She bit back the temptation of telling him that she wanted to be more than his girl. She wanted to be his wife, and she hoped one day he realized that she could be everything he needed. “Thanks. But staying in bed will make me lazy.”
He smiled. “I doubt you know the meaning of the word, and if you do feel like slacking off, that’s fine because you deserve it. Besides, you are on vacation.”
“I’ve never helped you cook before,” she said. “I want to do it.”
“Suit yourself,” he said, easing out of bed. Then as if he thought better of it, he leaned back on his haunches and threw the bed covers off her.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”
He grinned. “I just want to see you naked again,” he said as his gaze roamed all over her. “You want to try out the hot tub after dinner?”
“Sure. Sounds like it will be fun.”
“Trust me, sweetheart. I intend to make it fun.”
* * *
“Grab that measuring cup over there for me please, Regan.”
“Sure thing. But why don’t you just estimate? That’s the way Dad does it.”
Garth was trying to keep his attention on what he was making and not on Regan, who was acting as his assistant. The distraction wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t wearing his T-shirt and nothing else. And he knew for a fact she was completely bare beneath it. No panties. No bra. Nothing but the most delectable and soft skin imaginable.
“Roberta was a stickler and felt everything had to be measured, and that’s how she taught me. On the other hand, Franklin is such a whiz at everything he does. He could probably prepare a delicious five-course meal with his eyes closed.”
Regan smiled. “Yes, Dad could probably do that. While growing up, whenever he left on a trip, he would prepare enough food for me to eat while he was gone.” She chuckled. “He would even date the containers so I would know what to eat and when.”
“Wasn’t there someone staying with you while he was gone?”
“Yes, Ms. Petry. She was a good housekeeper, but couldn’t cook worth a darn. I complained to Dad, but he thought I was being overly critical. At least he thought that until he ate some of the food himself. Since she was good at everything else, he didn’t want to let her go. Besides, he liked knowing I was eating healthy.”
Garth knew that Franklin had enlisted in the air force in his twenties, where he was a cook for a while. Four years later, when it was time to reenlist, he’d expressed his desire to become a pilot and was granted his request. What would Franklin think of the proposition Garth had made to his daughter? More than once Franklin had told him that Regan was no longer a child but an adult who was mature enough to make any decisions governing her life. Garth was glad Franklin felt that way, because her decision to have an affair with Garth had been hers to make.
He had a feeling his siblings wouldn’t be as accepting of it if they knew. His brothers, on more their one occasion, had appointed themselves Regan’s guard dogs. Especially Sloan and Maverick. For that reason, although they were aware Regan was here with him, he wanted to be sure they had no idea Garth and Regan had become lovers. It was a good thing their affair would end when they left here. Otherwise, there was no doubt in his mind his brothers would have a lot to say about something that was none of their business.
“Here you are.”
He turned and accepted the measuring cup from Regan. The moment their hands touched, intense heat curled inside his gut. She’d been eager to help him with dinner, and he appreciated her enthusiasm. However, she had no idea what being around her in a T-shirt that barely covered her thighs was doing to him. Watching her swish around in the kitchen aroused him all over again. After finally leaving the bed, they had showered together, which had been something dreams were made of. If he wasn’t careful, he could become addicted to all this passion, and this was just day one.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.
Brownies were his specialty and one of the easiest things to bake—if he could just concentrate on making them. Instead, every time Regan moved, his gaze moved with her. He was trying really hard to retain his sanity, by telling himself he’d seen a pair of nice-looking thighs a lot of times. But his subconscious would counter: never Regan’s and never this much. They just reminded him how it had felt being between those thighs.
“Will it be much longer?”
He glanced over at her. She stood close to him and he inhaled her scent. Shower-fresh, clean and jasmine. “Not too much longer. The baked chicken will be ready to come out of the oven about the same time I’ll be ready to slide this batch of brownies in.” He’d decided to bake brownies because he knew just how much Regan liked them. Now she would get a chance to try his.
A half hour later, he took off his apron. The baked chicken and rice pilaf were done, the broccoli and carrots were simmering and the brownies were in the oven. He glanced over at Regan. “Thanks. You were a big help.”
She laughed. “I did my best. Are you sure I didn’t get in the way?”
“No, you didn’t get in the way.” He glanced at his watch. “We have a little less than an hour before everything will be ready.”
“Do you want to go for a walk?” she asked him.
He pulled her close and rubbed his hand down her arms. He loved seeing her body’s reaction to his touch. They didn’t have time for a full-blown lovemaking session and he’d never been one for quickies. For him, lovemaking was something to be savored, appreciated and made to last as long as it could.
“We can take a walk after dinner. I prefer doing something else.” He saw the way her eyes immediately darkened and knew what she assumed he was about to suggest. “Not that, either. I’m looking forward to tonight.”
“Oh? Then what?”
Was that disappointment he heard in her voice? His hands slid from her arms to her waist. “You ever played a kissing game?”
She lifted a brow. “Kissing game? Can’t say that I have. Have you?”
He shook his head, grinning. “No, but when I was in the Marines, it was a game the guys would talk about. Evidently, it’s a popular game that the Lower 48 are used to playing, but me and Walker, the only ones from Alaska, had never heard of it.”
“How is it played?”
“For starters, like this.” Pulling her to him, he leaned down and captured her mouth in his. On her moan, his tongue slid inside her mouth. He loved the way her body automatically responded to him, whether to lovemaking or kisses.
He deepened the kiss, and she reciprocated. Their mouths mated greedily, voraciously. For a moment, he felt as if he could eat her alive. He had allowed his body to go without sex for a while. What would she think if she knew he hadn’t made love to a woman since the Westmorelands’ charity ball?
He released her mouth. She was panting, but then so was he. Every time he kissed her, desire twisted his guts. Maybe he should back out of this kissing game. He might not be able to stand the heat that would be generated.
Sweeping her off her feet and into his arms, he left the kitchen and walked to the living room. He eased down onto the sofa with her in his arms, his hand coming into contact with her bare bottom.
“So, what’s this kissing game called, Garth?”
One of the things he liked about her was that she didn’t have an aversion to trying something different. “Too Hot.”
She nodded while adjusting her body to sit up in his lap. There was no way she wasn’t aware of his aroused state. “How is it played?’
Just looking at her made him want to bury his face in the hollow of her throat to breathe in her scent. He was still that attracted to her. Making love hadn’t even put a dent in his desire. She was still very much in his system, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to get her out of there. But he had to do it by the time they left here. He had no choice.
“The object of the game is for a couple to kiss without stopping and without touching each other. If one of the players touches the other in any way, then he or she loses and the winner gets to do whatever he or she wants to the loser.”
He saw the lifting of her brow and knew she had questions. “Yes?”
“What if I really need to breathe? I’m not good at holding my breath for a long period of time.”
“All you have to do is break off the kiss, but you only get a couple of seconds to suck in air.”
She frowned. “A couple of seconds?”
“Yes. I’m being generous.”
“You really think so?” she asked him, looking none too sure of that.
He chuckled. “Okay, take no more than five seconds. I am modifying the rules, but if you don’t think you can stand the heat then stay out of the kitchen.”
“Oh, I plan on getting you so hot, Garth, steam will be coming out of your ears. There’s no way you won’t lose.”
Sliding her off his lap, he placed her on the sofa beside him and turned to face her. “Bring it on, Regan.”
* * *
Kissing but no touching...
Regan was convinced whoever had thought of this kissing game needed to have their head examined, and she needed hers checked just for agreeing to play. But she would find any excuse to kiss Garth—the kicker would be not touching him. She liked rubbing her hands over his chest whenever his tongue was inside her mouth. Earlier, she’d even cupped him a few times and loved touching him there.
“Ready to start?” She looked at Garth, saw the dark heat in his eyes. He was so sure of his abilities that he’d basically already declared himself the winner. It was there in his gaze and the smile curving his lips. Well, she would have to show him.
More than anything, she had to stay in control of her senses. All five of them. Taste wasn’t off the table because that was the main sense they would be using. Since touching was off the table, it would be the biggest temptation. Closing her eyes would take care of her sense of sight, but she wasn’t sure about the hearing and smell. Just hearing him groan did things to her and he had a scent that turned her on.
“Regan?”
Drawing in a deep breath and forcing her hands to her side, she nodded. “Yes, let’s do this.”
Not waiting for him, she leaned in and went straight for his luscious mouth.
Sixteen
Mercy! Regan had charged into his mouth like her life depended on it. The action had surprised him so much that he had to remember where they were and what they were doing. On instinct he’d almost reached out to lock his arms around her, but then caught himself. Touching her was the one thing he couldn’t do.
He had to calm his pounding heart and take charge of the situation. She’d gotten a head start and he’d been swept up in how she made him feel. Explosive sensations had settled right in his groin. Once he took control, he figured it would all be over. Already he was thinking about what he would have her do when she lost.
He returned her kiss with an urgency he felt in every part of his body. Deepening the kiss, he whipped his tongue from her grasp and became the aggressor. He knew he had succeeded when he felt her move under his mouth. He nearly lost it when he heard her moan. He balled his hands into fists at his side. Otherwise, he would be tempted to use those hands to stroke her all over, to slide them underneath that T-shirt and caress her breasts. Garth didn’t want to stop there.
She suddenly snatched her mouth away to draw in a breath and then she was back at it, reclaiming his mouth as if determined to regain command. And for a moment she did. Regan had caught him off guard when she broke off the kiss. In those quick three seconds, he’d been focused on the sight of her wet lips, and now she’d gotten the upper hand. This was a full-contact, wet-tongued, bone-melting kind of kiss.
He was fighting like hell to get back his mastery but discovered it wasn’t as easy as he’d thought it would be. She was kissing him in a way that spilled intense pleasure within his very soul. It was if this was a kiss of intent. One of possession.
Never had a woman kissed him like this before. A part of him suspected she’d never kissed a man like this before, either. She wasn’t behaving like an experienced kisser, but like one who’d discovered something new that she liked. She was getting all she could out of it.
Damn. What had he created?
That question was lost on him when she used deep, hot glides of her tongue in his mouth, silently demanding that he return the favor, so he did. Then she sucked on it in a way that made his erection throb.
He knew what he wanted. Here and now. He wanted to take this kiss to a whole other level. He wanted more of her taste. He wanted all he could get. In every way that he could get it.
When she moved to take his mouth again, he tumbled her back on the sofa.
He could tell by her expression that she hadn’t expected that maneuver. “You touched me. Garth.”
That wasn’t all he was about to do to her.
“I’m hot. I’ll worry about all the steam coming out of my ears later, Regan.”
Standing, he quickly pulled the shirt over his head and shoved the jeans down his legs. Regan was on her back with the T-shirt pulled up above her hips, her legs spread. He couldn’t have dreamed a better pose.
“I want to kiss you there, Regan,” he said, getting out of his briefs.
“That involves touching. Are you forfeiting the game?”
He grinned. She could honestly worry about the outcome of the game at a time like this? But then maybe he was the only one sexually riled to the point of losing control. Had he misinterpreted her arousing scent? Hell, he didn’t think so.
“May I kiss you there?” he asked her, to make sure they were on the same page.
“You’re forfeiting the game?”
Whatever it took. “Yes,” he said, practically licking his lips.
“Then, yes. You may kiss me down there all you want.”
Quickly dropping to his knees in front of her, he buried his head between her legs.
* * *
You may kiss me down there all you want...
“Ohhh,” Regan moaned and wondered how she could have possibly told Garth something like that. Hadn’t he proved that morning just what a naughty mouth he had? And just what wickedly sensuous things he was capable of doing with his tongue?
She couldn’t believe all the attention he was giving to her. Right there. He was paying her back for all those things she’d done to his mouth while kissing him. Now he was doing them to her—there. He was making it nearly impossible to keep still. That was why her hips were moving and why he’d clamped down on them firmly with his hands to keep them steady. She was practically locked under his mouth.
Regan was dying of pleasure, she was sure of it. She bit down on her bottom lip to keep from screaming. Never had so many erotic points seized her senses all at once. She was tossed in a state of sexual frenzy, causing her to rock her body against his mouth.
He retaliated by sinking his tongue even deeper inside of her, pushing her over the edge. Unable to take this much pleasure any longer, she screamed his name when her body jerked into a shattering climax that seemed to go on forever.
The intensity of her orgasm brought tears to her eyes. She was still whimpering in pleasure when his body moved to straddle hers. Opening her eyes, she saw Garth, right there. Their gazes held and he kissed her tears away.
Such unexpected tenderness made her want to cry even more. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and guided his mouth to hers. They kissed with a greed that renewed her desire for him, made her fall deeper in love with him.
He released her mouth and stared down at her. The desire in his eyes caused heat to reignite between her legs. As if he felt it, too, he entered her, fitting snugly in the vee of her thighs. He began moving, setting the rhy
thm while staring down at her. She was too transfixed to look away.
She watched as his brows drew together as if some thought had suddenly entered his mind. She knew what it was.
“I’m on the pill, Garth.”
His brows relaxed. Leaning in, he kissed her. The moment his mouth touched hers, a climax rushed through her. It seemed hers triggered his own. Cupping a hand beneath her bottom, he tilted her hips then moaned inside her mouth when pleasure took him over.
No sooner had their bodies relaxed than the oven’s buzzer went off. They had done all of that in fifty minutes? Amazing. When he eased off her, he pulled her up to a sitting position beside him. Instinctively, her body curled into him. At that moment she doubted if she’d ever felt more content.
* * *
Hours later, Garth entered his bedroom to change clothes. He would be rejoining Regan in fifteen minutes to enjoy the hot tub. Dinner had been awesome, if he did say so himself. Regan had said so, too. She’d gone on and on about how delicious it was. He’d been quick to remind her that they had prepared the meal together and that she’d been an excellent helper.
He hadn’t been giving her any BS, because she had been a great assistant. He had enjoyed having her there with him, sharing his space. She was the first woman to ever do so. There was never a time that he and Karen had shared kitchen duties. Nor had they ever played any kissing games. And he’d never gotten the chance to perform oral sex on her. Hell, he wasn’t sure if she would have liked it. He did recall that the few times they had made love, she’d gotten up immediately afterward, saying she wasn’t the cuddling type. He’d gotten used to that.
Regan, however, was the cuddling type, and now he was getting used to how she liked things. Either way was fine with him, but he found Regan’s way of wanting to be held afterward a lot more intimate.
He inhaled a deep breath as he began stripping off his clothes to change into his swimming shorts. He couldn’t stop thinking of that kissing contest. Boy, had he enjoyed it, from start to finish. Of course, it hadn’t finished the way it should have, but he had no complaints...other than one. Since he’d forfeited the game, that made her the winner. That meant she could do whatever she wanted with him. He couldn’t help wondering what she had in mind.
The Wife He Needs Page 12
