His mouth, already open, came down over hers, his tongue urgently seeking her participation. She put her arms around his neck, then held very still when he shoved her panties down past her hips. He broke the kiss, took her arms from around his neck and laid them at her side. He slid down to kiss each breast, swirled his tongue around her navel and then pulled her panties all the way off.
Lindsey watched him as he leaned back and looked at her. Just looked.
“You, too,” Lindsey said softly, subtly pressing her thighs closer together.
He dragged his gaze away, and then slid up the front of her body, his chest skimming her belly, her breasts, and then he kissed her lips. “What, sweetheart?”
She cleared her throat. “Your trunks.”
He smiled. “Sure.” He was off the bed in a flash, his trunks sailing toward the chair near the window, clearly not a self-conscious bone in his body. “How about a little light?”
She didn’t answer, but stared after him as he walked to the bathroom, fully erect. She wanted to touch him. Very badly. The idea shocked her. She never had those urges, at least not to the extent that she ached with the wanting now.
A light came on in the bathroom, though not the overhead one. Maybe it was the small recessed light over the tub because by the time the illumination reached the room, it was a soft sensual glow.
Rick reappeared, and she saw that he had a condom packet in his hand. “This light okay?”
“Yes.” God, she hated that her voice sounded so tight. Hated that he was backlit, and she couldn’t see him well enough.
“Or we could turn on the lamp.”
“No.”
“All right.” He dropped the packet on the nightstand and climbed into bed, stretching out beside her.
To Lindsey’s dismay, she faced the light, which was to his back. She really wanted to see more of him, even while she understood exactly how totally hypocritical that was on her part.
Rick gently smoothed back her hair, rearranging it over her shoulder and exposing her right breast. When he ran the pad of his thumb across her nipple, she arched her back, and his mouth came down fast, his tongue darting out to flick the pearled tip.
Slowly she reached between them and found his hard penis. He jerked at the touch, but stilled as she curled her hand around the thick hot shaft and stroked the length of him. She stopped at the crown, using her thumb to learn the silky smooth softness already beading with moisture. It didn’t seem possible that any part of him could be this soft, and to her complete amazement, she had the sudden urge to know the feel of it against her lips.
She wouldn’t be so bold, of course. Mostly she was afraid she’d do it wrong. No, the truth was, she was simply afraid of that kind of intimacy.
“Here.” Rick molded his hand over hers, forcing her to grip him tighter, and then guided her hand down his penis, back up again, showing her how much pressure to use.
A low moan of pleasure tore from his throat. He squeezed her hand, quickened the rhythm before releasing her.
As fascinated as she was that he seemed to grow impossibly harder beneath her palm, she was mortified that she had to be shown what to do. But she didn’t let up, not until he stilled her hand.
“You show me now,” he said, pressing his palm against hers, and then curling his fingers over her hand.
She stared blankly at him.
“Show me what you like.” He brought her hand to her pubic area. “Show me, Lindsey.”
She jerked it back. “I like what you do to me,” she said, hoping he’d leave it at that.
“Okay.” He nodded. “Okay.” He moved over her, his arousal laying hot and hard and heavy across her belly, and she held her breath, waiting to see what he was up to.
He plucked the packet off the nightstand, and then leaned back, turning some, so that the light now shone a bit on him. Her gaze went to his penis, the crown slick with moisture. Even with her sadly limited experience with the male anatomy, she knew he was big, and if they hadn’t already done it, she might have worried about the fit. But she remembered very well how he’d squeezed inside of her, how he’d pushed deeper and deeper, filling her until she thought she was going to die from the pleasure of it.
“Touch me if you want,” he said, and her gaze flew up to his. He was studying her face, his knowing expression nearly her undoing. “Anywhere, anyway you want.”
How naive she must seem to him. She shrank back, wondering what the heck had happened to her grand plan to become the irrepressible Jill. She wished he’d climb on top of her and get on with it already. She wanted him. She’d asked him to make love to her.
He touched himself, stroking his penis a couple of times, fascinating her with the ease with which he regarded his sexuality.
She ignored the urge to hide her face in the pillow, took a deep breath and came up on one elbow. With her free hand, she learned the underside of his penis, then cupped his balls.
He sucked air in between his teeth.
She froze, widening her eyes as she stared up at him.
Briefly he closed his eyes, and then stroked her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb. “You look as if I’m forcing you to do something you don’t want to do.”
“That’s not true,” she said quickly. “It’s not. Please.” She lifted herself higher, pressed a quick kiss to his firm mouth.
Indecision flickered across his face. His lips thinned. “Take the condom.”
She did, fumbling with the packet and finally tearing it open.
“You do it,” he said when she tried to pass it to him.
She got up on her knees and carefully rolled the condom down his engorged penis. Her hands shook slightly, and he pressed them between his warm palms, brought them to his lips.
He kissed her fingertips before releasing her and taking her by the shoulders. “Lie down,” he said, and guided her with a gentle force that somehow excited her.
In seconds she was on her back, and he was kissing her, leisurely, thoroughly, and she opened her mouth and her thighs to him.
When he drew back, his hair had fallen across his forehead, and she pushed it aside so she could look at him. He smiled down at her, his eyes almost the color of warm honey. He splayed a hand between her breasts as he moved into position between her legs.
Her lids fluttered closed, but when he entered her so quickly, she jerked, eyes wide, then realized he’d used only his fingers.
The devastation in his face stopped her.
“Rick?”
He shook his head, leaned back. “You’re wet,” he murmured, glancing at his slick fingers. “But I’m scaring you.”
“No.” She caught his arm, pulled at him. “I want you inside me,” she whispered in a broken voice. “Please.” She spread her legs wider apart, lifted her hips.
His hooded gaze drew to her eyes, and his tongue dampened his lower lip.
“Now, Rick.”
He grabbed hold of himself and rubbed her with the tip of his sheathed penis. The friction made her whimper, made her buck toward him. He began to move, pushing into her, slowly at first and then driving in deep until a strangled cry tore from way down in her throat.
Lindsey pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, afraid she’d make too much noise. He shoved her hand aside and kissed her hard, his tongue making a thorough sweep of her mouth. When he finally leaned back, he cupped her hips and pulled her up to meet his thrusts.
He muttered an apology, an oath, another apology as he threw his head back, his jaw clenching. The realization hit her that he was struggling for control and excitement surged from her belly into her chest. She wrapped her legs around his hips and moved against him, matching his rhythm, taking him in deeper and deeper. The way he moved, his penis rubbed against her with each thrust, not just inside, but against her clit, and she didn’t remember that from before. She hadn’t known it was even possible.
She felt her body tense as he moved faster, right there, and just when she thought she couldn
’t take any more, the spasms racked her body. She came as she’d never come before. She cried out, gripped him so hard she could feel his muscles tremble. She barely noticed when he collapsed on top of her.
11
LYING ON HIS SIDE, Rick watched Lindsey sleep, her pink lips slightly parted, her hair a cloud of gold spread over the pillow. The early morning sun streamed in through a narrow gap where the drapes barely came together and a shaft of sunlight fell across her bare shoulders. Her skin was so damn smooth, so soft, flawless. She was like that all over. Didn’t seem possible, but he was pretty sure he hadn’t missed a spot.
He smiled and yawned, wanting very badly to touch her, but he wouldn’t risk waking her. It wouldn’t be fair after keeping her up most of the night.
After she’d loosened up, she’d surprised him with her eagerness to learn. He’d never played the teacher role before and he actually enjoyed the experience. Even when he’d popped his cherry at fifteen it had been with an older college woman. Of course there hadn’t been any instruction going on. The whole thing had happened embarrassingly fast.
Lindsey stirred, but she was still asleep. Slowly he peeled back the sheet and examined the red mark on her neck. It bothered him to know he’d done that to her. Unintentionally, but it didn’t matter. It was there with no way of erasing it.
Thinking he saw her eyelid twitch, he stayed perfectly still, watching, waiting, hoping she’d get more sleep, hoping she’d wake up and kiss him.
She was amazing. It wasn’t just her looks, although she rocked that department, too. She was brave and much stronger than she seemed to think. It was always easier to follow the crowd, do something because everyone else did it. Lindsey held her ground on certain principles, and she sure as hell wasn’t a pushover.
He saw her lid twitch again, then she wrinkled her nose. Making a small fist, she stretched one arm above her head, arched her back and slowly opened her eyes. They widened on him as if she’d forgotten he was there. Then she blinked, tucked in her hand, her lips curving in that shy smile he liked too damn much.
“Hey,” he said, gently kissing her cheek.
She primly pulled the sheet up to her throat. “What time is it?”
He hid a smile and tugged at the sheet. “Hmm, you have something down there I haven’t seen yet?”
She gave him a dirty look. “You’re hilarious.”
“Come on. Let me see if I missed anything.” He ducked his head under the covers.
Laughing, she pulled his hair.
“Ouch.” He shot back up. “I guess I need a hair cut.”
Lindsey frowned. “I usually like short hair on men, but I don’t know, I kind of like it long,” she said, moving a shoulder. “It suits you.”
“What? The beach-bum look?”
“Is that what you are?” The teasing glint in her eye was gone with a blink, and for a few awkward seconds neither of them spoke.
She didn’t have to say it. She wouldn’t be happy with a man who had no ambition or goal in life. She was too smart, too sensible. She believed in long-term plans.
He had the sudden urge to tell her about the patent, how he never had to work another day if that’s what he chose. She’d be more impressed with his current project, not the product itself…she wouldn’t give a crap about a lighter surfboard, but that he was actively working and so close…
But close didn’t cut it. He’d been “close” for two years now. Just as he’d been close to designing the next generation camber profile snow ski, until someone else had beat him to it.
Nah, there was nothing to tell her. He’d end up opening the door to questions he didn’t want to think about, much less answer. Almost thirty and he’d accomplished nothing in the past ten years. Pretty sad that he’d done all his best stuff by twenty.
“Hey.” He placed a hand on her belly, then briefly cupped the small patch of trimmed blond hair below, the one place his mouth hadn’t been. She’d told him she wasn’t ready, and he hadn’t pushed it.
She squirmed, smiled a little. “‘Hey’ what?”
“It’s seven-thirty. I’m starving. We can either order room service, or get on the road and stop somewhere along the way.”
“Room service. I need—” She jerked, breathed a soft gasp when he slid a finger against her. “Coffee.”
Dammit, he was hard. He flipped the sheet back, and her gaze went straight to his cock. He pumped it once, a second time. She didn’t look away. Major progress. “I’ll order,” he said. “What else besides coffee?”
She threw off her side of the sheet and moved against his palm. “I bet we used up all the condoms.”
“Nope. Only five.”
“Only,” she repeated with a mocking smile, then tensed, briefly closed her eyes, gasped again.
He touched her tightened right nipple. “Pancakes? Waffles? An omelet?”
She caught her lower lip with her teeth, slightly arched her back. “Surprise me.”
“I intend to.” Damn, they had used up the condoms that were on the nightstand. The box was in the bathroom. “Here.” He took her hand, and cupped her palm over her pussy. “Keep this warm for me.”
The color rushed to her cheeks and her hand stiffened. Obviously she wasn’t crazy about that idea. The night had been one long exploration, sometimes they’d moved too fast and strained her comfort level. He’d made sure she knew none of it was a problem. If she’d pulled the sheet back over her body before he returned, he wouldn’t be surprised.
He lightly kissed her lips, rolled his tongue over the nipple he’d abandoned. “Be right back.”
“Rick?”
Since he’d already hit the floor, he stopped by her side of the bed.
She gingerly stroked his cock, looked up at him with those big blue eyes and said, “First the condom, then room service.”
THE NORTH SHORE was a totally different world. Not just different from Waikiki, but different from anything Lindsey had ever seen. Rick had described the area while he drove, but words couldn’t capture the beauty of the lush green landscape and miles of breathtaking beaches.
Even the store where they’d stopped to pick up a bag of Kona coffee was quaint and full of characters. Both employees and three out of the four customers knew Rick, and it was interesting to watch and listen to him interact with them. He used a couple of phrases she didn’t understand although she knew they weren’t precisely Hawaiian words, she didn’t think, but more likely local jargon.
While he paid the cashier, Lindsey waited outside the door of the small store, enjoying the ocean breeze coming from across the highway, and watching a heavyset older woman with long black hair liberally streaked with gray. She sat on the grass under a coconut tree, strumming a ukulele and singing to herself. Her woven hat and faded Hawaiian shirt had seen better days and her feet were bare, but she seemed at peace with her music, stopping only to scatter scraps of bread to the squawking birds.
“Last chance,” Rick said as he joined Lindsey outside. “Need anything before we head to my place?”
Shaking her head, she frowned at the bag, suspicious of the brown box she’d glimpsed. “I thought you needed coffee.”
A sly smile tugged at his mouth, and he opened the bag to her inspection. It was a box of milk chocolate macadamia nut clusters. Not one of the small boxes, either.
“You rat. You know I can’t resist those darn things.”
“Don’t worry.” He put an arm around her, kissed her hair and murmured, “I plan on working every calorie off you.”
She smiled, having become more accustomed to his teasing. They walked toward the Jeep, and the woman in the hat looked up, her brown face lighting up with a big grin when she spotted Rick. She stopped strumming long enough to wave a thick hand, then went back to her music.
“Hi, Auntie Leialoha.” Rick jerked his head toward the store. “Jimmy has two more loaves of bread for your birds.”
“Mahalo, Rick.” Still grinning, the woman gave him a reproving shake of he
r head. “God bless you.”
“She lost her son in the Gulf War,” Rick said softly. “She hasn’t been the same since.”
“You’re related?” Lindsey asked when they got to the Jeep.
“Related? No.” He paused. “Ah, she’s not really my aunt. Around here it’s a term of respect when you address someone older. Everyone calls her Auntie Leialoha. If I introduce you to some of the little kids they’ll call you Auntie Lindsey.”
“Really?”
“It’s kind of weird at first, but you get used to it.” His phone rang, and he dug it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID. “Sorry. I gotta take this.”
“Go ahead.” She climbed into the passenger seat and watched him round the front. Heard him address the caller. Apparently it was Wally, someone he’d spoken to earlier as they’d left the hotel.
He stopped, stared at the Hawaiian shaved-ice stand across the street, and scowled over something he’d been told. He seemed really ticked off, and Lindsey tried not to eavesdrop, but this demeanor was such a contrast to Rick’s easygoing manner that she couldn’t help herself.
He slanted her a glance. Abruptly he turned away, raked a hand through his hair and dropped his voice to a low angry murmur.
A strong breeze swept off the water, picked up his voice and carried it to Lindsey just as he said, “I don’t care what she says. Just make sure she’s out of my house before we get there.”
Lindsey stiffened. He was talking about another woman. Who was at his place? Or maybe Lindsey had heard wrong. His voice had been muffled, the wind sometimes distorted sound…
Come on, Lindsey. She had no right to be upset if he was involved with someone else. Of course he hadn’t said anything about it, but if he were that callous…
Feeling a bit queasy, she pressed a hand to her stomach.
He swung in behind the wheel. “Sorry about that. Small change in plans. We’re… Are you all right?”
“Fine.” She pretended to smooth the front of her tank top, wishing her stomach would settle down. “A change in plans?”
“We’re not going to my house yet. We’re stopping at the shop.”
Delicious Do-Over Page 11
