Blushing Pink

by Jill Winters

  "Reese," he cut her off, quietly, but very seriously. "She is not my girlfriend. She isn't."

  She scoffed and said, "Right, right, I forgot. You're 'deciding' if you want her to be your girlfriend again after the wedding. Yuck, get over yourself."

  She turned to go again, but he tugged her back and said, "Care to explain how you've had a boyfriend all this time, and never mentioned it?"

  "Kenneth is not my boyfriend—he just said that."

  "Who 'just says that'?" he asked angrily. "Why don't you just admit it's not really over between you two?"

  She jerked her hand back, for real this time. "Brian, you are so blind! I don't even like Kenneth—"

  Suddenly she was pulled forward, all the wind was knocked out of her, and Brian's mouth was on hers. It took a second for Reese to process what was happening, and when some distant part of her brain did, she ran her arms up Brian's back to grip his shoulders, and crushed her mouth against his.

  His hand was hot and firm on her neck, and his mouth was open, wet, urgent. The other hand was on her lower back, keeping her body flush against his, and Reese felt her head swimming as liquefying heat speared down between her legs. If she'd been thinking rationally, she would've put a stop to this (probably), but she wasn't thinking at all, so it was a moot point. Their lips pulled apart, and Brian sucked in a breath.

  Reese held tight to his shoulders, and brought herself up higher on tiptoe to rub her lips against his and slide her tongue into his mouth.

  Brian groaned, and sank hungrily into the kiss. Reese was moaning in the depths of her throat, trying to keep up, digging her nails into his shoulders. The hard bulge in his pants grazed her midsection, and she tried to press up against it without falling over. He tore his mouth off hers, breathing raggedly, while they stared at each other for one of those crackling, time-suspended moments. Only this time the heat was searing, and Reese was already wet.

  A shiver ran across her breasts. She knew the tips were hard and sensitive, and that reminded her that she wasn't wearing a bra. The only barrier between her burning breasts and Brian's hot hands was a threadbare tank top that was almost as pink as she felt.

  Somehow Brian must have read her mind, because his eyes shot down and then glazed over. His whole face darkened, and he looked so hungry, so intense, so unbelievably aroused, Reese began to pant. Licking her lips, she yanked hard on his tie and pulled him into an open, rough, carnal kiss that exploded between them. She rubbed insistently against his cock, and he growled; she liked the sound of it, so she broke their kiss and rubbed harder, staring drowsily into his eyes.

  He brought his hand down to her ass, squeezing as he pulled her up against him—really against him. His erection stabbed almost painfully into her tender softness, and in ecstasy, Reese's lids dropped and her mouth fell open.

  The next thing she knew, her feet were off the ground.

  Brian was carrying her... then she was on her back... then he was on her, opening his mouth on hers, touching her breasts through her shirt, and grinding his thick erection into the hot spot between her legs. "Oh, God," Reese whispered, shifting her head restlessly on the pillow as Brian trailed full, wet kisses down her neck, stopping at the curve to suck—just as he had done that night in her apartment. Her underwear was flimsy and useless; she felt every movement so acutely she might as well have been naked. As Brian ground his dick harder, her whispers turned into high-pitched moans that she couldn't control.

  Finally, she choked out, "Take off your shirt."

  But she didn't even give him a chance; she pulled at it herself, too impatient to unbutton it. The next thing she registered was lightly tanned skin and dark chest hair, and being rolled so that she was now on top of Brian, and he was breathing hard, and gripping her butt.

  Instinctively, Reese licked down his neck, then kissed along his collarbone as she massaged his chest with warm, willing hands. Abruptly he grunted and snaked a hand under her hair—dragging her up until they were mouth-to-mouth again, and he was taking her tongue deep into his mouth. Her pelvis began to rock.

  Then, just like that, she was on her back again, stripped of her Jem tank top. Brian was sucking her nipple and cupping her crotch with a strong, burning hot hand. Then he dug his fingers inside her flannel pajamas. Reese panted out short, hard gasps while Brian rubbed the heel of his hand up and down on the outside her panties.

  "Oh, yes..." she whispered, more to herself.

  "Brian..."

  On a breath, he moved his mouth off her nipple and focused on touching her—it began rhythmically, but then got faster, and hotter, until he was all but digging into the damp cotton, and Reese was tilting her hips in sharp upward thrusts, desperate to bring herself hard against his hand.

  Suddenly his hand stilled—touching her in a motionless caress that forced her to slit her eyes and see if anything was wrong. Brian wasn't looking at her, though; his eyes were shut, and his face looked almost contorted in pain. A few beats passed before he licked his lip and let his head drop. She could tell by his trembling shoulders that something was about to happen.

  "Don't stop," she whispered in a cracking voice, because she couldn't wait for that something.

  Brian rubbed the top of his head into her breasts. He started to whisper, "You're so..." but never finished the thought, as he slipped one finger under the leg elastic of her underwear. He slid it inside her and muttered, "Goddamn."

  She moaned and bit her lip as Brian glided another finger in deep—stroking her slowly, until she rocked her hips, and begged, "Oh, God, please..."

  After a moment, Brian stopped again, pulling back, and Reese could barely make out the quickness of his breath over the ringing in her ears. "What's wrong?" she whispered. She felt his hand slide gently over her cheek as her eyes slowly came open, and, caressing her face, Brian murmured, "I guess we're moving sort of fast."

  "Oh..." she said a little shyly. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

  But then they were kissing again. Frantically. His fingers moved inside her, and thready little moans were barely smothered in her throat, before he scrambled up onto his knees and pulled down her pants and underwear. She sat up enough to reach for his belt buckle and yank on it, and fumble with him when he tried to help her.

  As soon as he was unzipped, Reese reached greedily for his erection. It was thick and hot when she coiled her fingers around it and tightly dragged her hand up and down, up and down. Brian panted, "Oh, shit, wait," and tried to still Reese's hand with his, but she just squeezed him in place. His head dropped back. On short, hard breaths, he whipped it forward again and asked hoarsely, "Wait, do you have any condoms?"

  Her heavy-lidded eyes snapped fully open. Condoms, protection, of course. And as her bizarre luck would have it, she did. Technically they were Ally's, but Reese would use just one; surely her sister would understand.

  "In the bathroom!" she said way too eagerly, and Brian grinned as he went to get them. On the way, he dropped his pants, revealing a mouthwatering side profile of his swollen penis. He stepped out of them, and disappeared into the bathroom.

  How had they gone from angry to wantonly, uncontrollably aroused in a matter of seconds? It didn't seem possible, but there was no turning back now. At least, she prayed that there wasn't. This was pure passion, or animal attraction, or whatever made a person lose all rational thought and want sex more than anything. She had never experienced this kind of burning, pressing need—not even with Pete, whom she'd loved.

  Not that she wouldn't concede how strange her life could be sometimes. There she was lying on a hotel bed, totally naked, with her honey-colored braids tangling against the pillows, and there was nowhere else in the world she'd rather be.

  Brian came back with a condom already on and the box in his hand. He tossed it beside the bed and crawled in beside her. Immediately they regained their momentum, and the heat rose. Reese wrapped her legs around his hips as they exchanged long, wet kisses.

  Moaning, she tightened her leg lo
ck on him, and felt him slide in deep.

  She broke their kissing so she could breathe, and buried the back of her head in the pillows. Closing her eyes tight, she let electric sensations sear and scald her body.

  Brian closed his hands over her breasts. With his head tilted down, leaving his soft hair to brush the underside of her jaw, he started to thrust. It began less than slow, and got even faster... and harder... then both at once.

  Soon he was taking Reese in strong, deep plunges, holding her breasts in his hands while he pumped and groaned and grunted. Reese was nearly screaming with pleasure. "I... I can't believe this is happening," she choked out without thinking.

  "W-why?"

  All she could do was hum and moan and gasp, while her mind answered, Because it's been so long.

  Because it had been so long, she climaxed quickly—in a fierce, hot blast of contractions that racked her body and made her come to life in a different way than she had in forever.

  Brian thrusted into her climax, and didn't stop until her breath started racing again, and she was panting and crying out, "Oh, God..."

  Then he started to come, pumping like crazy, sweating, and grunting harshly over Reese's soulful moans. Letting out a final, rough cry, Brian shuddered and collapsed on top of her. Several moments passed before the tension completely eased, and Reese let her legs fall languidly open underneath him. "Holy Christ," Brian mumbled into the pillow.

  Her thoughts exactly, but she was too spent to speak.

  Chapter 26

  About twenty minutes later, after almost dozing, Reese snuggled up close to Brian and murmured, "I can't believe we did that."

  He groaned and opened his eyes. "I know," he said drowsily. He pulled her up on top of him and hugged her. Then, after kissing her slowly and deeply, he said, "Hey... let's not be able to believe we did that twice."

  His hands slid down to mold over her bottom. She was suddenly self-conscious, because she knew her soft flesh was overflowing in his hands. "You've got a cute boot," he said, grinning boyishly. His hair was a mess, his eyes were sleepy, and he was so unbelievably cute at that moment that Reese decided to accept the compliment graciously rather than saying what she was really thinking: Yeah, RIGHT.

  "Come on," he whispered, and brought his lips up to hers in a slow, sensuous kiss.

  As she kissed him, she felt one of his hands creep lower, in between her legs. He pressed two fingers against her.

  "Are you... ready?" she asked brokenly—breathlessly.

  "Well... you could help me get ready," he said playfully, kissing under her hair, behind her ear. Meanwhile she glided her hand down his side and between their bodies to furrow through his dark, coarse hair and encircle him. He was partially hard already, so she stroked him until he pulsed in her hand.

  "Are you always like this?" she murmured almost coyly.

  "I wouldn't know," he said. "Or remember, anyway."

  "What do you mean?" she asked. "Has it been a while?"

  "But enough about me," he said, grinning. "How long has it been for you?"

  She let go of his shaft to hold and caress his testicles, and replied, "A long, long time." Kissing his cheek softly, she added, "But it's never been like this." Of course that sounded like a major cliché, but it was still the truth.

  Brian ran a hand to the back of her neck and muttered thickly, "I've never had sex like that in my whole life." He trailed his tongue sensually up her throat, and then inside her ear.

  Dizzily, Reese moaned and mumbled, "Hmm... let's expedite this." She crawled down his body. As she touched the tip of him with her tongue, she watched his erection bob to full, thick attention. Then, impulsively, she took him in her mouth.

  Brian groaned and tunneled his fingers through her hair. She gripped his hips and applied light suction for only a moment before raising her head to gaze up into his face.

  Their eyes caught, and ardently he rolled them both over, so they were lying sideways on her bed. From there he could reach the box of condoms he'd tossed on the floor earlier.

  Before he snapped one on, though, he crouched over her body and brought his mouth down to her needy, slick flesh. He flicked his tongue inside—not deep, but deep enough to liquefy her insides and make her throb with desire. "Don't stop," she said under her breath, "it's... so good."

  Then he gently bit her. Right there. And she arched so hard she almost fell off the bed.

  In a second he was sprawled on top of her, and they were moving together, heated, frenzied, and fast. Reese cried out as Brian rose up partly on his knees, and rode her high and hard. His hands were gentle, though, brushing hair away from her face as he looked down at her with half-lidded eyes and a wet, sexy mouth.

  Reese bucked her hips wildly. So wildly it couldn't be like her; it had to be an aberration. An unbelievably fabulous, erotic, scorching aberration.

  Soon she felt her head throb, because it was barely on the bed. Even as her cranium pounded, her body felt way too good for her to care. There was no way she'd move now. Well, move over, anyway. As their bodies drove into each other, Reese uttered a few filthy words that should've surprised her, but she was too crazed to feel polite. Finally her neck arched, and Brian came apart with a loud, long groan.

  Moments later he rolled off of her and onto his back. Both were gasping, and covered in a sheen of sweat. She hadn't come—but it was still so good.

  Brian rolled back to scoop her up and drag them both across the bed, and to rest their heads upon the pillows. Soon they were under the covers, and he was holding her to him, running his fingers lightly down her side. She sighed, and cuddled up against him.

  Somewhere in Reese's mind, a voice told her she was crazy to have let this happen—especially twice—but it was drowned out by her even breathing as she drifted off to sleep.

  * * *

  Reese woke up to sound of the heat vent going on. The room was pitch black, and it took her a second to remember that she was in the Goldwood Villa Hotel, and Ally's wedding was tomorrow, and that the extremely warm body next to her was Brian. She wasn't sure how long they'd been sleeping; she only knew that it was the middle of the night and she was feeling wide-awake.

  And inspired.

  Slowly lifting Brian's hand off of her waist, she slid gently out of the bed, and was grateful for the darkness, because she was stark naked. It hadn't bothered her before, but she hadn't been thinking too clearly then. Brian stirred a little when she lifted off the bed, but his breathing still sounded heavy with sleep.

  As she stepped on something soft, she quickly realized it was Brian's shirt, which had been cast off earlier. Slipping it over her head, she crept in the direction of her overnight bag. If she was going to get any good writing done, she'd need fresh underwear. A little quirk of hers she'd just discovered.

  While her laptop was booting up, she went to the bathroom to pee and brush the sleep breath out of her mouth. Then she sat down at the little table by the window, and got down to work. Forty minutes passed without her realizing it. She was still in the throes of stream-of-consciousness when Brian woke. His voice was hoarse and raspy with sleep. "Reese? What are you doing?"

  "I'm sorry; did I wake you?" she whispered.

  "No... but why don't you come back to bed?"

  By the light that streamed from her laptop, she could just make out the silhouette of Brian's body under the covers, and his hands behind his head.

  "I will, but I just want to write while I'm feeling inspired," she said.

  "What are you working on? Your novel?"

  "Yeah."

  "What's it called?" he asked, scratching his chest and starting to come fully awake.

  "Chasing the Story," she answered. "It's about these two reporters who are competing, and then they get involved in all this stuff, and then they fall in love along the way." Okay, she was babbling. Maybe this was another postcoital quirk she had, what did she know?

  Brian leaned over and switched on the bedside lamp. They both squinted an
d screwed their faces up as they adjusted to the light.

  "What are you doing?" Reese asked, as he started to sit up.

  Instead of replying, he absently ran a hand through his rumpled hair. His back was to her; she couldn't help gazing at his sleek, tanned skin, and the muscled strength beneath it. He leaned down to pick his boxers off the floor, and in doing so, exposed some of his bare butt. She bit her lip and stared shamelessly.

  After he slid his boxers on, he walked around the bed and toward her, grinning. A big, infatuated smile broke immediately across her face. "Hi," she said softly as he approached her and tugged on her hand to coax her up out of the chair. "What are you doing?" she asked again, rising to her feet.

  He still didn't answer, but leaned down to kiss her—softly and slowly—letting his lips linger on hers. Her hands slid over his shoulders, and clung so that she could prolong the kiss. She could taste his sleep breath, but instead of being turned off, she was enticed. It tasted raw and rugged... sexy. "I'm sitting down," he said suddenly, and stole her seat in the chair.

  Before she could protest, he pulled her down onto his lap. A giggle slipped out as she struggled to get off of him. He held on to her even as she insisted, "No, please, I'm too heavy," so finally she gave up trying to convince him that she could do serious permanent damage, and cuddled happily against his chest.

  "Can I read some of your novel now?" he asked.

  Reese's eyes grew huge, because that was the last thing she had expected—and it definitely was the last thing she was ready for. She had only six chapters so far, and it was all pretty rough—though she loved it—but still, she just couldn't imagine showing it to another person. Not yet, and definitely not Brian.

  What if he hated it? What if he thought she was a terrible writer? No, that would just be way too embarrassing.

  "Um– ."

  "Please," he said softly, smoothing his palm over her bare leg. "Please, just a little?"

  "Okay." What! Damn it, when it came to Brian, she was just too weak.

  Turning her laptop a little so he could get a better view, Brian scrolled to the top of document and began to read.