavy rain clouds, but the signs were undeniable. Even the chirping of newly awakened birds could be heard over the steady downpour of water.

  Another morning was about to break. And, as Jordyn thought of Murphy asleep inside the house, she couldn't help but wish for a few more hours of darkness. A little more time with the man she would never see again after today.

  A wave of unexpected sadness rushed over her. Jordyn knew such feelings were crazy—and completely out of character. She wasn't the type to sentimentalize relationships. Long or short. She easily moved on without regrets or backward glances. When she was done, she was done.

  You haven't met the right man. Jordyn could hear her mother's voice as clear as the drops of rain hitting the metal bed of Murphy's pickup truck. One day, according to Dorothy Kraig, when you fall in love, walking away will be impossible.

  Jordyn shook her head, rubbing her arms against the cold mountain air. She didn't love Murphy. Not even close. And she would walk away. Though she admitted to herself, she might give him a backward glance.

  Murphy was different than any man she'd met. She was intrigued by the slight air of mystery that swirled around him. A protective wall. One—despite her innate curiosity—she had no desire to break through.

  If they had met in Seattle? Would she feel differently? Jordyn shook off the notion as beyond ridiculous. True, Murphy obviously was educated. Well spoken. And he carried an unmistakable air of sophistication.

  However, for reasons of his own, he chose to live away from civilization. While Jordyn couldn't imagine a life away from the hustle, bustle, and excitement of the city.

  Two people. Opposites in so many ways. Yet, compatible in so many others.

  Damn, Murphy. Why couldn't he have turned out to be nothing but a sexy lunkhead? Why did he make her laugh? And make her think? And make her want things she couldn't identify?

  Because, the reasonable part of her answered. If Murphy were all looks and no substance, she wouldn't have gone to bed with him.

  Jordyn could always walk away from a pretty face—and a gorgeous body. Murphy was more. Much more. And part of her wished she had the time to find out what made him tick.

  Oh, well. Maybe in an alternate universe where Jordyn liked to churn her own butter and take long walks through the woods just because they were there. In this universe, she bought butter at the corner store, preferred to hike up and down paved sidewalks.

  Like every other day, the sun would rise. And Jordyn would leave. However, for the first time, she would carry a memory with her without a single regret. The memory of Murphy

  "As amazing as you look in my t-shirt—and nothing else—you aren't exactly dressed for forty-degree weather." Murphy draped a blanket over Jordyn's shoulders, his arms pulling her back until she was flush against his hard body.

  "The puppy needed to relieve herself."

  "So I see." Murphy's beard tickled her earlobe, his lips nuzzling her neck. "The girl peed on half the countryside the last time I let her out. Looks like she's determined to hit the other half."

  Jordyn shivered. She hadn't realized how cold she'd been. The blanket—and Murphy—rapidly warmed her.

  "Marking her territory."

  "Mm. Someone could still show up looking for her. But something tells me she's found a new home."

  Jordyn felt an odd sense of accomplishment. Though strictly by accident, she'd brought Murphy and the puppy together. And she was certain both would be better off.

  "You won't be sorry. Any thoughts on a name?"

  "I've had other things on my mind." He slid a hand under the blanket and over Jordyn's breast.

  "Not in front of the baby," she chided, laughing. But when Murphy brushed her nipple with his thumb, Jordyn let out a breathy sigh. "Where do you get the energy?"

  "Clean country living. And the perfect partner."

  "I'm flattered." Truly, she was.

  "I'm usually one and done."

  "Feeling your age?" Jordyn teased.

  "My age isn't the issue, smartass."

  To emphasize his point, Murphy pinched her backside. Since Jordyn was in such a good mood, and the gesture hadn't really hurt—more of a sting—she let the moment pass without comment.

  "I used to sleep with women because they were there. And easy."

  "Nice."

  "No." Jordyn could hear the self-disgust in Murphy's voice. "I won't sugarcoat the truth. You wouldn't have liked me back then."

  "How can you be so sure?"

  "Because I don't like the man I was. You would have kicked me to the curb."

 
; Fascinated by the little window Murphy had opened to his past, Jordyn couldn't resist peeking a little further.

  "And then? On the curb? Rejected? What would have been your next move?"

  "I would have moved on to the next available woman."

  "Without a second thought for me?"

  Murphy shrugged.

  "My nights were about scoring. Toward my goal, one woman was pretty much as good as the next."

  Jordyn turned in his arms, looking into Murphy's clear blue eyes. She could see the regret for the man he used to be. But he didn't make excuses. A fact she appreciated and admired.

  "You're right. I wouldn't have liked you. Or given you a second thought after I tossed your sorry ass to the curb. However…"

  "Yes?"

  "I didn't know you then."

  "Thank goodness," Murphy muttered, brushing a kiss across her forehead.

  "I like you. This Murphy is a good man."

  Holding his gaze, Jordyn rose to touch her lips to his. She'd meant the kiss to be brief and friendly. Their history—however brief—should have warned her. Heat had a way of rising between them with little provocation. One second Jordyn felt all warm and fuzzy, the next her blood turned molten.

  "Hold that thought."

  Before Jordyn could blink, Murphy jogged down the steps. He whipped off his shirt, wrapping the cloth around the soaking-wet puppy.

  "Ugh. Wet dog. How does the name Stinky sound?" Murphy's nose wrinkled, but he chuckled in the same breath as the bundle in his arms burrowed through his beard to lick his chin. "Fine. We'll shelve Stinky. For now."

  As Murphy passed, he automatically took Jordyn by the hand. The simple gesture—done without thought or ceremony—made her breath catch in her throat.

  A good man, Jordyn thought. Strong. Caring. Gentle. Mouthwateringly sexy. And, she was afraid, unforgettable.

  ● ≈ ● ≈ ●

  "SOME THINGS CAN'T be helped, Murph. Between the rain and the crazy drivers, Mick's phone has rung non-stop since before dawn. One tow truck, a shit load of rain, and a bunch of fender-benders. He's put a call into anybody with a winch on their rigs, but his recourses are still maxed out."