Before she could dwell on any answers to her questions, he deepened the kiss and began mating with her mouth with an intensity and hunger that made her stomach muscles quiver. It was a move she felt all the way to her toes. She felt herself becoming feverish, hot and needy. When it came to a man, she’d never been needy.
He slanted his head, taking the kiss deeper still, while tangling with her tongue in a way she had dreamed about only moments earlier. But now she was getting the real thing and not mere snippets of a fantasy. He wasn’t holding back on anything and his tongue was playing havoc with her senses in the process. It was a work of art, a sensuous skill. The way he’d managed to wrap his tongue around hers, only letting it go when it pleased him and capturing it again when he was ready to dispense even more pleasurable torture.
She had asked for this kiss and wasn’t disappointed. Far from it. He was taking her over the edge in a way that would keep her falling with pleasure. His mouth seemed to fit hers perfectly, no matter what angle he took. And the more it plowed her mouth hungrily, the more every part of her body came alive in a way she wasn’t used to.
She moaned deep in her throat when she felt the warmth of his fingers on her bare thigh and wondered when had he slid his hand under her skirt. When those fingers began inching toward her center, instinctively she shifted her body closer to his. The move immediately parted her thighs.
As if his fingers were fully aware of the impact they were having on her, they moved to stake a claim on her most intimate part. As his fingers slid beneath the waistband of her panties, she released another moan when his hand came into contact with her womanly folds. They were moist and she could feel the way his fingertips were spreading her juices all over it before he dipped a finger inside her.
The moment he touched her there, she pulled her mouth away from his to throw back her head in one deep moan. But he didn’t let her mouth stay free for long. He recaptured it as his fingers caressed her insides in a way that almost made her weep, while his mouth continued to ply her with hungry kisses.
Suddenly she felt a sensation that started at her midsection and then spread throughout her body like tentacles of fire, building tension and strains of sensuous pressure in its wake. Her body instinctively pushed against his hand just as something within her snapped and then exploded, sending emotions, awareness and all kinds of feeling shooting all through her, flooding her with ecstasy.
Although this was the first time she’d ever experienced anything like it, she knew what it was. Callum had brought her to her first earthshaking and shattering climax. She’d heard about them and read about them, but had never experienced one before. Now she understood what it felt like to respond without limitations to a man.
When the feelings intensified, she pulled her mouth from his, closed her eyes and let out a deep piercing scream, unable to hold it back.
“That’s it. Come for me, baby,” he slurred thickly against her mouth before taking it again with a deep erotic thrust of his tongue.
And he kept kissing her in this devouring way of his until she felt deliciously sated and her body ceased its trembling. He finally released her mouth, but not before his tongue gave her lips a few parting licks. It was then that she opened her eyes, feeling completely drained but totally satisfied.
He held her gaze and she wondered what he was thinking. Had their business relationship been com promised? After all, he was her client and she had never been involved with a client before. And whether she’d planned it or not, they were involved. Just knowing there were more kisses where that one came from sent shivers of pleasure down her spine.
Better yet, if he could deliver this kind of pleasure to her mouth, she could just imagine what else he could do to other parts of her body, like her breasts, stomach, the area between her legs. The man possessed one hell of a dynamic tongue and he certainly knew how to use it.
Heat filled her face from those thoughts and she wondered if he saw it. At least he had no idea what she was thinking. Or did he? He hadn’t said anything yet. He was just staring at her and licking his lips. She felt she should say something, but at the moment she was speechless. She’d just had her very first orgasm and she still had her clothes on. Amazing.
* * *
Callum’s nostrils flared from the scent of a woman who’d been pleasured in the most primitive way. He would love to strip her naked and taste the dewy essence of her. Brand his tongue with her intimate juices, lap her up the way he’d dreamed of doing more times than he could count.
She was staring at him as if she was still trying to figure out why and how this thing had happened. He would allow her time to do that, but what he wouldn’t tolerate was her thinking that what they’d shared was wrong, because it wasn’t. He would not accept any regrets.
The one thing he’d taken note of with his fingers was that she was extremely tight. With most men that would send up a red flag, but not him because her sexual experience, or lack thereof, didn’t matter. However, if she hadn’t been made love to before, he wanted to know it.
He opened his mouth to ask her, but she spoke before he could do so. “We should not have done that, Callum.”
She could say that? While his hand was still inside of her? Maybe she had forgotten where his fingers were because they weren’t moving. He flexed them, and when she immediately sucked in a deep breath as her gaze darkened with desire, he knew he’d succeeded in reminding her.
And while she watched, he slid his hand from inside of her and moments later he brought it to his lips and licked every finger that had been inside her. He then raked one finger across her lips before leaning down and tracing with his tongue where his finger had touched her mouth before saying, “With that I have to disagree.” He spoke in a voice so throaty he barely recognized it as his own.
Her taste sent even more desire shooting through him. “Why do you feel that way, Gemma?”
He saw her throat move when she swallowed with her eyes still latched on his. “You’re my client.”
“Yes. And I just kissed you. One has nothing to do with the other. I hired you because I know you will do a good job. I just kissed you because—”
“I asked you to?”
He shook his head. “No, because I wanted to and because you wanted me to do it, too.”
She nodded. “Yes,” she said softly. “I wanted you to.”
“Then there’s no place for regrets and our attraction to each other has nothing to do with your decorating my home, so you can kill that idea here and now.”
She didn’t say anything for a moment and then she asked, “What about me being Ramsey’s sister? Does that mean anything to you?”
A smile skidded across his lips. “I consider myself one of Ramsey’s closest friends. Does that mean anything to you?”
She nervously nibbled on her bottom lip. “Yes. He will probably have a fit if he ever finds out we’re attracted to each other.”
“You think so?”
“Yes,” she said promptly, without thinking much about his question. “Don’t you?”
“No. Your brother is a fair man who recognizes you as the adult you are.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are we talking about the same Ramsey Westmoreland?”
He couldn’t help but grin. “Yes, we’re talking about the same Ramsey Westmoreland. My best friend and your brother. You will always be one of his younger sisters, especially since he had a hand in raising you. Ramsey will always feel that he has a vested interest in your happiness and will always play the role of your protector, and understandably so. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t recognize that you’re old enough to make your own decisions about your life.”
She didn’t say anything and he knew she was thinking hard about what he’d said. To reinforce the meaning of his words, he added. “Besides, Ramsey knows I would never take advantage of you, Gemma. I am not that kind of guy. I ask before I take. But remember, you always have the right to say no.” A part of him hoped she would
never say no to any direction their attraction might lead.
“I need to think about this some more, Callum.”
He smiled. “Okay. That’s fine. Now it’s time for us to go inside.”
He moved to open the door and she reached out and touched his hand. “And you won’t try kissing me again?”
He reached out and pushed a strand of hair away from her face. “No, not unless you ask me to or give me an indication that’s what you want me to do. But be forewarned, Gemma. If you ask, then I will deliver because I intend to be the man who will give you everything you want.”
He then got out of the car and strolled to the other side to open the door for her.
* * *
He intended to being the man who gave her everything she wanted? A puzzled Gemma walked beside Callum toward his front door. When had he decided that? Before the kiss, during the kiss or after the kiss?
She shook her head. It definitely hadn’t been before. Granted, they’d come close to kissing on the plane, but that had been the heat of the moment, due to an attraction that had begun sizzling below the surface. But that attraction didn’t start until… When?
She pulled in a deep breath, really not certain. She’d always noticed him as a man from afar, but only in a complimentary way, since she’d assumed that he was taken. But she would be the first to admit that once he’d told her he wasn’t, she’d begun seeing him in a whole different light. But she’d been realistic enough to know that, given the ten-year difference in their ages and the fact he was Ramsey’s best friend, chances were that even if she was interested in him there was no way he would reciprocate that interest.
Or had it been during the kiss, when he had shown her just what a real kiss was like? Had he detected that this was her first real kiss? She’d tried following his lead, but when that lead began taking her so many different places and had made her feel a multitude of emotions and sensations she hadn’t been used to, she just gave up following and let him take complete control. She had not been disappointed.
Her first orgasm had left every cell in her body feeling strung from one end to the other. She wondered just how many women could be kissed into an orgasm? She wondered how it would be if she and Callum actually made love. The pleasure just might kill her.
But then, he might have decided that he was the man to give her whatever she wanted after the kiss, when she was trying to regain control of her senses. Did he see her as a novelty? Did he want to rid her of her naiveté about certain things that happen between a man and a woman?
Evidently, he thought differently about how her oldest brother saw things. Well, she wasn’t as certain as he was about Ramsey’s reaction. She was well aware that she was an adult, old enough to call the shots about her own life. But with all the trouble the twins, Bane and Bailey had given everyone while growing up, she had promised herself never to cause Ramsey any unnecessary grief.
Although she would be the first to admit that she had a tendency to speak her mind whenever it suited her and she could be stubborn to a fault at times, she basically didn’t cross people unless they crossed her. Those who’d known her great-grandmother—the first Gemma Westmoreland—who’d been married to Raphel, said she had inherited that attitude from her namesake. That’s probably why so many family members believed there was more to the story about her great-grandfather Raphel and his bigamist ways that was yet to be uncovered. She wasn’t as anxious about uncovering the truth as Dillon had been, but she knew Megan and some of her cousins were.
She stopped walking once they reached the door and Callum pulled a key from his pocket. She glanced around and saw that this particular building was set apart from the others on a secluded cul-de-sac. And it was also on a lot larger than the others, although, to her way of thinking, all of them appeared massive. “Why is your condo sitting on a street all by itself?” she asked.
“I wanted it that way for privacy.”
“And they obliged you?”
He smiled. “Yes, since I bought all the other lots on this side of the complex as buffers. I didn’t want to feel crowded. I’m used to a lot of space, but I liked the area because the beach is practically in my backyard.”
She couldn’t wait to see that, since Denver didn’t have beaches. There was the Rocky Mountain Beach that included a stretch of sand but wasn’t connected to an ocean like a real beach.
“Welcome to my home, Gemma.”
He stood back and she stepped over the threshold at the same exact moment that he flicked a switch and the lights came on. She glanced around in awe. The interior of his home was simply beautiful and unless he had hidden decorating skills she wasn’t aware of, she had to assume that he’d retained the services of a professional designer for this place, too. His colors, masculine in nature, were well-coordinated and blended together perfectly.
She moved farther into the room, taking note of everything—from the Persian rugs on the beautifully polished walnut floors, to the decorative throw pillows on the sofa, to the style of curtains and blinds that covered the massive windows. The light colors of the window treatments made each room appear larger in dimension and the banister of the spiral staircase that led to another floor gave the condo a sophisticated air.
When Callum crossed the room and lifted the blinds, she caught her breath. He hadn’t lied when he’d said the beach was practically in his backyard. Even at night, thanks to the full moon overhead, she could see the beautiful waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Living away from home while attending college had taken care of any wanderlust she might have had at one time. Seeing the world had never topped her list. She was more than satisfied with the one hundred acres she had acquired on her twenty-first birthday—an inheritance for each of the Westmorelands. The section of Denver most folks considered as Westmoreland Country was all the home she’d ever known and had ever wanted. But she would have to admit that all she’d seen of Sydney so far was making it a close second.
Callum turned back to her. “So what do you think?”
Gemma smiled. “I think I’m going to love it here.”
Eight
The next morning, after taking his shower, Callum dressed as he gazed out his bedroom window at the beautiful waters of the ocean. For some reason he believed it was going to be a wonderful day. He was back home and the woman he intended to share his life with was sleeping under his roof.
As he stepped into his shoes, he had to admit that he missed being back in Denver, working the ranch and spending time with the men he’d come to know over the past three years. During that time Ramsey had needed his help and they’d formed a close bond. Now Ramsey’s life had moved in another direction. Ramsey was truly happy. He had a wife and a baby on the way and Callum was happy for his friend.
And more than anything he intended to find some of that same happiness for himself.
As he buttoned up his shirt, he couldn’t help but think about the kiss he and Gemma had shared last night. The taste of her was still on his tongue. He’d told her that he wouldn’t kiss her again until she gave the word, and he intended to do everything within his power to make sure she gave it—and soon.
The one thing he knew about Gemma was that she was stubborn. If you wanted to introduce an idea to her, you had to make her think that it had been her idea. Otherwise, she would balk at any suggestion you made. He had no problems doing that. When he put his seduction plan into motion, he would do it in such a way that she would think she was seducing him.
The thought of such a thing—her seducing him—had his manhood flexing. Although his feelings for Gemma were more than sexual, he couldn’t help those nightly dreams that had plagued him since first meeting her. He’d seen her stripped bare—in his dreams. He’d tasted every inch of her body—in his dreams. And in his dreams he’d constantly asked what she wanted. What she needed from him to prove that she was his woman in every way.
Last night after he’d shown her the guestroom she would be using and had brought in
their luggage, she had told him she was still suffering from jet lag and planned to retire early. She had quickly moved into her bedroom and had been sequestered there ever since. That was fine. In time she would find out that, when it came to him, she could run but she most certainly couldn’t hide.
He would let her try to deny this thing that was developing between them, but she would discover soon enough that he was her man.
But what he wanted and needed right now was another kiss. He smiled, thinking his job was to make sure she felt that she needed another kiss as well. And as he walked out of his bedroom he placed getting another kiss at the top of his agenda.
* * *
Gemma stood in her bare feet in front of the window in Callum’s kitchen as she gazed out at the beach. The view was simply amazing. She’d never seen anything like it.
One year while in college, during spring break weekend, she and a few friends had driven from Nebraska to Florida to spend the weekend on the beach in Pensacola. There she had seen a real beach with miles and miles of the purest blue-green waters. She was convinced that the Pacific Ocean was even more breathtaking and she’d come miles and miles away from home to see it.
Home.
Although she did miss home, she considered being in Australia an adventure as well as a job. Because of the difference in time zones, when she’d retired last night, she hadn’t made any calls, but she intended to try to do so today. Megan was keeping tabs on the bank situation involving Niecee. With the money Callum had advanced her, her bank account was in pretty good shape, with more than enough funds to cover her debts. But she had no intention of letting Niecee get away with what she’d done. She had yet to tell anyone else in the family, other than Megan and Bailey, about the incident and planned on keeping things that way until the funds had been recovered and were back in her bank account.
She took another sip of her coffee, thinking about the kiss she and Callum had shared last night. Okay, she would admit it had been more than off the chain and the climax was simply shocking. Just the thought gave her sensuous shivers and was making her body tingle all over. What Callum had done with his tongue in her mouth and his fingers between her legs made her blush.
Brenda Jackson The Westmoreland Series Books 16-20 Page 35
