Tempted by Love: Jack Jock Steele (The Steeles at Silver Island Book 1)

by Melissa Foster

  She was lost in a sea of sensations she’d never known existed. He was some kind of make-out god, giving and taking in a mind-numbing rhythm, taking her up, up, up, until every breath felt like her last. She clawed at his arms, moaning, aching, her body pulsing with need, and then he finally, blissfully catapulted her into a wild, sensual ecstasy. He swallowed her cries of pleasure as she surrendered to a climax that hit like a tidal wave, engulfing her, dragging her under, then tossing her up toward the stars. Her toes curled, her hips bucked uncontrollably, and the sounds she made were unrecognizable to her. It should have been terrifying to be so vulnerable, mortifying to completely lose control, but as she finally started to come down from the peak, he cradled her in his strong arms, her head clearing with each tender kiss, and all she felt was blissful and safe. His eyes found hers, and those pools of darkness held so many emotions, for the first time in her life, she felt truly, deeply adored.

  He touched his smiling lips to hers and whispered, “Welcome back, beautiful.” He kissed her again, sweet and tender. “You are truly magnificent.”

  As reality sank in, embarrassment was not far behind. He was fully dressed, and she was lying there bare breasted, her skirt bunched around her waist, one arm hanging languidly off the couch, in a miraculous state of heavenly bliss. Several thoughts hit at once—Holy cow, that was amazing. He looks as blissed out as I am. Oh my God, he’s waiting for me to reciprocate. I suck at this.

  “Hi,” she whispered, and reached for the button on his jeans. “I should…I’ll…”

  He intercepted her hand, laced his fingers with hers, and kissed her knuckles.

  “No, sweetheart. I just want to be close to you.” He placed her hand on his hip and smoothed her skirt down her leg. Then he kissed her breast and somehow managed to refasten her bra with ease, while she always felt like she was wrangling baby elephants into hammocks.

  “But…?” Tim had never touched her without wanting something in return. Oh no. She’d been totally out of it when she came. What if she’d acted in a way that turned him off and made him not want her to touch him? What if he just wanted her to leave? Her head spun with worry. She chanced a glance at him, and her insides turned to mush at the way he was looking at her, like she was all he ever wanted, easing her worries and her embarrassment.

  “No buts, beautiful.” He righted her shirt, covering her bra, and said, “There’s no need to rush.”

  “If this is you not rushing, I’m not sure I can handle you at regular speed,” she said as they sat up and she buttoned her shirt.

  “I’ve been dying to touch you.” He kissed her softly. “And making you come?” He flashed a sexy grin. “I’ve found my new favorite activity.”

  “Ohmygod.” She covered her face. “You’re going to make me live in a constant state of embarrassment.”

  He laughed and moved her hands. “Get used to it. I like you, Daph, a whole hell of a lot more than I’ve ever liked anyone, and I’m not ready for tonight to end. Can you stay for a while? I promised to ease you into horror. We can watch a movie, and then I’ll walk you home.”

  She definitely wasn’t ready for the night to end, either. “I’d love to. But I think I need some wine if I’m watching horror. Do you mind if I use your bathroom?”

  “Go ahead. I’ll get the wine.”

  She hurried into the bathroom. Her hair was tangled from his hands, her lips were a little swollen and pink from their kisses—oh, those kisses!—and her skin was flushed. If he could do that to her with one hand and his incredible mouth, she had no doubt that he could make the earth move with the rest of his body. After using the bathroom, she washed her hands and finger-combed her hair, lingering in the bathroom, waiting for her pulse to calm. But every time she thought about going out there, her body threw another party.

  She finally gave up and went to join Jock.

  He was sitting on the couch and stood as she entered the room, reaching for her hand. “You okay?”

  My body won’t stop singing your praises. “Mm-hm.”

  “You’re nervous again.” He put his arms around her, and his all-seeing eyes smiled down at her. “I’m nervous, too. I told you it’s been a long time since I’ve been with a woman. It’s actually been an embarrassingly long time. More than a year. I want you to know that I don’t take intimacy lightly. What we did—hell, Daph, when we kiss—it’s all special to me.”

  Now that she knew him better, his confession didn’t surprise her, but it did make her feel a little less nervous. “I know. I feel that when you touch me.”

  He exhaled loudly, as if he’d been holding that in for a while, and said, “Okay, then. Ready for a little horror?”

  “No, but I’m willing to try.”

  He turned off the lights and said, “I’ll keep you safe.”

  He toed off his shoes and she took off her heels, and they settled into the couch. Daphne sipped her wine as he queued up Scream.

  “I love Drew Barrymore.” She set her glass on the table. When the movie started, it had an eerie feel to it. Daphne tucked her feet up on the couch beside her, snuggling closer to Jock.

  He kissed her cheek, hugging her against his side. In the movie, Drew answered the phone, talking to the stranger on the other end.

  “Well, that’s stupid,” Daphne said. “Why would you tell someone you don’t know that you’re making popcorn? Do people believe this? That’s not scary. You don’t tell a stranger you’re going to watch a movi—” She gasped when the man on the phone said he was watching Drew. Daphne sat up waving her hands and said, “Nope. I can’t watch it. I’m sorry, but it’s just me and Had in the apartment. I’ll have nightmares.”

  He turned off the movie and threw his arms around her, hugging her as he laughed. “Do you have any idea how crazy about you I am?”

  “Oh yeah, right. You’ve got yourself a real winner,” she said sarcastically. “I can’t even watch five minutes of the movies you like.”

  “I don’t care. And I have a backup plan. Get cozy, buttercup.” He navigated around the Netflix site and started the movie Love Actually.

  She melted against him. “Are you sure you haven’t done this in a while? Because that’s one of the all-time best romance movies around.”

  “Positive. But I do know how to research good date movies.”

  “You did research for our date?” There’s your brownie points.

  “I scored a date with the only woman I have thought about for the last year. I wasn’t about to mess it up.”

  “Jock Steele, you are surprising me at every turn. I better snatch you up before all the single girls in town find out about you.”

  “Baby, you’re the only single girl I want.” He pressed his lips to hers and said, “Now watch the movie, or I’ll snatch you up and carry you off to my bed.”

  She was dangerously close to saying Yes, please…

  Chapter Twelve

  THE NEXT MORNING Jock carried a box of pastries up the back steps to Daphne’s bedroom balcony, as anxious as a teenager seeing his first crush—magnified by about a zillion.

  He’d loved cuddling with Daphne on the couch watching a movie, holding hands, stealing kisses, and hearing her dreams of event planning and owning a little cottage for her and Hadley. And finally touching her? Experiencing her in the throes of passion? Holy hell, he couldn’t stop thinking about how incredible that was. He’d been this close to asking her to stay last night, but he hadn’t wanted to rush her. When he’d walked her home, they’d kissed for so long, he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. But just as she was trusting him to find his way with Hadley, he was trusting her to find her way with them. He promised himself he’d take their relationship on her timeline, even if it meant cold showers three times a day. If this morning was any indication, three might not be enough.

  When he was younger, he hadn’t understood the way his parents had talked about love like it was something that just was. As if it were a tangible being with a mind and will of it
s own and its victims had no say in surrendering to it. He believed it existed because he’d seen it in his parents, and Harvey’s love for Adele validated the force of love even more. Jock had felt lust, and he’d felt need, but what he felt with Daphne was different. This was lust, need, greed, and something much deeper, accompanied by protective urges so strong, they were driving him to face his demons head-on. When those feelings bound together, they were all consuming. Was that love? He had nothing upon which to gauge his feelings, except that something had motivated him to drive to the bakery at six thirty in the morning and get the blueberry-cream-cheese breakfast pastries Daphne said were her favorites. Waiting until a reasonable hour to knock on her door had also been hell. Six fifty was close enough to seven o’clock.

  Or at least he hoped it was as he knocked.

  He heard fast footsteps and imagined Daphne running to answer the door, missing him as much as he missed her. The door swung open. Daphne was breathing hard. Her hair was tousled, her skin flushed, cheeks stained pink, and the short, sexy robe she wore was on inside out and cockeyed, exposing half of one breast. Over her shoulder he saw her unmade bed, the blankets bunched at the foot of it. If he didn’t know better, he’d think he’d caught her having sex.

  “Jock?” she said breathlessly. “Hi. I was just…doing yoga.”

  “Naked yoga?”

  She crossed her arms over her middle, her blush deepening. “Mm-hm. It’s all the rage.”

  Yoga my ass. He heard something—a buzzing or a knocking. “What’s that noise? Did you leave something on?”

  Her brows knitted. Then her eyes opened wide, and she gasped. She whipped her head to the side, looking over her shoulder, and made a tortured sound as she ran around the bed. She reached into the nightstand drawer, fiddling with something and whispering harshly to herself. The noise stopped. As she sank down to the edge of the bed making more embarrassed sounds, understanding dawned on him, igniting the inferno that had been simmering inside him all night. He closed the door and went to her.

  She covered her face with her hands, turning away as she said, “That did not just happen.”

  She was so damn sexy, he was going to lose his mind. He set the bakery box on the nightstand and knelt before her, resting his hands on her thighs. “Baby—”

  She spread her fingers, peeking out from between them, and said, “Don’t.”

  “Don’t think you’re the hottest woman I’ve ever known? Sorry, I can’t help that.” He lowered her hands, his heart aching for her. “I spent the night wishing I had asked you to stay with me. This morning I went for a run at five o’clock, took a cold shower after that, and still had a raging hard-on because I wanted to make love to you so badly. I had to take things into my own hands just to make it through the morning, and look what seeing you in that robe, and knowing what you were doing, has done to me.”

  Her gaze moved to his erection straining against his sweats. His going commando left nothing to her imagination. Her eyes sparked with so much heat, he had to grit his teeth to keep a growl from coming out.

  She swallowed hard and said, “I thought about you all night, too, and then I had this dream, and I woke up all hot and bothered.”

  “I’m right here if you want me.”

  “If I want you?” She snort-laughed. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything, but you’ve probably been with dozens of women, and I’ve been with only two men. Two. And I haven’t been with anyone since before Hadley was born. That’s a long time. I’ve forgotten everything about sex, and I never knew that much about it to begin with.” She was talking so fast, he couldn’t get a word in. “Nobody and nothing has ever made me feel like you do. So, do I want you? You’re damn right I do. But I’ll just mess it up. I think I need about five years of practice firs—”

  Her words were smothered by the firm press of his lips. He wrapped her in his arms, kissing her slow and deep, trying to ease her panic. She went soft in his arms, and he kissed her longer without any endgame. He just fucking loved kissing her.

  She came away flushed and breathless all over again. He held her beautiful gaze as he ran his fingers up her thighs and said, “Let me make love to you the way you deserve to be loved.”

  A needy whimper left her lips.

  He wasn’t taking any chances of misreading her, and said, “I can leave, or I can stay. Tell me what you want.”

  “You,” she said with confidence and a hint of vulnerability. “I want you, Jock.”

  His heart thundered at her confession. He took her hand and rose to his feet, bringing her up with him. “Hearing you say that and seeing you in this sexy robe…” He untied the robe, and it fell open, catching on her breasts. “It’s almost too much to bear.”

  She looked nervously around the room. “It’s too light in here.”

  “Perfect for me to admire your gorgeous body.” He put his fingers beneath the shoulders of her robe and gently lifted it off. The silk slipped off, puddling at her feet. He looked his fill, heat thrumming through him. She crossed her arms around her middle, and he guided her hands to his hips. “I want to see all of you. I want to feel all of you.”

  He stepped out of his flip-flops and tugged his shirt off, tossing it to the floor. Her eyes locked on his chest, and when he pushed his sweats down and stepped out of them, those sweet baby blues followed. Having her eyes on him made his cock twitch eagerly. He drew her into his arms, savoring the first touch of their bare bodies. She inhaled sharply, and he gritted out a curse at the sheer pleasure of feeling her. He should bow down and pay homage to her silky skin, the way her soft curves molded to his hard frame. He would, in time. But her heart was pounding frantically, and though he loved her rosy cheeks, he needed to waylay her embarrassment and show her just how perfect they were together.

  “Feel that, sweetheart?”

  She made a breathy sound of affirmation.

  “That’s your beautiful body making me feel good all over.” He cradled her cheek in his hand, lifting her face so he could gaze into her eyes, and said, “I’m not going to hurry, and you’re not going to hide.”

  He forced himself to go slow, even though he was dying to bury himself deep inside her, for them to get as close as two people could be. As he ran his hand down her side, over the swell of her hip, her innocent and nervous doe eyes held his rapt attention. “I’ve got you, sweetheart, and I’m going to make you feel even better than last night.”

  His mouth covered hers firmly, authoritatively, devouring her sweetness. He reveled in the feel of her sexy curves pressing into him, her fingers digging at his flesh, sending heat coursing through his veins. His hands wandered over her supple skin, memorizing the dip at her waist, the curve of her lower back, and enjoying the feel of her gorgeous ass filling his hands. He moaned into their kisses, but just touching her wasn’t enough. He wanted to cherish her so thoroughly, she’d never feel the need to cover up again. He drew back, trapping her lower lip between his teeth and giving it a gentle tug. Her eyes opened, full of want. He trailed kisses down her cheek and across her shoulder as he moved behind her.

  “Jock,” she whispered nervously.

  “I’ll never hurt you, sweetheart. I want to admire all of you.” He gathered her hair over one shoulder, kissing the curve of her neck, his arms circling her waist. “I want to touch all of you.” He sealed his mouth over her neck, sucking as his hands played over the soft, supple curves of her thighs and hips, loving the feel of her. “You’re perfect, baby.” He ran his hands up her belly, kissing and whispering, rubbing his hard length against her lower back. “Feel what your beautiful body does to me.” He caressed her breasts, rolling her nipples between his fingers and thumbs.

  “Oh God,” she whispered.

  “Like that, baby?” he asked between kisses. She moaned in response. He kept one hand on her breast, moving the other between her legs to her slick heat, and groaned, his hips thrusting in response to the feel of her arousal. “So ready for us.”

  �
��You can thank BOB for that,” she said in a shaky whisper.

  He stilled. “Who the hell is Bob?”

  “My battery-operated boyfriend,” she whispered sharply, as if he should know the answer.

  He chuckled and nipped at the back of her neck. “Guess what, buttercup? BOB is out of a job. You’ve got me now.” He sucked her earlobe into his mouth, earning a needy moan. “BOB can’t appreciate your beauty the way I do.” He kissed his way down her back, loving every dimple, every lush curve. “I love these muffins,” he said, taking a small bite of her ass, earning a surprised squeak. He kissed every inch of each soft globe, touching all of her as he moved around her, loving her hips and waist. When he stepped in front of her, he kissed her softly and said, “If my girl likes toys, I’m happy to oblige.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “There’s nothing I won’t do for you, gorgeous.” He loved his way down her body, kissing, sucking, tasting her breasts, her rib cage, and the swell of her belly, earning tiny gasps of pleasure. He traced her stretch marks with feathery kisses, his heart swelling for the beautiful mother in his arms. He trailed kisses over her hips and slowly dragged his tongue along her inner thighs. The scent of her arousal made his cock throb. He slicked his tongue along her wetness, her essence spreading through his mouth like the sweetest honey. She grabbed his shoulders, and he grabbed her ass, nudging her legs open wider with his knees. He licked and sucked as she writhed and moaned. He fucked her with his tongue and teased over her most sensitive bundles of nerves. She went up on her toes, whimpering, digging her nails into his flesh as he teased and tasted his girl. His cock wept for her.

  When she fisted her hands in his hair, he ground out, “Come for me.”

  He stayed there on his knees, loving her with his hands and mouth. She was shaking, moaning, pulling his hair so hard he was sure she’d pull it out—and he didn’t care. Loving Daphne was the best thing he’d ever experienced. He pushed his fingers into her tight heat, seeking the spot that would make her shatter for him, and used his mouth on her other magical detonator.