Then Chaz spoke again, reverting to his normal tone of voice. “If you’re not ready for this, honey, we can always go back to the hotel. Just say the word.”
Gratitude and love made her speechless for a moment. His consideration decided her. To hell with merry-go-rounds. She had always loved the thrill of the roller coaster. Smiling, she opened the door.
Chaz’s thunderstruck expression was her reward, and it was easy to see his expression since he had gotten rid of the mask and the moustache, not to mention his shoes. “My God,” he said reverently. “You’re stunning.”
Since he had forgotten to use the accent, it was very clear the words came from his heart. And that was the sexiest thing he’d done all day.
“What—” He cleared his throat and tried again. “What made you decide to come out?”
Grinning mischievously, she grasped his collar with both hands and pulled him toward her. “I figure you’ll give me the ride of my life. . . .”
He looked a little startled. “Uh, it’s been a very long time since I’ve done any . . . riding. I hope you don’t expect too much.”
Chaz, uncertain? Kelly laughed and brought his lips closer to hers. “But I have it on the best authority that you are the greatest lover in all the world.”
His arms went around her. “Not me. That must have been some other guy. But I promise to do my best.”
His soft kiss made her senses fizz and her head swim. Then he deepened the kiss, delving deep into her mouth as his caressing hands slid over the silk of her gown. It was as if he had concentrated his entire being on her. Right here, right now.
It was a heady sensation, feeling like the center of his universe, and a sudden rush of adrenaline cleared the dizziness from her head and sent prickles of awareness zinging along her nerves. The first rush of the wild ride had started.
Ohmigod, I forgot how wonderful this is. How wonderful Chaz is.
He slid his hands across the slick silk on her back and down to her buttocks where they rested for a moment, kneading her tender flesh. It felt incredibly erotic, and Kelly returned the favor, sliding her hands over the luxurious leather of his pants. She cupped his firm buttocks in both hands and squeezed. Oh, yeah, he had always had great buns.
As he inhaled sharply and thrust his hips against hers, she recalled that other parts of him weren’t so shabby either. The thick ridge of his erection strained against her belly, just a little too high to give her any real satisfaction. She wanted—needed—him lower.
She raised to her tiptoes, trying to rub herself against where it would do the most good, but he was a little too tall. However, it did have the happy effect of bringing her breasts to his attention.
Continuing to knead her buttocks with one hand as he kissed his way down her neck, Chaz raised his other hand to one of her breasts and cupped her there while running the cool, silky material over her nipple with his thumb.
Oh, yes.
“More,” she whispered as she hastily removed the lacy dressing gown and tossed it aside. It was just in the way.
“Happy to oblige,” Chaz murmured against her neck and slid both thin straps down her shoulder to bare her breasts and gaze at her in admiration. “Damn, I’d almost forgotten how beautiful you are.”
Impatiently, she let the straps slide off her arms, and the entire gown puddled to the floor, leaving her totally nude. She felt a little self-conscious. It had been so long since they were together this way, and her body had changed over the years—not for the better. Was she still attractive in his eyes?
But the look in his eyes gave her no doubt that she was. He led her over to the bed and settled her down on it, still gazing at her with the look of a starving man who had just come upon a plentiful feast.
But when he lowered himself to her side, he surprised her by laying his head softly between her breasts and hugging her tight. “God, I missed you.”
It totally floored her. She had never seen Chaz so open and honest, so needy. A surge of longing suffused her, so intense it was almost painful. Tenderly, she smoothed his hair. “I missed you, too,” she murmured. And she had. She had missed the fun and excitement of having him around, missed his silly humor, missed his lovemaking.
They stayed that way for a long moment, then Chaz nuzzled the curve of her breast and his tongue darted out to give her pebbled nipple a quick lick.
She gasped softly, surprised at how that small action had sent her back up to the next incline of the roller coaster. And when he took one breast into his mouth and suckled, she couldn’t help but throw back her head and moan in pleasure. Ohmigod, that felt good. And it felt even better when he seemed to immerse himself in her, as he grasped her breasts in both hands and rolled his head back and forth between them sucking and licking and driving her crazy.
But Chaz was wearing too many clothes—she wanted skin against skin. “You, too,” she whispered, and began to unbutton his shirt.
Quickly, he rose to finish the job and stripped his shirt off, revealing his familiar chest, tanned darker from the Amazonian sun than she had ever seen it.
God, she loved his chest. She leaned up against him. It was sprinkled with dark blond hair, lightened by the sun, that felt springy against her greedy fingers and tangled, curling, against her nipples, bringing them to even tighter peaks.
But it was his pants she really wanted gone. She reached down and undid the top button of the beltless slacks, then unzipped them slowly. She hadn’t seen an underwear line in those tight trousers and didn’t want to catch any sensitive skin in the teeth of the zipper.
Her teeth, now, were a different story. As she eased the zipper down, his erection sprang free and she grasped it, enjoying the feel of his hard shaft sheathed in silky soft skin. She leaned down to swipe her tongue across the tip and nip it with her teeth, but he gasped and pulled her away.
“No,” he said in a tone full of regret. “If you do that, I’ll explode here and now. I want this to last, this time.”
“So do I,” she said with a smile, and helped him peel the pants off the rest of the way. She paused and stared, puzzled. His entire body was darkly tanned, except for the area around his crotch. “What’d you do? Wear a thong?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I had no choice. My clothes rotted off after awhile and I had to go native.”
Annoyance filled her as she realized Amalia had seen him in that kind of Chippendale-style outfit for many years. No wonder she was so bent on having him.
But that white area drew Kelly’s attention again and she smiled. Well, there was one part he had kept private anyway. And it was all hers. . . .
She reached out to take possession and gently kneaded his soft sacs in one hand while she drew her other hand over the length of his shaft. His moan of pleasure and the look of ecstasy on his face was her reward. But he didn’t let her enjoy it for long.
Grabbing her around the waist, he tumbled them back to the bed and took one breast into his mouth as his hand delved between her legs. She was hot and wet, more than ready for him, and it was so good to feel his fingers inside her, rubbing the sensitive flesh that hadn’t felt a man’s touch in years.
The roller coaster took a breath-stealing surge up the next incline.
But when he found her throbbing secret nub, all it took was one slippery stroke of his finger to bring her rushing up over the top of the highest curve into the screaming sensory overload of a loop-the-loop, then plunging downward in spasming spirals of sheer sensation.
As the tremors gradually ceased, Kelly opened her eyes to see Chaz staring at her in a kind of awe. But she couldn’t let him go any longer without taking that ride, either. Pushing him flat on his back, she swung her leg over his hips and eased herself down onto his thick shaft, sliding slowly all the way down to his base. Ah. A perfect tight fit that felt oh, so right.
She grinned as she saw Chaz’s expression. He seemed so totally overwhelmed that he was unable to do anything but lie there and quiver helplessly with need.
But she had no such problem. Raising her hips just a little, she slid quickly back down again. Chaz gasped and jerked, thrusting his hips upward. But there was no place farther to go—he was sheathed to the hilt. God, it felt good to have him there, filling her fully and completely.
But she didn’t want his ride to be too fast. Slowly, she tightened her muscles around him, wondering if she’d lost the knack over the years. Apparently not, for as she caressed him from the inside, he whimpered and clutched the bedclothes in both fists.
She did it again, raising and lowering herself a little this time, and he moaned even more. But when she did it the third time, the friction against her long-deprived sensitive flesh started her own coaster rolling again. Oh, yes.
Closing her eyes, she rode it and Chaz through ever-increasing peaks of sensation, cresting a little higher each time until Chaz lost control and grasped her hips to hold on tight. They thrusted frantically against each other until they burst over the top together, flying free for a pure moment of ecstasy until gravity pulled them down once more to ride the shuddering shockwaves to the end.
Gasping, Kelly collapsed on top of Chaz. The ride was over, but it had left her replete and totally drained. There was no way she could move under her own steam.
As if it took superhuman effort, Chaz slung one arm over her back, then flopped the other one on top of that. Squeezing her briefly, he said, “That was . . . That was . . .” He trailed off, evidently unable to find the words to describe what they had just shared.
“One hell of a ride,” she muttered into his shoulder, still unable to move.
She felt him nod, and one of his arms fell limply back to his side. She knew exactly how he felt.
They laid there for a moment and Kelly sighed in contentment. Shoving the rest of her worries out of her mind, she let herself just enjoy the moment. And Chaz.
But soon Chaz stirred and rolled them both to their sides, then kissed her softly on the mouth.
“Kelly? I have a question to ask you.”
He sounded so tentative, so uncertain, that she had to open her eyes to see if his expression matched his tone. It did. “What is it?”
“I have to know. Who—who did you choose?”
His expression was so full of raw need that it touched something deep inside her. “Oh, Chaz,” she said, caressing his face. “It’s you. It was always you.” No other decision felt right.
He let out a sigh and buried his face in her neck. Surprised, she stiffened for a moment. What was that wetness on her neck? Could it be tears?
Sighing, she cuddled him to her, regretting that she had made him wait, that she had let him suffer. She hadn’t realized how much she really meant to him.
But still, there was one more thing she had to know. “So, you haven’t done this with . . . anyone else?”
“No,” he said, raising his head a little. “How can you ask that?” He paused, then added, “If you mean Garcia, that’s just . . . sick. I’d rather make love to a python.”
And there was so much loathing in his voice, Kelly couldn’t help but believe him.
She sighed happily and relaxed once more, reliving the wonderful sensations she’d just experienced. Wow—she was right about that roller coaster. The heights were incredible, higher than she’d ever gone before.
But a little niggle of doubt haunted her. What about the lows?
* * *
Candace watched, pleased, as Spencer and Amalia paced the hallway outside Kelly’s door and Scott surveyed them all with a small smile on his face. Once more, Chaz had managed to spirit Kelly away from under Spencer’s nose.
Inevitably, the elevator opened and disgorged another person to join the party—Kelly’s mother. “What’s going on?” she asked with a frown.
Spencer paused in his pacing to say, “Kelly is missing.” Reluctantly he added, “And so is Chaz.”
“Are you sure?” Grace asked.
“Yes,” Spencer said, running a hand through his hair. “We’ve called them numerous times and knocked on their doors, even checked the whole hotel. They’re gone.”
“Do you think something has happened to them?” Grace asked in alarm.
Scott grinned. “Oh, I doubt it.”
Grace scowled at him. “Then what can they be doing?”
His grin widened, turning almost lascivious. “I think that’s obvious.”
“Don’t be crude,” his mother said.
Candace was just glad someone had finally pointed out the obvious to Spencer. “They could be anywhere,” she said. Doing just about anything.
At least, she hoped so.
Moving toward Spencer, she added, “There’s nothing we can do about it until they return. Why don’t we wait in our rooms where it’s more comfortable?”
“All right,” Spencer said in resignation. “We’re not doing any good here.”
He looked so dejected, Candace moved toward him to offer comfort. Laying a hand on his arm, she said, “I’m sorry you have to go through this.”
“So am I,” Spencer said absently. But as he did so, he rubbed her hand where it still lay on his arm, then squeezed it softly.
In gratitude? Candace’s heart leapt in response. Maybe it was more than that. Maybe he cared for her more than he realized. . . .
12
Chaz woke in Kelly’s arms the next morning and lay there, just drinking in the moment as he stared down at his wife. She cuddled up against him, one arm curled over his chest and one leg thrown over his thighs. Bare skin to bare skin, just the way he liked it.
He smiled in remembrance. They had spent the night getting reacquainted the best way he knew how. And between bouts of lovemaking on the bed, in the tub, on the floor, he had shared a few stories of his captivity and learned a little more about what her life had been like while he was gone.
The whole experience was enlightening. He knew now that it was too late to get his comfortable old Kelly back, but he was coming to appreciate the advantages of this new, more confident, wife of his.
Pure contentment filled him, but he had no illusions that his good fortune was due to any action of his. Kelly’s presence in his arms and his bed was a miracle, a great gift. If only he didn’t screw it up. . . .
She stirred and he cuddled her close, murmuring, “Good morning.”
She looked up at him and smiled, and it was as if the sun had burst from behind the clouds to share its glory. His heart skipped a beat. I’m the luckiest man in the world.
“So,” she said. “How is my Courageous Corsair this morning?”
He grinned back at her. “Zee Courageous Corsair eez . . . pooped out.” He dropped the phony accent. “I don’t even have enough ‘courage’ to move after what you did to me last night.”
She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. “I know what you mean. I’m a little sore myself. And hungry. . . .”
Those last two words sounded plaintive. And, learning that Kelly wanted something that was in his power to provide, Chaz found the ability to move. “All right. I can take a hint.”
He got out of bed and pulled on his pants, grinning to himself at the way Kelly watched him with appreciative eyes. “I’ll just go get breakfast.”
“In that outfit?”
He glanced down at the leather pants. They were a little risqué. “I didn’t bring anything else to wear.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. You might shock the other guests.” She slid the sheet off and rolled out of bed. “Why don’t I get breakfast instead? You don’t want to give the little old ladies heart attacks.”
It was his turn to watch appreciatively as she sauntered, looking a little self-conscious in her nudity, into the bathroom where she had left her clothes.
“Okay,” he called in after her. Last night, his outfit had seemed like a good idea, but he could see where it might be a little over the top in the bright light of day. “But bring back a lot—I worked up quite an appetite.”
She dress
ed and left, then was gone a little longer than he expected. She came back bearing a tray and an amused expression. As he opened the door for her, she asked, “What did you tell those people downstairs about us?”
“Oh, yeah. That. I kind of told them we were on our second honeymoon.” He watched her closely for signs of anger, but she just laughed.
“No wonder they were so nice—and kept giving me more food.”
The tray, piled high with a continental breakfast, looked heavy so he took it from her and put it on the small desk. “Looks great. Is this what took you so long?”
Closing the door behind her, she said, “No. I also called the hotel to let Scott know where we are so he doesn’t call out the National Guard or something.”
“Good idea.” Chaz had thought about cluing her brother in the night before, but wasn’t sure if Scott would go along with what amounted to kidnapping. Or it would have been, if Kelly hadn’t been so eager to go along with him.
They settled in to eat and after a swallow of an incredibly light and flaky croissant, Chaz said, “I know you and your brother have always been close, but you seem even closer now than you were before.”
She nodded. “Ever since I moved back in, Scott and I have kind of bonded together to deal with Mother.”
Chaz felt a little guilty. Scott had said Kelly moved back home to save money so she could afford to search for Chaz. Back home to the dragon Chaz had rescued her from in the first place. “I’m sorry you had to do that, honey. If I could take back those missing years, I would.”
“Oh, Chaz,” she said with a misty smile. “Don’t worry about that. How could I not spend everything I had looking for you? I’m just glad you’re alive.”
Puzzled, he asked, “But I took out an insurance policy. That should have helped.”
“Only if you were dead. And since we didn’t find a body, I couldn’t put in a claim unless you were declared legally dead. I still haven’t.”
My Favorite Husband Page 16