by Lori Foster
Clint’s muscles pulled tight. “The hell you say? Maybe I should talk to him.”
“It wouldn’t do you any good. Jamie can’t be intimidated, and he can’t give iron details.”
With evil relish, Clint said, “I could make him give details.”
She patted his chest, then began smoothing her hand over his left pectoral muscle. “Down, boy. It’s not like that. Jamie’s a good man. A kind man. He’s just very different.”
“Different how?” If she didn’t stop stroking him, Clint wouldn’t be able to stay in control.
“He has feelings—like premonitions or visions—about things.”
“And he had a premonition about you?”
She nodded. “He warned me, but I didn’t listen. I didn’t want to listen because I’d just broken things off with Robert and I’d made the decision to start living the way I wanted.”
“What about your Uncle Drew?”
She put both hands on him, feeling his skin, her fingers tunneling into his chest hair. “I told him to keep his stupid money.”
“Your money.”
She shrugged. “Whatever. He uses it to try to control me, and I can’t stand that anymore.”
“No,” Clint agreed, and he could have sworn he felt his heart actually softening. “You wouldn’t like being controlled.”
“I don’t want money that’s doled out to me like I’m a child. I get by on my teacher’s salary, and the rest just isn’t important. Not to me.”
He believed her. As to everything else she’d said…He decided he’d meet this Jamie Creed fellow and draw his own conclusions about what he knew and what he divined—what bull crap—before he let Julie go.
And thinking of letting her go…Clint lifted a brow. “Are you going to kiss me the way you really want to, or are you going to talk me to death?”
She frowned down at him.
Clint thought she’d deny it, but he should have known better. Julie Rose had guts and a healthy curiosity—a dangerous combination for a guy trying to resist her.
“I did make a vow to live a little.”
“Yeah, you did. You can start by giving me a real kiss.” And with any luck, he’d survive it.
She stared at him for an excruciatingly long time before leaning down and putting her mouth to his again.
Just that, the simple press of her lips. She didn’t move, didn’t open her mouth. She didn’t even seal the kiss much. Her lips barely touched his, hovering there, light and tentative and sexy as hell.
Clint smiled that such an innocent touch could affect him so much. Against her mouth, he said, “You’re not really into this, are you?”
He felt her indrawn breath. “You don’t like it?”
“Sure, I do.” He held her gaze with his. “Do you?”
Determination showed in the set of her shoulders. “Yes.”
She took his mouth again, this time with her soft lips opened, and she gave him a little tongue: a flick here, a lick there. Absurd, how quickly she got him primed.
Panting now, she moved back and waited.
“Not bad,” Clint rumbled.
Her eyes were heavy, her face warm. Staring at his mouth, she whispered, “You taste so very nice.”
“You can taste me anywhere you want to, honey.” The second the words left his mouth, he groaned. Damn it. Clint decided he had to have masochistic tendencies for putting that idea in her head.
His arms strained with the need to hold her, and he laced his fingers tight to contain himself.
Her eyes flared. She drew two deep breaths, then whispered, “I think I’d like that.”
Jesus. He waited, his muscles coiled tight enough to break, his eyes closed in an effort to shut her out.
“I…I was just thinking.”
Maybe she’d save him by backing out. “You decided this is a bad idea?”
“Oh, no. Just the opposite.” She cupped his face and wiggled against him in a tantalizing way. “You said I’ll be with you for a week?”
It was a dangerous game to play, but he couldn’t call a halt. “That’s right.” His eyes narrowed. “At least a week.”
Her hips pressed in, wringing a growl from deep in his throat.
“I trust you, Clint Evans. I like you and I find you very attractive.”
Shit, shit, shit. That sounded too serious by half, and a lot like hero worship, which wasn’t uncommon under the circumstances. He’d let things get way out of hand, and now he had to set her straight. “Listen, Julie Rose…”
Before he could finish, she blurted, “May I experiment with you for the time that we’re together?”
Clint cursed. He was already on the brink and now, with her suggestive question, he felt ready to implode.
As if to convince him, she rushed into more speech. “Nothing too risqué, I promise. But we’re going to be together anyway, correct? And you don’t seem to mind kissing me.”
She sounded so unsure of herself, Clint couldn’t lie to her about it. “Kissing you is not a problem, Julie Rose.”
Her face lit up. “Wonderful. So there’s no reason some heinous kidnappers should interrupt my plans to start over, now, is there?”
“No.” But she sure as hell shouldn’t be starting over with him.
“And being with you is convenient.”
“Convenient?” Why that pissed him off, he couldn’t say for sure.
She nodded. “Because you’re so trustworthy.”
“You don’t know me well enough to make that call.”
“And you’re very sexy, too.”
Under the circumstances, he didn’t feel all that complimented. “Right.”
“You see? It’s the perfect opportunity for me to have fun, to live my life to the fullest.” Her smile was falsely bright and full of hope. “My plans don’t have to be interrupted at all—as long as you’re willing to cooperate.”
She’d put him in one hell of a position. If he knew Julie Rose—and Clint figured, even with such short acquaintance, he knew her better than Robert or Drew did—then she’d be doing her experimenting one way or another. If not with him, then with some other bozo.
And that thought burned like acid.
Despite what she’d just been through, she didn’t shy away from him. Being in bed with him, knowing he was turned on, hadn’t frightened her at all. Hell, she’d been bold enough to take advantage of him in his sleep.
Still, she was naturally reserved, not at all like the outrageous flirt Robert had described. He had to play this carefully, protecting her feelings without crossing the line.
Alert to any signs of withdrawal, Clint brought his arms down and around her. She was so slight, so fragile against him, that the lust got tempered with protectiveness. He’d rather engage in another knife fight than hurt her feelings.
With one hand, he cupped the back of her head, urging her closer. “I’ll cooperate,” he promised her. At least as far as kissing went. When he gave her the full brunt of his lust, she’d naturally back away on her own. He’d show her how a man wanted a woman. He’d show her a man’s greed, his power.
He’d kiss her the way he’d wanted to kiss her ever since first seeing her picture in Robert’s library, and he’d probably shock her down to her proper little schoolteacher toes in the process.
“Thank you,” Julie whispered, and then his mouth was on hers, hot and hard, his tongue sinking deep, his hands keeping her close so she couldn’t retreat.
But she didn’t even try to pull away. Her mouth opened, her fingers clenched in his hair, and she moaned.
Julie didn’t back away. No, sir. In fact, she nearly pushed him over the edge.
Julie knew she was smart. And she was definitely educated. So how come she hadn’t known a kiss could be so…incredible?
As Clint’s tongue curled with hers, hot and wet and hungry, she heard herself moan.
She, Julie Rose, moaning out loud.
It was wonderful. She didn’t even care if she was too noisy
.
Apparently, neither did Clint, given that his erection flexed beneath her belly and he deepened the kiss even more.
It was so nice the way he held her close, not grabbing at her the way Robert used to, but feeling her, touching her all along her back, her upper arms, her hair, her nape.
Her bottom.
He groaned as his hands settled around her backside, kneading, squeezing. Surprised and aroused, Julie stiffened her arms, pushing her upper body up and away from his so she could see his beautiful face. But the position only drove her lower body into closer contact with his, reminding her of his size.
A hot bubble seemed to expand inside her, filling her up. Breathless, seeing Clint through a haze, she managed to explain, “I haven’t seen many erections.”
Clint’s eyes were narrowed, his cheekbones flushed. He gripped her hips and ground himself up against her. “Is that a hint?”
“No. I mean…” She closed her eyes and moved against him, enjoying the thrill that gave her. On a sigh, she said, “I don’t have much experience with size and all that.”
He hesitated, appearing torn. Then his hands slid to the backs of her thighs and spread her legs so that she straddled his lap. His erection touched her in just the right place, stealing her breath, making her skin burn and her stomach tumble.
“I’m a little bigger than average,” Clint rumbled in a low, rough voice. “But I’m not so big that I’d hurt you.”
He held her in such an intimate position, Julie could barely speak. If they were both naked, he could be inside her right now. Picturing that increased the heat, until she felt feverish.
But she wanted to make one thing perfectly clear. “I told you that I trust you. To protect me and to keep me safe.”
He went still. His hands loosened on her hips. “Yes, I’ll keep you safe.”
Julie moved against him. “I know you would never hurt me.”
He cursed low.
“Touch me again, please?”
His jaw locked. “I shouldn’t.”
“I really need you to.” She couldn’t bear it if he stopped now. “Please?”
He hesitated, his gaze locked on hers, and finally he dragged his hands up her legs, under her nightshirt, under the elastic leg bands of her panties and onto her naked flesh. Julie caught her breath. His palms were hot, a little rough as they cuddled her.
Staring into his eyes as he stroked her was both exciting and deeply intimate.
Feeling brazen and sexy, Julie whispered, “More?”
Clint’s expression was so hard, it was almost frightening. His eyes burned, and he looked furious, hot, torn. Still holding her gaze, he pressed his right hand lower, between her legs. Through gritted teeth, he ordered, “Open up, Julie Rose. Spread your legs more for me.”
Such talk shocked and thrilled her. Heart pounding, she adjusted her legs, and felt one thick finger glide over her, press in—
“Hey.” A rap sounded on the door. “You guys up yet?”
At the verbal intrusion, Julie screeched, launching herself to the side of Clint. In her haste, she forgot that his hands were trapped beneath her panties. She frantically freed herself and darted under the covers.
Clint groaned, muttered a few colorful expletives, then snapped, “Give us a minute.”
“Sure thing,” said Red. And even Julie couldn’t mistake the note of amusement in his voice.
The room fell into a strained silence, and Julie lowered the covers only to find Clint on his side, watching her. Even now, with her heart still in her throat and her face hot with embarrassment, she noticed how incredibly sexy he looked stretched out on the bed.
She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. I think that was just a nervous reaction.”
For long moments Clint didn’t say anything. He didn’t smile, didn’t show any softness at all. “I had no business touching you like that.”
Julie’s heart slowed, and her stomach cramped. “But I liked it.”
He shook his head. He had the most incredible eyes she’d ever seen, heated one moment, cool the next. Now they looked very resigned. “If I had any sense,” Clint murmured low, “I’d stay the hell away from you.”
Panic hit her, both from the idea of being alone, without Clint’s security, and at the thought of losing him so soon. “You can’t.” She tried and failed to keep her voice calm. Her heart hammered hard, and her lips quivered. “You promised to protect me.”
His gaze traveled over her, from her fists clenching the top of the blanket, down the length of her well-concealed body. “I know.” His attention came back to her face. “But who the hell’s going to protect you from me?”
He was such a good, honorable man. In a whisper, Julie said, “I don’t want to be protected from you.”
He touched her lips, very absorbed in thought before dropping his hand. “You don’t know what you want, Julie Rose. Hell, you’re probably still dazed from yesterday.”
“I’m not an idiot. And I’m not that fragile.”
One side of Clint’s mouth lifted. “Yeah, baby, you are.”
He said that so sweetly, with so much understanding, Julie couldn’t take exception. She just sighed. “When Jamie told me my life was about to change, I never imagined it’d change this much, and I never, in my whole life, imagined a man like you.”
Without a word, Clint pushed out of the bed. He paced away, but before he reached the door he turned and stalked back to her. Bending down, one big fist on either side of her hips, he growled, “One question.”
Julie reared back. “What?”
“When you were doing all this planning on cutting loose, who the hell did you intend to fuck?”
Chapter Six
Annoyed and taken off guard, Julie swatted at him. “Your vocabulary is atrocious.”
“Is that right?” He didn’t move away. “If you can’t say it, angel, how the hell are you going to do it?”
Julie studied his expression—and knew he wanted to scare her off. It annoyed her enough that she flattened both hands on his chest and shoved. She would have made a regal exodus from the bed, except that Clint didn’t budge. Even using all her strength, she couldn’t push him back a single inch.
“Quit trying to intimidate me.”
He snorted. “If I was trying, you’d probably faint again.”
“That was from hunger, not fear!”
Clint rolled his eyes and gave her a little space. Not much, but at least she could move without bumping her nose into his.
He still glared at her. “Now, answer my question.”
Refusing to let him see how affected she felt, Julie lifted her chin. “I thought we’d make love, not…the other.”
Aggrieved, Clint snarled, “Not that question. I meant, who did you plan to make love with before you met me?”
“Oh.” Julie shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Wearing a sneer, Clint said, “One of your buddies from Visitation? The spook, Jamie, or maybe the preacher’s twin?”
“Bryan?” Julie was amazed he remembered all the men she’d mentioned. “Oh, no. Bryan’s married already, too. In fact, all the really hunky guys in Visitation are married. Well, except Jamie, but I don’t think I could even find his home up on the mountain, much less talk him into—”
Clint’s eyes narrowed. “Hunky guys?”
“Whew, yes.” She fanned her face. “Visitation is practically overrun with dominant males. The testosterone hangs so thick in the air, it’s a wonder the women don’t all go insane.”
“You don’t say.”
Julie nodded. “It was bad enough when Joe Winston first showed up. Now, Joe’s a man with a capital M. A self-proclaimed bad boy and pretty dangerous in a very sexy way…”
“Are you trying to piss me off, Julie Rose?”
His voice went all soft and low in a way that told Julie he didn’t like the subject matter. She patted his chest, trying to soothe him. “Joe married Luna, and they moved to Visitation. He’s not available.
Bryan sort of followed him there because some maniac wanted to kill Joe, but together they got the miscreant and put him away.”
“A killer?”
“He was no match for Joe and Bryan. They’re both much like you, except for the throwing up part. But what I mean is, they’re very capable and full of bravado, and they seem to think they’re invincible, and somehow they convince everyone else of that. Except maybe for Scott, the local deputy who’s pretty sexy in his own right. He lent a hand in capturing the man who was after Joe, and the pimp who tried to get Shay, and the crazed lunatic who tried to kill Cyn.”
“Did you say you moved to Peyton Place?”
Julie smiled. “Actually, Visitation is a very peaceful place, full of wonderful people.”
“You’ve certainly convinced me.”
“Now, don’t be sarcastic.”
“Was there a point to this story?”
“Yes. I was trying to explain how so much masculine perfection ended up in Visitation. You see, once Bryan visited the area, he kept coming back. It seems most people do that. There’s just something about Visitation that makes you want to settle there.”
“Could be all the killers and pimps and crazy people.”
She laughed. “Naturally, when Bryan decided to stay, his twin brother, Bruce, followed. They’re very close.”
Clint moved away from her, sat on the side of the bed, and put his head in his hands. The pose wreaked of masculinity. His broad back was bare, thick with muscle and divided by a deep furrow. His shoulders were bunched with frustration. His derriere in the snug boxers looked very fine.
She could spend a happy week just looking at him.
Without raising his head, Clint said, “You’re staring a hole through me, Julie Rose.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Trying to give an accurate depiction of Visitation and the denizens, Julie continued. “Jamie was there before any of them, although I don’t think he was born in Visitation. There’s something very mysterious about his past—”
“That’s enough.”
“It is?”
Clint looked over his shoulder at her. “I asked you who were you going to sleep with?”