The muscles around his jaw ticked. “My former fiancée, Charlotte. Things between us had been unraveling for a while. We both knew it, but neither did anything about it. I broke it off with her, but she refused to accept that.” He dropped her hands and his lips flattened into a straight line. “I’m not proud of it, but I met a woman at a party and went back to her place. It only lasted one night. I’d been lonely for so long.”
Kelsey’s stomach knotted.
“Charlotte sat waiting for me in the driveway when I came home in the morning. She pressed me to tell her where I’d spent the night. I admitted I’d been with another woman and she went into a rage. I never figured she’d do anything to harm herself.” His brow creased with anguish. “She called me the next night and told me she’d cut her wrists. By the time I showed up, she’d passed out. Blood everywhere.” Burying his face in his hands, he let out a tortured moan. “I called an ambulance. She survived. Barely. If I’d arrived twenty minutes later, she may not have made it.”
“But she did make it. You saved her.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I was the reason she did it.”
“She made that choice. You said yourself, you’d broken it off with her. She wanted your attention and by God, she got it.” She grasped his arms. “You have to let it go, Jason.”
Threading his fingers through her hair, he drew her closer. His breath whispered along her brow, her cheek, her ear. “Maybe we both have demons we need to purge.” His lips settled against hers, so sweet and gentle she nearly cried.
He had a point. Punishing him for Paul’s sins and her father’s didn’t seem fair. He’d already proven himself a better man than either of them could ever hope to be. Jason would never intentionally hurt her as they both had. He was the sort of man who’d lay his own life on the line for someone he loved.
Giving herself over to his kiss, she could hardly breathe, but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered, nothing existed but the two of them and this moment.
He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue along hers, exploring and tasting. Delicious heat spread through her. Every cell in her body ached for more, for everything. She let out a lusty sigh as he moved a hand to her breast, kneading and shaping it through the fabric of her shirt.
Pleasure washed over her as primal needs bubbled to the surface. Breaking the kiss, she took a step away and pulled her shirt over her head. When she reached around to unhook her bra, Jason stopped her.
“Let me, please.” His eyes darkened and filled with desire.
She turned her back to him, luxuriating in the sensation of his strong hands on her skin. Heat radiated from the spot he touched, traveled through her, melted the walls she’d kept in place for so long. He peeled away her bra, cupped one bare breast, gently tugged the nipple of the other, tearing a gasp from her throat. She shut her eyes and leaned her head back against his shoulder.
His breath landed on her neck, sending hot shivers across her skin. He trailed soft kisses along her shoulder and her arm. “You’re so beautiful, Kelsey.”
Taking her arm, he spun her toward him, dropped his gaze to her breasts. His lips curled with an appreciative grin. A jolt of awareness bucked through her. He swirled his tongue around a peaked nipple, raked his teeth over it, making her entire body throb with yearning. Tendrils of delicious desire rocketed to her pussy. She rolled her head back, drinking in the blissful sensations.
She needed this, again. Needed to pretend everything was fine and safe. “Let’s go to bed,” she murmured.
He stopped what he was doing, looked deep into her eyes and her knees nearly buckled. She grasped his hand and started toward the bedroom. Jason followed, but stopped halfway down the hall. He took her wrists and lifted her arms over her head, pinned her against the wall. Bending his head, he licked the hollow of her throat then ran his tongue between her breasts. She whimpered and arched toward him. Little shock waves hummed through her sex, started her juices flowing. No man had ever turned her into a quivering mass like he did, into a puddle of a woman.
When he released her arms, she immediately wrapped them around him, curled her fingers into his shoulders. Grabbing her ass with both hands, he lifted her and she hooked her legs around his waist. He carried her the rest of the way, eased her onto the bed and climbed over her. The way he looked at her—as if she were an exquisite piece of art—made her tremble with anticipation. She pulled his face to hers and kissed his mouth, let him know how much she yearned for his touch. Craving his skin against hers, she reached around him and took hold of his shirt, lifted it. He broke the kiss and pulled his T-shirt the rest of the way off.
“Too many clothes.” He rolled off her and slowly lowered the zipper of her jeans. Grinning at her sensible white cotton panties, he shook his head. “Don’t wear those again. Your beautiful body ought to be covered in silk and lace or nothing at all.”
She’d never felt beautiful before this moment. The way he drank in her body with his eyes, she knew he meant what he’d said. She stifled a smile. “You’re not telling me what to wear, are you?”
“Yeah, I am. You did hear the part about your luscious body, right?”
Luscious? She inhaled sharply as a zing of pleasure danced along her spine. As she shimmied out of the panties, she watched him undress. Swallowing hard against the rush of desire, she lay back as he climbed onto the bed.
Jason yanked open a drawer in the nightstand and pulled out a foil packet. He used his teeth to tear it open. When he kneeled beside her, his masculine scent filled the air. His erect cock twitched, deep red and thick. She took his hard flesh in her hand, closed her fingers over it, felt it pulse in her grip.
He let out a deep moan, but grabbed her wrist and eased it away. Rolling the condom over his erection, he slid his gaze over her body. “Your satisfaction first.”
She swallowed hard, at once annoyed and incredibly turned on by his dominance. He bent low and claimed her mouth, kissed her with more passion, more insistence than before. Thick ribbons of desire spooled around her, enveloping her in heat.
She bucked when his hand slid between her legs, but she quickly relaxed, enjoyed the sensations radiating through her body. He rasped his thumb over her nub and her juices started flowing, slicking her pussy. His fingers moved slow and sure along her damp lips, tantalizingly close to her entrance. She lifted her hips toward him, but he refused her silent request.
Breaking the kiss, he met her gaze. “You’re so wet, aren’t you?”
She whimpered through closed lips, desperate for his touch. He stretched out beside her, leaning on one elbow. The lust in his eyes ramped up her libido. She rocked against his hand as it teased her sex.
He brought his mouth to her breast, laved wide, sweeping circles around her nipple. Finally, he licked the pointed tip, tearing a desperate moan from her lips. She’d never known a man to take his time like this, to be so concerned with her enjoyment.
His finger slid inside her pussy, only a little, but enough to have her squirming beneath him. Every inch of her quivered with yearning. When he slipped another finger into her, she pistoned her hips toward him, but he withdrew his touch and lifted his mouth from her breast. “Patience, Kelsey. I want to savor every inch of you and I want to tease you until you beg me.”
“Please?” She squirmed to diffuse the craving between her legs.
He grinned as he grazed his hand over her pussy. Spreading her sensitive lips apart, he ventured a finger along her folds, sliding easily through her cream. She bit her lip when he drove his fingers into her, stroking to a primal rhythm that set her ablaze.
Her hips seemed to have a mind of their own as they lifted and rocked, coaxing him deeper. Her intimate muscles automatically clenched, pulsed in time with his strokes.
How did he know just how to touch her, exactly where? The intensity rose, higher and higher until a powerful orgasm crashed over her, wave after heavenly wave. She convulsed with ecstasy and every cell in her body vibrated with joy.
&
nbsp; Jason didn’t let her pleasure ebb before he pushed her legs apart with his knee and thrust into her, hard and deep. She winced at the momentary pain, but it quickly gave way to a building need, higher and higher. “Oh God, yes.”
She lifted her hips to meet his and his strokes grew harder, faster, deeper. They found their tempo and she climbed closer and closer to her release until she tumbled over the edge. She gasped and exploded in a hot, slick rush of perfect satisfaction. “Oh, Jason. Yeeesssss.”
“Kelsey.” He said her name as if it were a prayer. She dug her nails into his back as his thrusts grew more insistent. He drew his head back and she saw the veins straining in his neck. Perspiration glistened on his skin and his jaw clenched. A deep growl rumbled in his chest and his forehead knotted with intensity.
Their eyes locked and the passion of the moment stole her breath. He shuddered above her, jerked twice and let out a loud moan. Tightening her inner muscles around his cock, she grinned as she watched the gratification spread over his face. He settled over her, panting. Soaked in sweat, they lay there, connected and complete, hearts pounding.
Her whole body tingled with perfect satisfaction.
He rolled off her and lay on his back, eyes closed, smiling. Taking her hand, he raised it to his lips and kissed it. “That was…even more amazing than last night.” He turned his head toward her and captured her gaze.
The heat of his stare sucked all the air out of her lungs. He pulled her against him and held her tight, as if he’d never let her go.
She’d never felt so completely satisfied—or so incredibly terrified.
Chapter Nine
Jason raced to Charlotte’s house only to find her limp bloody body sprawled in the bathtub. He couldn’t make out her face, but when he came closer, he realized it wasn’t Charlotte, but Kelsey. And he’d arrived too late. He dropped to his knees and clenched his fists. Again, he’d failed.
He woke in a cold sweat. Heart pounding, he looked over at Kelsey, sleeping peacefully beside him. Only the image of her lifeless body kept intruding. The more time he spent with her, the more his attraction grew. Inevitably he’d let her down. And the people after her wouldn’t stop until they got to her.
I failed to protect Jeremy and Charlotte.
No! He shut his eyes and forced the thought away.
Scratching noises at his bedroom door drew his attention. The door creaked open and Elvis pushed his nose through then headed to the bed and let out a quiet woof. Jason glanced at Kelsey, relieved she hadn’t stirred. Easing the covers aside, he got up and led the dog to the kitchen. After he let Elvis outside, he started a pot of coffee then returned to the bedroom. Dawn hadn’t yet broken so maybe he’d be able to catch a little more shuteye. But when he entered the bedroom, Kelsey yawned and stretched as velvet shadows crept under the curtains.
She treated him to a lazy smile. “G’morning.” Her hair tangled in a blonde mass around her face. She’d never looked more beautiful.
“Stay where you are.” Waggling his eyebrows, he strode to the bed and burrowed all the way under the covers.
“What are you doing?” She patted his head through the sheet as he crawled closer and took hold of her ankles.
He pulled her underneath the bedclothes as she giggled and pretended to struggle. God, he loved the sound of her laughter. He climbed over her, sucking in a breath of her enticing scent. Her skin—silky soft and perfect as porcelain—tasted both sweet and salty when he kissed her belly. He licked a line from her navel to the valley between her breasts.
She threw back the covers then grasped his head. Moaning her approval, she arched toward him. He cupped her breasts, thumbed her erect nipples.
Hard as granite and ready to bury himself inside her, he refused to rush this. Last night, they’d shared such hot passion that neither was able to take it slow. This morning he needed to show her the tenderness she deserved and he craved.
She shoved away and scooted off the bed. “Give me two minutes to wash up.”
Throwing back the covers, he showed her his erection. “He doesn’t care if your face isn’t washed.”
She set her hands on her hips and shook her head. “He won’t want me smelling like…I don’t know what.”
God, she looked sexy. Full, ripe breasts with firm, high points, a flat stomach and legs from here to Canada. He rolled onto his side and propped himself up on one elbow. “You don’t smell like sweat. You smell like a woman.”
A flush of pink rose from her neck to her face. “That’s the…sexiest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“Then come back here.” He patted the mattress beside him.
She held up a finger. “One minute.”
He let out an exaggerated sigh and covered his face with his arm. “I’m counting. Any longer than that and I come in after you. One, two, three…”
He heard her run toward the bathroom then shut the door. While she cleaned up, he took a couple condoms out of the drawer and set them on the nightstand.
Emerging from the bathroom wearing a skimpy towel, she strode toward the bed. She’d pinned up her hair, but a few curls spilled over her shoulders.
He drank her in and sucked in an appreciative breath. The gentle curve of her shoulders, the long, elegant arms. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “You’re stunning.”
Her smile faded as she bent to kiss him. She tasted of his toothpaste, smelled like his soap. For some reason, the notion that she’d used his things excited him.
He shut his eyes and feasted on her mouth. She ended the kiss then climbed onto the bed and straddled him. Her downcast gaze darkened as she slid her hands over his chest.
Needing to see all of her sexy body, he caught the towel by the corner and opened it, revealing her luscious breasts. She sat up taller and rolled her head back. A soft purr escaped her lips when he tugged on her pebbled nubs.
She pivoted her hips and settled her pussy over his cock. His balls ached with yearning. He caught her arms and pulled her down so she lay on top of him. Skimming his hands along her back, he marveled at her satiny skin. His cock pressed against her thighs and he fought to control his rising need to fuck her.
Kelsey gave his nipple a playful bite.
Rolling over, he deposited her on the bed beside him and quickly turned her onto her stomach. He cupped her ass, two perfect orbs. She let out a soft moan and wriggled on the bed, spreading her thighs apart barely enough for him to notice. Only he did notice.
He slid his hand between her legs and glided along her slit, only enough to tease her. She opened wider, but he returned his attention to that perfect ass and kneaded her flesh. He traced the faint line of fine blonde hair running down the middle of her back, then followed with soft kisses.
“You’re teasing me.” She squirmed beneath his touch.
“I am.” He sneaked his finger between her thighs again, barely making contact with her hot pussy, then quickly retreated.
She let out a deliciously desperate whimper and he grinned. He wanted her to hunger for him as much as he did for her. He slid a hand along her hip and she rolled onto her side, facing him.
Her gaze moved to his cock. She closed her fist around it and he bit back the urge to take her right that second. She swiped a drop of pre-cum from the tip with her finger, then licked it off.
His breath caught at the sight. Grinning wickedly, she scratched her nails along his shaft. Pleasure and pain mingled in a mind-blowing sensation. His cock twitched insistently. He couldn’t take much more of this. Grabbing her wrists, he raised her hands up over her head and pinned them to the bed.
Arousal sparked in her eyes. “You have to be in charge, don’t you?”
“You bet.” He closed his mouth over her breast, laved and sucked and nipped. Her pleading cries urged him on as she bucked and squirmed. Releasing her wrists, he took hold of her other breast, suckled it as she sank her nails into his side. He gave her nipple a gentle rake with his teeth and she rewarded him with a high
-pitched moan.
When her knees parted, he moved between her legs, stroking his ready length along the velvet skin of her inner thighs. Kelsey rocked against him, purred softly in his ear. He kissed her neck, her collarbone, then swirled his tongue around a pebbled nipple.
“I want to feel you inside me,” she murmured.
“And you will. Eventually.” He trailed soft kisses down the plane of her stomach, along her milky thigh, until he reached her swollen sex. She whimpered pleas for him to take her, but he wasn’t through teasing her yet.
He spread her lips and ran a finger lightly along her creamy folds. Her sharp intake of breath assured him she was enjoying this as much as he. She raised her hips let out a lustful sigh.
He flicked his tongue over her clit and her whole body shook. Her breath hitched and she grabbed at the sheets. He had her exactly where he wanted. Slipping two fingers inside her entrance, he centered his thumb at the top of her cleft and rubbed it.
She bucked wildly. “Yes, yes, oh God, yes.”
He quickened the pace, taking his cues from her louder and louder cries. She stilled a moment, the calm before the storm. Her intimate muscles clenched his fingers and she shouted her release, twisting and bucking. Her hands clawed at the bed and her body shook with rolling shudders. She gasped for air, clutching fistfuls of the sheets.
After she’d quieted, he stroked her pussy softly and she quivered in reward. Her heavy breathing slowed and a gratified smile formed on her lips.
He slid alongside her, marveling at the serene expression on her face. She opened her eyes and met his stare. “Whoa!”
Grinning, he planted a kiss on her neck. “Guess you enjoyed that.” He propped himself up on one elbow.
“Um, that would be the understatement of the century. And now it’s your turn.”
With surprising strength, she shoved him onto his back and climbed atop him.
He held her waist and settled her over his cock. “Who made you the boss?”
Tropic of Trouble Page 13
