by Sara Orwig
He made her feel like the most desirable woman on earth.
When he straightened, she pulled away his briefs to free him, drinking in the sight of his strong male body that left no question of his desire and readiness.
His large hands cupped her breasts again, and his thumbs circled her taut peaks. Pleasure swirled while she clung to him, feeling the thick muscles of his upper arms. His strength was exciting, his touch electrifying.
She closed her eyes, letting him caress her, wanting his hands all over her, wanting to touch and know him.
She slid her hand to his chest, trailing her fingers down over his flat, muscled stomach, touching his manhood.
“Merry,” he ground out her name when her hand closed around his thick shaft.
He swung her into his arms to carry her to his bed. She was dimly aware of light spilling from a hallway, of a four-poster bed, a rocker, but surroundings were dreamlike and unreal. What was real was warm flesh against warm flesh, kisses that sent her temperature soaring, looks that made her tremble.
Why did she feel she belonged in his arms forever? She ran her fingers along his jaw, feeling the bristles, aware of all he had been through in the night and all he had lost, aware too of that walled-off part of his heart that was keeping him from truly loving and being loved. Didn’t he realize that real love could heal hurts?
Placing his knee on the bed, Jason lowered her gently and leaned down to kiss her breast, his tongue stroking her nipple as he sucked and teased. Exquisite sensations stormed her senses, and she gave herself to him. His hands were everywhere, his tongue driving her wild.
“Merry, I’ve wanted you so damned badly,” he whispered. His magic words were as seductive as his caresses. He turned her on her stomach, trailing kisses from her nape to her ankles. He stroked between her thighs and she rolled over, coming up to kiss him hungrily, knowing no matter how much he desired her, she wanted him more.
“Let me love you, Jason,” she whispered, certain that he would never realize the true depth of her request.
She did want him with all her being, even though she was honest enough to know that he would never love her deeply in return. Tonight she wanted to give and take and have it all. Tonight, she was willing to risk a broken heart.
Strong shoulders, smooth back, narrow waist, his manhood: she wanted to explore and touch and kiss all of him. As she did, she heard his groan and was surprised that he shook. She was amazed what she could do to him, expecting him to be jaded and accustomed to women as expert at loving as he. But that wasn’t the case. He was coming apart in her arms until he grasped her and shifted her roughly. “Merry—”
He cradled her in his arms, kissing her as passionately as she kissed him. His hand caressed her thigh, sliding to her inner thigh and she opened her legs to him. While she caressed him, his fingers trailed higher, reaching the juncture of her thighs and then touching her intimately. He stroked her, taking her to a new height, finally lowering her to the bed. He moved down to trail his tongue where his hand had been. He was between her legs, watching her as he kissed her.
She closed her eyes, arching and gasping, lost in scalding sensations, yet fully aware this was Jason who was loving her and who wanted her.
Thought spun away while lights flashed behind her closed eyes, and she dug her fingers into his shoulders, arching and wanting more of him, wanting him deep inside her.
“Jason!”
She rocked with spasms that only made her want more. With an effort, she moved, turning to take his manhood in her hand, to kiss and caress him until he groaned and shoved her back to the bed, moving between her legs.
“Are you protected, Merry?”
“Yes, I’m on the Pill.”
He was on his knees between her legs and she inhaled, feeling breathless as she looked at him. Virile, handsome, so incredibly sexy, he knelt, poised, ready to love her. His blue-green eyes were dark with need, a look on his face that heated her blood to boiling. Then she closed her eyes as he lowered himself, the velvet tip of his shaft teasing, moving against her.
With a cry, she wrapped her legs around him and arched beneath him, pulling him closer. His mouth covered hers, and she clung to him, writhing and wild with her need.
Jason tried to hold back, to drive her to the highest point of need. Sweat covered his body, and his pulse drowned out all sounds. She was silk and softness and a marvel to him. She was a wildcat, more passionate than he could have imagined.
The fire in her auburn hair only hinted at the fire in her body. He kissed her deeply, wanted to plunge himself into her softness, to feel her moving beneath him, crying out in ecstasy.
He slid into her and then felt the barrier where he hadn’t expected one. She was a virgin. Something he hadn’t considered. He couldn’t take her or hurt her. He raised his head to gaze down at her.
Her eyes opened, dark, yet caught with pinpoints of fiery, age-old desire. “Jason…” she urged.
“Merry, I don’t want—”
“Love me,” she said, moving against him, arching her hips, her hands sliding over his bottom and pulling him closer while her legs tightened around him. “Jason, now. I want you.”
“I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t—”
“I do want,” she whispered. “Come here, now,” she coaxed.
He couldn’t argue. He had given her a chance and his control was flying away. He thrust slowly into her, feeling the barrier, knowing he had to be hurting her.
She gasped and he kissed her, stopping whatever sound was caught in her throat. Then the barrier was gone, and he went deep inside her, moving slowly, trying to keep from hurting her. Thought and effort shattered, and he had to move, to take her completely.
Merry clung to him, feeling torn apart, swamped for an instant in pain, but as he moved, the pain was replaced by a driving need and she moved with him. She held him tightly, crying his name, yet the cry was only a sound in her throat because his mouth covered hers. While they rocked together, desire thundered in her.
“Merry!” Jason cried, his arms around her, and then his head lowered again, and he kissed her again while all she knew were wild sensations tearing her apart before she crashed into release.
Rapture exploded in her, carrying her further into oblivion while Jason shuddered with his release.
She held him, moving with him, their hearts pounding in unison. He kissed her as hungrily as before and she returned his kiss as passionately, feeling a bond between them now, an intimacy that she could not have known before.
“Merry, my love,” he whispered, smoothing her hair away from her face.
Even while his words thrilled her, she knew better than to believe them. The man was in the grip of passion and she would not hold him accountable for what he said to her now.
She trailed her fingers down his back, wet with a sheen of sweat. Her hand moved up then to tangle in his thick, coarse hair.
He raised up to look at her, a slight frown on his brow. “Did I hurt you?” he asked solemnly.
She traced the outline of his lips, trailing her finger to his jaw and feeling the slight stubble of his beard. “Only a little.”
“Next time will be better. I promise.”
“Next time?” she asked, arching a brow.
“Yeah, next time,” he said, turning on his side and taking her with him. He let out a long sigh and held her close against him. “Merry. Did you get that nickname because you were always cheerful?”
“No. When she was a very small child, Holly couldn’t say Meredith and my name became Merry.” While she talked, Jason’s fingers trailed over her. He stood and leaned down to scoop her into his arms.
“Come here, darlin’. We’ll shower.”
He carried her into the bathroom and set her down in the shower, stepping in with her to close the door. He tilted her chin up to look at her quizzically. “You told me you were on the Pill, but you were a virgin.”
“It was because of medical reasons. The Pill re
gulated me.”
He nodded, satisfied by her answer as he turned on the water and it sprayed over them. In minutes, as they rubbed each other’s bodies, desire rekindled until he turned off the water and stepped out, taking a towel to rub her dry. “I want this to last and be good for you, to really take time.”
“Jason, you take more time than we did before and the sun will be high over the house!” she said, wondering how near dawn it was now. And then, as he moved the thick terrycloth towel lazily across her nipples, down between her legs, over her bottom, she forgot about the time altogether.
She caught the towel to dry his body, relishing touching him, exploring every fascinating inch of him. He carried her back to bed to kiss her from her mouth to her ankles while his hands drove her wild. And then she returned the loving, kissing him all over. He moved between her legs and took her slowly. This time sensations rocked her, causing her to arch against him as she clung to him, her hands splayed on his smooth back.
Intimacy united them. She was one with him, body and soul, a deep joining that forged bonds. Their shared, hot kisses held promises of love.
They moved wildly together and finally crashed over a brink. Merry settled slowly with Jason sprawled over her. She wanted to feel the weight of his body and wanted to be one with him as long as possible.
When Jason rolled over, he pulled her into his embrace, his legs tangling with hers, her head on his chest. He held her tightly against him with one hand while he stroked her back with the other.
“You’re a very special woman, Merry.”
His words strummed across her heart, and she raised her head slightly to kiss his chest, looking into his eyes.
“And you are a very special cowboy,” she answered, wanting to say so much more.
He brushed her damp forehead and lifted locks of hair away from her face. “We’ll go shower in a little while, but right now I just want to stay here and hold you close.”
“I want you to hold me,” she whispered, holding him in turn, wanting to take away his past hurts and toss aside his fears of love, yet knowing she could only take him as he was.
She put her head down on his chest and held him tightly, shutting out reality and problems as long as she could. “Whatever the future holds, neither one of us will forget this night for the rest of our lives.”
“No, we won’t.” Jason kissed the top of her head while he continued to caress her with his free hand. He was still stunned by the night, by Merry. He had never been with a virgin, had never wanted to be, but now it was as if he were seeing the world in a whole new way. He felt overwhelmed. Now he understood why some put a price on virginity; it was as if Merry had become his woman. His completely. He told himself he was being ridiculous, but his heart wasn’t buying that. She was his woman, and she had given him the very special gift of herself.
When they were in the throes of passion, he knew he had called her “love”—something he had never done before. And he knew he wanted her to an extent he had never desired any other woman.
He remembered their conversation last night—an eon away—yet her words were too clear: How’ll you know when you meet the right person?
I’ll know.
Just like that? Like lightning striking or what?
I’ll know the way anyone knows when she or he is in love. Surely you’ve been in love?
No, he hadn’t ever been deeply in love, never experienced what he was beginning to feel now for Merry. Was he falling in love? How had she gotten past his defenses so swiftly and so thoroughly? This five feet of feisty female had stormed into his life and knocked him off his feet in every sense of the word.
He shifted onto his side to look at her. He couldn’t get enough of touching or kissing her. He wanted her again. Now. Suddenly, when he had expected to be satisfied, to have gotten her out of his system, he wanted her more than ever. More than he had just hours ago.
“I could devour you,” he said in a husky voice, kissing her throat. “Come here, Merry,” he said, standing and picking her up to carry her to his shower again. This time they soaped each other slowly, until both were breathless, gasping with need. They rinsed off, their hands sliding over each other’s slippery bodies. Jason braced himself against the wall of the shower, spread his feet and lifted Merry up to let her slide down slowly onto his hard shaft.
She held him, moving and crying out with pleasure, finally feeling a burst of release. Afterwards, she put her head on his shoulder. “You won’t have to carry me to the shower this time. We’re already here.”
“My legs feel like pudding. We’re getting to that bed before you have to carry me back to it.”
She smiled at him as he set her on her feet, and they washed. As soon as they toweled each other dry, he carried her to bed to pull her close into his embrace again.
“Jason, will we know when the sun comes up? Your shutters are closed.”
He groaned. “I don’t want the sun to come up. I have an appointment with the insurance guy. Some firemen will be back to gather more evidence and check things over. I don’t want to leave this room or let you go. I want to stay right here with you in my arms, in my bed for the next week.”
“Sorry, cowboy, that’s impossible.”
He rolled her over and propped his head on his hand to study her. “Maybe I can try keeping you here, and we can just ignore everyone.”
“No!” She sat up and reached for the shutters that were all tightly closed.
He caught her arm and kissed her wrist, looking at her solemnly. “Maybe I’m falling in love, Merry.”
Merry’s heart thudded at the words, but she reminded herself she was with Royal’s number-one playboy. She had heard about his reputation. She smiled and patted him.
“That’s nice, Jason,” she said.
He drew his finger down her cheek. “I mean it. Don’t patronize me.”
“I wouldn’t think of it,” she said, kissing him lightly. His arm tightened around her and his lips touched hers, brushing so lightly. Then his mouth opened hers, kissing her deeply. Tongues touched and stroked while her heart pounded.
She pushed against him. “Wait a minute.” She glanced at the clock on his desk. “Jason, that says it’s almost eight in the morning. That’s late for you to be getting up.”
“Don’t care. Come here, darlin’,” he said in a husky voice.
By a quarter before nine, Jason groaned and stood. “I have an appointment in fifteen minutes.” He caught her chin. “Merry, you’re safe here, so you stay here today. I don’t see how he would dare try anything again as long as you’re out here and there will be someone around all the time. Promise me you’ll stay.”
“I will,” she said, knowing it was probably useless to argue, and Jason didn’t seem the least concerned about risk to himself.
He picked up his cellular phone and switched it on, punching in a number. “Rob, this is Jason. Yeah, we’re okay. I need to see you and the others when we can. Definitely without Dorian.”
Eight
As Jason drove away from his ranch, he wanted to turn around and go back to be with Merry. The need he felt to be with her surprised him because the intensity of it was a unique experience. At the same time, his feelings tied him in knots.
He didn’t want to fall in love. Not the forever till-death-do-us-part kind of love. Yet being with her was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He couldn’t wait to get back to the ranch and see her, hold her and kiss her.
Even the danger and the boldness of Dorian—if Dorian was the one—couldn’t take his thoughts off Merry.
Since childhood he had sworn he would never love deeply, never be caught in the trap his father had been in, loving a woman and becoming vulnerable. But now nothing seemed the same. If loving Merry made him vulnerable to hurt, he couldn’t help it. He was as out of control as a shooting star. If this was love, he was in, head over heels, and it seemed damned good and right.
She was a beautiful, sexy woman. She was inte
lligent, fun to be with, kindhearted and exciting. He wanted to be with her all the time, and the thought of her walking out of his life made his breath catch.
He was the only man in her life. The first, the only. That thought tugged at him, and made the bond between them even stronger.
Stunned by his reactions, he marveled at how his feelings for her had changed his whole perspective on life.
In town, the day seemed interminable. Jason couldn’t set up a meeting with the others from the Texas Cattleman’s Club until tomorrow morning, but they knew about the bomb. Everyone in Royal knew his house had burned, but only his close Cattleman’s Club friends knew the truth. The only information the media had still indicated a possible gas leak, and that suited him.
Through the busy day Jason struggled to concentrate on the problems facing him, yet Merry was constantly on his mind. It amazed him to feel this way—as if Merry were the most important person on earth. Earlier that day, he had almost walked in front of a moving car. His attorney had been with him and had reached out to stop him. Hal Worthington had chalked Jason’s fog up to the night’s calamity, talking nonstop to Jason about his loss and how sorry he was about the explosion and fire.
Jason had barely listened as Hal had rambled, and as soon as they parted, Jason called the florist and ordered a dozen red roses, saying he would pick them up on his way back to the ranch.
On his way to an appointment, he paused in the lobby of a building, finding a corner where he could call Merry undisturbed.
Her voice was lilting, making him remember the night too clearly.
“Merry. I wanted to talk to you.”
“I’m glad you called.”
“I’ve made reservations to take you to Claire’s tonight.”
“You don’t think it’s dangerous for us to be in Royal?”
“No, I don’t. If the bomber was Dorian, I suspect he was after the disk or giving us a warning. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”
“You can’t promise me absolute protection.”
