Then his mouth was on hers again. Deep kisses took her breath away. She lost herself in the sensations he created. He used his hand to lazily explore her breasts. He brushed against her nipples, one at a time.
Fire shot through her. Fire and need and a desperation that made her feel both weak and powerful.
“I want you,” he breathed. “Elissa. I want you.”
They were words to soothe a battered soul. She nipped his lower lip, then stood and held out her hand. He rose and allowed her to lead him down the short hall to her bedroom.
She hadn’t bothered to make her bed, but the tangle of sheets and blanket didn’t seem to be a problem. The second they came to a stop, Walker sat down and pulled off his athletic shoes and socks. As she watched, he unfastened his jeans, then pushed them and his boxers down and stepped away from his clothing.
He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. His chest was smooth and highly defined by muscle. Several scars, some old and faded and some still angry and red, marred his warm skin. His chest tapered to a narrow waist that naturally led the eye to a very impressive erection jutting toward her.
Her insides tightened in anticipation. It was all she could do not to rip her clothes off and beg him to take her right there. She’d been without for so long, she could barely remember what it felt like to have a man inside of her, filling her over and over again until she had no choice but to surrender.
And while that was her goal, a woman had to be practical.
“Condoms,” she said as she ripped open her nightstand drawer and started rooting around.
Behind her, Walker swore. “I didn’t think to bring any. I have some upstairs.”
“I think I have some, too.”
She could practically hear him raising his eyebrows. “What happened to the no-man plan?”
“It’s a goal, but I’m human. I can be weak from time to time. In case that happened, I wanted to be prepared. Aha.”
She drew out a small box from under a tube of hand cream and held them up.
He walked toward her, relieved her of the box and put the condoms on the nightstand.
“Only three,” he said. “Not nearly enough.”
If he’d been trying to impress her, he’d done a fine job. While she was still absorbing his complaint, he drew her T-shirt over her head and made quick work of her bra. Even as he bent down and drew one hard nipple into his mouth, he unfastened her shorts and pushed them off, along with her panties.
She clutched his head, not wanting him to ever stop that delicious sucking. With every tug, a ribbon of need spiraled from her breast to between her legs. She was already swollen and wet and the hunger he’d satisfied the last time they’d been together returned full force.
“Walker,” she breathed. “I want you inside.”
He raised his head and looked at her. “Now?”
She nodded. “It’s been a long time.”
He eased her toward the bed. She stretched out on the mattress.
“How long?” he asked as he put on a condom.
“Since before Zoe was born.”
He knelt between her thighs. “You meant what you said, then. About avoiding men and relationships.”
“Oh, yeah.”
She expected him to ask her why she’d changed her mind and was grateful when he didn’t. Instead of speaking, he slipped a finger inside of her.
Instantly her entire body tried to tighten around that single finger. Wanting made it nearly impossible to breathe.
He slid out and then pushed in two fingers. She felt herself stretching slightly. He frowned.
“I thought having a baby made things looser.”
“They, ah, sewed me up afterward.” Something she hadn’t considered. “This could be interesting for both of us.”
He smiled. “I like interesting.”
He bent over her and kissed her. As his tongue danced with hers, he reached for one of her hands and drew it to him. She caressed his erection, then spread her legs and guided him to her.
She was slick and wet and ready, and incredibly tight. Even as she fought against the need to come right that second, she felt herself stretching as he slowly filled her. The pressure was nearly unbearable, in the best way possible.
He broke the kiss and swore softly. “You’re killing me.”
“Is it uncomfortable?”
“Not in the way you mean. How the hell am I supposed to keep from coming?”
“Think of England.”
He gave a strangled laugh that was part groan, then pushed in that last inch.
She rotated her hips and consciously contracted, then relaxed her muscles. When he withdrew and pushed in again, this time she took him more easily. By the third thrust, she gave herself over to the desperate screams of her body and grabbed him by the hips to pull him in deeper. He gave a hard push and she felt the first rippling surrender of her release.
“Oh, yes,” she cried as her orgasm claimed her.
He groaned. She felt him get harder, but he continued to fill her over and over again, pushing her through waves of her release. She clung to him, lost in the pleasure, begging him to continue until he gave a cry of his own and stiffened.
WALKER LAY ON HIS BACK and pulled Elissa against him. She rested her head on his shoulder and lightly traced one of the scars on his chest.
His heart had finally slowed to normal, something he hadn’t been sure would happen after he’d lost control. His plan had been to last longer. His plan, like hers, hadn’t amounted to much.
“That was nice,” she said.
“Ouch.”
She raised her head and smiled at him. “Is this a guy ego thing? Should I gush?”
“Gushing would be nice.”
“It was great.”
“Closer.”
She put her head back down and moved her fingers to another scar. “It’s been so long, I wasn’t sure I’d remember where everything went. Thanks for helping with that.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome. Are you going to ask?”
“About?”
“The scars. Do you want to know what happened?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
She raised her head again. “Let me guess. Your other women were all aquiver to hear how close you came to death.” She drew in a breath and spoke in a high-pitched voice. “Oh, Walker, this one looks nasty. Tell me every little detail about what you went through.”
“So you’re not interested.”
“We just shared one of life’s greatest intimacies. Why would I want to break the mood by asking about a time when you were in horrible pain and nearly died?”
“Most women find it romantic.”
“Then you need to move in another circle, big guy.”
He chuckled. “I like your style.” He liked a lot more than that, but he didn’t want to get into that now. Instead he said, “Turn over.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Not even for money.”
“I’ve already seen it.”
“Then why do you need to see it again?”
“I’m curious.”
“It was a mistake.”
“It’s cute. Come on. I’ll show you mine.”
“You don’t have one to show.”
He touched her nose. “I have other things I could show you.”
She sighed and shifted away so she could flop on her stomach. “Fine. Just don’t make any cracks and don’t comment on my ten extra pounds.”
Why did women worry about crap like that? “There aren’t any,” he said, then leaned over until he could stare at the tiny red heart and the single tear below it on her hip.
“Why this?” he asked.
“It was right before I knew I was pregnant but after I’d finally come to realize Neil would never love anyone but himself and that he couldn’t even love himself as much as his next fix. It was a metaphorical statement, I guess. I thought I loved him.”
“You didn’t?”
<
br /> “No. Not even close.” She turned onto her back and smiled at him. “I didn’t really know what love was until I had Zoe. She changed everything. I’m not even sure why I had her. Neil pressured me to get an abortion. I hadn’t thought about having kids, but when I found out I was pregnant, I just couldn’t get rid of the baby. So I took what money I’d managed to keep hidden from Neil and ran away.”
He stroked her hair, then rested his hand on her bare belly. “Where did you go?”
“A halfway house. I got a job cleaning and doing laundry. They let me stay while I had Zoe, then I saved enough for a bus ticket and came back here. I think, in the back of my mind, I figured if I moved to Seattle, my parents would be able to find me. I wanted them to still want me.”
“They did. Bobby lied, remember?”
“They had a funny way of showing it. Anyway, I got a job and a studio apartment. I’ve worked my way up to this place.”
“You’ve kept it all together. You should be proud of that.”
“I am. I like my life. Mrs. Ford is great. She’s made a big difference for Zoe and me.”
“You’ve made a difference for her. You’re family.”
She’d filled in what was missing all by herself. He admired that…and her.
“What happens now?” he asked. “With your mother.”
“I don’t know. She has to be furious and I’m still pretty pissed off myself. I guess we’ll deal with it as it comes.”
As she spoke, she stretched. Her body arched and her breasts rose toward him. Not one to refuse that kind of an invitation, he bent down and took one nipple in his mouth. She moaned. Wanting grew inside of him as his dick went from zero to sixty in less than two seconds.
He released her and stood. “Come on,” he said, pulling her to her feet.
“Where are we going?”
“The bathroom.”
Two minutes later they stood under the hot spray. He positioned her so the warm water raced down her body, then picked up the bar of soap and rubbed it between his hands. When he’d built up enough lather, he put his hands on her breasts and circled them. He brushed her nipples with the center of his palm, then with his thumbs. She trembled and let her head fall back.
After the water had washed away the soap, he leaned in and licked her nipples over and over, then lightly bit down, making her gasp. At the same time, he lathered up again, then slid one hand between her legs. The slippery soap allowed him to slide over her most sensitive area, rubbing it, then circling it. She parted her legs and reached out to brace herself on the shower walls.
But he wasn’t done with her. Once again, he allowed the water to wash away the soap, then he dropped to his knees and eased between her legs.
His erection pulsed with each heartbeat, but he ignored the pressure to take her again. That would happen, he was sure of it. This was about pleasing her.
He used his fingers to part her swollen flesh, then pressed his mouth to the very heart of her. As his tongue stroked her, he felt her tremble. He opened his mouth and sucked, then licked, repeating the actions until her breathing was ragged and she seemed close to losing control. Only then did he settle into a rhythm designed to make her lose control.
Back and forth, back and forth, with the flat part of his tongue, then the tip. Her center engorged, then the first shudder of her release struck. She cried out as her whole body convulsed.
When she was done, she collapsed next to him in the tub. Her eyes were dilated, her skin flushed. Water rained down on them.
“Your turn,” she breathed, her hand reaching between them to close around his erection.
He held in a moan. “What did you have in mind?”
She smiled. “Stand up and find out.”
He rose and stepped under the shower. Elissa knelt in front of him and licked the very tip of his arousal. Instinctively he flexed and surged toward her before he could stop himself. He wanted to bury his hands in her wet hair and pull her closer. He wanted her to suck as hard as she could until he exploded.
Instead he braced himself against the wall and did his best not to act too aggressively.
She circled him with her tongue, then opened her mouth and took him inside. The wet heat combined with the pounding of the shower to create an otherworldly experience.
Suddenly she stopped and stepped out of the shower. A minute later, she returned, condom in hand.
“You’re holding back,” she said simply. “This way you don’t have to.”
He was surprised she’d noticed and grateful for her actions. After he slipped on the protection, he turned her so her back was to the tile wall.
“Gonna be cold,” he said.
She grinned. “I can handle it.”
She only shrieked a little as he raised her up against the tiles. Then she moaned and wrapped her legs around his hips when he thrust inside of her.
She was hot and slick and already contracting around him. In a matter of seconds he was hanging on by a thread and a few seconds after that, he just didn’t give a damn.
“I HAVE TO GET TO WORK,” Elissa said two hours later when they’d moved back to the bedroom and used the last condom. “I’m supposed to spend the weekend working on my jewelry. The craft show is in a couple of weeks and I’m not close to ready.”
Walker leaned over and kissed her shoulder. “I’ll help.”
She blinked at him. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
He rolled onto his back and pulled her with him so she stretched across him.
“What’s so hard to believe?” he asked. “I’ll go out and get supplies, then come back and help. You can tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
Just like that, she thought. A couple of days ago, she’d assumed they would never speak to each other again. Suddenly they were lovers and he was implying they would be spending more time together. Was that what she wanted? Was that the safest route?
She already knew the answer to that last question, but in that moment, she didn’t care.
“You don’t have to go to the store,” she said. “I have enough food for us.”
“I wasn’t talking about food.” He leaned over and shook the empty condom box.
“Oh,” she said. “You really think you’re going to want to do that again?”
He cupped her face and kissed her firmly. “You can bet on it.”
“HOW HARD COULD IT BE?” Walker asked when Elissa sat him down at the kitchen table and gave him detailed instructions on how to wrap the wire around the pale blue topaz.
“It takes practice,” she told him, not sure if she should be insulted by his assumption that what she did was so easy.
She returned to her worktable and began sorting stones. She had ideas for several matching sets, which would be her most expensive items, along with lots of different styles of earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces.
She’d already made a list of the different designs to help her keep on track. Another sheet held her completed inventory list. If she really focused she could—
“This isn’t right.”
Walker stood next to her and handed over a mess of twisted wire and barely visible stone.
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
He set the object on the table. “This isn’t my thing. Why don’t I make labels or put stuff in boxes?”
She held in a smile. “But you said it was so easy. You said it wouldn’t be a problem. You said—”
“I was wrong.” He spoke between gritted teeth.
“Really? You? Wrong? Color me astonished.”
“It’s not easy,” he grumbled. “Is that what you want? Is that enough crawling?”
“Nearly,” she said brightly. “I think another minute will do it.”
“Fine. You have talent and I don’t. You were right and I was…”
He paused and she held a hand up to her ear. “Yes?”
“Wrong.”
She sighed. “What a beautiful sound. The w word. I rejoice for all
women everywhere.”
“You’re taking this a little too much to heart. I can think of only one way to shut you up.”
Then, before she could react, he pulled her to her feet and kissed her thoroughly.
“I have to work,” she protested.
He put one hand on her breast and slipped the other between her legs.
“What was that?” he asked against her mouth.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
BY LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON, Elissa had made progress on her inventory and Walker had, knowingly or not, made inroads into her heart. Her friends had been right—sleeping with the man meant bonding with him and no matter how much she told herself to keep her distance, neither her brain nor her heart were listening.
He put the last label on the box, then stacked that container with the others. After glancing at his watch, he said, “Zoe will be home soon. I should go. You don’t want to have to explain me to her or your mother.”
“Right.”
She’d forgotten about the fight she’d had with her mother. All her anger and confusion returned in a rush.
He kissed her once and left. It was only after he was gone that she realized he hadn’t said anything about seeing her again. Did he plan to? Had anything changed for him or was this just the long version of a one-night stand?
She hated the questions nearly as much as she hated herself for asking them. If she wanted to know, she should be a grown-up and ask. But before she could, she heard a car in the driveway.
By the time she got to the door, Zoe was already out and racing toward her.
“Mommy, Mommy, I had the best time,” her daughter yelled. “I have so much to tell you!”
Elissa crouched down and held out her arms. Zoe rushed into them. Elissa glanced over her daughter’s head and saw that her mother wasn’t alone in the car. Elissa’s father was with her.
Had he come along to say goodbye or was he to provide a buffer between the two women?
Elissa straightened as her parents got out of the car and walked toward her.
“Hi,” she said, not looking at her mother. “It sounds like Zoe had fun.”
“I did!” her daughter said. “I want to stay over again.”
Irresistible Page 19
