by Candis Terry
Surprisingly, instead of launching another attack, he purred.
After a few more gentle strokes, Allison set him down. As soon as she turned her back, he pounced. “Traitor.”
Shaking him loose of her ankle with minimal damage, she opened the bathroom door and immediately went down on her ass with an “Oof.”
Dinks, Jesse’s giant black Lab, ran her over like she was in his way to the dinner bowl. He did an “Oh crap” slide on the slippery floor and biffed it into the wall. Undeterred, he did a quick spin, then came back for a second attack. Only this time it was with long slurps of his tongue up the side of her face.
It took a few moments before she could regain control and untangle herself from his affection. Another glance to the mirror sent her back to the sink to remove the dog drool.
Finally put back together—or at least looking somewhat less like a chew toy—she went downstairs and out into the backyard.
The very vacant backyard.
Though the music still played softly, a quick glance verified both bachelor and bachelorette parties had departed.
Without her.
The pool and patio lights had been turned off. All that remained aglow were the landscape and twinkling tree lights. With a little hint of panic, Allison realized Jesse must be in the process of shutting down for the night.
She’d been forgotten.
So much for feeling like a part of the crowd.
Without a car, phone, or money for a taxi—not that Sweet actually had such a thing—she’d have to call her father to come pick her up. At this late hour, she really hated to disturb him, but walking home was out of the question. It was too far, and she really didn’t want to end up as a coyote snack. Hoping Jesse had a landline, she turned to go back into the house.
“Where you going?”
Immersed in the shadows, Jesse’s deep voice reached out to her. She turned, walked back out to the edge of the pool, and found him neck deep in the water.
“It seems everyone’s gone home. I was going to see if you had a house phone I could use to call my father to come pick me up.”
“What’s your hurry?”
“Well . . .” She folded her arms. “Judging by the dimming of the lights and the sudden disappearance of everyone, my guess is that last call came while I was using your restroom.”
He came up out of the water until it hit him waist high. Droplets of water shimmered in the moonlight as they slowly slid down his broad, sculpted chest and abs. As he moved to the edge of the pool, he looked like a Nordic god. But even deities could be sneaky.
Remembering how earlier he’d tricked her and pulled her into the pool, she moved out of reach.
“So you think the night is over?” he asked.
“It would appear so.”
“Darlin’, the party’s just getting started.”
“Then why did everyone leave?”
“Because I told them to.”
“Why?”
“So I could get you alone.” He held out his hand. “Come join me.”
So he could get her alone?
Run.
Everything sane and logical said to ignore that big hand reaching out to her and the amazing man attached.
Instead, her heart did some fancy two-stepping, her feet developed a mind of their own, and she walked toward him. “Does that tactic usually work when you bring your fan club here?”
“I’ve never brought anyone here.”
“Right. I’ve heard the stories.”
His smile slipped, and sincerity darkened his eyes. A strange little thrill tickled her stomach.
“Are you serious?” she asked.
He nodded. “I told you not to believe everything you heard.” His hand reached out to her again, and like a magnet, she was drawn. “I’ll see you get home safe when you’re ready to go.”
“What if I want to go now?”
“Then I’ll make the call. But I hope you’ll stay.”
Yeah, like she really intended to go anywhere with a half-naked hunk she was wildly attracted to right in front of her? Nope. Not gonna happen. Still, she didn’t plan to make it easy.
She lowered herself to the edge of the pool and dangled her legs in the warm water. He found his way between them, and she did absolutely nothing to stop him.
When they were face-to-face, he gave her a smile that smacked of confidence, promise, and satisfaction. She had no doubt he could deliver on everything that hot, hard body advertised. But she sensed something else hidden in the depths of those blue eyes.
She might not have come to Texas for romance, sex, or anything other than checking on her father’s well-being. But the look in Jesse’s eyes told her that if she’d just reach out, she’d find something sweeter than anything she’d ever imagined.
The enormity of that terrified her.
His big hands settled on the tops of her bare thighs. Despite the heat, a shiver danced up her spine. One touch was all it took for her to feel the snap that signaled her absolute surrender. It was more than the fact that she hadn’t been with a man in a very long time. That snap told her that she belonged to him no matter how hard she might try to fight the truth.
“So you’re saying you don’t come with references?” she asked, trying to maintain an ounce of the control slowly slipping away.
“You know . . .” His smile said she didn’t fool him for one second. “You’ve got that tough-chick thing going on that makes me want to grab you with both hands, strip you naked, and find your sweet, gooey center.”
Oh. My.
Though everything between her neck and her thighs tingled like she’d stuck her finger in a light socket, she managed a laugh. “I’m afraid all you’ll find with me is a hard-candy core.”
“Hmmm. So the choice is to lick or suck?” He moved closer until the crotch of her bikini bottoms was pressed against his rippled abs. He looked directly into her eyes. Trailed a wet finger across her shoulder and down between her breasts. “Pretty sure you’ll taste good either way.”
With a cool smile, Allison managed to scoop up the estrogen pouring from her like a chocolate fountain. “Maybe I’m not interested.”
“Really?” The corners of his sinfully delicious mouth lifted.
“Really.”
“Then you might want to relay that message to the rest of your body.”
She didn’t need to look down to know he referred to her erect nipples pressing against the yellow fabric. She could feel them react to him and that seductive male mouth—all swollen and achy like they were willing to be the topping on his dessert.
“The air is cool,” she said.
“Uh-huh.” Moonlight danced in his eyes as his hands moved up her thighs and her waist. Those long fingers kept moving until they trailed over her shoulders. Then achingly slow, both hands slid down her chest, lightly grazing her hardened nipples.
She looked him over, tried to put a big “Whoa” on all the heat zipping through her system. “Has any woman ever denied that Southern charm that flows from you like honey?”
He grinned.
She’d take that as a no.
“Maybe I’ll be the first.”
His head tilted, and a lock of his hair slipped from behind his ear. “Is that so?”
She tucked the silky strands back in place. “Don’t forget . . . I’m the tough chick.”
“Got news for you, darlin’.” He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I’m the one going down in flames.”
The heat of his breath warmed her, and she tried not to melt. She gripped the concrete edge of the pool like a lifeline. Tried not to focus on the delicious masculine scent that rose from him like a party invitation.
“I can’t get you out of my head, Allison.” He nuzzled the side of her throat and murmure
d in her ear. “Not during the day, when I’m working. Not at night, when I’m alone in bed.”
Because his mouth felt so good on her skin, she tilted her head slightly to give him better access. “Why?”
“I don’t know.” He drew back and cupped her face in his hands. His thumbs gently stroked her cheeks. As he looked into her eyes, his breathing was unsteady. “But I’m willing to take a chance and figure it out. How about you?”
Admittedly, she’d been turned on by him since the moment he’d pulled her into his arms to dance that first night at Seven Devils. She could deny all day long that she wasn’t interested. And she’d be a great, big, fat liar.
Plain and simple, her body wanted him.
Her heart wanted him too. And that had her a little more than worried. Even with all his pretty words, she wasn’t sure she had enough experience to deal with such a heartbreaker.
“I’ve never been good at games of chance,” she said, even as her hands lifted to his smooth, hard-muscled chest, and her fingers played across his wet skin.
“This isn’t a competition. I think we both want the same results.”
She wasn’t sure about that. But when his lips pressed against hers, she responded in the same way as she had that first night when she hadn’t known him at all. This time, instead of fighting the hot ache spreading through her belly, she gave in. His mouth opened over hers in a slow, soft, sexy kiss that sent the message he was in no hurry.
The beat of desire pulsed through her blood while his tongue caressed and coaxed. Promised and delivered. She leaned into him and curled her arms around his neck. The aching tips of her breasts pressed into his chest. With a moan, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her down into the water with him. Those big hands slid down the small of her back, cupped her rear, and pulled her up against a long, thick erection he couldn’t hide beneath those wet board shorts.
A groan of pure male need rumbled deep in his chest. “Wrap your legs around me.”
She did without hesitation. The heat and contact of her sex against his erection shot a tingling ache right through her core. With her back braced against the cool blue tile, he kissed her again, leaned into her, and rocked his hips. His erection thrust tantalizingly against her, making her ache and need with a ferocity she couldn’t control. She didn’t think there was anything she’d ever wanted more than him.
A warm rush tightened her chest, flooded the apex of her thighs, and sent her into a crazy whirlwind of desire. Her heart pounded, and her blood pumped through her veins in hot, pulsating waves.
She drew her head back, missing his mouth on hers the moment it left. “You don’t have to go slow.”
“Are you kidding?” He pressed his forehead against hers and murmured in a deep husky voice. “I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I’m going to take my time enjoying you. Even if it kills me. And it just might. But I’m willing to take that risk.”
With a provocative smile, he lowered his head again. This time, his hot mouth found the sensitive spot beneath her ear, where he gently kissed, licked, and sucked the flesh until the stimulated vibrations in her body made it impossible to remain still.
His long fingers reached up and untied her bikini top. When the yellow fabric floated away, he tossed it onto the concrete, where it landed with a splat. Then her bared nipples were pressed against his warm, wet chest. She couldn’t stop the long “Oh God” that moaned through her lips.
“You make me crazy with wanting you,” he murmured in a husky voice that sent a shiver through her chest.
Under his intense gaze, she might have felt shy. Embarrassed. But the heat in those blue depths did just the opposite, and when his hands slid up between them to hold and caress her breasts, she closed her eyes only because of the sheer pleasure.
His warm breath whispered across her puckered flesh as he gently cupped her breast, then lowered his head and smoothly sucked in her nipple. When his tongue flattened and stroked, a groan rose from his chest and vibrated against her flesh.
She gasped in response.
Fantasies didn’t come close to reality as water lapped between them, and he took his leisure tasting her. Her hands wandered over him, enjoying the feel of his tight skin on top of all that muscle. Soon, it wasn’t enough.
She wanted to taste him too.
“Jesse?”
He lifted his head, his heavy-lidded eyes burned with lust. “Yeah?”
“Did I ever tell you how much I love tattoos?”
A slow smile curled his lips. “I don’t believe you have.”
“Maybe I should show you instead.” She grabbed hold of those broad shoulders and turned him so they switched places. Now he was the one backed against the wall of the pool, and she fully intended to take advantage for as long as he allowed.
She kissed his jaw, his mouth, his chest, the wings-of-freedom tribal ink on his biceps. She applied the same sensuous torture to his pebbled nipples as he had to hers. While she tasted him, she lowered her hand into the front of those baby blue board shorts, wrapped her fingers around his long, thick erection, and slowly stroked.
“Oh. God.” His head dropped back. “That feels . . .”
“Good?”
“Amazing.” He allowed her to touch him. To explore. To find what caused him to moan, shudder, or push his smooth, rigid cock into her hand. But he allowed it only for a brief time before he took control again. While he kissed her, his hands slid down her body in a sensual caress, then he touched her through the bikini bottoms. “My turn.”
Everything about this man moved something deep inside her, and she was sure she’d never felt such a hot, aching need for anyone before. He wrapped her in his scent. His warmth. He had a body that knocked her out. But his heart was the sexiest thing about him. Even as those long fingers slipped beneath the bikini fabric and touched her slick, hot flesh. Even as he explored, circled, and stroked until she thought she’d go mad from the sweet fire pooling between her thighs.
He kissed the curve of her neck, drew that flesh between his lips, and flicked his tongue over the sensitive surface. His fingers made the same magic between her legs.
It would be so easy to let go. To find that ultimate release with him simply touching her. But she wanted more.
She wanted all of him.
Every single inch.
Every single drop.
Everything he had to give.
“Off.” That single word burst through her lips rough and choppy.
“Damn.” He backed off like he’d been burned.
“Not you.” She pulled him back. Pressed her mouth to his. Wrapped her body around him. “The clothes.”
“Thank God.” His hands smoothed down her waist until his thumbs hooked into the edge of the bikini bottoms, and he pulled them down her legs. With a wet splat, they joined the string top on the concrete. The water felt amazing against her naked body, and she now knew why skinny-dipping was such a popular sport.
“Now you.” When he reached for his waistband, she pushed his hands away. “Let me.” As tall as he was, there was only one way to completely remove the board shorts.
Might as well make the process interesting.
He stood like a good and happy soldier while she took hold of the Velcro opening and separated it. She worked the fabric down his hips. When his erection jutted free, she ducked beneath the water and took him in her mouth. His groan vibrated through his body as she enjoyed him for as long as she could hold her breath. When she broke the surface of the water, she had his shorts in her hand, and she’d put a smile on his face.
“You never cease to surprise me,” he said.
“Well”—she dipped her hand below the surface of the water, wrapped her fingers around his hard, thick length, and began a slow head-to-base stroke that made him close his eyes and smile—“let’s not l
et it end there.”
She tossed the shorts up over the edge of the pool.
“Not a chance.” He reached for her, smoothed his hands down to her bottom, and lifted her.
Anticipation shivered down her spine as she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. The thick head of his penis nudged her slick opening, and her heart took off in a race. But instead of his pushing inside, where she really wanted him, he carried her toward the steps.
“Where are you going?”
“Condoms aren’t safe in a pool.” He held up a foil packet that must have been in the pocket of his shorts. She didn’t dare wonder why or for whom he’d put it there.
“I’m on birth control.”
He sighed. “And I have a reputation.”
“Do you?”
“You’ve heard the talk.”
“And you’ve told me not to believe everything I hear.”
“Indeed I have.” He kept moving toward the steps.
“I trust you.”
He stopped. Tightened his embrace. And kissed her. “Thank you.”
“So can we . . .”
“You may have enough regrets come morning. I’m not going to add to them.” He carried her out of the pool and over to the day bed beneath the pergola. He laid her on the cool canvas cover and followed her down.
“But . . .”
“Sssh.” He silenced her with a kiss. “I’m busy.”
That firm, masculine mouth went to work kissing the curve of her neck, her breasts, and her stomach until he inched his way down between her legs. His big hands cupped her bare bottom, and, softly, he kissed the inside of her thighs. Then he parted her slick folds and found her with his warm tongue. Every bone in her body liquefied. Her core heated and tingled as he licked across her sensitive flesh as if she were a yummy scoop of ice cream.
Every nerve in her body sizzled and snapped like she was riding an electrical current. Nothing on earth could have stopped the climax that curled her toes and shot like liquid fire through her body.
Before the sensation died out, he moved back up her body and nudged her legs apart to accommodate his hips. The head of his long, thick penis nudged her opening and, this time, she knew he wouldn’t retreat.