Alicia cried out at the intense sensation, then gripped Rick so her scream wouldn’t make him back away.
Rick cupped her buttocks and lifted her up to him until her back arched and she took him as deep as she could.
“Oh, yes, just like that. It feels so good,” she murmured, rocking against him.
Sensation swirled through her, and colors flashed behind her eyelids. She clung to Rick, her fingers clutching his rapidly dampening shirt.
She hadn’t even given him time to remove his jacket. A burst of laughter accompanied the thought.
“What’s so funny?”
“Me,” she said on a groan as she writhed against him. “I couldn’t wait for us to get undressed. I wore pretty underwear and you didn’t even get to see it.”
Her breasts felt swollen and deliciously sensitive against their lacy prison.
“Let me have a look,” rasped Rick.
Keeping the steady rhythm, he raised a hand and tugged down the front of her dress.
“Nice.” He flashed a dazzling blue gaze that made her heart leap. “Sometimes it’s more fun to do things out of order.”
She gasped as he lifted her feet off the floor and strode for the living room, still hard inside her.
Without missing a beat, he eased them both down onto a green silk chaise lounge.
Alicia’s eyes squeezed shut as he thrust into her, but not before she had time to take in the restrained elegance of the setting: expensive antiques, fine china and crystal, delicate watercolor paintings.
What they were doing here seemed so wrong.
In the best possible way.
She wriggled under him, enjoying the sound of her own pleasured moans. “Oh, yes, Rick, again. Do it again.” She clutched him to her as he rode her until every nerve and muscle of her body hummed with sheer bliss.
Just when she was about to lose all control—
He stopped.
Completely stopped. No movement at all, except their chests rising and falling against each other as their breath came in ragged gulps.
She tried to lift her hips but the sheer weight of his muscled body made it impossible.
Almost growling with frustrated desire, she opened her eyes, and saw his dangerous baby blues staring at her. A wicked smile slid across his mouth.
“What?” she gasped, her body sprung like a catapult and desperate for release.
“Good things come to those who wait,” he whispered.
Alicia wiggled, which had no result but to make her more agonizingly aroused. When she was about to scream, he started to move again.
Oh. So. Slowly.
Only the tiniest movements at first. Incremental. Just enough to drive her that little bit closer to the brink of insanity.
He slid—very gently—in and out, the stroking motion creating an extraordinary sensation.
Then he picked up speed.
Alicia moaned and cried out with relief as she built toward her climax. The pressure intensified, growing and gathering inside her like a huge storm cloud ready to explode and drench the whole state.
Her orgasm crashed over her like a clap of thunder, sucking the breath from her lungs and throwing her back against the chaise lounge with a howl of exuberant release.
Rick’s own climax shook him like a jackhammer and he cried out as he collapsed on top of her.
It was some moments before she managed to draw enough breath to speak. “What was that? What were you doing?”
“Have you ever heard of the G-spot?”
“I think I read about it in Cosmo once.”
“Well—” a naughty grin lifted one side of his mouth “—now you know what it does.”
She lay splayed over the chaise, her head hanging slightly off one end so her hair brushed the floor. Rick held her on to the silk surface with a firm arm, or she might have fallen limply to the carpet.
Alicia blinked. “G-spot, huh?” Her muscles still throbbed with stray contractions. “I wonder what evolutionary purpose that serves.”
Rick chuckled. “The natural historian at work. Isn’t pleasure reason enough for it to exist?”
“I suppose.” She pressed a thoughtful finger to her lips. “I could see how once you’ve experienced that, you’d keep coming back for more, which would likely ensure the survival of your genes in the next generation.”
“Unless you’re using a condom.” Rick traced a line on her belly with his finger. Her muscles shivered in response.
“So true. In that case, you have to admit you’re doing it just for fun.”
They both chuckled. Then Alicia’s stomach grumbled.
“Hey, did you have breakfast?”
“No. I confess. I was distracted by my other appetites.” With some effort, she lifted her head up onto the chaise. “And I even berated Alex for not eating properly this morning. I’m such a hypocrite.”
Rick’s playful expression faded. “You spoke to Alex?”
“Yes. I wanted to make sure everything was okay at the ranch.”
“Did you tell him you’re here?”
“No.” She shifted onto her elbow. “It’s better he doesn’t know, especially with so much going on. He’ll just worry, then overreact.”
“And I’ll be challenged to pistols at dawn for assailing your virtue.”
“Exactly.” Alicia sighed. “Why go looking for drama? Let’s at least wait until they find out who set the fire. Then he’ll have some other man to direct his hostile energies toward.”
Five
“Where are we going?” Alicia asked as Justin pulled onto the freeway. They’d changed their clothing after the impromptu tryst, then headed right out in search of lunch.
“Downtown Somerset.”
He could feel her curious gaze on him. “Why?”
“Because I want to see it through your eyes.” Since he was now striding around town defending her plan to preserve the old buildings, he wanted to know more about what he was trying to save.
And more about the lovely Alicia.
Her gaze darkened. “What if Alex sees us?”
He managed not to laugh. “Is he likely to be hanging around downtown Somerset on a Saturday afternoon?” For someone so smart, she was more than a little paranoid.
“Well, no, but…”
“So stop worrying. If we run into him you can say I’m a visiting professor of natural history,” he said, knowing full well that if they did run into Alex, she wouldn’t be the only one who had some explaining to do.
She chuckled. “There is no such thing. Besides, you don’t look like a professor.” She eyed the pale blue shirt he’d changed into. “They don’t usually wear Prada.”
“Me, either. It was a gift from one of my aunts.”
“She has good taste. I like the color.”
He smiled. “I know. That’s why I wore it. See? I’m getting to know you, bit by bit. And so far, I haven’t found a bit I don’t like.”
“All this talk about biting is making me squirm.” She wriggled in her seat, inadvertently pulling her simple white dress tight across her full chest.
Justin suppressed a groan of arousal. “Please, don’t talk about biting and squirming while I’m driving. It could be dangerous.”
Alicia let out a little growl. The lascivious gesture sent a ripple of lust straight up his spine. He couldn’t wait to see more of her wild side.
Alicia crossed her sleek, tanned legs, giving him a flash of inner thigh.
The sensation in his crotch was getting to be pretty unbearable. “Tell me where to park,” he said as he pulled off at the exit. The hum and buzz of Houston subsided as they entered the peaceful, tree-lined streets of historic Somerset.
Victorian houses sat gracefully amidst large lawns and mature trees. A kid rode by on a bike, like something out of the 1950s.
“That house is a Stanford White.” She pointed to a stunning Beaux Arts “cottage” he’d never noticed before. “He was a famous nineteenth-century architect who—�
�
“Was murdered by the husband of a woman he had a scandalous affair with.”
“You’ve heard of him,” she said with surprise and delight in her eyes.
“I had one of the most expensive educations money can buy. Despite that, I managed to pick up a few facts along the way. It’s a beautiful house.”
He’d stopped the car and they sat with the engine humming. “The detail is incredible. You’d never see that kind of elaborate molding on a house today.”
“And just two years ago it was condemned. The roof was damaged during a storm and the city wanted to tear it down. That’s when I joined the Somerset Historical Society and we raised money to have it restored.”
Pride showed on her beautiful face. “It sold for two million when it was finished, and the owner loves it so much, she lets us give tours as a fundraiser.”
Justin was intrigued. “How did you get interested in architectural history?”
“I always loved to look at beautiful houses.” She glanced up at the steep eaves and shimmering multi-paned windows. “When I was a little girl we lived in a tiny house in the barrio. The roof leaked and the foundation was half-rotted, but my parents didn’t dare ask the landlord to fix anything in case he tried to raise the rent. My parents saved every penny they had because they couldn’t wait to move out of there and buy their own home. The American dream, you know?”
She laughed, but her laughter was tinged with sorrow. “They used to talk so much about that house they dreamed of—the sunny windows it would have with views of a grassy backyard, a big kitchen with rows of shining copper pots. Alex wanted his own bedroom so he could put up shelves for his collection of model airplanes.”
For a second, her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t suppose they ever came close to having enough money for a down payment. My dad was killed in an accident where he worked and after that my mom just struggled to make ends meet. No one talked much about buying a house again. Except Alex.” She smiled. “He always said you have to dream big, no matter what. Even after our mother died, he kept saying that.”
“He’s right.” Emotion rose in Justin’s chest.
How he wished he could turn back time and give Alicia’s family the house of their dreams. The most pressing financial problem his parents ever faced was finding new tax loopholes to exploit.
He slid his arm around her shoulder. “Your parents would be so happy to see you and Alex at El Diablo.”
“Oh, I know.” Her eyes brightened. “My mom used to clean houses all over Somerset and El Diablo was one of them. She took such pleasure in polishing all the lovely quarter-sawn oak trim and buffing the brass doorknobs.” She stared out the window, as if lost in the past. “I know this sounds silly, but when we were there—she used to take me along when school was out because she couldn’t afford a sitter—we’d pretend it was all ours. I used to dance down those corridors and pretend one of those pretty bedrooms with the chintz curtains was mine, and that I had a closet filled with fine clothes.”
“And now you do.”
“Yeah.” A broad grin settled across her face as she turned to him. “Funny, isn’t it?”
“It’s totally awesome,” he said, meaning every word of it. “I guess the American dream is alive and well in Somerset.” He squeezed Alicia and she nuzzled against him.
Something kicked inside his heart. A fierce longing to give Alicia the world—or at least the most beautiful house in it.
Where did that come from?
“So, there are more of these old gems in Somerset?”
“Oh, yes. It developed as a suburb for wealthy Houstonians, so nearly all of the buildings are special in some way. Look at this one.”
She pointed to a quasi-gothic stone structure across the street. “The owner fell in love with a medieval abbey in Somerset, England, and had it brought here brick by brick and rebuilt as his home. It even has some of the original stained glass inside. I gave a tour of it last year through the museum.”
“You’re a busy woman.”
“Keeps me out of trouble.” She flashed him a grin.
“Until now.” He grazed her neck with his teeth. Desire flashed through him, and he realized they were still idling on a busy street. “But let’s save that energy for later.”
“Sounds like a plan. Can we stop by Julie’s Gems so I can rave over her work on the necklace you gave me?”
“Sure thing.” He couldn’t hide a pleased grin as he pulled back on to the road, heading for Main Street, the focus of Alicia’s preservation efforts.
He hoped they wouldn’t run into anyone who’d greet him as Justin. On the other hand, if they did, maybe it would be the hand of fate at work.
Alicia showed him a hidden alleyway behind Julie’s Gems where his car barely fit into the single parking space. “You need more parking around here,” he muttered with a raised brow.
Alicia shrugged. “Or more people need to start using public transportation.” She winked. “It’s better for the earth.”
“This is Texas, sweetheart.”
“So? Miracles can happen.” She smiled sweetly and marched ahead of him up the neat alley. Her heels clicked authoritatively over the cobblestones. The way her backside jiggled slightly inside her flimsy white dress almost deprived him of his senses.
Miracles can happen.
With Alicia around, he had a feeling almost anything could happen.
“I can’t wait to thank Julie for the work she did on this topaz.” She opened the door. “I think it’s the loveliest gift I’ve ever had.”
Justin followed her into the store and greeted Julie. “It was a hit.”
“I knew it would be.” The bubbly jeweler hurried from behind the counter and gave Alicia a hug. “But you didn’t tell me it was for one of my favorite people.”
Justin shrugged. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.”
“Alicia knows everyone in Somerset,” said Julie, tossing her red curls. “And we all adore her.”
Alicia flushed sweetly.
Julie stared at the topaz glittering on the delicate chain around her lovely neck. “And that is some very fine craftsmanship, if I do say so myself. Though I do have to give some credit to Rick for bringing me such a perfect stone. I don’t believe for a minute that he dug it up himself.” She shot him a wry glance. “But he certainly has an eye for a fine gem.”
Justin chuckled. “I was with an experienced rock hound. Otherwise I probably would have tossed it back into the soil.”
Julie narrowed her eyes at Alicia. “Do you believe a word of this?”
“I do.” Alicia’s sweet smile and words of affirmation filled Justin’s chest with warmth.
Until he remembered that she had every reason to be wary of him.
Would she believe his story about the stone if she knew he wasn’t Rick Jones? He’d used the fake name here, too, as he often did when he didn’t want the media sniffing after him.
He’d gotten so tired of stories and innuendo—Shipping Heir Commissions Jewels for Mystery Sweetheart—that subterfuge was second nature to him now.
Would Alicia have treated him differently if he’d introduced himself as Justin Dupree?
For all he knew, Alicia had never heard of the Duprees.
She’d figured out by now that he was well-off—a four-bedroom penthouse hotel suite let that cat out of the bag—but she hadn’t asked where the money came from.
She seemed to genuinely enjoy his company and showed no interest in plumbing the depth of his pockets.
Most girls would be fingering the sparkling bracelets—or rings—by now, in the hope that he’d offer to buy her another, but Alicia was far from the velvet-lined cases, chatting enthusiastically with Julie about her plans to restore the downtown area.
“Julie did a lot of the restoration on this storefront herself.”
“I live in the apartment above it, too,” Julie said, gesturing to the patterned tin ceiling. “I love everything about this area. I�
��m so glad it’s not going to be bulldozed and turned into a parking lot.”
“At least not if Alex and I can keep stalling the developers.” Alicia sighed. “Some people don’t think about anything but money.”
“I wish there were more people like you and your brother, who don’t mind standing up to the powers that be.”
Alicia chuckled. “We’ve been doing it our whole lives, so we’re not going to stop now. And once people start to see what downtown Somerset can be, they’ll all jump on the bandwagon and congratulate themselves for coming up with the idea.”
Julie laughed. “She’s the eternal optimist.”
“Yet another reason why she deserves only the best. And she also needs some lunch, rather urgently. Julie, would you care to join us?”
“Heck no.” Julie crossed her arms. “You two need to be alone. And you need to get out of here before all the chemistry in the air starts turning my gems pink.”
Alicia giggled, which made her full breasts bounce against the white fabric of her dress. Justin tried to ignore the heat rising in his groin.
He shot Julie a grin. “Thanks again, Julie. You’re a gem.”
“Yeah. I hear that all the time.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shot him a knowing smile. “If you dig up any more AAA quality rocks, you know who to call.”
Her wink told him she still didn’t believe his story—which was in fact the gospel truth. As usual, he didn’t care in the least whether she believed him or not. He’d never been one to sweat other people’s opinions—until he met Alicia.
“I thought we’d go to Tea and Sympathy for some lunch,” he said in her ear as they left the shop. The honey scent of her skin made him want to bury his face in her neck, but he managed to restrain himself.
“Perfect.” She flashed a pearly grin. “They make smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches to die for.”
“I hope no one will have to die.” He couldn’t resist grazing his hand down her waist and over the lush curve of her backside as he ushered her under the striped awning over the tea shop.
The Maverick's Virgin Mistress (Texas Cattlemans Club: Maverick County Millionaire Book 5) Page 6
