Leaning down, he moved his mouth softly against her velvet skin, breathing in the fragrance of woman … Eden … his woman.
Unable to wait any longer, he rose up to straddle her hips, unbuttoned his shirt, pulled it from his pants, and threw it on the floor. Pulling her hands from the bedposts, he placed them on his chest. “You know, it goes both ways.”
“Jordan.” She gave a whispered sigh as her hands roamed over his chest and shoulders.
Gritting his teeth at the surge of arousal from her touch, Jordan pulled her hands away so he could slip the straps of her dress off her creamy shoulders. The small lace bra covering her breasts almost disintegrated in his hands.
He swooped down, his tongue circling the beautiful, plump nipple, before he closed his mouth over it, sucking hard. His cock grew harder as she arched into him, a gasp of longing leaving her lips. Moving to the other breast, he gave the tender mound the same treatment. His tongue lapped and swirled, then settled into a strong, hard suckle.
He felt Eden's hands move from his chest to his fly. He thrust his hips forward, telling her without words what he wanted … needed.
When she released him, her soft hands held him, stroking firmly from the base of his erection to the tip. Fluid leaked from him and she used it to rub harder.
With a strangled gasp, Jordan grabbed her hands and held them still. “Wait … let me get out of these clothes and get you out of yours. Then you can play all you want.”
It took tremendous control to get off the bed and drop his pants and underwear. Instead of taking her own clothes off, Eden raised up on an elbow and watched him, seemingly fascinated.
“Like what you see?”
Her nod was a languid movement. “Come down here and I'll show you just how much.”
“In a second. Let me make room.” Jordan wrapped his arms around plates, dishes, and sacks and practically threw them onto the floor, ignoring the clatter and the mess, but enjoying Eden's soft laughter at his urgency.
Finally, at last, only Eden, in all her wonderful, disheveled sexiness, remained on the bed.
Jordan, naked and so aroused his erection and heart raced to see which would explode first, crawled slowly onto the bed. But instead of helping Eden off with her dress, he slid it up over her hips until it bunched at her waist.
Jordan gazed down at what he'd uncovered. He knew she had the longest, silkiest legs he'd ever seen. Seeing them again, imagining them wrapped around him, almost undid him. But he wanted, needed to do something else. Something he'd thought about … dreamed about almost from the moment he'd met her.
Smoothing his hands up her legs, he pulled her thong down and then spread her legs wide, until she was fully exposed. A reverent curse escaped as he gazed down at her feminine beauty.
Before they'd left for Florida, she'd gone to a spa and complained vehemently about the wax treatment she'd endured. Since then, he had dreams of seeing her—he liked what he saw—completely nude, with the exception of a small tuft of golden blond hair covering the top of her sex. He'd wondered what her real hair color was. She'd changed it at least three times since he met her. Now he knew she was a natural blonde.
“Jordan … please … I can't stand not having you touch me. Please.”
Her husky, pleading voice, filled with wanton need, penetrated his haze of lust. Jordan bent his head, inhaled the womanly scent of arousal, then rubbed his cheeks against her bare mons.
Eden bit back a cry of need. How much longer could he torture her like this? She was almost to the point of begging him to take her when he rubbed his face against her. The rasp of his beard stubble against her bare, sensitive skin increased the throbbing to an almost orgasmic level.
“Jordan, please, oh please.”
“Shh.”
A puff of hot breath gave her a small warning and then his mouth was there … at first, a light stab of his tongue on her clit, causing Eden to arch toward him. Placing his hands on her hips, he held her still. Then, with slow, exquisite torture, he lapped, licked, and sucked … long, slow strokes, followed by deep plunges of his tongue and then light, playful licks.
Bright electric shock waves zinged through her, warm flashes of heat wrapped her in a cocoon of sensual pleasure. Ecstasy zoomed, speeding her toward mindless oblivion. Eden shrieked and grabbed his head, pushing him deeper between her legs. Hot sparks of electricity—the universe exploded—her body imploded. Screaming his name, she fell into a deep, dark velvet cloud of beauty.
Before she could recover, Jordan was settling between her legs. She vaguely realized he'd put a condom on. Now was not the time to tell him it didn't matter. The most important thing was to get him inside her.
As his penis pressed into her, Eden arched to make it easier for him. It had been so long and he was very large. She willed her body to open, relax, and accommodate this man she so desired. This man she'd never been able to forget … would never forget.
Jordan pressed halfway in and halted. “Sweetheart, you're tight.” His voice, tense with need, rasped out a gentle command, “Bend your legs up just a little more, baby … that's right. Yeah … that's good. God, you feel amazing.”
Eden heard whimpering, gasping, sobbing. She knew it came from her but couldn't stop it. The need, desire, and sheer lust of this moment consumed every thought, every fiber.
Finally, barely aware that Jordan had lifted her legs so the back of her knees rested in the crooks of his arms, he slid in completely. Eden gasped at the feeling of complete and absolute rightness of having him inside her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressed her face against his chests and held him as tight as she could.
Jordan took her slowly at first, sliding in, then out, building heat, need … then, even more need. Finally, as if he could no longer hold out himself, his big body surged hard, and began a strong, deep thrust and retreat.
Eden met his every thrust with one of her own … until, yes … there it was again … higher, brighter, more fierce than before. The world ceased to exist—a sunburst of heat, hot, intense, burning—implosion and then … absolute ecstasy. She heard Jordan's gasping groan as she buried her face against his shoulder and together they exploded into mind-numbing pleasure.
Jordan woke to the feel of Eden's soft lips kissing his stomach. “Looking for something?” He grimaced at the gravel-rough sound of his voice.
She didn't pause in her activities as she murmured, “Mmmm.”
His cock, ever eager for this woman, rose to attract her attention. “And what exactly would that be?”
“Paradise … have you seen it?”
A soft chuckle came from deep inside. “Yeah, about an hour ago.”
She raised her head and gifted him with an adorable smile. “Me too … but I was hoping to find it again.”
“Think it's down there somewhere?”
In unison, both looked down the length of his body. Moonlight from the window reflected on the bed and showed he'd most definitely risen to the occasion.
Eden gasped as if she'd found a hidden treasure. “There it is.” With that, she trailed her mouth down farther until he could feel her hot breath right above him.
He saw her eyes widen in seeming wonder as he grew even harder under her avid gaze. “Touching is allowed there, too.” And please, let it be soon.
“How about kissing … licking … sucking?” A small smile played around her mouth.
His entire body jerked. “Oh yeah … That's definitely allowed.”
As if she'd just been waiting for his permission, Eden proceeded to kiss, lick, suck, and then take the full head into her mouth. Jordan closed his eyes and literally saw bright explosions as he surged in and out of her hot, wet mouth.
“Eden … oh yeah … I don't think … yes … just … like … that.” Incoherent words, sounds, and groans accompanied the soft slurping of the most exquisitely delicious fellatio he'd ever experienced. When he knew he wouldn't last another second, he grabbed her shoulders to pull her up. He felt the
soft swish of her hair across his stomach and knew she'd shaken her head … refusing to stop. At the point of losing his famous control, Jordan hooked his hands under her arms and pulled hard.
Eden moaned a disappointed sound, but when he turned her over and plunged deep, she wrapped her arms and legs around him and held on tight. Jordan retreated, drove deep again and again. Lightning zipped like a bullet up his spine and he lost everything in the oblivion of her body.
Gasping like a race horse that'd just won the Preakness, he rolled over. Pulling her so she lay sprawled on top of him, he remained inside her warm, velvet sheath as she throbbed and rode his shaft to her own release.
What he'd done, continued to do, was dangerous as hell. He'd forgotten protection for the first time in his life. But at this moment, it seemed to be the most right thing in the world. What that meant, he didn't know … didn't want to delve too far into his psyche to find out.
He just allowed himself the sheer magic of being connected to her in the most elemental and natural way possible. Everything else he'd worry about later.
His breath slowed to almost normal, he rolled over and gathered her to his side. Eden's beautiful face held a supremely satisfied expression of absolute contentment.
Jordan knew, probably had known all along and refused to acknowledge it, that he was in deep water with her, so deep he might never emerge. Something settled inside him as he accepted that it didn't bother him in the least.
As she snuggled more securely into his arms, he brought up the obvious, unwilling not to face and discuss what had happened.
“I didn't use protection that last time.”
Though she stiffened briefly, she relaxed almost immediately and blew out a long sigh. “It's not an issue with me… I can't get pregnant.”
The bald statement bothered him. Not that he had any real desire to father children of his own. He'd even considered a vasectomy several times, but when he started a relationship with Samara, he'd changed his mind. She had wanted children.
After traveling all over the world, he was more than aware of the millions of children who desperately needed a home and someone to love them. Before Samara, he'd always figured that if and when he settled down, that's the route he would go.
What disturbed him was that Eden, a young woman who appeared to be in peak condition, believed herself to be sterile. Why? Based upon the stillness of her body, he suspected it was something that bothered her a great deal … though, knowing Eden, she'd deny it to her death.
“Why do you think you can't get pregnant?”
Eden blew out another long sigh. She didn't want to get into this so early in their relationship. Long ago, she'd come to terms with what happened and the physical consequences. However, she'd never had a relationship where anything of such a personal nature was discussed. Therefore, she had never had to explain the reasons for her sterility.
Since she couldn't tell him the truth, Eden used the lie she'd thought up when she'd first been told of her condition. “When I was a teenager, I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The only alternative at that time was a complete hysterectomy.”
Jordan squeezed her tighter against him, his arms giving her comfort, though not for the reason he thought. The knowledge that this was just one more lie in her already mountain of them tore into her, decreasing the joy of his embrace.
“I'm sorry, sweetheart. That must have been devastating for you to go through at such a young age.”
She shrugged, wanting more than anything to get away from the subject and go on to something she could actually talk about without having to lie.
Jordan must have sensed her need, because he drew away from her, allowing her head to fall softly onto the pillow. Leaning over her, he kissed her softly, sweetly on her lips.
Eden sighed in appreciation at his consideration and kindness.
He murmured against her mouth. “There's some wine left… want some?”
Eden moaned “Mmmm” against his lips but wrapped her arms around him, refusing to let go.
Chuckling, Jordan returned her kiss, the wine forgotten as a much more pleasurable activity commenced.
eighteen
“I think we should both go after Honeycutt,” Jordan said, glowering his dis pleasure at her insistence that it was a one-person job.
“Don't be ridiculous, Jordan. I've done these kinds of rescues in my sleep. The jerk who took Honeycutt is not only an amateur, he's an idiot. There's no need for you to get involved. I'll probably be back in time for a late dinner.”
“Then let me take care of it. I've not had a chance to do one of these.”
Eden sat up straight in her chair. “What's going on here?” She knew the answer, she just wondered if he would tell her the truth—if he even realized what he was doing.
Another glower, darker than before. “What are you talking about?”
“This is the third assignment you thought someone else could handle. Since you've been working Noah's desk, I haven't been on anything requiring more than a slight frown and a verbal threat.”
He shrugged. “There's not been that many. Besides, we had the manpower—excuse me, people power. What was the point of putting our best operative on them?”
“Don't try to butter me up. You're not assigning projects to me because you're afraid I'll get hurt.”
Instead of looking indignant or evasive, he shrugged again. “Is that so bad?”
Laughing softly, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
“No, it's actually quite sweet. But this is what I'm trained for. It's what I do. I don't take unnecessary risks. I have too much self-preservation for that. You can't keep coddling me. It's sweet but not necessary. Okay?”
With a disgusted sigh, Jordan stood, picked up the file from his desk, and handed it to her. “Okay, take it. But if anything happens to you, I'm going to be very pissed.”
Standing beside him, she leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to his mouth, showing him without words how much she appreciated his caring enough to want to protect her. She pulled away before she got carried away, as she tended to do with him. “Leave the light on for me.” At the door, she turned to blow him a kiss and then breezed out.
Jordan shook his head as he watched Eden close the door behind her. She'd seen through his ruse from the very beginning, but allowed him to get his way. His overprotectiveness was unfair to the other operatives and he knew it. Eden was right. She was a trained professional. This is what she did for a living. He'd better get used to it.
Get used to it? That sounded damn permanent, but he couldn't deny that that was the way he was feeling. It had been over two weeks since they'd first made love. They saw each other almost every day, spent every night together. Their relationship—intense, passionate, and wild—had all the elements of a fling that should expend itself in a few weeks from exhaustion. And Jordan knew to his soul that it wouldn't happen.
He wasn't to the point he was ready to declare his feelings … wasn't sure what they were yet. Eden wasn't ready, either. Oh, she wanted him. She liked spending time with him and even admitted he made her laugh like no one ever had before. But she was skittish. He didn't know if it was just a natural part of her, because of her training, or if there was something else.
He was willing to let things develop in their own time. Last night, he'd had a lengthy conversation with Noah.
Bennett had gone so deep, he was having a hell of a time finding any trace of the man. He'd indicated it would probably be at least another couple of weeks before he returned to Paris. That gave Jordan time to discover Eden's fears, answer them, and gain her trust.
Eden was still working on Devon's case. She hadn't told him anything yet, saying she preferred to give him all the information at one time. That was fine with him. If he'd learned anything about her, it was that she was thorough, forthright, and very good at her job. If and when she solved Devon's case, Eden would make every effort to give him everything she learned.
&n
bsp; He trusted her unconditionally.
Twenty minutes after leaving the office, her cellphone rang. Knowing instinctively it was Jordan, she answered with a teasing “Miss me already?”
“Get back to the office,” Jordan said. “I'm sending someone else after Honeycutt.”
Really, this protection thing was going way too far. “Don't be ridiculous.”
Jordan's chuckle told her he knew exactly what she was thinking. “Just got a call from the team tracking the Larues. Looks like Larue and Bennett are having a little get-together in Nantes. They found a talkative mole inside Larue's house hold. We're running a scenario in the office before we head out. Figured you'd want to be involved.”
Fingers gripped the steering wheel as adrenaline zoomed. “We're going in after them? What about the authorities?”
“They agreed to hold back.”
In other words, Jordan's charm and negotiation skills had bought them some time.
For barely an instant, Eden was torn. She'd been assigned the Honeycutt project and was loath to hand it over, even if it was a simple snatch-and-grab. She always finished what she started. But going after the people responsible for Milo's death? Hell, who was she kidding? There was no contest.
“Give me half an hour.” Throwing the phone on the seat beside her, Eden checked the rearview mirror. Ignoring the blaring horns and screeching brakes, she made a U-turn and headed back to the city.
Twenty-six minutes later, she pushed open the door to Noah's office to find Jordan, leaning against the desk, arms crossed, obviously waiting for her. “Where is everyone?”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “The big conference room. This office was too small.”
Curious, Eden turned to go out the door. How many were on the case? LCR rarely sent in more than absolutely necessary. She halted when she saw the number of people standing in the hallway peering into the conference room. The room could accommodate twenty, but it was filled to overflowing.
She shot a questioning glance at Jordan. “What's going on?”
A wry smile curved his mouth. “Word got out that we're going after Milo's killers. Looks like everyone who knew him wants to be in on the raid.”
Rescue Me: A Novel Page 23