by S A Monk
They didn’t have a relationship, really. They were merely trying to come to terms with one another, but she liked him, probably too much. And he had made love to her like it meant something. At least she thought he had. In the heat of passion, women didn’t always see things too clearly. She’d certainly misjudged the opposite sex before. She’d really never had a successful long-term relationship. And this might not be anything other than a one nighter, but it had felt like the beginning of something very special, maybe even significant. The only thing she knew for certain was that she didn’t want to be sexually or romantically involved with John Red Hawk Larson if he was still involved with Cindy Caldwell.
“Want to talk about what’s going through your head?” Hawk asked as he watched her mind work.
She might as well get it out there, she decided. “I’ve been thinking that I don’t really have a right to ask about Cindy. I understand you and she have been seeing each other for a long time, and we just.... Well,” she said, coming to a confused halt. “We just slept together. One night. It doesn’t obligate you to....”
Hawk reached across the table and caught one of her hands. “Stop. You’re drawing all the wrong conclusions.”
“Well, everyone says that you and Cindy have been seeing each other since high school.” Taking a sip of her wine, she did a quick mental tabulation. “That’s.... How old are you?” It just occurred to her that she didn’t really know, had only guessed.
He smiled again at her. “Thirty-two, and that’s fifteen years— if you’re still trying to figure that out. Cindy and I were seventeen when we started getting serious.”
Stared getting serious? Jenny put all her effort into a nonchalant shrug. “Well, there you go, then. That’s a long time to be with someone.” Reaching for her wine glass, she took another swallow— a really long one that drained her glass. “You must have some pretty deep feelings for her.”
Hawk refilled her glass and his. “We haven’t been together all that time.” He rubbed his forehead and sighed. “It doesn’t make me proud to admit this, but we have pretty much used each other over the years. I thought I was in love with her when I was younger, but Cindy is completely self-absorbed in Cindy. It’s all about her, and she’s always been supremely spoiled. Commitment, family, fidelity— aren’t her thing. The relationship has always been mostly— physical.”
Cindy must be extremely skilled sexually to have kept Hawk’s interest all these years. Jealousy coiled and twisted inside, and Jenny hated it, but she had to ask, “Are you still sleeping with her?”
“No.” His response was quick and emphatic, just like the look he gave her. “I broke it off with her for good over a week ago. It’s been coming to an end between us anyway for quite some time. She just doesn’t like being the one told it’s over. It’s what she cornered me about today. After making sure Scott’s truck wasn’t going to be damaged by some of those fools doing the decorating, I was on my way into the reception when she caught up to me. She was upset. She hadn’t been able to get a hold of me all week, and she had a hell of a lot to say. That’s why I was so late. I’m really sorry, Jenny.”
“Brad and Peter think you’re....”
“Using you to get control of the entire ranch?”
“Yes,” she admitted quietly, glad this was finally out.
“And what does Jennifer Fletcher think?”
“She fervently hopes it’s not true.”
“It’s not even remotely accurate.”
She stared at him a long time, looking into those candlelit blue eyes. Finally, she decided to believe him. It was a leap of faith, pure and simple, but she wanted to believe him. She was falling in love with him, damn it.
Hawk watched her decision play across her lovely face. Relief chiseled a smile on his. “Scott told me you were very popular on the dance floor.” Extending a hand to her, he asked, “Will you dance with me?”
Jenny hadn’t noticed the music until that moment; she’d been so deep in thought. Once he asked her to dance, she realized there was a three-piece band playing in one corner. The guitar, the piano, and the violin were in perfect harmony, performing a lilting, softly haunting melody. New Age music. She hated the term. The music she listened to with that label was too romantic and inspiring, too beautiful to carry a label that reminded her of skyscrapers and freeways and new millennium voodoo. It was very close to the classical music she preferred.
“Are you a good dancer?” she teased him. “You won’t step on my tired toes?”
“Come find out,” he invited as he stood up and reached for her.
There was a scattering of couples on the dance floor. The sound system in the restaurant was of good enough quality to surround them as they stepped onto the gleaming wood floor. Enveloped in the soft adagio that the trio was currently playing, Jenny moved into Hawk’s arms and sighed with contentment the moment they closed around her. He led her smoothly, never coming close to stepping on her toes.
After a few moments, she put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, completely intoxicated by the feel of him, the scent of him, the absolute sublime pleasure of him. She wanted nothing to interfere with her sensory enjoyment of him. Making some murmur of pleasure himself, he slid his arm around her waist to draw her closer, resting his jaw on the top of her head as his embrace became more intimate.
“You take my breath away, Jennifer Fletcher,” he said in a low, raspy whisper, his lips stirring her hair. “That dress is driving me wild. I can’t stop thinking how it might slide over your bare skin as I took it off you. These clothes you design and wear make a man want to touch.”
“That’s why I make them from soft fabrics— to make a woman look and feel soft, feminine, and touchable.”
“You are that,” he agreed huskily, his breath a tickling whisper near her ear. “Soft and very touchable.”
His hands slid down from her back to her waist, then to her hips, where they remained, tightening, subtly gripping, his fingers curling into her soft flesh through the clingy red silk fabric.
His hips moved intimately against hers and his leg insinuated itself between hers just enough so that she felt how aroused he was. With each dance step, he brushed against her. Her breath caught each time he did it. She couldn’t resist the temptation to feel more of him. She lifted her arms and locked her hands around his neck. The position pressed her all along his length. She heard his swift intake of breath and felt the acceleration of his heartbeat.
A little murmur of longing escaped her throat. He was so rigidly aroused, it was a good thing the dance floor was nearly dark and her hips cradled him from view by the other dancers. Hawk moved her into a shadowy corner and bent to cover her mouth with his. Their feet came to a halt. Fire shot through her veins as he held her head in one large hand and prolonged the kiss, deepening it, his tongue filling her mouth. Her stomach clenched, and Hawke growled low in his throat.
“Let’s get out of here and go home before I make love to you right here.”
Jenny nodded weakly. It was definitely time to take this home.
Outside, there was a glittering blanket of stars in the velvety black night sky overhead. Hawk had an arm hooked around her waist as they walked across the parking lot. The instant he reached her Corvette, he spun her into his arms again, pressed her back against her car, and lowered his open mouth over hers. His tongue plunged inside ravenously, twining and tangling with hers in a frantic effort to devour every little bit of her. His kiss was so urgent and fierce, Jenny felt the ground tilt precariously under her high-heeled feet.
Nothing had altered his state of arousal. He was just as big and hard as he’d been minutes ago on the dance floor. Groaning, he rubbed himself into her as both hands curved under her bottom and lifted her onto her toes against him. Jenny curled a leg over his hip, but the tight sheath of her mid-calf-length dress wouldn’t allow her to get as close as she wanted. She uttered a desperate moan of frustration against his ravishing lips. They couldn’t do thi
s here, in the parking lot. Certainly not in the cramped confines of her Corvette. Home. They needed to hurry home.
Echoing her thoughts, Hawk halted the kiss with a hoarse growl and framed her face in his large hands. “Damn. Can we make it?”
Jenny smiled weakly and stroked the curve of his cheek. She found his skin incredibly hot. “I’ll try, if you’ll behave. We have a fast car.”
He laughed shakily and reached down to unlock and open her car door. For a brief moment, Jenny dropped her forehead onto his shoulder. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll hurry.”
∞∞∞
Hawk barely registered the drive home. He was in a world of hurt, and only the woman beside him could ease it. At the house, they nearly fell through the front door. Entwined in another red hot kiss, he wasn’t even sure if he remembered to lock the door behind him. Luckily, there were no lights left on to turn off.
“Eli said to tell you that he and Hank will be in Denver all weekend. He says that they’ll see you Monday sometime.” Jenny remembered the message as she came up for air. Then she shrieked as Hawk scooped her up in his arms and nearly vaulted up the stairs.
“Your room or mine?” he asked at the top.
“You pick.”
“Yours is closer to the bathroom.”
“Yeah.” It was all Jenny could get out in between kisses.
The first time they had made love in the dark. This time, she wanted to see more of him. Apparently so did he, because he reached out to turn the small lamp by her bed on. Visions of how he was going to look, naked, stretched out above or beneath her had been dancing around his head all day.
“Can I light a few candles?” she asked when he set her on her feet.
“Sure, sounds romantic. Let me get something out of the car, and I’ll be right back.” With the heat that had been generated between the two of them since dinner, he’d completely forgotten the bottle of champagne and thick slice of cake Becky had given him at the wedding. He needed a moment to catch his breath anyway. They had all night and all day tomorrow. He was going to take his time loving her, lots of time.
After she’d lit half a dozen candles, Jenny surveyed her handiwork. Just enough light to see Hawk by, and yet not too much to spoil the mood. Wondering about his disappearing act, Jenny decided to slip out of her dress while he was gone.
Beneath it, she wore a strapless red satin spandex bodysuit that stretched over every curve of her body like a second skin so that no undergarment lines showed beneath the snug fit of her dress. Below the high-cut sides of her bodysuit, her silk stockings were held up by a designer’s best friend, skin tape.
This morning, she had hoped her day with Hawk would end this way. She wanted to rock his world tonight. She wanted him to remember nothing of his fifteen year mostly physical relationship with the voluptuous Miss Caldwell. She might not be as sexually experienced as Cindy, but tonight she was highly motivated.
She heard him running up the stairs, and laughed softly when he rushed through the door, breathless, two long stem wine glasses, a bottle of champagne, and a small box of what she assumed was cake in his hands.
The instant his eyes found her, he froze. His gaze turned hot as blue flame as it swept every inch of her slowly and appreciatively.
Jenny wet her lips nervously, then tugged on the lower one with her teeth.
“So that’s what you were hiding beneath that dress!” Hawk blew out an audible breath. “Holy cow, honey, come here!”
Jenny felt as shell-shocked as he looked. His eyes were so hot, she felt singed. “You brought a bottle of champagne and a piece of cake from the wedding?” she asked inanely.
“Becky sent me off with it before I went to find you.” His voice sounded thick and husky.
“Shall I pour us a glass?” She couldn’t seem to control her own breathlessness.
“Later. Come here.”
He stepped in front of her, and Jenny ran her fingers down the lapel of his jacket.
“I’m feeling a little under-dressed. Let’s get rid of some of your clothes. Wouldn’t want to damage your tux.”
His nostrils flared as he breathed in her scent. “I should have undressed as I came up.”
She forced herself to stay away from him while she watched him undress. She wanted to assist him, but knew the moment she touched him, her control would shatter and she be ripping his buttons apart. Besides she hadn’t gotten to see much of him the first time. Now she wanted to see every sinful inch.
She watched his long brown fingers unbutton his vest, then his crisply pleated white shirt. Such competent fingers. She curled her own into her palms. After his dress shirt, came his white cotton t-shirt. With a sexy half-grin, he pulled it up over his head, then tossed it over one shoulder, onto the floor.
Jenny’s breath caught at the sight of his powerful physic; the smooth angular curve of muscle across his broad shoulders, tapered chest, and rock-hard arms. His fingers went to his belt, then the zipper on his slacks. Her eyes automatically followed the path his fingers took, down the centerline of his tight abdomen. A dark thicket of hair began to appear as he slowly unzipped his trousers. She was helplessly transfixed. Two nights ago, she had only been able to feel his remarkably fit, work-honed body. Now she wanted to explore every detail, every breathtaking inch!
Anticipating the removal of his pants, she was surprised when he suddenly stopped his sexy strip tease. Instead, he sat down on the edge of the bed to yank off his dress boots and socks, giving her another wicked half-grin. “Getting impatient?” he teased her.
Jenny couldn’t say a word. Her voice was stuck in her throat. Acting deliberately slow, Hawk rose to remove his pants, his sexy grin still on his face, sparkling in his wicked eyes. She had invited this slow, provocative strip tease that was scorching her blood, and now she had to endure the torment.
Slowly, he stepped out of his pants. She was shocked that he hadn’t worn any briefs beneath is suit pants. His erection sprang free with a turgid thrust that elicited a strangled oh! from her. She’d learned the other night that he was large, but actually seeing how large nearly made her swoon.
Watching her reaction to him and where her beautiful big brown eyes lingered, Hawk felt his temperature sore. She was as much a vision in red now as she had been earlier. The woman was too gorgeous for words! All day, she’d driven him crazy, especially on the dance floor when he’d had his hands all over her. And now....
Her breasts were thrust high and full above that sexy thing she was wearing, and lower, her legs were encased in shiny black silk stockings that left a tantalizing patch of pale bare skin high on her creamy soft thighs. God, he was going to be a dead man in the morning, but hell and damnation, what a way to go!
“Now,” he said, slipping his hands around her back to pull her closer. “How do I get you out of this thing?”
Jenny settled into his arms. Her mouth turned toward his breastbone, and her fingers traced the muscles across his shoulders, down his spine, along his sides. Finally, they settled over his naked bottom. Tight, hard, wickedly curved. She dug her nails in gently and squeezed him repeatedly, reveling in his groan. Then her hands moved again around to the front of his hips, to his groin. The hair that framed his masculinity was springy and soft. She raked her fingers through it slowly, then cupped him tenderly.
Finally, she circled her fingers around his thick shaft, marveling at its size, its strength, its heat. A drop beaded on the tip. She captured it with the pad of her thumb and rubbed it over the velvety soft head. Above her, Hawk’s breathing quickened, rasping audibly in and out of his lungs. The tip of her tongue sketched patterns over the pectoral muscles on his chest, stabbing gently at his hard male nipples.
Her wandering fingers and lips had completely sidetracked his intention of ridding her of her bodysuit. When he finally attempted it, she took a moment to show him how to help her out of the stretchy red satin.
He got it as far as her hips, then dropped to one knee to tug
it down her legs. When that was done, he removed her silk stockings, then her heels. One hand wove through his thick black hair as the other braced itself on his shoulder to maintain her balance when he lifted one leg than the other to slip off her shoes.
When he was finished, his mouth found the curve of her stomach, her navel, the smooth, soft skin over one hip bone, the curly dark red hair over her pelvis. Her hands framed his head and pressed it against her lower stomach. His name came out in a whimper, a whisper. His mouth, his tongue, even the gentle tug of teeth were pure torture.
Completely undone, she stood before him, trembling. He went to both knees before her, gripped her bare bottom and pleasured her until she cried out with shattering, sharp ecstasy. Her legs collapsed beneath her and Hawk caught her around the hips and waist, lifted her, then cradled her in his arms.
With a husky growl, he adjusted her body to face him completely. “Wrap your legs around me!” His command was urgent and raspy. The moment she did, he cupped her bottom in both hands, bent his head to bury his face between her breasts, and thrust himself inside of her. Jenny wasn’t even aware that they moved until she felt her back against the wall.
Hawk put one arm behind her, absorbing his fierce thrusts as he plunged into her over and over. She might have felt alarmed by the ferocity of his passion except that hers matched his. She wanted him just as much, just as passionately. And he wasn’t hurting her, far from it. Though his body was tightly coiled with passion, his control and protection were evident in every driving motion.
Arching against him, she pushed back against his surging hips, rocking and writhing, murmuring incoherent pleas of excruciating need as she tried to get inside his very skin.
“Whatever you want, princess, however you want it,” Hawk growled almost incoherently, his hips rolling against hers, his rhythm quickening. In the next instant, Jenny exploded in a mind-shattering climax that ripped through her whole body.
