Waiting For Yes

by Claire Ashgrove

  God, that felt good.

  Teeth scraped against her skin, a teasing nip that brought her hands back to his shoulders and freed a tiny sound of delight. She ought to stop it before it went too far. But so help her, she didn’t want to. In twenty-six years, she’d never gone to bed with a stranger. Prided herself on her discipline and the fact she’d never once worried about where she fit into her partner’s life. Never had to question what sex meant. But tonight, all she wanted to do was forget propriety. Surrender to this potent man.

  Crazy. Margie would say insane.

  Jake drew her earlobe between his lips, his breath washing warm against her cheek. Sensation filtered across her skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake. Her stomach hollowed, her body awakening to passion too long denied.

  Incredible.

  She let out another pleasured murmur.

  At her waist, his fingers splayed over her cotton tank top. Fingertips grazed her ribs. In one smooth glide, his hand wandered higher, and fabric pulled until it became trapped where their bodies met. His palm slipped beneath to cover her breast with a gentle squeeze, and desire flooded her senses. The growing ache in her belly spread lower, fanned between her legs.

  He dragged his mouth back to hers, his thumb stroking her erect nipple. Another lazy stroke, coupled with the way his hand cupped her breast, made her squirm. He gave the hardened bud a firm squeeze, squelching her quiet cry by deepening their kiss. Soothing the painful pinch, he flattened his palm and kneaded gently.

  Oh, God, this man knew how to love a woman. The realization left her dizzy. Heightened her awareness of him until the crackle and pop of the fire faded into oblivion and all she could hear was the haggard way he breathed. His body fit tight against hers, his chest a solid plane of muscle. The arm he held himself up with twitched, his shoulder quivered.

  She broke the kiss. “You’re shaking.”

  His chuckle reverberated through her body and stirred the anxious energy flowing through her blood.

  With a half-smile, he supported his weight on his opposite arm. “Better?” he murmured.

  She opened her mouth to answer, but he palmed her other breast, and her words lodged in her throat. Like a marionette doll controlled by invisible cords, she closed her eyes and arched into his hand.

  When his mouth didn’t return, she opened her eyes once more, only to find him staring at her. His eyes burned fierce, scorched her with intensity. Flickered. Assumed a feral quality.

  “I want you, Gabrielle.” He dropped his head, feathering light kisses against her neck. “Stop me,” he murmured between touches. “I can’t stop myself.”

  His husky voice rubbed away at what remained of her senses. Eroded logic. She ought to.

  If she were smart, she’d capture that taunting hand and still it. She’d kiss him once more, a chaste caress that softened her refusal, but conveyed her interest.

  But every fiber of her being screamed in protest. He’d brought her this far, aroused her to the point where she’d find no comfort in solitude. She’d lay awake for hours, tormented by the way the blankets rubbed against her frayed nerve endings.

  Torture she wouldn’t survive.

  She glided her hands down the broad expanse of his back, worked her fingers beneath his loose shirt, and pushed it up, exposing his lower back. She took a moment to savor the feel of his skin.

  Smooth. Tight. Glorious.

  His trim waist fit into narrow hips, and she dipped her hands into his waistband.

  As she gave his buttocks a squeeze, his low groan vibrated against her collarbone, clear through to her soul.

  “I can’t,” she confessed on a breathless exhale.

  Chapter Eight

  She couldn’t. Jake nearly groaned aloud.

  He’d depended on her to stop. To gently rebuke his advances and give him the space he needed to remind himself of the dozen or more reasons sleeping with her was a bad idea. Instead, her desire ran as fierce as his.

  Her fingers dug into his buttocks, her hips lifted against his, and he no longer cared. The friction against his swollen cock shot a zing of ecstasy through his system. He gasped, his body tightening against the demand of immediate release.

  He had to have her. Had to feel her skin against his, her feminine warmth wrapped tightly around his throbbing erection. Bad idea or not, he’d crack into a million pieces if he ended this now.

  Rocking back on his heels, he clasped her hands in his and pulled her to a sitting position. Firelight danced across her face, giving her features a soft glow. God, he’d never seen a woman more beautiful. Lowered lashes veiled her eyes and dusted over a spattering of freckles. Lips parted, her breath came in quick, jagged bursts that matched the strong pulse along the side of her neck. Her cheeks were flushed with desire, her mouth swollen from his hungry onslaught.

  He waited for her to look at him. When she did, when those strawberry lashes fluttered up and exposed shards of glinting jade, his gut clamped down hard. For a frightening moment, he couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Could only sit in front of her, paralyzed by the brilliance.

  Her slender hands fanned over his chest. They roamed over his pecs, slid down his ribs, and gathered the bottom of his shirt. She pushed the cotton fabric up. Her gaze followed, touched every inch of skin she exposed. He tensed beneath her perusal, the appreciative look in her features stirring an unsettling feeling in his gut. No one had looked at him that way before. At once, his strength drained. Like if she wanted to, she could crush him with a simple exhale.

  Vulnerable.

  A sensation he didn’t like. Couldn’t consider. Wouldn’t.

  He had to stay in control. Sex didn’t equal a future together. No matter how she inflamed his senses, letting her in any deeper was out of the question. She embodied everything he didn’t want.

  Reaching between their bodies, he pushed her inquisitive fingers aside and tugged her tank top over her head. Full breasts stood at attention, her nipples hard little nubs that begged his hands to touch. He trailed a fingertip from her collarbone to the tip of one soft peak, watching in fascination as she shivered. He repeated the lazy caress against her other breast, then cupped both, and lifted them in a gentle squeeze.

  Her low moan rocketed to his groin, swelling his cock to painful limits. Goddamn, she was turning him inside out, and he’d hardly touched her. If he didn’t get ahold of himself, he’d embarrass himself by racing to the finish long before she was ready.

  Although, by the way she clutched his shoulders and moved with the steady kneading of his hands, he guessed she wouldn’t be far behind him.

  Her fingers pulled at his shirt, bunching the fabric upward until it could go no further. Heat from the fire seeped into his back, heating his skin further. But the splay of her fingers as one hand slid down his spine was cool and refreshing. He leaned away, reached one hand behind his neck, and grabbed his shirt by the collar. With one tug, he doffed it easily, then tossed it to the side, forgotten.

  Winding an arm around Gabrielle’s waist, he pulled her close. Her body was soft. Her curves meshed against him with such precision it gave him the surreal sensation of coming home. Sure, it sounded ludicrous, the thought far more sentimental than comfortable. Yet, he could find no other way to explain how everything inside him that had been tense for so many years, unwound and relaxed.

  He eased her backward onto the quilt, laying her out before him. Her hands settled on his forearms. A smile danced on her lips. His fingers found her waistband, and he tugged her lightweight pajama pants to her hips. She shimmied, helping him out, allowing him to peel away the layer of clothing.

  To his utter surprise, she wore nothing beneath.

  Women in rural Kansas were not supposed to run around without panties beneath their pajamas in the middle of winter with a strange man in the house. Did she usually sleep without panties? Or had she anticipated they would end up like this?

  Oh, hell, what did it matter? She was naked, and beautiful, and the faint mois
ture dewing the inside of one muscular thigh called to him with a siren’s power. Crouched between her calves, he ran his hands up the insides of her thighs, spreading her. He held her gaze as he bent lower and slid a finger through her dampened folds.

  Gabrielle’s eyes closed as she sucked in a breath. Her hands tightened on his arms. Her knees bent until her feet rested flat on the floor. She raised her hips as he pressed his thumb to her sensitive center. Her quiet moan ripped through him.

  God, she was responsive.

  Watching her fascinated him. The way she arched into his hands, the way her chest rose and fell with her ragged gasps. Already flushed with passion, her features softened even more in the dim light. She rubbed; he teased, edging her closer.

  But the temptation proved too much. Each lift and push, each plaintive little murmur took its toll on his body. He was so primed and ready even the loose constriction of his sweatpants felt painful.

  “Let go, sugar.” He needed her to. Once he slid inside that waiting warmth, it would be over in seconds, and he’d never forgive himself for disappointing her.

  She answered with a little shake of her head. “Want you,” she gasped. “With me.”

  Not going to happen. He didn’t trust his control that much.

  Scooting down, he stretched out between her legs. He brought his mouth to her heated flesh at the same time he slid two fingers inside. A lazy swirl of his tongue around her clitoris brought her hips up hard. He slipped his other hand beneath her dainty bottom, lifting her higher, positioning her so he could suckle and lap as his fingers probed and slid.

  “Jake,” she called on a whimper. Her hands latched into his hair, a not-so-gentle tug asking him to stop. “Jake, please.”

  He ignored her protest, savoring her sweet flavor. The lingering scent of her flowery soap blended with her arousal, a perfume so enticing his head swam. He lost himself in her, his singular purpose to see to her pleasure before he yielded to his own.

  A nip of his teeth, and her legs clamped together. Her nails scraped against his scalp as she arched her back. When he glanced up at her, a little thrill of triumph flooded his veins at the sight of her biting down on her lower lip. Around his fingers, her sex pulsed and quivered, and she went utterly still, her jagged gasp ringing in his ears.

  Wending his way up her body, he feathered kisses over her abdomen, along her ribs, across her shoulders. He settled on her mouth, drawing her into a leisurely kiss at the same time he pushed off his sweats.

  ****

  A little bubble of despair lodged in Gabrielle’s throat as Jake settled his weight atop her. She’d wanted to orgasm with him, experience simultaneous release. Her body had never been inclined to find multiple pleasure no matter how devoted her partner. Though her release left her breathless, knowing she wouldn’t climax with Jake spoiled her fantasy about how tonight would play out.

  She wound her arms around his neck and pushed the thoughts aside. She was about to be as close as she could be to this handsome, amazing man, and that alone was enough to set her heart to tripping once more.

  His kiss, however, stirred it into double-time. The way he lowered himself against her, his erection probing at her still-quivering sex, made her breath catch. Good Lord, he was hot. And wow…he felt good. She spread her legs wider, making room. Inviting him to slide in deep.

  Yet, as she waited with anxious anticipation, imagining how it would feel, he made no move to join them together. Instead, he slid himself between her feminine folds, the subtle friction swirling sensation around in her belly.

  “Mm,” she purred.

  Jake lifted up on his hands and gazed down at her. “Like that, sugar?” he asked in a low whisper.

  “Definitely.” She arched her body against his, mimicking the roll of his hips in a counter-rhythm.

  His breath hitched. He closed his eyes. The muscles along his jaw tensed for a brief moment. His reaction sent that anxious energy in her belly into mayhem. Curious, she repeated the motion. When Jake shuddered, fresh desire surged through her veins.

  “I can’t,” he whispered between raggedy exhales, “hold back.”

  With one slow, never-ending push, and he slid in deep. Stretched her wide; filled her up. A quiet cry of surprise slipped free. Sweet Mary he felt…perfect. She drew in a deep breath and shifted her hips, chasing sensation.

  “God, don’t move,” he groaned. “I’m so close.” As if he were trying to pin her in place, he sank his weight down and slipped in even deeper. Pushed against her sensitive bundle of nerves.

  Another thrill zinged down to her toes.

  Wanting more of that enticing feeling, Gabrielle wriggled against him. Trapped between the floor and his body, the pleasant friction intensified. It arced through her veins like fire. In a heartbeat, everything inside her lit up like fireworks. She dropped her hands to his waist, pushed on his hipbones, and moved again.

  Jake let out a hoarse noise of unmistakable pleasure.

  The sound inflamed her senses. Wow. He really wanted her. It should have been obvious, she supposed. But until that little noise escaped, she hadn’t realized the truth behind his confession he couldn’t wait. The knowledge spiraled her right back to abandon.

  She needed more. Needed the feel of his body sliding against hers, needed the slip of dampened skin. Pushing at his shoulders, she made room for herself and pulled her hips away, gliding down the length of his swollen erection.

  Every bit of aroused male awakened to the motion. His gaze took on a dangerous intensity. His shoulders stiffened, his abdomen pulled tight. Refusing to let her draw completely away, he dropped his hips and plunged himself back into her.

  This wasn’t happening. Her body wasn’t really on sensory overload with the building ecstasy. She had to be imagining things.

  He angled his body, pulled away, and then impaled her, dropping his weight against her fully. His teeth scraped against her shoulder, a playful bite that held a possessive flair. In the next instant, his tongue swept out to soothe the sting. Warm lips covered the spot, light kisses trailed toward the hollow at the base of her throat. There, he stopped to nibble, to lick, to taste.

  Lord, it was happening. Oh, God.

  Answering his measured strokes with her own, she surrendered to bliss. Pushed all logical thought aside and focused only on the extraordinary way each thrust and slide edged her closer to that amazing place where sensation welled until she overflowed.

  “Jake,” she murmured as she swept her hands over the broad expanse of his back.

  His whisper danced against her temple. “I’m going to come, sugar.”

  “I’m right there with you.” Unbelievable, but true.

  Another never-ending plunge, and her body answered with a shudder. Sensation built, threatening to consume her. She brought her legs around his waist, desperate to keep him close.

  With an almost inaudible grunt, he increased the tempo, surging and withdrawing in deliberate, hard thrusts. She curled her fingers into the small of his back and lifted away from the quilt to bring him in deeper, to meet him as fully as she could.

  Tiny lights sparked behind her closed eyelids as a wave of warmth washed over her. Pleasure built, ecstasy ignited. For a brief moment, she felt like she was floating. As if he’d given her wings, and she soared weightlessly. An involuntary mewl tumbled free, and she bit down on her lower lip to silence a louder cry. In a ripple of awing pleasure, her release consumed her.

  Jake trembled against her. Dimly, she recognized the way he curled his body around hers and went absolutely still. Against her cheek, his breath washed hot. Tiny gasps that feathered through her hair, tickled against her damp skin.

  “Gabrielle,” he whispered on a long exhale. His body relaxed, the tenseness beneath her fingertips unraveling like a thread pulled from cloth. He wound his arms around her and gathered her into a tight embrace.

  She turned her head and kissed his cheek. Tasted the salt of perspiration. She searched for words, but she was too
stunned to speak. If she tried, she’d only sound silly. Or worse, she’d say something sentimental that would scare him off.

  Jake rolled to his side, carrying her with him. “You’re an amazing woman,” he murmured into her hair.

  She couldn’t help but chuckle. She, amazing? She hadn’t done anything she’d classify as special. He, on the other hand, had introduced her to her first multiple orgasm. With a shake of her head, she protested, “I think you’re the amazing one.”

  He ran his fingers through her hair, kissed her temple, and let out a deep, contented sigh. With one arm, he tugged her pillow beside his. The other, he wrapped around her waist and nestled her against his side. Turning, he fit his body along her back.

  “Jake?” she whispered.

  “Hm?” His fingers played across her belly.

  She laced her fingers through his. “I need to know your last name.”

  His lips danced across the back of her neck as he quietly answered, “Sullivan.”

  A frown tugged at her brow. Jake Sullivan. That sounded vaguely familiar. Then again, it wasn’t a unique name. Jake was pretty normal, Sullivan nothing particularly unordinary.

  Shrugging off the thought, she snuggled back against his warmth and closed her eyes.

  Chapter Nine

  The gentle fall of Gabrielle’s breath against his forearm told Jake she’d drifted off to sleep. She used his arm for a pillow, one dainty little hand holding fast to his wrist. As if she sought to keep him close. Prevent him from leaving.

  As if he could with the weather.

  As if he would.

  Nothing, save if the fire suddenly burst out of the hearth, would convince him to leave the warmth of her body any time soon. Incredible didn’t begin to describe sex with Gabrielle. He wasn’t entirely certain he knew the words. A combination of amazing, a touch of comforting, and hell of a lot of exciting. Parts of each seemed right, but they all seemed somehow wrong as well.